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Reporter’s Notebook: Summer ends, but the Senate’s fall crunch begins

August 6, 2026 2:41pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Trump demands summer recess cancellation to pass SAVE Act

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest on the Senate approaching recess as President Donald Trump urges the SAVE Act to pass on ‘Special Report.’

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It may be summer. But fall is consuming the United States Senate.

Bipartisan lawmakers are trying to avoid a government shutdown.

“The fiscal year begins Oct. 1 each year,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. “This resolution keeps the government open for business.”

The House approved an interim spending bill in July to keep the government funded through Dec. 4. But bipartisan senators are trying to duck yet another protracted government shutdown odyssey, like last year’s 43-day exercise.

HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS

A shutdown occurs when Congress and the president fail to sign into law 12 appropriations bills to continue providing funding for government operations.(Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

“I look forward to passing this bill in the next few days,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The measure funds the government with a fiscal Band-Aid through Dec. 11 – well after the midterms. But Democratic buy-in is paramount. The main reason the government closed last fall was because Senate Democrats refused to provide votes to break a filibuster on the GOP plan. Democrats protested a lapse in Obamacare subsidies – and hoped to underscore to voters that Republicans were vulnerable on healthcare. Now Democrats are on board. The Senate curbed a filibuster on the bill with a vote tally of 89-4. The question is when the Senate will pass the bill. And what happens when senators send this to the House.

“We want to fund the government and avoid a shutdown,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Ironically, funding the government may be the easiest thing before the Senate right now.

There are all sorts of lists out there. Santa’s list. Hollywood’s blacklist. Craigslist. And bucket lists. But no list is more daunting than what the Senate is trying to accomplish over the next few days. And truth be told, the Senate might not check much off its list at all.

Senators are bewildered about what the plan is over the next few days. Many hope to escape Washington. Those running for re-election are anxious to head home and campaign as control of the Senate swings in the balance.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., emerged from the Senate Republican weekly luncheon on Tuesday, mystified about what the legislative traffic may look like.

“If there is a plan, they are doing a good job of hiding it,” said Kennedy. “I learned nothing in that meeting.”

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE’S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAY

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks to reporters as he leaves the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on June 25, 2025.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Kennedy posited that “maybe it’s because our leadership doesn’t know.”

In no particular order, here are some of the big ticket items the Senate hopes to rifle through over the coming days: A bill to sanction Russia, named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general. Handle a budget resolution so the GOP can prep a filibuster-free bill to restock military munitions because of the war in Iran and maybe approve parts of the SAVE America Act. Fund the government. Greenlight a slate of nominations unrelated to Blanche. Advance a bill to regulate college sports and the use of NIL (for name, image and likeness). Perhaps reauthorize FISA, the nation’s top terrorism prevention program. And finally, establish a framework for cryptocurrency. The last one is the least likely.

“I feel like we’re trying to put 20 pounds of potatoes in a 10-pound bag,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., on Fox.

Confirming Blanche is probably the biggest priority for Republicans. But it’s unclear if Blanche has the votes. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, came around over the weekend after they received assurances from Blanche that the anti-weaponization fund was dead. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., huddled with Blanche late Wednesday. With former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., out and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a nay on Blanche, Republicans can only lose one more of their own and still confirm him.

Ironically, the hallmark of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, the SAVE America Act — which requires proof of citizenship to vote — is the one thing the Senate might not tackle. But GOP senators could present the president half a loaf with some voter ID mandates and election security. In short, the Senate won’t cancel its summer recess to pass the SAVE America Act.

“I think there’s nothing more important than the Save America Act. I think they should stay,” said Trump.

Even the Senate’s newest member wants to stay in Washington — even though she faces a primary next week.

TRUMP’S VOTER ID BILL CATCHES UNLIKELY BREAK AS MCCONNELL REMAINS SIDELINED

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in at the Old Senate Chamber on July 14 in Washington, D.C.(Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“What’s up with recess, anyway? Who gets a month off from work? I think we should stay up there and work and get it done,” said Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C.

