Author: Daniel

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics coverage. Here’s what’s happening…

-Could Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize after the Israel-Hamas deal?

-NJ Showdown: Following a bitter debate, Ciattarelli spotlights the disastrous Sherrill interview

-Federal judge limits ICE arrests without an arrest warrant or probable cause

Shutdown continues as fighting between parties drags on 

The White House slammed Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for making a “disgusting and revealing” comment about the ongoing shutdown.

Schumer spoke with Punchbowl News, an outlet based in Washington, D.C., and said that as the shutdown continues, things keep getting “better” for the Democrats.

“Every day gets better for us,” Schumer reportedly told Punchbowl News. “It’s because we’ve thought about this long in advance, and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30, and we prepared for it… Their whole theory was — threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.” … Read more

White House

FOLLOW THE MONEY: ‘Riot Inc.’: Trump launches ‘whole-of-government’ push to expose Antifa funding networks, dark money sources

DEAL OR NO DEAL: Trump teases trip to the Middle East as Gaza peace deal talks continue

Capitol Hill

EXIT STAGE LEFT: Trump predicts Schumer will retire before losing primary to AOC amid shutdown showdown

TROOPS HELD HOSTAGE: Senate Democrats block GOP plan again to reopen government as military pay deadline looms

PRAYER VS. POLITICS: Hakeem Jeffries leads prayer event over the shutdown after passing on Charlie Kirk vigil

‘FAR-LEFT’ FEARS: GOP blames Schumer for shutdown to appease ‘Marxist flank’ amid AOC primary challenge buzz

WAR ON DRUGS: Two Republicans vote with Dems as Senate GOP spikes bid to block Trump’s strikes on drug-smuggling boats

NO NUKES: Senate GOP resists ‘nuclear option’ as Dem shutdown standoff deepens

‘IRONCLAD’: Ardently pro-Israel Dem Sen. John Fetterman congratulates Trump for ‘historic peace plan’

‘FAR-LEFT’ FEARS: GOP blames Schumer for shutdown to appease ‘Marxist flank’ amid AOC primary challenge buzz

Across America 

GROUND ZERO CHAOS: ‘Operation Midway Blitz’: Inside DOJ’s push to tackle crime, illegal immigration in Chicago

FEDS DOUBLE DOWN: Noem: Trump administration doubling down with new federal facilities in Chicago, Portland

POWER REVERSAL: Democrats flip the script on ‘states’ rights’ in fight against Trump’s National Guard plan

TRAVEL TURMOIL: Noem airs clip blasting Democrats for government shutdown in every airport in America

GLOVES OFF: ‘Getting desperate’: Governor debate gets personal after Democrat is mocked for cheating scandal

NO TROOPS ALLOWED: U.S. soldiers in city streets “makes people less safe,” says Democratic candidate

CAPITOL CHAOS: Screaming match erupts between Mike Lawler, Hakeem Jeffries as government shutdown chaos continues

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

President Trump issues plenty of threats.

Sometimes they get results, sometimes they don’t.

And sometimes it’s just bluster. Especially if it’s an online posting, such as saying that Chicago’s mayor and Illinois’ governor should go to jail for resisting him on dispatching troops to the Windy City.

But his relentless personality – backed by the world’s most powerful military – can be overpowering.

TRUMP NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL

It’s hard to overstate what a remarkable achievement Trump is in the process of assembling by getting Israel and Hamas to end their brutal and bloody two-year-old war.

It’s fair to say no other president could have pulled this off. Joe Biden certainly couldn’t. In fact, not since Jimmy Carter staged the marathon Camp David talks with Anwar Sadar and Menachem Begin has a president brokered peace between the Israelis and one of their Arab enemies. 

Trump himself engineered the Abraham Accords, with help from Jared Kushner, joined by the U.A.E. and Bahrain, in his first term, and later by Sudan and Morocco. That gave him the experience to tackle this immensely tougher challenge and spur more Nobel Peace Prize speculation.

Now some quick caveats are in order. The president says he expects the remaining 20 hostages to be returned Monday or Tuesday, but the Hamas terrorists could come up with new objections that derail the train.

Reporters were asking about Phase 2, which would include returning the bodies of deceased hostages, but the president wisely deflected those questions.  

So no popping of champagne corks quite yet.

