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The Department of Homeland Security on Friday detailed a list of all the shocking charges and convictions against illegal alien Ian Andre Roberts, who was working as the head of Des Moines, Iowa, public schools until his recent arrest by ICE.

Roberts is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service in Polk County jail, according to a Homeland Security statement. In the statement, DHS said that Roberts’ “rap sheet and immigration history reveal a long record of criminal conduct in the United States,” which the agency said proves “he should never have been serving in a role overseeing children in Iowa’s largest school district.”

He is currently facing illegal weapons possession charges. The DOJ said a search warrant of Roberts’ home uncovered three guns, a loaded and chambered 9mm pistol was found underneath a seat cushion in the living room, a loaded rifle was wound in the master bedroom closet and a shotgun was found behind the master bedroom headboard. 

EX MICHELLE OBAMA AIDE LEADS DES MOINES SCHOOL BOARD’S DEFENSE OF SUPERINTENDENT ARRESTED BY ICE

According to DHS, Roberts was previously convicted of reckless driving, unsafe operation and speeding in Maryland in 2012. The statement also said he was convicted in Pennsylvania of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in 2022.

Besides these, he also has charges of criminal possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of narcotics, criminal possession of a forgery instrument and possession of a forged instrument in New York dating back to 1996 and charges of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree weapon charges in 2020.

Additionally, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, its civil division served Roberts a sealed restraining order from Jackson County, Missouri, in August 2023.  It is unclear what prompted the restraining order since the order was sealed. 

He was also discovered to be illegally registered to vote as a Democrat in Maryland, raising serious questions about the state’s voter registration system.

Despite these charges and his illegal status, Roberts has held several high roles in public education in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, California, Pennsylvania and Iowa.

After his arrest, he resigned his most recent position as superintendent of schools in Des Moines, a position he had held since 2023. Des Moines Public Schools initially placed Roberts on paid leave before changing it to unpaid leave and then finally voting to accept his resignation.

There has also been confusion over the degrees that Roberts claimed to have attained on his LinkedIn page. Among several schools listed on his profile, Roberts claims to have attended Morgan State University from 2003 to 2007 and to have been an “incoming MBA candidate” at MIT Sloane School of Management. Morgan State University confirmed that he attended. However, it said he “did not receive a degree.”

The MIT Registrar’s Office said that it “has no record of enrollment for a person with the name Ian Andre Roberts, and similarly, there is no record of enrollment in the MIT Executive MBA program at the MIT Sloan School of Management.”

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER ICE ARREST OF SUPERINTENDENT IN IOWA: ‘CRAZY STORY’

Before taking charge of the Des Moines public schools, he was superintendent of schools at Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania. During his time in leadership, the district was sued for sex discrimination by a male faculty member who claimed Roberts gave principal positions to less qualified women because of a “bias against males in favor of females.” According to local outlet GoErie, this was not the only sex discrimination lawsuit the district faced while Roberts was in charge. The outlet reported the district had to pay over $400,000 in settlements to resolve three sex discrimination suits.

An immigrant from Guyana, DHS said Roberts first entered the country “classified as a visitor for pleasure” in 1994. The agency said he departed at an unknown date but returned again before his 1996 drug charges. He then re-entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999.

DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD ACCEPTS SUPERINTENDENT’S RESIGNATION AFTER ICE ARREST

In total, he filed applications for employment authorizations three times, in 2000, 2018 and 2019, each of which was granted and lasted a year, meaning that his last work authorization expired in 2020.

U.S. Customs and Immigration Services issued Roberts a notice to appear before an immigration judge in 2020 and on May 22, 2024, an immigration judge in Dallas, Texas, ordered Roberts removed in absentia.

He was arrested by ICE with the help of the Iowa State Patrol on Sept. 26. ICE said Roberts attempted to flee arrest and was found hiding in the brush. The vehicle he was driving was found with $3,000 in cash, a fixed blade knife and a loaded Glock 9mm pistol, which led to additional criminal charges of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms.

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Commenting on the revelations since his arrest, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “Ian Andre Roberts, a criminal illegal alien with multiple weapons charges and a drug trafficking charge, should have never been able to work around children.”