Some Republicans dared their colleagues to thwart the bill.

“If you’re going to oppose something, you’ve got to earn it on the floor as opposed to this kind of kabuki theater we do right now where you just give a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

Thune – who often doesn’t see eye-to-eye with the president – dismissed the push for the SAVE America Act. It’s about the math. Thune lacks votes to pass it. In fact, the Senate’s already blocked that bill twice.

“It seems to me some days that I’m the only one here who can count to 50 in this town. But we don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster. And we aren’t flipping 10 Democrats to vote for the SAVE America Act,” said Thune.

But even if they won’t vote yes, some Democrats commiserate with Thune.

GOP RIFT GROWS AS THUNE HITS BRAKES ON TRUMP’S ELECTION BILL TO AVERT SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, joined by Sen. Tim Scott, speaks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2026.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“The votes don’t exist and some of our colleagues just don’t know how to count sometimes,” said Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M.

Political observers wonder if it was risky for Senate Republicans to promise the SAVE America Act to party loyalists – but fail to deliver.

But Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., disagreed with that argument.

“I don’t think we overpromised. I think we wished it would work,” said Tuberville.

“There wasn’t a plan? This was a wish?” I inquired.

“There’s nothing certain up here. I’ve learned that in six years,” replied Tuberville. “I wish we could get this done for the people of Alabama.”

“There’s that word, again: wish,” I said to Tuberville.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PUSHES LAWMAKERS ON LEGISLATION AS ‘PROTECT COLLEGE SPORTS ACT’ HANGS ON BY A THREAD

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks to reporters as he returns to his office at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

There’s a possible breakthrough on a bill to regulate college sports and fundamentally alter compensation structures for student-athletes. President Trump is pushing lawmakers to vote on the plan after the SEC and Big 10 signed off on the legislation.

“NIL or whatever it is, is very close to getting solved. And we have a bipartisan deal as of right now,” said the president.

At best, the college sports bill could score a procedural vote – which is significant. But there’s still much to hash out.

“It’s not ready,” said Kennedy. “I think many senators still have questions.”

Yours truly told Kennedy that the bill “seemed pretty dense when I read it.”

The Louisiana Republican agreed.

“It’s dense as hell,” said Kennedy. “That’s a legal term.”

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This Senate agenda is pretty dense. And maybe getting it all done now is a wish. Especially in such a short period.

No matter what, summer is winding down in the Senate. It will soon be fall. Both on the calendar and on Capitol Hill.

And many senators are just wishing they could go home.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

Democrats targeting 12 additional red districts in midterms push to retake House

August 6, 2026 2:21pm EDT / Fox News

DCCC eyes seats held by Lauren Boebert, French Hill, Mike Flood and other Republicans it says have let down voters

By James Cirrone Fox News

House Democrats’ campaign chair says ‘we’re going to have the resources’ to get their message out

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene speaks one-on-one with Fox News Digital about the House Democrats’ midterm playbook.

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The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced 12 additional red U.S. House districts the organization intends to target in November, on top of the 46 it had already designated as possible flips.

The DCCC identified seats held by Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, French Hill of Arkansas, Mike Flood of Nebraska and several other Republicans as being “in play” for Democrats in the midterm elections.

“House Democrats are expanding the battlefield deep into Trump terrain because we have a winning message focused on fighting for an Affordable America,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement on Wednesday.

“At the same time, MAGA Republicans who historically have considered themselves ‘safe’ have let down the people they were elected to represent, passing disastrous policies that are crushing working families and our communities,” DelBene added. “Democrats are going to win in November and make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the House.”

FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: DEMOCRATS LEAD IN THE HOUSE, BUT REDISTRICTING KEEPS THE GOP IN THE GAME

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., departs following a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to the DCCC for more insight into why certain candidates were listed as vulnerable.

Many of the Republicans the DCCC has previously targeted for ouster are candidates that have been embroiled in scandals in recent months.

