Author: NOVA Corp

Senate Republicans revealed their plan to fund immigration enforcement operations with a whopping 12-figure price tag, but not every member of the GOP is happy with the roadmap.

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday revealed the GOP’s budget resolution, which will act as the guiding document for Republicans as they launch the budget process.

It’s as Republican leadership wanted — narrowly tailored to fund only Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three years. And it comes with the eye-popping price tag of $140 billion over the next three and a half years.

SENATE GOP READYING PARTY-LINE FUNDING BILL DESPITE DIVISIONS, ANGER AT THE HOUSE

“The threats to our homeland from radical Islam are only getting more intense,” Graham said in a statement. “Now is not the time to defund Border Patrol, and now is certainly not the time to put ICE out of business. These men and women have been dealing with the consequences of the over 11 million illegal immigrants that came to the United States during the Biden Administration.”

The upper chamber is expected to vote on the budget blueprint this week, possibly even Tuesday afternoon, if lawmakers can shore up any possible defections and disagreements.

Republicans will get the chance to discuss the bill behind closed doors later in the day, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he expects any lingering issues with the framework to be addressed.

“But as I’ve said from the very beginning, the exercise here is to make sure we have something that gets 50 here and 218 in the House that is narrow and focused on ensuring that the ICE and CBP are funded well into the future,” Thune said.

The legislation instructs the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security panels that they are allowed to add to the federal deficit by up to $70 billion each over the next handful of years to fund immigration operations. 

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a member of the budget committee and deficit hawk, said that reconciliation was the only way to fund immigration operations “because of Democrats’ just obnoxious obstructionism.” 

“I mean who can you vote against this? I mean, maybe others want to do something more,” Johnson said. “I want to do something more, what’s that?”  

Republicans have opted to reignite reconciliation after last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act as an option of last resort. Congressional Democrats have refused to fund ICE and chunks of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) absent stringent reforms.

SENATE REPUBLICANS RACE TO FUND ICE, CBP WITHOUT DEMOCRATS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS

And House Republicans have refused to consider the Senate’s bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which carves out immigration enforcement funding, until reconciliation is complete.

Some Republicans view the latest effort, which cuts out Democrats entirely from the process, as a golden opportunity to tackle several issues ahead of the midterm elections this fall. But others fear that adding more to the bill will slow the process and further prolong the ongoing DHS shutdown.

While a large contingent of Republicans, including Thune, argue that the GOP will have a third bite at the apple later in the year, some believe that this is the only shot they’ll have to craft a party-line package before the election.

“I don’t believe we’ll ever see a third reconciliation,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “I think this is it. I’m not sure that we’ll pass any legislation after this.”

SENATE GOP VOWS TO ‘GO IT ALONE’ ON ICE FUNDING AS DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON SHUTDOWN

Kennedy and a small handful of other Republicans want to front-load this reconciliation package with several items to address the cost of living and argued that “rather than having an anorexic bill, we should have a pleasantly plump bill.”

Graham’s framework tasks the Senate Judiciary and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees with crafting the legislative muscle and sinew of the bill.

However, Republicans could face a key roadblock there, too.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., is not a fan of the process, particularly because of the price tag associated with it. He made that clear last year when his plan was usurped by Graham for not spending nearly as much as Republicans wanted for border funding and immigration enforcement.

“In general, I’d like to see less spending, not more,” Paul said. “The conservative notion has always been we spend too much money around here. Seems a bit ironic for Republicans to be using their partisan power to spend more money.”

Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders‘ anti-billionaire progressive group has endorsed its first billionaire candidate, Tom Steyer, in the crowded field campaigning to be California’s next governor.

Our Revolution’s platform centers on eliminating corporate and billionaire influence in politics and supporting candidates who vow to get big money out of politics. But that didn’t stop their endorsement of Steyer, who has spent roughly $120 million of his own money on his campaign, about 30 times more than his Democratic competitors.

