博客

Virginia counties challenge April redistricting vote over timing rules | Fox News

By Charles Creitz | Fox News
Published March 9, 2026 12:17pm EDT

Virginia counties and several independent cities are pushing back against an April special election that could reshape nearly every Republican-held congressional district in the state before voters next head to the polls.

If approved, the referendum would trigger a mid-cycle redrawing of the state’s congressional map, potentially altering the balance of power in Virginia’s U.S. House delegation. If rejected, the existing map would remain in place and ongoing legal challenges surrounding the measure could be rendered moot.

In Patrick County — named for “Give me liberty or give me death,” Gov. Patrick Henry — local officials have mounted an early formal challenge to the vote, backed by lawmakers and attorneys from across the state. The county passed a resolution delaying early voting until just days before the April 21 election, as the redistricting amendment continues to be tested in court in Tazewell County.

Patrick County and others argue that the Virginia Constitution requires at least 90 days to pass before early voting can begin on a ballot measure. They claim Democrats improperly used a 2024 special legislative session — which was never formally closed — to fast-track the redistricting amendment onto the November ballot.

NEW DEM STAR’S QUICK HARD-LEFT TURN AFTER ‘MODERATE’ CAMPAIGN WON HER COVETED RESPONSE TO TRUMP: LAWMAKER

Following Patrick’s lead, officials in Campbell, Charlotte, Spotsylvania, Prince George, Scott, Washington, Floyd and Roanoke counties, along with the independent city of Lynchburg, are considering, pursuing or voting on similar measures, according to Del. Wren Williams, who is also an attorney and who told Fox News Digital he is both politically and legally laser-focused on the situation.

Williams, who represents Patrick, Floyd and Carroll counties and the independent city of Galax in Virginia’s deep-red, mountainous southwest, said that from an apolitical perspective, the resolutions boil down to fiscal responsibility.

“Who would vote against ‘restoring fairness’? That is where I think [Democrats] have overstepped and overplayed their hand. When I was a young attorney, an older attorney told me one time, pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered,” he said in an exclusive interview.

Patrick County will spend about $15,000 to hold a special election, and the ongoing legal uncertainty and political gamesmanship over the issue in Richmond do not create a stable environment for municipalities to expend such resources, he said.

Tazewell County Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled in favor of Senate Minority Leader Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, in the GOP’s procedural challenge, declaring the redistricting amendment “void ab initio,” or invalid from the start.

The commonwealth appealed, and the Virginia Supreme Court ruled the referendum could stand while it reviews the case. Separately, the RNC has sued the Virginia Department of Elections again via Tazewell, and Hurley again blocked the election on grounds that Virginia Democrats’ ballot question language of “[vote yes to] restore fairness” is misleading.

RNC SUES TO STOP DEMOCRATS’ VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING PUSH

Senate President L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, has repeatedly claimed the referendum’s mantle, responding in often profane ways to critics, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who took issue with the 10-1 Democratic bent of the new map.

“You all started it and we f[—]ing finished it,” Lucas said in response to Cruz calling it an abuse of power and affront to democracy.

Williams said that from both a fiscal and legal perspective, with all of the above going on, counties like his own are in the right.

The effort was publicly backed by Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, a former state legislator, until the state Supreme Court threw a legal wrench in the works late last week.

Anderson has posted numerous video comments and documents on his social media, including a draft resolution for counties to use.

Rockingham County, which surrounds Harrisonburg, put forward a similarly crafted resolution last week wherein officials stated, “congressional redistricting has significant consequences for the ability of communities to elect representatives who understand and are familiar with their values, priorities and regional needs.”

However, after a Lynchburg judge reportedly ruled he could not intervene in the election process because the gears were already in motion, Anderson, who represented Lynchburg officials, told the Virginia Cardinal News he is not appealing and has pivoted to suggesting all critical counties move forward with the election.

In a video message on Thursday, Anderson warned that given the new ruling, all counties must now follow the Supreme Court.

