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How Democratic leadership sank $40 million meant to defend key seats on a gamble that backfired
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Democrats, already lagging behind Republicans in midterm campaign fundraising, relied heavily on a House Democratic-aligned dark-money group in an attempt to redraw Virginia’s congressional map in their favor, campaign finance records show.
Before voters cast their ballots in Virginia’s April redistricting referendum, the 10 wealthiest Republican-aligned political committees had close to twice as much cash on hand as their Democratic counterparts, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Despite this, Democratic-aligned groups poured more than $64 million into their attempt to net four congressional seats by redrawing Virginia’s congressional map, a bet that ultimately failed to pay off after the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the redistricting process due to a procedural constitutional violation.
«House Democratic candidates are pulling in massive fundraising hauls, outraising their GOP opponents last quarter, and the DCCC just had its best quarter of fundraising for the cycle,» Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
DARK MONEY FLOODS VIRGINIA AHEAD OF REDISTRICTING VOTE THAT COULD HAND DEMOCRATS HOUSE EDGE
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 20, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
«While Republicans brag about their billionaire backers, Democrats are focused on building support amongst the people – and by every measure, we are poised to take back the majority and make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the People’s House,» Shelton added.
Of the total Democratic spending on the Virginia redistricting election, roughly $40 million in contributions came from House Majority Forward, a Democratic-aligned 501(c)(4) nonprofit affiliated with House Majority PAC, the super PAC backing House Democrats.
Some Democratic strategists have argued the political environment remains favorable, but party insiders have warned that the GOP’s cash advantage could blunt those gains.
«I don’t think it has broken through, the level of money that Donald Trump and Republicans are sitting on as it compares to Democrats,» Mike Smith, who leads House Majority Forward and the affiliated House Majority PAC, told NOTUS in April. «I don’t think there’s a comprehensive understanding of both the level of disparity and what that could mean in terms of us being able to win the House.»
Smith did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
At the end of March, the 10 biggest Republican political committees had nearly $1 billion in cash on hand, compared to the approximately $550 million held by their 10 richest Democratic counterparts, per FEC data. The wealthiest GOP committees included President Donald Trump’s MAGA Inc. and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Democrats, meanwhile, were led by the Soros family’s Democracy PACs and the Senate Majority PAC.
«So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries lit well north of $55 million on fire chasing illegal redistricting fantasies, only to fall flat on his face in spectacular fashion,» National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. «National Democrats are already drowning in a massive cash deficit against Republicans while the NRCC and our battle-tested candidates continue shattering fundraising records and building momentum for 2026.»
The «well north of $55 million» Marinella referred to included the $17 million House Majority PAC spent on the successful redistricting effort in California.
Aside from the financial role the Democrat-aligned committee played in Virginia’s redistricting effort, the House minority leader was a leading surrogate for the campaign. He delivered speeches in favor of redistricting, characterizing the effort as a response to GOP map changes and raising the stakes by declaring Virginia the «crown jewel» of a national battle over congressional maps.
REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISING OUTPACES DEMOCRATS BY NEARLY DOUBLE, JUNE NUMBERS SHOW
George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, walks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2020. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Jeffries is proving he’s no Nancy Pelosi, and Democrats are getting an expensive lesson in the difference between media hype and actual leadership,» Marinella continued.
Pelosi was one of her party’s most prolific fundraisers, raising over $1 billion for the party between her appointment as House Minority Whip in 2002 and her resignation from Democratic leadership in 2022, according to CBS News. Sources have told the New York Post that Pelosi retains considerable influence over the operations of House Democrats, which has allegedly irritated Jeffries.
«Speaker Emerita Pelosi is exceptionally proud of Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his masterful strategy to fight fire with fire on the path to retaking the House in November,» a spokesman for the former speaker told Fox News Digital.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’, D-N.Y, office did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
House Majority Forward has historically been one of the primary sources of funds for the House Majority PAC, a major Democratic committee affiliated with Democrat leaders, that itself is one of the top sources of cash for congressional Democrats, according to FEC filings. House Majority Forward and House Majority PAC are sister organizations.