While Our Revolution acknowledged that Steyer is a billionaire in its endorsement, the grassroots group suggests he is using his fortune for good by running a campaign focused on left-leaning policies such as single-payer healthcare, removing corporate influence in politics and “taxing extreme wealth.” The group also said their endorsement “is also about winning,”

“Tom Steyer understands that California’s affordability crisis is not inevitable — it’s the result of a political system shaped by concentrated wealth and corporate power at the expense of working people,” Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said in a statement. “At a moment when too many defend the status quo, Tom has taken a different path — challenging the very system that benefits people like him.”

BERNIE SANDERS, AOC, TAKE AIM AT TRUMP AND MUSK, AS WELL AS DEMOCRATS, AT WESTERN RALLIES

Sanders, who has long railed against the existence of billionaires, has called Steyer a “friend,” but he has also said he is not a “fan of billionaires getting involved” in politics.

Our Revolution also said rallying behind Steyer is based on the need to back a “winning” candidate.

“In a high-stakes race where Republicans could take the top spot, consolidating behind a candidate who is both values-aligned and building momentum is essential,” Our Revolution said in a statement. “Our organizers on the ground in California are seeing real energy around Steyer for Governor — and that grassroots engagement helped drive this decision.”

AI POWER PLAYERS POUR CASH INTO COMPETITIVE PRIMARIES AS 2026 MIDTERMS HEAT UP

Steyer has raised $161,485.47 from individual donors, accounting for less than 1% of his campaign funds, with the rest coming from his his personal fortune, according to state filings.

Steyer made his wealth running a $20 billion hedge fund that invested millions of dollars in coal companies and a private prison company that owned immigration detention centers. He has publicly regretted some of his work with the hedge fund, sharing that it motivated him to take up left-leaning causes.

Since leaving the hedge fund in 2012, Steyer has invested his money and time into climate change and clean energy initiatives, and he has been behind at least three successful statewide ballot measures in California. He also made an unsuccessful 2020 presidential run.

“Our Revolution has done the hard, essential work of organizing and empowering progressive voters for a decade,” Steyer said. “I’m honored to receive this endorsement, and as Governor, I’ll work tirelessly to realize our shared vision of a California that works for working people.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Steyer and Our Revolution for comment.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the end of the Pentagon‘s long-running flu vaccine mandate for U.S. troops.

“The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force,” Hegseth announced in an X post, linking to a video statement of his signing the new policy. “We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately.”

Hegseth said service members would no longer be forced to take the annual flu shot, and instead could decide for themselves whether it was in their best interest, casting the move as part of a broader rollback of what he called overly aggressive medical mandates imposed under the Biden administration.

“Our new policy is simple,” Hegseth said. “If you, an American warrior entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it, you should.”

HEGSETH VOWS TO REBUILD MILITARY DETERRENCE SO ENEMIES ‘DON’T WANT TO F— WITH US’

“But we will not force you.”

The announcement appears to go further than a Pentagon policy shift disclosed last fall, when an internal memo showed the department had already begun scaling back the flu shot requirement, at least for some troops.

Hegseth framed the change as a matter of personal liberty, religious freedom and military readiness. In the video, he accused the Biden administration of forcing troops to choose “between their conscience and their country” and said that period was over under President Donald Trump.

DAVID MARCUS: IN TRUMP’S DEPARTMENT OF WAR, IT’S SOLDIERS — NOT EXPERTS — CALLING THE SHOTS

“In this case, this includes the universal flu vaccine and the mandate behind it,” Hegseth said. “The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member everywhere in every circumstance at all times is just overly broad and not rational.”

The Pentagon had required annual flu vaccinations across the force for years, arguing that widespread immunization helped protect readiness, especially in close-quarter military settings where illness can spread quickly. A memo obtained by The Associated Press and reported in September 2025 showed the department had already softened that stance.

