The Trump administration is using visa enforcement to target “birth tourism,” an alleged scheme utilized by foreign nationals to obtain visitor visas for the primary purpose of giving birth in the U.S. and securing American citizenship for their children.

The Trump administration recently announced that it disrupted “a sophisticated birth tourism network” in West Africa involving more than 100 foreign nationals utilizing false documents and, what the State Department described as “fixers,” to get themselves visas to go to the United States to give birth so their children would be born on U.S. soil and treated as American citizens.

But that was just one of the networks the State Department indicated it had uncovered. The agency’s announcement said U.S. officials identified more than 400 suspected birth tourism cases emanating from Europe since 2024, and tied to at least six companies that helped coach applicants on what to say during their visa interview, arranged housing and set-up delivery plans.

“We shut it down, revoked these foreign nationals’ visas, and are coordinating with local authorities to systematically identify and cut off any similar operations,” the State Department said in its announcement. “A U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right. The State Department is taking action around the world to stop this abuse, dismantle birth tourism networks, and hold accountable those who try to scam our system.”

SEN. BLACKBURN TARGETS BIRTH TOURISM, ‘BUYING AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP’ IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION AGENDA

The effort comes as Trump has renewed his long-running criticism of birthright citizenship, including through a 2025 executive order seeking to narrow who is automatically treated as a U.S. citizen at birth. It also builds on a first-term Trump administration rule from 2020 that instructed consular officers to deny visitor visas to foreign nationals believed to be traveling to the U.S. primarily to give birth and obtain American citizenship for their children.

“President Trump will always put the American people first. Uninhibited birth tourism poses a tremendous cost to taxpayers and threatens our national security,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. “The Trump administration is effectively ending this practice, which brings the United States in line with the policy of most countries around the world.”

TRUMP LOCKS IN ICE FUNDING THROUGH END OF PRESIDENCY AFTER HOUSE PASSES $70B PACKAGE

Federation for American Immigration Reform’s Ira Mehlman noted to Fox News Digital that visa fraud is “a significant issue,” pointing out it is a problem even outside the framework of birth tourism. 

“The prospect of birthright citizenship is undeniably an inducement for people to commit visa fraud,” Mehlman said. “Birth tourism would not exist otherwise.”

“Obviously, any woman who does not disclose her intention to have her baby in the U.S. when she applies for a visa is committing fraud. Remove the incentive of automatic birthright citizenship for people who are not citizens and legal permanent residents, and the reason for committing this sort of fraud goes away,” he continued.

Birth tourism has surfaced repeatedly in the U.S. in recent years, particularly through operations accused of coaching foreign nationals to obscure the purpose of their travel.

In California, federal prosecutors secured convictions against the operators of USA Happy Baby, a company accused of helping Chinese women travel to the U.S. to give birth to American-citizen children, while a separate operator from a business called You Win USA pleaded guilty in another case stemming from a broader federal crackdown.

More recently, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a Houston-area postpartum center accused of facilitating more than 1,000 births for primarily Chinese clients, while House Oversight Republicans launched an inquiry into several U.S.-based companies allegedly advertising birth-tourism services.

Mehlman urged Congress to do more to enhance vetting of visa applicants, prosecute those who commit fraud and put an end to birth tourism. He said there were avenues for legal action against the entities allegedly facilitating the scheme.

“To the extent that we can take legal action against companies that are outside the United States, we should, much like we prosecute other types of transnational crime and fraud operations,” Mehlman told Fox News Digital. “But each one of these companies works with service providers here in the U.S., including hospitals.”

A top Alaska election official booted a same-name Republican challenger to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, from the primary ballot Monday, ruling the campaign appeared designed to confuse voters. 

Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher disqualified Dan J. Sullivan from the state’s hotly-contested Senate race over concerns that his candidacy was “filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality,” in a letter published Monday.

Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher who filed as a Republican Senate candidate despite having no prior affiliation with the GOP, can appeal the ruling, Beecher wrote. 

The letter caps weeks of outrage from the GOP, who argued the political newcomer’s entry into the race just days before the filing deadline was a covert attempt by Democrats to recruit a “sham” candidate into the race to confuse voters.

GOP FIGHTS TO STOP MULTIPLE DAN SULLIVANS FROM APPEARING ON ALASKA BALLOT, CALLS CANDIDACY A ‘SHAM’

Under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, if Dan J. Sullivan had been allowed to remain on the August primary ballot, both he and Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent, could have advanced to the general election among the top four vote-getters.

Democrats are eying Alaska as a potential flip opportunity as the party mounts a longshot bid to retake control of the upper chamber during the midterms. The incumbent Sullivan is running for a third Senate term against former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who was recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., into the battleground contest.