«HMF’s support matched the $40 million Republicans invested in the recent redistricting election, and once again their pro-war, costs-raising, toxic agenda was soundly rejected by Virginians,» House Majority Forward communications director CJ Warnke told Fox News Digital. «No amount of GOP money will prevent Leader Hakeem Jeffries from becoming the next Speaker of the House.»
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, center, addresses reporters while flanked by Democrats. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
LEFT-WING BILLIONAIRES BANKROLL DEM SUPER PAC PLOTTING TO WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS: ‘THIS IS A PRIORITY’
House Majority Forward is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that is not required to publicly disclose its donors. Its contributions allow money from undisclosed donors to move into the political process through publicly reported donations to House Majority PAC.
While Republicans are financially dominant across major committees, Democrats have built considerable leads at the campaign level in some key congressional races.
Democratic candidates have raised more than their GOP opponents in closely watched Senate races in Georgia, Alaska, Ohio, Michigan and Maine, according to campaign finance data analyzed by NPR. Thirteen Republicans running in hotly contested House races have been out raised by Democratic challengers, compared to just four Democrats defending competitive seats who were out raised, Roll Call reported.
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Republican members of Congress in toss-up seats, however, raised more on average than Democrats defending similarly competitive seats during the first three months of 2026, according to campaign finance records.
«Republicans are being rewarded with endless big, dark, special interest money from the billionaires they gave a tax break after cutting trillions from Americans’ health care in their Big, Ugly Bill,» the Pelosi spokesman continued. «Democrats may not have unlimited resources from billionaires, but we will have enough grassroots support to organize and win a resounding victory to elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House.»
midterm elections, republicans elections, democrats, fund raising, house of representatives
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Hamas, Hezbollah flags fly at anti-Israel protest minutes after Mamdani condemns terror plot against Jews
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Several masked demonstrators carried Hamas flags at an anti-Israel protest in Manhattan on Friday, while a Hezbollah flag waved above the crowd, hours after federal authorities charged an alleged Kataib Hezbollah operative of plotting attacks on Jewish community centers and a Manhattan synagogue.
The protest drew about 500 demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags to Washington Square Park, where chants of «globalize the intifada» rang out as one speaker declared Israel has no right to exist and said Palestinians would take over Israel «by any means necessary.»
Just as the protest was kicking off at around 4:30 p.m., New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the alleged terror plot by Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander in the Kataeb Hezbollah terrorist operation in Iraq.
«Let me be clear: antisemitism, violent extremism, and terrorism have no place in our city. This kind of hate is despicable,» Mamdani said.
ISRAEL, JEWS TARGETED WORLDWIDE AS WELL-FUNDED LEFTIST, ISLAMIST GROUPS JOIN FOR ‘NAKBA 78’ PROTESTS
Demonstrators display imagery associated with Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, during a «Nakba 78» protest march in Manhattan, New York City, on May 15, 2026. (Michael Dorgan/Fox News Digital)
Two minutes later, a starkly different scene unfolded in Lower Manhattan off W. 4th Street. The activists descended on the busy Washington Square Park with Palestinian flags, pre-printed signs and banners, transforming a corner of the park into a rally staging ground to protest the existence of the state of Israel and demand its dismantling and replacement with a state called Palestine.
Among them, a young anti-Israel demonstrator arrived, draped in the flag of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades — Hamas’s military wing — wearing it like a cape. The flag depicted a masked armed fighter beside the Dome of the Rock beneath green script in Arabic, declaring the shahada, or Muslim proclamation of faith. He also carried a flag featuring an image of Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, who became one of the terror group’s most recognizable figures after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Israeli forces killed him in 2025.
Others followed wearing the green headbands of Hamas and carrying similar flags. Nearby, a protester carried Hezbollah’s bright yellow flag, featuring the organization’s recognizable green insignia of a stylized assault rifle incorporated into Arabic calligraphy.
The demonstration was organized by anti-Israel groups including the Muslim American Society — a powerful nonprofit whose leaders supported Mamdani’s election — and Within Our Lifetime, another local group. Protesters arrived carrying pre-made banners over their shoulders, stacks of professionally printed signs and a North Face bag filled with protest gear.
