Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are taking the ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rallies out West next week – and advising supporters to mask up to participate. 

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox News Digital can confirm that the RSVP for the events in Denver and Las Vegas includes guidance that ‘masks are advised for all attendees of this event.’

A post shared by conservative podcaster Stephen L. Miller on Friday about the Denver event had many wondering why masks would be advised for an outdoor event in 2025. 

Sanders did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about the mask guidance. 

‘Sent from a friend. Bernie’s speaking tour is advising everyone in attendance to wear masks. This is an outdoor event,’ the X post said, accompanied by a screenshot of the RSVP.

‘Still trying the Covid panic politics,’ the top comment said. 

‘Was this from the year 2020?’ a content creator asked.

But another reply countered: ‘They don’t want the paid attendees found out.’

The reactions to the post are split, with many people online dumbfounded by the need for masks exactly five years after the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns and social distancing. 

Others speculated that the masks are a way to protect attendees’ identities. Masks are a common practice to protect protesters’ identities at large demonstrations, like the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University this past year. 

However, Sanders’ ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ events are not protests. Events in the Blue Wall states of Michigan and Wisconsin last weekend operated like a traditional campaign rally, with thousands of supporters lining up to earn a spot inside to hear the headline speaker. 

Sanders announced the West Coast leg of his ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour with Ocasio-Cortez in a social media video on Friday. The progressives will make stops in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado ‘to hold town meetings with working people who are profoundly disgusted with what is going on in Washington, D.C.’

‘Nevada, Colorado, Arizona: You deserve public servants who show up for you. The time is now to protect the public good, advance healthcare and living wages for all, and fight against corruption. See you next week,’ Ocasio-Cortez said on Friday.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the political campaign committee tasked with electing more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, advised against town halls following a series of protest disruptions fueled by Democrats’ discontent with President Donald Trump’s second term. 

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., began his own slew of town hall events in Republican-held congressional districts on Friday, saying if a Republican representative refused to meet with their constituents, then he would ‘lend a megaphone’ to them. 

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on Friday a revised organized effort alongside the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) and Democrat state parties to host town halls in Republican-held districts. 

‘Republicans in Congress know they sold out their voters by backing the Trump-Musk agenda – and now they’re terrified to be in the same room as the people who sent them to Washington,’ DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement on Friday. 

‘Instead of facing their constituents, they’re running scared and hiding from the people they were elected to represent. If they won’t talk to their own voters, then Democrats will. That’s why we’ll be hosting People’s Town Halls in all 50 states across the country, starting now with vulnerable GOP-held target districts. Working families deserve to have their voices heard, even if Republicans want to ignore them,’ Martin added. 

The NRCC said the protests that shut down Republicans’ town hall meetings were ‘manufactured productions.’ Fox News Digital reported last month about the coordinated effort by progressive groups protesting the Department of Government Efficiency. 

MoveOn.org, which has accepted millions of dollars from billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Policy Center, announced in a press release last month that it was mobilizing resources as part of a ‘Congress Works for Us, Not Musk’ initiative ‘aimed at pressuring lawmakers to fight back against the Trump-Musk agenda’ at Republican town halls and offices. 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Trump called the protesters who shut down Republican town halls ‘professionals’ and ‘paid troublemakers.’

‘Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

In addition to the mask guidance, the flier for next Friday’s event with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez includes typical safety precautions for large public events, including a request for anyone not feeling well to stay home.

‘Please note: no bags, signs, or firearms are allowed. Masks are advised for all attendees of this event. Anyone experiencing a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19 is asked to stay home and not attend,’ it says on the RSVP. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ended their travel mask mandate on April 18, 2022. 

According to the CDC’s website, masks are still ‘recommended in indoor public transportation settings’ and ‘people may choose to mask at any time.’

The website advises people who are at medium to high risk of getting very sick to wear a mask or ‘consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed.’

While the CDC has maintained that masking can reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, other studies since the pandemic have brought into question the efficacy of wearing a mask. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., sidestepped questions on whether he had confidence in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Friday.