Beecher cited several details about Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign that led to her conclusion that it was not filed in “good-faith.”

The political newcomer requested to appear on the ballot as “Dan Sullivan” despite registering to vote under the name “Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.,” according to the letter. The longshot candidate also attempted to register with the incumbent’s initial on one occasion, according to Beecher’s letter.

“‘S’ is Senator Sullivan’s middle initial, not yours,” Beecher wrote.

The election official also noted that Dan J. Sullivan had not registered as a Republican before launching his Senate campaign and that his new website used a “color scheme and overall theme” similar to the incumbent’s campaign materials. 

Additionally, Beecher discussed Dan J. Sullivan’s connection to Amber Lee, an Alaska Democratic consultant who has previously supported Peltola. Metadata from the campaign’s launch identified the Democratic operative as its author, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

FORMER DEM REP. MARY PELTOLA ANNOUNCES U.S. SENATE RUN: “PUT ALASKA FIRST”

“This consultant’s work on your behalf is, in isolation, innocuous,” Beecher wrote. “Alongside the other facts I have catalogued in this letter, however, it suggests a determined effort and a deliberate attempt to use the similarity of your name to confuse Alaska voters in the upcoming primary election.”

Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The incumbent Sullivan previously blasted his same-name challenger as a “far-left liberal” who was complicit in Democrats’ efforts to “rig” the election.

“Is Schumer or Gillibrand and their staffs or the DSCC or the staff at the DSCC — were they aware? Were they coordinating, orchestrating?
I mean, if that’s the case, that would be a huge scandal,” Sullivan told Fox News Digital last week.

Democrats have denied any involvement with Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign. 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, took a victory lap after urging Beecher to investigate the same-name challenger’s candidacy.

“Alaskans saw right through Chuck Schumer and Mary Peltola’s tricks to confuse and deceive them with a sham candidate,” NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia said in a statement. “Nobody delivers for Alaskans like Senator Dan Sullivan, which is why Alaska Last Democrats like Mary Peltola are stooping so low.”

Dan J. Sullivans’ attempt to qualify for the primary ballot also sparked sharp criticism from Senate Republicans, who are expected to aggressively campaign to defend Sullivan’s seat.

“Even by Chuck Schumer’s low standards, this was an outrageous attempt to trick Alaska voters and rig the election,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Monday.

The Trump administration will keep its military buildup in the Middle East in place despite signing a new agreement with Iran, underscoring Washington’s continued distrust of Iran as the two sides enter a 60-day negotiating period.

“The plan is to keep the current force posture during the 60-day negotiations,” a senior U.S. official told reporters on a call Monday. “We hope to draw them down, but we’re not doing that yet.”

“The agreement contemplates the reduction of military forces in the region upon the agreement of a final deal,” the official added.

Officials said President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf already have signed the memorandum, and that the details of the agreement will be released publicly within the next 24 to 48 hours. A formal signing ceremony is expected later in the week. 

BUILT FOR WEEKS OF WAR: INSIDE THE FIREPOWER THE US HAS POSITIONED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

The decision means the Pentagon will maintain a military posture that recently included roughly 50,000 troops deployed across the Middle East, one of the largest U.S. force concentrations in the region in more than two decades. Publicly available fleet tracking data indicate at least two carrier strike groups remain in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

Officials repeatedly stressed that any sanctions relief, asset releases or future concessions would be tied to verification and Iranian performance, not promises alone, with one senior official acknowledging the two sides remain in the early stages of “building trust.”

That lack of trust was evident in the administration’s description of the agreement, which differs in key respects from accounts published by Iranian officials and state-linked media.

VANCE SAYS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S KEY OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN REACHED IN US-IRAN DEAL

White House officials insisted Monday that no frozen Iranian assets have been released and said any sanctions relief would be conditioned on Iranian performance during the upcoming negotiations.

“The very simple fact is, $0 of unfrozen assets have been released by the United States or any other country,” one official said.

Iranian officials and state-linked media, meanwhile, have described the framework as paving the way for the release of roughly $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds and broader economic relief during the negotiation period. 

White House officials disputed reports that any funds have already been released and repeatedly emphasized that future economic concessions would be earned through compliance rather than granted upfront.

IRAN’S REGIME SPINS NUCLEAR AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ DEAL WITH TRUMP AS VICTORY OVER US, ISRAEL

“We’ll do some small gestures of that in the beginning, if they make some small gestures to us,” an official said.