That memo, signed May 29 by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, said reservists would only be required to get the flu shot if they were on active duty for 30 days or more. It also said the military would no longer pay for reservists or National Guard members to get vaccinated on their own time.

HEGSETH WORKS OUT WITH US TROOPS IN MALAYSIA AS WAR DEPARTMENT VOWS ‘WE WILL BE FIT, NOT FAT’

At the time, the policy change was not publicly announced, and the memo itself sent mixed signals. While it said the department would require seasonal flu vaccination “only when doing so most directly contributes to readiness,” it also appeared to leave the annual requirement in place for active-duty service members.

Hegseth’s new announcement suggests the administration is now moving beyond those limited exemptions and ending the universal mandate altogether.

The move fits into a broader Trump administration effort to revisit military vaccine policy, particularly after the bitter fight over the COVID-19 vaccine. Hegseth explicitly linked the flu shot decision to that earlier controversy, saying, “You know what I’m talking about, what happened [with] COVID-19 and the vaccine. No more.”

HEGSETH SHREDS SOVIET-STYLE BUREAUCRACY AND ‘FIVE-YEAR PLANS’ GOVERNING PENTAGON

“That era of betrayal is over,” Hegseth declared.

The administration has already offered back pay to service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine under Biden, and has encouraged them to return to uniform.

Hegseth made clear the administration intends for the change to be a sharp break from past policy.

“Your body, your faith, and your convictions are not negotiable,” he said. “It’s common sense.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

An updated financial filing from Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., aimed at addressing scrutiny over her previously reported income isn’t satisfying Republicans — and House Minority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., says the revisions only raise more concerns.

“Ilhan Omar is even more clueless than I thought if she thinks this financial disclosure revision clears her of suspicion,” Emmer exclusively told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

“She can backtrack, obfuscate, and distract all she wants but she’s made clear who she is: A fraud-enabling, racist antisemite who espouses anti-American rhetoric every chance she gets,” Emmer charged of his fellow Minnesota lawmaker.

EMMER WARNS WALZ COULD END UP ‘IN CUFFS’ AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD CLAIMS

Emmer went on to claim Omar is “entirely unfit to be a member of Congress” if it’s true she was “involved in fraud or improper financial gain in any capacity.”

“She should be held accountable to the fullest extent,” Emmer said. “My colleagues on the House Ethics Committee have my full backing for any and all investigations into Ilhan and her potential misdealings.”

An amended filing reviewed by The Wall Street Journal shows Omar and her husband’s assets were between $18,004 and $95,000, a sharp drop from an earlier disclosure that estimated their holdings between $6 million and $30 million.

“The amended disclosure confirms what we’ve said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,” Omar spokesperson Jacklyn Rogers told the Journal, adding that the filing was corrected “as soon as the discrepancy was identified.”

The amended filing shows Omar reported between $102,503 and $1,005,200 in income in 2024 from assets she and her husband own, according to the Journal. Documentation attached to the attorney’s letter showed $213,200 in distributions to her husband from his venture capital management firm and $3,000 from a winery.

A 2025 email between Omar’s husband and his accountant valued the venture capital firm at $7.9 million and the winery at $1.5 million, though he owns roughly one-third of both businesses, according to tax documents cited by the Journal.

ILHAN OMAR DEFENDS MEALS ACT DESPITE TIES TO MASSIVE MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME

The discrepancy over how much money Omar has raked in during her time in Congress has sparked intense criticism from Republicans in Washington, D.C. as well as conservatives back in Minnesota.

“I don’t buy it,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “Investigate, expose, and prosecute the fraud.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., similarly criticized Omar on Sunday, telling “Fox & Friends Weekend” that he has been pushing for the panel he leads to investigate the matter because of alleged links to the Somali fraud scheme in Minnesota.

“We’re not supposed to do that [investigate it] on the Oversight Committee, but because she’s a person of interest in the Somali fraud, I’ve been trying to get that,” Comer said, referencing Omar’s associations with individuals implicated in the unfolding Minnesota fraud scandal.

