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AOC-backed Dem connected to Twin Towers bombing terrorist faces congressional pressure after primary win

June 4, 2026 1:02pm EDT / Fox News

Adam Hisham Hamawy served as a defense witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman and volunteered with a group tied to bin Laden’s network

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

New Jersey Democratic congressional nominee Dr. Adam Hamawy is under scrutiny for his ties to convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman, known as the ‘Blind Sheikh.’ Hamawy testified as a defense witness in Abdel-Rahman’s 1995 World Trade Center bombing trial. Critics are questioning his past associations as he prepares for the general election in a deep-blue district.

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FIRST ON FOX: A top Republican confirmed he will seek a “full investigation” of a likely Democratic colleague whose ties to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind roiled the 2026 midterm landscape after New Jersey’s Tuesday primaries.

Dr. Adam Hisham Hamawy is a veteran combat plastic surgeon who operates his own practice near Princeton but has been heavily criticized for his ties to and service as a defense witness for terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman — better known as the “Blind Sheikh” — who later died in a North Carolina federal prison.

Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East Subcommittee, expressed his concerns about Hamawy serving in Congress and later confirmed to Fox News Digital that he will indeed seek a probe of the controversial progressive.

Hamawy won a 12-way Democratic primary Tuesday for a Central Jersey seat that has not elected a Republican this century — and now faces perennial candidate Prof. Gregg Mele in November.

LONE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FINDS HIS EDGE AS A DOZEN DEMOCRATS CLASH IN RACE TO REPLACE MIKIE SHERRILL

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Lawler told Fox News Digital that Hamawy’s resume is more than disqualifying for someone whose day job would give him access to the nation’s most sensitive national security information.

“Adam Hamawy was a defense witness for Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Blind Sheikh behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and a year earlier volunteered in Bosnia with an organization the U.S. Treasury designated a financier of terrorism and the 9/11 Commission tied to Osama bin Laden’s network,” Lawler said.

“He has never answered for any of it.”

Lawler questioned Hamawy’s “fit[ness] to serve” in Congress and to be privy to the same information he is on the Foreign Affairs panel.

“If he’s elected in November, I’ll push for a full investigation because the American people deserve the truth.”

Lawler notably represents Rockland County, N.Y. — an area just north of New York City with a sizable Orthodox Jewish population — and has been a steadfast defender of Israel and the Jewish people against threats from Iran and Hezbollah.

DEM FREE-FOR-ALL ENGULFS NJ AS 13 CONTENDERS SCRAMBLE FOR SHERRILL’S HOUSE SEAT AHEAD OF CRITICAL 2026 FIGHT

Hamawy previously volunteered at a Gaza hospital amid the conflict.

Lawler’s district recently hosted President Donald Trump’s rally featuring New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart — and his visibility on counterterrorism and Israel issues was brought to the fore when Sen. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., son drunkenly confronted Lawler at a Washington bar and “accused” him of being Jewish during a diatribe about Israel.

The “Trenton Makes” Bridge carries Old U.S. 1 into New Jersey and the 12th district.(Ron Antonelli/Getty Images)

Neighboring Congressman Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat from North Jersey, didn’t directly call for a probe but told Jewish Insider that he has “serious questions and deep concerns” about Hamawy’s “associations with terrorist organization and leaders who have attacked America.”

Like Lawler, Gottheimer said Hamawy must answer for these connections to the people of the Garden State.

Abdel-Rahman’s team called Hamawy as a witness, where he described traveling to Detroit for a conference at which the extremist cleric would appear.

Hamawy testified Abdel-Rahman regularly spoke of “jihad” and that at one point the Sheikh questioned Emad Salem — who later became a government informant — as to why Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak had not yet been assassinated.

Hamawy has blamed Islamophobia for some of the invective directed his way — and pushed back on similar characterizations, including from one of his own Democratic primary challengers, Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp.

“Any Muslim is going to be called a terrorist at some point, and these tropes are outdated and worn,” he told the New Jersey Monitor in response to Mapp.

Hamawy’s campaign previously told Fox News Digital that he was in the military when the events covered Abdel-Rahman’s trial took place, and pointed to allies like Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who credited the surgeon with saving her life on the battlefield.