While Trump has portrayed the agreement as a potential turning point in U.S.–Iran relations, the memorandum itself is narrower in scope. The framework extends the ceasefire, establishes a 60-day negotiating window and seeks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments normally pass.

The reopening of the Strait may prove to be the agreement’s most immediate and economically significant effect. White House officials said the memorandum provides for the opening of the waterway and the lifting of the naval blockade, though they cautioned that commercial shipping could take days or weeks to return to normal levels as mines are cleared and shipping companies regain confidence in the route.

Officials also said the agreement requires the Strait to remain open toll-free during the 60-day negotiating period. The administration expects shipping traffic to increase significantly over the coming days, easing pressure on global energy markets.

The deal, officials said, creates a framework under which Iran could eventually receive sanctions relief and broader access to the global economy in exchange for verifiable steps to ensure it does not rebuild its nuclear program and curbs support for terrorism and regional instability.

“If they’re willing to behave like a normal country, then we’re willing to treat them like a normal country,” one official said.

The prospect of renewed traffic through the Strait has already reverberated through global markets. Oil prices fell following news of the agreement as traders bet that one of the world’s most important energy choke points could soon return to normal operations.

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier told Fox News Digital that he did not post viral screenshots alleging an exchange with Eric Trump in which the president’s son asked for inside intel about fighter injuries and whether any fights were “rigged” ahead of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

The now-deleted post from Cormier showed screenshots of what appeared to be direct messages between himself and Eric Trump, with Trump reaching out to Cormier ahead of Sunday’s spectacle asking who he had winning, if any fighters were injured and “cutting to the chase” if any of the fights are rigged.

“They’re not real,” Cormier told Fox News Digital when asked what happened with the posts showing the alleged messages with Trump.

“I can’t believe you guys believed that. Like, who believes that?” he said.

JAKE PAUL’S MOST VALUABLE PRODUCTIONS RIPS RIGGED FIGHT CLAIMS IN MIKE TYSON BOUT: ‘ILLOGICAL AND INANE’

The conversation caught national attention as a potential cheating scandal as it appears to show Trump trying to leverage inside information that could be used toward advancing his own bets. 

The account that is labeled as Trump in the screenshots shows a message saying, “I’ll just cut to the chase…are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I’ve been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn’t be too unrealistic. $$.”

The exchange ends with an alleged reply from Cormier to Trump saying, “No none of our fights rigged and honestly I am appalled you would even ask me something like that.”

DANA WHITE DENIES AMERICA 250 UFC FIGHT AT WHITE HOUSE WILL BE ‘POLITICAL,’ ‘NOT AT ALL’ ABOUT POLITICS

Both Cormier and Trump posted on X Sunday evening, leading up to the main event of the night, claiming the post was fake. Cormier asked if “people were really that dumb,” while Trump posted that the whole thing was “completely fake.” 

In another post, Trump referred to the screenshots as “fake, AI-generated screenshots” and said he has never even spoken to Cormier.

UFC’S DANA WHITE CONFIRMS FBI TALKS OVER UNUSUAL BETTING ACTIVITY ON FIGHTER ISAAC DULGARIAN MATCH

Cormier told Fox News Digital that he was hacked and he was not the one to post the alleged interaction to social media.

“I got hacked or something,” he said when asked if he was denying posting it to his social media.

He continued, “Who believes stuff like that? That’s crazy.”

Cormier also told Fox News Digital that the reporting that he posted this is wrong.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said when asked if the journalists claiming he posted it to social media are wrong.

There’s the World Cup. America’s 250th birthday. And the conflict with Iran.

It’s all a nightmare national security hat trick.

“It’s the highest we’ve ever seen,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Fox News Sunday about the terrorism threat level. “When I say we arrest terrorists every single week, I’m not exaggerating. Those aren’t the individuals that are coming across our border, those are individuals that are still inside this country.”

But lawmakers are scared now that the nation’s premier anti-terrorism tool — called FISA Section 702 — expired over the weekend.

EXPIRING SPY LAW SPARKS WARNINGS OF ‘FATAL’ CONSEQUENCES AHEAD OF WORLD CUP

“I hope and pray to God that nothing happens in this country where an American is killed,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio.

“We want to prevent the next 9/11 from happening,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., on Fox.

“This program goes dark at a time when there are literally hundreds of thousands of people coming to this country for the World Cup,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

Well, not quite.

“FISA is operative until next March. That’s the legislation,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Confused? You’re not the only one. Let me explain.

SPY PROGRAM CREDITED WITH STOPPING TAYLOR SWIFT TERROR PLOT BARRELS TOWARD EXPIRATION

Legal authority sanctioned by Congress for this powerful intelligence-gathering weapon to foil terrorism expired at 11:59:59 p.m. ET Friday night. If nearly any other statute other than FISA Section 702 expired, the government couldn’t continue to rely on the program.