THIS CRUCIAL STATE IS THE LATEST BATTLEGROUND IN REDISTRICTING WAR BETWEEN TRUMP AND DEMOCRATS

“If you are a local official… in a jurisdiction that entered a resolution that said you’re not going to do the elections, you need to reverse immediately. The Virginia Supreme Court has made its decision, you are bound by it,” he said.

“Go early vote. There’s nothing else to do other than to vote. If we lose, there are a ton of legal arguments that can be made [then],” Anderson added, further suggesting he will again be a part of any postmortem arguments.

Over just a few days, yards signs pleading with fellow Virginians to vote “NO” have cropped up all around, in places like Amherst, Stephenson, Buena Vista and beyond.

Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., whose district runs from the West Virginia line at Roanoke to Botetourt County north of Roanoke, echoed those proponents’ concerns in comments to Fox News Digital.

Cline said his current district would be split into five pieces, many of which would originate in culturally disparate Arlington, saying it strips the singular voice in Washington from Virginia’s top agricultural region.

Another wrinkle was thrown in Wednesday when the Virginia Supreme Court stayed Hurley’s ruling regarding the election moving forward and said it will allow it to proceed while making clear it is not issuing a ruling on the merits of the case, which it maintains will come a few days after the election, according to the Virginia Scope.

“It is the process, not the outcome, of this effort that we may ultimately have to address. Issuing an injunction to keep Virginians from the polls is not the proper way to make this decision,” the court ruled, according to the Scope.

As early voting began Friday, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones issued a legal opinion opposing the counties’ efforts.

REDISTRICTING FIGHT ERUPTS AS MARYLAND DEMOCRATS MOVE TO REDRAW LONE GOP HOUSE SEAT

“Local governing bodies cannot use their own independent constitutional interpretations to justify interfering with state-mandated elections,” Jones said, according to the Staunton News-Leader.

Jones claimed the counties don’t have any authority to prevent “election officials from performing their statutory duties,” alleging state supremacy and arguing that any disruptive resolutions would have “no legal effect.”

Prior to Jones’ opinion, Williams told Fox News Digital he understands the “lawfare” at play, saying he’s worked with election-law suits in the past and spoke of a “catch-me-if-you-can” dynamic of courts denying or delaying decisions until the situation is mooted so that they don’t actually have to issue a final ruling.

“If [the redistricting amendment] passes, they’re going to say, ‘the majority has spoken.’ And so that is my concern…” he said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Looking ahead, Williams noted many of the critical counties are holding their next board meetings in the coming days, and suggested the fight may not be over just yet.

A Republican source told Fox News Digital that Democrats “bet the farm” on the redistricting amendment and that “if it fails on the notice requirement, so do their other three amendments,” including the map redraw.

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.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6390083836112
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6386444352112
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388053301112

PALM BEACH, Fla. — National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair Sen. Tim Scott says he remains “incredibly optimistic” the GOP can not only hold but expand its current 53–47 majority in the fall 2026 midterm elections.

But as Republicans battle stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms and as the GOP faces a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation and President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings, Scott isn’t sugar-coating things.

“There’s no doubt the climate has gotten more and more difficult by the day, it seems like at times,” Scott said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at an annual economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative political group that pushes for fiscal responsibility.

Scott in early February gave fellow GOP senators some straight talk about the party’s chances in the midterm elections, when he briefed his colleagues at a closed-door meeting, according to sources in the room.

STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING

The NRSC chair told Fox News Digital in December 2025 that in the battle for the majority, “54 is clearly within our grasp right now, but with a little bit of luck, 55 is on our side.”

Asked again in his Fox News Digital interview Saturday, Scott said, “I think we have a possibility of more than 53 seats.”

MAJORITY AT RISK? — THESE SIX GOP HELD SENATE SEATS MOST AT JEAPARDY

“The good news is we have a president who made promises, he’s been keeping those promises, and we have been able to recruit the highest quality candidates anyone could want in every single battleground state,” Scott said.

