The far-left push within the Democratic Party, highlighted by mayoral victories by socialist candidates in New York City and Seattle, is poised to be a major factor in several key battleground House races as several candidates carrying the progressive mantle hold strong positions in Democratic primaries.

Several of the most competitive House races in the country feature candidates putting to the test whether progressive policies can appeal to voters outside deep blue urban centers, including in California’s 22nd Congressional District, where Democrat Randy Villegas is running to unseat Republican Rep. David Valadao. 

‘Bernie and I share the same goal: to make life more affordable for working families,’ Villegas said in a statement after being endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described ‘democratic socialist.’

‘He has dedicated his life to putting power in the hands of ordinary Americans instead of the ultra-rich, and I’m excited to work together to fight for our communities here in the Central Valley and across the country.’

In addition to being endorsed by Sanders, who endorsed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Villegas has employed the Fight Agency advertising firm, among others, which is led by operatives who also helped Mamdani cruise to victory earlier this month.

Fox News Digital reported this week that Fight Agency is also working to defeat two vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania, Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie.

Villegas, endorsed by the progressive Working Families Party that endorsed Mamdani, is currently running in a Democratic primary against California state Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, who was recruited by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and currently is sitting on less cash on hand than Villegas.

‘Here in the Central Valley, we couldn’t care less about political labels,’ Villegas said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘We care about being able to see a doctor without going bankrupt and being able to feed our families without needing a second job. We’re sick of politicians in both parties selling us out to billionaires and corporations. Any politician who isn’t fighting for working families like our lives depends on it needs to get out of the way.’

In Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, GOP Rep. Gabe Evans is being challenged by another progressive Democrat, Manny Rutinel, in what is expected to be one of the tightest House races next November.

Rutinel, who serves as a Colorado state representative, who was reportedly spotted alongside Mamdani and holds a large fundraising lead over his Democrat opponents, has associated himself with a variety of far-left groups and politicians, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Townhall reported.

Rutinel has been endorsed by progressive groups like CHC Bold PAC and Latino Victory Fund.

The race to unseat GOP Rep. Darrell Issa in California’s redrawn 48th Congressional District features Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, who describes himself as a ‘working-class progressive’ and was endorsed by the Sanders-linked group Our Revolution. 

Campa-Najjar, who volunteered for Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and appears to be the front-runner in the Democratic primary, was endorsed in 2020 by the Working Families Party as well as Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Courage to Change PAC. 

GOP Rep. Tom Barrett is up for re-election in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, and one of the Democrats running to replace him is William Lawrence, who co-founded the progressive Sunrise Movement.

Lawrence’s policies have drawn comparisons to Mamdani, including from the Lansing City Pulse, who wrote that his ‘campaign is built on a community movement, a message of ‘real representation’ that takes ‘political control away from the establishment and puts it back in the hands of the people.’ It’s like how Zohran Mamdani won in New York City.’

Peter Chatzky is running as a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District, and although he is running in a crowded primary, he has the ability to self-fund and is viewed as a formidable contender in a district ranked by Cook Political Report as ‘Lean Republican.’

Chatzky has defended Mamdani’s agenda on social media and praised the young socialist for running ‘an effective campaign that consistently focused on affordability, fairness, and opportunity in New York City.’

Chatzky, the only Democrat in the field who has called for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down, has expressed support for ‘universal healthcare.’

Like Mamdani, Chatzky has also faced criticism for his positions on Israel and defended Mamdani against allegations of antisemitism. 

In Nebraska, John Cavanaugh, a state senator, is running as a Democrat to replace retiring GOP Rep. Don Bacon in the 2nd Congressional District with the endorsement of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which he said he is ‘grateful’ for and that he plans to join them on the ‘front lines.’

As Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C. begins to face calls for new faces, Republicans across the country have made the argument that the socialist push in recent months is reshaping key House races and changing the landscape of the way the Democratic Party operates going forward. 

Mike Marinella, national spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Fox News Digital the rise of progressive candidates is a ‘full-blown battle for the soul of the Democrat Party’ and concluded that the ‘socialist stampede is winning.’

