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Biden seeks to block DOJ release of 2017 audio, court filing says
President Joe Biden's lawyers are expected to object to the Justice Department's release of redacted written transcripts and audio recordings of Biden's 2017 interactions with his book ghostwriter, according to a new court filing.
"President Biden, through counsel, has advised the Department that he intends to seek to intervene to prevent any such disclosures," Assistant Attorney General Civil Division Brett Shumate wrote in a filing from a Freedom of Information Act request from the Heritage Foundation's Mike Howell. "The Department does not oppose intervention."
There is a Tuesday deadline for Biden's lawyers to respond to the DOJ's release for a response to Howell's FOIA request, which would come shortly after Tuesday if there was no objection.
Shumate noted the release of 70 hours of redacted recordings would be delayed until June 15 if Biden objects before the deadline.
BIDEN INTERVIEW AUDIO REVEALS WHO BROUGHT UP BEAU'S DEATH — AND IT WASN'T HUR
"Defendant intends to disclose the written transcript and audio recordings at issue in this matter, with redactions, to Congress, pursuant to a request from the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, as well as to Plaintiffs," the filing in Howell's FOIA lawsuit with the DOJ read.
The interactions came between Biden and his ghostwriter for the 2017 book: "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose." The audio and transcript were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents after the Obama administration ended, which included storing them in his garage and at the Penn Biden Center.
"President Biden cooperated fully with special counsel Hur, and agreed to provide audiotapes of conversations with his biographer for a book about his deceased son on the condition that they would not be made public," Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo told Politico in a statement Sunday. "The DOJ themselves have said these tapes serve no public interest.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS RELEASE OF JACK SMITH REPORT'S SECOND VOLUME
"What’s happening now isn’t about transparency. It’s about politics," Ducklo continued. "If this Administration were genuinely committed to transparency, they would release Volume 2 of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s own alleged mishandling of classified documents. That report contains information Americans actually deserve to see."
Fox News reached out to Ducklo for independent confirmation on this report and has not yet heard back.
The FOIA requester remains in pursuit of the documents.
CONSERVATIVES REACT TO LEAKED BIDEN AUDIO ON SOCIAL MEDIA: 'THIS IS PAINFUL'
"These tapes will further prove the massive lie regarding Biden’s fitness for office and the fact Biden revealed classified information," Howell, president of Heritage's Oversight Project, told Politico. "The shenanigans aren’t over: At the last possible second, and after every delay tactic possible, the autopen is objecting to the American People receiving transparency. "
Hur concluded his investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents, noting longstanding DOJ policy of not indicting a sitting president and saying a jury would be sympathetic to the oldest sitting American president, 82, because he was a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
"It appears that after lengthy negotiation covering several months — at no point seeking to intervene into this case on a timely basis — President Biden has changed position and now seeks to even enjoin release of the portions of transcripts that match exact phrases quoted in the Hur Report," Shumate's filing Friday read.
GREGG JARRETT: BIDEN, THE ‘MARIONETTE PRESIDENT; AND THE CASE OF THE RUNAWAY AUTOPEN
"The potential intervention by former President Biden and the new development of a discretionary release to the House Judiciary Committee in response to their March 23, 2026 letter, raises a number of issues":
"As Plaintiffs understand the matter, President Biden would need an order barring release in this case and an order enjoining the Department from producing to the House Judiciary Committee all by June 15, 2026."
The DOJ also accuses Biden's lawyers of slow-walking responses and rejecting deadlines.
BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AIDES FACE OVERSIGHT DEADLINE AMID THREAT OF SUBPOENAS
"President Biden’s lead counsel was unable to provide any information about President Biden’s submissions arguing that such discussion was somehow premature (whereas, in reality it is 16 months late) and incredibly indicating that despite the June 15, 2026 production date, the motion to intervene would not be filed until mid-next week and that President Biden would seek up to three days after a ruling granting a motion to intervene to submit a proposed schedule for substantive relief," the filing read.
"That is no way to conduct litigation and smacks of kicking the can down the road to justify delaying the June 15, 2026 production by some form of administrative injunction."