Highlighting seats the GOP’s aiming to flip, Scott pointed to Georgia, where Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat seeking re-election in 2026. He also spotlighted open Democratic-held seats in battleground Michigan, swing state New Hampshire, and blue-leaning Minnesota.

GOP CALLS TRUMP ITS ‘SECRET WEAPON’ — BUT POLLS SHOW WARNING SIGNS HEADING INTO MIDTERMS

Scott said he’s “incredibly optimistic, not only about holding the majority, but still expanding the majority through Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and even Minnesota, we have a strong candidate.”

The candidate he was referring to in Minnesota is former NBC Sports reporter turned conservative activist and commentator Michele Tafoya.

But Democrats are targeting Maine, where longtime GOP Sen. Susan Collins is running for re-election in the blue-leaning northern New England state, and battleground North Carolina, where Republicans are defending an open seat in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis.

Democrats are also trying to flip GOP-held Senate seats in Texas, Ohio, Alaska and Iowa, which are all red states.

“Voters are sick and tired of Trump and Senate Republicans’ toxic agenda raising prices and threatening their health care,” the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) emphasized in a social media post. “Voters across the country are ready to send Senate Republicans packing this November.”

PAXTON SAYS HE’S STAYING IN THE RACE EVEN IF TRUMP BACKS CORNYN

In Texas, the NRSC is backing longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who is now facing off with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA firebrand, in a costly and combustible primary runoff.

Trump said in early March, following the primary election where no candidate in the crowded Republican field cracked 50% to win the nomination, that he would soon make an endorsement.

The NRSC and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who is also backing Cornyn, are concerned that a Paxton victory could give the Democrats a path to flipping the red seat, thanks to the state attorney general’s political baggage, including a plethora of past scandals and a current messy divorce.

“The one thing we know about John Cornyn is he will win Texas. If you want to have the clearest path of victory, John Cornyn is your guy,” Scott said. “President Trump is the only person that can make that a reality immediately through this runoff process.”

Scott said “we hope and pray” that Trump will endorse Cornyn. But he added: “The President is going to do what the President is going to do. I won’t pretend to influence his final decision, but I will say, I’m certainly praying for John Cornyn to be our our nominee.”

TRUMP ARGUES GAS PRICES SPIKE IS TEMPORARY

Oil prices have shot up in the week and a half since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans in a midterm election cycle where the economy, and specifically affordability, is the top concern of voters.

“I think the economy will continue to get better month over a month,” an optimist Scott predicted. “I think the rest of this year we’ll see unfolding good information, good facts about why the American people should focus on the Republican Party and keep us in the majority.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

And with the annual tax filing deadline just more than a month away, Scott touted the numerous tax cuts kicking in this year in the GOP’s sweeping “big, beautiful bill”, which Trump signed into law in summer 2025.

Scott touted “a bigger tax return for millions of Americans, that’s great news. The more they see more money in their pockets, and the more they attribute it to the Republican Party, the better we’re going to do this election season.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

The top Senate Democrat wants President Donald Trump to tap the nation’s oil stockpile as fuel prices skyrocket, years after blocking his attempt to replenish the supply when prices were low.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Trump to unleash reserve barrels of oil from America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as oil prices spike amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Schumer argued in a statement that the reserve “exists for moments exactly like this.”

[image_1]

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., during a news conference following Senate Democrat policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

[TRUMP’S ENERGY DOMINANCE REWRITES THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE AFTER BIDEN DRAWDOWNS]

“When wars and global crises disrupt energy markets, the United States has the ability to act, but President Trump and his administration are refusing to do so,” Schumer said. “Trump should release oil from the SPR now to stabilize markets, bring prices down, and stop the price shock that American families are already feeling thanks to his reckless war.”

During his first term, Trump wanted to use about $3 billion from a colossal COVID-19 stimulus package making its way through Congress to fill the reserve, but the move was promptly rejected by Schumer and congressional Democrats, who panned it as a “bailout” for the oil industry.