‘Democrats aren’t focused on helping working families, they’re too busy tearing each other apart.’ 

In a statement to Fox News Digital, DCCC spokesperson Viet Shelton touted the Democrats across the country who are focusing on affordability. 

‘Because of House Republicans, everything is too damn expensive and working families are struggling. Republican operatives in D.C. know they can’t win on the issues, so we’re seeing them melt down in real time,’ Shelton said.

‘Even President Trump is in the Oval Office desperately bear hugging the Mayor-elect. It’s embarrassing. While they waste their time, Democrats across the country are laser focused on lowering prices and fighting for everyday Americans, which is why we will re-take the majority.’

In one corner of the world, the U.S. is trying to end a war. In another, it may be preparing to start one.

While Washington pushes proposals aimed at easing Russia’s terms for a cease-fire with Ukraine in Europe, it’s taking a far tougher stance in the Western Hemisphere — moving to label Venezuela’s military-linked Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organization and quietly expanding its military footprint in the Caribbean.

Sporadic strikes on alleged cartel boats off Venezuela’s coast have grown into the largest U.S. military presence in Southern Command’s area in a generation, with the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, steaming toward the Caribbean Sea. President Donald Trump has reportedly approved CIA covert measures inside Venezuela — operations that often precede military force — and U.S. planners have already drawn up target lists for cartel sites, according to The New York Times.

Many believe the U.S. could soon launch direct strikes on Venezuelan territory aimed at pushing Nicolás Maduro out of power. 

At the same time, a top Russian commander, Colonel General Oleg Makarevich, has been reassigned from the Ukrainian front to head Russia’s Equator Task Force in Venezuela, overseeing roughly 120 troops training Venezuelan forces, Ukrainian intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone. Fox News Digital has not independently verified Budanov’s claim.

Seth Krummrich, a retired U.S. Army colonel and vice president at Global Guardian, said Russian military advisers are indeed operating inside Venezuela but doubted Moscow would back Maduro militarily. ‘They’re there, full stop,’ Krummrich said. ‘But Russia needs to stop the massive blood-letting of its young men in Ukraine. They’re not going to go toe-to-toe with us militarily.’ He added that the relationship is long-standing: ‘There is a long history of Russian military advisers in Cuba and in Venezuela that goes on for decades.’

Many in Washington see a strategic payoff in forcing out Maduro: it would strip Russia of its last firm foothold in the Western Hemisphere — a loss comparable, in some analysts’ view, to Moscow’s waning influence in Syria. ‘Venezuela, for the longest time, has been a launch pad for Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere,’ Krummrich said. ‘These chess pieces are all tied together when you arch your great-power competition.’

Other experts caution against assuming the U.S. escalation in Venezuela and its peace overtures in Europe are part of a single coordinated plan. Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), spoke with Fox News Digital and said any overlap may be more coincidence than strategy.

‘We’ve been zigging and zagging in Venezuela,’ Berg said. ‘Trump has gone back and forth between build-ups and calls for dialogue, while the Russia timeline has only recently become parallel to these events. Anything that looks coordinated is likely coincidence.’

Berg recalled that during Trump’s first administration, some advisers floated an ‘Ukraine-for-Venezuela’ concept — asking Russia to relinquish its stake in Caracas in exchange for U.S. concessions in Eastern Europe — but the idea was quickly abandoned. ‘Russian power in Venezuela is important,’ Berg said, ‘but it’s not so overwhelming that it’s the reason Maduro survives.’

Russia’s footprint in Latin America has grown only modestly since the early 2000s, dwarfed by China’s economic expansion. Moscow’s closest partners remain Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Beyond them, its influence is exercised mainly through media and selective economic pressure.

‘If you look at Russia’s trade profile with the region, it’s small,’ Berg said. ‘But Moscow is very good at using those few trade points for leverage.’

