• EXCLUSIVE: Millions of newborns to receive special Social Security cards celebrating America’s 250th birthday

    EXCLUSIVE: Millions of babies born during America’s 250th anniversary celebration will receive a first-of-its-kind commemorative Social Security card under a new Social Security Administration (SSA) initiative obtained exclusively by FOX Business.

    The limited-edition cards, available only to children born in the United States between July 2 and Dec. 31, 2026, will feature the official Freedom 250 logo while functioning exactly like a standard Social Security card, according to an announcement from the Social Security Administration shared with FOX Business.

    Unlike commemorative coins, stamps or anniversary merchandise, these cards will become one of the very first official federal documents millions of American children ever receive.

    Only babies born during the six-month window will receive the Freedom 250 design, making it a once-in-a-generation keepsake tied to the nation’s 250th birthday.

    FIRST ON FOX: BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARLINGTON’S MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE FOR AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY

    “Freedom 250 is a celebration of America’s storied history and the monumental moments that have shaped our nation, including the creation of Social Security over 90 years ago,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said.

    “The next generation of Americans born during this historic year will receive limited-edition Social Security cards bearing the Freedom 250 logo. Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, we are strengthening Social Security, improving service, and building an SSA to serve Americans today and in the future.”

    The commemorative designation is reserved exclusively for original cards issued through the agency’s Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program during the qualifying period. Babies born before July 2 or after Dec. 31, 2026, along with anyone requesting a replacement Social Security card, will receive the standard version instead.

    FIRST ON FOX: BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARLINGTON’S MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE FOR AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY

    Parents won’t have to submit any extra paperwork, pay additional fees or sign up for the commemorative version.

    According to SSA, the commemorative cards will automatically be issued through the Enumeration at Birth program, which allows parents to request a Social Security number while completing birth registration paperwork at hospitals, birthing centers or through licensed midwives. The agency said the cards will be produced at no additional cost to families or taxpayers.

    The commemorative design does not change a child’s Social Security number or the legal function of the card. Replacement and duplicate cards issued after the initial enrollment period will not include the Freedom 250 designation, according to SSA.

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    SSA has issued Social Security numbers through the Enumeration at Birth program since 1987, a partnership with hospitals and state vital records offices. More than 3.5 million children are born in the United States each year, meaning millions of families could receive the commemorative card during the six-month rollout.

    The agency also warned parents to beware of scammers seeking to capitalize on the announcement.

    “SSA will never call, text, or email you requesting payment to obtain a commemorative card for your child or otherwise,” the agency said, adding that parents do not need to register or provide any information beyond the standard birth registration process.

    The commemorative rollout comes as the Trump administration has launched other initiatives focused on young Americans, including Trump Accounts, tax-advantaged investment accounts intended to help eligible families begin saving for their children’s futures.

    For most Americans, a Social Security card is among the first official federal documents they receive. For babies born during America’s 250th year, it will also serve as a lasting reminder that he or she entered the world during a special moment in our nation’s history.

  • House Dem urges transparency by public officials after GOP colleague reveals reason for extended absence

    Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that public officials have an obligation to be transparent about lengthy absences, after Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J.,disclosed that his recent monthslong time away from Congress was for treatment for depression.

    Kean had been missing House votes for months before returning on Tuesday.

    “As someone who has lived with depression, I have deep sympathy for anyone struggling with mental illness. I might not be alive today were it not for a prolonged hospitalization and proper medication. I know the value of taking a medical leave firsthand,” Torres wrote in a post on X.

    GOP CONGRESSMAN REVEALS MYSTERY ILLNESS THAT SIDELINED HIM FROM CONGRESS FOR NEARLY FOUR MONTHS

    “At the same time, public office carries a duty of transparency. When a public official is absent for an extended period, the public has a right to an honest explanation,” he continued.

    “Transparency deepens the public’s empathy, whereas secrecy breeds suspicion. When in doubt, err on the side of transparency. Tell the truth, and tell it early. The public is often most forgiving of those who level with them,” Torres asserted.

