A recent post by XRP commentator Remi Relief on the social media platform X has looked into the possibility of XRP’s price reaching the $1,000 price level. XRP is currently trading well below even the double-digit mark. However, according to this crypto commentator, XRP can get to $1,000, and the world doesn’t need to wait until 2030 for this to happen.
Vision Of XRP’s Global Purpose
In his post, Remi Relief questioned the widespread belief that a $1,000 price target could only be achieved by XRP by 2030. The timeline for XRP to reach $1,000 is going to be far less than that, with the analyst noting that the global economy is moving too quickly for it to take that long. He described the altcoin’s rise as something far bigger than predictions, and this is because the cryptocurrency is set to play an important role in stabilizing the world’s financial system.
Related Reading
Remi Relief’s outlook places XRP at the core of a growing realignment in the world’s financial system. “It’s going that high for the world’s sake,” he said. He contends that the cryptocurrency’s growth is tied to a global effort to rebalance debt and liquidity. Hence, the recent price crashes we’ve seen with XRP and other cryptocurrencies are a deliberate play by institutional players to accumulate more XRP while smaller investors capitulate.
According to Remi Relief, these shakeouts are deliberate and designed to clear the market so that major entities can assume dominance before the price finally explodes.
He also suggested that political resistance, particularly from the Democratic Party in the United States, could slow or suppress XRP’s ascent, as maintaining control over the traditional banking system aligns with their interests. If such resistance succeeds, the token might fall short of the $1,000 target but could still reach between $100 and $300 before stabilizing. Nonetheless, this is an acceptable outcome given the current XRP price levels.
What Must Align For The Altcoin To Reach $1,000
Extraordinary developments in both market structure and adoption would be required in order for XRP to reach a four-digit price level. Predictions like these, as we’ve seen from many XRP enthusiasts, are dependent on whether the token gains widespread adoption in the world’s financial ecosystem.
Related Reading
Institutional integration would have to expand to a scale where XRP becomes an indispensable liquidity bridge for global payments, central bank settlements, and large-value transfers. At the same time, demand from major financial institutions, including banks, fintech companies, and possibly even governments, would need to grow exponentially in order for this to be reflected in the XRP price.
At the same time, a reduction in the liquid supply would be needed. This could happen through large-scale lockups, increased network utility, or widespread adoption in tokenized asset systems that reduce the circulating supply of XRP.
In another post on the social media platform X, Remi Relief projected that the altcoin’s price could surge to $1,700 if it repeats its 2017/2018 performance.
At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $2.42.
XRP trading at $2.40 on the 1D chart | Source: XRPUSDT on Tradingview.com
Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com
Millions have been expected to gather across thousands of locations in the United States on Saturday for a nationwide “No Kings” protest challenging Donald Trump and his GOP priorities.
Saturday’s demonstrations across the nation mark the second “No Kings” protest since Trump took office. Some Democratic members and candidates for Congress are expected to attend.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not provide a clear answer when asked if he would attend one of the rallies Saturday, telling reporters he hasn’t “finalized” his schedule. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., both told the press they would be in attendance Saturday.
Republicans have argued that this second mass “No Kings” protest event scheduled for Saturday is simply an effort to distract from the current government shutdown battle and appease their base. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told FOX Business he hoped that Democratic leaders who attended would be more willing to accept the GOP’s plan after the demonstrations were over — but he did not sound overly optimistic.
Protesters rally in opposition to President Donald Trump in front of the Michigan state capitol building in June. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’ll be a collection of wild leftist policy priorities, and that’ll be on display for the whole country. After that’s over, I hope there’s a few Democrats over here who will come to their senses and return to governing the country,” Johnson said. “Right now, I don’t think — it’s my assumption and all of ours that they would not make that concession before that rally’s over because they don’t want to face the angry mob. I mean it’s sad, but that’s where we are.”
“My guess is if they don’t want a primary from the left, they’ll probably find a way to sneak [attending a rally] into their schedule,” Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital earlier this week. “The real question that’s going to be is, do they have the fortitude after Saturday to come back and open up the government?”
By around 10:30 a.m. ET, crowds had already begun gathering in New York City’s Times Square, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and in Atlanta.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other House GOP leaders are using Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies as a political cudgel amid the government shutdown.(David McNew/Getty Images; Rod Lamkey, Jr./AP Photo)
In the state of Virginia, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin mobilized the National Guard to help with any potential chaos.
“I want to be clear that Virginians have a fundamental right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but that right does not include the destruction of property, looting, vandalism, disruption of traffic or violence of any kind — for which there will be zero tolerance,” Youngkin said, according to The Virginia Pilot.
Virginia-specific protests are expected to take place in Hampton Roads, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Williamsburg, according the official No Kings website.
“No Kings” protests against the Trump administration are expected to be held in cities nationwide on Oct. 18, 2025. (Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the protests taking place in the continental United States, protests are also expected in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska. Protests are also planned for outside the U.S., including in multiple European countries, and there is at least one rally planned in Mexico.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Chase Williams contributed to this report.
