House Democrats’ No. 3 leader is under fire for his opposition to voter ID in his home state of California.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., spoke at a press conference earlier this month criticizing a measure on Californians’ ballot this Election Day that, if passed, would mandate that voters show government-issued photo ID at the polls.

He made the comments just weeks before the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a crime bust that saw several U.S. permanent residents accused of registering to vote despite not being citizens.

MAP IT: DOJ ILLEGAL VOTING CRACKDOWN SWEEPS 17 STATES AS RAZOR-THIN ELECTIONS FACE SCRUTINY

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., hammered Aguilar’s opposition to voter ID and argued the DOJ’s recent actions made it «obvious» that the ballot measure, called Proposition 39, was needed.

«Give me a break,» Calvert told Digital. «You have to show an ID to board an airplane, cash a paycheck, rent an apartment, or even buy cold medicine at the grocery store. Democrats claiming that requiring photo ID before casting a ballot is somehow ‘racist’ or ‘voter suppression’ is complete nonsense and an insult to every voter’s intelligence.»

NEW YORK CITY’S LONE REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS ACCUSES MAMDANI, SCHUMER OF ‘HYPOCRISY’ IN VOTER ID FIGHT

Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., said voter ID «is basic election security that the vast majority of Americans support, and 36 states already require.»

«While opponents are resorting to lies and fearmongering, Proposition 39 is commonsense reform in a world where you need an ID to rent a car, stay at a hotel, open a bank account, or board a flight,» Fong told Digital. «The DOJ’s recent voter fraud bust in California is exactly why these safeguards matter.»

Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., similarly said showing photo ID is a «simple standard we already require to board a plane, purchase alcohol, or pick up a prescription.»

«This isn’t controversial and it shouldn’t be complicated. Our elections deserve at least as much consideration as a beer or a bottle of wine,» Kim told Digital.

Aguilar, meanwhile, criticized Proposition 39 during a press conference with Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Biden administration Cabinet Secretary Xavier Becerra earlier this month.

«We will not stand for this, because we will not stand for people to lose an opportunity to exercise their ability to vote. In Arizona, they tried this. They wanted folks to put their driver’s license numbers on their ballots. Think about that. What if you miss one digit? Your vote doesn’t count?» Aguilar proposed. «What if you’re married in California? What if you’re married, and you haven’t changed your name and you go to vote? No longer will you be able to vote. That is what is at stake for Californians.»

SCHUMER SAID ‘DEMOCRATS SUPPORT VOTER ID’ — THEN EVERY SENATE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST GOP BILL

He called it a «voter suppression effort» pushed by Republicans.

«Republicans can win only when they suppress the vote. Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans know that they are bankrupt of ideas and solutions, and so they have to change the rules of the game,» Aguilar said.

NEWSOM SPARS WITH TRUMP-APPOINTED PROSECUTOR OVER 20,000 SUSPECTED NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS

Meanwhile, the California government criticized the DOJ’s operation while pointing to reports that said more of those charged were registered as Republicans rather than Democrats.

«For nearly a decade, Trump has baselessly alleged mass voter fraud rings were employed by Democrats and utilized ‘illegal immigrants’ to sway elections across the country — often pointing to California,» a release on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state website read. «Courts at all levels have rejected the claims of vast voter fraud or that elections were rigged against the President.»

Voter ID laws currently exist in 36 states and polls have shown they have a majority of Americans’ support.

But in Congress, several efforts to pass federal voter ID legislation have been thwarted by Democrats in recent years.

Digital reached out to Aguilar’s campaign for a response to his GOP House colleagues’ comments.

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Looting victim issues stark warning to Macron

Michèle Teboul tells Fox News Digital France faces a critical test after last week’s violent protests. She says some store owners have bought weapons ahead of upcoming protests.

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FIRST ON FOX: A French business owner who had five of her family’s stores wrecked by looters last week said this coming Saturday’s protest could be a watershed moment for France.

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Her message to President Emmanuel Macron: «Next Saturday is your last chance to save France,» Michèle Teboul, the business owner, said in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

Addressing both Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Macron, she said, «If they don’t do what’s necessary to do next Saturday, I think it’s lost for France.»

Teboul lost more than merchandise when looters ransacked 15 of her family’s stores, leaving five completely destroyed. She also lost faith in her government’s ability to protect them.

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REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: FRANCE BRACES FOR MORE UNREST AFTER PARTS OF PARIS SPUN OUT OF CONTROL

Broken window panels lean against the facade of La Barrique bar and restaurant as debris covers the surrounding pavement following protests in Paris, France, on October 17, 2026. (Clement Souchet/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Teboul accused authorities of failing to provide enough police to protect businesses, leaving families like hers facing destroyed stores and a costly recovery. She demanded that they protect the population before another Saturday.