    Kean disclosed the reason for his months-long absence during a Tuesday House floor speech.

    MISSING GOP CONGRESSMAN REVEALS HE’S ‘MORE ENERGIZED THAN EVER’ TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON

    “Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression,” he noted.

    “But, as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time,” Kean said later during the speech.

    SWING-SEAT REPUBLICAN SIDELINED BY ‘SERIOUS’ ILLNESS MISSES 88 VOTES AS MAJORITY HANGS BY THREAD

    Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., commented on Kean’s announcement, declaring in a post on X, “While we can certainly have compassion for him, and should, being in congress is not a right. There are 700,000 other people in his district, and could have done the job. It’s absolutely unforgivable to pretend this wasn’t a dereliction of duty.”

  • WATCH: Angel mom turns tables on sanctuary politicians with basic question about their priorities

    The mother of an 18-year-old college freshman killed in March by a criminal illegal immigrant asked lawmakers Tuesday to look her in the eye and explain why “people here illegally matter more” than American citizens, delivering emotional testimony during a congressional hearing on sanctuary policies.

    Jessica Gorman, whose daughter Sheridan Gorman was fatally shot after going to the Chicago lakefront with friends to see the Northern Lights, accused sanctuary city leaders and politicians of failing to protect her child during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on sanctuary policies.

    “I want you to imagine that little girl on the ‘buddy bench,’ that innocent college freshman with a heart full of compassion and a head full of dreams that was gunned down by an illegal immigrant,” Gorman said. “I want you to imagine that was your daughter, not mine. What if she was yours?”

    CHICAGO MAYOR ASKED ABOUT CITY’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ALLEGEDLY KILLED COLLEGE STUDENT

    Gorman’s remarks came as she invoked a childhood story about Sheridan “stalking” the “buddy bench” at recess, waiting to help classmates who felt lonely or left out.

    She lamented that her daughter, who spent her life making others feel seen, had been failed by the people responsible for protecting her.

    “I bring this back to the buddy bench. I think Congress needs one. Yes, I think every governor, every mayor, every sanctuary city official and politician shifting blame and interest, hiding behind their slogans and talking points should have to all sit on one,” Gorman said. 

    “I challenge you all to sit down with me. Take my hand, look me in the eye, and then explain to me, because I just don’t understand. Explain why people here illegally matter more than your American citizens. Explain why sanctuary policies matter more than my Sheridan’s life. Explain why cooperation with ICE was too much to ask for, but asking our American parents to bury our children is somehow acceptable. Ask me — I need you to tell me.

    BIDEN BORDER OFFICIALS RELEASED ALLEGED KILLER OF CHICAGO STUDENT ‘DUE TO LACK OF SPACE,’ DOCUMENTS SHOW

    Gorman identified the man accused of killing her daughter as Jose Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who she said “should not have even been in this country.” She said Medina had previously committed a crime and had an outstanding warrant before he was left on the streets of Chicago.

    “But this story is not about him,” Gorman told lawmakers. “The story is about my Sheridan.”

    The hearing focused on sanctuary policies and whether jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities are putting Americans at risk. Republicans argued those policies allow criminal illegal immigrants to be released back into communities instead of being turned over to ICE, while Democrats pushed back by arguing such policies preserve trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement.

    Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., who chairs the subcommittee, opened the hearing by saying Republicans would continue highlighting the families of victims until sanctuary policies are “rectified.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the ranking member, offered condolences to Gorman and another witness whose daughter was killed, but criticized the hearing as the committee’s fourth on sanctuary cities and argued Democrats should instead be examining the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

    The hearing grew heated even before Gorman testified, when Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., introduced her and was interrupted by Democrats who said his remarks had turned from an introduction into a broader speech on immigration policy.

    Gorman later told lawmakers she had never expected to become a public advocate, but said her daughter’s death forced her into the fight.

    “I’m a lover, not a fighter,” Gorman said. “I’m not a public speaker. I’m not someone who ever speaks out about things. I have to.”