The price per barrel at the time was roughly $29, according to WTI Crude Oil. Now, oil has eclipsed $110 per barrel over the weekend for the first time since 2022.

Though the SPR has capacity for over 700 million barrels of crude oil, the reserve currently has far less.

[TANKERS TO RESUME NORMAL MOVEMENT IN MIDDLE EAST IN ‘A FEW WEEKS’ AT WORST, ENERGY SEC SAYS, ENDING OIL SURGE]

[image_2]

President Joe Biden speaks during the Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2024.(Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

That’s because under former President Joe Biden, it was tapped twice — once to relieve soaring fuel prices as the nation still grappled with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and another time to combat increased energy costs at the onset of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

[image_3]

At the end of Biden’s term, the reserve had about 415 million barrels of crude on hand, according to data from the Department of Energy. Schumer supported both instances when Biden opened the nation’s oil reserves but, years prior, blocked Trump from building up the stockpile toward the end of his first term.

“Senator Schumer championed Joe Biden’s Green New Scam, which raised energy costs, threatened our national security, and stifled American energy independence,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital in a statement. “President Trump has been unleashing American energy dominance since day one, and now, American oil and gas production is at record highs.”

[GAS PRICES COULD JUMP AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS THREATEN GLOBAL OIL SUPPLY]

[image_4]

A timelapse video shows marine traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz.(Kpler/Marine Traffic)

Schumer lauded Biden’s first move to tap into the SPR in 2021, arguing that it provided “much-needed temporary relief at the pump.”

“Of course, the only long-term solution to rising gas prices is to continue our march to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels and create a robust green energy economy,” he said at the time.

And toward the end of Biden’s presidency, his administration did buy back barrels of oil to refill the reserves, which Schumer did not object to.

Fast-forward, and the price per barrel of oil has launched into the stratosphere since Trump’s Operation Epic Fury and Iran’s response to put the Strait of Hormuz — a key route ferrying barrels around the globe — into a chokehold.

For now, the administration has no public plans to tap into the reserve as Americans undergo sticker shock at the pump.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

[image_5]

Energy Secretary Chris Wright argued that the best way to lower prices was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by neutralizing Iran’s ability to target oil tankers.

Wright told Fox News over the weekend that the disruption would last for “weeks, certainly not months.”

“We believe this is a small price to pay to get to a world where energy prices will return back to where they were,” Wright said. “Iran will finally be defanged, and now you can see more investment, more free flow of trade, and less ability to threaten energy supplies.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

US kidney transplant inequity narrows for Black patients

March 9, 2026 6:07 PM UTC / Reuters

March 9 (Reuters) – Black patients with failing kidneys are receiving more transplants and spending less time on transplant waiting lists, after decades in which race-based medical guidelines led ​to under-diagnosis of kidney disease and fewer transplants in those patients, according to ‌a report published on Monday.

New U.S. policies are having a noticeably positive impact on outcomes of Black kidney patients, researchers said in a report published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.

“Our findings indicate that reparative approaches to ​address the harms caused by race-based clinical algorithms can help move the needle ​toward health equity,” study leader Dr. Rohan Khazanchi of Brigham and Women’s ⁠Hospital and Boston Medical Center said in a statement.

In some cases, Black patients who ​had been kept alive by dialysis for years while awaiting a new kidney received a ​transplant within months after the severity of their disease was reassessed using a race-neutral formula, surgeons not involved in the new study told Reuters. These patients were likely still years from reaching the top ​of the transplant list under the old system, they said.

Historically, to receive a diagnosis ​of kidney disease, Black patients needed worse renal function than white patients.

In 2021, to address this inequity, ‌race ⁠was removed from equations for estimating renal function. Two years later, U.S. hospitals were ordered to reassess their kidney transplant waiting lists and correct the status of Black patients whose kidney disease severity had been assessed by the old formula.