The Trump administration is working on doubling the United States’ financial aid to Argentina to approximately $40 billion. That’s angering some Iowa farmers as China buys soybeans from the South American country instead of the U.S. due to the president’s trade war. Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, also a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, joins “The Takeout” to discuss.
California gubernatorial candidate and former Democratic lawmaker Katie Porter admitted she “could have handled things better” following the emergence of viral videos capturing her outbursts against a reporter and a staffer.
In one of the videos, Porter became agitated with a reporter and nearly cut an interview short. In an older video that Politico reported is from 2021, the politician snapped at a staffer to “Get out of my f—ing shot!” after the person entered the video frame behind Porter.
“When I look at those videos, I want people to know that I understand that I could have handled things better,” Porter said on the Inside California Politics show. “I think I’m known as someone who’s able to handle tough questions, who’s willing to answer questions, and I want people to know that I really value the incredible work that my staff can do.”
“I think people who know me know I can be tough, but I need to do a better job expressing appreciation for the amazing work that my team does,” she added.
Then-Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., is seen on May 28, 2023 in Los Angeles.(Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Demand Justice)
The clip of Porter threatening to walk out on CBS California’s Julie Watts during an interview went viral last week.
Porter snapped at Watts’ questions, grew visibly impatient with her follow-ups and even attempted to leave at one point in frustration, calling the interviewer “argumentative.” After being pressed, Porter told Watts that she doesn’t “want to have an unhappy experience” with her and that she doesn’t “want this all on camera.”
“I want to make sure that people understand why I am in this race and what I am fighting for. I think when I’m traveling the state, what I’m hearing from people is that they understand that we are in a very extraordinary moment,” Porter said this week on Inside California Politics. “That what is happening with Donald Trump attacking our economy and our society, our longstanding challenges with affordability, people know that they are going to need someone who is going to be strong, who is going to be tough, who is going to be a fighter and who is going to push.”
Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., speaks at the “Just Majority” Supreme Court press conference on June 22, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Just Majority)
“I think if people are looking for someone who is going to sit in Sacramento quietly and kind of rubber-stamp things, that’s not me. But I absolutely could have handled things better,” she also said.
In the other clip, then-Rep. Porter, D-Calif., was speaking remotely with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm about energy and climate issues. At one point, a staffer walks into the frame, prompting Porter to snap and yell, “Get out of my f—ing shot!”
She also scolded the staffer for having appeared in the background before.
“You were in my shot before that,” Porter said. “Stay out of my shot.”
Porter revealed this week that she apologized to that staff member.
Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee business meeting in Washington on Jan. 31, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I expressed that I was sorry, that I had lost my temper, that I had been frustrated in the moment, and I told her I was grateful that she had taken the time to correct me,” she said. “We were able to redo the shot, I got the facts right.”
Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg, Alexander Hall, David Rutz and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were taking “the entire federal government hostage over a health care policy dispute” and blamed them for the ongoing government shutdown. Dave Levinthal, contributing editor for NOTUS, and Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter for Politico, join “The Takeout” to discuss the state of talks.
(CNN) — Barack Obama ripped into the law firms, universities and businesses that have worked out settlements or other deals with President Donald Trump’s administration, arguing that “We all have this capacity, I think, to take a stand.”
The former president said the organizations that concede to Trump should be able to say, “We’re not going to be bullied into saying that we can only hire people or promote people based on some criteria that’s been cooked up by Steve Miller,” referring to the top White House aide.
According to an advance podcast transcript, Obama said he sympathized with those looking to avoid a backlash, but said, “We’re not at the stage where you have to be like Nelson Mandela and be in a 10-by-12 jail cell for 27 years and break rocks.”
The comments, some of the most direct that Obama has made about Trump outside of his campaign trail appearances in 2020 and 2024, came in an interview posting Monday for the final episode of the “WTF” podcast hosted by comedian Marc Maron.
Maron, who last interviewed Obama in 2015, has frequently talked about that conversation in subsequent episodes. In July, after announcing he would end the 16-year run of the pioneering podcast, he suggested that another talk with Obama would be a dream way to finish. Last week, he got his wish — though not by having Obama make another visit to his house, as many of the podcast guests tend to.
Maron kept the interview a surprise even from fans, only teasing in his penultimate episode that he traveled to record it. They met in Obama’s office in Washington.
The conversation focused on the state of America and what Democrats can find hope in — but Obama also criticized progressive absolutism and singled out one rising Texas Democrat who impresses him.
The news out of his hometown on his mind, Obama called Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Chicago “a deliberate end run around not just a concept, but a law that’s been around for a long time” — the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits the use of the military inside the US for law enforcement purposes.
“That is a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy,” he said.
Obama reflected on his own experiences in the White House, including dealing with pushback from Republican leaders such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“If I had sent in the National Guard into Texas and just said, ‘You know what? A lot of problems in Dallas, a lot of crime there, and I don’t care what Gov. Abbott says. I’m going to kind of take over law enforcement, because I think things are out of control,’ it is mind-boggling to me how Fox News would have responded,” he said.
The two also discussed the evolution of the media environment, particularly around the podcast world Maron helped shape, and what it has done to political communication.
