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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is demanding information from the FBI on whether she has been subjected to additional surveillance, following revelations that former Special Counsel Jack Smith tracked her phone calls, calling the action “one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history.” 

Fox News Digital first reported Monday that Smith and his “Arctic Frost” team investigating Jan. 6 allegedly monitored the phone calls of Lummis and fellow GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and GOP Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained an FBI document stating the names of the lawmakers and that an FBI special agent on Smith’s team “conducted preliminary toll analysis” on the toll records associated with them.

JACK SMITH TRACKED PRIVATE COMMUNICATIONS, CALLS OF NEARLY A DOZEN GOP SENATORS DURING J6 PROBE, FBI SAYS

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that Smith and his team were able to view which phone numbers the senators called, along with the location each call originated and where it was received.

Lummis is now seeking more information on the matter, writing a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel thanking him, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi for their “transparency regarding the blatantly unconstitutional surveillance activities conducted on the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives by the Biden Administration during Operation Arctic Frost.”

“Your willingness to expose these abuses is crucial to getting the FBI and Department of Justice focused back on its core mission of delivering justice for all,” she wrote in the letter to Patel, obtained by Fox News Digital.

Lummis is now demanding all FBI and DOJ records that identify which members of the Biden administration “authorized or approved the surveillance of my phone records and communications.”

FBI FIRES AGENTS, DISMANTLES CORRUPTION SQUAD AFTER PROBE UNVEILS MONITORING OF GOP SENATORS, PATEL SAYS

Lummis is asking for the names of all DOJ officials, FBI officials, and any White House officials involved; the entire data file collected on her, including all phone records and any recordings or transcripts of her private communications; any legal statutes cited to justify the data collection; and any individuals with whom the information was shared.

She is also requesting documentation of “any other surveillance conducted by the FBI or DOJ from January 20, 2021, through January 20, 2025, on me related to my official duties as a United States senator.”

“I believe that the surveillance of sitting United States Senators by the executive branch represents one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history,” she wrote. “It seriously impinges on both my civil rights and my constitutional duties as a legislator, especially since this surveillance was directly connected to core legislative activities protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Lummis added that “the American people deserve to know the truth about how the Biden administration weaponized federal law enforcement against their elected representatives.”

“Those responsible will be held accountable,” she wrote. “Thank you for your prompt attention to these requests, and for restoring integrity to the FBI.”

“Arctic Frost” was opened inside the bureau on April 13, 2022. Smith was appointed as special counsel to take over the probe in November 2022. 

An FBI official told Fox News Digital that “Arctic Frost” is a “prohibited case,” and that the review required officials to go “above and beyond in order to deliver on this promise of transparency.” The discovery is part of a broader, ongoing review.

“The American people deserve the truth, and under my leadership, they will have it,” Patel told Fox News Digital. “We promised accountability for those who weaponized law enforcement, and we will deliver it.”

HAWLEY RIPS JACK SMITH’S ‘BIDEN’S STASI’ PROBE, CALLS ALLEGED SPYING ‘ABUSE OF POWER BEYOND WATERGATE’

Patel added: “Under our watch, the FBI will never again be turned against the American people.”

“It is a disgrace that I have to stand on Capitol Hill and reveal this — that the FBI was once weaponized to track the private communications of U.S. lawmakers for political purposes,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who briefed senators on the matter, told Fox News Digital. “That era is over.”

Bongino added: “Under our leadership, the FBI will never again be used as a political weapon against the American people.”

Meanwhile, the FBI has terminated employees and disbanded the CR-15 squad. Patel announced the actions were taken in response to the revelation of the “baseless monitoring” of U.S. lawmakers.

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“We are cleaning up a diseased temple three decades in the making — identifying the rot, removing those who weaponized law enforcement for political purposes and those who do not meet the standards of this mission while restoring integrity to the FBI. I promised reform, and I intend to deliver it,” Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Patel also posted about it on X, saying, “Transparency is important, and accountability is critical. We promised both, and this is what promises kept looks like… We terminated employees, we abolished the weaponized CR-15 squad, and we initiated an ongoing investigation with more accountability measures ahead.”

It must be something about October and two-year intervals in Congress.

Congress was paralyzed for more than three weeks without a leader two years ago this October as the House unceremoniously ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

And Congress is paralyzed again this October – unable to find the votes to re-open the government.

“There’s nothing for us to negotiate,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We did the job to keep the government open. And now it’s on the Senate Democrats.”