He cited examples: when Ecuador considered sending old Russian-made equipment to Ukraine in exchange for U.S. military aid, Russia threatened to block Ecuadorian banana exports — nearly $1 billion annually — by imposing new phytosanitary checks. The deal collapsed within a week.

Similarly, Moscow has kept Brazil and Argentina largely muted on the Ukraine invasion by leveraging its control over nitrate fertilizer exports, crucial to both agricultural giants. ‘They use whatever levers they have — bananas, fertilizer, spare parts — to coerce quietly,’ Berg said.

Russia also continues to service aging equipment across the region. ‘They sell a lot of kit here,’ Berg added. ‘Many countries still operate Russian-origin systems that need maintenance and parts. That creates dependency.’

If U.S. forces strike Venezuelan targets, most observers expect Russia to limit its response to intelligence sharing and disinformation, not combat support. ‘The Russians are pretty tied down in Ukraine,’ Berg said. ‘We saw during the 12-day war, when Iran appealed for help, Moscow stayed silent. They simply don’t have the capacity.’

Berg described a recent episode in which a sanctioned Ilyushin cargo plane landed in Caracas. Russian lawmakers briefly claimed it carried air-defense systems and technicians to assist Maduro, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later denied it. ‘He essentially said, ‘We have no mutual-defense treaty,’’ Berg noted. ‘That was widely read as: we’re not coming to Venezuela.’

John Hardie, deputy director of the Russia Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also spoke with Fox News Digital and said there is little evidence of a coordinated link between the U.S. buildup in the Caribbean and Washington’s peace overtures in Europe. ‘I don’t see any immediate connection,’ Hardie said. ‘Russia’s ability to influence events in Venezuela is pretty limited.’

He said Moscow’s power-projection capacity in the Western Hemisphere remains constrained. ‘They can take limited action — fly some bombers into the region, sail submarines to Cuba — but major operations in Latin America are beyond their capacity,’ Hardie said.

Hardie also noted reports of the Russian Ilyushin transport aircraft visiting Venezuela and suggestions it could have carried air-defense systems, but said any such transfer would have little strategic effect. ‘Even if Russia slipped in some air defenses, it wouldn’t make much difference,’ he said. ‘The Venezuelan military would still be heavily overmatched by the United States.’

Both Krummrich and Berg agree that momentum is building toward U.S. kinetic action. Berg said indications point to possible strikes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as U.S. naval and intelligence assets align and Trump signals impatience with Maduro’s attempts to stall.

‘Maduro’s instinct is to buy time — that’s what’s kept him afloat through multiple administrations,’ Berg said. ‘But Trump wants results, not a two-year transition or vague promises about U.S. oil access. The question is what Maduro can offer that will actually satisfy him.’

Whether this two-track moment represents coincidence or coordination, the stakes are high. A peace framework in Europe could stabilize one front while a new flashpoint ignites closer to home — underscoring the paradox of Washington’s posture in late 2025: seeking de-escalation abroad while bracing for confrontation in its own hemisphere.

President Donald Trump pardoned a pair of turkeys at the White House on Tuesday, going on to joke that former President Joe Biden’s turkey pardons last year were ‘null and void’ because he used an autopen.

Trump made the joke while carrying out the decades-long White House Thanksgiving tradition, this year pardoning ‘Gobble’ and ‘Waddle.’ The crowd laughed as Trump said he saved last year’s turkeys, ‘Peach’ and ‘Blossom’ from being carved up after the nullification of Biden’s pardons.

‘I wanted to make an important announcement. Because you remember last year, after a thorough and very rigorous investigation by [Attorney General] Pam Bondi and all of the people at Department of Justice, the FBI, the CIA, and the White House Counsel’s Office…I have determined that last year’s turkey pardons are totally invalid,’ Trump said.

‘Null and void,’ Trump said of the pardons. ‘The turkeys known as Peach and Blossom last year have been located, and they were on their way to be processed, in other words, to be killed. But I’ve stopped that journey, and I am officially pardoning them. And they will not be served for Thanksgiving dinner. We saved them in the nick of time.’