“It was interesting to me when people started criticizing Bernie [Sanders] or somebody else for going on Rogan. It’s like, why wouldn’t you? Yeah, of course, go,” Obama said, referring to “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.
Among the Rogan guests who caught Obama’s eye: Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who turned a viral appearance on the podcast into fuel for what has now become a competitive Senate primary run.
Obama called Talarico “terrific, a really talented young man,” adding that his appearance proves that going on long-form podcasts requires “a certain confidence in your actual convictions to debate and have a conversation with somebody who disagrees with you.”
Overall, Obama argued, “what people long for is some core integrity that seems absent, just a sense that the person seems to walk the walk, just talk the talk.”
Obama said he particularly enjoyed a bit from Maron’s latest stand-up special when the comedian jokes that progressives annoyed the average American into fascism.
“You can’t constantly lecture people without acknowledging that you’ve got some blind spots too, and that life’s messy,” Obama said. “I think this was a fault of some progressive language, was almost asserting a holier-than-thou superiority that’s not that different from what we used to joke about coming from the right moral majority and a certain fundamentalism about how to think about stuff that I think was dangerous.”
“If I talked about trans issues, I wasn’t talking down to people and saying, ‘Oh, you’re a bigot,’” he said. “I’d say, ‘You know, it’s tough enough being a teenager. Let’s treat all kids decently. Why would we want to see kids bullied?”
Former President Obama, speaking on stand-up comedian Marc Maron’s final podcast on Monday, said the Trump administration’s policies are a “test” of whether universities, businesses, law firms and voters — including Republicans — will take a stand for the nation’s founding principles and values.
“If you decide not to vote, that’s a consequence. If you are a Hispanic man and you’re frustrated about inflation, and so you decided, ah, you know what, all that rhetoric about Trump doesn’t matter. ‘I’m just mad about inflation,’” Obama said. “And now your sons are being stopped in L.A. because they look Latino and maybe without the ability to call anybody, might just be locked up, well, that’s a test.”
“It’d be great if we weren’t tested this way, but you know what? We probably need to be shaken out of our complacency,” he said.
Obama also criticized some Democrats’ messaging as he touched on significant issues facing Californians and discussed the state of the nation’s democracy, core convictions and the weakening of institutional norms.
After Los Angeles-based Maron joked, “We’ve annoyed the average American into fascism,” Obama responded, “You can’t just be a scold all the time.
“You can’t constantly lecture people without acknowledging that you’ve got some blind spots too, and that life’s messy,” Obama said in the interview, which recently took place in the former president’s Washington, D.C., office.
Faulting language used by some liberals as “holier than thou,” Obama argued that Democrats could remain true to their principles while respecting those with whom they disagreed.
“Saying, ‘Right, I’ve got some core convictions [and] beliefs that I’m not going to compromise. But I’m also not going to assert that I am so righteous and so pure and so insightful that there’s not the possibility that maybe I’m wrong on this, or that other people, if they don’t say things exactly the way I say them or see things exactly the way I do, that somehow they’re bad people,’” he said.
Obama’s remarks come as the Democratic Party faces a reckoning after losing the presidential election in 2024, in part because of declining support from the party’s base, notably minority voters.
Maron, a comedian and actor, launched his “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast and radio show in 2009. Interviews with guests such as actor Robin Williams, comedian Louis C.K., filmmaker Kevin Smith and “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels often took place at his Highland Park home.
Obama’s 2015 interview in Maron’s garage became the podcast’s most popular episode at the time — downloaded nearly 740,000 times in the first 24 hours after it was posted.
On Monday, the former president criticized institutions for capitulating to President Trump’s demands. His words come as USC leaders are debating whether to agree to a White House proposal to receive favorable access to federal funding if they align with Trump’s agenda.
“If you’re a university president, say, well, you know what? This will hurt if we lose some grant money in the federal government, but that’s what endowments are for,” Obama said. “Let’s see if we can ride this out, because what we’re not going to do is compromise our basic academic independence.”
It is hard to see what kind of political career Kamala Harris will ever have again. This makes her unique among recently vanquished major-party nominees — barring a remarkable shift in circumstances, there really is nowhere else for her to go.
Every defeated presidential nominee, until Harris, had a place within their party after the crushing loss. Al Gore became a famed environmental activist; John Kerry enjoyed years as a senior statesman in the Obama administration; and even Hillary Clinton, who never returned to elected office or another Cabinet, hovered over the party as the martyr of 2016 — if not for the Russians or James Comey or misogyny, some liberals might say, she would have been the nation’s first female president. After 2008, John McCain returned to the Senate, and Mitt Romney, a few years later, became a senator himself.
The media tour Harris has undertaken for her recently published memoir is a reminder that the former vice-president is going to struggle to have a place in the political firmament. She will not run for governor of California (she had no vision for the office anyway). She has mulled a 2028 presidential run, where she is no longer the polling leader. But what’s the point, really, of another presidential bid? What’s her argument? What does she have to say about this current moment, and how does she propose either defeating the MAGA movement in another election (J.D. Vance, Donald Trump running illegally) or rebuilding the nation in the aftermath of these next four years?