One such example is Rep. Max Miller of Ohio’s 7th District, whose ex-wife Emily Moreno has accused him of physically abusing both her and their young daughter.

Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, attends a Ways and Means Committee hearing in Longworth building on June 4, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

OHIO GOP FAMILY FEUD EXPLODES AS SEN BERNIE MORENO CALLS ON REP MAX MILLER TO RESIGN

Another Republican congressman seen by the DCC as ripe for removal is Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey’s 7th District.

Kean was absent from Congress for nearly four months and in that time, he missed 140 roll call votes in the House. He returned on June 30 and announced that he had been diagnosed with depression.

Rep. Mike Lawler of New York’s 17th District is also named on the DCCC’s list of vulnerable Republicans.

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., marches in a July Fourth parade along the Walkway of Heroes and Independence Avenue on July 4, 2026, in Tappan, New York.(Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

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Lawler has been in the crosshairs of Democrats since he narrowly defeated centrist Democrat Sean Patrick Maloney in 2022. In 2024, Lawler handily fended off a challenge from Mondaire Jones, the ex-congressman who used to represent the 17th District.

The district includes all of Rockland and Putnam counties, which President Donald Trump won by double digits in the 2024 election. However, it also includes parts of Westchester County, which overwhelmingly voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris.

James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.

US telecoms regulator chief says curbs on Chinese tech imports aim to spur production, counter security risks

2026-08-06T16:04:51.565Z / Reuters

By David Shepardson

August 6, 2026 4:04 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

A humanoid robot dances in front of visitors at a job fair in Beijing, China March 14, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The chair of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, said on Thursday that restrictions on imports of Chinese robots and power inverters are aimed at quickly spurring U.S. production and ​addressing national security risks.

The FCC, which regulates U.S. telecommunications, has banned new models of ​foreign drones, routers, robots and power inverters since December, granting waivers to non-Chinese ⁠suppliers while effectively shutting out Chinese manufacturers.

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“We’re telling people that now is the time to onshore ​a lot of the investment and develop it into what could be critical elements of our national ​security,” Carr said, adding, “We don’t want to be in a situation five years from now where you’ve got many thousands or millions of these types of devices that are a national security risk.”

The FCC last month barred Chinese imports ​of new humanoid and quadruped robots and connected power inverters, which enable renewable energy sources and ​batteries to connect to grids and data center equipment. The measures triggered Chinese retaliation earlier this week.

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Reuters reported earlier this week ‌that the ⁠FCC was drafting a ban on U.S. imports of new models of Chinese data center components, known as optical transceivers, as it seeks to protect the infrastructure that undergirds the AI boom.

When asked about the report, Carr deferred to other agencies.

“The decision about what to add is one that’s driven by ​the executive branch, national security ​agencies. They make ⁠the decision. We then implement the decision they make. So I’d refer you to them for any comment on what, if anything, they may have ​next,” he said.

Democratic FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez welcomed Carr’s national security-focused actions ​but took aim ⁠at the process.

“What I’m hearing from a lot of American companies and industry leaders is that they’re concerned about the haphazard way, the chaotic way, in which we’ve seen the rollout of basically profound ⁠changes” to ​FCC tech policy, she said. “If we want to avoid ​the appearance of favoring certain actors from others, we need transparency….Otherwise, this actually looks like is just industrial policy,” she added.

Reporting ​by David Shepardson; Writing by Alexandra Alper and David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter and Sanjeev Miglani

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Loophole forcing release of detained illegal immigrants targeted by Senate GOP

August 6, 2026 12:02pm EDT / Fox News

Sen. Katie Britt’s bill would prevent criminal aliens from being freed when home countries reject their return

By Alex Miller, Fox News

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and a host of Senate Republicans are pushing legislation that would close a loophole that allows detained illegal immigrants to be released back into the U.S. if their home country won’t take them back.