OMINOUS RED AND ORANGE SKIES HAD CAPITOL HILL TAKE NOTICE AS SHUTDOWN LOOMED

But Democrats say that’s the problem. There haven’t been negotiations. Save for a brief White House meeting last week between President Trump and the top four bipartisan, bicameral Congressional leaders a day before the shutdown.

“The Majority Leader in the Senate, John Thune, R-S.D., talks about, ‘we’ll have conversations.’ We need more than conversations. We need a real negotiation,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Fox.

So there are no talks. And the sides are seemingly talking past each other.

So, they’ve turned to handicapping.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., gamed out that the shutdown would run another week.

“It won’t end until everybody in the Senate takes their ego out back and shoots it. And then it’ll end,” predicted Kennedy.

It always is, and always will be about the math.

Senate Republicans can conjure up the votes of 55 senators to break a filibuster on the House-passed bill to fund the government. But they need 60 yeas. And Republicans are determined to stick to their playbook.

“I can tell you there’s more than five Democrats in the Senate who know that (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. has led them into a box canyon with this Schumer shutdown,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Fox. “But the consequences will start to pile up.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: SENATE REVOTES TODAY ON ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt wouldn’t directly answer a question about what would trigger federal firings. But Leavitt made clear that jobs hung in the balance.

“We don’t want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that,” said Leavitt.

Democrats excoriated the Trump Administration for hinting it would cut programs and jobs in agencies important to Democrats.

“Americans really hate bullies. And this kind of bullying from the White House is going to backlash because they understand that an authoritarian president uses grants to New York for infrastructure, laying off workers, deliberately inflicting pain,” predicted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “Don’t inflict unnecessary pain and then boast about it.”

Some Republicans practically reveled in the White House approach.

“All’s fair in love and war. I think that there’s a price to pay for the Democrats shutting this down,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. “These will be part of the consequences.”

But one Democrat argued that the Trump administration’s gambit would also undercut Republicans and voters who supported the president. Even in blue states.

“There’s a lot of folks in Vermont, there’s lot of folk in Illinois who voted for President Trump. So this sort of collective punishment,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., on Fox. “I think it’s a really bad idea.”

But the president is coy about when the shutdown could trigger federal layoffs.

“It could,” said the president. “At some point it will.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that his department saw “a slight uptick” in aviation safety employees who were calling out sick during the shutdown – since they weren’t being paid.

“They’re thinking about how am I going to get a paycheck? How do I make a car payment,” said Duffy.

WHITE HOUSE ESCALATES SHUTDOWN CONSEQUENCES AS DEMOCRATS SHOW NO SIGNS OF BUDGING: ‘KAMIKAZE ATTACK’

But if you squint, you can see a few signs of bipartisanship.

Johnson is discussing Obamacare subsidies with one prominent Democrat.

“I had I think a fruitful discussion, with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., about two days ago, a day or so ago,” said Johnson on efforts to address looming Obamacare premium spikes. “Whatever the conference committee comes up with, I will put on the floor. I’m ready to go.”

But Schumer is skeptical about the Speaker’s promises.

“Delay has always been Speaker Johnson’s MO. Speaker Johnson has survived by kicking the can down the road,” said Schumer. “When Johnson says later, they know he means never.”

Tension is building as the shutdown barrels into its second week as lawmakers spin in circles.

“I realize that my Democrat colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far left base. But they’re playing a losing game here,” said Thune.

But each side is now engaged in a game of parliamentary chicken. Republicans won’t budge from their demand that Senate Democrats approve their funding plan. And Democrats won’t relent from their insistence that the sides shore up Obamacare subsidies.

“I’m not going to vote to reopen the government until I see a way that we can do that,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Even some Republicans worry about Obamacare price spikes.

“There are some folks in what is the new part of the Republican Party, which is blue-collar workers,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., on Fox Business. “We have to be careful how we do this. We just shouldn’t cut it. We should make sure we use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer.”

SHUTDOWN IGNITES STRATEGIST DEBATE: WILL TRUMP AND GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026?

But even if bipartisan senators were to forge a deal, the plan may slam into a brick wall in the House.

“Republicans have spent most of their careers being against Obamacare. Why would they expand it and add a subsidy on top of a subsidy?” asked House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla.

A debate is now raging over which side will cave. Or which party faces political consequences.

Naturally, Republicans believe Democrats will pay a price.