Harris, from both a politics and policy standpoint, has never been a true leader of the party, and her presence now is a reminder of how badly Joe Biden’s team erred in 2020 when they picked her for the ticket. Harris had been a shambolic presidential candidate, bleeding cash and dropping out before the Iowa caucuses. There were many other more capable politicians, women especially, who could have been elevated that year. Had Harris been a stronger politician, the disastrous Biden reelection saga may not have played out like it did. An elderly, senile president could have passed the baton more easily to a capable VP who seemed ready to battle Trump again. Biden’s inner circle didn’t trust Harris, and they ended up handing her the nomination only after the infamous televised debate Biden had with Trump. Harris became the Democratic candidate without having won a single primary vote.
Every ex–presidential candidate is free to write a memoir and make themselves heard. They are free to have regrets. The most newsy bit from Harris’s 107 Days is her confession that she would have preferred Pete Buttigieg as a running mate over Tim Walz but defaulted to the Minnesota governor because, she fretted, a Black woman paired with a gay man would have been too much of a political risk. Harris can be commended for her candor, but the decision also reveals her middling political acumen and relative gutlessness. There are homophobic voters in America, but far fewer of them than there used to be. Republicans in Congress no longer rail against same-sex marriage. Buttigieg, unlike Harris, has proved himself to be an adept enough politician, someone who ran competitively for the presidency in 2020. If Harris truly thought him the best, why not just pick him?
The trouble for Democrats in 2024 was that they were the incumbent party in an era of high inflation, and voters blamed them for the migrant surge at the border. It was these two issues that defined the election, and Harris (and Biden) never had much of a solution for either. Her campaign was muddled, absent any greater vision for the country, and it was far easier for the average voter to know where Trump stood and what he might do than to understand, when all was said and done, what Harris wanted for the country. Warning about the dangers of MAGA — even if these warnings were correct — was never enough.
Democrats are desperate for leaders now. It’s notable that, other than releasing her memoir, Harris has mostly removed herself from the political fray. That’s her right. But if she truly wanted, she could offer an alternative pathway for this country and a way for frustrated Democrats to feel that they are heard. Bernie Sanders will never run for president again, but he travels the country railing against oligarchy and attempting to channel the rage of the anti-Trump vote somewhere. Harris doesn’t have to do that, but she could have prescribed, in her book, a fleshed-out vision for the future of the Democratic Party or even allowed readers to imagine what a Harris administration might have been like. Harris is not alone in her failure to articulate what the near future might look like, of course. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are frustrating the base, and few of the potential 2028 candidates have offered a compelling path forward. Harris is as much symptom as she is cause, emblematic of the political failure that has made President Donald J. Trump possible.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, declined to call on her party’s attorney general hopeful, Jay Jones, to drop out of the race during a Thursday night debate. She stands among many other Democrats who have also declined to do so after text messages surfaced in which Jones fantasized about killing his Republican colleague in 2022.
Jones, a former delegate from Norfolk, Virginia, has faced mounting calls – mostly from Republicans – to bow out of the race for Virginia attorney general. But Virginia Democrats and other party leaders around the country have refused to cave to pressure they are getting to demand Jones drop out.
The Jones’ text message scandal has become a flashpoint in Virginia’s elections, particularly considering it came at a time of heightened sensitivity to inflammatory and violent political rhetoric following the assassination of Charlie Kirk and two attempted assassinations of President Donald Trump.
Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., remained silent when asked by Fox News Digital repeatedly if Jones should drop out of the race. Warner was also pressed on whether he would demand Jones return a $25,000 donation made to his campaign in August, or whether he regretted the show of support in light of the controversy about Jones’ violent political speech, but he once again averted his gaze and remained silent.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was also unwilling to call on Jones’ to drop out. He told Fox News Digital he’s still a supporter of the embattled candidate for his state’s attorney general seat. “I think those statements were not in character, and he has apologized — I wish other people in public life would sincerely apologize for stuff,” the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee said. “I’ve known Jay Jones for 25 years.”
Several other Democrats outside of Virginia who were approached by Fox News Digital similarly walked away, or refused to respond when asked about the Jones controversy, which revolves around a text message exchange he had in 2022 with another lawmaker.
During the texts, Jones fantasized about putting “two bullets” into the head of then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert. He also quipped about murdering Gilbert’s children.
“Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” Jones wrote. In a subsequent text, Jones also wrote, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
“Jay. Please stop,” the lawmaker on the receiving end of the tests from Jones said at the time. Jones has since apologized, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family.
Jay Jones, who is running to become Virginia’s attorney general in 2025, has come under fire for a series of text messages calling for the death of political opponents and remarks about police officers. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
“I’m really not familiar with the situation in Virginia,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said when asked if Jones should drop out.
“Haven’t given it a thought,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called the texts “horrifying,” but when pressed further on whether Jones should drop out, Wyden said, “I’m going to leave it at that, thank you.”
Other Democrats who Fox News approached, such as Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., condemned political violence but admitted they were not following the matter involving Jones.