The top House Democrat was directly asked about Schumer twice during a hastily-announced press conference to emphasize their opposition to Republicans’ government funding bill.

Early during the press conference, Jeffries was asked if it was time for new leadership in the Senate, to which he replied, ‘Next question.’

Jeffries gave the same exact answer when asked later if he had ‘lost confidence’ in Schumer.

Many say it’s a major public rift between the top two Democrats in Congress. Jeffries’ silence on his fellow New York liberal comes as other Democratic lawmakers aim their fury at Schumer for announcing he will vote with Republicans to avert a partial government shutdown.

Jeffries later emphatically pushed back when Fox News questioned whether he was ‘afraid to say anything about Schumer.’

‘Do not characterize my remarks. I’m not afraid about anything,’ Jeffries said.

When pressed again, he said, ‘Do you think that this is what the American people care about right now? Or do they want us to do everything that we can to stop this partisan and harmful Republican bill from actually becoming law? Because that’s what we as House Democrats are focused on right now.’

Jeffries avoided mentioning Schumer during his press conference, but reporters pressed him with questions about the growing rift between him and the senior Democrat.

He did not directly answer when asked if Schumer ‘acquiesced’ to President Donald Trump, only pointing out the vote had not yet taken place.

‘That’s a question that is best addressed by the Senate. The vote hasn’t taken place yet, and the House Democratic position is very clear. We strongly oppose any efforts to cut the healthcare of the American people, veterans benefits and nutritional assistance, all of which are in the partisan Republican bill,’ Jeffries said.

Democrats are in historic levels of disarray over a Republican bill to avert a government shutdown that’s been backed by Trump.

Progressives have been attacking Schumer for announcing he would not block the bill, but whether Republicans can find enough Democratic support to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold is still unclear.

The bill passed the House last week with support from just one House Democrat — Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

The House and the Senate must send a bill to Trump’s desk by midnight Friday to avert a partial government shutdown.

President Donald Trump accused former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice of transforming the agency into the ‘department of injustice,’ as they sought to turn the U.S. into a ‘corrupt communist’ country. 

‘Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice,’ Trump said Friday at the Department of Justice. ‘But I stand before you today to declare that those days are over and they are never going to come back.’ 

Trump routinely has blasted the Justice Department and the FBI since his first term for being corrupt, amid multiple investigations and lawsuits filed against him. The FBI investigated Trump and his 2016 campaign for alleged collusion with Russia, which ultimately found no evidence that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the outcome of the election. 

More recently, Trump has come under legal scrutiny after former Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped former special counsel Jack Smith to conduct investigations into alleged efforts from Trump to overturn the election results in 2020, and Trump’s efforts to obtain allegedly classified materials at Mar-a-Lago following his first term as president. 

‘They tried to turn America into a corrupt communist and third world country, but in the end, the thugs failed and the truth won,’ Trump said. ‘Freedom won, justice won, democracy won. And above all, the American people won.’ 

‘There could be no more heinous betrayal of American values than to use the law to terrorize the innocent and reward the wicked,’ Trump said. ‘And that’s what they were doing at a level that’s never been seen before. And it’s exactly what you saw with Joe Biden, Merrick Garland and their cronies to do the building over the last four years. They ripped what they’ve ripped down is incalculable.’ 

A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Trump also accused the judicial branch of conspiring with the media, and accused newspapers and TV networks of functioning as a ‘paid political operative.’ 

‘It has to be illegal,’ Trump said Thursday. ‘It’s influencing judges … and it just cannot be legal. I don’t believe it’s legal, and they do it in total coordination with each other.’

Trump also accused a ‘corrupt group of hacks and radicals’ within the American government of targeting him and his family over the years, and claimed they sought to prevent him from ever returning to the White House again. Specifically, he said the government employed those like Marc Elias, the former chair of law firm Perkins Coie.

In April 2016, Perkins Coie hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into then-presidential candidate Trump on behalf of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee.