The prosecutor who led the U.S. government’s case against Abdel-Rahman, however, noted how Hamawy appeared voluntarily to defend the Blind Sheikh.

“He didn’t have to come unless he wanted to,” former U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy told “The Story” on Wednesday.

Dr. Adam Hisham Hamawy, left; Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., right.(Islam Dogru/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“It wasn’t like I subpoenaed him. It wasn’t like the government brought him in as a hostile witness. He volunteered to testify for this guy. He knew exactly who he was. And in fact, on cross-examination, his testimony that he didn’t recall a conversation about Mubarak was not very persuasive,” McCarthy said, referring to the cleric’s trip to Detroit.

Hamawy also greeted Abdel-Rahman from the stand with the Muslim greeting of Salaam Alaykum, suggesting personal familiarity, according to several critics.

When pressed by reporters earlier in the primary, Hamawy argued that Abdel-Rahman was a spiritual leader in the state’s Muslim community and “wasn’t preaching death and destruction all the time” while adding that he himself abhors all violence.

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Hamawy and Abdel-Rahman first met at a middle school forum in Matawan, New Jersey, in 1991, according to the former’s testimony in court.

The candidate did not respond to Fox News’ latest request for comment.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

Dow soars nearly 900 points as Wall Street bets on Iran peace deal

June 4, 2026 3:01 PM EDT / CBS News

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared deeper into record terrain on Thursday as investors pinned their hopes on a peace deal in Iran.

The blue-chip index surged 877 points in afternoon trading, or 1.7%, to 51,564. The broader S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index saw more modest gains, rising 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.

Stocks have notched a succession of record highs in recent weeks, with Wall Street investors betting that the U.S. and Iran are nearing an agreement to end the war.

Those expectations have kept a lid on global oil prices despite spasms of violence, including an attack this week by Iran on Kuwait’s airport and U.S. strikes on an Iranian island near the Strait of Hormuz.

“Middle East-linked news flow was net positive as the U.S. and Iran continue negotiating, while Israel and Lebanon agree to a ceasefire,” equity analyst Adam Crisafulli of VitalKnowledge told clients in a research note.

Despite those signs of progress, Crisafulli also said that “time is very much of the essence” as global oil inventories fall to what he called “dangerously low levels.”

Prices of Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell to $94.43 a barrel after jumping earlier this week amid renewed violence in the Middle East. The U.S. benchmark dipped to $92.18.

Most investors expect the U.S. and Iran to reach a deal this month that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, according to Wall Street analysts.

A deal to end the conflict is by no means assured. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that “no tangible progress” has been made in negotiations to end the war.

Not all sectors participated in the rally. Investors pared holdings of artificial intelligence stocks amid concerns that the sector’s extended rally is bound to slow down.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

英法据悉敲定战后霍尔木兹海峡扫雷计划 15国承诺支持

2026年6月5日 00:00 / 联合早报

6月3日，从阿曼穆桑达姆港所见的滞留霍尔木兹海峡的船只。 （路透社）

据知情人士透露，英国和法国已敲定计划，准备在美国和伊朗就重开霍尔木兹海峡达成协议后的数日内，牵头在这一水道展开一项多国扫雷任务。

本周稍早，美国与伊朗在波斯湾发生冲突。在各方艰难推动达成一项临时协议、以恢复战前海上交通水平之际，这条全球最关键的贸易通道之一的航运仍几乎陷于停摆。

彭博社引述五名知情人士说，多国军事规划人员就参与清除霍尔木兹海峡水雷的行动进入深入筹备阶段。这些水雷先前由伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队布设。

其中三名知情人士称，这项扫雷任务将涉及由15个国家组成的联盟，这些国家已承诺提供军事人员和装备。他们补充说，这些国家可能会在任务启动数周后加入行动，为商业船只提供安全保障。尽管规划工作基本完成，但有关方面仍在寻求补充一些设备，尤其是支援船只。

知情人士指出，在美国与伊朗达成协议、恢复完整且不受阻碍的商业航行权，并为军事资产在海峡内活动提供可接受环境之前，相关部署不会启动。由于涉及尚未公开的敏感行动事项，这些知情人士要求匿名。

知情人士称，这项由英国和法国牵头的任务将就行动事务与德黑兰开通沟通渠道。知情人士补充说，尽管伊朗已表示希望自行清除霍尔木兹海峡的水雷，但英国和法国认为伊朗不具备完成这项任务的能力，因此更倾向于自行主导扫雷行动。

The U.S. is minting more millionaires than ever. Here’s why.