EXCLUSIVE: ISRAELI AMBASSADOR SAYS NO PEACE IN GAZA UNLESS HAMAS HANDS OVER ALL 48 HOSTAGES, DISARMS

Presumably, it was these reservations that prompted anchors and correspondents on the air to appear rather sober-faced as they covered the latest developments. But I think it was more than that.

Some of these journalists are not exactly supportive of Trump. And so it’s not easy for them to shower him with credit. They say the right words – tremendous accomplishment and so on – but the body language sends a different message.

Look, Israel has been in a state of war, or cold war, with the surrounding countries since its founding in 1948.

And in a broader sense, the Jews and the Arabs have had hostile relations for many centuries. It’s in the Bible, the plea to Pharaoh to “let my people go.”

Now, there remain crucial unanswered questions about who will rule Gaza, most of it reduced to rubble, in the future. Israel was subject to a brutal massacre on Oct. 7, but it has also found itself increasingly isolated as more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed. Many Israelis, and American Jews, believe Bibi Netanyahu let the war drag on too long to protect his political standing.

Trump had to pressure Bibi into accepting his peace deal, essentially by threatening to have the U.S. walk away.

Now Hamas is essentially being asked to surrender by turning in its weapons. Trump says he will join with other countries in a peace council to prevent the resumption of war. But those details remain murky, beyond the fact that the terrorists will no longer be in charge, as they have been since Israel voluntarily withdrew from the Gaza Strip nearly two decades ago.

GRAND JURY INDICTS NY AG LETITIA JAMES ON BANK FRAUD CHARGES IN VIRGINIA FEDERAL COURT

So just as the president was basking in some well-deserved praise for essentially remaking the Middle East, there was a new development.

A grand jury indicted Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, for mortgage fraud.

This, in a nutshell, underscores the duality of the Trump presidency.

It seems like a petty move, and in a video, James said “we will fight these baseless charges aggressively.”

As with the recent indictment of James Comey, the indictment was returned only because Trump replaced his own U.S. attorney in Virginia’s eastern district with White House aide and loyalist Lindsey Halligan, who has no prosecution experience.

Trump told his AG, Pam Bondi, in a memo that James, like Comey, was “guilty as hell.” The Wall Street Journal says that “Pam” memo was intended to be secret.

Career prosecutors had decided there wasn’t enough evidence to charge James, who brought a civil suit against candidate Trump on real estate inflation that produced a fine which grew to half a billion dollars – so outrageous that an appellate court tossed it out. James also won her job by promising to go after Trump, calling him an “illegitimate” president.

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

James has owned a home in Brooklyn for decades, and two years ago she bought a house in Norfolk, Va. with her niece.

The career prosecutors found little evidence that James was dishonest in completing the paperwork.

The media spotlight immediately shifted from Trump the global peacemaker to Trump the crusader who is doggedly pursuing a campaign of retribution against his enemies.

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At the very moment he was drawing praise from around the world, Trump stepped on his own story.

EXCLUSIVE — Dozens of Angel parents and families of fentanyl victims are calling for President Donald Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to his unprecedented efforts to combat drug cartels, human trafficking and illegal immigration.

In a letter sent Thursday to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, members of The American Border Story (TABS), representing Angel parents whose children were killed by illegal immigrants and families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl, urged recognition of Trump’s leadership in bringing “peace and security” to neighborhoods across the country.

“Fentanyl took my child’s life, and it’s taken thousands more,” Anne Fundner, whose son died from an overdose in 2022, told Fox News Digital. “President Trump didn’t look the other way. He went after the cartels and the traffickers poisoning our kids. He’s the only one who made this fight a priority, and because of that, lives have been saved. That’s why he deserves this recognition.”

The families credit Trump with identifying cartels and traffickers as a “war machine that destroys lives.” They say he made border security a priority and took action to halt the flow of drugs and violent criminals into the U.S. in a way no other leader has.

TRUMP SAVES AMERICAN LIVES WITH ‘OVERWHELMING FORCE’ AGAINST DRUG SMUGGLERS ENCROACHING ON US BEACHES: EXPERT

While many world leaders have sought peace abroad, the families say Trump’s efforts have been focused on peace “right here at home.”

Joe Abraham, whose daughter Katie Abraham was killed in a hit-and-run allegedly by an illegal immigrant earlier this year, said Trump is the only leader who treated the border crisis as a national emergency.