“It’s a very inopportune time to allow the authorizing statute for 702 to lapse,” conceded George Croner, a former National Security Agency counsel. “It has proven to be the most useful by far of any of the intelligence programs that the community has available to it.”

That’s why there’s worry about unprecedented vulnerabilities with the program expiring. Especially right now.

“I think that it’s completely irresponsible to have FISA go dark at the beginning of the World Cup,” said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., on FOX Business.

A bipartisan coalition tanked an emergency FISA extension in both bodies of Congress last week.

“It should have been voted down,” said Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “And I don’t say that lightly.”

“We don’t have the guts to fix it. And I’m tired of hearing people are going to die,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., scoffing at potential consequences from a program which ran its statutory course.

The House rejected a three-week patch to paper over an imminent lapse in the program on Thursday.

“Anybody who votes no on this bill is voting to undermine America’s national security,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

CONSERVATIVE FISA REVOLT POSES FRESH TEST FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON

But the GOP House majority failed to muster even 200 yeas for the bill. Nineteen Republicans bolted. They have privacy concerns and raised questions about illegal searches and seizures.

“The Fourth Amendment is not a suggestion. We have to have a warrant,” said Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas.

Still, Republican leaders claimed that it was Democratic resistance which put the country at risk.

“(Democrats) are willing to jeopardize the safety and the security of the American people to make a cheap political point,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

But there was a reason Democrats balked.

Congress punted renewing FISA Section 702 on multiple occasions over the past few months, repeatedly approving stopgap measures. Finally, Democrats and Republicans painstakingly negotiated a compromise which would install reforms. But Democrats withdrew their support for the deal once President Trump announced that housing czar Bill Pulte would take over on a temporary basis for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Democrats noted that Pulte lacked any national security or intelligence experience. Moreover, they believed he could weaponize intelligence programs like Section 702 against political opponents.

TULSI GABBARD CHANGES TUNE ON CONTROVERSIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOL FOLLOWING GOP LOBBYING

Ironically, both sides thought this was ironed out before Memorial Day. But Senate Democrats pulled their votes to advance the FISA measure in a pre-dawn vote late last month.

Still, there’s concern about the consequences of not having FISA Section 702 fully in place.

“Do Democrats not sleep at night if, God forbid, there’s something that happens with FISA turned off?” yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

“Donald Trump should lose sleep,” countered Jeffries. “Because Donald Trump decided he wants to elevate Bill Pulte, who is nothing more than a malignant political hack.”

Here’s how the program works:

FISA siphons the calls, emails and texts of foreign intelligence targets that the U.S. tracks. A special, secret court oversees FISA. But it ruled that the intelligence services can still track suspect communications through well into 2026 – despite a break in the law.

“Data can still be collected for a year after it expires. So I don’t think it’s as dire as some think it is,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.

She’s not the only one.

“(FISA) will not lapse. I try to make this clear. The statute makes it clear that the authorities of FISA are going to be positive and enforceable for the remainder of this year. We think, until March of next year,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

TRUMP SIGNS STOPGAP FISA EXTENSION AFTER SENATE BLOCKS LONG-TERM RENEWAL

However, it’s unclear if telecommunications companies will provide digital breadcrumbs to the government, lacking a Congressional safeguard.

“That is a gray area and it’s one of the things that we’re going to have to work through,” said Jeffries.

Croner, the former NSA counsel, says people shouldn’t worry about the government lacking a FISA Section 702 law. But he offered a caveat.

“The carriers are going to become, in my view, increasingly uncomfortable with not having statutory protection for their part in 702 collection,” said Croner.

When reporting on Congress, you’re only as good as your sources. And the same can be said in spy craft. The government’s digital spooks can’t track possible terrorists if the telecom data vanishes.

It was believed a path emerged to re-up FISA late last week. Just as the Senate departed for the week, the President nominated Jay Clayton as the permanent DNI. Clayton’s confirmation hearing is Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee. It’s possible the Senate could step on the gas and try to confirm Clayton on the floor as early as this week. That could clear the path to reauthorize FISA.

“The only factor was Bill Pulte,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., about Democrats dropping their support for a FISA renewal. “And that factor is now, I think, set on the sideline. It should pave the way.”

Republicans will likely vote to confirm Clayton. But Democrats aren’t so sure.

“We have to look very clearly at Jay Clayton,” said Reed. “He’s a very accomplished lawyer. But the statute requires someone taking this job to have significant national security experience. That has to be measured. I don’t think he does.”

