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Democrats build midterm momentum, but Republicans still in driver’s seat in Senate majority battle
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A leading nonpartisan political handicapper predicts that the Democrats’ path to winning back the Senate majority in this year’s midterm elections is getting wider thanks to a rough political climate for the GOP, but that capturing control of the chamber remains a «tall order.»
The Cook Political Report on Monday shifted the ratings in four key Senate races in favor of the Democrats, but added that Republicans «remain the narrowing favorites to retain the upper chamber.»
Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47 but are battling stiff political headwinds, as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms. The GOP faces a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns amid persistent inflation, as well as rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s underwater approval ratings.
«Right now, we see the likeliest outcome is a one to three seat Democratic pickup — still just out of reach of the four seats the party needs to reclaim the majority,» Cook Report Senate and Governors Editor Jessica Taylor said in a release.
SNUBBED BY TRUMP, THESE GOP CANDIDATES ACT LIKE THEY HAVE HIS ENDORSEMENT ANYWAY
An exterior view of the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 12, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The Cook Report shifted the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis in battleground North Carolina from toss-up to lean Democrat. Former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is facing off against former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley in what will likely be one of the most expensive and competitive Senate showdowns in the nation this autumn.
In battleground Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is running for a second six-year term, the Cook Report also moved the race from toss-up to lean Democrat. Republicans view Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election this year, but he has built a massive war chest while the GOP faces a three-way primary battle for its nomination.
STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING
In red-leaning Ohio, where appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted will face off in November against former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Cook Report shifted their ranking from lean Republican to toss up, noting that «even recent GOP polling» has indicated the race is all knotted up.
The Cook Report also shifted Nebraska, a red state where GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts will face a general election challenge from independent candidate Dan Osborn, from solid Republican to likely Republican.
President Donald Trump is facing low polling numbers in the wake of the Iran conflict and rising gas prices. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
«We concede that these ratings changes are coming as Trump is at a new polling low and still navigating a yet-to-be-resolved war in Iran. So it’s possible things could rebound for his party or that they could find a rallying cry to get his base out in November — a summer Supreme Court retirement certainly wouldn’t hurt,» Taylor noted.
And she pointed out that «Democrats are still contending with messy primary fights in Maine, Michian, Minnesota and Iowa, where Republicans are rooting for flawed or bruised nominees to emerge. And Republicans will have a significant institutional financial advantage.»
FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair, Sen. Tim Scott, acknowledged in a Fox News Digital interview last month that «there’s no doubt the climate has gotten more and more difficult by the day, it seems like at times.»
But Scott added that he remains «incredibly optimistic» the GOP can not only hold but expand its current majority.
The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), in an email to supporters titled «Democratic Odds of Taking the Senate Increase as Four Ratings Shift in Their Favor,» spotlighted the Cook Report’s ratings shift.
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Earlier this year, DSCC chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand told Fox News Digital she was «very optimistic that with the quality of candidates that we have, with the recruiting failures and the poor candidates the Republicans have, and this very harmful climate that President Trump is creating, we have all the makings of a blue wave.»
democrats elections, midterm elections, republicans elections, senate elections, democrats senate, donald trump
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Three suspected narco-terrorists killed in US military strike on drug-trafficking vessel in Eastern Pacific
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U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing three suspected narco-terrorists.
The strike, which was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear at the direction of Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, targeted a vessel that was operating along known narco-trafficking corridors and engaged in narco-trafficking activity.
No U.S. service members were injured in the operation, according to SOUTHCOM.
«Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,» the command wrote on X. «Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.»
US MILITARY KILLS 3 IN LATEST STRIKE ON A SUSPECTED DRUG VESSEL IN THE PACIFIC
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out a lethal strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing three suspected narco-terrorists. (@Southcom via X)
SOUTHCOM did not immediately release further information about those killed.
The U.S. military has carried out numerous strikes in recent months on suspected drug-smuggling vessels as part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartel-linked trafficking operations.
The announcement comes a day after SOUTHCOM said it conducted a similar strike in the Caribbean on Monday, killing two suspected drug traffickers.
