Category: USA Politics

Four Democrat-led states that rejected President Donald Trump‘s policy of no taxes on tips and overtime pay are getting called out by Republicans for going against efforts to increase affordability.

The governors of the three largest Democrat-run states, California, New York and Illinois, are continuing to tax tips and overtime against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while Colorado will require taxpayers to report how much is deducted federally so it can be added back for state taxes in future years.

“Gov. Hochul and Albany Democrats believe your money is their money: They are picking the pockets of waitresses, bartenders, and first responders who work overtime just to make ends meet in a state that already has the highest tax burden in the country,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital.

“No wonder working people and jobs continue to flee New York in record numbers, and we’re consistently among the worst in outmigration every year.”

AVERAGE TAX REFUND TOPS $3,700 MIDWAY THROUGH FILING SEASON, TREASURY SAYS

With “affordability” a key political issue, Republicans countered with a Tax Day narrative against the governors of those four blue states that are facing midterm gubernatorial campaigns, including Hochul, who is running for reelection and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who terms out this year.

“California Democrats talk a lot about making life more affordable, but when given the chance to let hardworking Californians keep more of what they earn, Gov. Newsom and the state legislature refused to update the state’s tax code,” Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital.

“No tax on tips or overtime would provide real relief to service workers, first responders, and families across our state, and it’s disappointing to see Sacramento turn its back on them.”

DOORDASH DRIVER HAILS KEY TRUMP POLICY AFTER DELIVERING MCDONALD’S TO WHITE HOUSE: ‘I’M GOING TO ENJOY IT’

Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi says that while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is running for reelection in the nation’s third-largest blue state, he is really positioning himself for a 2028 presidential campaign on the agenda of obstructing Trump.

“Last year, President Trump delivered the largest tax cut in American history, putting millions of dollars back in the pockets of Americans; this commonsense legislation is good for Illinois, but wannabe president, JB Pritzker would rather slam the door shut on opportunity and relief, knowing full well that he supported and empowered Joe Biden’s economic disaster,” Salvi told Fox News Digital.

“The sad truth is that if President Trump is for it, JB Pritzker will always be against it.”

NASHVILLE ARTISTS PRAISE TRUMP’S NO-TAX-ON-TIPS POLICY ONE YEAR INTO PRESIDENCY

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is termed out and among names potentially running in the 2028 Democrat presidential primary, was called out by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., for action to tax overtime pay in future years.

“As a former cop in Colorado, I know firsthand how important overtime pay is to first responders, blue collar workers, and hardworking families across America — that’s why I was proud to stand with Republicans to deliver no tax on overtime at the federal level,” Evans told Fox News Digital.

“But while we fought to give Coloradans relief, Gov. Polis and state Democrats held a special session to re-tax overtime pay, ensuring families never see the benefits they earned. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Hochul, Newsom, Pritzker, and Polis for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

SCOOP: HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON’S ALLIES UNLEASH $10M CAMPAIGN TO SPOTLIGHT TRUMP TAX CUTS

While the governor’s seats in those four blue states are likely safe due to deep Democrat voter registration advantages, down ballot races do have a narrative to carry under the Trump banner and the no tax on tips or overtime policy.

The Senate Finance Committee charted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act “wins” in all 50 states, including those four blocked by Democrat leaders where there still remains a permanent 20% deduction for many small business owners and a $1,500 increase in the standard deduction for millions of families.

Rama Duwaji, wife to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, apologized for old social media posts that included racial slurs and celebrations of Palestinian terrorists in an interview published Wednesday.

Duwaji, a Texas-born Syrian-American, expressed her regret for language she used in old social media messages during an interview with online publication Hyperallergic, her first public interview since her husband became mayor in January.

“When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” she told the outlet.

In March, the Washington Free Beacon published an expose revealing a number of Duwaji’s old posts on X, formerly Twitter, and the blogging website Tumblr.

NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S WIFE LIKED POSTS CELEBRATING OCT 7 TERROR ATTACKS BUT GETS SOFT TREATMENT FROM THE PRESS

The posts included celebrations of U.S.-designated terrorist groups and individuals who had committed acts of terror. In March 2015, when Duwaji was 17, an X account the Washington Free Beacon connected to Duwaji reposted a photo of Shadia Abu Ghazaleh with a caption that extolled her as a resistance fighter.

Ghazaleh was a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S. and globally-designated terrorist group. Revered as a martyr in Palestine, many pro-Palestinians laud her for participating in a bombing of an Israeli bus. Ghazaleh died in 1968 when a bomb she had planned to use on a building in Tel Aviv exploded in her home.

Another Duwaji post the Free Beacon unearthed showed her allegedly using a racial slur.

SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS ON MAMDANI OVER REPORTS HIS WIFE LIKED PRO-OCTOBER 7TH POSTS: ‘THIS IS WHO THEY ARE’

And another post appeared to show her using a derogatory word for gay people.

According to the Beacon’s investigation, she allegedly reposted another user saying that the Israeli city Tel Aviv “shouldn’t even exist in the first place.”

NYC MAYOR MAMDANI’S WIFE GLORIFIED TERRORISTS IN ONLINE POSTS, CRITICIZED US MILITARY: REPORT

“I’ve read and seen a lot of what others have had to say in response, and I understand the hurt I caused and am truly sorry,” Duwaji told Hyperallergic. “My focus isn’t on being a public figure, but continuing my work with care and responsibility, and allowing my art to speak for itself.”

The X account associated with Duwaji was deleted shortly after the Beacon published their investigation. Her Wednesday apology appears to be her first public acknowledgment of the posts.

An artist by trade, Duwaji has been an outspoken critic of Israel during her husband’s political career. In February, just one month after Mamdani’s inauguration, Duwaji came under fire for contributing an illustration to an essay about a Gaza refugee camp written by an author who celebrated the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

ISRAELI COMEDIAN DROPS OUT OF PASSOVER EVENT AFTER LEARNING OF MAMDANI’S ATTENDANCE

Susan Abulhawa, the author of the essay attached to Duwaji’s illustration, called Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack at a music festival in Israel that killed more than 1,200 people “a spectacular moment that shocked the world.” She has also referred to Israelis as “rootless, soulless ghouls” and “Jewish supremacist demons” in social media posts that are still active.

Mamdani condemned the comments and claimed Duwaji contributed the illustration through a third party service.

“I think that that rhetoric is patently unacceptable. I think it’s reprehensible,” he said in March. “And as is common for freelance illustrators, the First Lady was commissioned to illustrate an excerpt of a book by a third party. She has never engaged with or met with the author, nor had she seen the tweets that you’re referring to.”

Fox News Digital contacted a representative of Mayor Mamdani for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Republicans are betting tax cuts they championed will be a difference-maker in November’s midterm elections amid a rise in refunds this filing season.

But Republicans still face a key challenge — convincing voters to credit them for the tax relief when they head to the ballot box.

“You can talk about it, but you’ve got to feel it and that’s what’s going to happen,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital in an interview on Wednesday, referring to the slate of new tax breaks signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2025. 

“We believe by the time of the midterms, people are not only going to be talking about it, they are going to feel it,” Emmer insisted.

STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP’S TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING WITH SPOTLIGHT ON ECONOMY

As they look to defend their slim House majority, the GOP is ramping up its messaging to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, also known as the Working Families Tax Cuts. Republicans spent Tax Day on Wednesday touting larger refunds this year while highlighting Democratic lawmakers’ opposition to the tax bill that passed with solely GOP votes. 

The average refund this year is over $3,400, amounting to an 11% increase compared to last tax season, according to data released by the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday.

Republicans have pointed to those returns as early proof their tax policy is reaching voters’ wallets.

A vast swath of Americans is also benefiting from new tax cuts that Trump first floated on the 2024 campaign trail.

More than 53 million tax filers claimed new deductions for tips, overtime pay, automobile loans or being over the age of 65, according to the Treasury Department. Some are also receiving a larger child tax credit and relief for state and local taxes.