  • Harris-backed Democrat scrubs BLM-era posts as House campaign heats up

    Dan Koh, a candidate for Congress in Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, deleted a handful of Black Lives Matter (BLM) posts from then-Twitter, according to the Wayback internet archives tool.

    Koh’s resurfaced posts, which come as he wages a campaign to become the next representative for Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District, suggest efforts to distance himself from BLM even as Koh highlights other elements of “racial justice.”

    “JusticeForGeorgeFloyd,” Koh wrote on May 29, 2020.

    “Pretty sure centuries of systemic racism exemplified by the murder of George Floyd has something to do with the ‘situation,’” Koh said in one of the posts, reacting to a press briefing about the riots that had broken out in Minnesota in 2020 shortly after Floyd’s death at the hands of a law enforcement officer.

    The posts, which originally went up on May 29 and May 30 in 2020, have since been deleted.

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    In another post published on April 20, 2021, Koh wrote simply, “JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”

    Notably, Koh has not shied away from making racial equity an element of his campaign and displays it as a part of his platform on his website.

    “President Trump is using the power of the federal government to target people of color at every turn. We must confront every action that systemically erodes justice and equality in American life, from attacks on fair housing and labor protections to efforts that undermine public education, environmental justice and civil rights enforcement,” the website reads.

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    In the past, BLM has acted as a lightning rod issue, pitting criticisms of racial prejudice in law enforcement against support for police. It would later feed into sentiments like calls to “defund the police.”

    Koh’s campaign did not say why he deleted the posts or whether he sees them as at odds with his current positions.

    A spokesperson for the campaign did say, however, that Koh intends to make racial representation a facet of his time in office, if elected.

    “For years, Dan has spoken up, including on social media and national TV, about the murder of George Floyd and the injustices Black Americans have faced — and as a Member of Congress, he will fight every day against Trump’s racist agenda that is trying to strip Black Americans of their rights and freedoms,” Olivia Brandon, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

    In his time before running for office, Koh worked in the Biden White House, holding multiple senior roles and advising the administration on infrastructure-related matters. He has also worked as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Labor and chief of staff for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

    Koh is running to replace outgoing Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. The seat, which has been safely Democratic for decades, last went to Moulton in a 69.9% to 35.2% victory over Republican challenger Robert May.

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    In turn, Moulton is pursuing a U.S. Senate seat in a primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.

    Massachusetts will hold its primaries on Tuesday, Sept. 1. If he clinches the Democratic nomination, Koh will face off against Republican candidate Micah Jones.

  • America’s favorite beers — and the jobs tied to them — are at the center of a brewing trade fight

    As the Trump administration weighs implementing tariffs on Mexican beer, a new report argues the move would hurt the very American workers it is intended to protect by squeezing one of the U.S. beer market’s most profitable segments.

    The report, authored by Unleash Prosperity co-founder Stephen Moore and economist David Ozgo, comes as the Trump administration continues to expand its tariff agenda, which officials say is aimed at re-shoring manufacturing, reducing trade deficits and strengthening American industry.

    “There probably are some products for which tariffs are appropriate — products where there might be national security implications,” Ozgo told Fox News Digital. “But obviously, beer is not one of those products.”

    While Mexican beer is brewed south of the border, Ozgo said most of the jobs it supports, like distribution, wholesaling and retailing, are in the United States.

    ‘WE WERE RIGHT’: WINE IMPORTER TOOK TRUMP’S TARIFFS TO THE SUPREME COURT AND WON

    The report backs that claim with data showing the U.S. beer business supports roughly 1.74 million jobs, but only about 5% are directly involved in brewing. Most workers are employed by wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and suppliers that handle beer after it is brewed, jobs that remain in the U.S. even when the beer is imported.

    “If you end up slapping tariffs on Mexican beer, you’re not protecting American workers,” Ozgo said. “What you’re really doing is cutting into the most profitable segment of the beer market right now and in turn putting U.S. jobs at risk.”