June 4, 2026 3:16 PM EDT / CBS News

By

The U.S. minted 736,000 new millionaires last year, bringing the total number of Americans with such wealth to a record 8.7 million, according to a new report.

Millionaire wealth is measured by investable assets, excluding individuals’ primary residences, collectibles, consumables and consumer durable goods, consulting firm Capgemini said in its World Wealth Report 2026, released Thursday. The number of U.S. millionaires is the highest since Capgemini started tracking wealth trends three decades ago, the company told CBS News.

The stock market was a primary driver of the surge in new millionaires, with the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index rising about 18% and 21% last year, respectively. Wealthy Americans also increased their equity allocations last year by about 5 percentage points, from 22% to 27% of their portfolios, boosting their wealth, Capgemini said.

The jump in the number of millionaires also underscores a widening divide in the U.S. between low- and high-income households as many Americans struggle to afford the cost of living. Households earning below $50,000 a year are increasingly gloomy, while those with incomes above $100,000 are showing greater confidence, according to Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok.

“This divergence is likely driven by lower-income households worrying about rising gas prices, while higher-income households are focusing on rising stock prices,” Slok wrote in a May 6 blog post.

When your stock portfolio and 401(k) are surging — with the S&P 500 index up 10.6% so far in 2026 — it’s easier to feel good about your finances. Yet roughly half of Americans lack access to a retirement plan, leaving them to grapple with high gas prices and elevated inflation without the buffer of rising investment wealth.

Who is the typical U.S. millionaire?

While Capgemini didn’t collect demographic data on U.S. millionaires, other research offers insight into wealthy Americans.

The typical newly minted millionaire is a Gen Xer or baby boomer with much of their wealth tied up in retirement investments, according to financial services group Empower. Americans typically cross the millionaire threshold in their 50s or 60s, with 60-somethings holding average retirement assets of $1.2 million, the group said in a report.

Millionaires also share a few behavioral traits, Empower found. For one, 95% own their own home, compared with about 66% of the overall U.S. population.

Although Capgemini excluded primary residences from their analysis, previous research shows a strong link between homeownership and wealth. Homeowners had an average net worth of $1.5 million in 2022, compared with $154,000 for renters, according to the most recent Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances.

Still, becoming a millionaire may not carry the same cachet as it did a decade or two ago, when it was considered the mark of wealth. Today, Americans believe they need to have an average of $5.3 million in wealth to be considered “financially successful,” Empower found.

Edited by Alain Sherter

SEE IT: Lavish $35M mansion bought by tech CEO accused of feeding US gear to Iran’s nuclear machine

2026-06-04 14:42:07 EDT / Fox News

Jamshid Ghomi allegedly supplied networking equipment to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization while reporting income under $21K

By Elaine Mallon Fox News

Published June 4, 2026 2:42pm EDT

Dan Hoffman on tech CEO accused of sending secret shipments to Iran

Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman weighs in on the alleged decade-long scheme where tech CEO Jamshid Ghomi sold U.S. computer networking parts to Iran. Hoffman emphasizes the counter-intelligence success by the FBI in exposing the tech scheme. He discusses the potential damage to U.S. national security and Iran’s ability to augment its nuclear program with U.S. technology.

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A dual U.S.-Iranian citizen accused of helping Iran’s military and nuclear program obtain sensitive American technology used millions of dollars in illicit proceeds from the scheme to fund the construction of his Newport Beach mansion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Jamshid Ghomi, 63, an Iranian-American businessman who lives in Newport Coast, California, was charged with conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions laws by supplying export-restricted American networking, security and encryption equipment to customers in Iran, including entities tied to the country’s military and nuclear enrichment programs.

“As alleged, Ghomi enriched himself by supplying U.S. technology to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and other sanctioned entities responsible for Iran’s nuclear program,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said in a statement.

The arrest comes amid a broader federal crackdown on Iranian procurement networks and intelligence operations. In recent years, federal authorities have charged multiple Iranian nationals and operatives accused of obtaining U.S. technology for military purposes and acting on behalf of the Iranian government.