The DOJ issued a new warning of Tuesday's deadline, regardless.
READ THE COURT FILING – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:
"The public deserves to hear the tapes and read the transcripts as redacted by President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Justice," Shumate's filing concluded. "Plaintiffs regret that they are currently unable to assist the Court in this process due to the repeated failure of counsel for President Biden to engage with Plaintiffs on this matter, putting off even initial substantive conversations until next week."
Fetterman says Democrats have become ‘anti-men,’ warns of young male voter exodus
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said Democrats alienated young male voters by increasingly portraying men as "part of the problem" during a wide-ranging discussion with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Donna Brazile about masculinity, parenting and the Democratic Party's struggles with working-class men.
"Well, without a doubt, though you know there's part of the Democratic Party became more and more anti-men or describing that they were part of the problem, or they have toxic traits," Fetterman said during the discussion on "Real Time with Bill Maher."
"And that's why there's been such a big, big migration away from the Democratic Party from young men, and that's that's really why, one of the parts why we lost in 2024."
The conversation began after host Bill Maher asked Fetterman about a statistic showing men are nearly twice as likely as women to still live with their parents in the current economy.
"We've lost the vote," Fetterman later said while discussing traditional union workers and male voters. "You talk to any of the traditional union members that are men. You know, they — we've lost them a long time ago."
Fetterman argued Democrats cannot rebuild support among male voters by blaming them for broader societal problems.
"Now if you identify anyone as the problem or blame them for some things, then you're going to lose," Fetterman said.
FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CALLS OUT PARTY FOR ALIENATING VOTERS BY 'HECTORING AND LECTURING' THEM
Brazile acknowledged concerns about young men struggling socially and economically, but argued women historically faced many of the same barriers.
"Look, I've been a part-time college professor for 33 years. There is something going on with young men in our country," Brazile said. "They are reticent, many of them are holding back, and we need to address that."
"I think they don't know their place anymore and that's something that men need to decide and discuss, but as a woman for years, decades, centuries, women had to be overconfident just to appear qualified."
HOW FEMINISM HIJACKED THE CONVERSATION ON MASCULINITY
Brazile rejected the idea that women were responsible for young men's frustrations.
"I don't want men to think that the reason why young men are suffering is because some woman," Brazile said. "Young men are dealing with what young women had to deal with centuries ago."
Crenshaw argued cultural and parenting differences also contribute to the divide between political groups and attitudes toward masculinity.
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"I'm not a fan of gentle parenting," Crenshaw said while discussing discipline and household expectations. "It seems to be more acceptable to say that in the Black community than the White community to be able to say, ‘Yes, my parents whooped me.’"
Fetterman said Democrats have been losing working-class male voters for years, dating back to President Donald Trump’s rise in 2016.
"I've witnessed that migration away from the Democratic Party starting back in 2016," Fetterman said. "We really have to find a way to bring them back and make better arguments without blaming them or describing they are the problem."
CBS host gives Dem rep brutal reality check on DHS shutdown: 'You lost that fight'
CBS "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan challenged Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu on the party's midterm election messaging, saying Democrats "lost" the fight over the record-setting Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
"OK, so you still believe that Democrats can retake the House?" Brennan asked Lieu, who represents California's 36th Congressional District. "What is your main message?"
"The American people voted in Donald Trump because they wanted lower costs and he lied to them," Lieu replied. "We have surging inflation, skyrocketing gas prices. The Trump tariffs have raised costs across many products across America. People are drowning in debt and in bills, and Democrats are going to reduce health care costs, lower costs across the board, reduce your energy costs. That's the message we're—"
"How are you going to do that?" Brennan interjected. "Democrats shut down the government to have an argument over health care, and they didn't get any policy concessions, and premiums went up. You lost that fight."
DEMOCRATS STRUGGLE FOR COHESIVE MESSAGING STRATEGY AMID SHUTDOWN STANDOFF
Lieu responded that the House passed an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for three years and urged the Senate to also pass that legislation.