As of June 2025, 21,119 Black ​patients waiting for transplants ​had been moved ⁠up on waiting lists, resulting in an increase of 5.3 transplants per 1,000 Black candidate listings, without significant changes in transplant rates ​among non-Black and/or Hispanic candidates, according to the report.

“Black patients and ​other marginalized ⁠groups are still not transplanted equitably despite being diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease at much higher rates, so there remains a continued need for accountability and intervention to ensure that all ⁠communities are ​equitably prioritized,” Khazanchi said.

Recent efforts to end collection ​of race and ethnicity data in the U.S. Renal Data System risk erasing decades of progress in monitoring and ​intervening on kidney transplant inequities, the researchers said.

Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US in advancing discussions on how to rebuild Washington Dulles airport

March 9, 2026 6:58 PM UTC / Reuters

节点运行失败

Passengers make their way through the terminal as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S., November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is in ​ongoing discussions aiming to ‌reach consensus on a massive project to rebuild ​Washington Dulles Airport, the ​primary international airport in ⁠the Washington region, ​officials said.

Deputy Transportation Secretary Steve ​Bradbury said at an industry forum there are ongoing ​discussions between the ​department and the authority that runs ‌the ⁠airport to find consensus on a way forward. President Donald Trump ​held ​a ⁠Feb. 25 meeting on Dulles’s future ​that included United ​Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, who heads the carrier that ⁠has ​nearly 70% ​of the traffic at Dulles, sources ​said.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

Reporting by David Shepardson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

California lawmaker leaves GOP, thinning Johnson’s fragile House majority | Fox News

Rep Kevin Kiley said he will still caucus with the GOP

By Elizabeth Elkind
Fox News

Published March 9, 2026 3:37pm EDT

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Listen to this article

3 min

A House lawmaker from deep-blue California is leaving the GOP effective immediately, cutting Republicans’ slim margin even thinner, his office confirmed to Fox News Digital on Monday.

Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., had already announced his intention to run as an Independent candidate in a Democrat-leaning district in the November midterms, but he is now deciding to take on the new political identity early.

“This last week, we registered under no party preference in California,” Kiley told local reporters, according to a recording obtained by Fox News Digital. “I’m also today asking the clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives to have that reflected in the official roster…so I will be the sole Independent member of the House of Representatives.”

House Republicans are already dealing with a razor-thin majority of just one vote, which is expected to grow to a two-vote margin after a special election in a deep-red Georgia district this week.

[TOP MARYLAND DEMOCRAT DEFIES JEFFRIES ON MID-CYCLE REDISTRICTING PUSH TO BOOT STATE’S LONE REPUBLICAN]

Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., questions Attorney General Pam Bondi during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Kiley said he would still caucus with Republicans, however, in order to retain his committee assignments in the House.

“The rules of the House of Representatives essentially force you, as an administrative matter, to caucus with one party or the other, which, by the way, I don’t think is a good thing,” Kiley said.

” For example, your committee assignments run through the parties, and so it really, you know, forces you to be associated in that administrative sense with one caucus or another in order to function and be able to serve your constituents in the House.”

Kiley’s decision to run as an Independent comes after his current seat in California’s 3rd congressional district was redrawn to lean more heavily toward Democrats.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 2025.(Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential White House candidate for the 2028 cycle, led the charge in redrawing the maps to more heavily favor Democrats despite the objections of Golden State Republicans.

It was a direct response to Texas Republicans passing a new congressional map that could give the GOP an edge in as many as five new seats.

[DOJ URGES SUPREME COURT TO BLOCK CALIFORNIA MAP, CALLS NEWSOM-BACKED PLAN A RACIAL GERRYMANDER]

Kiley had introduced legislation to ban mid-decade redistricting when both fights were ongoing and sharply rebuked the effort by both parties.

He also carved out an independent streak months before formally dropping the GOP, becoming one of the party’s most vocal critics of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for both refusing to wade into the redistricting fight and for keeping the House out of session during the entire 43-day government shutdown last year.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses for questions from reporters as he arrives for an early closed-door Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 3, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Kiley announced in a statement last week that he would now run in California’s newly redrawn 6th congressional district, which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates a “D+5.”