“I can’t say that I’ve done my due diligence to really understand, but what I will say is that what I saw was absolutely horrible,” said Kim. “I hope that in a time right now, where there’s so much concern about political violence, we can say that, ‘Yes, we need to make sure that we are holding ourselves up to a high standard, especially those in elected office.’”
Republican responses to the Jones text scandal were starkly different. Speaking with Fox News Digital, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the text messages “staggering, particularly with the spate of political violence we have seen.”
“There are far too many on the left that celebrate political violence,” Cruz continued, adding, “When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, we saw leftists, college professors, leftist schoolteachers, politicians, journalists celebrating that heinous murder.”
“And every Democrat in Washington is turning a blind eye,” Cruz added. “In my view, the notion that someone advocating for the murder of children because he disagrees politically with their father is manifestly unsuitable for public office, especially the chief law enforcement officer of Virginia. And I wish there were even one Democrat with the courage to say that publicly.”
From left to right: Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. (Getty Images)
“It’s really sickening calling for the assassination of a rival, calling for the death of his children. I mean, I think, hopefully, all of us can agree that’s beyond the bounds of what is reasonable here, and he ought to step down,” Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said when asked about the controversy. “What’s amazing though, is, I’ve not heard one Democrat – hopefully you’re asking that question to other Democrats. I’ve not heard anybody say anything about it, which is pretty sad.”
During a debate Thursday night between Republican and Democrat candidates for governor in Virginia, Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears repeatedly pressed her Democratic opponent, Spanberger, to call on Jones to step down.
“Jay Jones advocated the murder — Abigail — the murder of a man, a former speaker, as well as his children who were 2 years and 5 years old. You have little girls. Would it take him pulling the trigger? Is that what would do it?” Earle-Sears asked Thursday night. “Please ask him to get out of the race. Have some courage.”
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills appeared to announce the launch of her campaign for the Senate on X on Friday, but then quickly deleted the post.
In a since-deleted announcement video, the 77-year-old Maine governor asked, “Folks, do you want Democrats to take back the Senate? Well, I’m Gov. Janet Mills, and I’m running to flip Maine’s Senate seat blue.”
In the video, Mills took aim at incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican, saying she has “sold out Maine and bowed down to special interests and to Donald Trump, but that ends now.”
The video directed supporters to donate to an ActBlue page that has also since been deleted.
On the donation page, Mills touted her bona fides, saying, “I’ve spent my career standing up for Maine families as prosecutor, Attorney General, and Governor. I’ve taken on Big Pharma, expanded health care access, and took Donald Trump to court – and won.”
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
After the posts were deleted, reactions started to flood in online.
“In a now deleted tweet at 4:30pm on a Friday before a holiday weekend, Janet Mills confirms she is in fact running for Senate … Some poor digital staffer is about to get fired!” posted National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer Joanna Rodriguez.
A progressive political commentator named Jack Cocchiarella commented, “If you thought democratic politics was missing geriatric candidates with no charisma, wait until you meet 77 year old Janet Mills Chuck Schumer’s pick for Senate. She posted this launch video today then deleted it after two hours.”
Mills’ announcement has been long anticipated. She is seen as the favored candidate by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The top Democrat in the Senate urged Mills to run and sees her as the best candidate to defeat Collins, the only Republican senator up for re-election next year in a state the Democrats carried in the presidential election. A Collins defeat would be essential for the Democrats to have any chance of winning back the Senate majority.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, pushed back against Majority Forward, a Democratic PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for ads that suggest she has spent her career in Washington trading stocks to enrich herself. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
But before she reaches the general election, Mills first has to navigate a likely competitive and divisive primary among a crowded field of contenders that includes a much younger rising star on the left who’s backed by longtime progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Mills, a former elected county district attorney and former state lawmaker, made history serving as Maine’s first female attorney general.
She later won election in 2018 as Maine’s first female governor, and, in 2022, she comfortably defeated former Republican Gov. Paul LePage by double digits to win re-election.
While she will be considered the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination, thanks in part to her vast name recognition in blue-leaning Maine, she could face a serious challenge from 41-year-old Graham Platner, a U.S. Marine, Army veteran and oyster farmer who launched his campaign in August.
Platner, who hauled in over $3 million in fundraising during the first six weeks after declaring his candidacy, is backed by Sanders, the two-time Democratic presidential nomination runner-up, who recently stopped in Maine to headline a campaign rally.
In a warning to Mills, Sanders said on social media last week that “Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has thrown his support behind Graham Platner, a U.S. Marine, Army veteran and oyster farmer who launched a Democratic run for the Senate in August.(Joe Maher)
“It’s disappointing that some Democratic leaders are urging Governor Mills to run. We need to focus on winning that seat & not waste millions on an unnecessary & divisive primary,” Sanders added.
Other candidates vying for the Democratic Senate nomination include Dan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Co., and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, who raked in roughly $3 million during the July-September third quarter of fundraising.
Phil Rench, a former senior engineer for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is running as an independent candidate.
Collins first won election to the Senate in 1996 and won comfortable double-digit re-elections in 2002, 2008 and 2014.