“When you’re seeing it in your tax return, when you’re seeing it in your paycheck, when you’re actually able to feel that, I think that’s going to make a difference to put us in a good spot for 2026,” Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., said Wednesday.

Democrats, however, argue those benefits may not be enough to overcome Americans’ broader economic concerns.

The party is voicing increasing confidence it will retake House control and put the Senate in play this November, citing voter discontent about cost-of-living issues and Trump’s declining approval ratings. Republicans must also overcome the trend of the party in power shedding seats during a midterm year.

“A lot of people want to count us out in November,” Emmer said during a GOP messaging event highlighting the new tax benefits on Wednesday. “We’re going to be just fine, because we’ve got a great map in the House. We’ve got great candidates across the country.”

AVERAGE TAX REFUND TOPS $3,700 MIDWAY THROUGH FILING SEASON, TREASURY SAYS

Democrats have largely opposed the tax cuts, arguing they disproportionately benefit corporations and the wealthy. 

But Republicans say working Americans and small businesses will see a smaller tax bill this year as a result of their policies. 

Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told Fox News Digital that the overtime deduction has been a “morale booster” for law enforcement putting in extra hours.

More than 25 million Americans have claimed the new tax break with an average deduction of more than $3,100, according to the IRS. 

Republicans are also highlighting a slate of business tax breaks, which beneficiaries argue could boost job growth and provide economic benefits to their community.

“It gave me the certainty and the confidence to go out and make capital investments,” Courtney Silver, who owns a machine shop in North Carolina and invested more than $1 million in equipment following the passage of the tax bill, told Fox News Digital.

“For everything we invested in, we need to create those new positions on our team,” Silver added. 

The United States could have shed nearly 6 million jobs if Republicans had failed to extend the 2017 tax cuts through the party’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to the National Association of Manufacturers.

Still, seven in 10 Americans say their taxes are too high, the highest dissatisfaction in more than two decades, according to a recent Fox News poll. 

Some Democratic-led states have notably refused to conform to the new federal tax breaks enacted by Republicans, citing concern about their impact on state revenue. GOP lawmakers have argued it’s an attempt by Democrats to prevent voters from feeling the tax relief passed by Republicans.

“I’ve got a governor that refuses and a Democrat-controlled legislature that refuses to do tax compliance, so I’m not getting the benefit, nor is any other Minnesotan,” Emmer said, referring to the average increase in returns. “That’s a game changer and my state’s not getting that.”

Trump is heading to Nevada and Arizona beginning Thursday to highlight his “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” policies as he goes to bat for Republicans to help them keep their bicameral congressional majority in this year’s midterm elections.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iranian leaders to “choose wisely” on whether to accept a peace deal with the U.S. on Thursday.

Hegseth made the comments during a press briefing at the Pentagon, saying the U.S. military is “locked and loaded” and prepared to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure.

“We’ll start with a message to Iran’s military leadership,” Hegseth said. “We’re watching you. Our capabilities are not the same, our military and yours. Remember, this is not a fair fight, and we know what military assets you are moving and where you are moving them to while you are digging out, which is exactly what you’re doing. Digging out of bombed out and devastated facilities.”

“We are only getting stronger. You are digging out your remaining launchers and missiles with no ability to replace them. You have no defense industry, no ability to replenish your offensive or defensive capabilities. You only have what you have. You know that. And we know that you can move things around, but you can’t actually rebuild. You can dig out for now, but you can’t reconstitute. But we can,” he said.

TRUMP DETAILS SWEEPING ‘ALL OR NOTHING’ BLOCKADE OF STRAIT OF HORMUZ AFTER FAILED IRAN TALKS

“If Iran chooses poorly, they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy,” Hegseth added.

IRAN THREATENS TO HALT RED SEA TRAFFIC IN RESPONSE TO US MILITARY BLOCKADE OF PORTS

Hegseth was joined at Thursday’s briefing by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper, who recently returned from the front lines.

Hegseth said Cooper is making sure the U.S. military “continues to implement an ironclad blockade and ensures that our forces are maximally postured to restart combat operations should this new Iranian regime choose poorly and not agree to a deal.”