US SANCTIONS MONEY LAUNDERING NETWORK AIDING IRAN AS REGIME FACES NUCLEAR REPRIMAND AT IAEA

Ghomi’s $35 million mansion, reportedly financed in part with proceeds from the illicit sale of American technology to the Iranian government.(Justice Department)

Ghomi is the founder and CEO of Faraz Pardaz Rayaneh Co. Ltd. (FPR), a Tehran-based technology company that, according to court documents, spent more than a decade acquiring sophisticated U.S. equipment and funneling it to Iranian government entities through intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates.

Investigators say the alleged sanctions-evasion scheme generated millions of dollars for Ghomi, who then took steps to disguise the money’s origin before moving it into the United States.

He laundered proceeds from his Iran-based business through a network of offshore companies and exchange houses located in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, Turkey and the UAE, according to the complaint.

Prosecutors contend that over a 13-year period, more than $15 million tied to Ghomi’s Iran-based business flowed into American financial accounts, including accounts used to finance construction of his Newport Coast residence.

Authorities say many of the transfers contained false descriptions such as “Buying Goods” and “For Consulting Fees.” Prosecutors further allege Ghomi falsely reported the incoming funds to the IRS as a foreign inheritance while reporting little income on his federal tax returns.

‘NEPO BABIES OF IRAN’S REGIME’ EXPOSES LAVISH LIVES OF IRANIAN LEADERS’ CHILDREN LIVING IN THE WEST

Jamshid Ghomi is accused by federal prosecutors of helping Iranian military and nuclear-linked entities obtain sensitive U.S. technology and using proceeds from the scheme to fund the construction of his Newport Beach mansion.(DOJ District of California)

Court documents show his highest reported annual income was approximately $20,684. Authorities also say he claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit, a tax benefit intended for low- and moderate-income workers, in multiple tax years.

Meanwhile, investigators say Ghomi was building and residing in a 14,000-square-foot Newport Coast mansion valued at roughly $35 million. Ghomi purchased a vacant lot in 2010 for roughly $4.5 million and spent more than $10 million constructing the residence. Federal authorities allege more than $7 million in foreign-source wire transfers linked to the sanctions-evasion scheme flowed into escrow accounts used to finance his mansion construction.

“Ghomi is accused of aiding our declared enemies by selling U.S.-origin computer networking parts to Iran and earning millions of dollars in violation of U.S. sanction laws,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. “Our nation’s laws prohibiting doing business with one of the world’s largest state sponsors of terrorism must be enforced and obeyed.”

Investigators allege FPR supplied American-made networking, security and encryption products to some of the Iranian regime’s most sensitive organizations, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, Iran Computer Industries and other military-affiliated entities.

An aerial shot of the mansion belonging to Ghomi. Federal prosecutors allege that it was financed in part with proceeds from a scheme to illegally export U.S. technology to Iran.(Justice Department)

According to prosecutors, FPR supplied U.S.-origin networking equipment to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) from 2017 through 2023. The agency oversees Iran’s nuclear program, including uranium enrichment and centrifuge operations, and was sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in 2020.

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Ghomi is also accused of supplying more than 250 metric tons of networking and computer equipment to Iran between 2014 and 2018 alone. Prosecutors say he made hundreds of purchases of restricted American technology and knowingly violated U.S. sanctions while taking deliberate steps to conceal the operation.

Investigators say Ghomi worked to ensure shipments were routed through UAE-based front companies to conceal their true destination and instructed associates to keep his name off invoices and shipping documents.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

How social change in the 1960s shaped Samuel Alito—and made him the conservative justice he is today | CNN Politics

2026-06-04 17:49:29 UTC / CNN Politics

How social change in the 1960s shaped Samuel Alito—and made him the conservative justice he is today

By Dana Bash, CNN

Published 1:49 PM EDT, Thu June 4, 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/04/politics/video/inside-politics-justice-alito-revenge-for-the-sixties-canellos

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How social change in the 1960s shaped Samuel Alito—and made him the conservative justice he is today

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“Revenge for the Sixties” is the title of a new biography about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. What exactly did he want revenge for? Author Peter Canellos explains what drives the justice who has spent two decades on the court moving it to the right—and what factors he may be considering as he decides whether to retire this year while Republicans can name his replacement.

