Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow is getting dragged on social media after dancing into the state Democratic Party Convention on Sunday alongside a marching band — a flashy entrance that drew parallels to viral moments from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2019 presidential campaign.

“Mallory McMorrow walked into the second half of today’s convention flanked by DrumKINGZ and a whole lot of supporters. Many are calling it McMentum,” her campaign wrote in a post to X, accompanied by the video. 

The entrance comes as McMorrow competes in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, with critics quickly portraying the moment as political theater and comparing it to Harris’ 2019 campaign optics.

“Following right in the footsteps of the queen [of] losing primaries,” one account wrote alongside an image of Harris.

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE RESPONDS TO BACKLASH OVER KHAMENEI COMMENTS, CALLS IRAN CONFLICT ‘WAR WE DON’T NEED’

Harris had a viral moment in 2019 when she joined a string of students who were energetically dancing to a marching band in Iowa as she looked to lock down the Democratic nomination that year. She was also spotted dancing with a marching band at another campaign event in South Carolina that same year.  

“This is Mallory McMorrow. She’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan. This is how she entered the Democratic Party Convention The theater kids are at it again…” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok said in a post highlighting the video.

“That’s what you get when you don’t have a message,” Abdul El-Sayed, one of McMorrow’s primary challengers, reportedly told local media of the scene. 

Neither McMorrow’s office nor Kamala Harris responded immediately to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S JOB LISTING INVITES APPLICANTS OF ANY ‘CITIZENSHIP STATUS’ TO APPLY FOR TOP ROLE

McMorrow is fending off challengers such as El-Sayed, a former physician, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a four-term member of the House of Representatives. 

Stevens leads the trio in fundraising, reporting $8.8 million in contributions at the close of March. But she’s followed narrowly by McMorrow’s $8.6 million and El-Sayed’s $7.6 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

As a former small business owner and Michigan state senator, McMorrow has tried to stake out a lane between Stevens, who is often seen as the more establishment-oriented candidate, and El-Sayed, the progressive candidate who has emphasized policies like Medicare for All.

In her time at the state level, McMorrow worked to strengthen unions and raise wages, eliminated the retirement tax for seniors and repealed Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, according to her biography page.

“Mallory will bring that same determination to deliver for Michigan families in the U.S. Senate,” the website reads.

WATCH: DEM SENATE HOPEFUL CAUGHT PLOTTING TO SILO CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLETS WITH TOP AIDE

McMorrow has attracted endorsements from Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The Democratic primary is set for August 4.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., long a progressive force in New England, traveled to Maine over the weekend to boost left-wing Senate candidate Graham Platner ahead of the state’s pivotal Democratic primary. 

“Graham is a combat veteran. He’s an oyster farmer, he is an organizer, and he is the person who is going to beat Susan Collins,” said Warren at his campaign rally on Saturday in Portland. 

At one point during the rally, Warren said Platner was her “kind of man,” recalling that she first noticed him in an interview where he argued the system was “rigged” after the 2008 financial crash as no bankers were jailed.

Warren is championing Platner as a “fighter” for Maine voters, drawing national attention to the candidate ahead of a showdown with two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. A series of controversies, however, trail Platner. 

MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT

“Insiders who go along to get along are not going to hose the corruption out of Washington. We need Graham Platner to come in and get the corruption out of Washington,” said Warren from the rally.

ELIZABETH WARREN ENDORSES NAZI-TATTOOED GRAHAM PLATNER IN HIGH-STAKES MAINE SENATE PRIMARY 

“There are people who realize that when the system is this broken, when there are this many billionaires who have this much control over our country, it is no longer time to make little change at the margins, it is time for big, structural change,” Warren added.

Maine’s Democratic primary is June 9, with Platner working to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s general election. 

Platner’s past controversies have been political fodder for the Mills campaign, including directing voters to his decade-old Reddit posts in which he appeared to place blame on sexual assault victims and defended Hamas military moves, among other messages from the 2013 and 2014 era. Platner also came under fire for having a chest tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he has since apologized for and covered.  

“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” Platner said in an apology video in 2025. 

Warren, who is one of President Donald Trump’s most relentless critics, notably condemned Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth last year for his Christian tattoos, which include the Jerusalem Cross and the Latin phrase “Deus Vult,” which translates to “God wills it.” 