This year’s turkeys, ‘Waddle’ and ‘Gobble,’ are the largest turkeys ever to receive a presidential pardon, Trump said. Both of the birds weigh over 50 pounds.

A National Turkey Federation spokeswoman told reporters at the White House that after Waddle and Gobble are pardoned, they will move to North Carolina State University, where they will serve as ‘Turkey ambassadors for our industry.’

First lady Melania Trump held a poll on X to name this year’s turkeys, resulting in Waddle and Gobble.

Last year’s pardoned turkeys, the aforementioned Peach and Blossom, and the ones before them, ‘Liberty’ and ‘Bell,’ all came from Minnesota.

North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota, Ohio, California, Virginia and Missouri have all sent turkeys to the White House.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation from Congress stunned House Republicans and sets up an even tighter majority in the lower chamber that could foil major legislative priorities.

Whether it triggers a ripple effect of Republican lawmakers following her lead remains to be seen. Still, there are members of the House GOP who are frustrated by how events have unfolded in recent months, especially after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., opted to keep the House in session for over 50 days during the government shutdown.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital he’s ‘heard rumors’ of frustration among his colleagues but, from people he’s spoken with, ‘They’re committed to being here.’

‘This is an incredible honor to serve in the House of Representatives, and when you run for office, I think you should fill out your term,’ Haridopolos said.

‘This is what the American public wanted,’ he continued. ‘I mean, they affirmatively put Republicans in power. And the only frustration we’ve been through, at least my biggest frustration, is when the Democrats exercise their power to shut the government down for 43 days.’

Greene, in her resignation letter teeing up her departure from Congress Jan. 5, 2026, aired grievances about how little progress has been made on Capitol Hill since she became a lawmaker in 2021.

She also took aim at President Donald Trump, who she has for weeks been distancing herself from despite being a die-hard Trump loyalist for much of her legislative career, and at Johnson for his handling of the shutdown.

‘During the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, I raged against my own speaker and my own party for refusing to proactively work diligently to pass a plan to save American healthcare and protect Americans from outrageous overpriced and unaffordable health insurance policies,’ Greene said. ‘The House should have been in session working every day to fix this disaster, but instead America was forced fed disgusting political drama once again from both sides of the aisle.’

Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, the fifth highest-ranking House Republican, sought to quash any rumors of dissent among the ranks in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘Speaker Johnson and the House Republican leadership team have made a diligent effort to listen to all members of the conference for input, policy ideas and concerns,’ he said. ‘As usual, the media is building a negative narrative, but our record of delivering for the American people with our majority this year speaks to our teamwork and unity.’

That majority is now headed for a tenuous situation with Greene’s retirement.

Though Republicans are expected to maintain a seat after former Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., retired, the special election to replace the late former Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, is expected to stay in Democratic control, effectively nullifying the results.

That means when Greene leaves, and if the results in Tennessee in December favor Republicans, Democrats are hoping for a miracle in the race. The results in Texas in late January favor Democrats, so the GOP would be left with effectively a two-vote majority.

Another lawmaker was tempted to exit the House for a different reason.

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was furious over the White House’s 28-point plan for Russia and Ukraine and told Fox News Digital that he found it ‘so appalling, so embarrassing.’

Bacon argued that the plan, which has broadly been viewed as giving Moscow much of what it wants and leaves Ukraine with little other than an end to the ongoing war, was ‘a recipe for Ukraine being abused for decades to come, and to be basically a vassal state under Russian control. And that was unacceptable.’

His preference is that if Ukraine is pushed to give up territory to Russia, it should be allowed to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at the very least.

He noted that he ran on a pro-Ukraine platform, and, for a moment, considered resigning, fast-tracking his planned retirement from Congress at the end of next year.

‘I was so frustrated, it went through my mind,’ Bacon said. ‘You know, I don’t want to be a part of this team, frankly, but I don’t — I knew it was wrong. It was short-lived.