Lieu added that "when we get control, we're going to reverse the massive Medicaid cuts, the Medicare cuts and the cuts to ACA that Trump and Republicans put in last year."
TRUMP ENDS DHS' MONTHS-LONG NIGHTMARE THAT LEFT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT WITHOUT FUNDING
The DHS shutdown began Feb. 14. On April 30, President Donald Trump signed a bill funding much of the agency, ending a record-setting 75-day funding lapse.
Notably, however, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will remain unfunded under the current legislation.
Chipper Jones calls Bobby Cox 'a second father' in emotional tribute after Hall of Fame manager's death
The death of legendary Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox hit hard across the baseball world this weekend, but nobody summed up his impact better than longtime Braves star Chipper Jones.
Jones, who spent nearly his entire MLB career playing under Cox in Atlanta, shared an emotional tribute on X after learning of the Hall of Fame skipper’s death at age 84.
"I can’t stay quiet in this time of loss," Jones wrote. "I’m struggling to tell all what Bobby Cox meant to me and so many others in Braves Country."
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Jones went on to call Cox "the leader of men and a second father to so many Atlanta Braves [through the years]."
The two were connected for virtually Jones’ entire baseball life. Cox selected Jones with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft and managed him from his 1993 debut through the end of Cox’s managerial career in 2010. Under Cox, the Braves became one of baseball’s defining dynasties — winning 14 consecutive division titles, five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series.
Jones credited Cox not only for changing the Braves franchise, but for shaping his entire career.
"He’s probably the number one reason I played my entire career for the Braves," Jones said. "He gave me the opportunity to play baseball by drafting me."
Even in the midst of grieving, Jones found himself hearing Cox’s voice while watching his sons play baseball on the day of the legendary manager’s passing.
"I can’t help but shout the same things he did from the corner of the dugout," Jones wrote. "‘Come on kid, [you] got this!’"
CHIPPER JONES RESPONDS TO CLAIM PITTING BRIAN SNITKER AGAINST LEGENDARY BRAVES MANAGER BOBBY COX
And in true baseball-guy fashion, Jones joked that Cox may have still been pulling strings from above.
"My boys won both of their games," Jones added. "Bobby had a hand, I have no doubt!"
But Jones wasn’t the only Braves legend reflecting on Cox’s impact.
Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine remembered Cox’s unmatched passion and loyalty to his players.
"The minute he came down in that dugout, in full uniform with his spikes on and ready to go, there was just a passion to win the game and fight for every inch of advantage he could get for his players," Glavine said.
John Smoltz credited Cox for changing the course of his career entirely.
"He gave you confidence when you didn't have it yourself," Smoltz said. "I'm not a Hall of Famer without him."
Meanwhile, fellow Braves star Andruw Jones echoed Chipper’s sentiment that Cox became an additional father figure to so many players.
"Bobby meant everything to me in my baseball career," Andruw Jones said. "I’ve said this before, he was like my second dad."
That theme keeps surfacing over and over in the aftermath of Cox’s death. Not just respect for one of baseball’s greatest managers — but genuine love for the man who helped build the Braves into a powerhouse and treated generations of players like family.
'Free beer' for Trump death Dem activist running for Wisconsin gov: 'I will win' if they silence me
Kirk Bangstad, the controversial Wisconsin brewery owner who seemed to offer free beer on Facebook for the assassination of President Donald Trump, is currently seeking the requisite 2,000 signatures for his burgeoning campaign for governor, warning his party he will win the primary if they try to silence him.
"I will win the primary if they don't let me speak: I guarantee you that," Bangstad told WISN 12 News this week when asked about speaking at the state Democratic convention.
Bangstad, the owner of Minocqua Brewing Company (MBC), launched his campaign for Wisconsin governor after drawing national scrutiny for a social media post that appeared on the brewery's Facebook page after an alleged assassination attempt against Trump at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
"Well, we almost got #freebeerday," the April 12 post read just minutes after the WHCA Dinner security event. "Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle. We’ll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens."