The controversy swirling around Omar comes at the same time her colleague, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is rebuffing calls to resign as she faces possible expulsion after being found guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations involving financial misconduct.

Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and Taylor Penley contributed to this report

FIRST ON FOX: Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds introduced legislation that would require biometric tracking of every entry and exit from the United States, as part of a Republican push to crack down on visa overstays and fraudulent immigration documents.

With illegal crossings down sharply under President Donald Trump’s second term, Republicans are shifting toward the next phase of immigration enforcement — tracking visa overstays and closing documentation loopholes. Donalds’ bill aims to force full nationwide use and federal oversight of the biometric entry-exit system.

Donalds told Fox News Digital exclusively he introduced the legislation on Monday.

“Thanks to President Trump’s decisive actions, our borders are more secure than they have been in decades. We are now moving to finish the job by introducing the Reform Immigration Through Biometrics Act, which provides the oversight needed to ensure every entry and exit is fully verified,” Donalds told Fox News Digital. 

FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

The bill would close gaps to ensure full coverage at every port, provide system flow updates and identify what is “slowing” it down by requiring DHS to report to Congress. The biometric data system collects fingerprints, facial images and iris scans.

Immigration reform is a central focus of the second Trump administration, with officials shifting attention toward internal tracking and enforcement gaps, not just border crossings.

The biometric entry-exit system was first introduced a decade ago, following a 2004 recommendation from the 9/11 Commission to strengthen national security through a comprehensive tracking method.

HOUSE GOP BILL COULD TRIGGER SELF-DEPORTATION FOR SOMALI REFUGEES AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD PROBE

Previous administrations failed to fully implement the system across all ports of entry, leaving it incomplete. A final rule issued in December 2025 now mandates a nationwide rollout.

Donalds’ legislation aims to ensure it is fully executed this time by holding DHS accountable. 

“The border has been secured, but the work is far from over,” said Donalds in a press release. “Visa overstays and fraudulent documentation remain a large piece of the overall illegal immigration puzzle that needs to be addressed.”

Data from the Border Patrol cited by Pew Research found there were 237,538 migrant encounters at the Mexican border in 2025. It is the lowest number since Richard Nixon was president in 1970 when 201,780 were encountered.

I REPRESENT A BORDER DISTRICT THAT WAS SWAMPED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. WHAT I’M SEEING NOW MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

Donalds, a candidate for Florida governor to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he anticipates “swift passage” of the bill.

“Republicans are steadfast in our commitment to the mandate entrusted to us by the American people,” he told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.

Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is under fire after a one-word social media post fueled accusations he was a “traitor” cheering against the United States amid the war in Iran.

“Awesome,” Murphy wrote on X in response to a post reporting that 26 ships in Iran’s shadow fleet have made it past the US blockade in the Gulf of Oman.

Murphy’s post adds to his long-running criticism of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and revived scrutiny over his past posture toward Iran, giving critics fresh ammunition to cast the Connecticut Democrat as hostile to U.S. interests.

Social media commenters unleashed on Murphy for the message, with some asking if his account was “hacked” and others accusing him of cheering on Iran. 

SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’

“First of all this is false,” Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs, posted, denying the report Murphy responded to. “Second, a Dem senator cheering on the number one state sponsor of terror is shameful.” 

DOUG SCHOEN: AS A DEMOCRAT, I BACK TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKE — MY PARTY IS WRONG

Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst notably told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning that there is “no evidence” that Iranian shadow fleet vessels, ships used to evade international sanctions, have made it through the U.S. blockade.

Murphy’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the X post and whether his message was intended seriously or in jest.

“The tweet was sarcasm. Chris obviously thinks it’s terrible that Donald Trump continues to mishandle every aspect of a war he started but clearly has no strategy to end,” a spokesperson for Murphy told Jewish Insider on Monday. 