‘I think people would be doing a disservice to a lot of people just to resign,’ he continued. ‘I frankly think you should only resign if you got, like, an illness, or your spouse has an illness, or you got a legal issue. You know, when you run, there’s a commitment.’

A Florida man was arrested after an FBI investigation linked him to multiple extremist group chats on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where agents claim he used aliases to share disturbing graphic messages, detailed instructions for explosives and violent neo-Nazi propaganda.

Lucas Alexander Temple, 20, is facing federal charges for distribution of information regarding the manufacturing or use of explosives and possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun, according to court documents.

According to criminal complaints, Temple shared a hand-drawn diagram of a homemade detonator, linked to YouTube videos describing how to synthesize dynamite and construct blasting caps, and posted a 122-page extremist manual filled with White supremacist rhetoric. 

Investigators said the chats also included graphic discussions promoting rape, torture and murder, including the killing of non-White children.

Screenshots of messages allegedly sent by Temple’s aliases included phrases like, ‘How long would it take to rape a femboy to death?’ and discussions about sexually assaulting men.

Temple’s online aliases were linked to his true identity through personal details shared in chats — including his age, job at a grocery store and a family museum visit — and were verified with state records and security footage, according to the complaint.

While executing a search warrant at Temple’s home on Thursday, FBI agents found neo-Nazi propaganda, a book related to Columbine High School shooters Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris and a Springfield Model 67 Series E shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18 inches.

The barrel was allegedly sawed off and found in a separate area by investigators.

ATF records confirmed Temple was not registered to have the weapon.

Agents also found a handwritten note that said, ‘Plans: Wear body cams for livestream. Notify friends of livestream. Put flags on car. Play music on car speakers during operation. Place motion-activated bombs in doorways (for cops).’

During his initial court appearance, Magistrate Judge Amanda Arnold Sansone ordered that he remain detained pending trial, finding he posed a serious danger to others.

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff gave a senior Kremlin official tips on how to sell a Ukraine peace deal to President Donald Trump, a report said.

Witkoff spoke by phone to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov on Oct. 14, advising him on how Putin should bring up the topic with the U.S. president, according to Bloomberg.

‘We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace, and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you,’ Witkoff was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, in reference to the Trump administration’s Gaza peace deal.

During the phone call, which lasted about five minutes, Witkoff said he had a deep respect for Putin and that he had informed Trump that he believed Russia has always wanted a peace deal for Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.

Witkoff mentioned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting the White House in mid-October and that Putin could speak to Trump ahead of that meeting, the report added.

‘Zelenskyy is coming to the White House on Friday,’ Witkoff said, according to a recording of the phone call obtained by Bloomberg. ‘I will go to that because they want me there, but I think, if possible, we have the call with your boss before that Friday meeting.’

Witkoff suggested that Putin congratulate Trump on the Gaza peace deal and say that Russia backed it and that he respects Trump as a man of peace, Bloomberg reported.

‘Here’s what I think would be amazing,’ Witkoff reportedly added. ‘Maybe he says to President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to peace and that could be something that we think might move the needle a little bit. We’re open to those sorts of things.’

Bloomberg also reported that Ushakov said Putin ‘will congratulate’ Trump and say ‘Mr. Trump is a real peace man.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

‘This story proves one thing: Special Envoy Witkoff talks to officials in both Russia and Ukraine nearly every day to achieve peace, which is exactly what President Trump appointed him to do,’ White House communications director Steven Cheung told Bloomberg.

Ushakov told Russian media on Wednesday that details about his conversation with Witkoff should not have been leaked, describing the situation as ‘unacceptable,’ according to Reuters.

It added that Ushakov said the leak was aimed at hindering discussions between the U.S. and Russia and that he would be raising the matter with Witkoff.

On Tuesday, Ukraine agreed to the peace deal that would see an end to the war with Russia, a U.S. official told Fox News.

Some minor details of the agreement are still to be sorted out, the official said.

Lt. Col. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, had told Fox News that Driscoll and his team met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the framework for a Ukraine peace deal.