“We are reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence, even more importantly, better intelligence than ever before,” he said in his message to Iran.

“As you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye, we are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation and on your energy industry. We’d rather not have to do it, but we’re ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button,” he also said.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

A federal judge this week blocked Indiana from enforcing a law that bars college-issued student identification cards from being used for voting, ruling that the measure likely violates the constitutional rights of students and young voters.

U.S. District Judge Richard Young granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday against Senate Bill 10, a 2025 law that removed student IDs from Indiana’s list of acceptable voter identification even though such cards had been accepted for nearly two decades if they included a voter’s name, photograph, expiration date and were issued by the state or federal government.

“Plaintiffs have shown that they are likely to succeed on their claim that SB 10 imposes unconstitutional burdens on students and young voters in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments,” Young, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a 34-page order. “They have also established irreparable harm and satisfied the remaining requirements for a preliminary injunction.”

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office said Wednesday it intends to appeal, arguing that the state’s voter ID law should not be weakened by court-ordered exceptions.

GOP GOVERNORS, AGS BACK TRUMP SAVE ACT PUSH, WARN SYSTEM GIVES ‘UNDUE INFLUENCE’ TO STATES WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS

“Indiana’s voter ID law is critical to election security and integrity,” the office told the Indiana Capital Chronicle in a statement. “Courts shouldn’t be watering the law down by doling out special exemptions to some students and faculty. We’ll keep fighting to uphold commonsense election rules.”

Notably, out of state college students might be registered in another state, perhaps a nexus for the state’s requiring a state or federal-issued ID.

Still, Young concluded that rejecting student IDs for voters “is probably unconstitutional.”

FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI JOIN WAVE OF STATES TIGHTENING VOTER CITIZENSHIP RULES

“While it’s true that an injunction would override a democratically adopted law, Indiana has no valid interest in enforcing ‘a statute that is probably unconstitutional,’” Young wrote.

The ruling is a setback for Republican state lawmakers who approved SB 10 last year after arguing that student IDs were not issued with the same rigor as Indiana driver’s licenses and state identification cards. Young found the state’s position undercut by the fact that Indiana still allows other non-driver forms of identification — including military, Veterans Administration and tribal IDs — many of which, he wrote, are “less uniform than student IDs.”

“By eliminating student IDs as an acceptable form of identification, Defendants selectively excluded a form of identification that otherwise complies with the neutral criteria established by Indiana’s voter ID law and that has been accepted as a form of voter identification for nearly two decades,” Young wrote.

CONSERVATIVE GROUP LAUNCHES $5M AD BLITZ PRESSURING SENATE ON VOTER ID AS GOP EYES SAVE AMERICA ACT PUSH

The judge said he did not need to decide, at this stage, a separate claim that the law intentionally discriminates on the basis of age in violation of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

The lawsuit was filed in May 2025 by Count US IN, Women4Change Indiana and Indiana University student Josh Montagne, who had used his IU-issued student ID to vote three times but said he lacked another form of qualifying identification after the law took effect.

Young’s order described student IDs as a long-standing, widely used tool for voting on Indiana campuses. The opinion cited evidence that nearly 200,000 students attend Indiana public universities whose IDs previously qualified under the voter ID law, and noted a Monroe County election supervisor’s estimate that about two-thirds of voters at an on-campus Indiana University polling place used student IDs in the 2024 general election.

DAVID MARCUS: SENATE GOP SHOULD TAKE FETTERMAN’S DEAL ON VOTER ID

The judge estimated that the actual number of students affected by the ban was likely about 40,000, though he noted the plaintiffs’ expert had produced higher estimates. He said the record showed the law falls hardest on college students and younger voters because they are less likely than the general electorate to possess Indiana driver’s licenses or state IDs and often face added hurdles in getting alternative documentation.

Young rejected the state’s argument that the public interest in election integrity justified the change, writing that Indiana had produced no evidence that student IDs had been used in voter fraud or that they had caused meaningful problems for election administration.

TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL FACES GOP RESISTANCE AS TILLIS VOWS TO STOP IT

“To eliminate the ID that students and young voters are far more likely to rely on, Defendants must better document the unique problems student IDs raise,” Young wrote. “On this record, SB 10 looks more like a solution in search of a problem.”

The court also concluded that blocking the law weeks before Indiana’s May 4 primary would not create the kind of disruption federal courts are warned to avoid close to an election. Young said the injunction would mainly restore a practice Indiana had followed for years and would require only minor updates to election materials and training.

Because the case is at the preliminary injunction stage, the ruling does not permanently strike down the law. But it means student IDs that otherwise satisfy Indiana’s voter ID requirements can be used in the upcoming elections while the lawsuit moves forward.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Former Democratic Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide on Thursday morning, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. 

Fairfax served as the 41st lieutenant governor under Gov. Ralph Northam between Jan. 13, 2018, to Jan. 15, 2022.

Fairfax was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before moving to Annandale. 

Fairfax shared two children with his wife. 

This is a breaking news post and will be updated. 

Senate Democrats blocked an attempt to defund and abolish a monument to a prominent labor union activist who was recently hit with bombshell allegations of being a serial predator.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, tried to pass legislation that would have defunded the monument to Cesar Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers. The monument sits in California on property that was once his home and where his labor movement was born.

Chavez was once a revered figure, particularly among Democrats, until a bombshell New York Times report in March detailed allegations of a pattern of sexual misconduct, including abusing and grooming minors. The alleged victims had stayed silent even after his death.

SENATOR GALLEGO SAYS LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP WITH SWALWELL ‘CLOUDED MY JUDGMENT’ AS RUMORS SWIRLED IN DC

“Due to Senator Heinrich’s shameful actions, the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument — a known crime scene where much of Chavez’s abhorrent abuse of women and girls occurred — will continue to operate on the American people’s dime, and it is sickening,” Cornyn told Fox News Digital. 

But the effort was blocked by Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who acknowledged the alleged abuse on the Senate floor Tuesday and said it “necessarily and profoundly changes Cesar Chavez’s legacy and how he should be remembered.”

While he agreed there should not be a monument named after Chavez, Heinrich warned that removing it would erase the stories of farm laborers and sweep his “violence under the rug.”

“When we learn shocking or terrible things about our history, the right answer is to tell the truth — never to hide it,” Heinrich said. “I’m concerned that what my colleague from Texas is proposing could do just that: Hide the truth about Cesar Chavez and, unfortunately, the incredible farmworker movement with it.”

SWALWELL OUT AMID SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS AFTER 13 YEARS IN CONGRESS

Heinrich’s move to block the legislation came the same day two members of the House — former Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas — resigned from Congress over allegations of sexual misconduct.

Cornyn’s No Funding to Honor Crime Scenes Act, which made its way through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee — where Heinrich is the top Democrat — is part of a broader push to erase Chavez’s name from several physical manifestations of his legacy.

“It is mind-boggling that anyone would want to keep Cesar Chavez’s name on a national monument honoring the very spot where he is accused of assaulting women and children,” Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee, R-Utah, told Fox News Digital. “Democrats should be ashamed.”

GONZALES RESIGNS IN WAKE OF RENEWED EXPULSION THREAT AFTER SCANDAL

The bill would have abolished the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, which was created by former President Barack Obama in 2012 to honor the late labor activist, by requiring Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to sell off the federal land on which it sits.

That would include selling Chavez’s home and the contents of his personal office, where some of the alleged abuse occurred.

The legislation would also require that any federal funds allocated to the monument be redirected to provide law enforcement resources for forensic analysis of crime scenes and untested rape kits — a measure Cornyn worked on with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to reauthorize in 2024.

Maine is on the verge of becoming the first state in the nation to slam the brakes on energy-hungry AI data centers, as lawmakers push back against tech giants over fears of higher power bills, strained grids and environmental impact.

The measure, now headed to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, would pause approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027, while a state-appointed council studies their impact on the power grid, energy bills and the environment.

