Federal investigators are reportedly probing nonprofits linked to California first lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom, putting renewed scrutiny on two organizations that conservative watchdogs and media reports have criticized over alleged conflicts of interest tied to their proximity to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political orbit.

Newsom has accused President Donald Trump’s Justice Department of launching a politically motivated “fishing expedition” against him and his wife, but the DOJ has not publicly confirmed any probe. The reported inquiries have revived questions about The Representation Project and California Partners Project, two nonprofits connected to Siebel Newsom that have received donations from corporations, tribes and other entities with interests before California state government. 

While Newsom has cast the purported investigation as a political witch hunt, the DOJ has yet to publicly confirm that a probe is even taking place, though internal sources speaking to media outlets have confirmed as much. Most recently, a source speaking to the California Post claimed that the FBI was looking into Siebel Newsom’s taxes. 

“The sheer amount of cash, combined with the nature and timing of government activity, is eye-catching — especially when unexpected windfalls are benefiting the contributors,” Americans for Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland told the Washington Free Beacon in July 2025, around the time sources claim the probe into Newsom’s wife began. “It’s past time for this cash flow to fall under intense scrutiny.”

FEDERAL PROSECUTOR CALLS NEWSOM ‘KING OF FRAUD’ AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CALIFORNIA CORRUPTION PROBE

Siebel Newsom’s finances first came under major scrutiny in 2021 when the Sacramento Bee reported that TRP had received more than $800,000 from a dozen corporations that frequently lobby the state of California for policy concessions. The outlet also found that many of the companies that donated to TRP later received favorable treatment from Newsom.

Data analyzed by the Sacramento Bee showed that Siebel Newsom’s charity saw its revenue spike whenever her husband’s political career advanced between 2011 and 2019.

FORMER SAN FRANCISCO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION LEADER ACCUSED OF ‘SELF-DEALING,’ PUBLIC CORRUPTION

Siebel Newsom pays herself directly from TRP, pulling a salary of over $160,000 a year.

TRP also cuts six-figure checks to a media production company owned by Siebel Newsom each year, tax documents show. 

Newsom claims federal investigators have questioned people connected to his wife, including those affiliated with her nonprofits, as part of an inquiry involving their finances.

The California governor has called the investigation a politically motivated “fishing expedition” by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department and said he and his wife have “nothing to hide.” He said the inquiry is aimed at him because he is considering running for president and that “to get me, he’s coming after my wife.”

The Justice Department has not publicly confirmed the investigation and has declined to comment. Sources speaking to CNN on the condition of anonymity insist that the investigation was not requested by DOJ leadership in D.C. but was instigated by local officials after they received whistleblower reports.

NEWSOM’S FREE-PHONE GIVEAWAY TO STATE BUSINESS LEADERS PAID FOR BY NONPROFIT RUN BY EX-STAFFERS

Years after the Sacramento Bee report, the Washington Free Beacon released a follow-up investigation in 2025 that reportedly uncovered a similar pattern.

California has a unique system through which politicians can “behest,” basically request, that a given individual or organization make a contribution to a charity. Through this system, Newsom routed roughly $4.3 million to TCPP between February 2020 and March 2026. 

Cross-referencing California state records and nonprofit tax documents shows that behests made by Newsom accounted for over 80% of the TCPP revenue between 2020 and 2024.

NEW EXPOSÉ CLAIMS CALIFORNIA LOST AT LEAST $180B TO FRAUD UNDER GAVIN NEWSOM

Critics have pointed to several donors to Siebel Newsom-linked nonprofits that later benefited from actions by Newsom’s administration, though Newsom has denied any connection between the donations and state decisions.

Newsom made headlines in 2024 for opposing the construction of a casino project north of San Francisco, writing a letter to the Biden administration urging it to block the project, then suing the federal government when development was allowed to continue.  

Just months before Newsom sent his letter to the Biden administration, however, he requested that an American Indian tribe give $500,000 to TCPP. He asked for another half a million dollars just before suing the federal government in April 2025. The American Indian tribe agreed to both requests.

