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Could this top Trump ally break Republican’s 2-decade losing streak in this key state?
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EXCLUSIVE: STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, headlining a local GOP fundraising dinner in this MAGA stronghold in Democrat-dominated New York City, sent a hint of her potential political intentions.
«Are we ready to fire Kathy Hochul next year?» said the six-term congresswoman from a largely rural, red-leaning district in Upstate New York, drawing loud cheers at the Staten Island GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner.
Hochul, blue-state New York’s Democrat governor, is running for re-election next year for a second four-year term.
And Stefanik, who is a member of the House GOP’s leadership, is the most high-profile Republican to seriously consider taking on Hochul in the 2026 elections.
NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL FACING PRIMARY CHALLENGE FROM HER OWN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York headlines a Staten Island GOP fundraising dinner in New York City on June 2, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Pointing to next year’s battle, Stefanik said the eventual GOP nominee taking on Hochul «needs to be the toughest fighter, who has taken on the media, who has taken on the radical left, who has taken on the naysayers, and who is a proven winner.»
It sounded like Stefanik, who early in her congressional tenure was seen as an establishment Republican but who has become a top ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA champion, was talking about herself.
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Stefanik, in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her appearance at the Staten Island GOP event, said she’s «proud to be» one of Trump’s top supporters in the House.
«I stepped up to deliver President Trump’s agenda that is unleashing American energy [independence], securing the border, cutting taxes for New Yorkers, specifically the state and local tax deduction,» she touted.
«I am very close to President Trump. I chaired his campaign in New York. I was the first Republican member to endorse him.»
Stefanik highlighted that she and the president «talk about a lot of different things. He’s paying close attention to New York. He knows that New York state needs new leadership, strong Republican leadership.»
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a top ally of President Donald Trump, is seen joining the then-former president on the 2024 campaign trail in New Hampshire. (Getty Images)
And Stefanik said she «would be honored to have his support» if she pulls the trigger and launches a 2026 Republican gubernatorial campaign in the Empire State.
It’s been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki’s second re-election victory in 2002.
But Hochul will likely face a very competitive re-election.
MORE POLLING PROBLEMS FOR THIS BLUE-STATE DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR FACING RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR
Hochul was the state’s lieutenant governor when, in August 2021, she was sworn in as New York’s first female governor after three-term Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals.
She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term. But Zeldin’s showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee since Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002.
Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is seeking re-election next year. (REUTERS/David Dee Delgado)
Meanwhile, Trump, who lost New York by 23 points in the 2020 presidential election, trimmed his deficit by 10 points last November.
While Hochul’s approval ratings in a recent Siena College poll were holding slightly in positive territory, the survey indicated a majority of New Yorkers would still prefer someone else to win the 2026 election for governor of the Empire State.
According to the poll, which was conducted May 12-15, 36% of registered voters in New York state said they would vote to re-elect Hochul to a second four-year term, with a majority (55%) saying they wanted someone else.
Stefanik, in her Fox News Digital interview, reiterated her argument that Hochul is «the worst governor in America.»
GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York speaks with an attendee at a Staten Island GOP fundraising dinner on June 2, 2025, in New York City. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
And she highlighted that «we need a candidate who will speak and reach out to New Yorkers of all political stripes. I’ve done that in my congressional district. When I first ran for Congress, I was the underdog. No one in my family is political. I grew up in a small-business family. I flipped a district from Democrat to Republican, and we’ve won it by double digits ever since.»
If she decides to launch a gubernatorial campaign, Stefanik may not have the GOP primary to herself.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who’s in his second term representing a key swing congressional district that covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs, is mulling a 2026 GOP run for governor.
«I think Kathy Hochul is the most feckless, incompetent governor in America,» Lawler said in a Fox News Digital interview in April.
Lawler has said that he’ll make a decision on whether to run for governor or for re-election this month.
But Trump last month endorsed Lawler for re-election, a likely sign that the president would rather have the congressman seek re-election as the House GOP fights to protect its razor-thin majority in the chamber rather than seek the governor’s office.
Another Trump supporter, Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, has also mulled a run for governor.