President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed at the White House over executive order compliance earlier this year.(Pool via AP; Win McNamee/Getty Images)
She chairs the influential Senate Appropriations Committee.
In her 2020 re-election, Collins faced off against Democratic State House Speaker Sara Gideon in a hotly contested race that became the most expensive in Maine history. While polls indicated Collins trailing her Democratic challenger, she ended up winning the election by more than eight points.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called on “sanctuary politicians” to “tone down their rhetoric” against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers following the emergence of a Halloween display in Houston that depicts the hanging of agents.
The display — located in the predominantly Hispanic Second Ward neighborhood of Houston, Texas — features multiple mannequins. Two of the figures — dressed in red hats, black shirts, khaki pants and black masks — are seen hanging from ropes around their necks on wooden gallows topped with a Mexican flag, video showed.
“Effigies of ICE agents dressed in black shirts with red hats were hung from homemade gallows with zip ties in their pockets,” DHS said. “The display, surrounded by coffins, barbed wire, and featuring a Mexican flag, was a mock execution ground.”
“Following a weekend of domestic terrorists attacking federal law enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security is calling for sanctuary politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement,” DHS added. “Our officers are facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them and their families are being doxxed and threatened online.”
A Halloween display in Houston, Texas, where “effigies of ICE agents dressed in black shirts with red hats were hung from homemade gallows with zip ties in their pockets,” according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).(Department of Homeland Security (DHS))
Homeland Security also condemned alleged threats that have been sent to the families of ICE agents.
“One agent’s spouse was sent this Facebook message by Robert Buckley of Lakeville, Massachusetts: ‘Your husband, the ICE man is a f— and retribution will come your way eventually,” according to DHS.
“In Texas, an ICE officer’s spouse received a call saying, ‘I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night. F— you, f— your family. I hope your kids get deported by accident. How do you sleep? F— you. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family,” DHS added.
A Halloween display in a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, is drawing controversy throughout the community and online. (FNTV)
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “These type of threats against our brave ICE law enforcement officers and their families are disgusting.”
“These officers risk their lives every day to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our communities. Comparing ICE day-in and day-out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences,” McLaughlin continued.
Federal agents, several with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), a part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), regroup before heading out on an operation on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in northwest Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
“The men and women of ICE and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, they just want to go home to their families at night,” she also said. “The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop.”
Fox News Digital’s Sophia Compton contributed to this report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and top Democrats refused to answer whether they believe embattled Virginia Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones should drop out over violent text messages he sent, fantasizing about murdering a Republican opponent.
The Virginia attorney general race, and gubernatorial race along with it, have been rocked by recent revelations that Jones, a former Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates, has made several violent remarks, including saying he wanted to shoot then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert.
Though some Democrats, including Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, have condemned Jones’ messages, Sanders, perhaps the top progressive voice in America, ignored Fox News Digital’s question about the texts and simply walked away.
Another prominent progressive, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., also ignored Fox News Digital’s questions about Jones, turning her back on the reporter and stepping into an elevator.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., (left) refused to answer whether Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones (right) should drop out over violent messages he sent.(Joe Maher; Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., provided some answers, saying, “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t recall exactly what he said, but at least the reflections I got, I thought it was horrible, I really do.”
“I don’t know the dynamics of the race, as I’m focused right now on the New Jersey governor’s race. So, I can’t say that I’ve done my due diligence to really understand, but what I will say is what I saw was absolutely horrible,” Kim added.
Kim also said, “I hope that in a time right now where there’s so much concern about political violence. We can say that, yes, we need to make sure we’re holding ourselves up to a high standard, especially those in elected office.”
Asked if he could say whether Jones should drop out of the race after those violent texts, Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., answered, “I can’t. I’ve got to go.”
Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022.( Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also had a similar response, saying, “No, I’m getting a briefing right now,” while a staffer said, “You’re more than welcome to reach out to her office though.”
In text messages with another lawmaker, Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.”
Jones wrote in a subsequent text, “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time.”
In another text exchange with a colleague, Jones said he hoped Gilbert’s children would die. He doubled down in a series of messages, saying that such grief might be “a good thing” if it advanced his politics.
Though the text revelations have shocked the public and turned the Virginia elections on their head, many Democrats questioned by Fox News Digital have refused to address the scandal or say whether they believe Jones should be disqualified from the race.
Asked whether Jones should quit his race, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., answered, “I haven’t given it a thought.”
Pressed whether he had read the text messages, which have caused massive political fallout in an already tight Virginia election, Whitehouse said, “I have not.”
Prominent Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., simply responded, “I don’t have time at the moment,” and continued to walk away.
Then House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff does a TV interview at the Capitol on July 26, 2021.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the Democratic senators’ silence “staggering, particularly with the spate of political violence we have seen.”
“In my view, the notion that someone advocating for the murder of children because he disagrees politically with their father is manifestly unsuitable for public office, especially the chief law enforcement officer of Virginia, and I wish there were even one Democrat with the courage to say that publicly,” said Cruz.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
Utah lawmakers push through new congressional maps favoring GOP – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Utah lawmakers have pushed through a new congressional map giving Republicans an advantage in all four of the state’s districts. CBS News correspondent Ian Lee has more.
GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer says Congress can reach health care deal after government reopens – CBS News
Watch CBS News
One week after it began, lawmakers appear no closer to ending the government shutdown. Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota joins “The Takeout” to discuss the state of play.
For many Americans, across party lines, concern over the government shutdown means concern about its potential impact on the economy, among other things.
Therefore, many don’t think either party’s position is worth having a shutdown over.
Given that, no one is looking especially good politically at the moment. President Trump, congressional Democrats, and Republicans are all net negative on their handling of the shutdown thus far.
Neither party is on very solid footing. The top descriptor Americans pick for the Democratic Party overall is “weak;” the party trails the GOP on being described as “effective” and “strong,” and their favorables trail the GOP’s. The top descriptor for Republicans, though, is “extreme.”
All of it looks to the public like another distraction from larger matters of concern. A sizable majority of the country says the Trump administration isn’t focused enough on lowering prices, and is focused too much on tariffs, as they have been for months. Reflecting some of that, many still describe the president himself as “energetic,” but fewer describe him now as “focused” than did at the start of his term.
Relatively few Americans say the Democrats’ or Republicans’ positions are worth a shutdown. As it is still fairly recent, many aren’t sure yet.
For the Democrats, only half their rank and file think their party’s positions are worth a shutdown, and even fewer Republicans say that of the GOP’s positions. That said, they don’t blame their respective parties for the situation, either.
There’s plenty of that blame to go around. Republicans and the president get relatively more than congressional Democrats, but taken together with Americans who blame both equally, a majority of the country holds all of them responsible.
When asked what the shutdown debate is mainly about, health care is the top response from a list of issues, and those following the matter more closely pick that more often. That may speak to the parties’ respective arguments getting at least to their bases.
The percentage very concerned about the impact on the economy is higher than for other items.
People also express concern, to a lesser degree, about the effects of the shutdown on federal employees. Also, the military, transportation and air travel, and Social Security and Medicare, which, even if they are not directly part of the negotiations, likely show that people tend to associate these programs with the government, generally.
Still, overall views and descriptors of the parties aren’t positive ones. Each has underwater favorability ratings overall, with the Republicans getting slightly better ratings than the Democrats.
From a list of descriptors of the parties, it’s a case of weak (the way most of the nation describes the Democratic Party) versus extreme (the most often-picked label for the GOP).
The Republican Party greatly outpaces the Democrats on being called “effective” and “strong.”
Over four in 10 rank-and-file Democrats describe their own party as weak.
The economy and the president
Against the backdrop of the shutdown, and helping explain why so many are concerned about its economic impact, inflation and the economy continue to be seen as the nation’s top issues. And as has been the case for a while, a large majority says the Trump administration isn’t focused enough on lowering prices. And most continue to say it is focused too much on tariffs.
And most say Trump’s policies are costing jobs in the U.S., rather than creating jobs.
That’s combined with Americans’ view that Trump’s policies aren’t making them better off and are still making prices go up. On balance, the president’s handling of inflation, specifically, has ticked down again.
Fewer Americans now describe the president as “focused” than did at the start of his second term. His top descriptors remain “tough” and “energetic,” but the percentage who call him “effective” is also down compared to February.
More broadly — and not specifically related to the shutdown, but perhaps pertinent given that situation — Americans still say it’s Congress, not the president, who should have the most authority over federal spending. That’s a view held by majorities of Democrats, independents, and Republicans.
Donald Trump’s overall approval rating, at 42%, is now back down to what it was in July, after hitting 44% last month. He remains bolstered by support from his Republican base, and still gets better marks on his deportation program and immigration than on inflation and the economy overall.
At 43%, the president’s approval rating on handling the conflict between Israel and Hamas is similar to what it was this summer, and higher than his approval ratings on economic issues. (This polling was conducted before reports of a possible ceasefire deal.)
Troops and U.S. cities
The idea of troops going to U.S. cities remains divisive. It’s backed staunchly by the president’s Republican base, especially those who identify as MAGA, but finds far less backing beyond it.
Whether it’s the National Guard specifically or active-duty military troops going to cities, views are similar. Much of it, beyond the partisan breaks, is tied to where one sees threats to the U.S. originating.
Those who support troops in cities tend to see threats from inside the country, subscribing to some of the arguments made by the administration, that threats are coming from domestic enemies.
But for the majority of Americans who see dangers more from economic forces, or who feel the U.S. military’s overall focus ought to be outside the U.S., it is much less so.
For decades now, a majority of Americans have backed having women who serve in the military participating in combat roles, and that continues to be the case today, at three-quarters, a view shared equally by men and women. The quarter of Americans who do not think women in the military should participate in combat roles tend to be more conservative.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,441 U.S. adults interviewed between October 1-3, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide according to gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.3 points.
Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News’ executive director of elections and surveys. He oversees the CBS News Poll and all surveys across topics and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights
Democrats want to remove a provision of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA) before reopening the government, but Republicans argue the line item they want removed is allowing California to use a “loophole” to draw down funds from the federal government to help pay for the state’s ballooning cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants.