EX-NONPROFIT BOSS ALLEGEDLY SWIPED $1.2M MEANT FOR HOMELESS PROGRAMS TO FUND LAVISH LIFESTYLE, DA SAYS

The payments are significant because the proposed casino project would have competed directly with a casino run by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria just 15 miles away.  

Entities that have donated to Newsom’s family charities typically deny that their contribution had political strings attached, stating instead that they cut the checks because they genuinely believed in feminist mission statements of the groups. Multiple conservative media outlets, however, have characterized the arrangement as a “pay for play” scheme.

While, unlike TRP, Newsom’s wife doesn’t draw a salary from TCPP, the funds transferred to it at the request of her husband nonetheless provide her with resources to spend on activist causes she cares about.

JOURNALIST WHO EXPOSED ALLEGED MINNESOTA FRAUD SAYS NEWSOM, CALIFORNIA ARE HIS NEXT TARGETS

The Newsoms have also been hit with allegations of self-dealing. Many of the films produced by Siebel Newsom’s enterprise are shown in California public schools, generating revenue for California’s first family by routing tax dollars to their personal enterprises. 

Following the public scrutiny, Siebel Newsom’s charity appears to have become less transparent.

A TRP spokeswoman told the Sacramento Bee in 2021 that the charity discloses all donors over $5,000 on its website; however, as of publishing, no such webpage exists.

COMER TELLS NEWSOM TO ‘LAWYER UP’ AS HOUSE OVERSIGHT LAUNCHES CALIFORNIA FRAUD PROBE

Newsom has separately faced scrutiny over whether donors received state benefits after contributions.

After donating to Newsom, wealthy contributors have secured multimillion-dollar public contracts, access to large tax credits, favorable executive action and appointments to prestigious public posts, a 2025 Washington Examiner investigation found.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Newsom has denied any conflict of interest or quid pro quo involving donations to his wife’s nonprofits, saying of the donations in 2021, that “there’s no correlation, period, full stop. Absolutely none,” explaining that his decisions were made on the basis of policy judgement.

TRP, TCPP, Newsom’s office and the DOJ did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told members of the city’s Somali community over the weekend that they are “our family,” pledging solidarity and praising their contributions to the city during remarks celebrating Somali Independence Day.

Frey’s remarks came as Minnesota continues to face scrutiny over several high-profile fraud investigations and weeks after a Republican-led House Oversight Committee report alleged the Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s administration failed to act on repeated warnings about widespread fraud in the state’s social services programs.

“Through the most difficult of times and through Operation Metro surge, we all saw that they tried to come for some of us,” Frey told members of the Somali community on Saturday. “And when that happens, we say that you’re coming for all of us.”

BLUE STATE’S ANTI-ICE PLEDGE COLLAPSES AS GOP WARNS OF NEW SANCTUARY ‘CONFEDERACY’

“In Minneapolis, we loved our neighbors. In Minneapolis, we do not see you as immigrants. We see you as our family,” he added. “You are our brothers. You’re our sisters. You have done so much for this incredible city, and for that, we stand with you.”

Frey appeared to reference Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s immigration and public safety initiative in Minnesota.

The operation concluded in February after border czar Tom Homan announced it had resulted in the arrest of more than 4,000 people in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and had reduced what he described as public safety threats.

BLUE STATE’S ANTI-ICE PLEDGE COLLAPSES AS GOP WARNS OF NEW SANCTUARY ‘CONFEDERACY’

Frey shared the video on X, writing, “Happy Somali Independence Day.”

“Here in Minnesota, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the United States, we celebrate the resilience, culture, and leadership that continue to enrich our city and community,” he said.

Earlier this month, a Republican-led House Oversight Committee report alleged Walz’s administration repeatedly failed to act on warnings about fraud involving state social services programs, including the Feeding Our Future scandal.

WALZ ADMINISTRATION IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS AS BILLIONS VANISHED, HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT ALLEGES

The committee said more than 110 people have been charged in connection with various fraud schemes in Minnesota, including many defendants identified as members of Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community.