FAMILY MEMBER OF INFANTS BURNED ALIVE BY CARTEL THANKS TRUMP FOR CRACKDOWN: ‘HOPEFUL FOR THE FIRST TIME’

“My daughter was killed by someone who never should have been in this country,” Abraham told Fox News Digital. “He stood up to the cartels, secured the border and fought to protect families like mine. That’s not just leadership, that’s bringing peace to American communities.”

The group argues that the Nobel Peace Prize — created to honor those who reduce war and promote peace — applies to Trump’s efforts to dismantle cartel operations.

‘PRESIDENT OF PEACE’: TRUMP TAPPED FOR NOBEL PRIZE AMID TALKS TO END RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

“The Nobel Peace Prize was created to honor those who work for fraternity among nations, reduce the engines of war, and promote peace,” the letter states. “Today, the greatest war many of us face is not in some faraway battlefield, it is in our backyards, waged by cartels that profit from human misery. President Trump understood this, and he has worked tirelessly to end it.”

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The letter was dated the same day Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., announced he was tapping Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize following his landmark agreement to end the Israel-Hamas war. Pro-Israel activist Lizzy Savetsky went further Thursday, suggesting that the Nobel should be renamed in Trump’s honor to mark the world-changing achievement.

The deadline for this year’s nominations was Jan. 31. While some proposals for Trump came in before then, many arrived after the cutoff. If he does not win when the prize is announced Friday, he could be considered again next year.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Democrat Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger faced repeated questioning during Thursday’s debate over her continued support for attorney general candidate Jay Jones after text messages surfaced in which he fantasized about putting “two bullets” in the head of then-Republican Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.

Both the debate moderators and her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, repeatedly asked Spanberger whether she still endorses Jones, but Spanberger did not say outright that she no longer endorsed him.

Spanberger also would not say when she became aware of the inflammatory text messages, which also included violent rhetoric about Gilbert’s children. 

“Jay Jones advocated the murder — Abigail — the murder of a man, a former speaker, as well as his children who were 2 years and 5 years old. You have little girls. Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it?” Earle-Sears asked. “Please ask him to get out of the race. Have some courage.”

JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER 

The text scandal has proven to be a major flashpoint in the race as concerns about violent political rhetoric have reached new heights after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and two attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump. 

“We just want to clarify, what you’re saying is, as of now, you still endorse Jay Jones as attorney general?” the moderator asked Spanberger. 

“I’m saying, as of now, it’s up to every voter to make their own individual decision. I am running for governor. I am accountable for the words that I say, for the acts that I take, for the policies that I have put out,” Spanberger responded. “I am responsible for the policies I put out and the work I will endeavor to do tirelessly for the people.”

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER 

Spanberger did repeatedly point out that she condemned the rhetoric the moment she learned of it and that she will denounce violent rhetoric at every opportunity she gets. 

Meanwhile, Spanberger accused Earle-Sears of only condemning violent rhetoric when it is targeting her political party but not when it targets her opponent’s. She cited an example from Kirk’s memorial service last month, during which Trump reportedly said, “I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them.”

“It is important that candidates always denounce violence no matter which side of the aisle. … We should always be focused and forceful in our denouncement of it,” Spanberger said as she was peppered with questions on whether she would denounce Jones. “My opponent unfortunately only denounces violence when her side is the target.”

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In response to those accusations, Earle-Sears did not condemn the president’s words but did say it was something she would not say herself personally. 

“As I’ve said before, I would not say that,” Earle-Sears said of the Trump comments.

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.

Lawmakers reacted sharply Thursday to the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges, with Democrats calling it a politically motivated act of revenge by President Donald Trump.

A federal grand jury in Virginia charged James with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. The indictment centers on James’ purchase of a home in Norfolk. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed it as a second residence to secure better loan terms before leasing it to tenants. James has denied wrongdoing, describing the charges as “political retribution.”

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,” James said in a statement.

James, a longtime Trump adversary, previously sued the president’s business empire for civil fraud and won a nearly $500 million judgment.

TRUMP TO FORCE OUT VIRGINIA PROSECUTOR AMID PRESSURE TO INDICT LETITIA JAMES

Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said James faces up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count and forfeiture if she’s convicted.

“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said James has weaponized her office to go after Trump and his allies. 