5:41 • Source: CNN

Meta is selling $3.99 monthly subscriptions for Instagram Plus. Here’s what you get.

2026-06-04 3:27 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

Read Full Bio

Meta is rolling out an Instagram subscription service for $3.99 a month, called Instagram Plus, which adds features such as “stories” that last for 48 hours, double the amount of time for nonpaying users.

The new service is aimed at helping Meta diversify its revenue base, which is heavily dependent on advertising. The photo-sharing app will continue to be available for free, and nothing will change for nonpaying users, Instagram said in a Thursday post.

“The Instagram you know and love today isn’t changing — this subscription is simply an optional upgrade for people who want more,” the company said.

What do you get for $3.99 a month?

Paid subscribers who post stories — images or videos that aren’t permanent and can be seen for just 24 hours — can make them last for 48 hours.

Subscribers to Instagram Plus can also create multiple audience lists to share certain content with specific groups of people. Meta says such upgrades help social media users maintain closer contact with followers.

The paid service also includes new audience metrics for paid users. For example, they can see how many times their stories were rewatched, which could indicate how compelling the content was to their followers.

Paid users can also quickly search to see if a specific viewer watched their story.

Custom app icon, fonts

Instagram Plus gives the app’s users the ability to choose a custom app icon, versus just the standard tile. The paid tier also lets users choose different fonts when writing their bios, and post content to their profiles without it automatically appearing in friends’ feeds, Meta said.

Instagram’s parent company added that it will be bringing new features to Instagram Plus in the coming months.

Meta’s AI agents for businesses

Meta on Wednesday also launched AI agents for businesses, called the Meta Business Agent, which work across its apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, to recommend products, answer customers’ questions, and carry out other tasks autonomously.

The move comes as agentic AI, the successor to generative AI, becomes more attractive to businesses, which see it as a potential replacement for labor costs. Consumers are also adopting the tech to outsource administrative tasks.

The new products are being rolled at as Meta continues to overhaul its business to focus on AI. Meta in April disclosed plans to lay off roughly 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, to cut costs as it invests more money in artificial intelligence.

Edited by Aimee Picchi

Could Democrats win the Senate? Their chances seem to be improving

2026-06-04T17:43:01.600Z / CNN

Democrats have a tough road to take control of the Senate, but some recent wins and polling show things could be trending their way.

Recent polling shows Democrats leading by double digits on the generic ballot and competitive in Ohio and Texas.

Primary results have given Democrats their preferred candidates in Iowa, Montana and Texas, improving their prospects.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

Democrats clearly have the momentum in the 2026 midterm elections. But in order to take control of the Senate, they need to do something pretty extraordinary: They likely must win at least two states that President Donald Trump carried by double-digits in 2024.

The most likely possibilities would seem to be Alaska (Trump +13), Iowa (Trump +13), Ohio (Trump +11) and Texas (Trump +14). Each would require a significant swing. Some lower-tier targets could include Montana (Trump +20) and Nebraska (Trump +20), where Democrats appear to be pinning their hopes on independent candidates.

But recent developments give Democrats increasing reason to dare to dream:

• The primaries have broken the way Democrats wanted them to in states like Iowa, Texas and Montana.
• The “generic ballot” polling — a choice between an unnamed Democrat and an unnamed Republican — has trended significantly in their direction.
• The limited quality polling we have in key states — like a new Fox News poll in Ohio — suggests winning some of these double-digit Trump states is within the realm of possibility.

That doesn’t mean everything is going Democrats’ way right now; the continued disclosures about Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, for instance, have cast real doubt on a blue state that Democrats probably need to win.

(They need four more seats to gain control, and their easiest targets are supposed to be Maine and North Carolina.)

But they’ve got some major signs trending their way.

On Tuesday, the Democratic establishment got the candidate it wanted in Iowa: state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian who has carried a district that voted for Trump. This led some election analysts to move the state into a more competitive category.

The same day, the party also pulled off a win, of sorts, in Montana. Specifically, it got an under-funded Democratic nominee who could theoretically open the door to an independent who has more of a chance of winning the race and depriving Republicans of a seat — or, at least, make the GOP spend more than it expected to in the state.