The report also alleged concerns about potential racial discrimination claims contributed to delays in addressing suspected fraud and estimated Minnesota lost roughly $300 million in stolen federal child nutrition funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Walz administration officials have disputed the committee’s findings.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Pack contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Young Americans are far less likely than older generations to see China as a major threat to the United States, according to a new poll, revealing one of the sharpest generational divides in U.S. foreign policy.

Some 93% of Americans age 65 and older said they are concerned about China’s ability to spy on the United States, compared with just 62% of those ages 18 to 29, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute Summer Survey. 

Younger Americans also were consistently less likely than seniors to express concern about China’s potential use of force against Taiwan (56% versus 86%), technology theft (61% versus 91%), purchases of U.S. land (68% versus 93%) and China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States (68% versus 92%).

Despite the generational divide, concern about China remained high nationally. More than 80% of Americans said they were concerned about China’s role in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, its ability to spy on Americans and its purchases of U.S. land. Sixty-six percent also said Taiwan’s security matters to the United States.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS DOUBT NEW AGREEMENT WILL STOP IRAN FROM DEVELOPING NUKES

The findings come as Washington and Beijing are trying to stabilize one of the world’s most consequential relationships after years of escalating economic and military tensions.  

After imposing triple-digit tariffs on China at the start of his administration, President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in China in May and announced a series of trade and investment agreements and pledged to continue dialogue.

While concern about China remains widespread across the country, the survey suggests younger Americans view the U.S.’s chief geopolitical rival through a markedly different lens than older generations, raising questions about how public attitudes could evolve as younger voters make up a larger share of the electorate.

The findings stand out because they diverge from the prevailing view among many national security experts, who continue to characterize China as America’s principal long-term neer-pear competitor and adversary, even as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize their relationship through diplomacy.

“There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May. 

But, he added, U.S.–China relations are “better than they’ve been in many years.” 

After the May summit between Trump and Xi, the U.S. president told reporters: “We settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve.”

He called Xi a “great leader” and China a “great country.” 

Other recent research points to broader differences in how Gen Z views U.S. foreign policy. 

A 2025 Carnegie Endowment survey found younger Americans were less likely than older generations to prioritize maintaining U.S. technological dominance over China and generally favored a less expansive American leadership role abroad.

The Reagan Institute Summer Survey is the organization’s annual public opinion poll on foreign policy and national security, designed to gauge Americans’ views on issues ranging from global engagement and military strength to China, NATO, the Middle East and democratic values.

The poll also found broad shifts by party on what America’s role in the world should look like: Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say the United States should be more engaged and take the lead in world affairs.

Seventy-one percent of Republicans said the U.S. should take a leading role internationally, compared with 55% of Democrats. Overall, 61% of Americans said the U.S. should be more engaged in global affairs, while 27% preferred a less engaged approach.

MOST TRUMP SUPPORTERS STILL BACK NATO DESPITE YEARS OF TRUMP’S CRITICISM, NEW POLL FINDS

The findings represent a notable shift from recent years. 

Democratic support for greater U.S. engagement fell from 65% to 55% over the past year, while Republican support increased from 69% to 71%, widening the partisan gap from four percentage points to 16. The survey also found 43% of Democrats now say U.S. involvement in the world is harmful, up from 22% a year ago.

The survey was conducted May 26 through June 3 among 1,555 U.S. adults and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Researchers used a mixed-mode methodology that included live telephone interviews, an online panel and text-to-web responses.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

To better reflect the U.S. population, the results were weighted using demographic benchmarks from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, including age, gender, race, region and education. The survey also included an oversample of 338 self-identified MAGA Republicans under age 30, which carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The findings also come after a year in which the Trump administration has taken a more assertive posture overseas than some expected. 

In addition to ordering strikes on Iran, the administration has expanded military operations against cartel-linked targets in the Western Hemisphere and intervened to capture former President Nicolas Maduro Venezuela, moves that have put questions of American power and global leadership back at the center of public debate.

He wasn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump was a winner in Louisiana’s GOP Senate runoff election.

That’s because Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow defeated state Treasurer John Fleming to capture the Republican nomination, The Associated Press reported on Saturday.