Commenters continued criticizing Murphy on X on Tuesday morning. 

“This is what late stage TDS looks like: Cheering on Iran to defeat the U.S. Navy,” the Trump War room account wrote.

“This U.S. senator is publicly cheering for America’s enemy during war. The Senate should vote to censure him,” Mike Davis, Article III Project founder and president, commented.

SCHUMER CALLS TRUMP ‘A MILITARY MORON’ AND SAYS US ‘WORSE OFF’ NOW THAN WHEN IRAN WAR STARTED

“Was Sen. Murphy’s account hacked?” Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York wrote.

“Chris Murphy roots against America,” conservative commentator Steve Guest posted.

“‘I love when Iran wins, it’s awesome…’ – a UNITED STATES SENATOR???????????!!!!!!!!!,” added Matt Van Swol, a former employee of the Department of Energy, according to his X bio.

CRUZ SAYS TRUMP’S MOVE TO STRIKE IRAN ‘MOST CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION’ OF HIS PRESIDENCY

Operation Epic Fury began on Feb. 28, 2026, when U.S. forces, alongside partner forces, launched a coordinated military campaign against Iran.

As the Trump administration pressures Iran to curb its nuclear program, the U.S. is using its naval and air power to choke off Iranian shipping around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

Murphy recently called out Trump for his posts related to the war with Iran, saying it is a “a clear war crime.”

Fox News’ Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz launched a federal political action committee on Monday and the name of the new venture quickly created a stir on social media among conservatives.

Walz’s PAC, first reported in Politico Playbook, is named  the “Small Town PAC.” The governor said he wants to “show up in small towns” and “organize in places too many people have given up on, and build power with the folks who call these places home.”

“If Democrats want to win in more places, we’ve got to start showing up in more places,” Walz wrote in an X post.

Walz was widely mocked by conservatives when he ran for vice president in 2024 for his attempts to make inroads with rural voters — like touting his blue collar roots and hunting hobby.

MINNESOTA DEMS UNITE TO BLOCK WALZ, ELLISON IMPEACHMENT PUSH, SPARKING ONLINE OUTRAGE: ‘THEY’RE PANICKING’

“Small towns and townships overwhelmingly voted against you, Tim,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. “We think your policies are despicable.”

“Small towns across Minnesota loathe @Tim_Walz,” Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate and State Rep. Kristin Robbins posted on X. 

“He infamously disparaged them as @RocksAndCowsHQ and his left-wing policies are opposed by most!”

Daniel Turner, Executive Director of Power the Future, wrote on X, “Good Lord small town America hates everything you stand for: open borders, trans insanity, defund the police, rampant crime, Somali fraud.”

NEW BOOK SHEDS LIGHT ON HARRIS DECISION TO PICK WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE OVER SHAPIRO: ‘WENT WITH HER GUT’

“If Democrats want to win in small towns again, this is the last person they should listen to. In eight years as Governor, he has shown voters across Greater Minnesota that the DFL no longer represents them,” Minnesota state Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, posted on X. 

Others on social media, including Grage, dusted off the 2024 campaign trail nickname “Tampon Tim” which conservatives used to mock Walz’s much-maligned support of a bill to put free menstrual products in all school restrooms, including boys’ rooms.

“Oh look, Tampon Tim wants to expand the fraud,” conservative radio host Gregory Jon posted on X. 

Walz didn’t miss an opportunity to take a swipe at one-time rival Vice President JD Vance while announcing the new PAC.

“Republicans like JD Vance like to portray their small-town neighbors as petty, resentful, and small-minded. I disagree. I think the problem facing small towns are Republicans like JD Vance,” he said.

Vance’s office hit back with: “The problem facing many small towns in Minnesota is that Tim Walz gives their money to fraudulent daycares.”

Fox News Digital did not hear back from Walz’s office when reached for comment.