“We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow service members feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat,” Warren wrote in a lengthy letter to Hegseth in 2025 over her concerns with his tattoos. 

The Massachusetts Democrat has downplayed Platner’s past controversies since her endorsement of the Senate candidate. 

“Look, he has apologized for that, and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every single day,” Warren told HuffPost when asked about Platner’s controversies. 

DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE LAUGHS WHEN PRESSED IF VOTERS CAN TRUST HER AFTER PUBLIC BIDEN DEFENSE

WARREN WARNED HEGSETH’S TATTOO MADE HIM A POTENTIAL ‘THREAT’ — NOW SHE BACKS CANDIDATE WITH NAZI-LINKED INK

The race has amplified divisions within the Democrat Party, with left-wing lawmakers such as Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders back Platner, while Schumer and Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have backed Mills for the Senate. 

Platner, angling himself a Washington outsider, spoke Saturday about wealth being shifted to the “ruling class” through a system created by establishment politicians.

“The money went somewhere, and it wasn’t down here. It was stolen from us, stolen from us in a system that was built by establishment politicians like Susan Collins,” said Platner, as Democrats increasingly lean into slamming the Trump administration and GOP for its economic policies in the lead up to the midterms. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Warren and Planter for comment on Monday. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: The House of Representatives will see a rare expulsion vote this week after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she would seek the removal of an embattled Republican from Congress. 

Mace filed a motion to expel Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., on Monday evening, teeing up a chamber-wide vote later this week. 

Mace’s resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accuses Mills of misrepresenting his military service, sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations and illicit involvement in federal contracts as a member of Congress, among other charges. 

The expulsion push comes after NOTUS reported on Monday that Mills was drafting a similar resolution to remove Mace from the chamber.

NANCY MACE CALLS ON CONGRESS TO RELEASE SEXUAL HARASSMENT RECORDS, WANTS AN ‘AVALANCHE OF RESIGNATIONS’

A spokesperson for Mills did not immediately return a request for comment on Mace’s expulsion resolution or the status of the congressman’s measure targeting Mace.

“As a survivor, I will always stand up and right the wrongs of others,” Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, wrote on social media Monday. “He is only coming after me because he knows he’s next.”

Mills has faced a bevy of recent scandals, including allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend with revenge porn after they broke up and a separate assault allegation that law enforcement responded to in Washington, D.C., last year.

He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged. Mills is seeking a third House term this November and President Donald Trump has endorsed his re-election campaign. 

It is unclear whether Mace’s resolution could clear the two-thirds threshold required to expel a member of Congress.

HOUSE LAWMAKERS EXPRESS DISGUST OVER SWALWELL NOT BEING EXPOSED SOONER: ‘IT’S SHAMEFUL’:

Lawmakers in both parties have largely stopped short of calling for Mills’ removal, though many have voiced concern about the serious allegations against him.

“If there’s evidence of criminal misconduct and wrongdoing, I hold the same standard for every member of Congress, whether they’re a Democrat or Republican,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital last week when asked about whether she would support expelling Mills.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is also expected to face an expulsion vote as soon as Tuesday if she does not resign. 

The House Ethics Committee is expected to recommend its suggested punishment against Cherfilus-McCormick for violating more than two dozen ethics rules during a hearing Tuesday afternoon. She is also facing a separate federal criminal indictment. 

Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned last week to avoid looming expulsion votes, though both scandal-plagued lawmakers were likely at higher risk of being successfully removed by their colleagues. Swalwell has been accused by at least five women of sexual misconduct, while Gonzales admitted to an extramarital affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. 

The looming expulsion vote is not the first time Mace and Mills are set to clash on the House floor. 

Mace’s push to censure Mills and strip him of two committee assignments was overwhelmingly rejected by the House in November 2025. More than 300 lawmakers voted to send the matter to the House Ethics Committee, which is also investigating Mills for domestic violence and misrepresenting his military service, among other allegations of misconduct.

House GOP leadership has continued to stand by the embattled Florida Republican.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has urged lawmakers to let Ethics Committee proceedings run their course prior to punitive measures, told reporters last week that he would be “looking into” the status of the Mills probe.

The House Ethics Committee released a statement Monday stating that its investigation into Mills that began in November 2025 was still ongoing. The panel noted its inquiry involves “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence.”