“Her hypocrisy is profound as she campaigned on the mantra that ‘no one is above the law,’ yet she now faces allegations of committing the very type of financial misrepresentation she baselessly pursued against President Trump,” Stefanik said. 

“I have spearheaded congressional efforts to expose James’ abuses over the past several years through ethics complaints, bar complaints, public demands for investigations and oversight exposing her corruption“. 

TRUMP RIPS TRIAL JUDGE WHOSE $500M PENALTY WAS ERASED ON APPEAL

Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., noted James’ past statement that “no one is above the law.” 

“Today, Leti[t]ia James was indicted for bank fraud regarding a mortgage loan,” she wrote on X. 

Democrats rallied to her defense, accusing Trump of abusing his power.

“The politically motivated indictment of Attorney General Letitia James is an abuse of power — a weaponization of government — at its most outrageous and egregious,” said Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. “Rather than addressing the grocery and utility bills crushing American families, Donald Trump remains pathologically preoccupied with his personal enemies list.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., called the charges a “blatant abuse of power,” while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the case amounted to “nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department.”

New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani praised James as “a champion for justice,” saying Trump’s actions showed “fascist tactics — prosecuting his opponents, weaponizing the federal government and attacking the very fabric of our democracy.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump was using the Justice Department as his “personal attack dog.”

“This is what tyranny looks like,” Schumer said. “President Trump is targeting Attorney General Tish James for the ‘crime’ of prosecuting him for fraud — and winning. This isn’t justice. It’s revenge.”

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, called the indictment “political weaponization of our courts, plain and simple — and proof that when you stand up to corruption, they come for you.”

James’ initial court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 24 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears came out swinging against what she called former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s dodges on calls for fellow Democrat Jay Jones to drop out of the attorney general contest after texts envisioning the murder of a Republican leader came to light.

Throughout the debate, Spanberger mostly declined to make eye contact with Earle-Sears and ignored her when she was interrupted.

Earle-Sears repeatedly addressed Spanberger directly during both women’s answers but did not receive any direct responses in return.

SPANBERGER DEFENDS ABORTION AD CRITICIZING SEARS AFTER BERNIE WARNS AGAINST HIGHLIGHTING ISSUE

Early on, Earle-Sears interrupted Spanberger, asking her to give a direct answer. The Democrat told the moderators she was “aware of these messages” and that they were “absolutely abhorrent.”

“I denounced them when I learned of them and I will denounce them every chance I get,” Spanberger said, as Earle-Sears interjected once more to attempt to press for a straight answer.

“I didn’t hear an answer on [the Jones] question,” co-moderator Deanna Albrittin told Spanberger.

Since Earle-Sears had already called for Jones to drop out, the moderators asked her instead about President Donald Trump’s stated “hate” for political opponents after the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Earle-Sears later turned to Spanberger and admonished her for refusing to give a yes-or-no answer on Jones, asking whether it would take Jones “pulling the trigger” to actually condemn what he had said about then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER

The Republican was later asked whether she needs Trump’s endorsement, as he has explicitly endorsed lieutenant governor candidate John Reid but offered more muted comments for Earle-Sears during the span of the race.

Earle-Sears also criticized Spanberger for purportedly waiting several days before condemning a left-wing protest’s racist sign at an Arlington anti-transgender-sports demonstration headlined by the Republican candidate.

The sign said that Earle-Sears should not be able to share water fountains (as a Black woman) if transgender students cannot share bathrooms.

In the latter regard, moderator Tom Schaad asked Spanberger whether transgender girls born male should be able to use female bathrooms and be on co-ed sports teams.

“Nothing is more important to me than their safety and their experience in schools,” Spanberger said, before offering a lengthier answer that also cited her experience as a former federal agent investigating crimes against children.

TOP GOP GROUP DROPS BIG MONEY INTO VIRGINIA SHOWDOWN AFTER DEM AG NOMINEE’S VIOLENT TEXTS GO VIRAL

“That work, in part, has earned me the endorsement of the Police Benevolent Association,” she said.

Schaad reiterated the question, saying there had been no direct answer, and later attempted to ask whether Spanberger would rescind an executive order by Gov. Glenn Youngkin laying out a bathroom policy along biological lines.

“My opponent will not answer the question because she voted for men nude in girls’ locker rooms,” Earle-Sears later said.