And further back, the matchup in Texas is exactly what the Democratic Party wanted. They got state Rep. James Talarico over firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, then they got baggage-laden state Attorney General Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff.

Some key primaries remain — especially the Democratic primary in Michigan — but, so far, they’re breaking well for Democrats.

This is a mainstay of midterm election polling, which asks voters whether they would prefer to vote for an unnamed Republican candidate or an unnamed Democratic candidate in that district. It’s a way to get a read on the national environment without polling every individual race.

For a while, it looked like Democrats weren’t building the kind of advantage they would like to — possibly owing to their party’s poor brand.

But there are some signs it could be shifting.

While some polls continue to show this measure is close among registered voters — like a CNN poll (Democrats +3) a month ago and a Marquette Law School poll released this week (near even with Democrats at 46% to Republicans’ 45%) — some recent high-quality polls have found Democrats with a double-digit lead.

That includes a New York Times/Siena College poll and a Quinnipiac University poll which showed Democrats up 11, as well as an NPR/PBS/Marist College poll showing them up 10.

Those are the kinds of margins that give Democrats reason to hope they could win double-digit Trump states.

While polling data is still early and sparse at the state level, the limited recent polls available look good for Democrats.

A new Fox News poll among Ohio registered voters is a case in point.

The poll released Wednesday shows Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown leading appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted by eight points, 53%-45%. This is, again, in a state Trump won by 11 points in 2024. If that margin held among actual voters in November, it would be a 19-point swing.

The result would be similar to Brown’s six-point win in Trump’s first midterm in 2018 — an election that was quite good for Democrats.

And it suggests Brown is picking off significant numbers of crossover voters. The Fox poll shows he’s getting 13% of all Republicans, 14% of 2024 Trump voters and 31% of Republicans who don’t identify with the MAGA movement.

The polling in Texas has been similar, if more dated. A late April/early May Texas Southern University/YouGov poll showed Talarico and Paxton tied at 45%, while an older University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll showed Talarico ahead by eight, 42%-34%.

Both showed Talarico leading by more than 20 points with independents. And even the closer poll showed Paxton struggling to completely lock down Republican voters.

Another key facet of the polls in both states: They all show the Democratic Senate candidates doing better than other Democrats on the ballot, like gubernatorial candidates. That suggests Democrats are nominating pretty favorable candidate matchups.

And finally worth mentioning is another recent poll in Maine. The late-May University of New Hampshire survey was conducted before the recent revelations about Platner, but it confirmed Democrats’ overall momentum.

Platner led Republican five-term Sen. Susan Collins 51%-42% among likely voters.

What’s particularly encouraging for Democrats there was that Platner seemed to be locking down Democrats (taking 91% of them) more than Collins was locking down Republicans (80%).

That’s a reversal from Collins’ 2020 reelection race, when exit polls showed her getting 91% of Republicans but her Democratic opponent getting just 84% of Democrats.

Another Maine poll last month, from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and YouGov, showed Platner leading 48%-43%.

Polling Maine is notoriously difficult. In that 2020 race, Collins trailed in every public survey before shocking everyone when she won by nine points. And obviously, Platner’s baggage could impact things.

Still, the data right now is pretty clear that Democrats winning control of the Senate is increasingly on the table. One wouldn’t blame them for feeling optimistic about their ability to compete in Alaska and even Iowa, given what we’re seeing in Ohio and Texas.

This story has been updated with additional polling.

Iowa GOP governor nominee recounts viral clash that put Obama on the spot at 2009 town hall

June 4, 2026 1:48pm EDT / Fox News

Iowa GOP gubernatorial nominee stumped Obama on signature legislation at 2009 rally

The newly-minted Republican nominee for governor in Iowa put then-President Barack Obama on his heels after with question about Obamacare at a 2009 rally in Colorado. (Credit: The Obama White House)

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The Republican nominee for governor in Iowa pulled back the curtain for Fox News Digital on the time he went viral for stumping Barack Obama at a 2009 town hall centered on the then-president’s namesake legislation.

Zach Lahn pulled off an upset victory Tuesday night when he defeated Trump-backed Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, for the party’s nomination for governor.