“Their radical base just wants to see them up here fighting Donald Trump, not over any particular issues,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

But Democrats don’t see a political downside.

“Are you concerned in any way about the political ramifications that voters might blame your side down the road?” yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

“The American people are crystal clear on who shut down the government. Crystal clear,” replied Jeffries.

However, some lawmakers doubt that voters care about who “shut down the government.”

“My constituents don’t care about the finger pointing. They just want us to govern,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa.

As the impasse deepens, the Senate shifted from parliamentary posturing to ecumenical intercession.

“On this third day of the government shutdown, inspire them to work for your glory in all they think, say, and sow,” prayed Senate Chaplain Barry Black during his invocation of the Senate last week.

HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN

And then there are the sideshows. The White House sent out a meme portraying Budget Director Russ Vought as the Grim Reaper. And the president trolled Jeffries with an AI-generated social media video, casting Jeffries in a sombrero and a mustache with mariachi music playing in the background.

At the same time, Republicans warned about grave shutdown consequences.

“Real pain is being endured by real people,” said Johnson.

But in the next breath, the Speaker defended the president making light of circumstances, describing the trolling as “entertainment.”

“That’s what President Trump does. And people are having fun with this,” said Johnson.

I didn’t let that go.

“On one hand, you say this is very serious. That people have jobs on the line. On the other hand, you say, ‘oh, this is just fun and games and they’re trolling.’ Which is it?” I inquired.

“What they’re trying to have fun with, trying to make light of, is to point out the absurdity of the Democrats’ position,” answered Johnson.

So we don’t know if or when Vought will drop the anvil on federal workers. But one senator who caucuses with the Democrats and voted for the GOP plan, signaled his support could wane if Republicans overplay their hand.

“If they start firing thousands of people or clawing back other kinds of programs, I think, it could hurt their chances of getting this resolved,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.’

The Senate has now blocked the House-approved spending package on six separate occasions. The sides are having casual conversations. But nothing has happened.

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It’s as though Congress is on a merry-go-round to nowhere, just going around and around. Everyone’s getting dizzy. And just wants to dismount.

President Donald Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed him a note indicating the United States is “very close to a deal in the Middle East,” a revelation he made Wednesday at the White House during a roundtable on Antifa.

“Yeah, I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we’re very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they’ll get to need me, pretty quickly,” Trump said.

Nearly two hours later, Trump posted on Truth Social that a deal had been struck.

“I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” he said. “This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace.”

TRUMP SAYS ‘REAL CHANCE FOR GREATNESS’ AS NETANYAHU WHITE HOUSE MEETING LOOMS FOR GAZA TALKS

“All Parties will be treated fairly!” Trump added. “This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”

Israeli TV Channel 12 reported the agreement will be signed at noon local time on Thursday, and the release of hostages and prisoners will take place Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, saying, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.”

HAMAS ACCEPTS TRUMP PEACE PLAN ENDING 2 YEARS OF WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING HOSTAGES

Trump said earlier Wednesday he might travel to the Middle East as Gaza peace negotiations continued. He said he might make the trip on Sunday, adding there is a “great team” of negotiators already there.

“It’s something I think that will happen,” Trump said. “Got a good chance of happening.”

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Egypt negotiating details of a potential peace agreement between Israel and Hamas in the war that began Oct. 7, 2023.

Later Wednesday, Trump signaled that negotiations are going well.

“I was just dealing with people from the Middle East, our people and other people, on the potential peace deal for the Middle East,” he said. “Peace for the Middle East. That’s a beautiful phrase, and we hope it’s going to come true, but it’s very close and they’re doing very well.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES ISRAEL AGREES TO GAZA ‘INITIAL WITHDRAWAL LINE’ AS ‘3,000 YEAR CATASTROPHE’ NEARS END

TRUMP’S PEACE DEAL COULD END THE WAR IN GAZA OR NETANYAHU’S CAREER

Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end the Gaza war on Sept. 29, when Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House. The plan includes granting Hamas terrorists who give up their arms in favor of peace “amnesty,” establishing Gaza as a “deradicalized, terror-free zone,” and redeveloping the area so it no longer poses a threat to its neighbors and residents.

Trump warned Hamas that if it did not agree to the peace deal, the terrorists would face “massive bloodshed.”

Hamas announced Friday that it agreed to release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, as part of Trump’s peace proposal.