“Under Secretary Noem, ICE will continue to arrest the worst of the worst and put the safety of America’s children FIRST,” said McLaughlin.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill is once again declining to endorse her party’s nominee for mayor in neighboring New York City.

“I am not getting engaged in that race because I’m completely focused on New Jersey. I’m going to let the people of New York decide that race,” Sherill said at a gubernatorial candidate forum.

Sherrill’s answer comes as some Democrats continue to view Zohran Mamdani as politically toxic given President Donald Trump and Republicans aim to anchor the 33-year-old Democratic socialist mayoral nominee to vulnerable Democrats up for election this year or in next year’s midterms.

During Friday’s forum, which was hosted by PIX11 News, Sherrill said New Jersey voters weren’t asking her about the New York City mayoral race, which has grabbed plenty of national attention after Mamdani soundly defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other Democrats in June’s primary to win their party’s mayoral nomination.

GARDEN STATE BATTLE: DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN NOMINEES TRADE FIRE OVER THIS KEY ISSUE

“People in New Jersey are constantly talking to me about affordability,” she said. 

“They’re talking to me about their cost, about electricity, about housing prices, etc., about healthcare. They’re worried about the freezing of gateway tunnel funds,” Sherrill emphasized. 

Amid the government shutdown, the Trump administration announced this week that it was halting federal funding for the massive Gateway Tunnel project to build a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and New York City.

Asked a second time during the forum about the New York City race, Sherrill responded, “Again, I’m focused on the New Jersey race, and that’s a New York race. I’m not registered to vote there. So I’m focused here.”

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS BLAME GAME IN CRUCIAL RACE FOR GOVERNOR

While Sherrill’s comments at Friday’s forum reiterated past statements about Mamdani, her Republican rival in the 2025 ballot box battle to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has accused her of trying to have it both ways.

This summer, GOP New Jersey gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli highlighted in a social media post past comments from Sherrill, including one saying she hasn’t weighed in on the New York City race, as well as another of her saying, “if he’s the Democratic candidate, which it sounds like he is, I assume I will.” 

The Ugandan-born Mamdani, if elected, would become the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city. He is the clear frontrunner in the latest public opinion polls in the mayoral race in the Democrat-dominated city.

Mamdani is sitting on double-digit leads over Cuomo, who’s running as an independent in the general election, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, in the latest New York City public opinion polls.  

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While the Democratic National Committee and some top Democrats are backing Mamdani, others have kept their distance and have yet to endorse him.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul did recently endorse Mamdani, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress and fellow New Yorkers, have declined to support him.

Mamdani surged to the Democratic primary victory thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. It was fueled by a massive grassroots army of supporters and backing from top national progressive champions, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

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Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores.

Mamdani has been heavily criticized by his rivals for his far-left platform, as well as his verbal attacks on Israel, his past critical comments about the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and his proposal to shift certain responsibilities away from the NYPD and focus on social services and community-based programs. 

FIRST ON FOX: House Democrats’ campaign arm is rolling out new ads to pressure Republicans to return to the negotiating table as the 2025 government shutdown is poised to enter its second week.

Democrats have sought to make the ongoing standoff into a healthcare fight, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., insisting their caucuses will not vote for a funding bill that does not include an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is investing in a four-figure ad buy across 13 districts where Democrats believe they can hold or flip seats in the 2026 midterms.

The ads point out that “Republicans control the government” and say, “They just shut it down.” The ads in Democrat-held districts say lawmakers there are “protecting affordable health care.”

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

Three of those districts are held by Republicans, while 10 are held by Democrats.

Both the House and Senate are out this weekend after the upper chamber tried and failed for a fourth time on Friday to advance the GOP’s plan to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21.

The bill, called a continuing resolution (CR), is an extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels, which also include $88 million in security spending for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch amid a heightened political threat environment.

Democrats have argued that Americans who rely on the enhanced Obamacare subsidies are in imminent threat of seeing their health care premiums skyrocket if not dealt with in this measure.

The Obamacare subsidies were given a temporary enhancement during the COVID-19 pandemic under former President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, and later extended through 2025 under his Inflation Reduction Act.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX

Republican leaders have said they are willing to discuss reforming and extending the subsidies at a later date, while accusing Democrats of holding the government hostage at the expense of vulnerable Americans who rely on federal services.