But 17 years ago, when he was a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, Lahn confronted Obama at a town hall where the 44th president was promoting the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. The old clip went viral after his Tuesday win.

Zach Lahn speaks to supporters after winning the Iowa GOP gubernatorial primary election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.(Zach Lahn for Governor via Facebook)

At the time of the exchange, the video was circulated by late conservative radio titan Rush Limbaugh, who praised Lahn as “amazing,” and said that with “one simple question that Obama can’t answer, [he] nukes the entire foundation of Obamacare.”

The candidate in what will be a hotly contested Iowa gubernatorial race posted the clip to his social media in May, but it gained widespread traction after Tuesday’s primary election.

GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE IN KEY 2028 WHITE HOUSE ELECTION CYCLE STATE ANNOUNCES RECORD FUNDRAISING HAUL

Lahn recounted the moment to Fox News Digital on Thursday and remembered how shocked he was to be called upon at the event. Lahn and his roommate purchased tickets to the 2009 event in Grand Junction and then drove eight hours round trip twice to attend the event — first to pick up tickets and again days later to attend the town hall.

“You know, I was young, and, I was in college at the time, going to University of Colorado Boulder, and so I was pretty fired up about this whole healthcare discussion,” he said. “It was just my entrance, sort of, into some of the political discussions.”

President Barack Obama speaks with CU student Zach Lahn during a town hall meeting at Central High School in Grand Junction, Colo., on Aug. 15, 2009, discussing health insurance reform and limits on out-of-pocket expenses.(Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post)

Speaking to Obama in 2009, Lahn said: “We all know the best way to reduce prices in this economy is to increase competition.”

“How in the world can a private corporation providing insurance compete with an entity that does not have to worry about making a profit, does not have to pay local property taxes, they’re not subject to local regulations? How can a company compete with that?” he questioned.

REPUBLICANS DIVIDED OVER WHETHER TO SALVAGE OBAMACARE — OR REPLACE IT — AHEAD OF SUBSIDY DEADLINE

“I don’t want generalities — I’m not looking for philosophical arguments. I’m just asking a question,” he asserted.

Obama thanked him for the question, and then for the first time during the Obamacare debate, said he might not be in favor of the public option, which would have allowed Americans to buy government-run health insurance alongside private insurance.

President Barack Obama answers a question during a health care town hall meeting at Central High School gym in Grand Junction, Colo., on Aug. 15, 2009.(John Moore/Getty Images)

“Certainly they can’t compete if the taxpayer is standing behind the public option just shoveling more and more money in,” Obama replied. “That’s certainly not fair, and so I’ve already said I would not be in favor of a public option of that sort because that would just mean more expenses out of our pockets and we wouldn’t be seeing much improvement in quality.”

WATCH: DOCTOR-LAWMAKER BLAMES OBAMACARE FOR DRIVING HEALTH COSTS HIGHER

There was no public option when Obamacare became law.

“Ultimately, what came out of it was, maybe in an inadvertent way, he mentioned for the first time that they might not have the public option in Obamacare,” Lahn told Fox News Digital. “Then right afterwards, Fox and CNN and these people wanted to talk to me because Obama had just said that this key part of his plan may not be included, and then it ended up not being included.”

For another minute or so, Obama stuttered through an answer to Lahn’s question about competition, wrestling publicly with the idea that private insurance companies would also have to borrow money at high interest rates, something else the government would not have to do.

TRUMP WILL MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN WITH AN UNLIKELY COALITION

Lahn told Fox News Digital he wasn’t quite satisfied with Obama’s answer at the time, describing it as “word salad.”

“I feel like most politicians today, like, they can’t give me a real answer or they or they dance around something and never get to the real issue,” he said.

Zach Lahn raises his fist in celebration after defeating his primary opponent in Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial race on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.(Zach Lahn for Governor via Facebook)

Lahn, a farmer and businessman who has centered much of his campaign on making Iowa healthy again and was strongly backed by the MAHA wing of the conservative movement, now squares off with Democratic Auditor of Iowa Rob Sand.

Though he stepped away from politics for several years to build his business and run his family farm, Lahn’s passion for issues plaguing Iowans drew him back into the fold.