The traditionally secretive panel did not specify a timeline for when it plans to wrap up the probe.

FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers busted a massive drug smuggling attempt in Texas, resulting in more than $1.1 million in cocaine being seized at the southern border.

Fox News Digital learned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted nearly 100 pounds of suspected cocaine in an empty commercial tractor-trailer. The trailer was stopped on April 15 while crossing into the U.S. from Reynosa, Mexico.

This comes as the Department of Homeland Security continues to report that Border Patrol agents have not released a single migrant into the U.S. interior for 11 consecutive months, pointing to what officials described as historically low levels of illegal crossings.

Acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello remarked that, besides stopping the illegal crossings, an “effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience” is ensuring that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.”

COAST GUARD CUTTER MUNRO RETURNS TO CALIFORNIA HOME AFTER RECORD-BREAKING 11-TON COCAINE SEIZURE

According to CBP, officers flagged the empty vehicle for secondary inspection using nonintrusive inspection equipment and screening from a canine team. A physical inspection led to the discovery of 32 packages of suspected cocaine with a combined weight of over 83 pounds, concealed within the trailer floor. The agency said the cocaine has an estimated street value of $1,111,503.

Officers seized the narcotics, tractor and trailer while special agents from Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation into the seizure.

After the seizure, Vitiello said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital that “under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin, our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience to zero-in on and interdict this significant cocaine load.”

Vitiello added that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.”

FIVE MEXICAN NATIONALS INDICTED AFTER MASSIVE METH LAB BUST UNCOVERS ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF DRUGS

Earlier this month, Mullin touted eleven straight months of “zero” releases at the border.

He said that “under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history,” adding, “The world knows America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.”

DHS said that nationwide in March, CBP seized over 65,000 pounds of drugs, including 613 pounds of fentanyl.

CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott credited “America First policies, real consequences, and a unified federal effort—backed by personnel, infrastructure, and technology” for “how we’ve delivered the most secure border in U.S. history.”

GOP ZEROS IN ON SOUTH TEXAS DEM WHO URGED TRUMP TO ‘ALLOW PEOPLE TO CROSS FREELY’

“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we’re building on what works, refining our approach, and locking in real border security,” he said, adding, “This isn’t temporary—it’s the new normal.”

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration and will be temporarily replaced by Keith Sonderling. 

Sonderling, who serves under DeRemer, will become the agencies acting secretary. 

Her exit comes after a whistleblower complaint accused the labor secretary of an affair with her security guard, drinking on the job and using staff to fabricate official travel for personal trips at taxpayer expense.

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates. 

Opponents of Virginia’s redistricting referendum hitting ballot boxes on Tuesday got an assist from on high after the son of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell spoke out on the “Biblical values” behind opposing the controversial measure.

Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg and pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (founded by his father), has been a prominent conservative religious voice for decades.

In remarks shared by Virginia Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, Falwell told congregants that while he has never and will never advise anyone on who to vote for or against, Tuesday’s ballot measure is not to be ignored.

“Tuesday is an election day here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It shouldn’t be, but it is. And we have an election coming up. There’s no body on the ballot. There are no individuals running for any office. It is simply a decision that was made by some people in Richmond to subvert the common way and the right way to do things,” Falwell said.

OBAMA URGES VIRGINIANS TO VOTE YES ON REDISTRICTING MEASURE THAT COULD GIVE DEMOCRATS 4 MORE HOUSE SEATS

Falwell explained how redistricting proponents crafted the ballot language to say that a “yes” vote would “restore fairness” and that their definition of such was to change the congressional makeup of Virginia from 6-5 to 10 “leaning to the liberal [side] and one leaning to the conservative [side].”

“I don’t quite think the Restore Fairness is exactly what they’re trying to do. I think what they are trying to do is to completely take over.”

Falwell underlined that he has only ever encouraged congregants to “vote your values” and described what Biblical values translate to in a political context.

“Today, I’m going to do the exact same thing, but it’s a little bit different because today I know that if you hold Biblical values, if you believe in the sanctity of life, if you believe in the right of having this idea that there is man and woman period. If you believe clearly in all the freedoms and the values and the principles upon which this nation was founded, there is only one way to vote on Tuesday and that is to vote no.”