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

“It’s true that I was fully prepared to run in the new 5th, having tested the waters and with polls showing a favorable outlook in a ‘safe’ district. But doing what’s easy and what’s right are often not the same. And at the end of the day, as much as I love the communities in the 5th district that I represent now — and as excited as I was about the new ones — seeking office in a district that doesn’t include my hometown didn’t feel right,” Kiley said.

“The new 6th district is Democratic-leaning but open-minded. While this will be a more challenging race, I believe we can build a winning coalition for common sense. Thanks to all for your encouragement and patience.”

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389704797112

China-linked birth tourism under scrutiny as GOP lawmakers press Trump admin for answers

March 9, 2026 1:09pm EDT / Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are pressing the Trump administration for answers over whether China is exploiting U.S. birthright citizenship and visa programs in a U.S. territory to secure long-term influence inside the United States.

In a letter sent Monday to outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and 32 other GOP members raise concerns that so-called “birth tourism” and visa-waiver policies in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands could be leveraged by Chinese nationals in ways that present national security risks.

Noem will leave her position at Homeland Security at the end of the month.

“American citizenship is a sacred trust — not a loophole to be exploited,” Roy said. “When foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party can leverage birth tourism and visa-less programs to gain influence within our borders, we must restore integrity to our immigration system and defend the sovereignty of our Republic.”

Tiffany argued that “Communist China has exploited ‘birth tourism’ by sending women to the Northern Mariana Islands solely to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children,” adding that “it is time to close this loophole, end the abuse, and protect our national security.”

[TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING AGAINST BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER WOULD BENEFIT CHINA]

House Republicans are pressing the Trump administration for answers over whether China is exploiting U.S. birthright citizenship and visa programs in a U.S. territory to secure long-term influence inside the United States.

The Northern Mariana Islands is a U.S. territory in the Pacific, and like births in any U.S. state, children born there are granted American citizenship under the 14th Amendment, even though the territory operates under certain distinct immigration rules.

The lawmakers cite reports estimating that between 750,000 and 1.5 million Chinese nationals have obtained U.S. citizenship through birthright policies and birth tourism, though federal agencies have not publicly confirmed those figures.

In their letter, Roy and Tiffany ask the Departments of Homeland Security, State and Interior to provide data on how many children have been born since 2009 to at least one Chinese national parent, how many have reached voting age and how many are registered to vote in the United States.

They also ask whether any such individuals have documented ties to the Chinese Communist Party and request entry figures for Chinese nationals under Northern Mariana-specific immigration programs.

Under the 14th Amendment, individuals born on U.S. soil are generally granted citizenship at birth. The debate has centered on whether foreign nationals travel to the United States specifically to give birth so their children will obtain citizenship — a practice commonly referred to as birth tourism.

Federal prosecutors in recent years have brought criminal cases against operators of birth tourism businesses, particularly in California, where organizers were convicted of visa fraud and conspiracy for helping foreign nationals misrepresent their travel intentions in order to give birth in the United States.

The Northern Mariana Islands long have operated under distinct immigration frameworks. In 2009, the Obama administration implemented a categorical parole program allowing certain Chinese nationals to enter without obtaining a traditional U.S. tourist visa. The Biden administration in 2024 finalized a rule creating the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP) for the Northern Mariana Islands, which allows certain Chinese nationals to enter the territory visa-free for short stays.

In a letter sent to Trump administration officials, Rep. Chip Roy and dozens of other GOP House members raise concerns that policies in the Northern Mariana Islands could be leveraged by Chinese nationals.

Tom Tiffany argued, “Communist China has exploited ‘birth tourism’ by sending women to the Northern Mariana Islands solely to give birth and secure U.S. citizenship for their children.”