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Her family’s retail operations include stores in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier. Her sons work within the same company and operate their own brand, she said.

For her family, protections put in place before the violence proved insufficient. Attackers used axes to break through boarding, she said, leaving her sons facing a difficult recovery.

«We can say that five of the most important stores have been looted,» she said, describing those locations as «completely destroyed.»

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President of France Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks during a press conference at a European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 16, 2026.  (Reuters/Yves Herman)

Now, her family needs to pay for additional protection while trying to meet insurers’ security requirements.

Teboul said it would take at least two months to repair and secure the stores to the required standards. She described those requirements as a condition for obtaining insurance coverage, adding another obstacle to reopening and recovering the business.

«I think the winter season is dead,» she said.

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VIOLENCE ERUPTS AT FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST IS BEING EXPLOITED

Pedestrians walk along a street covered in debris a day after nationwide protests against the «high cost of living», in Marseille on October 18, 2026. (Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images)

Companies with established operations and financial reserves may be able to absorb the disruption, she said. Younger businesses face a more difficult path.

«The government said they would help us,» Teboul said. «We’re going to see.»

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Her sons have hired security guards with dogs. She also said she had heard of other shopkeepers obtaining weapons or tear gas, emphasizing that her sons had not purchased weapons.

«Some have bought weapons,» she said. «You know, we are not used to weapons in France.»

The concern extends beyond damaged merchandise and storefronts. Teboul, who is Jewish, said that many Jews are considering leaving France and warned that further disorder could deepen that uncertainty if things don’t get better.

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SOME SYNAGOGUES CANCELED PRAYERS AS FRENCH JEWS FACED WARNINGS AMID VIOLENT PROTESTS

A shop belonging to Michèle Tebou in Marseille, France was ransacked by looters on Oct. 17, 2026. (Michèle Tebou)

«It’s going to be very hard to imagine a future in France for us, especially for Jews,» she said of her hope that the coming Saturday would be different.

Teboul said Jewish schools, synagogues and community businesses have dedicated security arrangements. Teboul is a former director of CRIF is the umbrella organization representing French Jewish institutions.

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She stressed, however, that the weekend’s violence was a national problem affecting people beyond the Jewish community.

«The specific problem of last Saturday is not a problem of Jews,» she said. «The whole of France is concerned by this problem.»

Teboul said looters sought street-wear and expensive merchandise. She accused police of failing to protect businesses during Saturday’s unrest, saying officers were overwhelmed as large crowds descended on city centers, particularly in Marseille and Lyon.

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She cited an estimate she had heard being talked of as being around 30,000 young people arriving in central Marseille, a figure Fox News Digital could not independently verify.

MACRON JETS OUT OF RIOT-TORN FRANCE FOR GULF TRIP AS POLITICAL PRESSURE MOUNTS

Michèle Tebou’s store in Montpellier, France was ransacked by looters on Oct. 17, 2026. (Michèle Tebou)

«They were not enough,» she said of the police.

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The French government has acknowledged failures in its response to the unrest.

She said that authorities had mistaken the threat for an ordinary demonstration. «Of course they could prevent it,» she added.

Teboul distinguished between students protesting over grievances and those who used the demonstrations as cover to steal.

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«There were two events on Saturday,» she said. «The looters, they took the opportunity that there were many people downtown, and then they came.»

People walk by looted shops after a day of violent clashes between police and protesters amid a nationwide mobilisation over rising living costs, fuel prices and education funding in Paris, France, on October 18, 2026. (Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu/Getty Images)

For Teboul, the next test is whether authorities can protect what remains of her family’s livelihood and everyone else in the country and restore their sense of security in France.

«We have to feel secure,» she said. «We don’t feel secure for the moment.»

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Teboul warned that another failure to protect the population could also have consequences for the country’s leadership.

«The government may fall down,» she said.

Fox News Digital’s Sydney Finver contributed to this report. 

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Ariella Noveck is a journalist specializing in antisemitism and Middle East affairs, with extensive experience covering Jewish communities worldwide. She can be followed on X and Instagram @AriellaNoveck

france, world protests, anti semitism, europe

The Republican and Democratic candidates vying to replace Minnesota’ s outgoing governor Tim Walz sparred in their final debate Wednesday over the massive fraud scandal that has unfolded in the state, health care and rising gas prices.

«A vote for Amy Klobuchar is a vote for a Tim Walz third term,» Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in her opening statement after painting Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar as the «status quo» candidate in a «state in crisis» over the $ 9 billion fraud scandal.

Klobuchar pushed back in her opening statement, saying, «I don’t like the status quo. I hate the status quo.»