    According to the report, Mexican beer already sells for about 52% more than mass-market domestic lagers in grocery and liquor stores. The authors say those higher prices mean bigger profits for U.S. distributors, retailers, restaurants and bars, helping support more American jobs than cheaper domestic lagers.

    Those higher prices create more value across the U.S. economy, the report notes.

    FROM BOURBON TO BORDEAUX: TRUMP’S TARIFFS SPILL INTO GLOBAL BOOZE MARKETS

    The authors estimate that every gallon of Mexican beer generates about $26.27 in economic value. About $19.42 of that — roughly 74% — goes to U.S. businesses and workers through distribution, retail, transportation, marketing, taxes and other domestic economic activity. By comparison, leading domestic beers generate about $15.76 in total value per gallon.

    Ozgo said tariffs would ultimately force brewers to either absorb the added costs, reduce investment, or pass the costs on to consumers through higher prices.

    “Either the company itself has to eat the cost of the tariff, or they pass the cost to the consumer,” he said. “Either outcome isn’t very good.”

    The report also argues that moving production of Mexican beer to the United States could undermine the brands’ authenticity and value, pointing to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s decision to move production of Beck’s beer from Germany to Missouri, which led to consumer litigation after the company continued marketing the beer as German.

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    It also notes that Constellation Brands, which imports Corona, Modelo and Pacifico, operates under a Justice Department consent decree requiring those brands to be produced in Mexico.

    “Consumers really, really value authenticity,” Ozgo said. “When you move an import into the United States and you continue to market it as an import, you end up losing value.”

    The Trump administration has argued more broadly that tariffs are intended to encourage domestic manufacturing and strengthen American industry, though officials have not specifically outlined a final policy regarding Mexican beer imports.

    The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

    Read the full report:

  • DSA’s third major primary win deepens Democrats’ fight over the party’s future

    The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are taking their political playbook nationwide. 

    One week after DSA-aligned candidates scored ballot-box victories over establishment-backed contenders in two congressional primaries in New York City that grabbed outsized national attention, the group scored another major upset in a deep-blue U.S. House district in Denver, Colorado.

    Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who was first elected to Congress in 1996 and took office in 1997, was defeated by DSA-backed Melat Kiros, a first-time candidate and former attorney who is 29 years old.

    Kiros’ victory comes a week after Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old progressive community organizer in New York City, ousted incumbent Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another DSA-aligned contender, won a congressional primary to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

    VICTORIES BY MAMDANI-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES SPOTLIGHTS GROWING RIFT IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

    The victories by Chevalier and Valdez, who were backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, coupled with the win this week by Kiros, are further emboldening the progressive left as it takes on the center-left establishment in a high-stakes battle for the future of the Democratic Party

    Hasan Piker, the controversial, far-left streamer, at the Kiros primary night event in Denver, told Fox News, “I think progressive politics, left populism, a politics that centers the needs of the working class, can work in every district, in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you.” 

    The latest DSA primary victory came in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, a Democrat-dominated seat anchored in Denver that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried by nearly 56 points in the 2024 election.

    “Another Democratic Socialist is going to Congress!,” the DSA touted in a social media post. “Congresswoman Kiros will take the fight for a better world to D.C: to Abolish ICE, free Palestine, and win Universal Childcare and Medicare for All.” 

    Kiros, who lost her job as a lawyer in New York after writing an essay critical of Israel, was also supported by Justice Democrats, the nearly decade-old political group known for heavily supporting “Squad” members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib as they toppled entrenched incumbents in their initial elections to Congress. 

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    University of Colorado regent Wanda James, who jumped into the Democratic congressional primary in April and was described as a spoiler, finished third, in single digits. 

    Progressives also scored an impressive victory in the neighboring 8th Congressional District, a crucial swing seat which stretches along the I-25 corridor north of Denver

    State Rep. Manny Rutinel tallied a convincing double-digit victory over former state Rep. Shannon Bird, a more moderate candidate. Rutinel will now take on Republican Rep. Gabe Evans, who flipped the seat in the 2024 cycle. 

    The race is considered one of two or three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds onto its razor-thin House majority in the midterms. 