The lawmakers argue those policies created incentives for birth tourism in Saipan, the capital of the islands, pointing to reports that births to foreign visitors increased sharply after the 2009 changes.

[NOEM BACKS SAVE AMERICA ACT, SLAMS ‘RADICAL LEFT’ OPPOSITION TO VOTER IDS AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP]

They warn that once U.S.-born children turn 21, they can petition for lawful permanent resident status for their parents, potentially opening additional immigration pathways.

While the letter raises concerns that such individuals could eventually participate in U.S. elections, it does not cite evidence that large numbers are currently registered to vote or that the Chinese government has directed birth tourism as a coordinated strategy.

The Departments of Homeland Security and Interior did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. The State Department referred back to Homeland Security.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

The letter comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, with U.S. officials repeatedly warning about Chinese influence operations, intellectual property theft and espionage efforts targeting American institutions.

Roy and Tiffany urged the administration to end any parole or visa-waiver programs extended to Chinese nationals in the Northern Mariana Islands and to provide a full accounting of the scope of birth tourism involving Chinese nationals.

The Chinese embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.

Two men charged with terrorism after homemade bomb thrown at anti-Islam protesters in New York

March 9, 2026 7:24 PM UTC / Reuters

By Maria Tsvetkova and Jonathan Allen

节点运行失败

Item 1 of 3 A man identified as Emir Balat is detained by police officers during a rally to stop public Muslim prayer outside the Gracie Mansion official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York City, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

[1/3]A man identified as Emir Balat is detained by police officers during a rally to stop public Muslim prayer outside the Gracie Mansion official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York City, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) – Two men accused of igniting homemade bombs at a chaotic anti-Islam protest outside the New York City mayor’s mansion told police they were inspired by Islamic State, the Islamist militant group, and were charged on Monday with ​federal terrorism-related crimes, according to court records.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, are accused of traveling from Pennsylvania with ‌dangerous improvised explosive devices to Manhattan on Saturday, where a small group of far-right activists had planned the anti-Muslim rally outside Gracie Mansion against Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

Balat was captured in photographs and video lighting a small IED and throwing it towards the anti-Muslim protesters before lighting a second device ​handed to him by Kayumi and dropping it, according to the criminal complaint. Police were able to intercept the smoking devices, ​duct-taped jars containing screws and bolts and the explosive substance TATP, and no one was hurt.

After police arrested ⁠them, they said they were inspired by Islamic State, and Balat told police that he wanted to carry out an attack

FBI obtains records related to Arizona Senate audit of Maricopa County 2020 election results, state lawmaker says

By Hannah Rabinowitz
Updated Mar 9, 2026, 3:12 PM ET
PUBLISHED Mar 9, 2026, 3:07 PM ET

The Arizona state Senate complied with a federal subpoena about its review of the 2020 presidential election in the Phoenix area, according to the Senate president.

Their review of the election confirmed Joe Biden’s win in the state.

“Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County,” Senate President Warren Peterson said in a post on X. “The FBI has the records.”

The subpoena appears to expand the administration’s wide-ranging investigation into the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump has baselessly claimed the election was stolen from him.

CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and FBI for comment.

Maricopa County was a focus of Trump and his allies after his 2020 loss, and CNN reported at the time that White House officials attempted to call a senior county official as part of their pressure campaign.

The FBI has also executed a search warrant in January at the Fulton County elections office, though it is not immediately clear whether the two investigations are linked.

Officials have also stated that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is running her own inquiry into the 2020 election results.

In the wake of the 2020 election and Trump’s repeated claims of fraud, Arizona Senate Republicans conducted a months-long, partisan review of the 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County. The Senate released their full report once it was finished.

Republicans hired a company called Cyber Ninjas, which had no experience auditing election results, to conduct the review. The company shuttered in 2022.

Maricopa County officials issued a 93-page rebuttals to the review, saying that the only error the audit correctly identified was that 50 ballots had mistakenly been double counted – not enough to shift Trump’s loss.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

Katie Britt blasts Democrat for playing ‘political games’ with shutdown amid airport chaos

Sen Chris Murphy says Democrats shouldn’t debate other legislation until Iran War authorization comes to Senate floor.