WALZ’S ‘EXIT INTERVIEW’ REFLECTING ON HIS TENURE SPARKS LAWMAKER DEBATE ABOUT HIS LEGACY: ‘NEVER SERIOUS’

The first question of the debate focused on fraud, a recurring topic throughout the night, and what each candidate would do to combat it.

«Fraud unchecked here in the state of Minnesota has gone far too long, and it has finally come to the surface,» Demuth said. «The thing that I will do on day one is I am going to be firing all commissioners, choosing new commissioners that are expert in their field, that will carry out the accountability and transparency that is needed in our state. We have to change the culture of fraud.»

Klobuchar attempted to distance herself from Walz when addressing the issue.

«The fraud is simply unacceptable and as a former prosecutor, I’m going to send those fraudsters to jail,» Klobuchar said. «Tim Walz should have caught the fraud earlier and he should have done more. He said it himself. And by the way, when my opponent references Tim Walz, I will say one thing. He is not seeking a third term. I am the one up here.»

Fraud came up again later in the debate, with Demuth criticizing Klobuchar’s close relationship with Walz.

«You have not heard my opponent differ from one policy bill that Tim Walz, who she calls an incredible governor, has allowed to go forward,» Demuth said. «I would love to hear one bill, one area, child care, fraudulent funding. I would love to hear that. If she is separating herself specifically from Tim Walz, Tim Walz allowed the child care fraud and other fraud here in the state of Minnesota to explode to $9 billion, never firing any of his commissioners or agency employees. But yet you have someone standing here tonight that is supporting everything from the incredible governor, as she has said he is.»

Klobuchar responded, «Rewind the tape on this debate please; you will see exactly how I said I differed from Tim Walz.»

In another tense moment, the candidates turned to rising gas prices, with Klobuchar attempting to link Demuth to the policies of the Trump administration.

«I can tell you the fastest way to bring down your gas prices, and that is to stop this War in Iran,» Klobuchar said. «That is it, beginning, middle and end. And when you look at what my opponent brings up, when we had a debate earlier this week, she actually brought up and blamed it on the Keystone pipeline. Then she blamed the health care costs on Barack Obama. I don’t know what will be next. Maybe Thomas Jefferson, but what I know is that Minnesotans understand what’s happened at the pump.»

EXPLOSIVE SLEEPER ISSUE COULD FUEL MIDTERM SHAKEUPS, TOP REPUBLICAN PREDICTS: ‘YOU’RE GONNA SEE SURPRISES’

Demuth blamed high costs in Minnesota on the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party’s (DFL) control of state government.

«We can talk about that Keystone pipeline that my opponent has voted against. That would have brought in 830,000 barrels of oil. It would have helped with the supply that we have here, yet she voted against it,» Demuth said. «But you have to ask yourself, why are things so expensive here in Minnesota? They are expensive because of overspending by a one party control in 2023 and 2024, I will bring down prices. I will right-size our state budget and make sure that you can afford your lives, that you can grow, thrive, and businesses will be coming to Minnesota to provide the jobs that are needed. It’s common sense, and that’s the decision that you have to make as you’re looking to this election this year.»

As Minnesotans continue to grapple with rising health care costs, the two candidates sparred over ObamaCare, which Klobuchar voted for in the U.S. Senate.

«It’s important to realize that we’re looking at all of the inputs and all of the reasons why our health care is more expensive,» Demuth said. «Senator Klobuchar supported the Affordable Care Act. She promised that it would bring down our health care. Unfortunately, we have seen anything but all of our health care since the Affordable Care Act has increased the health care cost to all Minnesotans.»

Klobuchar didn’t address ObamaCare in her response, instead pointing to Demuth’s position on abortion and accusing the Republican of being beholden to Big Pharma.

«You’ve heard from my opponent that, I don’t support certain things in health care, she’s talking about issues that are already settled,» Demuth said. «I think it’s quite rich to hear the fact that she is the one that broke the health care system as the deciding vote on the Affordable Care Act.»

During the health care discussion, Klobuchar argued that Demuth has not done enough to lower insulin prices and cited the support she has received from the family of Alex Smith, a 26-year-old Minnesotan who died while struggling to afford his insulin treatments.

«Just to clarify a very incorrect or untruthful lie that you just heard was the fact that I did vote yes for the Alex Smith insulin bill,» Demuth responded. «Back in April of 2020. The governor signed it into law the very next day.»

Klobuchar, who was first elected to the Senate in 2006, won all four of her Senate elections by healthy margins, including her 2024 reelection by nearly 16 points. Before serving in the Senate, Klobuchar was elected twice as county attorney in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s most populous. She also ran unsuccessfully for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Demuth, who was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2018, has served as GOP leader in the chamber since the start of 2023 and as speaker for the past year and a half.

midterm elections, politics, tim walz, minnesota fraud exposed, minnesota, elections