The legislation passed the state’s Democrat-controlled House 79-62 and Senate 21-13, marking one of the most aggressive moves yet against the rapid expansion of data centers tied to artificial intelligence and Big Tech.

Supporters say the pause is needed to protect residents from the massive energy demands of so-called “hyperscale” facilities, which can consume as much electricity as small cities.

SEN BERNIE SANDERS: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS COMING FOR THE WORKING CLASS. WE MUST FIGHT BACK

“It’s not that there’s no place for data centers in Maine,” Democratic Rep. Melanie Sachs, who sponsored the measure, told The Associated Press. “Frankly, the tradeoffs have not been shown to be of benefit to our ratepayers, water usage or community benefit in terms of economic activity.”

Opposition to data centers has been building nationwide as communities raise alarms about strain on power grids, higher electricity bills and heavy water use. Analysts have warned that parts of the U.S. grid could face reliability issues in the coming years if demand continues to surge.

In February, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., introduced a bill aimed at ensuring the electricity costs of data centers are not passed on to American consumers.

At least 11 other states are considering restrictions like Maine’s, but Maine’s bill is the first to pass both legislative chambers, potentially setting a precedent.

MAJOR TECH COMPANIES BACK TRUMP PLEDGE TO PAY MORE FOR DATA CENTER ELECTRICITY AHEAD OF SIGNING

Critics argue the move could drive away investment and jobs.

“We think that these data centers could bring good jobs, good opportunities to these regions,” Montana Towers, a policy analyst with the free market Maine Policy Institute, told the AP. “And a lot of these concerns about them are luddite in nature.”

The Trump administration has backed data center expansion as critical to competing with China in artificial intelligence, even as it recently pushed tech companies to commit to covering the cost of new power generation needed to run their facilities.

Mills has not said whether she will sign the bill, though she has sought an exemption for a smaller project already underway that would reuse existing infrastructure.

If enacted, Maine’s moratorium would serve as a test case for how states balance economic growth against the mounting energy demands of the AI boom.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

America’s young men are increasingly turning to religion and professing that it is taking a more central role in their lives, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll released Wednesday found that 42% of men under 30 years old now profess that religion is “very important” to them. That number is up from 28% from a poll conducted in 2023.

The data is also significant in showing a reversal of the traditional gender gap in religiosity. For older age groups, women consistently report higher levels of religiosity than men, but women in the under-30 group have remained with just 30% saying religion is “very important.”

“The percentage of young men saying religion is very important to them is now similar to the percentage for men aged 30-49 and only slightly lower than for senior men,” Gallup wrote.

TRUMP RETURNS TO NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST AS FAITH TAKES CENTER STAGE IN SECOND TERM

“Young women, by contrast, are now by far the least religious women. At 29% calling religion very important, women aged 18-29 trail the next-least religious group, 30- to 49-year-old women, by 18 points and are less than half as likely as senior women to say religion is very important,” Gallup said.

The poll also found a spike in young men saying they attend a religious service on at least a monthly basis, jumping from 33% in 2023 to 40% in 2025.

The growth in church attendance and religiosity is most apparent among young Republicans politically, rising from 40% in 2019 to 52% in 2025. That number is still well below the 60% of Republican men who said they attended church monthly in 2007.

Democratic young men have continuously dropped in church attendance since 2000, according to the polling data. In 2000, 40% of Democratic men reported church attendance, compared to just 26% in the latest poll.

Gallup’s data on the importance of religion is based on 4,015 interviews with U.S. adults, including 295 men under 30 and 145 women under 30. The data on church attendance is based on reports from over 26,000 U.S. adults, including 1,905 men under 30 and 832 women under 30.

Billionaire investor Tom Steyer is positioning himself as a critic of elites and immigration enforcement in California’s governor’s race — even as his own record, including investments in private prisons tied to ICE detention, draws scrutiny.

That tension is surfacing on the campaign trail, with Democratic rival Rep. Katie Porter highlighting Steyer’s past $90 million investment in a private prison firm tied to ICE facilities, while Republican candidates cast his immigration platform as extreme.