SOROS-BACKED GROUP AMONG LIBERAL ORGS PUMPING EYE-POPPING CASH INTO VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING EFFORT

He noted that he expects blowback for speaking out on the topic, adding that he anticipates angry letters and emails.

“I don’t care,” Falwell said. “We cannot allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to be taken over by a simple group of people who just simply believe that their way is the only way.”

“If we truly believe that voting matters, if we truly believe that our values matter, if you truly believe that we have the right to let our voices be heard, then let your voice be heard and vote.”

Walker later praised Falwell for speaking out, calling his decision a “courageous stand.”

“Leadership like this matters — speak up and make your voice heard. Vote NO,” Walker said.

DAVID MARCUS: DESPERATE DEMS TAP OBAMA TO PITCH VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING LIES

At least one respondent to another repost of Falwell’s remarks was, however, nonplussed.

“If pastors like Jonathan Falwell want to start telling people how to vote from the pulpit, then megachurches like Thomas Road Baptist Church should start paying taxes,” the critic said.

Falwell succeeded his father, Rev. Jerry Falwell, as senior pastor of Thomas Road in 2007, and became chancellor of Liberty University in 2023.

Falwell Sr. was leader of the conservative “Moral Majority” during the Reagan era.

Fox News Digital reached out to Falwell and Thomas Road for further comment.

LEESBURG, Va. — Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and former state Attorney General Jason Miyares are campaigning across their home state Monday on the eve of a referendum on congressional redistricting that, if passed, could give Democrats a significant boost in this year’s midterm elections.

Youngkin and Miyares are taking a lead in the Republican effort to defeat the ballot measure, which, if successful, would give the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge.

That would give Democrats four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms as the party tries to win back control of the chamber from the GOP, which holds a razor-thin majority.

Youngkin, in an interview Monday on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” called the Democrat-pushed map a “power grab” and claimed it is the “most gerrymandered map in America. It’s wrong. Virginians should stand up and vote no tomorrow.”

OBAMA GOES ALL IN ON HIGH-STAKES REFERENDUM THAT MAY IMPACT MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The former governor, joined by Miyares, is making four stops Monday, with hours to go until voting on the referendum begins.

Democrats counter that the redrawing of the maps is a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented by Republicans in other states at the urging of President Donald Trump.

“By voting yes, you have the chance to do something important — not just for the Commonwealth, but for our entire country,” former President Barack Obama said in a video released Friday on the eve of the final day of early voting. “By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms.”

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

“By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we’re counting on you,” the former president added.

The video by Obama was the former president’s latest effort tied to the referendum. He has previously appeared in ads released by Virginians for Fair Elections, the Democrat-aligned group working to pass the ballot initiative.

But Virginians for Fair Maps, the leading Republican-aligned group opposing redistricting, used past comments by Obama against political gerrymandering in its ads opposing the referendum.

“Because of things like political gerrymandering, our parties have moved further and further apart, and it’s harder and harder to find common ground,” the former president said in an old clip showcased in the spot.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, a former Virginia governor and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, acknowledged this past weekend in a Fox News Sunday interview that the new maps don’t represent Virginia’s partisan breakdown.

“Ninety percent of Virginians are not Democrats, that’s true,” Kaine said.

But he added that “about 100% of Virginians want election results to be respected.”

REPUBLICANS TARGET VIRGINIA GOVERNOR IN BID TO DEFEAT DEMOCRAT-BACKED REDISTRICTING

Supporters of redistricting have dramatically outraised and outspent groups opposed to the referendum. But polling suggests support for the ballot initiative is only slightly ahead of opposition amid a surge in early voting.

Supporters of redistricting have dramatically outraised and outspent groups opposed to the referendum, with Virginians for Fair Elections outraising Virginians for Fair Maps by a roughly three-to-one margin. Much of the funding raised by both sides is so-called “dark money” from nonprofit public policy groups known as 501(c)(4) organizations that are not required to disclose their donors.

Despite the Democrats’ funding advantage, polling suggests support for the ballot initiative is only slightly ahead of opposition amid a surge in early voting.

“There is a chance, and that’s because it is viewed as being such a gerrymandered grab of power,” Youngkin argued. “What we’re seeing is not only Republicans coming together, but independents and a lot of Democrats. So this is going to be close.”