WISCONSIN DEM'S BAR LAMENTS 'WE ALMOST GOT FREE BEER DAY' FOR TRUMP ASSASSINATION
The news spread so far on social media and in the news that it drew a visit from the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI days later, but Bangstad contends it was merely satirical commentary and not a dog whistle for political violence from leftist radicals like the past three Trump assassination attempts.
"It was satire," he told WISN 12. "I meant it as satire. I've said that all along and it was taken out of context in order to create a feeding frenzy by the media, which it did, and allow Republicans to paint Democrats as politically violent."
There has been caution from Democrats about Bangstad's rhetoric for weeks, but it has not stopped him, and he acknowledged it led to his jumping into the gubernatorial race after the federal law enforcement visit, and even has proven lucrative for fundraising, if not his brewery business.
"Remember there was another half of that post that said, 'or Donald Trump is trying to fake an assassination attempt to get a better news cycle," Bangstad told WISN 12. "The first part was satire that was trying to set off the second part."
Bangstad said he resurfaced his "free beer day" MBC business campaign because "the assassination attempt seemed staged," acknowledging it has allowed him to gain "name recognition."
Bangstad pointed to his "250,000 followers on Facebook" and "170,000 subscribers to our Substack page."
"Most of those people are progressives and a lot of those are progressives who live in Wisconsin, so I would think I have the best name recognition in the state of Wisconsin right now," Bangstad continued.
"The Democratic Party who has a terrible approval rating across the country and in Wisconsin can say all they want to about me. I'm a true Democrat, a true progressive Democrat, and I have more name recognition than everybody in this race save for probably Mandela Barnes."
DEM LAWMAKER SPARKS ONLINE OUTRAGE FOR BLAMING TRUMP'S LOW APPROVAL FOR WHCA DINNER SHOOTING
If he was blocked from speaking at the June 13-14 Wisconsin Democratic convention at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, Bangstad vowed, "I'd speak anyway; I'd speak outside the front door."
"And if they try to not let me speak, they're going to put me in office," Bangstad said. "Let's be honest.
"If they restrict my speech as a fellow Democrat, they are going to do so much harm to their appearance, and they're going to do so much harm to other candidates, I will win the primary if they don't let me speak. I guarantee you that."
Bangstad said he has not "gotten that far" on whether he will attend the Democratic convention in June.
MANDELA BARNES JUMPS INTO WISCONSIN GOVERNOR RACE — BUT BAGGAGE FROM HIS 2022 SENATE BID FOLLOWS
"I've got to get my 2,000 signatures by June 1 – obviously, I'm in the race really late; we've got a month to get 2,000 signatures," he said.
"I will of course attend the Democratic convention, I'm a Democrat. I want to drag the Democratic Party kicking and screaming to a realistic place that's not owned by big money, and that's what I plan to do.
"And I think I can get there in Wisconsin."
FORMER NAVY SEAL AND 'POLITICAL OUTSIDER' ANNOUNCES GOP CAMPAIGN FOR WISCONSIN GOVERNOR
The Wisconsin primary is Aug. 11, but getting the signatures and his name out there is a first priority, according to Bangstad, admitting the campaign as "raised a ton of money so far" while demurring on exactly how much.
"I've got oodles of money in Facebook followers, in Substack followers, the equivalent of that in my being able to reach people and give them my message," he said.
Bangstad’s small brewery has long leaned into liberal politics, selling progressive-themed merchandise and promoting itself through anti-Trump messaging and shirts reading, "I wish it was free beer day."
PATTERN OF LEFTIST VIOLENCE GROWS AS TRUMP NEARS 10 MONTHS IN OFFICE
The controversy escalated after the April 25 security scare at the WHCA Dinner in Washington, D.C., where authorities say Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, attempted to storm a Secret Service checkpoint with a loaded shotgun and other weapons. Allen was ordered held without bail, facing life in prison for attempted assassination of the president and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.
After the brewery’s post, the FBI and Secret Service confirmed they followed up on the matter and conducted a voluntary interview with Bangstad.