Asked about a potential GOP primary for governor, Stefanik said, «I think Republicans will work it out. We know how important it is to unify again.»
«I work very well with all of my colleagues, including those who are considering, but I think we’ll work it out on the Republican side,» she added.
But the Democratic Governor’s Association (DGA), in a memo, argued, «The Republican nomination in New York will be decided by one person: Donald Trump.»
And the DGA argued that the GOP race «has already grown fractious and messy.»
Stefanik was interviewed about an hour after news broke that Hochul would face a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor.
New York Lt. Gov. Anthonio Delgado on Monday announced his bid to try and oust his boss as the Democrats’ nominee in next year’s election in a rare move by a lieutenant governor to primary challenge a sitting incumbent.
New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado on Monday announced that he would launch a 2026 Democrat primary challenge against Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images)
Delgado, in a video announcing his candidacy, took a jab at his boss, saying, «What we need right here in New York is bold, decisive, transformational leadership.»
Recent polls indicate that Hochul enjoys a wide lead over Delgado and Rep. Richie Torres, who’s also mulling a primary challenge, in the Democrat gubernatorial nomination race.
The DGA praised Hochul in a statement after Delgado’s announcement.
«Governor Kathy Hochul is a proven leader with a strong record of delivering for New Yorkers: The Democratic Governors Association is 100 percent behind Governor Hochul as she continues to deliver for New York, take on Donald Trump, and build the operation it will take to beat Republicans up and down the ballot in 2026,» DGA executive director Meghan Meehan-Draper wrote.
But Stefanik said the news of the primary challenge backed up her arguments.
«I dubbed Kathy Hochul the worst governor in America because it’s true. It’s not just Republicans. It’s independent and Democrat voters as well across this state who understand that she has failed, she has delivered catastrophic failed policies in New York,» Stefanik said.
And Stefanik added that «this is her hand-picked lieutenant governor that she chose that is now primarying Kathy Hochul, and it is because she failed at her job.»
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Asked if the news would push her closer to running for governor, Stefanik said, «I am taking a close look. It’s why I’m crisscrossing the state. I am on Staten Island today … I’ll be in Erie County, Suffolk County, Albany County, New York City. I’ve been all over the place and that will continue.»
«I will be making my decision over the coming months,» she added.
INTERNACIONAL
¿Fin al Barrio Rojo en Ámsterdam? Quieren moverlo fuera de la ciudad y hay quejas de las trabajadoras sexuales
El Barrio Rojo de Ámsterdam ya no es el mismo de antes. Esta zona superpoblada de turistas de la capital neerlandesa se enciende en las noches con luces rojas para iluminar sus tradicionales vitrinas, donde jóvenes mujeres, en su mayoría de Europa del este, se exhiben con muy poca ropa para captar clientes en busca de sexo.
Pero estos espacios iluminados de rojo, decorados con una simple silla de madera en la que espera la anfitriona de turno con poses sensuales, están en retroceso. Unas 150 vitrinas cerraron en Ámsterdam en la última década.
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No es un fenómeno aislado. Sucede en las principales ciudades de los Países Bajos. “En Utrecht ya no existen más». Todos los locales fueron clausurados por sospecha de trata. “En Alkmaar y Groningen cerró la mitad”, contó a TN el periodista neerlandés Jelle Baars, que trabaja en el diario local Trouw y en la radio y televisión pública.
Este modelo de prostitución sobrevive en apenas 10 ciudades. “En 2010 había 1500 vitrinas en todo el país. Ahora son 1000. Una de cada tres cerró”, dijo. ¿La causa? Sospechas de criminalidad, denuncias vecinales y proyectos urbanísticos.
“Había mucho dinero del crimen organizado en el negocio de la prostitución. Mucha trata y mucha droga. Las autoridades quieren controlar el comercio del sexo en el país y para ello quieren crear una especie de Ciudad Erótica en las afueras de la capital», afirmó Baars.
Pero el proyecto es muy resistido por la Unión Light Red, el sindicato que agrupa a unas 110 trabajadoras sexuales.
Qué va a pasar con el Barrio Rojo de Ámsterdam
Ámsterdam es mundialmente famosa por ser la capital del sexo y la marihuana.