Virginia is the latest battleground in the high-stakes fight between Trump and the GOP and Democrats over congressional redistricting.

BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE

Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting.

The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s fragile House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map.

But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country.

Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.

REPUBLICANS TARGET VIRGINIA GOVERNOR IN BID TO DEFEAT DEMOCRAT-BACKED REDISTRICTING

California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature.

That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps.

The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California.

Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push.

In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms.

Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention.

Florida is next up.

Two-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers in the GOP-dominated legislature are hoping to pick up an additional three to five right-leaning seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session that kicks off April 28.

Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case that may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.

If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.

But it is very much up in the air when the court will rule and what it will actually decide.

“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today,” said Ben Franklin.

If sloganeering was left to Congress, the motto might read, “Never do today what you can leave till tomorrow.”

That is emblematic of the recent scramble on Capitol Hill to renew the key terrorism prevention program known as FISA Section 702. Congress faced a deadline to re-up the program before 11:59:59 p.m. ET on April 20. Lawmakers fretted that it was risky to let the program expire. They worried that the U.S. may be vulnerable to a terrorist attack because of the war with Iran.

President Donald Trump insisted that Republicans “UNIFY, and vote together” to pass an 18-month extension of FISA without any add-ons. The president argued that the FISA program was among “the reasons we have had such tremendous SUCCESS on the battlefield.”

So the House GOP brass planned to pass the 18-month FISA reauthorization last Wednesday. But it’s about the math. An eclectic alliance of Democrats and Republicans both supported and opposed the bill. Either way, the measure lacked the votes to pass.

“The coalitions around FISA have traditionally been kind of scrambled,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif.

So despite the promise of a late-night vote Wednesday, the House GOP brain trust punted until Thursday as they scrambled to find the votes and prevent FISA from going offline.

“FISA will not go dark. We have a little slight delay. We’re working through and building consensus as we do on all difficult issues, and we’ll get there. We’ll get it done,” promised House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

CONSERVATIVE FISA REVOLT POSES FRESH TEST FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON

Some Republicans balked at the 18-month extension.

“I want warrants to surveil American citizens. And the Fourth Amendment is not for sale. I don’t want our federal government buying data from private companies on American citizens,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

FISA is designed to reap foreign intelligence data, but it sometimes vacuums up the telephone communications of Americans — and even documents their locations. Tapping so much metadata is what led to the government trying to tie Trump to Russian interference during the 2016 election cycle. But despite his past opposition, the president did an about-face and demanded passage of this FISA measure.

“The President of the United States has said, ‘This is what I want, this is what I need.’ And there are rank-and-file Republicans bucking him,” I pointed out to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark.

“Well, it’s a little bit surprising,” replied Crawford, since most congressional Republicans routinely line up behind Trump. “I think I think maybe the president’s a little bit surprised by that, too.”

One Trump ally says if the bill is good enough for the president, it should be good enough for House Republicans.

“This program is critical. It helped us with the operation in Venezuela. It’s certainly helping us with the operation going on in Iran as we speak,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

SENATE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON CONTROVERSIAL SURVEILLANCE TOOL SET TO EXPIRE UNLESS CONGRESS REAUTHORIZES

But to some Republicans, entreaties by the president don’t matter on this bill.

“Look, he’s [President Trump], the executive [branch]. We’re the legislative [branch], and we’re going to see a little bit of conflict between those two today,” said Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.

But as we said, support or opposition for FISA doesn’t break along party lines. Dozens of Democrats are leery about letting the program go dark.

“This is our single most important collection authority,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. “If we just go dark on that stuff, a lot of people are going to get hurt. And that’s why we just can’t let it expire.”

But even if the House passed the bill, it still needed to align with the Senate. Alarms were sounding around the Capitol as the Monday night deadline loomed.

So the daylight came and went last Thursday without action on the FISA bill as the deadline approached this week.

Yours truly chased down Johnson in Statuary Hall of the Capitol.

“You’re going to try to move this on the floor tonight?” I asked the speaker about FISA.

“I am. It will be late tonight, but we’ll get it done,” replied Johnson.

Fox was told that House Republicans would have an attendance problem on Friday. Some members of the Arizona delegation wanted to head to the Grand Canyon State for Trump’s speech there. Plus, waiting until this week wouldn’t give the Senate much turning radius to align with the House.