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Israeli and Hamas officials met Monday in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Kushner — Trump’s son-in-law, credited with helping facilitate the Abraham Accords during his first administration — and Witkoff remain in Egypt to help negotiate an agreement.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump will undergo a routine medical exam on Friday during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House said.

Trump will be visiting and meeting with troops at the hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

“On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops,” Leavitt said in a statement. “While there, President Trump will stop by for his routine yearly checkup. He will then return to the White House.”

Trump, 79, is also considering “going to the Middle East shortly thereafter,” Leavitt added. The possible visit would come after Hamas agreed to the first phase of Trump’s peace deal to end the war in Gaza and return the hostages.

TRUMP’S STAMINA IMPRESSES THE EXPERTS

The medical checkup will be Trump’s second this year. He had a similar exam in April, during which his physician stated that he “remains in excellent health.”

DOCTORS REACT TO ALLEGED TRUMP HEALTH CONCERNS AS PHOTOS SHOWING SWELLING AND BRUISING

“President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said at the time.

However, in July, the president was diagnosed with a vein condition known as chronic venous insufficiency. At the time, Leavitt said Trump had noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was evaluated by the White House medical unit.

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Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs struggle to allow blood to flow back up to the heart.

Leavitt attributed the bruising on the president’s hand to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — With under one month to go until Election Day in New Jersey’s competitive and combustible race for governor, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli battled over Sherrill’s military record, Ciattarelli’s business career, and support for President Donald Trump during their second and final debate.

The showdown in New Jersey in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, which turned increasingly bitter in recent weeks, played out at Wednesday’s acrimonious debate.

In one heated exchange, Sherrill accused Ciattarelli of profiting off the opioid crisis, claiming that he “killed tens of thousands of people” through his ties to pharmaceutical industry-backed training materials.

And Ciattarelli fired back that Sherrill “broke the law,” as he pointed to a fine she paid four years ago for failing to timely disclose stock trades, as members of Congress are required to do under federal conflict-of-interest law.

TRUMP LOOMS LARGE OVER 2025 ELECTIONS

New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election, which means the races traditionally grab outsized national attention.

And this year’s ballot box showdowns are viewed as crucial early tests of Trump’s popularity and second-term agenda, and are considered key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm elections for the U.S. House and Senate.

The two candidates took shots at each other over key issues, including New Jersey’s sky-high energy costs, property taxes, immigration, and the ongoing federal government shutdown.

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And while he isn’t on the ballot, Trump loomed large over the debate.

Ciattarelli, who cruised to the GOP nomination earlier this year after landing Trump’s endorsement, was asked where he disagrees with the president.

“I disagree with the president on the Empire Wind Farm for Long Island,” the Republican nominee answered.

Moments later, Sherrill charged that her GOP rival had “shown zero signs of standing up to this president. In fact, the president himself called Jack 100% MAGA, and he’s shown every sign of being that.”

Ciattarelli shot back that “in times of need, it’s best to have a relationship with whoever occupies the White House, and I will.”

Asked to grade the president’s performance so far during his second term, Ciattarelli said, “I’d certainly give the president an A. I think he’s right about everything that he’s doing.”

“I think that tells us all we need to know about who Jack Ciattarelli’s supporting. I give him an F right now,” Sherrill responded, as she pointed to New Jersey’s high cost of living.

Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics and winning election as a state lawmaker, is making his third straight run for New Jersey governor. And four years ago, he grabbed national attention as he came close to upsetting Murphy.

BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN RIPS DEMOCRATIC RIVAL FOR BLAMING ‘EVERYTHING ON TRUMP’

It was during the 2021 campaign that Ciattarelli’s connection to opioid manufacturers first surfaced. Ciattarelli sold his company, which published content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain, in 2017.

“You’re trying to divert from the fact you killed tens of thousands of people by printing your misinformation, your propaganda,” Sherrill charged. “I think our kids deserve better. I think the people you got addicted and died deserve better than you.”

Ciattarelli responded, saying, “With regard to everything she just said about my professional career, which provided for my family, it’s a lie. I’m proud of my career.”

“Shame on you,” Ciattarelli added.

Sherrill shot back, “Shame on you, sir.”

Cittarrelli then blamed the fentanyl crisis on former President Joe Biden’s “open border” policies.

And at a post-debate news conference, he claimed the attack by Sherrill was “a desperate tactic by a desperate campaign on behalf of a desperate candidate.”