Later, both candidates were asked whether they would continue or undo any specific policies from Youngkin – whom the moderators reported enjoys high approval ratings as he closes out his last three months of his term.

Earle-Sears said she would not disclose private conversations with Youngkin but that she would not undo their progress.

‘CONSUMED WITH HATE’: WINSOME SEARS, JASON MIYARES UNLOAD ON DEMOCRAT JAY JONES OVER VIOLENT TEXTS

Spanberger said she would continue Youngkin’s efforts to grow advanced nuclear power in the commonwealth.

After the event, Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, Jr., D-Portsmouth, spoke to reporters as a surrogate for Spanberger.

Scott said there is a “double standard” in pressuring Spanberger to call for Jones to drop out, claiming Earle-Sears has not denounced violent rhetoric from Trump.

The speaker, who represents the area just south of the debate site, claimed Earle-Sears did not as vociferously condemn Trump for a remark he made in 2024 when discussing neoconservatism, and former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney’s aisle-crossing endorsement of Kamala Harris.

“Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her. OK? Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face,” Trump said as a rebuttal to people in the political establishment who are war “hawks” or support proverbial forever-wars.

WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES AD LINKING ABIGAIL SPANBERGER TO JAY JONES AFTER VIOLENT TEXTS RESURFACE

The Trump campaign noted at the time that the president did not call for Cheney to be executed and that the press covered the remark “disgracefully,” while fact-checker PolitiFact deemed the comment illustrative of a “combat zone” situation rather than a call for murder.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Earle-Sears campaign for comment on the debate, including the way the candidates comported themselves on stage.

“If you’re wondering who’s capable of leading Virginia, this was the debate to watch,” Earle-Sears spokesperson Peyton Vogel told Fox News Digital.

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“Abigail Spanberger couldn’t even look Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears in the eye and confirmed she will not stand up to Jay Jones’ threat-laced, murderous rhetoric.”

“If she can’t lead her own ticket, she can’t lead the Commonwealth,” Vogel said.

The Senate advanced its version of a colossal package to authorize funding for the Pentagon on Thursday in the midst of the ongoing government shutdown.

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which had been gathering dust as lawmakers worked to break through holds on the bill for over a month, advanced in the upper chamber on a bipartisan vote. The legislation would authorize roughly $925 billion in defense spending.

However, successful advancement of the bill after a marathon Senate vote on amendments came as the government entered Day 9 of the government shutdown with no clear end in sight. Lawmakers in the upper chamber aren’t expected to return until Tuesday, all but guaranteeing that military service members won’t get their paychecks next week. 

SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK GOP PLAN AGAIN TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT AS MILITARY PAY DEADLINE LOOMS

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., formally announced the breakthrough on the Senate floor after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teased a possible vote Thursday morning. Wicker noted that in a particularly partisan moment in the upper chamber, the NDAA was able to sail through committee earlier this year on a near unanimous vote.

“In this time, when we can’t seem to muster up a 60-vote majority to keep us in business as a federal government, we were able to pass the National Defense Authorization Act by a vote of 26-to-1,” Wicker said.

Lawmakers were finally able to move on the legislative package after Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., dropped his hold on the measure.

Gallego had called for a vote on his amendment that would have prevented Ashli Babbitt, who was killed during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, from receiving military funeral honors. The Air Force extended an offer for military funeral honors for Babbitt in August.

SENATE REPUBLICANS CONFIRM MORE THAN 100 TRUMP NOMINEES AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CONTINUES

Senators charged through over a dozen partisan amendments and a massive batch of roughly 50 add-ons to the legislative package before moving the bill. The House passed its own version last month.

Among the failed amendments was one from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., which would have blocked money to retrofit a Boeing 747 that President Donald Trump accepted from the Qatari government earlier this year.  

Another, from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., would have prevented Trump and governors around the country from signing off on sending the National Guard from one state to another if a governor or mayor rejected the move. 

One successful amendment, from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force for Iraq, which at the time authorized then-President George W. Bush to use the U.S. military as he deemed “to be necessary and appropriate” in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.

It would also repeal a similar resolution passed in 1991 during the Gulf War. The House’s version of the bill included repeals of both authorizations, too. 