Six weeks after denying Trump-targeted GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy a third six-year term in the Senate, a majority of Republican voters in the solidly red Gulf Coast state backed Letlow. Her victory in the runoff is seen as another victory for Trump as he works to fill the halls of Congress with loyal lawmakers for his final two years in the White House. And it’s another sign of the power of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries.

Five years after he voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, Cassidy was sent packing.

WATCH: CASSIDY DETAILS NEW BEHIND CLOSED DOORS CLASH WITH TRUMP

Letlow, who was backed by Trump even before she entered the race in January, finished first in the primary, double digits ahead of Fleming, with Cassidy in third place. Since no candidate cracked 50% of the vote, Letlow and Fleming advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination and Cassidy became the first elected Republican senator to lose renomination since Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana in 2012.

Trump, celebrating Cassidy’s defeat, said on social media that “it’s nice to see that his political career is OVER!”

Cassidy, in a speech to supporters after conceding, took a jab at Trump, saying, “When you participate in democracy, sometimes it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. But you don’t pout, you don’t whine. You don’t claim the election was stolen… You don’t manufacture some excuse.”

Letlow, who was backed by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a top Trump ally, won her congressional seat in 2021, after her husband, Luke Letlow, died five days before being sworn into the U.S. House after his 2020 election victory for the seat she now holds. She highlighted her support from Trump throughout her Senate campaign.

Fleming, who spent eight years in Congress before serving as a White House deputy chief of staff during Trump’s first term, argued he was the most conservative candidate in the GOP Senate primary.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Letlow will be considered the clear frontrunner in the midterm election against either farmer Jamie Davis or Navy veteran Gary Crockett, who are facing off in the Democratic Party runoff.

The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past two months, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Kentucky and Texas, as well as the Louisiana primary.

But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped three weeks ago when his last-minute endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory.

Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

The president rebounded three weeks ago in South Carolina, as Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pam Evette finished first in the GOP gubernatorial primary and longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham won a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff.

Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president.

Two weeks ago, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races in Georgia and Alabama, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign.

Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff.

In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th-hour endorsement by Trump helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp.

TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT FAILS TO SAVE MAGA CANDIDATE AS BILLIONAIRE ADVANCES IN KEY GOVERNOR RACE

Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider.

On Tuesday, Trump-backed first-time candidate Anthony Constantino, a businessman and former boxer, defeated Robert Smullen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and New York Assembly member who had the backing of the state party, in the upstate New York race to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Meanwhile, in South Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial runoff, Trump couldn’t lose.

That’s because, besides backing Evette, he also gave a last-minute endorsement to state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who ended up winning the showdown in a landslide.

FIRST ON FOX: Republican gubernatorial candidate is vowing to stop New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda if elected in November as the state’s top leader. He warns that proposals like government-run grocery stores, tax hikes and expanded public spending would damage New York’s economy and accelerate an exodus of businesses and residents.

Bruce Blakeman is seeking to unseat Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in November. Asked how he would work with Mamdani if elected, the Republican candidate rejected the premise that he would be forced to accommodate the mayor’s agenda.

“First of all, let me be clear. I don’t have to work with Zohran Mamdani. He has to work with me,” Blakeman told Fox News Digital of potential relationship if he won state house.

“When I become governor, I’m not going to let him destroy the fabric of New York City. I’m not going to let him destroy the economy of New York City, and I’m not going to let him make New York unsafe. Those are all things he’s doing right now, and I will stop him.”

NY SOCIALIST SURGE COULD PUSH DEM VOTERS TO DEFECT, GOP GOVERNOR CANDIDATE PREDICTS

The comments come as Mamdani’s political rise has fueled a broader debate over the influence of far-left policies nationwide. Three socialist candidates also won races in Tuesday’s New York primaries, adding to the attention surrounding the movement.

In New York, Mamdani has championed proposals including city-owned grocery stores, free bus service and rent freezes, drawing praise from progressives and criticism from Republicans who argue the plans would expand government at the expense of taxpayers and small businesses.

Blakeman singled out the mayor’s proposal to establish city-owned grocery stores, arguing that government should not compete with family-owned businesses.