La prostitución es legal en los Países Bajos. Ámsterdam es conocida por permitir el consumo de marihuana, aunque desde el 2023 está prohibido hacerlo en lugares públicos bajo pena de una multa de 100 euros. Solo se puede fumar cannabis en las terrazas de sus famosos coffeeshops. Los tradicionales canales bordean el Barrio Rojo de Amsterdam (Foto: AP)
La movida del sexo y la droga se concentra en el Barrio Rojo, construido en el siglo XIV. Pero esta zona tradicional de la capital alberga también importantes sitios de interés turístico y cultural, como la Casa de Rembrandt, el Museo y la Mazmorra de Ámsterdam y las figuras de cera de Madame Tussauds. Pero allí también están el Museo Erótico y el de la Marihuana.
Es una zona muy tradicional de calles adoquinadas, bordeadas de canales y árboles y con edificios de ángulos inusuales. Pero tiene una contra cada vez más visible: hay una verdadera invasión de turistas, en especial el conocido como “turismo de borrachera” concentrado en grupos de jóvenes que vienen de fiesta desde otros países europeos.
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“El Barrio Rojo no es el mismo de antes. La famosa zona con muchas vitrinas y mucha droga en la calle ya no existe más. Cada vez hay más tiendas para turistas, restaurantes o coffeshops. Es una especie de centro comercial abierto. Pero todavía es un barrio complicado. Hay muchísimos turistas, en su mayoría borrachos”, contó Baars, quien vivió algunos años en la Argentina.
Por eso, las autoridades quieren trasladar el negocio de la prostitución a las afueras de la ciudad. Allí quieren crear una Ciudad Erótica alejada del centro.
Las prostitutas de Ámsterdam están en guerra contra el traslado del Barrio Rojo
Baars dijo que las autoridades quieren controlar el comercio del sexo y combatir el crimen organizado y la trata de personas. Pero no solo eso. Les preocupa la elevada concentración de turistas.
“Yo, personalmente, prefiero las vitrinas por su visibilidad y el carácter de la ciudad. Con su desaparición habrá más negocios turísticos y eso está destruyendo Ámsterdam”, señaló. Además, expertos temen que el traslado genere clandestinidad en un negocio legalizado.
La “Zona Roja” de Amsterdam está en retirada (Foto: AP)
La alcaldesa, Femke Halsema, propuso trasladar unas 100 vitrinas del centro histórico a las afueras de la capital. La decisión final fue postergada a 2026.
Pero su plan de crear una Ciudad Erótica chocó con el rechazo vehemente del Red Light United, el sindicato que agrupa a 110 trabajadores del sexo del Barrio Rojo de Ámsterdam.
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“Un Centro Erótico es mucho menos seguro para nosotras debido a la menor visibilidad que tienen, ya que sería un edificio cerrado, mientras que actualmente las trabajadoras sexuales son claramente visibles desde sus ventanas. Esta menor visibilidad provocará más abusos como la trata de personas, pero también delitos relacionados con drogas en el barrio y robos callejeros”, afirmó el gremio en un comunicado reciente.
Además, alertó: “No trasladen los problemas, resuelvan los problemas aquí en el Barrio Rojo. Refuercen la vigilancia en el barrio y asegúrense de que estén presentes después del horario de cierre, como antes, para combatir las molestias en el barrio. Asegúrese de que haya suficiente presencia policial y, por fin, tome medidas enérgicas contra los narcotraficantes que aterrorizan nuestro barrio”.
TN intentó contactar a su presidenta, que se hace llamar Felicia Anna, a través de un canal oficial, pero desde el sindicato alertaron que reciben muchos pedidos de entrevistas y que no pueden dar respuestas a todos.
El gremio fue fundado en 2019. Si bien la creencia popular sostiene que hay muchas latinas en la zona roja, “más del 90%” de las trabajadoras sexuales afiliadas son de Europa del este. Las rumanas son el grupo más numeroso: representan el 60%.
amsterdam
INTERNACIONAL
Democrats are hammering Republicans on Epstein, but one senator brushed off the issue years ago
Democrat senator brushed off Epstein files in 2020
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who has been critical of the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files, previously said in 2020 that the matter was not «front of mind.» (Credit: Firing Line)
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., believes it’s «weird» that the Trump administration has not released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, but at one point, it was the last thing on her mind.