DOZENS OF DEMOCRATS MUTINY MUST-PASS DEFENSE BILL OVER GOP PRIORITIES

However, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., had vowed to block the package Thursday afternoon in an effort to “secure a hearing to investigate this gross abuse of our military” in response to Trump sending the National Guard to Chicago and other cities across the country.

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But she backed off her threat after Wicker promised a hearing on the matter “in the coming weeks.”

“I look forward to asking tough questions of the Trump administration about their unconstitutional National Guard deployments to American cities against state and local officials’ objections,” she said in a statement. 

A newly surfaced video shows California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter appearing frustrated with staff members over bright studio lighting, the third controversial video involving the former lawmaker to emerge in just a week.

The clip, which is reportedly from 2021 and has been circulating widely on social media, shows then-U.S. Rep. Porter on a Zoom call complaining about harsh studio lighting before a television interview.

“Oh, yes, this is why I didn’t want to do — I need the lights off, the bright lights,” Porter says to someone in the room. “I’m so sorry, but I am about to get on. Bernard, I need you to turn these off. … These, that are killing me.”

Turning back to the Zoom, she says, “Hang on one second, everybody!”

KATIE PORTER CAUGHT ON VIDEO SCREAMING ‘GET OUT OF MY F—–G SHOT!’ AT STAFFER DURING 2021 CALL

Someone can be heard speaking in the background, to which Porter responds, “Yes, yes we should have!” 

Moments later, Porter’s tone becomes less light-hearted as the lights go out entirely.

KATIE PORTER INTERVIEW GOES VIRAL AS JOURNALISTS MARVEL AT DEMOCRAT’S MELTDOWN

“OK, everybody, I’m … not that dark,” she says.

Porter, appearing visibly agitated as she looks around the room, then turns off her computer’s camera and microphone for about 20 seconds before she reappears in a different room.

“OK, everybody. I’m sorry about that. I am in a TV studio getting ready to go on Cuomo,” Porter says in the video. “And, so, I had all those studio lights on me, and I couldn’t see myself or see you guys.”

The resurfaced clip comes as Porter faces heightened scrutiny after two other viral videos that surfaced earlier this week.

CNN PANEL SHREDS HARRIS’ COLBERT INTERVIEW FOR HER LACK OF SOLUTIONS AFTER ‘SIX MONTHS TO FIGURE IT OUT’

On Tuesday, Porter went viral after an interview clip showed her repeatedly lashing out at a reporter and attempting to end the conversation. 

A second video, obtained by Politico and released Wednesday, showed Porter berating a staffer during a 2021 video call after the individual accidentally walked into her shot.

In the clip, Porter is seen speaking with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about energy and climate issues. At one point, a staffer walks into the frame, prompting Porter to snap and yell, “Get out of my f—ing shot!”

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Katie Porter did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and top Democrats refused to answer whether they believe embattled Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones should drop out over violent text messages he sent, fantasizing about murdering a Republican opponent.

The Virginia attorney general race, and gubernatorial race along with it, have been rocked by recent revelations that Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, has made several violent remarks, including saying he wanted to shoot then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.

Though some Democrats, including Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, have condemned Jones’ messages, Sanders, perhaps the top progressive voice in America, ignored Fox News Digital’s question about the texts and simply walked away.

Another prominent progressive, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., also ignored Fox News Digital’s questions about Jones, turning her back on the reporter and stepping into an elevator.

MORE DEMOCRATS DODGE VIRGINIA CANDIDATE’S ‘2 BULLETS’ SCANDAL

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., provided some answers, saying, “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t recall exactly what he said, but at least the reflections I got, I thought it was horrible, I really do.”

“I don’t know the dynamics of the race, as I’m focused right now on the New Jersey governor’s race. So, I can’t say that I’ve done my due diligence to really understand, but what I will say is what I saw was absolutely horrible,” Kim added.

Kim also said, “I hope that in a time right now where there’s so much concern about political violence. We can say that, yes, we need to make sure we’re holding ourselves up to a high standard, especially those in elected office.”

Asked if he could say whether Jones should drop out of the race after those violent texts, Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., answered, “I can’t. I’ve got to go.”

DEMOCRATS STAND BY VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL WHO FANTASIZED ABOUT KILLING GOP LAWMAKER

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also had a similar response, saying, “No, I’m getting a briefing right now,” while a staffer said, “You’re more than welcome to reach out to her office though.”