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FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are pushing to close a decades-old immigration loophole they say was heavily abused by the Biden administration.

The effort, led by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., would prevent detained illegal immigrants from being released back into the U.S. in the event that their home countries would not accept their return.

Britt told Fox News Digital that her bill, the Keeping Our Communities Safe Act, would cinch tight the loophole that was created in 2001 when the Supreme Court ruled that illegal immigrants could be released from detention after six months if no country accepted them for deportation.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., attends the confirmation hearing for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on July 15, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Getty Images)

“Ultimately, we want to create pathways for these people to go back to the country they came from,” Britt said. “But just because we can’t get a country to comply does not mean that that person should get to roam free in the United States of America.”

“They should be there in detention until we’re able to find them a pathway back to their country,” she continued. “So this loophole was obviously exploited a great deal in the Biden administration, and what we’re doing is making sure that we are putting forth legislation that closes it once and for all.”

Over two decades ago, the court ruling limited the federal government’s authority to detain illegal immigrants and instilled a time frame that a noncitizen could remain detained.

Once that six-month period has elapsed and there is no likelihood of removal, the government is tasked with presenting evidence that removal is still likely and on the table. But if they can’t, the detainee has to be released under supervision.

Britt’s bill targets two sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a 1950s-era law that has undergirded the nation’s immigration laws for decades, to expand the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) authority to detain criminal aliens, deny bonds to criminal aliens, and generally limit the availability of bonds unless an illegal immigrant can establish by clear and convincing evidence that they’re not a flight risk or a risk to another person or the community.

It would also allow for extensions of detention in a number of cases, including in cases where an alien is a threat to national security or has committed an aggravated felony or violent crime.

Exterior view of the Otay Mesa Immigration Customs Enforcement detention center in San Diego.(Getty)

The bill has been circulating in Congress since 2011. Britt also tried to get it passed during the Biden administration.

The legislation has 11 Senate Republicans on board as co-sponsors, including Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris allowed millions of illegals to INVADE our country — and now law-abiding Americans are paying the price,” Tuberville said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We need to do everything we can to deport every single one of these criminals.”

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

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Puerto Rico to begin water rationing due to intense drought

2026-08-06 6:43 PM UTC / Reuters

By Brad Brooks

August 6, 2026 6:43 PM UTC Updated 1 hour ago

Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon testifies at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing “to Examine the State of the U.S. Territories” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 17, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Aug 6 (Reuters) – Puerto Rico will begin a rotating water rationing program on Friday across the island in response to intense drought, authorities said, in a ​plan that forces tens of thousands of people to go without water ‌for 48 hours at a time.

The rationing will last at least through the end of August, according to details posted on the U.S. territory’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority website. Puerto Rico ​Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez said at a press conference late on Wednesday that ​she does not know how long the rationing will be ⁠required.

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“This situation is out of our hands,” Gonzalez said in a press release ​earlier on Wednesday. “It is the result of the climate conditions we’ve been facing.”

Puerto ​Rico’s capital, San Juan, experienced its driest July on record, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 68% of the island is experiencing drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Little ​relief is in sight. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook puts ​the odds of below-normal rainfall and above-normal heat at greater than 70% for Puerto Rico from ‌August ⁠through October, as a strengthening El Nino pattern suppresses the tropical waves that typically bring the island’s late-summer rain.

Seven municipalities, including San Juan, will see rationing in the current phase of cuts, according to the government. They are all areas ​served by the Carraizo ​reservoir, which authorities ⁠say is at critically low levels. Affected areas have been split into two zones that will alternate with and ​without service on 48-hour cycles.

The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer ​Authority said ⁠it would deploy water trucks to affected communities, with priority given to hospitals and long-term care facilities, and urged residents to boil water for at least three ⁠minutes once ​service resumes as a precaution against possible contamination.

It ​also asked customers to conserve during service periods and avoid non-essential use of water such as ​washing cars or watering lawns.

Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by Paul Simao

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Socialist victories show Dems’ descent down ‘deadly path of communism,’ Johnson warns

August 6, 2026 12:41pm EDT / Fox News

Republicans are hoping for more far-left socialist victories in Democratic primaries as they fight to keep the House

By Elizabeth Elkind Fox News

Published August 6, 2026 12:41pm EDT

Rising socialist momentum in the Democratic primaries threatens party unity as far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly wins 48.5% of the vote to defeat moderate Haley Stevens in Michigan.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is arguing that Democrats are descending a dark path as a socialist insurgency on the left continues to notch victories against the party’s establishment.

Republicans on the campaign trail have seized on the raging civil war within the Democratic Party, warning that a recent slate of wins by candidates linked to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is pushing one of the United States’ two main political parties much further left than the vast majority of Americans are comfortable with.

“Right now, it’s a contrast election for everybody,” Johnson said during a campaign stop in Arizona. “They’ve got to make a decision that they want to continue with common sense, growth and opportunity, or they want to go to this dark down, dangerous, deadly road of communism.”

DEMOCRATS TARGET MORE GOP HOUSE SEATS AFTER SOCIALIST VICTORIES ROCK LEFT-WING PRIMARIES

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., from left, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speak during the “The People v. The Powerful” campaign event at the Detroit Opera House in Detroit on July 18, 2026.(Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He said it was a choice “between common sense and crazy.”

Johnson and other House GOP leaders are crisscrossing the country visiting districts represented by vulnerable Republican lawmakers and other areas where the GOP believes it has a shot of winning in November.

The Louisiana Republican made a similar pitch earlier this week during a town hall for Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., who is facing a well-connected and well-funded primary opponent on Thursday night.

“Could we’ve imagined even 10 years ago, if somebody told us that on the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the greatest nation in the history of the world, in the midterm, in the fall of 2026, we’d be in a contest to determine whether we’re going to maintain our constitutional republic — the greatest nation in history — or go down this dark, dangerous, deadly road to communism?” Johnson said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, speaks to members of the media after a meeting with House Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on July 15, 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

2026 MIDTERMS STATE OF PLAY: KEY RACES UNFOLD AS STEVENS, EL-SAYED BATTLE IN MICHIGAN

It’s likely going to be a line the speaker often uses during his appearances ahead of the midterms, with Republicans writ large seeing a boon in the far-left candidates toppling establishment Democrats.

The left’s socialist insurgency scored significant wins earlier this week when Dr. Abdul El-Sayed beat out establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., for the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s open Senate seat.

Elsewhere in the state, Sunrise Movement co-founder William Lawrence defeated former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink for the Democratic nomination to face Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., in what will be one of the most closely watched battleground races of November.

Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, left, Sen. Bernie Sanders, center, and House candidate William Lawrence, right, at a rally in Lansing, Mich., on July 19, 2026.(Andrew Roth/Sipa USA via Reuters)

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Among the DSA’s policy positions is a call for eliminating the U.S. Senate and extending voting rights to noncitizens and felons on a national level.

Republicans are fighting an uphill battle to defy decades of political convention to keep and even expand their razor-thin majority in the House, but GOP leaders are betting on more far-left victories to give their party a better shot.

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

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

Trump to sign orders on birthright citizenship, Axios reports

2026-08-06 19:50 UTC / Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., August 5, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein Purchase Licensing Rights

Aug 6 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign two executive orders on Thursday aimed at denying citizenship to ​children born in the United States because of commercial “birth tourism”, ‌Axios reported.

Trump is also seeking to deny birthright citizenship for children born of some foreign diplomatic staff in the U.S. and, potentially, U.S. territories in ​the future, according to Axios.

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Trump’s itinerary shows he has a “signing ​time” event at the Oval Office on Thursday, which had ⁠not begun as of 4:05 pm (2005 GMT), about an hour and five minutes past ​the time slot in the official schedule released by the White ​House.

Limiting birthright citizenship has been one of the top priorities in the Republican president’s crackdown on immigration.