Democrats have searched for an opening to sharpen their messaging against Republicans, and have pounced on the administration and their colleagues across the aisle to release the documents. But Republicans have questioned why their counterparts didn’t have the same energy when former President Joe Biden was in office.
In a recent interview on PBS’ «Firing Line,» Slotkin, who has emerged as a leading voice in the Democratic Party, said that while she did not know what was in the documents, it was odd that President Donald Trump and his administration had not released them.
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin rehearses the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, in Wyandotte, Michigan. (Paul Sancya – Pool/Getty Images)
«The president and his allies have created so much anticipation about these files at this point, it’s just weird that they’re not releasing them, right? The president fomented this,» she said.
But nearly five years ago, ahead of Biden’s eventual victory and a Democratic trifecta in Washington, the issue of Epstein was not a priority for the lawmaker, who at the time was in her first term in the House.
In a video from 2020 obtained by Fox News Digital, Slotkin said that diving into the connections between former President Bill Clinton and Epstein were not «front of mind.»
The sentiment came in response to a question about why there had been little mention of allegations that Clinton was in the trove of documents related to Epstein. She argued that there were more pressing issues at the time, like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the economic fallout spurred by it.
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Trump’s relationship with Epstein has come under more scrutiny as his DOJ under Attorney General Pam Bondi recently alleged that there is no Epstein «client list.» (Getty Images)
«In the face of those problems, I will be honest, I don’t spend a ton of time looking into connections between Bill Clinton and other people, because that doesn’t help my constituents every single day, right? And my job is to focus on those issues,» she said.
«I have no special knowledge of those issues, but my job is to focus on the things that affect people’s pocketbooks and their kids, and if I’m not making positive progress towards that, I’m not doing my job,» she continued. «And so, I can’t answer your question, because that’s not where I live and where I focus.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Slotkin for comment for this report but did not hear back.
‘NOT GOING AWAY’: INSIDE THE EPSTEIN DRAMA THAT’S THROWN HOUSE GOP INTO CHAOS
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Congressional Democrats, and some Republicans, have pushed for more transparency from the Trump administration on the release of a trove of documents, known as the so-called Epstein files, in a saga that has engulfed Capitol Hill for much of July.
The furor in Congress stemmed from a Justice Department memo released earlier this month that declared the Epstein case closed, and has not lost steam in the time since.
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Epstein intrigue paralyzed the House, causing House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to send lawmakers home early as a bipartisan swell grew to uncover the documents.
The Senate has been less chaotic. Still, Senate Democrats have ramped up their messaging against the administration, while many Senate Republicans would prefer to focus their attention elsewhere.
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Wildfires that have harassed Turkey for weeks are now threatening the country’s fourth-largest city on Sunday, forcing 1,700 evacuations and leaving another firefighter dead.
Fires surround the city of Bursa in Turkey’s northwest, with the government saying it has evacuated 1,765 people and deployed roughly 1,900 firefighters to combat the blaze. The conflagration has so far scorched over 7,000 acres and claimed the life of at least one firefighter, who had a heart attack on the scene.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said fire crews across the country confronted 84 separate blazes Saturday. The country’s northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday, he said.
The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday.
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A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Associated Press)
Fourteen people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkey.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects.
LOS ANGELES POLICE HOPE TO REUNITE FIREARM OWNERS WITH GUNS AFTER DEVASTATING PALISADES FIRE
Relatives and friends mourn during the funeral of five rescue volunteers killed while battling a wildfire in northwestern Eskisehir province, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Associated Press)
The blazes have threatened to cross borders into Turkey’s neighboring countries of Greece and Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s National Fire Service chief Alexander Djartov said they have enlisted the help of European Union partners to combat the fires. He said aircraft were expected from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary and Sweden later Sunday.
Turkish soldiers carry the coffins of five rescue volunteers killed while battling a wildfire in northwestern Eskisehir province, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Associated Press)
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Turkey says it has used the military to reinforce beleaguered firefighters in many areas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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