Sherrill, asked after the debate if she had proof directly linking Ciattarelli to the opioid deaths, told reporters, “I guess he’s not really expressed anything about this. I think there’s a lot we don’t know. I think he continues to not be very transparent about it.”

Ciattarelli, during the debate, fired back at Sherrill, saying, “I got to walk at my college graduation,” as he referred to the controversy surrounding Sherrill’s military records.

The race was rocked two weeks ago after a New Jersey Globe report revealed that Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid the cheating scandal.

Sherrill has claimed that Ciattarelli was going on a “witch hunt” over her improperly released military records, which raised questions about her possible involvement in a cheating scandal that rocked the U.S. Naval Academy three decades ago.

Ciattarelli and his campaign have repeatedly called on Sherrill, who went on to pilot helicopters during her military career after graduating from the Naval Academy, to release her military records to explain why she was prevented from attending her graduation ceremony.

But a separate report from CBS News revealed that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally. 

The National Archives, in a letter two weeks ago, apologized to Sherrill, saying the improper release was due to a government worker’s error over a legal records request.

Following the breach of the records, Sherrill’s campaign sent cease-and-desist letters to the National Archives and to Ciattarelli’s campaign, as well as to Russell and Nicholas De Gregorio, who is described by Sherrill’s team as “an agent of the campaign working at the direction of” Russell.

The Sherrill campaign also launched a digital ad taking aim at Ciattarelli.

“They broke the law to attack a veteran,” the narrator in the spot charged.

Sherrill, asked why she didn’t attend her graduation, said at the debate, “I didn’t turn in some of my classmates, so I didn’t walk at graduation because I come from an incredibly accountable place. But I went on to graduate. I was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy.”

And she reiterated that she does not want to give Ciattarelli and his campaign access to the records of her Naval Academy classmates.

And she asked, “Why my opponent still won’t take accountability for the release of those records. It’s under federal investigation that a member of his team, someone he vetted to be his lieutenant governor, actually got access to those records, said he was shocked and disgusted, and yet nevertheless shopped them out to reporters when he was asked about it, he acted as if he had no idea what his campaign was doing.”

“So either he’s really incompetent or he’s lying,” she argued.

Ciattarelli quickly responded, calling on Sherrill to release her records.

“We know for a fact that she wasn’t allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. We know for a fact that her name was not listed in the commencement exercise program. She says it’s because she didn’t turn in classmates. That’s the honor code at West Point. That’s not the honor code at the Naval Academy. You don’t get punished for that. I think she was punished for something else,” he argued.

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While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in blue-leaning New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past ten elections.

And in the 2025 race, political history favors both parties. 

The party that wins the White House tends to lose the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial elections the following year, which favors the Democrats. But Democrats in New Jersey are also trying to buck history — it’s been over six decades since a party won three straight Garden State gubernatorial elections.

A video obtained by Politico and released Wednesday shows California Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter berating a staffer during a 2021 video call after stepping into her shot.

In the clip, then-U.S. Rep. Porter, D-Calif., 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!”

She also scolded the staffer for having appeared in the background before.

“You were in my shot before that,” Porter said. “Stay out of my shot.”

CONTROVERSIAL DEM ABRUPTLY ENDS BONKERS INTERVIEW AFTER REPEATEDLY BERATING REPORTER: ‘I DON’T CARE’

Politico noted that Porter’s outburst was edited out of the Department of Energy’s final version of the webinar.

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

The resurfaced footage follows another viral clip this week showing Porter lashing out at a reporter and attempting to end an interview.

During a segment on California’s redistricting effort, CBS California reporter Julie Watts asked Porter, “What do you say to the 40% of California voters who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?”

KAMALA HARRIS TO PUBLISH BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCOUNT OF FAILED 2024 CAMPAIGN

Porter, considered by many to be the frontrunner in the race, responded, “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?”

“Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote,” Watts said, prompting Porter to laugh.

The exchange grew tense as Porter pushed back on the question, arguing over whether she needs to court Trump voters, particularly if she’s running head-to-head against another Democrat.

KAMALA HARRIS’ MAJOR CALIFORNIA ANNOUNCEMENT TRIGGERS CIRCULAR DEM FIRING SQUAD

“So you don’t need them to win,” Watts asked Porter.

“I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,” Porter said, prompting the reporter to point out that she had asked the same question to the other candidates in the race, and they answered it.

“I don’t want to keep doing this, I’m going to call it,” Porter said.