“Vulnerable House Republicans shut down the government because they don’t care about working Americans having access to affordable health care,” DCCC spokesperson Nebeyatt Betre told Fox News Digital. “While Republicans create a health care crisis, House Democrats will keep working to lower Americans’ health care costs. Make no mistake: vulnerable House Republicans own this shutdown, and the DCCC is making sure voters know who to blame.”

House Republicans’ campaign arm, meanwhile, released an ad earlier this week on the heels of the government shutting down at midnight on Wednesday.

Their own ads, also a four-figure investment, accused Democrats of refusing to “fund the government” at the expense of military paychecks, veterans, farmers and small businesses.

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Republicans have been pointing to Democrats’ counter-proposal for a CR as proof that Democrats are fighting to restore health care for illegal immigrants. The left’s plan called for repealing the health care changes made in the GOP’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which, among other measures, tightened restrictions on who can access Medicaid.

Democrat leaders have denied fighting for illegal immigrants, however.

“Out of touch Democrats shut down the government to bankroll handouts for illegal immigrants and appease their radical base. Voters won’t forget who betrayed them, and the NRCC will make sure Democrats pay the price,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital at the time.

The 2025 government shutdown is about to enter its second week, with Democrats and Republicans still unable to agree on a federal funding deal.

It’s the first government shutdown since 2019, when federal agencies were shuttered for 35 days.

Both sides have been blaming the other for the dysfunction in Washington; Democrats are accusing Republicans of letting healthcare premiums go up for millions of Americans, while the GOP is blaming the left for putting vulnerable Americans at risk while holding the government hostage for partisan demands.

Political strategists who spoke with Fox News Digital, however, have downplayed the shutdown’s effects on the coming 2026 elections.

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

“Every time there has been a shutdown, there have been myriad of stories on winners and losers, who gets the blame, what does it mean for the elections, etc. And yet, every time the result is the same — voters aren’t thinking about the last shutdown when they vote,” GOP strategist Doug Heye told Fox News Digital.

“Republicans ‘lost’ the 2013 shutdown. Impacts on the 2014 election? Zero. Could this be different? Maybe. But there’s nothing to suggest that yet.”

Others have suggested Republicans could see some public blame, but similarly argued that other issues — namely, the economy and cost of living — would take precedence in voters’ minds next year.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX

“Ultimately, what’s going to decide the midterms next year is going to be the economy. People are very upset about the economy. They’re very upset about inflation. They were promised that everything was going to get less expensive. Now everything’s more expensive,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and founder of fundraising and campaigns firm Authentic.

“So I think that’s going to be a much greater decider than the government shutdown.”

In the short term, however, Nellis said he saw Republicans bearing the brunt of the blame — noting they control the House, Senate and White House.

“Typically, neither party looks good during a shutdown, just broadly. But the party in power gets blamed for what’s happening,” he said.

Meanwhile, John Feehery of EFB Advocacy, who served as press secretary to former Republican House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert, said blame would fall mostly along party lines.

He added that Independents, however, would likely blame the GOP, “because they are the ones who typically like shutdowns.”

“I would say that even though the Democrats clearly are to blame for this, because this is their strategy, I think Republicans are going to get blamed slightly more than the Democrats,” Feehery said.

On the 2026 electoral impacts, however, he said, “There’s winners and losers in the parlor games in Washington, but amongst the American people…they blame both sides, and they don’t seem to really take it out on whoever the party in power is.”

Brad Bannon of polling firm Bannon Communications Research, a Democratic strategist, said inflation would likely matter more than the shutdown in 2026.

“If prices start going down, you know, the whole issue would not be a problem for Republicans, and it won’t have any impact,” Bannon said. “I think the key question is not how long the shutdown lasts, but how much, in 13 months, inflation continues to be a problem.”

He pointed to a recent poll in the Washington Post that showed Republicans seeing slightly more blame for the current shutdown than Democrats in terms of short-term impact.

That poll showed 47% of Americans blaming Republicans, compared to 30% blaming Democrats. Twenty-three percent of people were undecided.

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The shutdown is poised to enter its second week after Senate Democrats rejected the GOP’s plan for a fourth time on Friday.