    Immigration was a top issue in the Democratic primary in a district where roughly 40% of the population is Latino. Rutinel criticized Bird for a vote she cast last year opposing a measure limiting cooperation between local and state law enforcement and ICE. And Rutinel was boosted by big spending from allies, including prominent Latino groups. 

    While Rutinel has tempered his previous support for top progressive issues, including Medicare for All and opposition to fracking, Republicans viewed him as the easier general election challenger than Bird. During the primary campaign, the right spotlighted pictures of him rallying alongside Mamdani.

    “Democrats have chosen a far-left, radical socialist, Mamdani-wanna-be extremist — someone who supports eliminating oil and gas, defunding law enforcement, calling farmers and ranchers horrific, and threatening the industries that power our economy,” Evans charged in a statement. 

    Another primary showdown highlighting the split between progressives and moderates, as well as the party’s generational divide, was the Senate nomination battle between incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper, 74, and former state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a 43-year-old progressive. 

    Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and two-term governor, saw his once-large advantage over Gonzales, a one-time DSA member, narrow in the weeks ahead of the primary. 

    Hickenlooper prevailed and will now be the clear favorite in the general election against Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, who was unopposed in his primary. 

    But Gonzales saw a silver lining in defeat, writing in a statement, “My heart is full, knowing that we’ve put the Democratic establishment on notice: keep taking folks like us for granted at your own peril.” 

    Meanwhile, state Attorney General Phil Weiser topped U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in the expensive and combustible Democratic gubernatorial primary

    Weiser, who ran to Bennet’s left on certain issues, closed the gap with the senator as he spotlighted his efforts to take on President Donald Trump, including filing or joining dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration as attorney general.

    Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital that “it is undeniable that progressives have built a coalition and have a message that can serve to buoy a candidate when they are an acceptable alternative to the status quo.” 

    While plenty of mainstream Democrats have racked up primary victories in recent weeks, it is the far-left that’s grabbing the media spotlight. And that’s giving Republicans more ammunition as they portray all Democrats as radicals. 

    “The socialist takeover of the Democrat Party is no longer confined to deep-blue strongholds. The radicals are taking over battleground districts, putting must-win seats out of reach for Democrats and sinking their chances of flipping the House,” NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said as he pointed to Rutinel’s victory.

     Fox News’ Olivia Palombo and Matthew Donnell contributed to this report

  • Trump administration threatens Kansas school district funding over transgender student policy

    The Trump administration on Tuesday said it would pursue enforcement action that could include withholding federal funding from Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools over its policies that the administration says prevent staff from notifying parents of a transgender student’s gender identity.

    The Education Department said that Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools’ policy of not disclosing a student’s transgender status to their parents violated the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

    The agency announced it was partnering with the Justice Department to take “appropriate enforcement measures,” including applicable judicial proceedings and potential loss of federal funding.

    LOUDOUN COUNTY PARENTS NOT ‘SATISFIED’ AFTER SCHOOL OFFICIALS TESTIFY ON TRANSGENDER POLICIES

    “Kansas City Kansas Public Schools’ sustained efforts to sidestep FERPA, conceal its true policies, and obstruct parents’ lawful access to their children’s education records represents a serious and deliberate breach of federal law,” said Frank Miller, Director of the Student Privacy Policy Office at the Education Department.

    “A strong and coordinated enforcement partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice will ensure districts are held accountable and fully honor parents’ rights,” he added.

    According to the government, the district’s policy affirms that school personnel “should not disclose information that may reveal a student’s transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation to others, including parents.”

    “Despite the Department’s proposed Resolution Agreement, which outlined specific actions the District should take to remedy their FERPA violations, the District continues to ignore federal parental rights law,” the Education Department said.

    Fox News Digital has reached out to the district for comment.

    SUPREME COURT MAKES MAKES RULING ON TRANS ATHLETES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS

    The administration has threatened to pull federal funding from several other districts across the country over transgender policies.