So the Senate may confirm Clayton. But does that guarantee passage of FISA? Not necessarily. President Trump altered the playing field again over the weekend.

He’s now demanding that lawmakers connect an extension of FISA Section 702 to the SAVE America Act. That bill is the touchstone of the President’s 2026 agenda. It requires proof of citizenship to vote. While popular among Republicans, the SAVE America Act didn’t even command a simple majority on two test votes in the Senate this spring.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: TRUMP’S SAVE ACT ULTIMATUM RUNS INTO SENATE REALITY

A mix of Democrats and Republicans are necessary to pass FISA. There’s too much internal GOP opposition. Latching the SAVE America Act to FISA Section 702 is a poison pill to Democrats. The measure would never command 60 votes and break a filibuster in the Senate.

So where does this land?

As Croner suggests, things are likely OK for now, despite the threats. However, a long statuary breach for FISA isn’t good.

You’re only as good as your sources in journalism. And perhaps to prevent a terrorist attack, you’re only as good as the law.

The political left’s attempt to counter-program President Donald Trump’s UFC event on the White House lawn Sunday night ended in widespread online mockery as celebrities and media personalities who have publicly complained for a decade about President Donald Trump offered more of the same.

The event, called “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment,” was hosted by far-left activist and actress Jane Fonda, nicknamed “Hanoi Jane,” and the Committee for the First Amendment in New York City. Participants spent three hours railing against Trump, recycling talking points about “fascism” and “authoritarianism” that have been repeatedly levied against the president since he first took office in 2016.

The event was streamed on numerous left-wing YouTube channels, and also aired on C-SPAN.

Bette Midler, an 80-year-old actress and activist, took center stage to perform her own rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “All You Fascists Bound to Lose,” backed by four other singers. She changed some of the lyrics to the song to make it anti-ICE themed.

PARTY POOPERS’ FIGHT CARD: JANE FONDA, ‘NO KINGS,’ COMMUNISTS ROLL OUT RIVAL SPECTACLE TO TRUMP’S 250TH

“All you fascists bound to lose,” the song began. “Lose, you fascists bound to lose.”

“We’ll battle ICE together, until they cut and run, just like in Minneapolis, and when the midterms come you’re bound to lose, you fascists bound to lose,” it continued.

The song also made reference to the Jeffrey Epstein files and claims that Republicans are “protecting pedophiles.”

BETTE MIDLER LATEST TO ASSAULT PEOPLE’S EARS WITH TERRIBLE PROTEST SONG

Midler was mocked for her performance.

“Shew! I just saw a bunch of literal fascists getting ready to take down the country, BUT LUCKILY, Bette Midler and her super powerful squad stopped them at the gate… lol,” one popular X user needled.

Another post criticized Midler as another one of the “dusty relics who peaked decades ago” who performed at the anti-Trump show.

DEMOCRATIC PROTESTS DURING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SPEECH MOCKED BY LIBERAL MEDIA FIGURES

“These people aren’t just out of touch. They’re clinically insane,” the post added.

Ex-MSNBC host Joe Reid used her platform at the event to blame the Trump administration for her own firing and the firings of other former television personalities.

“The threat is not coming, friends. It is here,” she warned. “Brendan Carr, the man who wrote the blueprint to dismantle the FCC and Project 2025 is now running it. He is weaponizing the agency to bully and control the press and suppress the wider televised media.”

WHITE HOUSE FIRES BACK AFTER ROBERT DE NIRO, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TAKE TRUMP SWIPES AMID COLBERT’S FAREWELL WEEK

“Don Lemon arrested, Georgia Fort arrested, Terry Moran fired from ABC, Scott Pelley fired from CBS by the clack of far-right ideologues who bought it and handed it over to a zealot named Bari Weiss who may soon also control CNN. Jim Acosta out at CNN. Karen Attiah fired from the Washington Post and me, more than a year ago,” she listed.

“All of us shown the door for just doing our jobs, standing up to the administration and in my case, also for speaking out against the genocide.”

Right-wing commentator Stephen Miller, not to be confused with the top Trump aide of the same name, didn’t take kindly to Reid’s comments.

“Nothing she says here is true but she has the right friends in media so they will all applaud. Joy Reid is a bat s— crazy conspiracy theorist who they all accept because of the right politics,” he said on X.

GREEN DAY FRONTMAN TELLS ICE AGENTS TO ‘QUIT THAT S—-Y JOB’ AT SUPER BOWL PARTY PERFORMANCE

Soon thereafter, children’s singer and entertainer known as Ms. Rachel, who has been protesting outside the ICE detention facility Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, joined several children on stage to complain about federal officers enforcing U.S. law.