Fusion GPS then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who authored the so-called ‘Steele dossier,’ which contained shocking and mostly unverified allegations, including details that Trump engaged in sex acts with Russian prostitutes. 

The FBI also used the dossier to obtain a surveillance warrant against former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

Trump routinely has denied the allegations included in the dossier, and signed an executive order on March 4 cutting off security clearances and federal access for Perkins Coie attorneys. 

In response, the law firm filed a motion in a federal court in Washington Tuesday requesting a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from rescinding its access to federal resources, and U.S. Judge Beryl Howell approved the request Wednesday afternoon. 

‘It is absurd that a billion-dollar law firm is suing to retain its access to government perks and handouts,’ White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in a Wednesday evening statement to Fox News Digital.

Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch and David Spunt contributed to this report. 

A government shutdown was averted just hours before the Friday 11:59 p.m. deadline after enough Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., helped Republicans defeat the filibuster. 

Senators voted 54-46 to pass the stopgap spending bill, which only needed 51 votes to be approved. Nearly all Republicans backed the measure, with only Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposing. All Democrats opposed it, with the exception of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, also voted to pass the bill.

It now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature. 

The Senate earlier took a key procedural vote on a stopgap spending bill, which needed to meet a 60-vote threshold to move forward, also known as the legislative filibuster. 

House Republicans passed the short-term bill, called a continuing resolution, earlier in the week. The bill will keep spending levels the same as fiscal year (FY) 2024 until Oct. 1. 

If a spending bill was not passed by the Friday deadline, the government would enter into a partial shutdown.

During a partial government shutdown, federal agencies and non-essential services would be halted. However, government functions deemed ‘essential’ would continue. National security protocols, such as border patrol, law enforcement and disaster response, stay active during shutdowns, for example. 

The Friday evening vote to pass the six-month CR came after a critical procedural vote earlier in the afternoon. A handful of Senate Democrats provided the Republican majority with the necessary votes to overcome the filibuster and move forward with the stopgap spending bill. 

Deep divisions emerged within the Democratic Party over the past couple of days, with even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refusing to answer questions about whether he had confidence in Schumer. 

In one of several Senate caucus meetings, a senator yelled loud enough that it was heard outside of heavy, thick wooden doors. The voice was identified by the press as belonging to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., but her office would not confirm. 

Prior to its passage, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., criticized his fellow Democrats for their planned ‘no’ votes that risked a government shutdown. 

‘It wasn’t that long ago before we were lecturing that you can never shut the government down. So, that’s kind of inconsistent,’ he told reporters on Thursday.

Ahead of the final vote, 10 Democrats joined nearly all Republicans to overcome the legislative filibuster. Those senators were Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.

The senators managed to beat the 60-vote threshold, with an ultimate margin of 62-38. 

FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday revealed that the agency is investigating a recent spike in swatting incidents after several conservative media figures said they were targeted. 

‘I want to address the alarming rise in ‘Swatting’ incidents targeting media figures,’ Patel wrote Friday morning on his social media. ‘The FBI is aware of this dangerous trend, and my team and I are already taking action to investigate and hold those responsible accountable.’

The director stressed, ‘This isn’t about politics—weaponizing law enforcement against ANY American is not only morally reprehensible but also endangers lives, including those of our officers.’

Swatting is when a person attempts to send armed law enforcement to another person’s house over a fake incident, which has led to deadly consequences in the past. 

‘That will not be tolerated,’ Patel continued. ‘We are fully committed to working with local law enforcement to crack down on these crimes.’

He added that there would be more updates to come. 

Conservative podcaster Nick Sortor said Thursday on X that both his father and sister were swatted that same day. 

‘A dozen cops attempted to kick my dad’s door in at gunpoint,’ he wrote. ‘This is literal f—ing terrorism. And the FBI should treat it as such. Before calling in the swat, this dumbs— sent my sister an email calling me a Nazi, of course. So the motive is clear.’

Sortor said the person who called the police on his father claimed he was killing his ‘entire family, requiring them to intervene with deadly force.’ 