"The U.S. Secret Service follows up on perceived threats against the President of the United States or any one of our protectees," the agencies said in a joint statement to Fox News. "The FBI and Secret Service together followed up on information received and conducted further investigative steps, which included a voluntary interview with the individual. This is an ongoing matter and we do not have further comment."
Bangstad livestreamed part of the encounter with two suited men who questioned him about whether he knew anyone who wanted to harm Trump or supported anyone who wanted to harm the president. The brewery also posted what it said was a transcription of a voicemail from a person Bangstad identified as a Secret Service agent and urged supporters to call the number.
Bangstad, a former Democrat candidate for Wisconsin’s 34th Assembly District, lost his 2020 general election bid. He also founded the Minocqua Brewing Company super PAC, which has targeted Trump and Republicans, and previously sued to keep Trump off Wisconsin’s 2024 ballot.
The latest controversy also put pressure on other Wisconsin Democrats who have past ties to Bangstad.
Trump-backed House candidate Michael Alfonso accused Democrats of trying to avoid the issue, pointing to Bangstad’s connections to Democrats in the state.
"This brewery is owned by a man named Kirk Bangstad, and he’s not just some random crazy guy," Alfonso wrote on X. "Kirk is friends with current Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong. He previously employed Rebecca Cooke, the Democrat currently running against Derrick Van Orden, and was himself the Democratic nominee against my father-in-law, Sean Duffy, in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District—where I am now running for office."
Cooke’s campaign denounced political violence but did not mention Bangstad by name in its response to Fox News.
"This rhetoric is dangerous and unacceptable – showcasing just how broken our political system is," Cooke said through her campaign manager. "I denounce all forms of political violence.
"We need to bring the temperature down, stop pitting working folks against each other, and come together to solve the very serious problems facing our communities."
DISNEY UNDER FIRE AS ABC GRAPPLES WITH ANOTHER JIMMY KIMMEL CONTROVERSY
The National Republican Congressional Committee said Cooke’s response was insufficient and called on her to directly name her former employer.
"Rebecca Cooke needs to stop hiding and immediately denounce her former employer, Kirk Bangstad’s dangerous and unhinged comments," NRCC spokesman Zach Bannon told Fox News. "Cooke's previous employment by Bangstad makes her silence even more unacceptable. Voters deserve to know whether she stands with Wisconsinites who reject this rhetoric or with the same extremist voices pushing it."
Hong also responded in a series of X posts after Fox News Digital reached out, condemning the normalization of political violence but not naming Bangstad. When asked specifically about the brewery or owner, Hong campaign manager Becky Cooper pointed back to the posts.
"That would fall under the ‘becoming numb’ portion," Cooper told Fox News, declining to denounce Bangstad by name. "MBC’s tweet is intentionally inflammatory and a symptom of the normalization of political violence."
LIBERAL WISCONSIN BREWING COMPANY PROMISES 'FREE BEER, ALL DAY LONG' AFTER TRUMP DIES
Wisconsin Republicans and national GOP figures have seized on the episode as evidence of overheated rhetoric on the left.
"Wisconsin Democrats are so sick in the head that an attempted murder is funny to them," RNC spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News. "All Wisconsin Democrats, including Rebecca Cooke, must immediately condemn this disgusting behavior."
Bangstad has also drawn scrutiny outside his anti-Trump messaging. Wisconsin Public Radio reported last year that he had been charged in a harassment case tied to a dispute with a local newspaper publisher.
"We only give comments to legitimate news organizations, not state propaganda agencies," Bangstad told Fox News Digital after a request for comment about the Secret Service and FBI visit. "However, maybe one of our customers might want to respond to your question."
Fox News reached out to Bangstad for further comment Sunday and has not yet heard back.
Fox News has also reached out to the campaigns for Hong, Cooke and Barnes, along with the Wisconsin Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee.
Fox News' Peter D'Abrosca contributed to this report.
Completely unknown golfer Yurav Premlall comes out of nowhere to win DP World Tour event by 14 shots
A week ago, DP World Tour golfer Yurav Premlall missed the cut in the Turkish Airlines Open by nine shots. Fast-forward to this Sunday, and his performance looks very different as the South African stunned the golf world with a 14-shot win at the Catalunya Championship.