Walz’s new political venture comes roughly four months after mounting pressure over the massive fraud scandal under his watch forced him to drop his bid for re-election as governor.

Small Town PAC’s website suggests that after leaving office at the end of the year, Walz will be working with Democrats to “build the future” by “investing in people with fresh ideas, energy, and integrity” to “strengthen the Democratic Party from the ground up.”

FIRST ON FOX: A redistricting referendum backed by Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is the culmination of a rapidly escalating “power grab” by Democrats in what has been a key swing state for years, a new report by the Honest Election Project Action (HEP) alleges.

HEP’s report argues that after regaining control of the state from Republicans in 2025, Democrats are now “rigging the rules so they never lose power” again. Leveraging their unified control, the report points to the Democratic-majority Virginia legislature passing 54 election bills this session, which it said is “more than any state in the nation.”

Among the bills passed by the Virginia legislature were measures to bar immigration enforcement officers from voting locations, expand ranked-choice voting and place new limits on the removal of voters deemed ineligible. Spanberger also signed a bill to add Virginia to the National Popular Vote Compact, a coalition of states committed to awarding their Electoral College votes to the winner of the national popular vote. Perhaps most controversial, however, Spanberger signed another bill setting in motion a referendum to allow the legislature to redraw congressional districts that critics say would heavily favor Democrats.

“Democrats used their newfound status to launch a partisan power grab and a deliberate assault on election safeguards,” the report alleges, adding, “Virginia is the latest example of the left’s gerrymandering hypocrisy: condemn it when done by opponents, stop at nothing to impose it when it delivers power.”

GLENN YOUNGKIN ACCUSES GOV SPANBERGER OF ‘ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ GERRYMANDERING IN VIRGINIA MAP FIGHT

If approved by voters Tuesday, the referendum would amend Virginia’s constitution to allow lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and implement a new map immediately. The change would temporarily override the state’s current bipartisan redistricting process for this cycle, with the existing system set to resume afterward.

Besides signing the bill to set the redistricting referendum in motion, Spanberger has also given her full endorsement of the amendment. In a March statement, she emphasized that “Virginia’s approach is different” regarding redistricting.

She framed the amendment as a temporary measure “directly responsive to what other states decide to do,” stressing that “it preserves Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process for the future.”

“I supported the formation of Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting commission in 2020, and that support has not changed,” she said. “What has changed is what we’re seeing in states across the country — and a president who says he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats before this year’s midterm elections.”

“Virginians have the opportunity to take action in response to this extraordinary moment in history. That’s why, as a Virginia voter, I’m voting in favor of this amendment,” Spanberger added.

The effort has also been supported by former President Barack Obama, who recently released an ad urging Virginians to vote “yes” for the amendment.

VIRGINIA DEM ADMITS REDISTRICTING PUSH AIMS TO ‘STOP TRUMP’, NOT ABOUT ‘FAIRNESS’

Meanwhile, Honest Election Project argues in its report that “far from ‘strengthening democracy,’ Virginia’s 2026 session is a case study in the left’s agenda to trade election security for political advantage.”

The report points out that during the session, Democrats “delivered on virtually every major item on the left’s election-law wish list.”

In all, the report says that Virginia lawmakers introduced 103 election-related bills, 93% of which it says were ultimately sent to Spanberger. Thus far, the governor has signed nine of those measures, per the report.

Among the other policies HEP takes issue with is a measure to prohibit immigration enforcement within 40 feet of a polling place, election board meeting site or recount location. The report accused Virginia Democrats of working to “exploit election law to hamper federal immigration enforcement and essentially turn areas around polling places into expansive sanctuary zones for illegal aliens.”

The report also slams Virginia Democrats over ranked-choice voting and the National Popular Vote Compact, both of which it calls “structural changes to push politics to the left.”

The Virginia legislature also passed a constitutional amendment to automatically restore voting rights to convicted felons upon their release from prison. Virginians will have the opportunity to approve or reject the amendment at the ballot box this November.