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“I really haven’t been involved in this in over a decade, and these issues that I’m running on I truly care about, whether it’s all these kids leaving Iowa, our family farms, our education system or the outlier cancer rate that we are in the world.”

“I don’t know how much longer we can go as a state without addressing these issues.”

Peter D’Abrosca is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering politics.

Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.

Bipartisan Senate duo urges court to maintain block on DOJ fund, calling it a “dire threat” to Constitution

2026-06-04T15:58:00-0400 / CBS News

Washington— A bipartisan pair of senators urged a federal court Thursday to continue blocking the Justice Department from moving forward with its $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization fund,” warning that it is an “immediate and dire threat” to the constitutional order and arguing it is designed to provide payouts to people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Sens. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, and Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, raised their objections to the fund in a friend-of-the-court brief filed with the court in eastern Virginia. A judge there temporarily blocked the Justice Department last week from taking any action regarding the program, including considering claims or disbursing funds, while she considers whether to grant longer-lasting relief.

In their filing, the senators said the judge should maintain her injunction and ultimately rule in favor of the plaintiffs challenging the fund, which include a former federal prosecutor who worked on Jan. 6-related cases.

“The Anti-Weaponization Fund presents an immediate and dire threat to our constitutional order and the authority of Congress,” Cassidy and Booker wrote. “Indeed, among other purposes, the Fund is designed to compensate the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. The existence of the Fund strikes at the core of Congressional authority and our Constitutional order.”

The senators said that the fund violates the Constitution’s Spending, Appropriations and Appointments Clauses.

In their brief, they said they “respectfully urge this Court to recognize that what is at stake in this litigation is not an ordinary dispute about executive spending authority or the boundaries of the clemency power. It is a question of whether the machinery of democratic government may be turned, by design and with explicit intent, against the democratic foundations it exists to serve.”

The Justice Department announced the anti-weaponization fund last month as part of a deal to settle a civil lawsuit President Trump filed against the IRS in January over the leak of his tax returns by a former government contractor. The $1.7 billion fund aims to “provide a systematic process to hear and redress claims of others who suffered weaponization and lawfare,” according to the Justice Department.

The settlement gives five people who are appointed by the attorney general the authority to distribute payouts. The Justice Department did not specify who could benefit from the fund, but shortly after it was announced, several people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack and Trump allies said they planned to apply for relief.

Republican and Democratic senators swiftly objected to the program, particularly because of concerns that people involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol assault could be awarded money. The fund threatened to derail a $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through a process known as reconciliation. The Senate on Thursday convened to move forward with the legislation, though Democrats and some Republicans are expected to force votes aimed at limiting the fund.

Cassidy, who recently lost his primary election to an opponent backed by Mr. Trump, is among the GOP senators who have expressed issues with the anti-weaponization fund.

Amid the backlash, the Justice Department said it would stop work on the program and comply with the court’s temporary decision. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also told a House committee Tuesday that the administration is “not moving forward with the fund,” but would not commit to putting it in writing.

Still, Blanche’s assurances, particularly when coupled with Mr. Trump’s continued defense of the program, have done little to assuage skeptical senators.

In their court filing, Booker and Cassidy argued the “anti-weaponization” program is an “end-run” around Congress’s power of the purse and the Senate’s advise and consent role in presidential appointments. They said the fund “presents a threat to our constitutional democracy” by potentially providing payments to Jan. 6 rioters, many of whom were pardoned by Mr. Trump on his first day back in the White House.

“Regardless of the Executive Branch’s authority to extend clemency to those defendants, the further step of affirmatively compensating them from public funds transforms a decision not to punish into a declaration that the conduct itself was legitimate and deserving of remedy,” Cassidy and Booker wrote. “The gravity of that transformation cannot be overstated.”

The two senators framed the fund as part of a “scheme deliberately designed to recast insurrectionists” as victims and “legitimate prosecutions as persecution.”

“To deliberately deploy public funds, in violation of the Constitution and the laws of this nation, to compensate these perpetrators is to use the machinery of democratic government to subsidize an attack on that government’s most fundamental processes,” the senators said.

Vote against “anti-weaponization” fund coming

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/will-republicans-join-democrats-in-vote-against-doj-anti-weaponization-fund/

Will Republicans join Democrats in vote against DOJ “anti-weaponization” fund?

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