An earlier effort by Trump was rejected by the Supreme Court ​in June, prompting him to call upon Congress to act.

No U.S. ​law outright bars birth tourism, but a federal regulation implemented in 2020 during ‌Trump’s ⁠first term prohibits using temporary tourist and business visas for the primary purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship for a newborn. People who engage in birth tourism schemes could be prosecuted for fraud or other related ​crimes.

There are no ​official figures ⁠tallying the number of foreigners who come to the U.S. for the explicit purpose of giving birth ​and obtaining citizenship for their children, or the cost ​to taxpayers.

The ⁠Center for Immigration Studies, which supports lower levels of immigration, estimated in an analysis in 2020 that between 20,000-25,000 mothers came to the ⁠U.S. for ​birth tourism in a year-long period between ​2016-2017.

There were 3.6 million births in the U.S. in 2025.

Reporting by Kristina Cooke, Ryan ​Patrick Jones and Ismail Shakil; editing by Michelle Nichols and David Ljunggren

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

‘Fake’ moderate Talarico’s Texas surge tests Paxton in fight to hold crucial GOP Senate seat

Paxton accused Talarico of masking a ‘socialist’ agenda while running as a moderate in the 2026 election

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Published August 6, 2026 1:25pm EDT

Ken Paxton addresses James Talarico’s lead in critical Texas Senate race

Republican Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses his Democratic opponent’s current lead in the race and his plan to get his message to voters.

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EXCLUSIVE: As Democrats salivate over an elusive statewide victory in Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton says he is undeterred by recent polling showing his Democratic opponent James Talarico holding a slim lead.

Democrats believe this is their moment to finally flip Texas blue after decades of frustrated efforts. Such an upset would be devastating for the GOP’s chances of retaining a Senate majority. Speaking with Fox News Digital after a rally in Houston, Paxton said Talarico’s current lead is “not surprising” given “we were three months behind” after his primary runoff with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

“He had three months to fundraise. So, he’s been spending $2 million a week to gain that advance,” Paxton said. Despite this, Paxton, who currently serves as Texas’ attorney general, said that, come Election Day, he is confident Texans will reject the “real James Talarico” when they hear about his record. Talarico, a state Democratic lawmaker, has a history of controversial statements, including previously asserting that “God is nonbinary,” that there are six sexes, and calling it “existential” to reduce meat consumption to fight climate change.

“I do not believe a poll that tells me that, ‘We don’t care what he believes. We don’t care that he voted for a state income tax. We don’t care that he wanted to trans children. We don’t care that he’s against the oil and gas industry. We don’t care that he voted against every border security bill,’” Paxton continued. “I don’t believe a poll that says Texans don’t care about those issues. I’ve done enough polling; I’ve been in this long enough that that’s just not true.”

JAMES TALARICO ADMITS PAST COMMENTS ‘MISSED THE MARK’ WHEN CONFRONTED ON CLAIMS LIKE GOD IS ‘NON-BINARY’

Left: Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico speaks during a press conference on July 22, 2026, in Austin, Texas. Right: Attorney General Ken Paxton at a campaign event on Aug. 4, 2026, in Allen, Texas.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

This comes as both candidates continue to crisscross the Lone Star State to get their message out to voters.

A recent Fox News poll of Texas voters showed Talarico with a within-margin-of-error lead in the race, 51% to 48%. Talarico held a slightly wider lead among extremely motivated and extremely interested voters, 53% to 47%, according to the poll. Critically, the Fox News poll found that 59% of Texas voters indicated they are concerned about Paxton’s character while just 47% indicated they are concerned about Talarico being “too extreme” for Texas.

Paxton accused Talarico of “trying to mislead people about who he is” by masking a far-left “socialist” agenda while running as a moderate. He said Talarico has “changed all his positions on pick an issue, whether it’s boys in girls’ sports, or meat, or trans-ing kids.”