‘This is nothing short of attempted murder. They wanted the police to kill my father,’ he added. 

Conservative host Shawn Farash wrote on his X account that he and his wife were swatted Thursday night. 

‘We are totally safe,’ he assured his followers. ‘Thank you to everyone who checked in. We are going to do whatever is necessary to find out who is behind these coordinated attacks and hold them accountable to the fullest extent.’ 

An apparent swatting call at Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s home in December turned deadly following a car accident with police. 

Greene at the time said she had been swatted at least eight times before the fake bomb threat. 

In January, lawmakers introduced a bipartisan and bicameral bill to impose ‘strict penalties’ for people who make swatting calls, including up to 20 years in prison if someone is seriously injured or killed in an incident.

‘Having spent over 40 years in law enforcement, I’ve seen firsthand how swatting is a reckless and dangerous action that not only puts innocent lives at risk but wastes critical resources,’ Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., said in a statement in January when introducing the bill in the House. 

‘Local and state law enforcement agencies are forced to divert their time, energy, and taxpayer dollars to respond to these false calls, taking them away from real emergencies. As someone who has been on the front lines, I understand the toll this takes on our officers and communities. That’s why I am proud to help introduce the Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act — a vital step in protecting both our law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.’

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, wrote on Friday that he was ‘proud’ to cosponsor the bill. 

‘Multiple conservative influencers and pundits have had their homes swatted in the past several days,’ he wrote. ‘This is an extremely dangerous form of political terrorism. It’s liable to get somebody killed, and it must end now.’

Kennedy Center interim Director Richard Grenell is developing a ‘common sense’ plan to turn the center’s financials around and make it ‘prosperous again,’ as it grapples with $72 million of debt due to past leadership decisions.

‘The Kennedy Center is the premier arts institution in the United States,’ Grenell told Fox News Digital. ‘It deserves to have the public’s full support and a balance sheet that is solid.’

Sources familiar with the Kennedy Center’s current financials told Fox News Digital that it had been ‘budgeting to lose money.’

But Grenell brought in a new chief financial officer, Donna Arduin, who is tasked with improving what she has described as a ‘dire situation.’

‘The Kennedy Center’s previous business plan was made to leave the Center in the red and it did just that,’ Arduin told Fox News Digital. ‘The previous leadership were left with no other option than to pay employees’ salaries with monies supposed to be allocated for the debt reserves.’

Arduin told Fox News Digital that the ‘gross mismanagement created a dire situation that we were shocked to discover.’

In Fiscal Year 2025, the Kennedy Center is operating on a $234 million budget. Also, in FY25, the Kennedy Center had an operating deficit of $105.2 million dollars, which left a bottom-line deficit of $7.2 million dollars.

Sources familiar with the numbers told Fox News Digital that the gap was filled with Kennedy Center fundraising dollars–$91 million from annual fundraising, and $7 million from earnings on the endowments.

Sources familiar with the leadership team’s plans told Fox News Digital that the plan will focus on getting rid of debt, improving on ticket sales and fundraising, and growing the center’s endowments.

A source explained that the team will use the venue for profitable business events other than traditional shows and performances and will begin offering alternative programming.

‘There are a lot of opportunities and we are pursuing all of them,’ the source said.

The Kennedy Center has two affiliates—the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera. The new leadership team is currently working on business plans with its affiliates to ensure the Kennedy Center has larger endowments and ‘greater sustainability.’

The official endowments combined total just $163 million, which new leadership told Fox News Digital is ‘not adequate for the size of this institution.’

Under the last leadership team, the Kennedy Center built ‘The REACH,’ an intimate theater at the Kennedy Center hosting concerts, comedy shows, and poetry readings. It also has a restaurant.

But sources familiar with the financials told Fox News Digital that former leadership took out a significant chunk of debt to build the venue—costing the center nearly $200 million.

‘There wasn’t a profitability plan for that,’ the source explained, noting that thus far, the space has been ‘underutilized,’ bringing in just $2 million per year.