In text messages with another lawmaker, Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”

Jones wrote in a subsequent text, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”

In another text exchange with a colleague, Jones said he hoped Gilbert’s children would die. He doubled down in a series of messages, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics.

LIBERAL MEDIA DOWNPLAYS SCANDAL OF DEM VIRGINIA AG HOPEFUL JAY JONES’ TEXTS FANTASIZING MURDER OF GOP LAWMAKER

Though the text revelations have shocked the public and turned the Virginia elections on their head, many Democrats questioned by Fox News Digital have refused to address the scandal or say whether they believe Jones should be disqualified from the race.

Asked whether Jones should quit his race, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., answered, “I haven’t given it a thought.”

Pressed whether he had read the text messages, which have caused massive political fallout in an already tight Virginia election, Whitehouse said, “I have not.”

Prominent Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., simply responded, “I don’t have time at the moment,” and continued to walk away.

JOE SCARBOROUGH TELLS DEM CANDIDATE JAY JONES TO LEAVE RACE OVER VIOLENT COMMENTS AGAINST GOP LAWMAKER

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the Democratic senators’ silence “staggering, particularly with the spate of political violence we have seen.”

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“In my view, the notion that someone advocating for the murder of children because he disagrees politically with their father is manifestly unsuitable for public office, especially the chief law enforcement officer of Virginia, and I wish there were even one Democrat with the courage to say that publicly,” said Cruz.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott mocked Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, calling him a “joke” for opposing his deployment of Texas National Guard troops to provide security over immigration enforcement operations in Chicago.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Abbott said, “Gov. Pritzker is a joke” and is in “violation of his oath of office” by attempting to interfere with federal law enforcement efforts to improve safety in Chicago and other Illinois communities.

Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois on Tuesday, tasked with protecting federal personnel and property amid anti-immigration protests, the Pentagon confirmed. A Pentagon official said 200 guardsmen were mobilized for an initial 60-day period.

Pritzker, a rumored 2028 Democratic presidential candidate and fierce critic of President Donald Trump, has condemned the National Guard deployment, calling it “Trump’s invasion,” and calling on Abbott to withdraw his support. He has also threatened to pull out from the National Governors’ Association if the bipartisan group does not condemn the deployment.

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The state of Illinois, joined by the city of Chicago, also filed a lawsuit in federal court in an attempt to stop the deployment.

Speaking with Fox News Digital, Abbott said that Pritzker’s actions are in violation of the U.S. Constitution.

“You may recall it wasn’t too long ago that he put his left hand on a bible and raised his right hand and swore to God that he would support the Constitution of the United States. As opposed to supporting it and allowing federal officials to enforce federal law, he’s violating the Constitution, violating the oath that he took by interfering with the ability of federal officials to conduct the executive branch of the federal government,” said Abbott.

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He said that it is “only natural” Trump would call on his “elite National Guard to provide assistance anywhere in the entire country,” because of Texas soldiers’ extensive experience providing security at the southern border.

“Texas has the most proven, the largest, the best-trained National Guard in the United States of America,” he said. “Americans will remember we had thousands of our National Guard securing the American border, the largest border state in the entire country, more than 1,200 miles, and it was Texas, as opposed to the federal government under the Biden administration, that had to step up and secure the border.”

“Now, because we have a president who is finally enforcing the laws of the United States … it’s only natural by extension that if there’s a need for that elite National Guard to provide assistance anywhere in the entire country, that it would be the National Guard called upon,” he added.

Though Pritzker has denounced the deployment as an “invasion,” Abbott clarified that his soldiers’ presence in the state is strictly to provide backup for federal officials who have recently faced intense opposition from agitators in Illinois.

“They provide a very important backup role to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Right now, they are playing a very important backup roll to ensure the safety of federal officials while federal officials enforce federal law in places like Illinois, Oregon, and elsewhere,” he explained. “There’s unrest in areas where ICE is trying to operate and where ICE is trying to enforce the law. And what ICE or other federal officials need, they need safety and security as they go about the process of carrying out their function.”

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He went on to say, “It is very important that the public understand that these federal officials, they have a requirement to enforce federal law. Anybody who interferes with that is interfering with the ability for federal officials to do their job.”

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“What the National Guard is trained and skilled at doing is dealing with civil unrest like that,” said Abbott. “Whenever the country is in times of need, Texans will step up and help out any way we possibly can.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response. 

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.