By Adam Pack, Alex Miller
Fox News
Published March 9, 2026 3:55pm EDT

Fox News’ chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the DHS shutdown entering its third week without funding, causing significant delays and long lines at airports. TSA agents are working without pay, leading to staffing shortages.

Senate Republicans are accusing their Democratic counterparts of playing “political games” as the caucus appears ready to escalate the standoff over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

There’s been little movement to reopen DHS during the weekslong partial shutdown, leading to outcry from Republicans over long wait times and missed flights at airports across the country. Some Democrats are threatening to continue their blockade of DHS funding unless serious action is taken to rein in President Donald Trump’s war powers in the Middle East.

“We shouldn’t let Republicans debate other legislation until they bring a war authorization to the United States Senate,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told NOTUS on Monday.

Murphy, the top Democrat on the appropriations panel overseeing DHS funding, has helped lead his party’s push to withhold funding for the department absent sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., speaks to reporters following a briefing by Trump administration officials to members of the Senate on U.S. strikes on Iran at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

His new threat to freeze Senate business over Trump’s Iran strikes underscores that some Democrats are prepared to extend the funding fight despite mounting impacts on air travel.

The Senate rejected a bipartisan resolution last week that would have narrowed Trump’s ability to launch future strikes on Iran. However, Murphy is signaling that Democrats’ attempts to limit the president’s power to wage war against Iran are just getting started.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the chair of the Senate Homeland Security funding panel, scoffed at Murphy’s edict.

“The delay tactics we’re seeing from Democrats don’t change the fact that, because of their political games, lines at airports are growing, and the people tasked with keeping our homeland safe are being forced to do so without a paycheck,” Britt said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Britt, who Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., tapped to lead DHS negotiations with Senate Democrats, accused her counterparts of refusing to sit down with Republicans as the partial shutdown enters its fourth week.

“I urge my Democratic colleagues to stop putting politics above people and do what’s right for the security of our nation,” she said. “That starts with having a conversation so that we can find a pathway forward.”

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., walks through the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Airports nationwide reported a spike in absences among Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees on Monday. Roughly 50,000 TSA personnel — who are employed by DHS — are reporting to work without pay after receiving just a fraction of their salaries last week.

The agents will not receive another paycheck until the partial shutdown ends.

The New Orleans airport on Monday advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before their flight, citing a shortage of TSA employees. Passengers traveling through the Houston airport system have also been urged to arrive four to five hours before their departure.

“The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again,” Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America and former New Hampshire governor, said in a statement. “This is simply unacceptable and un-American.”

TSA employees were also forced to forgo pay during the record-breaking government shutdown in late 2025.

Travelers wait in line at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, March 9, 2026.(Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A majority of Democratic lawmakers in both chambers voted to continue the DHS shutdown last week despite new security concerns over Trump’s military operation in Iran. The bipartisan measure that Democrats overwhelmingly opposed would fund DHS through the remainder of the fiscal year.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has demanded that federal immigration officers stop wearing masks and obtain judicial warrants before entering homes and businesses, among other reforms, in order to unlock funding for the agency.

Senate Democrats and the White House have been negotiating, but a deal has yet to materialize. The last counteroffer from the administration came nearly two weeks ago but has so far not been accepted by congressional Democrats.

Some Republicans hoped that Trump’s decision to tap Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead DHS could soften Democrats’ opposition, but the party has continued to take a hard line against funding the agency. Democrats had advocated for outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s ouster as part of their numerous demands.

A Democratic blockade of Senate business would jeopardize the passage of a bipartisan housing bill aimed at growing the supply of affordable homes, which is currently under consideration in the upper chamber. Trump-endorsed voter ID legislation would also be impacted, but Democrats were already expected to widely oppose the measure, known as the SAVE America Act.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for additional comment.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6390633890112