JOHNSON FACES GOP REVOLT OVER WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE POWERS AHEAD OF KEY VOTE

“And the concern is that you have to get it done today because you might lose some people tomorrow, and the Senate doesn’t come back until Monday and that’s right up against the deadline?” I continued.

“A bird in hand is worth several in the bush. I’ve got them all here and I need to get it done,” answered Johnson.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers say an extension is essential to guard against terrorism. Especially as the U.S. fights with Iran.

“My concerns are significant because FISA is the single most important national security asset we have in the intelligence field,” said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, a member of the Intelligence Committee.

“If you want to blind the United States intelligence community and the military, this is a perfect way to do it,” added Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

But regardless of risks, FISA skeptics demand reforms like warrants and criminal prosecutions for alleged abuses.

“We’re always threatened that there’s something very bad is going to happen and people will die if we don’t reauthorize (FISA Section) 702,” said Boebert.

CONSERVATIVE FISA REVOLT POSES FRESH TEST FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON

But there was concern that even if the House passed something, the Senate wouldn’t have the availability to sync up until Monday. Most senators left Washington for the week on Thursday afternoon. Such a scenario would potentially give the Senate a few hours to align with the House when senators returned to Washington Monday, just hours before the deadline.

“Is that responsible by the Senate to leave?” I asked Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

“Well, there’s no reason to stay if we’re not going to have votes,” replied Kennedy.

By nightfall, everyone watched to see if Johnson could make good on his promise of passing the 18-month extension. But not long before 11 p.m. ET, the House lurched from that plan to a five-year reauthorization.

The House blocked that plan. Then backpedaled and adopted an emergency bill to salvage FISA for a scant 13 days.

“What was Churchill’s line? ‘Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others?’ So sometimes it gets kind of messy when you’re trying to craft together an agreement,” said Jordan.

Democrats were appalled at the nocturnal whiplash.

“Are you kidding me? Who the hell is running this place?,” asked an incensed Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, on the floor. “Republicans threw it together on the back of a napkin in a back room in the middle of the night.”

SENATE TEMPORARILY EXTENDS NATION’S CONTROVERSIAL SPYING POWERS AFTER HOUSE FUMBLES

Staunch conservatives argued for muscular spy powers.

“Failing to reauthorize this statutory authority would be a massive setback, and one that our adversaries would exploit immediately,” said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.

And liberals worried about government overreach.

“There have been so many abuses lately. And this is only going to grow with artificial intelligence,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a member of the Intelligence panel.

So congressional leaders are trying to strike a balance.

“What we’re trying to do is thread the needle of ensuring that we have this essential tool to keep Americans safe but also safeguard constitutional rights,” said Johnson.

FISA skeptics insist on warrants.

“We just want to make sure that the guardrails are there,” said Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., who voted to block the five-year extension early Friday.

So the House passed the Band-Aid bill by unanimous consent around early Friday morning. The Senate cleared the same package by unanimous consent later the same morning.

Wyden came to the floor Friday morning but didn’t object. The Oregon Democrat believes it would be harder to impose reforms had FISA lapsed. So he’s willing to keep it going, for now. However, Wyden made clear that he expected to see reforms between now and the new deadline. Otherwise, he might stand in the way next time.

Another punt. Another new deadline. More parliamentary procrastination.

And at the rate Congress is going these days, if they didn’t delay issues, they might not have anything to show for their efforts at all.

Opponents of Virginia Democrats’ redistricting referendum are accusing Gov. Abigail Spanberger of a “bait and switch,” pointing to her campaign-trail pledge of “no plans” to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Former Virginia Govs. George Allen and Glenn Youngkin, along with a slew of top conservatives, have opposed the effort, which would redraw the commonwealth’s 6-5 Democratic map to a 10-1 map crafted by Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and backed by Spanberger.

“Behold the great bait and switch,” Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, said, sharing a screenshot of October reporting highlighting Spanberger’s apparent pledge not to support what she now is vocally behind.

“Vote No,” said Webert, whose district forms a boundary between the Washington, D.C., suburbs set to accrue political power if the referendum passes and the hundreds of miles of rural expanse south and west that are poised to lose their voice.