    Earlier this year, the Education Department said policies concerning transgender students in four Kansas school districts, including Kansas City and Kansas Public Schools, were violating federal law.

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at barring transgender women and girls from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that states may bar transgender women and girls from girls’ and women’s sports, upholding Idaho and West Virginia laws while not requiring states without such bans to adopt them.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

  • Socialism goes west as DSA-backed challenger ousts longtime Democrat

    Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., a 30-year incumbent, lost to a Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed challenger in a high-profile primary on Tuesday evening.

    Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old socialist, defeated DeGette in a Democratic primary for a deep-blue House seat anchored in Denver, according to The Associated Press, scoring a major victory for the socialist left on Tuesday evening.

    The DSA had been aiming to cast DeGette’s loss as evidence of its growing momentum after a slate of socialist candidates won Democratic primaries in New York City last week.

    “Today, the East Coast, next week the Mountain West,” the DSA wrote in a social media post last week.

    SOCIALISTS CHEER ‘SHOCKWAVE’ PRIMARY NIGHT AS DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES WIN, ADVANCE ACROSS THE MAP

    If elected in November, Kiros, who was born in Ethiopia, will likely join the ranks of the far-left group known as the Squad and become one of a handful of the House chamber’s outspoken socialists. 

    The millennial challenger was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the anti-incumbent leftist organization Justice Democrats. Controversial socialist streamer Hasan Piker, who has said Hamas is “a thousand times better” than Israel and praised the Chinese Communist Party, also backed Kiros’ insurgent primary run.

    DeGette, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus who supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), sought to win a 16th House term by flexing her leftist bona fides. She argued her seniority on an influential House committee would allow her to push for Medicare-for-All legislation — a longtime priority of the party’s far-left flank.

    DeGette, who was endorsed by former CPC Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., also spotlighted her experience as an impeachment manager during Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

    Though DeGette and Kiros shared few policy disagreements, they diverged sharply over Israel and antisemitism. Kiros also sharply criticized DeGette for accepting corporate PAC contributions.

    Kiros, a PhD student and lawyer, was fired from a New York firm in 2023 after publishing an open letter, arguing that pro-Palestinian student protesters calling for the elimination of Israel were not antisemitic and appearing to defend Hamas.

    WATCH: HOUSE DEMS UNLOAD ON TEXAS DEMOCRAT OVER ‘DEMENTED’ ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS

    She has also described the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against the Jewish state as the “inevitable consequence of apartheid” and declined to characterize the deadly firebombing of protesters in Boulder last year who were urging the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza as antisemitic. 

    “I don’t know what was in the heart of the perpetrator,” Kiros told Colorado’s 9News in a recent television interview. “All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might have believed.”

    A June 2025 bipartisan resolution condemning the attack as part of a “rise in ideologically motivated attacks on Jewish individuals” won every present lawmaker’s support, except for Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted present.

    Kiros has also suggested the United States deserved 9/11.

    “Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East that forced people to believe that another act of violence was the only response,” Kiros told 9News when asked if she thought the terror attack was “the inevitable consequence of American foreign policy.”

    “And again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to get rid of those conditions that lead to violence in the first place,” Kiros continued.

    DeGette argued that Kiros’ embrace of Piker and her comments about antisemitism and 9/11 were disqualifying. 

    “I’m shocked and disgusted that Kiros is doubling down on excusing terrorism and the murder of innocent people,” the 30-year incumbent wrote on Facebook earlier this month.

    Colorado’s 1st Congressional District is the most liberal seat in the state and voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris by 56 points in 2024.

    The primary fight was further scrambled by University of Colorado Regent Wanda James, also running for DeGette’s seat. Though James did not pose the same threat as Kiros, her vote share could ultimately have swayed the contest. 

  • Anti-Trump senator defeated by far-left rival after heated gubernatorial primary

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser defeated Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in Colorado’s Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, blocking Bennet’s attempted move from the Senate to the governor’s residence and putting Weiser in position as the favorite to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

    Weiser’s win over Bennet, a three-term senator and former 2020 presidential candidate, marked a major upset in one of the most closely watched Democratic primaries of the year. The winner of the Democratic nomination is favored in November in a state where Democrats have dominated recent statewide elections.