Later, about 40 people in a group called Singing Resistance New York performed an amateurish jingle while screaming: “No one is getting left behind this time.”

TURNING POINT USA’S PATRIOTIC SUPER BOWL ALTERNATIVE EARNS PRAISE AS MILLIONS TUNE IN OVER BAD BUNNY

“It is impossible to describe how much worse this is than Kid Rock doing an alternative Super Bowl halftime show,” said Ian Miller, a writer at Outkick.

“‘No one is getting left behind this time’ from what?” conservative personality Libby Emmons asked. “And who are they singing about? And how are they so off-key? Rise Up Sing Out looks like a total bust.”

Actor Robert De Niro also took the stage over the weekend to say he couldn’t love America while it’s led by Trump, and compared supporters to those in an abusive relationship.

“I hate to say it, but loving our country is starting to sound like an abused spouse saying they love their abuser,” he said. “I can’t love a country that’s led by a racist, misogynist, xenophobic tyrant.”

DE NIRO GETS EMOTIONAL, TEARY-EYED AS HE CALLS ON PEOPLE TO ‘RESIST, RESIST, RESIST’ TRUMP DURING INTERVIEW

The multi-millionaire film star then started a “Go f–k yourself” chant with the crowd, aimed at the 47th president.

He, too, drew heat from observers.

“Oh no, I’m being abused by the country that made me rich and famous beyond my wildest dreams! Help, help! I’m being oppressed!” one commentator said in response.

“‘I only love America when we’re in charge’” great message Bob,” said another.

HEBRON, KY – Ed Gallrein, the Republican congressional candidate backed by President Donald Trump who is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky for the GOP nomination, landed extra firepower on the eve of the state’s primary.

Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL and Kentucky farmer, was joined on the campaign trail Monday by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

Massie has long been one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics in Congress and the Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, in the north-central part of the state, the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the GOP.

“President Trump needs reinforcements, and that’s what war fighters do. They stand behind leaders and have their back,” Hegseth said at an event organized by America First Works, a Trump-aligned nonprofit political advocacy group.

TRUMP SCORES MAJOR PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUSIANA

Massie, a libertarian-minded lawmaker who repeatedly takes aim at the president over foreign policy, including the Iran war and unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, also successfully pushed for the release of government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

But Hegseth argued that Massie’s record is one of “too much grandstanding, too few great votes, years of acting like being difficult is the same thing as being courageous. It’s not. Real courage means stepping up when the mission matters most, when we need that tough vote to beat left-wing lunatic Democrats the most.”

“President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point, especially from his own party. He needs people willing to help him win, to vote with him when it matters the most,” Hegseth added.

Hegseth’s remarks, which came soon after a stop at nearby Fort Campbell to award medals for service members, were rare for the civilian head of the nation’s military. Defense secretaries have traditionally avoided appearing at political events.

Ahead of the stop, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth would appear only “in his personal capacity” and that “no taxpayer dollars will be used to facilitate his visit.”

Hegseth noted the unusual appearance.

“I have to say up front, for the lawyers, that I’m here in my personal capacity as a private citizen, a fellow American, and a fellow combat veteran.”

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

But Massie, who’s locked in a competitive clash with Gallrein in what’s become the most expensive congressional primary in history, claimed in a Fox News Digital interview on Monday that Hegseth’s stop “shows that I’m up in the polls. They wouldn’t be sending the Secretary of War to my congressional district if I weren’t.”

“I think it also shows I’m tougher than Iran, and I don’t even have a nuclear weapon. I mean, they are all in at this race. It’s basically a national race at this point, the most expensive race primary in congressional history, and that’s because, you know, I’m up there, I’m getting things done. I got the Epstein files released, I’m getting legislation in the farm bill, I’m getting legislation passed on the floor, and they want to shut me down,” Massie emphasized.

Gallrein, speaking with Fox News Digital ahead of his event with Hegseth, charged that Massie’s “running against President Trump, and the agenda that has been put forward by the Republican Party.”

Kentucky’s primary is being held two weeks after Indiana’s primary, where Trump-backed challengers ousted five sitting Republican state senators who last December teamed up with Democrats to defeat the president’s push for congressional redistricting in the GOP-dominated Midwestern state.

And the ballot box showdown in Kentucky comes three days after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was ousted as he sought renomination. The senator came in third in the primary, behind Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow and conservative Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming.