LIBERAL MEDIA DARLING IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW GOES VIRAL

“You’re not going to do the interview?” Watts said as Porter tried to remove her microphone.

“Nope, not like this I’m not, not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask,” Porter responded.

When Watts reminded Porter that every candidate had answered the question, Porter said, “I don’t care.”

Porter told Watts after being pressed even more that she doesn’t “want to have an unhappy experience with you” and that she doesn’t “want this all on camera.”

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The clip drew widespread attention online, with conservatives criticizing Porter for struggling with follow-up questions.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

More Senate Democrats dodged questions on whether Virginia Democratic candidate Jay Jones should drop out of his race for attorney general over resurfaced text messages in which he fantasized about putting “two bullets to the head” of a Republican colleague. 

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. 

VIRGINIA LAWMAKER SAYS DEM AG CANDIDATE’S REMARKS ‘CHANGE THE ELECTION’

Virginia Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, was also willing to address the scandal. Warner ignored Fox News Digital’s questions on whether he would like Jones to return a donation he sent him to the campaign.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., started to give an answer, saying, “being somebody who has, in my family, you know, political violence is a real thing and it’s a big deal.” 

Kelly stepped into an elevator and the doors closed before he could comment any further. 

New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich answered, “I haven’t been tracking it, but like I said, violence and political violent rhetoric, I’m just done with it, it shouldn’t come from either side, anytime, ever.” 

VIRGINIA LAWMAKER CLAIMS JAY JONES SAID IF MORE POLICE WERE KILLED IT WOULD REDUCE SHOOTINGS OF CIVILIANS

Meanwhile, Sen. John Ossof, D-Ga., refused to answer at all and just walked away. 

In texts obtained by Fox News Digital, Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, once remarked on shooting then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert in texts with another lawmaker.

“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote.

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

WATCH: KAINE DEFENDS JONES AMID AG CANDIDATE’S TEXTS ENVISIONING MURDER OF GOP LEADER: ‘STILL A SUPPORTER’

In another private text exchange, Jones said he hoped Gilbert’s children would die. When challenged, Jones doubled down, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics.

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Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.

Nearly half of the IRS workforce — nearly 34,000 employees — faces furloughs as the government shutdown enters its second week, with the agency rolling out a contingency plan to keep key tax enforcement, data security, and filing-season operations running despite the lapse in congressional funding.

In a letter to staff Wednesday, the agency said most operations would shut down. The contingency plan, which takes effect Wednesday and runs through April 30, 2026, details how the IRS will operate without new congressional funding.

As of July 24, 2025, the IRS employed 74,299 people. During the shutdown, only 39,870 — about 54% — will stay on duty, though it’s unclear which positions will be retained.

Key operations that will continue to include tax processing to safeguard government revenue, IT and data-protection systems, criminal investigations, case work involving bankruptcies and liens, and disaster-relief support. However, taxpayer services — including call centers and most administrative functions not tied to life or property protection — will be suspended.

ICE VOWS ‘NO CHANGE’ TO IMMIGRATION, BORDER POLICY AMID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The IRS’s Lapse Appropriations Contingency Plan outlined operations for the first five business days of the shutdown and said the agency would continue limited operations using Inflation Reduction Act funding.

The furloughs stem from a funding impasse between President Donald Trump and Congress that has forced a government shutdown with no clear resolution.

HERE’S WHAT TRUMP WANTS TO DO TO RESHAPE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DURING THE SHUTDOWN

National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald said the shutdown has cut off Americans from vital IRS services.

“Expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues,” she said. “Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week. Every day these employees are locked out of work is another day of frustration for taxpayers and a growing backlog of work that sits and waits for the shutdown to end.

SEN RICK SCOTT, REP BYRON DONALDS: TRUMP AND BESSENT’S IRS REFORM: LET’S END JOB-KILLING POLICIES

“For frontline employees, the complete lack of planning left them in the dark about their work status until their supervisor informed them today,” Greenwald added. “This is not the way our government should treat its dedicated, nonpartisan public servants. We urge the administration and Congress to reach an agreement that reopens government and restores the services that Americans need and deserve.”

According to The Associated Press, the IRS told employees they would receive back pay once the shutdown ends. The Trump administration warned Tuesday that back pay for furloughed federal employees is not guaranteed.