The measure, called a continuing resolution (CR), is a mostly flat seven-week extension of current federal funding levels. It also would include $88 million in security funding for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch — which has bipartisan support.

But Democrats in the House and Senate were infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks. 

They have been pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements would expire by the end of 2025 without congressional action.

Republican leaders have signaled openness to discussions about reforming and enhancing those healthcare credits but are rejecting Democrats’ demand to include them in the seven-week bill. 

Multiple police union leaders have requested or supported federal law enforcement assistance to counter rising rates of violent crime in their cities, including in Charlotte, where the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska drew national attention. But, at least one union leader reversed course after city officials rejected the idea as illegal and unnecessary. 

On Thursday, the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County became the latest police union to invite the National Guard, having sent a letter to city leaders requesting federal law enforcement assistance after the city faced 15 murders in roughly a month. Prior to Charlotte, police unions from Milwaukee and Washington, D.C., also signaled support for the deployment of federal law enforcement by the Trump administration. 

The leader of Milwaukee’s Police Association, Alex Ayala, indicated last month he planned to request that the Trump administration bring federal troops and law enforcement officials to his city. However, he later walked the claim back following pushback from city leaders, calling the request a violation of federal law and unnecessary. 

OBAMA-NOMINATED FEDERAL JUDGE MARRIED TO HOUSE DEM RECUSES HIMSELF FROM OREGON NATIONAL GUARD CASE 

“We will not need the guard to come to Charlotte,” the city’s mayor, Vi Lyles, said in response to the city’s police union request for federal help. Her comments were echoed by numerous Democratic leaders in the region, from the city’s congressional representative to local city council officials.

“These measures do not address the root causes of violence,” JD Mazuera Arias, a Charlotte City Council member, said in a statement after the request was made public. 

In addition to Charlotte, Ayala said last month he intended to make a similar request for federal assistance in Milwaukee. However, following pushback from Milwaukee city officials calling the request illegal and unnecessary, Ayala told a local news station that his remarks were taken out of context and that he has not reached out to the Trump administration.

The District of Columbia’s police union, led by Gregg Pemberton, has also supported the president’s choice to bring federal troops into the nation’s capital. Pemberton told Fox News last month that the difference has been “night and day” since the federal deployment there earlier this summer. 

TRUMP CRIME CRACKDOWN IN MEMPHIS SEES EARLY SIGNS OF SUPPORT

D.C. was one of the first major metropolitan cities in a series this summer that saw an infusion of federal law enforcement officials to help with crime. At the time, city leaders, like Mayor Muriel Bowser, similarly pushed back on whether federal assistance in the nation’s capital to help with crime was necessary.

“I want the message to be clear to the Congress, we have a framework to request or use federal resources in our city,” Bowser told reporters earlier this summer when Trump began cracking down on crime in D.C. “We don’t need a presidential emergency.”  

In addition to Charlotte, Milwaukee and D.C., the National Police Association has also expressed support for the Trump administration’s federal deployment to help with violent crime in major metropolitan areas. 

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“This isn’t politics—it’s a fight for our neighbors’ lives. On August 22nd, Iryna Zarutska was savagely cut down on a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) train, and since then, 15 more Charlottean’s have been gunned down in our streets,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg FOP said in a post on Facebook Friday. “Just yesterday, two lives were lost in a double homicide—and a 16-year-old murdered in a busy Uptown shopping district. Our Uptown beat is reeling from nearly a 200% spike in homicides year-to-date compared to last year.”

“I think it’s a great strategy for the president to bring in the National Guard along with other federal resources to Memphis to show the rest of the country that what happened in Washington, D.C. can work in other cities like Memphis and beyond,” National Police Association spokesperson Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith added in regard to federal officials being deployed to Tennessee’s second-largest city, Memphis.

His name isn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump’s unprecedented second-term agenda and the federal government shutdown are top of mind on the campaign trail with one month to go until Election Day 2025. 

In the spotlight this November are New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election. 

The races, which traditionally grab outsized national attention, are viewed as crucial early tests of Trump’s popularity and agenda, and key barometers ahead of next year’s midterm showdowns for the U.S. House and Senate.