US KILLS 2 MORE SUSPECTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS IN BOAT STRIKE
The strike, which was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear at the direction of Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, targeted a vessel that was operating along known narco-trafficking corridors and engaged in narco-trafficking activity. (@Southcom via X)
Earlier, on April 24, SOUTHCOM carried out a lethal strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two suspected narco-terrorists.
That strike followed less than a week after SOUTHCOM said it conducted an operation in the Caribbean, killing three suspected narco-terrorists.
US MILITARY LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER AUTONOMOUS WARFARE COMMAND TO DEPLOY UNMANNED SYSTEMS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA
No U.S. service members were injured in the operation, according to SOUTHCOM. (@Southcom via X)
SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including counter-narcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.
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The Eastern Pacific remains a key corridor for narcotics trafficking, with cartels often using small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs toward the U.S. and Central America.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz, Michael Sinkewicz, Alex Nitzberg and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
us navy, pacific, narco terror, drugs, counter terrorism
INTERNACIONAL
Una funcionaria del Partido Popular de España reivindicó al conquistador Hernán Cortés y Claudia Sheinbaum respondió con dureza
La presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, arremetió este martes, sin nombrarla, contra la presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, por su reivindicación de la conquista española y la figura de Hernán Cortés en un acto este lunes en Ciudad de México.
«A quienes reviven la conquista como salvación les decimos: están destinados a la derrota. A quienes creen que el pueblo es tonto, están destinados a la derrota. Quienes buscan reivindicar a Hernán Cortés y sus atrocidades están destinados a la derrota», señaló la mandataria durante su discurso en la conmemoración de la Batalla del 5 de mayo en el central estado de Puebla.
Las declaraciones se producen un día después de que Díaz Ayuso participara en un acto en la capital mexicana en el que se rindió homenaje a figuras como Cortés y la reina Isabel la Católica, defendiendo la conquista y el «mestizaje» como elementos positivos de la historia compartida entre España y México.
La presidenta mexicana, sin embargo, no aludió directamente a la funcionaria española, del conservador Partido Popular (PP).
El posicionamiento de la presidenta se da en medio de una renovada polémica sobre la memoria de la conquista, reavivada tras el evento encabezado por Díaz Ayuso en el Frontón México, organizado junto al productor Nacho Cano, tras la cancelación de un acto previsto en la Catedral Metropolitana.
En ese encuentro, la dirigente madrileña defendió que la conquista forma parte de un legado común y cuestionó las narrativas que, a su juicio, fomentan el «odio».
La visita de Díaz Ayuso también generó protestas de grupos indígenas, que denunciaron la exaltación del conquistador y exigieron una disculpa por los abusos cometidos durante la colonización.
Además, en un discurso de duro tono crítico, Díaz Ayuso advirtió este martes a estudiantes y líderes empresariales en Ciudad de México de que «las cadenas del socialismo» están provocando la muerte de la democracia en México y en España.
«Así es como mueren las democracias, así es como está pasando en México, así es como está pasando en España, exactamente de la misma manera», dijo Ayusola dirigente regional en una conferencia en la Universidad de la Libertad, fundada por el magnate mexicano Ricardo Salinas Pliego.
En su intervención, Ayuso señaló al partido oficialista mexicano Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena) como responsable de esta decadencia al contar su primera visita al país latinoamericano, donde presenció las primeras campañas políticas de Morena, partido fundado por el ex presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024).
La primera vez que vine a México, hace muchos años, fue la primera campaña en las que se presentaba Morena y nosotros ya habíamos pasado por la misma experiencia populista en España, argumentó.
Desde ese entonces, destacó, es como ha funcionando y así es como se vio venía esa decadencia y esa democracia popular, que si es democracia sin ley, en lo que se convierte es en una cueva de ladrones.
La presidenta madrileña criticó cómo este tipo de gobiernos atacan a la separación de poderes y carcomen las instituciones sustituyendo a la oposición y a los verdaderos profesionales con activistas sin criterio y sin conocimiento.
Es gente que vive de lo público para que lo público no funcione, sentenció, al advertir de que un sistema totalitario dictatorial no entra de un día para el otro, es mucho más disimulado y cuando uno se quiere dar cuenta es demasiado tarde.