These same groups led protests at a Jewish synagogue and community center in New York City this past week, resulting in viral clashes with Jewish community members.
Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., next to an NYPD precinct, Muslim American Society of New York is a 501(c)(3) sister nonprofit of Muslim American Society. It had $782,644 in revenue in 2024, according to its last tax filing. Within Our Lifetime isn’t a nonprofit but accepts donations.
FIRST ON FOX: NEW STUDY REVEALS ‘PRO-PALESTINIAN’ GROUPS PROMOTE VIOLENCE AND ANTI-AMERICANISM
A demonstrator holds a Hezbollah flag during an anti-Israel protest in New York City on May 15, 2026. (Umar Abbassi/Fox News Digital)
ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS CLASH WITH NYPD OFFICERS NEAR SYNAGOGUE
By about 5:06 p.m., Within Our Lifetime’s polarizing co-founder, Nerdeen Kiswani, emerged from the crowd at the Washington Square Arch and led chants of «Globalize the intifada! From New York to Gaza! Globalize the intifada!»
«We do not mince words here,» Kiswani told the crowd. «Yes, that also means necessarily that the state of Israel and Zionism must be abolished. I do not and will never recognize Israel’s so-called right to exist. It has no right to exist.»
Minutes later, at about 5:14 p.m., Abdullah Akl, a leader at the Muslim American Society Youth Center in Brooklyn, stood in front of a large black banner that read «GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA» in white and gold letters.
«From the river to the sea,» Akl shouted, invoking a slogan widely interpreted as calling for the elimination of Israel between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. «Palestine will be free.»
As demonstrators readied to march north through Manhattan, several participants openly waved Hamas flags above the crowd. When asked about the displays, Kiswani told Fox News Digital: «We only bring Palestinian flags.»
But the Hamas flags remained visible throughout the march, including directly behind Kiswani and Akl as demonstrators moved uptown in a tightly coordinated procession. Kiswani told Fox News Digital, «We only bring Palestinian flags.»
The Manhattan protest was one of about 736 «Nakba Day» events that 425 organizations with about $1 billion in collective revenue held across 39 cities in recent days, according to a Fox News Digital investigation. «Nakba,» the Arabic word for «catastrophe,» refers to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
Chants throughout the evening rejected the idea of a two-state solution.
Within Our Lifetime co-founder Nerdeen Kiswani speaks during a «Nakba 78» anti-Israel protest in Washington Square Park on May 15, 2026, in New York City, as demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags and Hamas flags gather behind her. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
«We don’t want your two states,» demonstrators shouted, following Kiswani’s cue, as organizers moved the march route through Manhattan, past Sephora, the makeup store, on E. 14th Street.
Protesters beat drums decorated with stickers reading, «By Any Means Necessary,» while marchers carried a banner declaring, «From Gaza to Jenin. Revolution Until Victory.»
In the crowd, activists from Islamist and communist groups marched together, including Al-Awda, which advocates for the so-called «right of return» of diaspora Palestinians to Israel, the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a self-declared Marxist group, and the Workers World Party, which describes itself as a «revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party inside the belly of the imperialist beast.»
A group of Orthodox Jewish demonstrators also marched beside pro-Palestinian activists carrying signs reading «Judaism condemns the state of Israel» and «Torah demands all Palestine.» Rabbi David Feldman told Fox News Digital he believed «the state of Israel may not exist at all» under Jewish law and said Palestinians should regain «every inch» of land taken from them.
About Hamas, he said, «They don’t target against Jewish people, so I don’t think that they are a terrorist group. They’re just fighting for the land, what people stole from them, that’s all. So that’s what I believe, so I don’t say anything in politics, that is all.»
But the Hamas supporters went undisturbed as they flew a flag of the terrorist group over Kiswani and Akl, clapping, just before they set out to lead the group through Manhattan in a carefully choreographed street theater that stretched into the night. This past week, another flag raised another controversy: a purple flag with the swastika symbol of Nazis, the five-point star that is a symbol of Judaism and the «NYU» acronym for New York University. The university apologized for its use.