Also in the political spotlight next month is the ballot box proposition over congressional redistricting in California, the three state Supreme Court contests in battleground Pennsylvania and New York City’s high-profile mayoral election.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE 2025 ELECTIONS

Here’s a closer look at 2025’s top elections.

New Jersey

Trump is weighing heavily on this year’s ballot box battle for governor of New Jersey.

And Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, who enjoys the president’s support, says Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill is trying to use Trump as a cudgel.

“Listen, if you get a flat tire on the way home from work today, she’s going to blame it on the president. There isn’t anything she doesn’t blame on the president,” Ciattarelli argued in a Fox News Digital interview.

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

Sherrill, in a recent fundraising email to supporters, charged, “As Trump has inflicted all this damage on our country, Republican politicians like Jack Ciattarelli have cheered him on every step of the way.”

And at their first debate last month, she pointed to Ciattarelli and claimed that “he’ll do whatever Trump tells him to do.”

The two candidates have also traded fire over who’s to blame for the federal government shutdown, which is impacting the Garden State.

Ciattarelli, pointing to his rival’s vote in Congress, said, “I do know that there’s a bipartisan group of congresspeople that are trying to keep the government open. My opponent has decided not to be part of that bipartisan group, and she voted no. And so here we are.”

Sherrill, who has repeatedly linked Ciattarrelli to Trump, placed the shutdown blame squarely on Trump’s shoulders, writing in a social media post, “This is precisely the extreme MAGA agenda that @Jack4NJ wants to bring to NJ.”

The two candidates face off next week in the second and final debate in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

Ciattarelli, who is making his third straight run for governor and who came close to upsetting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, discounted talk that Trump is the dominant issue in the race.

And Ciattarelli, a former state lawmaker and a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics, charged that the Democrats are to blame, as he works overtime trying to link Sherrill to Murphy and the Democrats who’ve long controlled the state legislature in Trenton.

The combustible ballot box battle was rocked two weeks ago after a report revealed that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.

Ciattarelli and his campaign are calling 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 blocked from attending her graduation ceremony.

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

The news spurred calls by top Democrats across the country for an investigation.

Virginia

Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is facing off against former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Youngkin is prevented from running for re-election, as Virginia’s constitution does not allow sitting governors to seek consecutive terms.

Earle-Sears was born in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 6. She served in the Marines and is a former state lawmaker who made history four years ago when she won election as Virginia’s first female lieutenant governor. 

Spanberger is a former intelligence officer in the CIA who won election to Congress in 2018 before securing re-election in 2020 and 2022.

The winner in November will make history as Virginia’s first female governor in the commonwealth’s four-century-long history. Additionally, if Earle-Sears comes out on top, she will become the nation’s first Black woman to win election as governor.

Trump and his policies are a major issue in the state’s gubernatorial showdown.

The president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been on a mission this year to chop government spending and cut the federal workforce.

The moves by DOGE, which was initially steered by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, have been felt acutely in suburban Washington’s heavily populated northern Virginia, with its large federal workforce.

And this week’s federal government shutdown, which will likely hit Virginia hard, is also now a top topic in the race.

New York City

The mayoral election in the nation’s most populous city always grabs outsized attention, especially this year as New York City may elect its first Muslim and first millennial mayor.

Democratic socialist 33-year-old state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani’s victory in June’s Democratic Party mayoral primary sent political shock waves across the country. And he’s come under attack from Republicans and from his rivals on the ballot over his far-left proposals.

Mamdani is the clear frontrunner in the heavily blue city as he faces off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who came in a distant second in the primary and is now running as an independent candidate. Cuomo is aiming for a political comeback after resigning as governor four years ago amid multiple scandals.

Also running is two-time Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a co-founder of the Guardian Angels, the non-profit, a volunteer-based community safety group.

Embattled Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who was running for re-election as an independent, dropped out of the race a week ago, but his name remains on the ballot.

Trump, a native New Yorker, has continuously been in the spotlight in the race for months.

California Prop 50

Voters in heavily blue California will vote in November on whether to temporarily set aside their popular nonpartisan redistricting commission and allow the Democrat-dominated legislature to determine congressional redistricting for the next three election cycles.