“All of his positions suddenly changed for the general election [but] we have his votes, and we have his words, and those will be out,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Talarico campaign for comment and did not receive a response before publication.

JOE ROGAN WARNS LIBERALS AGAINST TRYING TO TURN TEXAS BLUE, SAYS IT WOULD WRECK THE STATE’S ‘DELICATE BALANCE’

Talarico held a general election kick-off event in Houston the day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the GOP’s Senate nomination.(Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)

While he acknowledged that many Texas voters have not heard his messaging on Talarico’s controversial views, he pointed out during his rally that Talarico has been aided by an influx of cash from out of state, particularly California.

Fox News Digital reported in June that donors from outside Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds Talarico received during the final stretch of the first quarter of 2026. During the same time period, Paxton, meanwhile, received about 25% of his cash from outside the state.

Still, the fundraising difference is stark. The Texas Tribune reported in late July that the latest quarterly Federal Election Commission filings show Talarico outraised Paxton by a more than three-to-one margin, $31.6 million to $9.3 million.

Paxton, however, appeared unbothered by all of this, pointing to how Talarico has had the advantage of several months to focus his attacks. While polling suggests the Texas GOP remains divided after the particularly messy Senate primary, Paxton said, “Primaries are like that for Democrats and Republicans” and “we are coming together.”

TALARICO TOUTS TEXAS ROOTS AS OUT-OF-STATE CASH POWERS SENATE CAMPAIGN

Attorney General Ken Paxton during the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, June 12, 2026.(Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

As he travels the state, he said he will continue highlighting the “stark difference” between him and Talarico. Meanwhile, the attorney general said he will be keeping his pitch focused on affordability and cutting regulations.

“We know that Texans need help; we know that Americans need help. That’s why I’m suggesting, and what I’m proposing is a first-time homebuyers’ $50,000 tax deduction, I’m proposing a $25,000 a year deduction for medical expenses including insurance premiums for everyone in the family. The child tax credit being doubled, the Trump accounts being continued. And then a $5,000 healthy living deduction so that you can pay for gym expenses and nutrition programs, sports activities, and even doctor-prescribed GLP-1,” he said.

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“We’re still three months out,” Paxton continued. “And I know that when we put our resources together, when we get there, we will be able to highlight things and once the voters know the real James Talarico, not the fake one that’s running right now… people will get to decide for themselves.”

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“Do we want a socialist Democrat in Texas?” he asked. “I think the answer is going to be absolutely not.”

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Trump grows angry over reports on depleted munitions — believing it weakens him in Iran negotiations

2026-08-06T17:32:12.288Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/06/politics/trump-munitions-cabinet-meeting

President Donald Trump has privately complained in recent days that disclosures on the dwindling US munitions stockpile make the United States look weak at a critical juncture, senior US officials said, as he repeatedly threatens additional military action to try and motivate Iran to agree to a deal.

The topic was front and center during last week’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, when a frustrated Trump raised media coverage of the low munitions stocks, according to six sources familiar with the meeting. Many of those people said Trump has been well aware of any potential problems regarding munitions for months and was not blindsided by the reports.

But he was angry that the information had been exposed at an inflection point in the conflict and that it continues to be an increasingly public issue at a time when he wants to project a position of strength, they said.

“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote on Truth Social just after midnight on Thursday. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”

Still, Trump appeared to acknowledge that at least some of the information circulating about the stockpiles was accurate. He said his administration would seek “long term jail sentences” for those found to have made the information public.

So far, his ire has not been directed specifically at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House officials insist. In another Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said he was “extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing.”

“He has never blamed Pete. This is all about the leakers,” one official said.

Trump has tasked the Justice Department with finding what he calls “treasonous” individuals within the administration who are disclosing the information, according to officials.

His anger came to a head over the last several weeks, after a number of news stories described the US military being low on munitions.

CNN reported this week the military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory compared to pre-war numbers and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war, according to two sources familiar with the latest inventory report.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the United States had around 2,200 Patriots (of the platform’s two most-modernized variants) and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started.