También resaltó que México sigue siendo un país con más de 130.000 desaparecidos y donde millones de personas carecen de acceso a servicios de salud y en el además solo 34% de los estudiantes alcanza un nivel básico de competencia en educación.
Pese al panorama, Ayuso aseguró que es posible salir del socialismo y de sus cadenas.
En su tercera jornada en la capital mexicana, Díaz Ayuso no hizo mención directa a la presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, quien junto a su predecesor, López Obrador, exigieron una disculpa de la Corona española por los supuestos agravios de la conquista de América.
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Minnesota lawmakers fail at trying to get Omar to testify about alleged fraud, GOP leader talks next steps
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., refused to respond to a request from a Minnesota committee seeking more information on her ties to the massive fraud scandal in the state, prompting a failed subpoena vote on Tuesday, but the committee’s chair says more options exist.
The subpoena, which required a two-thirds committee vote in favor to pass, only got five out of the six votes needed despite the committee’s Republican majority.
«We have reached out to Representative Ilhan Omar on multiple occasions, inviting her to testify and inviting and requesting documents,» State Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, said ahead of the vote. «We have endeavored in multiple ways to get access to [information] because, as everyone knows, Representative Omar had had some role, whether inadvertent or not. She passed the MEALS Act in March of 2020, and that took the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program, which created the conditions for [fraud].»
WATCH: ILHAN OMAR ROASTED FOR BRUTAL RESURFACED VIDEO ABOUT ‘WORLD WAR ELEVEN’
A week after FBI agents raided the offices of Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future after accusations the group’s partners defrauded the federal government of millions of dollars, evidence of the raid is seen in the offices Thursday, January 27, 2022 in St. Anthony, Minn. Agents also raided the home of Feeding Our Future executive director Aimee Bock. (Photo by Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
«I do think the subpoena is important. This is one of dozens, if not hundreds of things we are investigating. We have had hundreds of whistleblower reports. They continue to come in weekly,» Robbins added, noting she will continue to try to reach out to Omar’s office to get cooperation. «Even though the committee will no longer have official hearings we will continue to investigate these whistleblower reports and webs of fraud.»
Fox News Digital touched base with Robbins on Tuesday about possible next steps.
«They’re fading,» Robbins said about the committee’s options after a failed subpoena vote. «But I’ll certainly talk to our friends in Congress to see if they would be willing to issue a subpoena. I don’t know if they are, but they would have the same authority and it’s still relevant to them because it’s a federal program that’s been swindled. So I don’t know if they would be willing to do it, but it’s worth asking.»
Robbins added that the federal government has a «whole menu of legal options» given that Omar is a member of Congress.
«They have so many investigations going on, I don’t know where this falls on the priority list,» Robbins said.
OMAR ACCUSED BY GOP OPPONENT OF OPENING UP THE DOOR TO MASSIVE MINNEAPOLIS FRAUD: ‘DEEP, DEEP TIES’
Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins (L) delivers an opening statement as she testifies alongside Minnesota State Rep. Walter Hudson during a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee about the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze $10 billion in child care funds for families with low incomes in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York at the U.S. Capitol on January 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Last month, Robbins says the congresswoman «ghosted» the committee by failing to appear to testify at a hearing focused on the MEALS Act, a federal COVID-19 relief measure passed in 2020 and sponsored by Omar.
«Minnesotans and the Members of the House Fraud Prevention & State Oversight Committee were disappointed that you failed to appear before our committee to answer questions,» Robbins wrote before asking Omar to turn over communications showing how she promoted expanded access to federal child nutrition programs, including emails, texts and meeting records with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
The request also zeroed in on Omar’s public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that later became linked to the program. Robbins cited a Somali-language TV appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and asked for all communications related to the video and the restaurant’s participation.
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Robbins is seeking records of any contact between Omar and a long list of individuals charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators.
The deadline for Omar to respond to the committee’s questions was Tuesday, May 5.
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks at Karmel Mall in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 28, 2026. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for comment.
«It’s the same story every time,» Robbins posted on X after the vote. «Fraud is committed, information is suppressed, and the dysfunction continues.»
republicans, ilhan omar, minnesota, minnesota fraud exposed, investigations
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