The vote will be the culmination of an effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats to create up to five left-leaning congressional seats in the Golden State to counter the new maps that conservative Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in August, which will create up to five more right-leaning U.S. House districts in the red state of Texas.

The redistricting in Texas, which came after Trump’s urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on Pennsylvania’s highest court. 

But three Democrat-leaning justices on the state Supreme Court, following the completion of their 10-year terms, are running to keep their seats in “Yes” or “No” retention elections.

The election could upend the court’s composition for the next decade, heavily influence whether Democrats or Republicans have an advantage in the state’s congressional delegation and legislature, and impact crucial cases including voting rights and reproductive rights.

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While state Supreme Court elections typically don’t grab much national attention, contests where the balance of a court in a key battleground state is up for grabs have attracted tons of outside money.

The state Supreme Court showdown this spring in Wisconsin, where the 4-3 liberal majority was maintained, drew nearly $100 million in outside money as both parties poured resources into the election.

With the government shutdown now in day four and no compromise in sight, a federal budget expert says two dates could send things “spiraling out of control”: the first day essential federal workers go without pay and the first day service members miss a paycheck.

The next federal worker pay date is Oct. 10 and the next pay date for the military is Oct. 15, according to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and U.S. General Services Administration. 

Richard Stern, director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation, explained that while both sides are blaming the other for the shutdown, neither wants to be responsible for essential government workers or the troops to miss out on pay, making those dates central to ending the shutdown.

Stern explained that while Democratic leaders are attempting to blame the GOP for the shutdown, it was their decision to reject a compromise temporary spending bill that shut down the government.

SPEAKER JOHNSON FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM LEADERS WITH STAUNCH WARNING AGAINST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Democrats have insisted that any agreement to keep the government funded must extend tax credits for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) beyond the end of this year, a provision Republicans rejected.

Some Democrats have even admitted it was their decision to close the government. In a viral video, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., said, “We got to make sure Americans have the healthcare that they need, and if that means we’ve got to shut the government down, so be it.”

Former Politico reporter Rachel Bade also went on the record recently, saying, “The pressure is just going to skyrocket on Democrats.”

“I mean, it’s not just some people who live paycheck-to-paycheck. Most people cannot go without getting a subsequent paycheck. Like, that’s just the reality of things — troops not getting paid,” said Bade. “So, I think over the next, you know, week or so, if it lasts that long, we’re just going to have this … gut-wrenching reminder of what shutdowns mean.”

Stern likened the Democrats’ actions to deciding to “stomp [their] feet and make a dramatic situation out of it.”

REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’

“Republicans passed a clean seven-week funding bill. They offered them the ability to fund the government for seven weeks and continue negotiations,” he said. “It was superfluous. It really was gratuitous of them to say, no, we demand the shutdown.”

“Democrats are asking for a restoration of so-called foreign aid. But a lot of that is money for transgender surgeries and abortions overseas,” Stern continued. “They want more money to go to NPR and PBS, that spread left-wing propaganda. They want other grant money that goes to left-wing causes. But the big ticket item is they want one and a half trillion dollars of extension of a welfare program that largely hands money to very well-off Americans, and included in that, they want to remove anti-fraud provisions that were passed in the one big, beautiful bill. Not only would that increase fraud, but it will actually effectively expand these welfare benefits to legal aliens. So, it’s hard to understand where they’re coming from, but that’s what they’re asking.”

“So, at the end of the day, I think they’re going to get the blame that I think they deserve.”

President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have indicated the administration could use mandatory pots of money provided in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to ensure that service members, Border Patrol agents and other Homeland Security personnel paychecks are not interrupted, which could serve as a lifeline for Democrats, Stern noted.

GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL

Even if this is the case, the White House noted shortly before the shutdown began that the government closure would jeopardize military pay, critical care for veterans, firefighter pay, disaster relief funding and many other programs important to Americans.

Either way, Stern said that the longer the shutdown continues, the greater the danger that funding can fail, and essential services start buckling under the pressure.

One example of essential federal workers who could be impacted by an extended government shutdown is air traffic controllers and other FAA personnel, who do not receive paychecks during government shutdowns despite being required to work to keep the nation’s flight schedules safe and on time. Though they are eventually paid when the government reopens, extended periods of time without a paycheck lead to stress on both the workers and the overall flight system.

SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

In 2019, on the 35th day of a government shutdown, ten air traffic controllers called in sick in Virginia and Florida, triggering ground stops at LaGuardia Airport in New York and cascading delays at Newark, Philadelphia and Atlanta.

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“This gets to the question of when do things start spiraling out of control?” said Stern, adding, “Some of these program expirations, as the shutdown drags on, might put more of a fire under Congress on both sides to reach a deal, whatever it means.”

Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones once remarked on shooting the Virginia House speaker in texts with another lawmaker, the latest example of charged political rhetoric some have called the politics of “rage.”

Texts obtained by Fox News Digital Friday showed an August 2022 conversation between Jones — then a recently departed delegate from Norfolk — and another lawmaker after the death of Del. Joe Johnson, D-Bristol, at age 90.

“Hence the glowing tributes from the Rs. Damn, that (message) was for Mark,” Jones texted Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chester.

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At the time, several House Republicans — including leadership — offered eulogizing words for Johnson, who had been known as an aisle-crossing, friendly moderate. One of those who had kind words for Johnson was then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.

Jones told Coyner that Johnson “leaked everything to your [Republican] caucus. It’s why Gilbert gave him such a glowing tribute.”

“If those guys die before me, I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves,” he continued. “Send them out awash in something.”

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At that point, Coyner appeared to attempt to rein in the conversation, texting, “Jay Jones.”

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

The future attorney general candidate was not yet finished condemning the House leader.

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

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Coyner tried again to end the conversation: “Jay. Please stop.”

“Lol. OK, OK,” he replied.

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital that, around that point, Jones and Coyner had a telephone conversation, which was followed by Jones trying to lighten the mood.

“I genuinely was [asking questions]. I wasn’t attacking you. I was trying to understand your logic.”

Coyner disagreed, to which Jones replied, “Yes, I’ve told you this before. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”

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In another message to Coyner, Jones considered whether Gilbert and his wife Jennifer were “breeding little fascists.”

A spokesperson for Coyner’s campaign confirmed the veracity of the texts first reported by National Review, saying they were “disturbing and disqualifying for anyone who wants to seek public office.”

“Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and joked about shooting Todd Gilbert. It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official,” the spokesperson said. 

Gilbert recently resigned from Richmond to accept President Donald Trump’s nomination as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. He has since left that post, according to reports.

Jones’ comments created a firestorm Friday evening, with another state lawmaker recently subjected to a death threat condemning Jones.

Del. Geary Higgins, R-Lovettsville, said Democrats continue to amp up violent rhetoric that has gotten people hurt.

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“They shot the president. They killed Charlie Kirk. They threatened to kill Kim Taylor. They said they’d kill me at my next rally, then my kids. Now we learn Jay Jones repeatedly said he wanted to kill Speaker Todd Gilbert. Is this what “letting your rage fuel you” looks like?” he said, referring to a widely-condemned remark by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger unrelated to Jones, specifically.

Spanberger condemned her fellow Democrat, saying in a statement that she spoke “frankly” with Jones after the texts surfaced about her “disgust” for what he had said.

“I will always condemn violent language in our politics,” Spanberger said.

A source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital Jones initially had accidentally texted Coyner, who later made Gilbert aware of the Democrat’s invective.

When reached by Fox News Digital, Jones also did not deny the messages were his and blamed his opponent for allegedly planting stories and then criticized Republicans.

“Like all people, I’ve sent text messages that I regret, and I believe that violent rhetoric has no place in our politics,” Jones said.

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“Let’s be clear about what is happening in the attorney general race right now: Jason Miyares is dropping smears through Trump-controlled media organizations to assault my character and rescue his desperate campaign.

“This is a strategy that ensures Jason Miyares will continue to be accountable to Donald Trump, not the people of Virginia. This race is about whether Trump can control Virginia or Virginians control Virginia.”

A source familiar with Gilbert told Fox News Digital he has no comment on the matter.

A federal judge sentenced Nicholas Roske, who now goes by Sophie, to eight years in prison on Friday for attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision.

The sentence is far lower than what the Department of Justice had sought. Prosecutors said Roske should face at least 30 years, while Roske’s defense team had asked for eight.