The numbers worry not only American officials, but also leaders in the Gulf, who have raised fresh concerns about how a shortage of air defense systems could impact their ability to ward off potential Iranian retaliation if Trump decides to escalate the ongoing conflict.

Several of those countries rely on US air defense systems. Gulf leaders have acknowledged the stockpile shortage could hinder their own ability to intercept incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks, multiple officials said.

Iran has conveyed to Gulf nations that renewed American attacks would result in retaliation on energy sites or desalination facilities across the region, according to a regional official familiar with the conversations. Trump has spoken to the leaders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia over the past week about the war.

As Trump grows angry at the narrative emerging on the stockpiles, officials in the White House have speculated the leaks come from anti-war officials within the administration who are determined to push Trump to extricate the United States from the conflict, the senior White House official said.

The stockpile issue was raised again prior to the president’s decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, CNN has previously reported. It marked at least the second time in recent weeks that Trump’s senior military advisers have specifically voiced concerns about the dwindling number of key US munitions during discussions about potentially escalating the conflict with Iran.

Questions about the munitions stockpiles date back to the early days of the conflict. In meetings then, Trump raised the issue with Hegseth after news outlets reported on the concerns. At that time, Hegseth assured the president that the Pentagon was working to address the issue.

And before the war began, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and other military leaders warned Trump that a protracted military campaign could impact US weapons stockpiles — particularly those that support Israel and Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN.

Since then, Trump has blamed the previous administration for allowing the stockpiles to be depleted, including through weapons shipments to Ukraine.

“We have a lot. I’d like to have more, to be honest, but so much was given to Ukraine by Biden,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on July 27.

The Pentagon has long had concerns about the defense industry’s ability to produce weapons quickly enough. Those concerns were only exacerbated by the US war with Iran, after conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine both saw the US contribute weapons to Israel and Kyiv.

In July, Trump met with the CEOs of top defense contractors at the White House as his administration presses the firms to ramp up production of critical weapons. The participants included Lockheed Martin, which produces both the THAAD and Patriot interceptors. A similar meeting took place in March, at the onset of the war.

Also last month, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to force defense companies to manufacture more weapons. In a document, he wrote that he finds “that conditions exist which may pose a direct threat to the national defense or its preparedness programs.”

But those steps could take years and are not likely to immediately boost production.

Sen. Bernie Moreno tells CNN he sent daughter and granddaughter ‘out of state to a secure place’ amid Max Miller allegations

Aug 6, 2026, 12:46 PM ET / CNN

By Jake Tapper

US Sen. Bernie Moreno on August 6, in Washington, DC.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Moreno told CNN that he sent his daughter, Emily Moreno, his granddaughter and his wife “out of state to a secure place” as GOP Rep. Max Miller, Emily’s ex-husband, faces heightened scrutiny over abuse allegations, which he denies.

“I sent my daughter, granddaughter, and wife out of state to a secure place until such time as they feel safe,” Moreno told CNN on Thursday.

Miller told CNN this wasn’t true and showed CNN emails showing his ex- wife communicating flight information to him and allowing a video visit with their daughter.

A spokesperson for Miller said, “Congressmen Miller knows exactly where his daughter is. Emily asked to take the child to see family in Florida. They were not wisked away to some bunker. This is getting sad.”

CNN has reached out to a representative for Emily Moreno for comment.

Miller denied any wrongdoing in an interview with CNN on Tuesday and vowed to stay in his reelection race.

Sen. Bernie Moreno over the weekend said that Miller, his former-son-in-law, “should not serve” in Congress, calling him “a danger to my daughter.”

In June, CNN obtained police videos in which Emily Moreno emotionally describes abuse allegations against Miller, including an incident in which she says he held a gun to her. Miller, in separate police interviews, denies he ever abused her, calls his ex-wife “manipulative” and alleges she struggles with mental illness.