‘America’s premier institution for the arts deserves better,’ Arduin said. ‘The new team has already written a responsible budget that will make us prosperous again.’

She added: ‘We are using common sense.’

President Trump in January fired the theater’s board of directors and announced he had been elected board chair by his new handpicked board. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Wall Street Journal in January: ‘The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke. President Trump and the members of his newly-appointed board are devoted to rebuilding the Kennedy Center into a thriving and highly respected institution where all Americans, and visitors from around the world, can enjoy the arts with respect to America’s great history and traditions.’

Some groups who disagreed with the move decided to cancel shows at the center. 

Producers of Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ pulled out of a planned run there next year.

‘Our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,’ producer Jeffrey Seller said earlier this month. 

The show was performed at the Kennedy Center during Trump’s first term in office. 

Grenell told Sean Hannity earlier this month that ‘everyone is welcome’ at the Kennedy Center. 

‘Look, the reality is, the Kennedy Center is open for business for everyone,’ Grenell told Hannity. ‘We just want an arts center that celebrates the arts — we want common-sense art.’ 

The leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraq’s prime minister announced on Friday.

Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or ‘Abu Khadija,’ was killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement.

The prime minister described al-Rifai as ‘one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world.’

U.S. President Donald Trump reacted to the news on his social media platform Truth Social, saying al-Rifai’s ‘miserable life was terminated.’

‘Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed,’ Trump wrote Friday night. ‘He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters. His miserable life was terminated, along with another member of ISIS, in coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Kurdish Regional Government.’

‘PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!’ the president added.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that its forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Intelligence and security forces, conducted an airstrike in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, that killed the ‘Global ISIS #2 leader, Chief of Global Operations and the Delegated Committee Emir – Abdallah Makki Muslih al-Rifai, alias ‘Abu Khadijah,’ and one other ISIS operative.’

‘As the Emir of ISIS’ most senior decision-making body, Abu Khadijah maintained responsibility for operations, logistics, and planning conducted by ISIS globally, and directs a significant portion of finance for the group’s global organization,’ CENTCOM said.

After the strike, U.S. and Iraqi forces moved to the location of the strike and found both dead ISIS targets who were each wearing unexploded ‘suicide vests’ and who had multiple weapons, CENTCOM said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces were able to identify al-Rifai using DNA collected in a previous raid where he narrowly escaped.

‘Abu Khadijah was one of the most important ISIS members in the entire global ISIS organization. We will continue to kill terrorists and dismantle their organizations that threaten our homeland and U.S., allied and partner personnel in the region and beyond,’ Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander at CENTCOM, said in a statement.

An appeals court on Friday lifted a block on President Donald Trump’s executive orders ending federal support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

A panel of three judges ruled the orders can be enforced during a pending lawsuit, reversing a nationwide injunction from U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, the Associated Press reported.

Two of the judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the orders ‘could raise concerns’ about First Amendment rights, but found Abelson’s ‘sweeping block went too far,’ according to the report.

Abelson, a Biden nominee, previously ruled the orders violated the First Amendment right to free speech and were unconstitutionally ‘vague,’ as they did not define DEI.

The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the City of Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, which alleged the executive orders were presidential overreach and anti-free speech. 

They argued the president’s power ‘is not limitless.’

Trump’s orders directed federal agencies to terminate all ‘equity-related’ grants or contracts, and required federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. 

The administration argued in court that the ban only affected DEI programs violating federal civil rights laws. 

‘What’s happening is an overcorrection and pulling back on DEI statements,’ attorney Aleshadye Getachew said in a hearing. 

While the president secured a win with the latest injunction, a similar federal lawsuit was filed in D.C. U.S. District Court on Wednesday challenging DEI executive orders including: ‘Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing;’ ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government;’ and ‘Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.’ 

The second complaint was filed by NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal on behalf of nonprofit advocacy organizations. 

White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the New York Times that ‘the radical leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda.’

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson, Danielle Wallace, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.