Golf is a fickle game, but the performance the 22-year-old put together in Spain for his maiden victory on the European circuit is stunning on every level imaginable. We're talking about a player who began the week without a top-30 finish in eight starts this season turning around and finishing just one off the all-time biggest margin of victory set by Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open.
Premlall, who entered the event ranked No. 598 in the Official World Golf Ranking, began the week with a 2-under round of 70 on Thursday. More than respectable given he had missed four out of eight cuts this season, but it still left him six shots back with 54 holes to play.
Then came Friday, when it appears Premlall woke up a completely new man.
He carded a second round score of 64, which he then followed with a 63 on Saturday to enter Sunday's final round five shots clear of the chasing pack.
Any player, especially one who has yet to find the winner's circle, would sign up for a five-shot cushion with 18 holes to play. Still, it's also a unique spot that most players have never experienced at the professional level. So while many would have expected Premlall to take at least a half-step back and make things somewhat interesting on Sunday, that simply did not happen.
The South African made birdie on six of his opening nine holes, picked up another four birdies down the stretch, and managed to post his second consecutive round of 63 to secure the insanely impressive 14-shot victory at 28-under par.
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"No words," Premlall said after securing victory. "I’ve worked so hard to get into this position and it’s so rewarding to finally see the results of it. I mean, the last eight, nine months have been such a struggle just to build myself onto a platform where I know I could give myself a chance to win and to end up obviously in this position. I’m just so grateful so it’s a dream come true."
With his back-to-back rounds of 9-under across the weekend, Premlall could have theoretically skipped the first two rounds of the tournament and still won by four shots.
Fellow South African Shaun Norris finished in solo second.
White House economist projects GDP growth could top 5% amid capital spending boom
A top Trump economic advisor is projecting a surge in U.S. growth, saying the country could see GDP expansion greater than even 6% amid a capital spending boom, particularly if the conflict in Iran ends soon.
"I think we really could be looking at numbers north of four, north of five, north of even six [percent], because there’s so much capital stock growth right now," National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told "Sunday Morning Futures."
Hassett elaborated on the acceleration in capital spending, noting that investment jumped 3.3% in March alone, not at an annualized rate.
"So multiply that by 12, and you're looking at historic capital spending numbers," he added, arguing that the surge is being driven by the Trump administration’s tax policies and onshoring efforts.
‘PERCEPTION VS. REALITY’: TRUMP’S ECONOMY PICKS UP SPEED — BUT VOTERS AREN’T BUYING IT YET
He said the surge in investment is laying the foundation for a sustained period of stronger economic growth once new factories and infrastructure come online.
"Remember that the 2% number that you saw for GDP growth, the reason why it was 2% and not 4 or 5% was that we imported a record number of capital goods because we're building all these factories," he said.
"Once we turn those factories on, you're going to really see growth unlike anything we've seen before."
BESSENT SAYS ‘MORE AND MORE’ SHIPS MOVING THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ, COULD EASE OIL PRICE PRESSURE
Hassett also pointed to the pace of capital stock growth.
"That's sort of like how much stuff that we make stuff with," he explained.
"It's between 5 and 8 percent right now. If you divide that by three, that's about how much GDP growth you get out of just capital spending."
Hassett also discussed the potential for gas prices to fall in the near future, pointing to increased supply once oil shipments begin moving more freely through the Strait of Hormuz.
"That's going to help put prices down relatively quickly," he said.
"Now, there's a little bit of a time lag from that. We've got to get the boats to move from the Persian Gulf to especially Asia, where jet fuel prices are so high, and that can take a month or two but once, basically the gusher opens, then we expect that oil prices could drop relatively quickly and certainly ahead of the election."
Virginia Democrats’ $70M redistricting gamble backfires after court defeat, ignites blame game
Virginia Democrats’ redistricting push was meant to lock in an advantage. Instead, it’s unraveling after a costly court defeat—triggering a growing blame game inside the party.