“I don’t want to compete with bodega owners and small grocery stores in New York. Government should not be competing with the private sector,” Blakeman said. “Many of these businesses are family-owned businesses, and I don’t want to hurt them.”

FROM FREE BUSES TO CITY-OWNED GROCERY STORES, HERE ARE MAMDANI’S KEY ECONOMIC PROMISES

Blakeman called the proposal “complete nonsense” and argued taxpayers would ultimately be forced to shoulder the cost.

“Somebody’s got to pay for that,” he said. “These are hardworking people. They’ve created the business, and Zohran Mamdani wants to take it away from them because he’s a communist. He doesn’t believe in property rights. He doesn’t believe in capitalism.”

‘WASTEFUL DISTRACTION’: EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI’S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES

Blakeman said his own agenda would focus on cutting taxes, reducing utility costs and encouraging businesses to remain in New York, framing the race as a stark contrast between competing visions for the state’s economic future.

His agenda would seek to end New York’s blockade of cooperating with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“So on day one, as governor, I will sign an executive order that we are no longer a sanctuary state,” Blakeman said. “I will roll out the biggest middle-class tax cut in the history of New York.”

Blakeman also said single filers making $50,000 or less and joint filers making up to $100,000 would pay no state income tax on that income under his proposal. He also pledged to cut utility rates in half by ending what he called the state’s “green energy scam.”

“She takes money out of their payments every month to invest in science projects that cost billions of dollars,” Blakeman said of Hochul. “That ends on day one when I become governor.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki dismissed Blakeman’s proposals, saying, “New Yorkers know Bruce Blakeman is too busy catering to the far-right, embracing January 6 architects, and caving to Donald Trump to fight for them and their families.”

“From enabling ICE’s abuses, to raising costs, to fighting to gut Medicaid, Blakeman’s proud of being ‘MAGA all the way,’ just like Trump labelled him.”

Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., lashed out at President Donald Trump during a recent local television interview, labeling him a “man-child” throwing a “tantrum” over his refusal to sign a sweeping bipartisan housing package.

Appearing on WCVB‘s “On the Record,” the left-wing senator did not hold back her frustration over the stalled legislation, delivering a blunt message to the president: “Sign the damn bill.”

“If he cared about the American people, he’d have already signed the damn thing,” Warren said during the interview, arguing that Trump “does not care about the economic survival of America’s working families.”

TRUMP-BACKED HOUSING BILL CLEARS HOUSE AFTER GOP DEFIES SENATE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is an expansive bipartisan package that she said contains nearly 50 provisions designed to address the nationwide housing emergency.

Warren noted that decades of under-building have driven prices up, leaving the U.S. in need of millions of new units. 

The primary focus of the bill is to lower the costs of construction and make it easier to build new homes.

BIPARTISAN HOUSING PUSH ADVANCES, BUT TRUMP-BACKED INVESTOR BAN FACES RESISTANCE

The bill, which was co-sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also includes a secondary focus aimed at blocking corporate consolidation of the housing market. 

Warren explained that the legislation is designed to keep private equity firms from buying up local neighborhoods and turning America “into a nation of renters.”

According to Warren, the legislation had widespread support from both sides of the aisle before it was stalled.

TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE

She claimed the bill was “handed to the president on a silver platter” and that lawmakers from both parties were eagerly taking credit for the legislation.

“Republicans were all going online, saying, ‘well, I helped write that bill. This bill is terrific,’” Warren said. “So everybody’s out there saying, ‘my bill, I helped make this happen,’ right up until the man-child has a tantrum and announces he will not be signing it.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Critics of the legislation claim it does not allocate fresh federal funding, directly address rising costs of homeownership, or go far enough to address permitting issues. 

The president previously canceled a scheduled signing event, insisting lawmakers must first approve the unrelated SAVE America Act, a voting-focused measure, before he moves forward.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, sparred with a SNAP policy advocate during a House Oversight subcommittee hearing Thursday, pressing her to answer whether Americans “need Coca-Cola to survive” and whether taxpayer-funded food benefits should pay for sugary sodas.

The exchange came as lawmakers examined waste, fraud and abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a roughly $100 billion program that serves more than 40 million Americans. During the hearing Republicans argued lax oversight has enabled misuse of taxpayer dollars, while Democrats warned against restricting benefits for eligible families.