A U.S. official told Fox News that the Ukrainian delegation was also in Abu Dhabi and was in contact with Driscoll and his team.

Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump has signaled that he is planning to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization after several groups have stepped up warnings in recent months that the Islamist group is gaining a foothold in the U.S.

‘It will be done in the strongest and most powerful terms,’ Trump told Just the News over the weekend. ‘Final documents are being drawn.’

Trump’s comment comes shortly after Texas declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and just days after the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), a prominent global research center, released a comprehensive 200-page study warning of the Muslim Brotherhood’s growing influence in the U.S.

The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization founded in Egypt, has gained access to government agencies, been involved in advising American civil rights policy, infiltrated educational institutions, and created a vast social media footprint, the report states, while outlining the belief that the group has allegedly targeted U.S. government agencies for infiltration, including the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, through career appointments and advisory roles.

‘We welcome President Trump’s statements and the growing recognition that the Muslim Brotherhood, its ideology and network pose a serious challenge to the United States and democratic societies,’ Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, said in a press release after Trump’s interview with Just the News.

‘A formal U.S. designation would represent an important first step to confront the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States. This will require sustained, evidence-based policy, serious scrutiny of its affiliated structures and funding streams, and long-term investment in democratic resilience.’

The ISGAP report dives deep into alleged terrorist ties within the group along with various funding sources from places like Qatar, while making the case that both al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood ‘share the strategic aim’ of establishing an Islamic state government by sharia law and differing only in tactics where the Brotherhood’s ‘gradualism allows it to maintain ideological continuity with militant jihad while avoiding direct confrontation.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back by press time.

‘The Brotherhood is the progenitor of all modern Jihadist terror groups, from al-Qaeda to HAMAS,’ Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka posted on X over the weekend. ‘The time has come.’

A Senate Republican wants to take a legislative shot at New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and his desire to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., is introducing legislation that would halt some funding to cities that follow through on any International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant to arrest or detain officials from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries.

The measure, called the ‘American Allies Protection Act,’ is in direct response to Mamdani doubling down on his vow to arrest Netanyahu. Last year, the ICC issued a warrant for the Israeli prime minister’s arrest that has been heavily scrutinized by lawmakers in the U.S. and abroad.

Mamdani reiterated his desire to arrest Netanyahu last week before meeting with President Donald Trump. He told local news station ABC7 that New York City was a ‘city of international law’ that would uphold the court’s arrest warrants, which accused the Israeli prime minister of intentionally attacking civilians and using starvation as a method of warfare.

‘I’ve said time and again that I believe this is a city of international law, and being a city of international law means looking to uphold international law,’ he said. ‘And that means upholding the warrants from the International Criminal Court, whether they’re for Benjamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin.’

Budd charged in a statement to Fox News Digital that the U.S. is ‘not bound by the morally bankrupt’ court, and accused Mamdani’s position and comments of not being based in law but rather a means to ‘virtue-signal to his radical, anti-Israel base.’

‘Mayor-elect Mamdani’s pledge to facilitate the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu is not just ridiculous; it represents a grave threat that could seriously damage America’s relationship with our closest allies and partners,’ Budd said.

His legislation would halt Department of Justice (DOJ) grants from flowing to any city that cooperates with the court and arrests a NATO or U.S. major non-NATO ally. 

There is an override mechanism built in that would allow the president to end the penalty only if cooperation with the court is deemed necessary for national security.

Meanwhile, the issue of Netanyahu apparently did not come up during Trump and Mamdani’s confab. When asked if there was discussion of stopping Mamdani from arresting Netanyahu, Trump said the pair, ‘Didn’t discuss’ the matter.

The campaign firm that helped Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani spread his message in New York City is now turning its focus to vulnerable Republicans across the country.

Among other races, the firm has set its sights on defeating two vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania: Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie.

Fight Agency — a six-man crew with experience in over 300 winning elections — focuses on many of the issues Mamdani made a fixture of his campaign, like affordability and housing.