A demonstrator carries imagery depicting Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, during a «Nakba 78» anti-Israel protest march in Manhattan on May 15, 2026, in New York City. (Umar Abbassi/Fox News Digital)
As the demonstration snaked over Sixth Avenue, one protester, Anas Shuayb, 27, defended the Hamas imagery as «free speech» and described Hamas as a «form of resistance» to Israeli military activity in Gaza and the West Bank.
Shuayb said he voted for Trump and attended the protest partly because he opposes the U.S. war in Iran.
«I’m Palestinian and a Palestinian who voted for Trump,» Shuaib, who attended Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in 2024, told Fox News Digital.
Shuaib said he was disappointed Trump had «fallen in the trap of Netanyahu» after campaigning against new foreign wars. «America should fight no war for Israel,» he added. «America first, not Israel first.»
The demonstration resembled a carefully staged political production more than a spontaneous protest. Organizers distributed professionally printed signs reading, «We Will Return,» a slogan referencing Palestinian demands for a mass movement to modern-day Israel.
Outside Grand Central Station on 42nd Street, Kiswani grabbed the mic and led the group in a proclamation of aggression. On Park Avenue, protesters defiantly unfurled a massive Palestinian flag stretching across much of the streets while crowds beneath it repeatedly chanted, «Globalize the intifada,»
«Palestine has the right to exist and to resist and to reclaim land and freedom by any means necessary,» Kiswani told the crowd.
As the crowd marched uptown to Time Square, Hamas and Hezbollah imagery remained visible without any effort by organizers to remove or discourage the displays.
Activists appeared highly conscious of their visual presentation. Some demonstrators marched in designer sunglasses, luxury handbags and carefully styled outfits while protest marshals coordinated crowd movement and legal observers from the ACLU monitored the route.
Akl, the leader at the Muslim American Society, wore a parody designer-style shirt reading, «The Anti-Zionist Social Club,» mimicking the aesthetic of luxury streetwear brands popular among younger activists.
Members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization distributed flyers reading, «Victory to the Palestinian Resistance!» On the reverse side were advertisements for LGBTQ organizing meetings featuring imagery from the «Gay Liberation Front.»
The route itself appeared strategically staged for maximum visibility and dramatic effect.
Demonstrators gathered beneath the overpass outside Grand Central Terminal, where chants of «Free Palestine» and «Globalize the Intifada» echoed through the station, in one of the loudest moments of the evening. Protesters appeared at moments to push toward the terminal entrance, though they ultimately didn’t enter the station.
Later, on Park Avenue, marchers briefly surrounded vehicles in traffic while chanting «Shut it down,» creating the appearance of a street takeover as NYPD officers quietly redirected cars around the demonstration.
At several points, protesters shouted at bystanders and critics to «get off the street» while police officers continued escorting the march route through Manhattan.
Professionally printed banners reading «Revolution Until Victory» and «Resisting the Nakba Since 1948» stretched across the front lines of the march as drummers, megaphones and coordinated flag displays transformed intersections into temporary stages for chants and political theater.
Many of the demonstrators wore masks or face coverings and keffiyehs, while some acted as informal security detail, repeatedly stepping between cameras and protest leaders, blowing whistles and thrusting Palestinian flags into camera lenses to disrupt filming by journalists and bystanders.
WE CAN’T IGNORE THE DANGER FROM THOSE WHO WANT TO ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA.’ WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION
Demonstrator carries imagery depicting Abu Obaida, spokesman for Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, during a «Nakba 78» anti-Israel protest in Times Square in New York City on May 15, 2026. (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
By the time the final marchers arrived at Times Square for a carefully choreographed public prayer, photographed extensively by the organizers’ social media team, the evening had showcased what experts describe as a durable and politically normalized protest ecosystem in New York City, blending nonprofit institutions, socialist organizations, anti-Israel activism, legal support networks, social-media aesthetics and militant symbolism into a single coordinated street operation.
The young man with the Hamas cape joined the second row of the congregational prayer at Time Square, the iconography for the terrorist group’s Qassam Brigade prominent as he prostrated in prayer.