Cassidy’s political defeat came five and a half years after he voted to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

Massie said he “absolutely can” overcome the Trump endorsement of Gallrein. “I’ve got the groundswell here, like my events. I’ve got 100-200 sometimes 300 people show up. My opponent had to cancel events because he couldn’t get enough people, you know, to fill up a Dairy Queen, half a Dairy Queen.”

SCOOP: TRUMP-BACKED FORMER NAVY SEAL LAUNCHES GOP PRIMARY CHALLENGE AGAINST MASSIE

The race has become the most expensive in House history in terms of ad spending, with over $32 million shelled out, according to the nationally known ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Much of that money has been shelled out by Trump’s allies and pro-Israel groups.

“Here’s the thing, I’ve got nothing against Israel. I just have never voted for foreign aid. When I said America First, I meant it. I don’t vote for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Ukraine. I’ve got a flawless record on this, and I’m not going to ruin it by sending foreign aid to one country,” Massie said as he defended his stance on Israel.

And Massie touted that while Trump’s allies and pro-Israel groups have spent tens of millions to take him out, he said, “I’ve got tens of thousands of grassroots donors who are funding me $50 at a time, $20 at a time. We’ve been able to match them to go toe to toe with them on TV using grassroots donors, and it’s really galvanized the nation.”

Trump has repeatedly targeted Massie in social media posts in the closing days of the primary campaign.

The president said in a video posted to Truth Social on Monday that he hoped Kentucky voters would put Massie “out of business” and that “we’re in a fight against the worst congressman in the history of our country.”

And Trump praised Gallrein as “a great guy” and “a great patriot.”

But Massie said Trump’s taunts on social media may backfire.

“It shows he’s losing sleep, his reputation is on the line. He really shouldn’t have got involved in this race, because I vote with him 90% of the time,” the congressman said.

Senate Republicans moved one step closer to clearing out the backlog of President Donald Trump’s nominees.

The GOP confirmed 49 of Trump’s picks on Monday, a move that will have installed 60% of his civilian nominees. It’s also the fourth time Republicans have confirmed a slate of nominees in a batch since changing the Senate’s rules last year. 

Included in the latest batch are 20 different positions, including a dozen U.S. attorneys, several U.S. marshals, ambassadors and members of a variety of agencies, including the departments of War, Transportation, Energy, and others. 

GOP TRIGGERS NUCLEAR OPTION IN SENATE TO BREAK DEM BLOCKADE OF TRUMP NOMINEES

Also included in the group is Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management and a former member of Congress, Stevan Pearce.

Senate Democrats for much of last year had blocked most nominees from getting confirmed. Typically, civilian nominees were often confirmed without actually having to take a full vote on the Senate floor.

That obstruction, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in a bid to prevent Trump from molding the federal government to fit with his agenda, spurred Republicans to go nuclear and change the Senate’s rules.

That move, the fourth time that lawmakers have turned to the nuclear option in the Senate, lowered the threshold for certain picks to just a simple majority rather than the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster.

SENATE GOP RAMS THROUGH BLUEPRINT TO BANKROLL ICE, BORDER PATROL THROUGH END OF TRUMP ERA

And it has proven a successful move for Republicans. Last year, they confirmed over 400 of Trump’s picks. 

That leapfrogged his first term total during the first year, having only gotten 323 confirmed. And it also blew past former President Joe Biden, who during the same time period had 365 nominees confirmed.  

Meanwhile, Republicans are also busy wrapping up work on another element of Trump’s agenda — funding immigration enforcement for the next three-and-a-half years. 

SENATORS AGREE TO FORGO SHUTDOWN PAYCHECKS — BUT MANY WON’T FEEL THE PAIN

Republicans are sprinting through the party-line budget reconciliation process in their bid to ram through a $72 billion funding package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol by June 1.

Lawmakers have until the end of the week to wrap up the process, given that they’re scheduled for another recess next week for the Memorial Day holiday. 

But the package has hit some snags with the Senate’s rules referee, and some items, including $1 billion for security enhancements for Trump’s ballroom and funding for the Secret Service were stripped out.

New York City’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is facing backlash for criticizing a famous quote from former President Ronald Reagan, who cautioned about the dangers of big government.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and New York’s first Muslim mayor, voiced his disagreement with the beloved conservative president as he launched the first of his long-promised city-run grocery stores in the Bronx.

“Standing here this morning, I cannot help but think of the words of our 40th president, Ronald Reagan. He famously said the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help,’” he said. “It’s a good quote, but I disagree.”

Instead, Mamdani said, “I think nine more terrifying words are actually, ‘I worked all day and can’t feed my family.’”

He went on to promise, “We are going to use the power of government to lower prices and make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” adding, “When government understands its purpose as serving the very working people that it has left behind, time and again, it can make a difference in the most pressing struggles facing our city today.”