The high-stakes effort to redraw congressional maps, backed by tens of millions of dollars and significant political capital, briefly delivered a narrow on-paper win. But in a 4–3 ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the maps, citing legal deficiencies, and forced a redraw—wiping out those gains.
Democrats are left arguing over whether party leaders ignored legal warnings and pushed a strategy that was always at risk of collapsing.
DAVID MARCUS: VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS STEP ON A $70M RAKE AND NOW THEY’RE CRYING
In hindsight, critics say the outcome was avoidable. Republicans had urged an earlier court review before votes were cast and money spent, a step they argued could have clarified the maps’ legality.
Democrats pressed ahead anyway, betting the strategy would hold.
"Violating the Virginia Constitution and bypassing the rule of law to further one’s own political power is wrong," Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said in a statement to The Hill. "Had [Democratic Gov.] Abigail Spanberger and the rest of Virginia’s Democrats succeeded, they would have caused irreparable harm to our democracy and disenfranchised millions of Virginians."
Allies of Spanberger say legal concerns were raised early and not fully heeded, pointing to state lawmakers for pushing forward. Lawmakers and other Democrats counter that litigation was inevitable and the maps were defensible.
DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA
The dispute reflects a broader divide within the party over how aggressively to pursue redistricting. Some Democrats argue such efforts are necessary to counter Republican-led maps nationwide.
"I feel like the system is fundamentally broken, but let’s be clear. Republicans began the redistricting arms race," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital in an earlier interview. "And so Democrats are left with no choice but to level the playing field for the sake of democracy."
"Look, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t have political gerrymandering," Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, added. "But because we don’t live in that world, we’ve got to fight fire with fire."
Others, however, are more blunt in assigning blame.
"I put this all on Democrats," Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, said, arguing the party failed to respond forcefully to earlier GOP redistricting efforts and is now facing the consequences.
The fallout is landing at a difficult moment.
A federal raid on May 6 on the office of a powerful state senator has added to a sense of instability, while former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder has suggested the turmoil could give Spanberger an opening to reset and impose discipline on a still-fractured political operation.
The episode underscores the growing role of courts in redistricting fights—and the risks of pushing legal boundaries in a high-stakes environment, with potential implications for control of Virginia’s congressional delegation.
In retrospect, even with the narrow 4–3 decision, it’s a steep price: roughly $70 million and much of Spanberger’s political capital spent on a campaign that won the battle but lost the war.
Democrats are left to sort out not just what went wrong—but who’s responsible.
Fox News Digital's Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
Trump unhappy about NFL streaming costs for fans as government probes league's antitrust exemption
President Donald Trump has chimed in on the NFL's fight to retain its antitrust exemption amid probes by the FCC and Justice Department that could seriously affect the league's business model if it loses its exemption.
At the center of the issue is whether the NFL's shift of games onto Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Peacock has become too expensive for average fans to access, which in turn could be a violation of the Sports Broadcasting Act and the antitrust exemption the act grants the league.
In a wide-ranging interview involving other subjects on the president's plate, reporter Sharyl Attkisson asked if the NFL is "price gouging" and whether the administration is going to do anything about it.
"It's tough," Trump replied. "You got people that love football. They're great people, they don't make enough money to go and pay this. It's tough. And [the NFL] could be killing the golden goose, I mean to have that stupid kickoff thing that you can't watch, it's unwatchable. I hate the games where they, you know, they have the new phony kickoff. I don't think it's any safer. I hope college football doesn't do that."
TRUMP SAYS NFL'S NEW KICKOFF RULE 'ACTUALLY MAKES FOOTBALL MORE DANGEROUS'
Got it, the president is not a fan of the NFL's so-called dynamic kickoff that the league says has lowered the number of head injuries in its games.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand -- the NFL's growing relationship with streaming services and the cost of adding those for fans.
"...They have to be careful because others have tried this and all of a sudden you don't have a sport anymore," Trump said. "Probably will."
Did the president just say his administration will step in?