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anti semitism, zohran mamdani, terrorism, israel, hamas, fox news investigates
INTERNACIONAL
Madre e hija, científicos y buzos experimentados: quiénes eran las víctimas de la tragedia en Maldivas
Cinco ciudadanos italianos murieron durante una inmersión en las Maldivas, en una de las tragedias de buceo más graves registradas en el archipiélago en los últimos años.
El accidente ocurrió en una cueva submarina cercana a la isla de Alimathà, en el atolón de Vaavu, una zona conocida por atraer a buceadores experimentados debido a sus profundidades y corrientes complejas.
El grupo participaba de una expedición científica y recreativa de una semana organizada desde el crucero especializado Duke of York.
Según las primeras reconstrucciones, los cinco italianos desaparecieron mientras realizaban una inmersión a entre 50 y 60 metros de profundidad.
Las autoridades locales todavía investigan las causas exactas del accidente y manejan distintas hipótesis, entre ellas desorientación dentro de la cueva, fallas en la mezcla de gases o problemas vinculados a la profundidad extrema.
Entre los fallecidos hay reconocidos investigadores de la Universidad de Génova, expertos en biología marina y el director de operaciones del crucero. La noticia conmocionó a la comunidad académica y a los amantes del buceo.
Quiénes eran las víctimas: científicos, instructores y una joven estudiante
Monica Montefalcone: referente en ecología marina
Una de las víctimas es Monica Montefalcone, profesora asociada de Ecología Marina en la Universidad de Génova. Monica Montefalcone era una reconocida científica y buceadora experimentada. (Foto: gentileza The NY Post).
Tenía 51 años y era considerada una referente internacional en estudios sobre arrecifes coralinos, praderas marinas y cambio climático. Había dedicado gran parte de su carrera científica a investigar ecosistemas tropicales en las Maldivas y contaba con más de 240 publicaciones académicas.
Giorgia Sommacal: la hija de Monica, una vida marcada por el mar
Junto a ella murió su hija, Giorgia Sommacal, de 22 años. Estudiaba Ingeniería Biomédica en Génova y compartía con su madre la pasión por el mar y el submarinismo.
Medios italianos señalaron que desde pequeña había acompañado a Montefalcone en viajes y actividades vinculadas a la investigación marina.
Muriel Oddenino: investigadora y buceadora
Otra de las víctimas fue Muriel Oddenino, investigadora especializada en ecología marina y conservación de ecosistemas submarinos.
Muriel Oddenino es otra de las científicas que murieron en Maldivas. (Foto: gentileza Divernet).
Formada entre las universidades de Turín y Génova, trabajaba también en el Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra de la universidad genovesa y participaba regularmente en campañas de investigación científica bajo el agua.
Federico Gualtieri: biólogo marino e instructor de buceo
También murió Federico Gualtieri, de 31 años, graduado en Biología Marina.
Había desarrollado investigaciones sobre biodiversidad en atolones de Maldivas y además era instructor certificado de buceo.
Federico Gualtieri, otra de las víctimas de la tragedia en Maldivas. (Foto: gentileza Divernet).
Según medios italianos, tenía previsto mudarse a Japón en los próximos meses para incorporarse a un proyecto científico internacional.
Gianluca Benedetti: director de operaciones y guía submarino
La quinta víctima es Gianluca Benedetti, director de operaciones del crucero y uno de los instructores encargados de coordinar las inmersiones. Gianluca Benedetti era el capitán del yate. (Foto: gentileza Divernet).
Benedetti llegó por primera vez a las Maldivas en 2017 y quedó tan fascinado por el archipiélago que terminó instalándose allí. Dejó atrás su carrera en el sector financiero para dedicarse profesionalmente al buceo en Maldivas, donde trabajaba como guía submarino y capitán de embarcaciones turísticas. Fue el primer cuerpo identificado tras el accidente.
Una tragedia que golpea a la ciencia y al mundo del buceo
La tragedia generó una fuerte conmoción en Italia, especialmente en el ámbito universitario y científico. La Fiscalía de Roma abrió una investigación paralela mientras continúan las tareas de rescate y recuperación de los cuerpos en condiciones climáticas complejas.
maldivas, buceo
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