Judge Deborah Boardman said during the sentencing hearing that while Roske’s actions were “reprehensible,” the judge also considered a string of mitigating factors, including that Roske “spontaneously confessed to and cooperated with police.”

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“I believe Ms. Roske understands that what she did was terribly wrong. I find her remorse sincere,” Boardman said.

DOJ prosecutor Coreen Mao said the sentence “must send the very strong, very clear message that the ends never justify violent means.”

Kavanaugh also received a death threat in April from someone who invoked Roske’s name and referenced shooting the justice in the head, Mao said, stressing a need to deter such behavior. That revelation comes as judges say they have faced a rise in threats from people across the political spectrum in recent years.

During the hearing, Boardman referred to Roske as a transgender woman, and Roske’s attorneys told the court recently that while their client’s legal name is Nicholas, Roske goes by the name Sophie and uses female pronouns.

Boardman, a Biden appointee, said she factored into the sentence her concern about Trump’s executive order requiring transgender inmates to be detained in prisons that correspond to their sex at birth.

Roske pleaded guilty in April to one charge of attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

On June 8, 2022, Roske flew from California to Virginia and took a taxi to Kavanaugh’s address, armed with a pistol, knife, lock picking set, duct tape, hammer, crowbar and tactical gear.

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In the weeks leading up to the incident, the defendant searched extensively online for information about several justices, mass shooters, ways to harm people and graphic images of people with knife wounds. One search read, “Does twisting or dragging a knife cause more damage.”

Roske’s internet history also signaled a desire to affect the outcome of the then-looming Dobbs decision, in which the Supreme Court was expected to overturn the federal right to abortion.

The assassination attempt came at a time when activists were protesting in front of conservative justices’ homes, leading the DOJ to deploy U.S. marshals to their houses to provide around-the-clock security.

Roske acknowledged noticing marshals at Kavanaugh’s house, which prosecutors said prompted Roske to change course and walk down the street before self-reporting to 911.

Roske’s “goal explicitly was both to alter the outcome of a pending Supreme Court case, a consequential case,” and “to change the composition of the court for decades to come,” Mao argued to the judge.

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Roske’s attorneys played part of the 911 call for the courtroom, in which Roske tells a dispatcher about having “suicidal and homicidal thoughts.” The lawyers emphasized that Roske has long been severely depressed and has been seeking treatment.

Appearing in a yellow jumpsuit in the courtroom, Roske apologized for terrorizing Kavanaugh and his family and for “contributing to the fear judges experience as a result of doing their jobs.”

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“I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life,” Roske said.

The judge also sentenced Roske to a lifetime of supervised release. The DOJ is able to appeal the sentence because it is well under the sentencing guidelines.

With Washington, D.C., gridlocked over the government shutdown, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took his case to social media Friday, sharing a viral meme video that uses the “f— around and find out (FAFO)” graph to take aim at Democrats holding out for healthcare provisions in the spending deal.

The video, which Duffy shared on X, splices together quotes from Democrats related to the shutdown and a viral video of a man explaining the FAFO graph on a classroom white board.

“All right, today we’re going to talk about how we can find out, how much we can find out and what it takes to get there,” the man says in the video. “So, first, we have to decide how much do we want to find out.” 

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The video then cuts to Democrats explaining that they want “healthcare for everybody,” before snapping back to the FAFO graph, where the man explains “that there is going to tell me how much I have to f— around to find out what I need to find out.”

Footage continues showing quotes from Democratic politicians as the man with the graph reiterates, “The more you f— around, the more you’re going to find out.”

“Dear Democrats, FAFO,” Duffy wrote in a post accompanying the video.

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The government shutdown entered its third day Friday as Senate Democrats insisted on a bipartisan continuing resolution that includes extending Obamacare tax credits, while Republicans argued the government must reopen before negotiations continue. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Democrats of holding the government “hostage,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that failing to act immediately would lead to a spike in healthcare premiums.

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Meanwhile, the administration is pressuring Democrats by withholding billions in infrastructure and green funding from blue states.

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Although bipartisan talks remain ongoing, potential compromises like temporary tax credit extensions have yet to lead to a deal.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.