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Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has posthumously awarded five Floridians, including singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett and former Republican and Democratic politicians, with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.”I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,” DeSantis said in a statement.”Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home,” he continued.

FIRST ON FOX: The Navy is taking bold steps to cut red tape and sharpen its focus on the fight. A new memo signed by Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan orders a 35% cut to civilian Public Affairs Officer (PAO) billets and moves all hiring and contracting decisions under tighter control.Leaders say the goal is to make the force leaner, faster and more disciplined while saving taxpayer money.

FIRST ON FOX: The national Tea Party’s “Only Citizens Vote” tour bus had its tires slashed last night during a stop in Phoenix as the group has been traveling across the country to support the SAVE Act. Pictures provided to Fox News Digital show the vandalism that took place Tuesday night ahead of the tour bus’ planned stops in Tuscon and Scottsdale. The bus is wrapped in decals promoting the Tea Party and election integrity.

Texas Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier abruptly left a call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic Party members after claiming she was told she was committing a felony by participating in the meeting from a state Capitol bathroom. Collier was speaking on a call with Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, Newsom and several others while the Texas House of Representatives was simultaneously debating a redistricting bill backed by President Donald Trump.

Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he respects California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for a redistricting plan to add more Democratic seats in the blue state. “I believe that Gov. Newsom’s approach is a responsible approach. He said this is going to be responsible. We’re not going to try to completely maximize it,” Obama said at a fundraiser Tuesday on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, according to excerpts obtained by The Associated Press.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is delaying the after-action report on the Palisades fire until the ongoing federal investigation into the cause has been completed.According to Bass, the delay is a result of the U.S. Attorney’s Office requesting that the L.A. city leaders temporarily postpone its release as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives continues its investigation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding detention centers with a new facility in southwest Nebraska and nicknaming it the “Cornhusker Clink.” As part of President Donald Trump’s push to add thousands of new beds nationwide for U.S.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is hosting his military counterparts from Germany, the U.K., France, Finland and Italy in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent Russian aggression, U.S. officials confirm to Fox News.The high-level talks come on the eve of a NATO Chiefs of Defense meeting, where all 32 allied military leaders are invited to convene virtually on Wednesday to coordinate next steps.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting effort is receiving pushback from Republicans in the state assembly who are accusing the Democrats of keeping them in the dark and of “disenfranchising Californians.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday that the entire southern border wall will be painted black as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to increase the effectiveness of the wall as a deterrent.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a major Democratic leader and rumored presidential candidate, signed a bill into law opening student financial aid to all residents, regardless of immigration status, opening a pathway for illegal immigrants residing in the state to receive educational financial benefits.The move was slammed by conservative Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., as rewarding illegal immigrants and a “slap in the face” to Illinois families and students.

President Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House, to begin coordinating next steps in the peace process aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

Following Texas Democratic lawmakers’ return on Monday after vacating the state for two weeks, President Donald Trump urged the state legislature to move quickly to pass a highly controversial redistricting bill, saying, “Please pass this Map, ASAP.

The illegal immigrant truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed three people in Florida was given a work permit under the Biden administration, officials said Monday. Harjinder Singh, who was arrested on Saturday in Stockton, California, on three counts of vehicle homicide, entered the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump administration on Sept.

EXCLUSIVE: Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel are bringing on Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as an additional deputy director of the bureau, Fox News Digital has learned.Bailey will serve as a co-deputy director, alongside Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Fox News Digital has learned.”I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bondi told Fox News Digital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed his arrival in Washington, D.C., on Sunday ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss an end to the war with Russia.”I have already arrived in Washington, tomorrow I am meeting with President Trump. Tomorrow we are also speaking with European leaders. I am grateful to @POTUS for the invitation. We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end the war with Russia “almost immediately” if he wanted. Trump’s comments come ahead of his scheduled meeting with Zelenskyy and several European leaders in Washington, D.C. on Monday.”President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Former FBI Director James Comey confessed in a strange video Sunday that Taylor Swift has been his family’s soundtrack — and a source of life advice on handling bullies.He also took swipes at President Donald Trump while bragging about a family “Swiftie” group chat and talking about how he blasts “Tay Tay” while mowing the lawn.

BROOKLYN, NY — Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Sunday that the fatal shooting in New York City hours earlier was the latest example of the “scourge of gun violence” in the country’s most populous city.New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that there were 12 victims, including three fatalities, in a suspected gang-related shooting at the Taste of the City Lounge in the borough’s Crown Heights section.

Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole, the federal government’s new designee to help run the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, vowed to let local cops “do their job again” to get rising crime under control.Cole was tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi after the Trump administration announced on Monday a major intervention to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital.

Gov. Kathy Hochul rejected socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan for taxpayer-funded supermarkets, telling a Hamptons crowd, “I favor free enterprise,” according to the New York Post.Hochul delivered the line Saturday at a business breakfast hosted by billionaire supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis, drawing applause from attendees.

Jonathan Bush, cousin of former President George W. Bush, is signaling a possible run for Maine governor, blasting what he calls the state’s “learned helplessness” and outlining a policy vision to revive the “Maine Dream.” Bush’s message, published through his nonprofit, Maine for Keeps, offers a preview of how he could frame his pitch to voters.The Bangor Daily News reported that former President Bush and former Florida Gov.

Though the move by the Trump administration this week to federalize the nation’s capital in the name of public safety has drawn controversy, previous comments by the president show the bold action was a direct campaign promise.Hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents were deployed to deter crime and “beautify” the city after President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police Department on Monday.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on violent crime in Washington, D.C., has already netted more than 240 arrests and taken 38 guns off the streets, a White House official told Fox News.The show of force has swept up gang members, robbery suspects and immigration violators. On Friday alone, 52 people were arrested, including 28 illegal immigrants, while three guns were seized.

EXCLUSIVE: First Lady Melania Trump wrote a “peace letter” to Russian President Vladimir Putin telling him “it is time” to protect children and future generations around the globe, Fox News Digital has learned.Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the “peace letter” the first lady penned to Putin, which  President Trump hand-delivered to the Russian leader before their summit in Alaska, Fox News Digital has learned.