SOROS-BACKED GROUP AMONG LIBERAL ORGS PUMPING EYE-POPPING CASH INTO VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING EFFORT

The latter is a major concern for U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, a Botetourt Republican whose district runs from Roanoke to the northernmost West Virginia line at Berryville along the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley, which Cline said stand to lose their otherwise homogenous voice in Washington.

Cline told Fox News Digital how Spanberger was previously a colleague on the House Agriculture Committee and “loved to talk about her connection to Virginia agriculture.”

“My district is currently the most agriculture-based district in Virginia and she has chopped it into five different districts and parceled it out to Northern Virginia Democrats to use to make their numbers work,” he said, adding that the referendum is offensive to Virginia farmers in particular.

In separate comments to “Ruthless”, Cline expounded on that point, saying the people of his current district stand to lose their voice because they will be split into five “spaghetti strands” originating from Arlington and Fairfax.

“But we’re optimistic we’re going to be able to stop the governor in her tracks,” he said.

OBAMA URGES VIRGINIANS TO VOTE YES ON REDISTRICTING MEASURE THAT COULD GIVE DEMOCRATS 4 MORE HOUSE SEATS

“They’ve pulled her ad from even running, yeah, because she’s so unpopular,” he said.

Spanberger had been featured in a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign encouraging voters to support the redistricting referendum, but the Virginia Scope reported that ad was recently pulled from circulation.

“[The situation] slid south for her and that’s what happens when you play bait-and-switch with the voters,” Cline said.

However, the Vote YES campaign denied Cline’s characterization in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“This is false,” the campaign said. “We’re running a strong statewide campaign featuring a range of voices — including Governor Spanberger. This election is about stopping Trump’s power grab and leveling the playing field — and that’s exactly what a YES vote does.”

In his remarks to “Ruthless,” Cline also cited the fact several Fairfax-area Democrats are already launching bids for the yet-unconfirmed “lobster”-shaped redrawn seat that is the most prominent slice of his district.

VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN SAYS SPANBERGER WANTS TO ‘TURN US INTO NEW ENGLAND’

“I didn’t think Dan Helmer could find Shenandoah Valley on a map, but yet he’s going to be campaigning and asking for votes [here],” he said of the far-left delegate from Fairfax who helped spearhead the redistricting effort itself.

Helmer, a combat veteran, also crafted the commonwealth’s sweeping gun control bill lambasted as a “gun grab.”

“You have a leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, on the Democratic side, who crafts maps for his benefit… They’re enacting laws to help them get elected to Congress, not enacting laws to help Virginians get ahead” Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke, told the Virginia Mercury of Helmer’s position.

When asked about Cline and others criticizing his decision to run in the redistricted district, Helmer told Fox News Digital that as the Virginia House Democrats’ campaign chair, he already succeeded in such rural areas.

“I’ve campaigned in every corner of this district — from Rockingham to Louisa, Arlington to Powhatan. Because of those efforts, 14 MAGA Republicans [in the state legislature] are now unemployed and doom scrolling LinkedIn instead of harming Virginia families — and this November, we’re going to add Ben Cline to that list,” Helmer said.

Several other Democrats including former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe and JP Cooney — an ex-aide to Jack Smith — are also running there.

Turning to the new maps, only Rep. Morgan Griffith’s district stands to remain Republican.

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, represents much of that district in Richmond and has joined barnstorming efforts by Youngkin and former Attorney General Jason Miyares across his far southwestern district.

Youngkin’s 2021 victory was pegged in-part to Republicans running up the score in albeit sparsely populated counties like Wise, Scott, Dickenson and Lee, and the same strategy appeared afoot in the closing weeks of early voting.

DAVID MARCUS: RICH MEN NORTH OF RICHMOND SET TO STEAL THE VOTES OF RURAL VIRGI

In Dickenson County, home to late music legend Ralph Stanley, Kilgore recently joined local leaders to call for a surge to the polls.

“We just want everybody to vote ‘No’,” he said, as state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Bristol, reported 500 people had already early voted in the sparse county that day.

“We can win this,” Kilgore said. “We do not want Fairfax County controlling our congressional districts and we want to protect rural Virginia.”

At the other end of the commonwealth, where another rural region is set to be sliced up and attached to Fairfax, Rep. Rob Wittman of the Northern Neck echoed concerns similar to Cline’s.