The White House released a memo on Wednesday during the first day of the government shutdown fight indicating Democrats want to repeal Trump reforms in his “big, beautiful bill” that aimed to close this alleged backdoor tactic. However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and left-leaning health policy experts insist claimsthat California is using this tactic are not true.
“When Democrats say, as they keep saying, that there is no federal money or any taxpayer money going for illegal immigrant healthcare because it’s illegal and barred by federal law, it’s simply not true,” said Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host now running to replace Newsom as governor of California.
Hilton claimed that California has been using a complex Medicaid provision known as a “provider tax” to obtain matching federal dollars, which then gets pooled into the money used by the state to pay for its healthcare offered to undocumented immigrants.
California is being accused of utilizing a Medicaid “loophole” to draw down federal funds to help pay for the ballooning cost of illegal immigrant healthcare. (Getty/iStock)
“If [federal dollars] are funding non-emergency healthcare for ineligible immigrants, the sole cause is provider taxes,” Michael Cannon, a health policy expert at the CATO Institute told Fox News Digital.
Cannon, however, suggested Republicans shot themselves in the foot by choosing only to limit the scope of eligibility around provider tax funds in the OBBBA, saying no more could go to states providing illegal immigrants healthcare, and they should have just quashed them altogether.
“What they did was that Republicans preserved the ability of states to use provider taxes to fund healthcare for undocumented immigrants using Medicaid,” he argued.
However, Newsom’s office insisted to the Los Angeles Times that the claim California is utilizing a provider tax “loophole” to fund illegal immigrant healthcare is simply not true. It is effectively impossible to make a determination one way or the other because states do not keep records on how provider tax funds from the federal government are spent.
“This is false — CA does not do this,” Gardon said in a one-line email to the LA Times. Newsom’s office did not reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment in time for publication.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps Aug. 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif.(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Other healthcare policy experts agree as well that this is not happening.
“The so-called California loopholereferences a provision in the law that ends a waiver of the uniformity requirements for provider taxes. This provision has nothing to do with using federal funds to pay for care for undocumented immigrants,” Jennifer Tolbert, a healthcare expert at the nonprofit healthcare research organization KFF.
“But the White House makes the claim that California uses the money they get from the provider tax to pay for care for undocumented immigrants.”
Chris Pope, a health policy expert from the Manhattan Institute, argues California is also using emergency care claims to draw down even more funds to help pay for its ballooning cost of being the first state in the nation to offer comprehensive healthcare coverage for anyone regardless of their immigration status.
Supporters of single-payer health care march in Sacramento, Calif.(Rich Pedroncelli, File/AP Photo)
Federal law does not permit federal funds to be used for non-emergency medical care for illegal immigrants, but it does not prohibit them from being used for emergency care for these folks.
“The enormous and open-ended discretion Medicaid gives states to claim federal funding makes it hard for the feds to ensure that the program’s expenditures are reserved for its intended purposes,” Pope wrote in an Op-Ed for the New York Post Friday. “Until that changes, the Democratic claim that federal money isn’t being used on illegal immigrants is simply not true.”
Hamas announced on Friday that it had accepted portions of President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. Plus, the Senate failed to reopen the government after lawmakers voted down two bills. Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington joins “The Takeout” to discuss.
Government shutdown to continue into next week after bills fail in Senate – CBS News
Watch CBS News
The government shutdown will now drag into next week after competing Republican and Democratic measures failed in the Senate on Friday. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns reports.
President Donald Trump’s administration will withhold $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects, the White House budget director said Friday, expanding funding fights that have targeted Democratic areas during the government shutdown.
The pause affects a long-awaited plan to extend the city’s Red Line train. The money was “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting,” budget director Russ Vought wrote on social media.
Vought made a similar announcement earlier this week involving New York, where he said $18 billion for infrastructure would be paused, including funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
Trump, a Republican, has embraced Vought’s tactics. On Thursday night, he posted a video depicting him as the reaper, wearing a hood and holding a scythe.
Losing the money would be a significant setback for Chicago’s transportation plans. The Red Line extension is slated to add four train stops on the city’s South Side, improving access for disadvantaged communities.
In addition, a broader modernization project for the Red and Purple lines, which Vought said was also being targeted, is intended to upgrade stations and remove a bottleneck where different lines intersect.
In New York’s case, Trump’s Transportation Department said it had been reviewing whether any “unconstitutional practices” were occurring in the two massive infrastructure projects but that the government shutdown, which began Wednesday, had forced it to furlough the staffers conducting the review.
The suspension of funds for the Hudson River tunnel project and a Second Avenue subway line extension is likely meant to target Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, whom the White House is blaming for the impasse. The New York senator said the funding freeze would harm commuters.
“Obstructing these projects is stupid and counterproductive because they create tens of thousands of great jobs and are essential for a strong regional and national economy,” Schumer said on X.
___
This story has been corrected to show $18 billion, not $18 million, was held in New York.
Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.