Steyer made his fortune overseeing Farallon Capital, a $20 billion hedge fund that invested in coal companies and private prisons, and is now running for governor on a platform targeting corporate tax loopholes, immigration enforcement and climate policy.

The California billionaire has outlined that approach most clearly on immigration, laying out a five-point plan to abolish ICE, including allowing state prosecutors to bring cases against agents and expanding legal protections for detained immigrants. Steyer calls it a plan to “put ICE in jail.”

DAVID MARCUS: HOW MANY SWALWELL-STYLE CREEPS ARE DEMOCRATS PROTECTING?

“The true test of a leader is not who they disparage and attack, but who they defend and uplift. Donald Trump attacks and robs the most vulnerable in our society, while protecting and enriching the most powerful,” the billionaire Steyer wrote in his plan on X.

Under Steyer’s leadership, Farallon Capital invested $90 million in CoreCivic, which runs private prisons, including two ICE detention facilities. California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., brought attention to Steyer’s past business dealings on X, where she responded to a post by Steyer vowing to prosecute ICE.

“If they’re criminals, does that make the guy who invested $90M in their facilities an accessory?” Porter said, quoting Steyer.

Steyer called the investment a “mistake” after pushback from progressives.

“It was also a big wake-up call that I was in the wrong place, that I was in a business that was taking me to places I absolutely didn’t want to go,” Steyer said at a March town hall. “And there’s a reason I walked away from that business and walked away from a ton of money.”

That anti-ICE plan drew fire from Republican candidate Steve Hilton, who called it “insanity” and accused Steyer of “trying to buy this election because he has no real support.”

“This is far-left extremism beyond anything we saw during the Biden years. It’s an extension of the Biden open-borders agenda on the home front,” Hilton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “He is calling for federal agents to be targeted on the streets and thrown in jail for enforcing the law. That is incitement. It puts a target on the backs of the men and women in uniform and empowers the most radical anti-government extremists.”

WHY ERIC SWALWELL WAS FORCED TO QUIT CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS

This isn’t Steyer’s first attempt at winning elected office. He dropped out of the 2020 presidential race after losing three Democratic primary contests. He spent nearly $250 million of his personal funds in that campaign.

Steyer has since donated $112 million to his 2026 gubernatorial campaign, dwarfing the hauls of his opponents. Forbes has estimated Steyer’s net worth at $2 billion.

Running on a platform that includes universal healthcare and free college, Steyer has aligned himself with progressive figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has called him a “friend,” though Sanders has also said he is not a “fan of billionaires getting involved” in politics.

Steyer left the hedge fund he founded in 2012 to pursue his climate and clean energy advocacy work, which included creating his climate advocacy group NextGen America.

His money and campaigning have been behind three successful ballot measures and helped prevent another, including donating $12 million to California Proposition 50, the “Election Rigging Response Act” in 2025. The measure was passed, allowing for California to redraw its congressional districts to incorporate larger shares of urban and suburban voters, which Republicans unsuccessfully challenged in court.

BIANCO SAYS ‘DEMOCRAT POLICY IS INDEFENSIBLE’ AS GOP CANDIDATES TOP CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR POLLING

In 2010, he joined a campaign and donated $5 million to defeat Proposition 23, backed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. The measure sought to overturn California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. He also led measures that closed tax loopholes allowing corporations to avoid paying taxes in California and raised taxes on tobacco to supplement healthcare programs.

Steyer has received the endorsement of Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., citing his support for taxing billionaires and his push for single-payer healthcare, among other issues.

“Tom has also been a bold leader on climate,” Khanna said. “We need a bold progressive agenda in California. That’s why I’m supporting Tom Steyer for governor.” 

Steyer faces competition from Democratic candidates Rep. Katie Porter D-Calif., former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Biden era Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, among others. Rep. Eric Swalwell D-Calif., deemed the frontrunner, dropped out of the race amid sexual assault allegations.

Fox News Digital reached out to Steyer for comment.