CHARTS ILLUSTRATE THE SCALE OF SNAP, A LIFELINE FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS

Gill first asked Gina Plata-Nino, director of policy and advocacy for the Food Research and Action Center, whether SNAP dollars should be spent on soda. She replied that the program exists to provide families with “food and beverages.”

When Gill narrowed the question to sugary sodas, she said she was “happy to talk about hunger and nutrition, but not dictate what Americans should or should not eat.”

Gill, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, continued pressing and asked whether “tax dollars should be used to pay for sodas” and whether Americans “need sugary sodas to survive.”

“Some of them do, who do have low blood issues,” Plata-Nino reasoned, adding that those “who have kidney issues” might need such drinks, as well.

FOOD-STAMP FRAUD NUMBERS EXPOSE WHICH STATES ARE DRAINING THE MOST TAXPAYER DOLLARS

Unrelenting, the congressman followed up: “Do the American people need Coca-Cola to survive?… What’s nutritional about Coca-Cola?”

“I am not a nutritionist. I am a food security expert,” Plata-Nino replied.

Gill later argued that “there’s not nutritional value to sugary sodas” and criticized the witness for declining to say taxpayers should not fund their purchase through SNAP.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“I think that focusing on soda when people are going hungry,” Plata-Nino began before Gill interrupted.

“We spend a lot of our tax dollars… on soda. That’s why I’m asking about it,” he lamented.

The exchange ended with Gill asking whether drinking soda every day is healthy. She replied that “the worst health outcome is hunger” and emphasized that her focus was ensuring families have access to food resources.

FIRST ON FOX: Attorneys representing a French national who recently admitted to illegally casting a ballot in the 2022 federal midterm elections told Fox News Digital that he thought he was allowed to vote because he was automatically registered when he received his New Jersey driver’s license.

Eliezer Kadoch, 39, of Toms River, pleaded guilty to voting by an alien in a federal election before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Brandon Day in Trenton federal court, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

Though Kadoch is a citizen of France and has never held U.S. citizenship, he illegally voted on Nov. 8, 2022, during an election that was held in part to elect members of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to court documents.

FOUR NONCITIZENS CHARGED WITH ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2020, 2022 AND 2024 FEDERAL ELECTIONS IN NEW JERSEY

Attorney Yosef Jacobovitch, who is representing Kadoch, told Fox News Digital that when his client cast the ballot, he “mistakenly believed” he was legally permitted to vote because he had been automatically registered when he obtained his New Jersey driver’s license.

“Mr. Kadoch accepted responsibility for his actions,” Jacobovitch said. “… There was never any intent to violate the law or cast an unlawful ballot. Unfortunately, the offense to which he pleaded guilty does not require proof of criminal intent, and he now fully understands that.”

Kadoch now faces up to six months in federal prison and a $100,000 fine, according to officials. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26.

SUPREME COURT HANDS TRUMP TWO MAJOR IMMIGRATION VICTORIES

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) reported that issuing driver’s licenses to noncitizens, combined with automatic voter registration, can result in them being added to voter rolls.

In recent years, the nonprofit said numerous states — including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia — investigated the issue and identified noncitizens on their voter rolls.

Model legislation drafted by AFPI suggested solutions including requiring proof of citizenship to vote, and implementing audit requirements to ensure that noncitizens are not on the voter rolls.

U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer noted the case was brought by the United States Attorney’s Office’s Election Integrity Task Force, a coalition of federal law enforcement partners dedicated to preserving and protecting the integrity of elections in New Jersey.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The investigation was a joint effort involving special agents from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Kadoch’s immigration status was not publicly released.

The New Jersey Department of State, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Ocean County Clerk’s Office and AFPI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

The socialist backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who won Tuesday night’s primary election in New York’s 13th Congressional District founded a group in college that called for the total destruction of the West. 

Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, a Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress who made career out of “community organizing,” wrote in her biography for an opinion piece in independent news outlet The Electronic Intifada that she “helped launch the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign Columbia University Apartheid Divest.”