‘If you’re doing everything right but finding it harder and harder to get by, you’re not alone. We know a simple truth about American life: the economy is not delivering enough for enough people. If the next forty years are like the last forty years, the American middle class will disappear,’ the firm states on its website.

The balance of power in the House of Representatives is in a precarious position ahead of the 2026 midterms. With Republicans holding just a three-seat majority, even one or two key losses for Republicans could cut the legs out from under the GOP’s control over the chamber. Pennsylvania — home to both Bresnahan and Mackenzie — also makes up a key battleground state with several competitive districts. According to the Cook Political Report, the state has five competitive Republican-held districts all projected to be a five-point contest or less.

In that struggle, the Fight Agency’s leaders have come to the support of Paige Cognetti, a former mayor of Scranton, Pa., who is running to unseat Bresnahan. Bresnahan, a freshman lawmaker, won election to Congress in 2024 by just 1.6 percentage points.

‘We can stand tall against a Washington that takes advantage of working people and makes it work for us,’ Cognetti said in her launch video.

Rebecca Katz, the Fight Agency’s strategist for the election of Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., reposted Cognetti’s campaign ad in a post to X.

‘If you can, pls chip in a few bucks and let’s get someone who cares about people in Congress,’ Rebecca Katz wrote. 

Cognetti, the former mayor, has also highlighted the firm’s other work, saying she was ‘proud to know these folks’ in a repost showcasing the agency’s past campaigns.

Like in Cognetti’s campaign, the Fight Agency team is also supporting Bob Brooks and his race against Republican incumbent Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania. Mackenzie won election by a single percentage point in the last cycle.

‘The biggest problem we face is a Washington that burns working people,’ Brooks said in his campaign launch video. ‘I’m running for Congress in one of the closest districts to take on the billionaires and big corporations holding us back.’ 

Morris Katz, the firm’s lead on the Mamdani campaign, reposted Cognetti’s launch video alongside Fight Agency’s main account. Brooks has returned the favor, reposting Fight Agency’s productions in a Maine Senate race. 

With Mamdani, the firm helped produce lighthearted content with a brighter, more comedic edge. In one video, the firm mimicked the style of ‘The Bachelor,’ the TV romance show known for its match-making drama.

‘New York, will you accept this rose?’ Mamdani asked in the video.

In the past, the firm has supported Democrat candidates away from the mainstream of the party, gravitating towards either more progressive candidates or candidates with an unconventional streak.

Besides Mamdani, some of Fight Agency’s previous partners include Sen. Bernie Sanders,’ I-Vt., bid for president and Sen. John Fetterman’s 2021 campaign. 

Today, some of their more high-profile current candidates include Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and Nebraska Senate hopeful Dan Osborn, both featured prominently on the firm’s website.

Fight Agency did not respond to a request for comment.

The Club for Growth says it has President Donald Trump’s back as the president pushes Republican-controlled states to redraw congressional maps in order to create more right-leaning districts to help defend the GOP’s fragile House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

‘We’re all in on helping Republicans do redistricting,’ David McIntosh, longtime president of the deep-pocketed and influential conservative group, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

McIntosh highlighted that the Club for Growth’s seven-figure efforts ‘give Republicans a better shot at winning those extra districts.’

The push by the Club is the latest example of its strong support for the president and his policies, just two years after the group worked to prevent Trump from winning the 2024 Republican presidential nomination amid a bitter feud.

Trump and his political team are aiming to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

Trump is trying to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Texas was the first Republican-controlled state to pass rare but not-unheard-of mid-decade congressional redistricting, although a ruling by two federal judges threatens to overturn the redrawn map. Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have also drawn new maps as part of the president’s push.

Indiana, where McIntosh served three terms as a congressman 25 years ago, is the latest battlefield in the high-stakes redistricting showdown pitting Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to shape the 2026 midterm landscape in the fight for the House majority.

‘Democrats for years have gerrymandered and Republicans have not, and now it’s time so we can have Republicans in Congress for states like my home state of Indiana, step up to the plate, draw the district, so Republicans can be represented,’ McIntosh argued.

