Contributing Writers

Another Democrat has dropped out of California’s crowded gubernatorial race as the primary election approaches in roughly six weeks.Former state Controller Betty Yee, of San Francisco, announced her withdrawal Monday after polling showed she had failed to break into the top tier of candidates, according to The Associated Press (AP).Her exit comes just a week after embattled former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell also withdrew from the race amid multiple serious sexual misconduct allegations.

Virginians for Fair Elections, a main group fighting to get Virginia voters to approve a ballot referendum that will allow the state to redraw its congressional maps, has been pumped with millions in cash from a web of George Soros-backed dark money groups and top Democratic Party officials.

Ahead of a special election on Tuesday, Virginia Republicans blasted a proposed constitutional amendment in their state that could soon cost them their congressional seats, calling the effort the most “unfair” of a string of redrawn maps across the country.Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., believes it’s a sentiment shared by voters.”I was with a group of Virginia Watermen this morning from across the state and they’re [feeling] the same way.

The matter of American hostages wrongfully detained in Iran could be resolved during negotiations between Tehran and Washington as both sides navigate a fragile ceasefire amid attempts to end the conflict, one expert said.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., delivered a high-energy, revival sermon-style speech at the Michigan Democratic Convention, shouting and gesturing as he urged Democrats to become “foot soldiers for democracy” and warned that “darkness and wind” are sweeping the nation.Booker was one of several out-of-state leaders, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, to participate in the Michigan Democratic Convention.

As the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day celebration, a decades-long California Fourth of July fireworks tradition that has raised millions for local children’s programs is going dark this year after the California Coastal Commission rejected a final effort to keep it alive, citing environmental concerns to protect the bay.

The Justice Department is turning to former Trump attorney Joeseph diGenova to spearhead a probe into ex-CIA Director John Brennan and others over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, as the department reshuffles leadership of the sprawling inquiry.Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has tapped diGenova to serve as counsel overseeing the matter, according to a New York Times report, putting a former Trump attorney in a key role in the high-profile probe.

President Donald Trump is giving peace – and war – a chance after alleged ceasefire violations, he told Fox News on Sunday morning.”If the deal isn’t done, the deal that we made, then I’m going to take out their bridges and their power plants,” Trump said as he fired off another warning to repeat his threat to end “civilization” in Iran.  “If they don’t sign this thing, the whole country is going to get blown up.

Vice President JD Vance said Saturday he was “grateful” after Pope Leo XIV sought to ease tensions with President Donald Trump and indicated he had no interest in engaging in a public dispute.The pontiff said earlier Saturday that coverage of remarks he made during a recent trip to Africa had created “a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects.

Former President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met for the first time Saturday to read and sing with children at a Bronx childcare center, and to discuss the mayor’s vision for the city.Video showed the two leaders laughing, reading children’s books and performing their rendition of “Wheels on the Bus” at the Learning Through Play Pre-K Center in the South Bronx.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the Trump administration is sanctioning a senior Nicaraguan official over alleged human rights violations.Rubio said the U.S. is designating Vice Minister of the Interior Luis Roberto Cañas Novoa for his role in “gross violations of human rights” under the government of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, the latest effort to hold the regime accountable.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz slammed President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at a conference for progressives in Spain on Saturday, accusing Trump of being a “feeble-minded, trigger-happy president” who has “no exit plan” for the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she is not a millionaire and blamed a major accounting error after a congressional financial disclosure listing her assets as high as $30 million drew scrutiny from Republicans and a congressional watchdog.An amended filing reviewed by The Wall Street Journal shows Omar and her husband’s assets were between $18,004 and $95,000, a sharp drop from an earlier disclosure that estimated their holdings between $6 million and $30 million.

The U.S. Navy released photos Saturday of “fresh meals” being served onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli as it pushed back against claims of food shortages on Middle East warships. Images have emerged purportedly showing meager meals being served to sailors during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, but the claims are being rejected at the highest levels of the Pentagon, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth blasting them as “fake news.

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will read from 2 Chronicles 7 during a nationwide Bible-reading event this week, a passage organizers say was deliberately reserved for the president because of its decades-long role as a call to prayer in America.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended comments about President Donald Trump’s mental health following a tense exchange during a congressional hearing.During Friday’s hearing, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) addressed Trump’s recent social media posts, pointing to an AI-generated image that critics said depicted him as Jesus Christ and his criticism of Pope Leo as evidence he is mentally unwell.

Gold Star father Darin Hoover says a new Pentagon review of the deadly Abbey Gate bombing finally feels different after years of what he described as “crickets” from the Biden administration — but he is still asking whether critical information was deliberately kept from military families and the public.Hoover, whose son, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover, was among the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Aug.

President Donald Trump said the first releases from a Pentagon study on UFOs will come out “very, very soon.”Speaking at a rally at Dream City Church in north Phoenix on Friday night hosted by Turning Point USA and Turning Action, Trump told the audience it seemed like the right crowd to hear about the study because Arizonans are “really into that.

The Trump administration on Thursday announced a “significant expansion” of its ​visa restriction policy in ⁠the Western Hemisphere, targeting people working on behalf of U.S. adversaries.In its announcement, the State Department said the expanded policy allows it to restrict U.S. visas for people intentionally acting on behalf of adversarial countries to “undermine America’s interests.

Rev. Franklin Graham defended President Donald Trump in a statement shared Thursday on Truth Social after backlash over an image critics said depicted Trump as Jesus Christ.The statement was released Thursday by Graham and shared by the president as a signed letter.”I do not believe President Trump would knowingly depict himself as Jesus Christ — that would certainly be inappropriate,” Graham wrote.

Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons submitted his resignation letter to Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin Thursday, writing that he will stay on through May 31 to assist the transition process, Fox News has confirmed.

Republicans fell far short in their bid to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.Democrat Analilia Mejia, who was backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, convincingly defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a resolution declaring June Nuclear Family Month as an alternative to the usual LGBTQ+ Pride Month.Lee, a Republican, signed House Joint Resolution 182 April 9 after it passed the House in April 2025 and the Senate last month.The legislation highlights the importance of celebrating the traditional family unit, described as “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani celebrated a proposal to tax luxury second homes owned by the ultra-wealthy, a plan expected to generate at least $500 million annually.Earlier in the day, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more, allowing the city to impose an annual surcharge on ultra-wealthy nonresidents.The proposal is projected to generate at least $500 million annually, according to Hochul.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said Wednesday she regretted “hurtful” remarks about a colleague, apologizing in a court-issued statement after seemingly taking aim at Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s perspective on immigration enforcement.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s tariffs could be restored as early as July, signaling a rapid pivot by the Trump administration after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s IEEPA-based tariffs earlier this year, forcing the administration to turn to other trade authorities.”We had a setback at the Supreme Court in terms of the tariff policy,” Bessent said Tuesday at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal.

First lady Melania Trump delivered a plea to lawmakers on Wednesday, demanding “action over awareness” to secure the futures of America’s foster children by turning her recent executive action into permanent law.During a bipartisan congressional committee meeting, Trump outlined her vision to transform vulnerable youth into financially independent business owners, explaining the American dream should be “their birthright.