“Governor Spanberger said it clearly: ‘I have no plans to redistrict Virginia’. But now, Richmond politicians are pushing a referendum to do exactly that—redraw congressional maps in the middle of the decade,” Wittman said.

“A 10-1 map would erase millions of voices – that’s not representation; that’s partisan gerrymandering,” he said.

Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley — who issued an injunction against the referendum until the state Supreme Court stepped in — also led criticism of the term “restore fairness” being used on the ballot as the official description of what voting yes would do.

Hurley said the language was unconstitutionally misleading and that “[it] would lead a voter to believe he or she were doing something unfair by voting against the proposed amendment.”

While the higher court mooted whether the election could move forward, filings from plaintiffs and defendants on the merits of the case are due Thursday – when the bench will ultimately decide whether to undo any prospective passage of the referendum.

Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger, Helmer and Virginians for Fair Elections for comment.

An Iranian-flagged cargo ship recently seized by U.S. forces had recently traveled through Chinese ports, spotlighting a supply route now under scrutiny as officials probe suspected dual-use cargo aboard the vessel.

The vessel, Touska, remains in U.S. custody as American forces continue inspecting what maritime security sources told Reuters is likely “dual-use” cargo — materials that can serve both civilian and military purposes — following a voyage from Asia.

Shipping data shows the Touska made multiple recent stops in Zhuhai, a major port in southern China, before transiting through Southeast Asia and heading toward Iran — part of a pathway analysts say has helped Iran sustain trade flows despite U.S. pressure.

The seizure comes as part of a broader U.S. effort to enforce a naval blockade on Iran aimed at pressuring Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping lane.

LISA DAFTARI: HORMUZ WHIPLASH PROVES TEHRAN CAN’T HONOR ANY DEAL IT SIGNS

The ship had last docked in Port Klang, Malaysia, April 12 and was en route to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas when it was intercepted, a U.S. official told Fox News.

The Touska was seized in the Gulf of Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, as it was approaching Iranian waters Sunday. 

Analysts say attempting to transit amid an active U.S. naval presence suggests the cargo may have been a priority. 

“It tried to run the blockade, which seems like a particularly foolish thing to do … which would seem to indicate that there was something aboard that ship that they really perhaps needed in Iran,” said Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency initiative, told Fox News Digital. 

Powell said the vessel’s route through Malaysia is notable, describing waters near the Singapore Strait as “infamous for ship-to-ship transfers” due to relatively weak enforcement — a tactic that can make cargo movements harder to trace. He added that the ship’s stops in China raise questions about the origin of its cargo, though what was on board remains unknown.

The Touska’s port calls in China come amid prior reporting identifying shipments of dual-use materials from Chinese ports to Iran, though there is no public evidence tying this vessel’s cargo to any specific supplier.

China on Monday criticized the interception, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun warning the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains “sensitive and complex,” signaling potential diplomatic friction as attention grows around trade routes linking Chinese ports to Iran.

U.S. forces intercepted the vessel after it ignored repeated warnings to stop, according to U.S. Central Command. The Touska was warned for roughly six hours that it was violating the blockade before the guided-missile destroyer Spruance ordered the crew to evacuate the engine room and fired several rounds into that section of the ship, disabling its propulsion. 

U.S. Marines then boarded the vessel and took control without reported resistance.

The Strait of Hormuz blockade, announced after negotiations with Iran broke down, targets vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports and is designed to cut off maritime trade while avoiding direct strikes on Iranian territory.

It is part of a wider military campaign, known as Operation Epic Fury, launched in late February following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. The operation has focused on degrading Iran’s military capabilities while using economic pressure to force concessions at the negotiating table.

The strategy has unfolded alongside a fragile ceasefire, brokered through talks involving Pakistan, which is set to expire later this week. U.S. officials had hoped the pressure campaign — including the blockade — would push Iran toward reopening the strait and advancing broader negotiations.

But the interception of the Touska has underscored how quickly tensions can escalate, raising new questions about whether the ceasefire will hold and whether maritime enforcement actions could derail ongoing diplomatic efforts.

China, which has positioned itself as a mediator in the conflict and maintains deep economic ties with Iran, has already signaled concern over the seizure, warning that such actions could complicate efforts to stabilize the region and reopen key shipping routes.

The Chinese embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.