BISHOP BARRON SLAMS ‘BORDERLINE COMMUNISTS’ SANDERS, MAMDANI AHEAD OF TRUMP PRAYER EVENT: ‘ECONOMY THAT KILLS’

“It’s not just that government can help, it’s that government must help, and our government will help,” he continued.

Mamdani made his promise of opening affordable, government-run grocery stores throughout the city a central tenet of his campaign. He said on Monday that the first location, a 20,000-square-foot store in the Bronx, will open at some point in 2027.

This is the second of the five promised stores to be officially announced. Mamdani previously announced an East Harlem location for the city’s 9,000-square-foot Manhattan flagship store, but that location will be built from the ground up and is slated to open in 2029.

Mamdani said the Bronx location, along with the planned mixed-use development dubbed the “Peninsula,” “will serve as physical proof of our conviction that government can be a force for good, that government can drive change that improves people’s lives.”

SOCIALIST MAMDANI TOUTS GOVERNMENT-RUN GROCERY PLAN AS ‘GRAND EXPERIMENT’’ AT GROCERY NEW SITE

Though cheered by the crowd at his announcement, Mamdani’s dig at Reagan earned him scorn from conservatives online.

Conservative commentator Eric Daugherty posted on X: “What a FREAKING DISASTER! He REALLY thinks this will work.”

Daugherty accused the mayor of going “FULL DERANGED MARXIST,” telling New Yorkers to be “prepared for utter failure.”

Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet posted on X that Mamdani had “flipped Ronald Reagan’s warning upside down,” writing that “his answer is government-run grocery stores that will use taxpayer advantages to undercut private competition.”

Jennifer Harrison, founder of the Victims Rights Reform Council, pointed to ongoing public transportation woes in New York City amid widespread strikes, writing on X, “Bc everything government run, like the MTA, is working out so well for Nyers.”

DEM WHO WELCOMED SOCIALIST MAYOR’S ‘CHANGE’ NOW SOUNDING ALARM OVER BILLIONAIRE EXODUS: ‘GRAVELY CONCERNED’

Meanwhile, the official X account for the GOP simply reposted the clip, labeling Mamdani a “communist.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani for comment.

The Department of Justice charged a California woman with paying people — including homeless individuals on Los Angeles’ Skid Row — to register to vote while she worked as a paid ballot-petition signature collector, according to federal prosecutors.

“False registrations undermine Americans’ faith in elections – even more so when payoffs are involved,” assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a press release Monday. 

“This Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all U.S. elections are fair and free from illegal meddling – so that all Americans can accept the results with confidence,” Dhillon added.

MARYLAND BALLOT BLUNDER TRIGGERS GOP PUSH FOR FEDERAL REVIEW OF BLUE STATE’S VOTER ROLLS

Marina del Rey resident “Anika” Brenda Lee Armstrong, 64, solicited signatures for official ballot initiatives, including in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, often paying people between $2 and $3, according to DOJ. 

She was charged with one felony count of paying another person to register to vote and agreed to plead guilty, according to the DOJ. Armstrong made her initial court appearance Monday. 

CALIFORNIA WOMAN FACING FELONY CHARGES FOR REGISTERING HER DOG TO VOTE, CASTING 2 BALLOTS

Armstrong worked as a “petition circulator” for approximately 20 years, and would receive payment for each registered voter’s signature, according to her plea agreement.

The amount she was paid varied depending on the specific ballot initiative. Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ to clarify which initiatives and groups Armstrong was soliciting for and how much she was paid.

Many members of Skid Row’s homeless population were not registered to vote, so prosecutors said Armstrong brought voter registration forms with her and began offering payment to people to complete them.

Prosecutors said Armstrong sometimes provided homeless individuals with her former Los Angeles address to list on voter registration forms, which registered them to vote in both California and federal elections.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS LAUNCH VOTER ID BALLOT PUSH, NEED 875K SIGNATURES BY DEADLINE

California automatically sends vote-by-mail ballots to every registered voter, with prosecutors saying ballots in some individuals’ names could potentially have been sent to Armstrong’s former residence, where those individuals did not live or collect mail.

Armstrong was charged with a felony count of paring another person to register to vote in which she could face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

Investigative reporter James O’Keefe took a victory lap over the indictment, citing O’Keefe Media Group first captured footage of the alleged scheme on Skid Row.

Homeless people are eligible to register to vote so long as they have a location where mail can be received and “be properly assigned to a voting precinct,” according to the California Secretary of State.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of the California governor and state attorney general for additional comment on the matter on Monday.