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Earlier this year, the IRS began a series of workforce reductions that brought total employment down from about 100,000 at the end of 2024 to roughly 75,000 before the shutdown.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A resurfaced social media post is adding fuel to the fire of a viral scandal that rocked the Virginia attorney general race last week after an explosive report exposed the violent 2022 text messages that were sent by the Democratic attorney general nominee to a colleague.

“@ForHahns you should drop out of the race,” Jay Jones posted on X in 2021, calling on Hahns Copeland, then-Republican candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, to drop out of the race over a controversial social media post where Copeland criticized the appearance of Virginia’s Democrat house speaker that was deemed by some as antisemitic. 

“Hate has no place in this Commonwealth, my guy,” Jones added. 

It was recently revealed that Jones fantasized in 2022 text messages about shooting now-former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert in the head while also suggesting that harm should come to that Republican’s young “fascist” children. 

DEM SENATOR’S HEFTY DONATION TO DISGRACED AG CANDIDATE’S CAMPAIGN COMES BACK TO HAUNT HIM

Jones apologized for the comment, but is facing widespread calls to drop out of the race along with criticism on social media from those saying he should follow the advice he gave to Copeland. 

“How about that,” Daily Signal national correspondent Tony Kinnett posted on X. 

“Update?” Virginia Republican state Sen. Glen Sturtevant posted on X. 

“Care to revisit this one Mr. Jones?” Townhall writer Amy Curtis posted on X. 

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

“@JonesJay you should drop out of the race,” the Republican Attorneys General Association posted on X.  “And delete your account. Hate has no place in this Commonwealth, my guy.”

Adam Piper, RAGA’s executive director, also posted on X saying, “Jay Jones should listen to himself.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Jones’ campaign for comment. 

Democrats in Virginia who have endorsed Jones are standing by him despite the calls for him to exit the race for endorsing political violence in a climate where President Trump faced two attempts on his life and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered during a speaking engagement. 

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“I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years,” Kaine added. “I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized — I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff.”

In addition to the statements about harming his Republican colleague, Jones is also alleged to have suggested that more police officers should be killed in order to stop them from harming others. 

Jones has denied making those comments. 

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

The White House ramped up its feud with Democratic leaders in Illinois Wednesday, releasing a video blasting Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

In the video, which appears to show police and immigration authorities, President Donald Trump described Chicago as “a mess.”

“You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent,” Trump said. “We have a governor that refuses to admit he has problems. Everybody knows how bad it is. This open borders nightmare flooded our country with fentanyl and with people that shouldn’t be here, some of the worst people on earth and illicit drugs decimated American communities and left us with the largest law enforcement challenge in our country’s history.”

JB PRITZKER SAYS ICE ‘HARASSING PEOPLE FOR NOT BEING WHITE’

The White House then skipped to an audio clip of Pastor Corey Brooks speaking on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” in August, where he noted violent crime wasn’t improving in Chicago and urged the president to send in the National Guard.

“We need to invite President Trump in,” Brooks said in the clip. “We invite the National Guard in. … We’ve had 254 deaths in 233 days, and for anyone in our community to say people are safe, that is an outright lie.”

TRUMP ESCALATES FIGHT WITH PRITZKER AS BLOODY CHICAGO WEEKEND SPARKS TROOP WARNING

The focus shifted back to Trump, as he added Chicago “needs help.”

“They need help, badly,” the president said. “Chicago desperately needs help. We don’t want to lose Chicago. We’re going to lose Chicago. We want to save these folks. We’re going to lose them. We’re not going to allow this kind of savagery to destroy our society anymore. We’re stopping it. One by one.”

The video was posted hours after Trump called for Johnson and Pritzker’s arrests on Truth Social.

“Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!” Trump wrote in a post.

Pritzker fired back on X, saying “what else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism,” and noting he would not “back down.”

The two Illinois leaders have clashed with the president over immigration enforcement and Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to the state to protect federal personnel and property amid escalating anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests in Broadview.

Texas National Guard troops arrived in Illinois this week and were mobilized for an initial 60-day period.

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Pritzker on Tuesday accused Trump of being a “man who’s suffering dementia,” alleging the president “doesn’t read,” according to The Chicago Tribune.

“This is a man who has something stuck in his head. He can’t get it out of his head,” Pritzker said. “He doesn’t read. He doesn’t know anything that’s up to date. It’s just something in the recesses of his brain that is effectuating to have him call out these cities.”

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“And then, unfortunately, he has the power of the military, the power of the federal government to do his bidding, and that’s what he’s doing,” he added.