“We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization,” the group said in a now-deleted 2024 Instagram post.

In May 2024, eight years after she graduated from Columbia, Chevalier was back on campus advocating alongside the group she founded, known as CUAD, wearing a keffiyeh and a t-shirt emblazoned with the group’s name.

Avila Chevalier was interviewed by the Associated Press at the school’s infamous encampment against Israel that year, which was later broken up by police.

MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WITH HISTORY OF ANTI-AMERICAN RHETORIC WINS VICIOUS DEM PRIMARY RACE

Only months after that, CUAD, caused a firestorm when it reportedly posted its goal of eradicating Western Civilization.

“We stand in full solidarity with every movement for liberation in the Global South,” the post continued. “Our Intifada is an internationalist one — we are fighting for nothing less than the liberation of all people.”

“We reject every genocidal, eugenicist regime that seeks to undermine the personhood of the colonized,” the group added.

HASAN PIKER CELEBRATES AMERICA BEING ‘CLOSER THAN EVER’ TO SOCIALISM AS HE BACKS NYC CANDIDATES

Columbia University has roundly denounced CUAD, and says it is not affiliated in any way with the school.

Avila Chevalier was born in Florida to Dominican immigrants. She converted to Islam in recent years.

‘PARTY OF ZOHRAN’: MAMDANI EMERGES AS DEMOCRATIC KINGMAKER AFTER SOCIALIST ALLIES SWEEP NYC PRIMARIES

The surfacing of her affiliation with the group has sparked intense online backlash, including from elected Democrats.

“Anti-Israel. Anti-America. Anti-Western Civilization. Why am I the only Democrat in the U.S. Senate that refuses to excuse this or defend any of those self-identified communists?” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on X Wednesday evening.

Avila Chevalier also infamously expressed anti-white women and anti-American sentiments in deleted social media posts, one time calling her home country “a f—ing disgrace.”

LETITIA JAMES FUMES AS MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK PRIMARIES

“I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me,” she said in another deleted post.

“This lady founded an organization with a stated goal of Eradicating Western civilization, & a bunch of rich white progressives who know she means them, said ‘please do,'” X personality Sean Fitzgerald said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The real ‘country over party’ test isn’t going to be about Trump,” said RealClearInvestigations writer Mark Hemingway. “It’s going to be over communist Congress members who literally say they want to eradicate Western civilization.”

In a deeply blue district, Avila Chevalier is likely to waltz her way into Congress in November.

Fox News Digital reached out to Avila Chevalier’s campaign.

The Trump administration marked a major immigration enforcement milestone Wednesday, announcing that federal authorities have arrested more than 10,000 suspected gang members since President Donald Trump began his second term.

The arrests are part of the administration’s broader immigration enforcement campaign, which officials say is aimed at removing violent criminals from U.S. communities.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), those arrested have been accused of crimes including murder, assault with a deadly weapon, drug trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, robbery and extortion.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has delivered on the administration’s goal of making the country’s communities safer.

TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT PUSH RESULTS IN SKYROCKETING ARRESTS OF CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS

“Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE has arrested more than 10,000 gang members,” Mullin said in a statement. 

“Many of these gang members were released into our country by Joe Biden,” he continued. “These vicious criminals murdered, assaulted, robbed, and terrorized innocent Americans for sport.”

“Thanks to the Secure America Act, ICE is turbocharged to arrest even more gang members and criminals from American neighborhoods,” Mullin added.

DHS PREPS DEPORTATION OF ALLEGED MS-13 GANG MEMBER WANTED FOR PASTOR’S MURDER IN EL SALVADOR

DHS said the 10,000th suspected gang member arrested was Javier Hernandez Rosas, whom the agency identified as an alleged MS-13 member and an illegal immigrant from Mexico.

According to DHS, Rosas has prior convictions for cocaine possession and was previously arrested on charges including abduction and weapons possession.

The announcement came as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it reached a record staffing level this spring, with 21,471 agents — the highest in the agency’s 102-year history.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The administration has made border security a central priority during Trump’s second term. Officials say illegal immigration has declined by more than 87% compared with October 2024 levels.

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.