"It's something, there's something very sad when they take football away from many, many people, very sad. I don't like it," Trump said.
Again, is the government stepping in?
NFL PUSHES DEEPER INTO STREAMING AS NETFLIX LANDS AUSTRALIA GAME AMID FCC, DOJ SCRUTINY
"I don't know," Trump said. "I don't, but I don't like it. I don't like it. They're making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less ... You've got people that live for Sunday. They live, they can't think about anything else, and then all of a sudden they're going to have to pay $1,000 a game?
"It's crazy, so, I'm not happy about it."
For the record, no one pays $1,000 to watch an NFL game on a streaming service. But the cost of adding the multiple streaming platforms the NFL is now doing business with, plus the cost of cable or satellite service to have all games available on a given game day, could easily eclipse $1,000 per season.
And while that is potentially a lower cost than, say, a family of four actually attending a game once one figures in tickets, parking and concession purchases of food and beverages, that's not the point.
The point is the NFL enjoys a government-provided antitrust exemption that has become the cornerstone of its business model.
That exemption passed by Congress in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy allows the NFL to negotiate massive league-wide broadcast deals with networks.
NFL MOUNTS A BLITZ AT FCC TO PROTECT ITS BUSINESS MODEL
And that has benefited the league in ways Major League Baseball and other leagues have not because those broadcast rights are typically the highest in American sports and the NFL shares those revenues evenly among its teams.
So there are no poor teams competing with rich teams. And that makes the NFL more competitive to the point smaller-market teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs can author a dynasty with multiple Super Bowl wins even as big-market teams such as the New York Jets or New York Giants aren't automatically good simply because they have more money to spend.
At issue is that the Sports Broadcasting Act only covers over-the-air television and not the relatively new streaming services that are expensive for some consumers.
So the government probes by the FCC and DOJ are questioning whether the 1961 act is being violated by 2020s-era broadcasting rights to pay streaming services.
So, while the NFL's business model depends on centralized control of its media rights allowed under the antitrust exemption, adding streaming to that model makes restrictive bundling harder to justify.
We now know what side the president is on.
Costco fans erupt after beloved food court item replaced by high-calorie newcomer
Costco’s new chicken tenders are gaining attention online — but shoppers aren’t exactly sold.
A TikTok video showing the oversized tenders has racked up thousands of views, with users reacting to both the portion size and calorie count. The video, filmed at a Costco location in Schaumburg, Illinois, shows a five-piece order priced at $6.99.
The item has appeared at select Costco locations across the U.S., with some customers noting it may be replacing the calzone at certain stores.
COSTCO SHOPPERS RAVE ABOUT 'DELICIOUSLY ADDICTIVE' SUMMER TREAT THAT'S GONE VIRAL
It is unclear how widely the tenders are available or whether Costco plans a nationwide rollout.
Chicken tenders are not entirely new to Costco, however. The item has been available at some international locations, including Canada and Australia, in recent years, food-focused publication TastingTable reported.
The meal includes several large chicken tenders served with dipping sauce, quickly drawing buzz across social media as customers share photos.
The reaction online, however, has been mixed.
Some shoppers questioned what the tenders might be replacing.
"What did they get rid of? The calzone?" one user asked.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Costco for comment.
Others focused less on the menu change and more on the calorie count.
The TikTok video shows the tenders total 1,640 calories, prompting strong reactions from viewers and questions about how the number could be so high.
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Some shoppers speculated the dipping sauce may be responsible for a large portion of the calories.
Still, not everyone was critical.
"Those look amazing," one user wrote, while others said they were eager to try the item if it expands to more locations.
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Fox News Digital previously reported that Costco recently reintroduced churros in a new format, though the change drew mixed reactions from shoppers.
Instead of the traditional full-size pastry, the retailer rolled out a caramel churro sundae topped with smaller churro pieces.
Some longtime customers expressed disappointment, saying they preferred the original version that had been a staple for years.
Others welcomed the update, noting that Costco frequently rotates items on its food court menu depending on demand and availability.
Deirdre Bardolf of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.