Another measure passed by the legislature was a bill barring officials from cross-checking the state’s voter roll against the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to identify noncitizens, and from removing ineligible voters based on a SAVE match. While Spanberger stated, “I approve the general purpose of this bill,” she returned the bill to the legislature with amendments.

HEP argues that based on the data, Virginia “stands out for the breadth and depth of its efforts to rewrite election rules.”

VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT SPARKS BACKLASH FOR OMITTING MURDER-SUICIDE IN POST ON JUSTIN FAIRFAX

Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project Action, told Fox News Digital that “in just four months, Virginia Democrats, under Abigail Spanberger’s leadership, have launched a blatant, partisan assault on election integrity to try to rig the rules to solidify permanent Democratic power in Richmond.”

“But that’s just par for the course for Democratic lawmakers nationwide, whose first move after gaining power is to always rewrite the rules for their benefit,” asserted Snead.

He added that Honest Elections Project Action is “proud to expose Democrats for this shameless power grab and urges Virginians to make their voices heard in opposition.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and the offices of Virginia Speaker of the House Don Scott and Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell for comment.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened to “reveal new cards on the battlefield” in a Monday evening social media post just days before the agreed ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire.

“Trump, by imposing a siege and violating the ceasefire, seeks to turn this negotiating table — in his own imagination — into a table of surrender or to justify renewed warmongering,” Ghalibaf wrote on X.

“We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks, we have prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield,” he concluded.

Ghalibaf led the Iranian delegation in Islamabad during April 11 peace talks with a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance. That meeting happened while a two-week ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan, was in effect. The ceasefire, announced on April 8, is set to expire on Wednesday.

WHY TRUMP FACES AN AGONIZING DECISION ON OBLITERATING IRAN’S OIL SUPPLY IF HE CAN’T GET A DEAL

Vance is now expected to land in Pakistan again Tuesday to lead a second round of talks ahead of the deadline, according to PBS.

While Vance will hope to reach a long-term peace deal, Iran has signaled intransigence. Ghalibaf’s warning came two days after the Islamic Republic announced Saturday it was reimposing restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, reversing a previously announced decision to open the key waterway.

Trump announced the Strait was “COMPLETELY OPEN” in a Friday Truth Social post, but insisted that the maritime blockade would continue “until there is a ‘DEAL.’

IRAN’S LEADER THREATENS ‘EVEN BIGGER BLOW’ AGAINST US, TRUMP SAYS HE’S IN ‘NO RUSH’ TO TALK

The next day, Iran’s joint military command said that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state… under strict management and control of the armed forces,” adding that the restrictions would remain as long as the U.S. blockade did.

Iranian leadership has gone as far as to declare they won’t participate in the Islamabad peace talks with the U.S., Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday.

“If the U.S. sends a team to Islamabad, that is a matter that concerns them,” Baqaei said in a press conference.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran does not accept any deadlines or ultimatums to safeguard its national interests. We have clearly stated our red lines from the beginning, and we will not change our principled positions,” he added.

President Donald Trump is urging Virginians going to the polls Tuesday to reject a redistricting ballot measure that could hand Democrats as many as four House seats in November, a large haul with House Republicans hanging onto a slim majority.

“This referendum is a blatant partisan power grab that nobody’s really ever seen anything like it,” Trump told a telerally call with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday night, The Hill reported.

Just say “no” to Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s push, he added.

“It’s the liberal extremist Gov. Abigail Spanberger, too bad, and the far-left Democrats in Richmond after Spanberger promised Virginia voters that she would never do this,” he told the call. “And if it passes, Virginia Democrats will eliminate four out of five congressional seats, so you’re going to get just wiped out in terms of representation in Washington.

DEMS FACE SCRUTINY OVER CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION GAPS IN BLUE STATES: ‘DON’T HAVE CLEAN HANDS’

“That’s what it’s all about. Please get out and vote and vote no. It’s very simple,” the president added. “Just vote no.” 