Trump has threatened to back primary challenges against Republican state lawmakers in Indiana who are reluctant to pass redistricting.

‘I was delighted to see President Trump calling them to do it. And you know, he said, we’re going to start endorsing against you if you don’t do what’s right for the Republican Party and for the nation. Club for Growth will be there to back up his endorsements,’ McIntosh said.

And the Club’s political arm, the Club for Growth Action super PAC, which is one of the biggest spenders in Republican primary showdowns thanks to the support of top-dollar conservative donors, is running ads to support the president’s push in right-leaning states across the country.

‘We’re way over seven figures when you put together all the different states. And what we’re doing is running ads. We have a new ad today that talks about the need for redistricting,’ McIntosh revealed. ‘We have a program that brings constituent calls into the Senate members, and so they get to hear directly from their voters that they want them to do this.’

It’s not just redistricting.

The Club is spending seven figures in next week’s hotly contested special election for a Republican-controlled vacant House seat in a solidly red congressional district in Tennessee.

‘Matt Epps is going to win,’ McIntosh said as he pointed to the Trump-endorsed GOP nominee in the race to succeed former Republican Rep. Mark Green, who resigned from office in June to take a private sector job.

‘It’s going to be a hard race. They all are, but he’s going to win that race because he’s more in line with Tennessee,’ McIntosh said of Van Epps. ‘I’m confident of him, and we’re going to help him do it.’

And looking ahead to next year’s midterms, McIntosh shared that the Club has ‘already started raising a $40 million fund to keep the House majority, and we’re about 25 million into it.’

‘I’m going to keep going, and then we’ll deploy that to make sure Republicans can keep the majority,’ he emphasized.

And as they’ve done in the past, the Club, which pushes a fiscally conservative agenda, including a focus on tax cuts and other economic issues, will once again play an influential role in GOP primaries.

‘We’re interviewing a lot of candidates now. We’re going to look for the strongest conservative candidate, somebody who wants to continue the economic progress, less regulation, lower taxes, balance the budget, the things that will make America great,’ McIntosh said. ‘And then when we endorse them, we’ll come in with our funding to pay for ads. We’ll recruit and help them raise money. It’s important we get the right Republicans in these primaries, and there are a lot of open seats.’

Democrats are energized coming out of their party’s sweeping victories earlier this month in the 2026 elections.

‘Democrats have racked up wins this year by running on affordability and lowering costs, and headed into 2026 our momentum continues to build,’ CJ Warnke, communications director for the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC told Fox News Digital.

Warnke predicted, ‘As Trump’s poll numbers on the economy continue to plummet and voters see him prioritizing the elite over lowering prices, his broken promises will sink House Republicans. No Republican-held seat is safe, and HMP will do whatever it takes to win the House in 2026.’

McIntosh sees the 2025 elections as ‘a warning sign, a wake-up call for two things.’

‘One, we got to get our voters out, and that’s the job of the party and Club for Growth and groups like us,’ McIntosh noted.

But he added that ‘the party has to explain how our agenda makes life more affordable, how we can lower your insurance costs by forcing the insurance industry to tell you how much they’re charging. We can lower housing by getting rid of all sorts of regulation.’

McIntosh and the Club have had an up-and-down relationship with the president. They opposed Trump as he ran for the White House in 2016 before embracing him as an ally. In the 2022 cycle, Trump and the Club teamed up in some high-profile GOP primaries but clashed over combustible Senate nomination battles in Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The Club was on the outs with Trump as the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race got underway. Trump repeatedly criticized McIntosh and the Club, referring to them as ‘The Club for NO Growth,’ and claimed they were ‘an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers.’

However, Trump and McIntosh made peace in early 2024, with Trump saying as he was wrapping up the GOP presidential nomination, that they were ‘back in love’ after the protracted falling out.

Asked about the Club’s relationship with Trump, McIntosh said, ‘We’re right there with the President, especially in these races … Club for Growth is very aligned with President Trump, and we’re especially in these contested races, we’re going to help him win.’