    The result also means Bennet is expected to remain in the Senate, avoiding what would have been a major vacancy fight had he won the governorship in November.

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    “Phil has dedicated his life to the law, justice, and public service,” says Weiser’s campaign website. “As your Governor he will continue to advance the rule of law, protect our democracy, and promote justice for all. Phil Weiser will continue to defend and protect every Coloradan across the state.”

    The primary battle pitted two high-profile Colorado Democrats against each other — Bennet, a three-term senator and former 2020 presidential candidate, and Weiser, the state’s two-term attorney general.

    Polis, a Democrat, is barred by term limits from seeking another term after eight years in office.

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    Bennet entered the primary with support from much of Colorado’s Democratic establishment, with his campaign listing endorsements from more than 200 Colorado leaders, including Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., along with state legislative leaders and labor groups.

    Weiser’s campaign, meanwhile, touted support from former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, former Rep. Ed Perlmutter, former Denver Mayor Federico Peña, former Sen. Tim Wirth and a long list of local officials, state lawmakers and progressive organizations.

    Bennet argued during the race that he could be more effective fighting Trump and advancing policy as governor, while Weiser leaned on his experience as Colorado’s attorney general and his legal background as he made the case for his own campaign.

    Barb Kirkmeyer was leading the Republican primary for governor Tuesday evening as the Dem primary was called. 

    Whether Kirkmeyer or one of her trailing opponents, Victor Marx or Scott Bottoms, the GOP nominee faces an uphill battle against Weiser in November.

  • Ex-talk show host will take on former chief advisor to Kamala Harris’ husband

    Jessica Killin won the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District on Tuesday, setting up a November match-up against incumbent Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., for the Colorado Springs-based seat.

    Killin, a former Army captain and former chief of staff to second gentleman Doug Emhoff, defeated fellow Army veteran and nonprofit leader Joe Reagan, according to the Associated Press. The result means she will take on Crank, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary and is seeking a second term representing the district, which is centered on Colorado Springs and most of El Paso County, including several military-heavy communities.

    Killin entered the race as a first-time candidate with national support and strong fundraising, while Reagan, who ran for the seat in 2024, leaned on his local roots, combat service and nonprofit work helping veterans open businesses.

    PROGRESSIVE MOMENTUM HITS SPEED BUMP AS VETERAN DEMOCRAT FENDS OFF CHALLENGER IN COLORADO

    MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALISTS LOOK TO TAKE NEW YORK PLAYBOOK NATIONWIDE AFTER PRIMARY VICTORIES

    The general election will test whether Democrats can make gains in a Republican-leaning district that includes Fort Carson and the Air Force Academy, along with fast-growing Colorado Springs suburbs.

    The race drew national attention from Democrats because the Colorado Springs-based district, long a Republican stronghold, has shown signs of becoming more competitive. The Colorado Sun reported that Trump’s margin in El Paso County, which largely overlaps with the 5th District, fell from 22 points in 2016 to 10 points in 2024, while Republican margins in the House race have also narrowed over the past decade.

    The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) added Killin to its Red to Blue program, signaling national Democrats viewed the Republican-held seat as a potential pickup opportunity, even though the district remains GOP-leaning.

    The district’s current incumbent, Crank, is a former Capitol Hill staffer of seven years, who subsequently moved back home to Colorado where he served as Vice President for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Chief Operating Officer at nonprofit Americans for Prosperity and president of his own real estate investment company, according to his campaign website.

    Crank’s background in broadcasting includes hosting both The Jeff Crank Show in Colorado and the American Potential Podcast.

    Killin aligned herself with a centrist Democratic push shortly before the primary, signing onto an initiative that described its signatories as “capitalist, not socialist” and emphasized public safety, fiscal responsibility, secure borders and national pride.

    Meanwhile, Killin said during an online news conference that candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America “should not be the face of our party,” according to local news outlet Colorado Politics.