Virginia has moved to push through a new map before the 2026 midterms, something that would not otherwise happen before the 2030 census.

Democrats currently hold six of the 11 House seats in Virginia, a state that narrowly went for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, but the new map would hand the Democrats a huge 10-1 advantage.

SPANBERGER ONCE BLASTED GERRYMANDERING AND NOW BACKS AMENDMENT CRITICS SAY COULD ERASE VIRGINIA GOP

Among the nearly 6 million registered voters in the state of Virginia, Democrats do have an edge, but not one that wide. The state is majority Democrat (51.24%), but Republicans (30.56%) and independents (18.2%) are both well represented, according to Independent Voter Project data.

“We have to stand up for fair maps and we have to vote no,” Johnson told the call. 

“As your speaker of the House, I see firsthand every single day how all five of those members are leading the fight on things like lowering costs and securing our borders and making Virginia and America great again,” he said. “And we need to return all five of them to Congress this November.”

GOP-LED COUNTIES PUSH BACK AGAINST DEMOCRAT’S REDISTRICTING CHARGE, TESTING VIRGINIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS

Johnson was referring to the vulnerable seats of Virginia GOP Reps. Rob Wittman, Jen Kiggans, John McGuire, Ben Cline, and Morgan Griffith.

The new map would leave only Griffith’s 9th Congressional District with a Republican edge, but it would pit him against Cline in a difficult primary. Kiggans’ seat would remain a swing district, but one trending further into the favor of Democrats.

“They definitely want to turn us into New England,” Cline told the Ruthless Podcast last week. “Massachusetts used to have Republican members of Congress, a much more balanced delegation. Now it’s 9-0. But Republicans vote, what, 40% of the population there. They do it in Illinois. Most of the states where they control, they’re trying to just draw Republicans completely out.”

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It is not just about gaining house seats either. The map difficulty moves future candidates further left even on the right, according to Cline.

“Their goal is the long game,” Cline added. “It is the short game of the next election, but it’s also the long game of trying to turn rural Virginia into either a non-impact on politics or convert. You either assimilate or you’re destroyed.”

Griffith is planning a legal challenge on the structure of Tuesday’s special election ballot question for its “compactness, other arguments about the process, and the question on the ballot,” he told WJHL.

“These maps are horrible, and they do not work for good government, or good representation by any of the congressmen or women of Virginia,” he added.

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Notably, the ballot asks a generic question about a desire to “restore fairness,” suggesting the previously democratically approved map might be unfair.

“Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican, is calling out the disenfranchisement of voters in the state.

“It’s a measure to silence and disenfranchize the voices of millions of Virginians,” he told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning. “And you’re exactly right when even The Washington Post calls the ‘yes’ campaign brazenly dishonest, that says something: They’re definitely not a friend to conservatives.”

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“But what this is is nothing but a left-wing power grab” Miyares continued. “Virginians have already spoken on this in 2020 by a 30-point landslide. They said, ‘Hey, we don’t want politicians of either party drawing these lines,’ but Democrats, as soon as they got in power — remember Abigail Spanberger promised in August of 2025 that she wasn’t going to gerrymander Virginia — yet that was the very first bill she signed in office and is one of the reasons why she’s the least popular governor in the entire history of modern Virginia politics.“

While Spanberger has argued Virginia has to retaliate for other states efforts to redrawn favorable districts in their states for this midterm election, Miyares argued this one is the last and most blatantly lopsided.

“It’s been called the most gerrymandered map in the entire country,” he told Fox News. “And now it’s why rural Virginians are standing up saying, ‘No, do not disenfranchise our voices,’ because 56 counties in Virginia, if this passes, will effectively not have a voice in Congress.

“That’s wrong. That’s not fair. That’s not democracy. Virginians need to go vote now, today.”