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Republican unveils Declaration of Independence bill ahead of America’s 250th birthday
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A newly elected Republican lawmaker is putting America’s founding principles back before Congress ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday, arguing the country must recommit to them as socialist ideas gain traction on the left.
Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., unveiled legislation reaffirming the Declaration of Independence — a move he said follows a congressional tradition of marking major national anniversaries with the founding document.
«Congress did this in America 100 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary,» Van Epps told Fox News Digital in an interview. «We felt like this was the right time to do it so that generations forward understand that we love our country at America 250.»
The Tennessee Republican, who was elected in a December 2025 special election, said he filed the bill in response to socialism’s rise in the Democratic Party, with the far-left attempting a major power grab ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
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Van Epps specifically referenced a slate of socialist candidates poised to serve in Congress after winning primaries in deep-blue districts anchored in New York City.
Democratic congressional nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old activist who won an upset victory against an establishment Democrat, has argued that the deportation of any illegal migrant is wrong, voiced support for the prison abolition movement and questioned Israel’s right to exist. She also co-founded a pro-Palestinian organization at Columbia University that called for «the total eradication of Western civilization.»
«These folks that are supported and endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America are antithetical to the founding,» Van Epps told Fox News Digital. «We’ve got to fight against that.»
«Socialism, Marxist, leftist ideas have failed every time they’ve been tried in the history of the world,» he continued, adding that those ideas are «not America at its core.»
«What the founders set out to do 250 years ago … We’ve got to continue so that the next generations know about that freedom and liberty and pursuing that greatness.»
It is unclear when the House will consider the resolution, as lawmakers left Washington early for the July 4 recess after a group of conservative Republicans effectively froze the floor in protest over the SAVE America Act and border security priorities.
Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., unveiled legislation reaffirming the Declaration of Independence. (iStock)
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Earlier this month, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., also put the Declaration of Independence on the floor in the Senate, where it easily passed in the upper chamber.
Both Schmitt and Van Epps agreed to put forward companion legislation after playing in the annual Congressional baseball game ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
For Schmitt, it was to reinvigorate Americans’ pride in their country, which over the years, he contended, has steadily declined.
«A generation ago, American pride was nearly universal,» Schmitt said on the Senate floor at the time. «After 9/11, more than 90% of Americans said they were proud to be an American. Today, Gallup puts that number at 58%.»
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., talks to reporters as he leaves a Republican Caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on November 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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He described the idea behind the document as an inheritance passed down through the generations to remind Americans why the founding fathers opted to wrench control of the colonies’ future from England, and carve their own path as a new nation.
«That inheritance now rests in our hands, and too many powerful voices in this country teach the next generation to receive it with suspicion instead of gratitude,» Schmitt said. «We are done being ashamed of America. We love our country. We honor the men who built it. We give thanks for the inheritance they placed in our hand, and we intend to keep it.»
politics, republicans elections, american stories, democratic party, congress
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Could this African nation become Trump’s next terror target as jihadists close in on power?
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JOHANNESBURG: The U.S. is reportedly considering airstrikes against al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Mali, according to regional analysts and recent media reports.
The military junta that has been running this West African country in the Sahel region since coups in both 2020 and 2021 turned away from France and the U.S. to get military protection from Russia and its Africa Corps mercenaries against jihadist groups.
But now the largest of these groups, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which has Mali’s capital under siege, is credited, along with another group, for killing 50 Malian soldiers this month, for the death of the country’s defense minister earlier this year and has reportedly sent battalions of Russian soldiers retreating on at least two occasions this year.
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Malian troops parade during the country’s 65th anniversary of the African nation’s independence. (Habib Kouyate/Xinhua via Getty Images)
JNIM is said to want to change the country into an Islamist Jihadist state. If they succeed, Mali would be the first country in the world to be run by a jihadist group. The organization was designated officially as a Foreign Terrorist Organization during the first Trump administration in 2018.
Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist groups are also operating freely in Mali, and are linked to terror groups in neighboring Nigeria.
A State Department official didn’t respond to a Washington Post report that the U.S. is considering strikes against JNIM in Mali, but used strong language Thursday when talking to Fox News Digital, leading analysts to suggest the time for talking may be over.
«The United States unequivocally condemns the terrorist activity in Mali,» the official said, adding, «in the Sahel, the United States is committed to promoting regional ownership and cooperation against terrorist threats, and monitoring indicators and warnings of threats to our homeland.»
This undated photograph handed out by French military shows three Russian mercenaries, right, in northern Mali. Russia has engaged in under-the-radar military operations in at least half a dozen countries in Africa in the last five years using a shadowy mercenary force analysts say is loyal to President Vladimir Putin. The analysts say the Wagner Group of mercenaries is also key to Putin’s ambitions to re-impose Russian influence on a global scale. (French Army via AP)
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British and United Nations diplomat, said the U.S. could order military action, to primarily try and stop jihadists becoming entrenched in Mali. Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, «Mali is mainly important to the U.S. because, as a failed state becoming a safe haven for al Qaeda and ISIS, it looks like the first of several African dominoes likely to fall.»
Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman, who until last year, served as the Department of War’s West Africa Coordination Element lead, said that with strike action the administration may be able to persuade Mali’s rulers to turn away from Russia, and towards the U.S. for protection – and purchases of military equipment.
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A column of black smoke rises above buildings as traffic passes the Africa Tower monument in Bamako on April 26, 2026. April 25, 2026’s shock attacks, synchronized by Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) coalition and the jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), targeted several areas in the vast arid country. Fighting resumed on April 26 in several areas, including Kita near Bamako, Kidal, Gao and Severe.Tuareg rebels meanwhile announced an agreement allowing Russian forces backing Mali’s army to withdraw from the northern city of Kidal, which they claimed was «totally» under their control. (AFP via Getty Images)
Ekman told Fox News Digital, «JNIM has a stranglehold on the government and much of the population. The Russians are woefully ineffective and extractive. Cooperation with U.S. forces offers a disproportionate and positive impact.»
Ekman said that U.S. forces have supported partner-led operations against JNIM before, as recently as 2022, adding «recent proposals amount to returning to similar cooperation against a mutual threat.»
The administration may also be in a minerals frame of mind. Mali is one of Africa’s largest gold-producing nations. It also has substantial deposits of lithium, used extensively in rechargeable batteries.
Fitton-Brown said that «President Trump may be less reluctant than his predecessor to work with the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, if they are losing faith in their Russian friends.»
Vehicle turned up following brutal ambush on Russian Wagner fighters in Mali on July 27, 2024. (East2West)
He continued, «The U.S. is certainly a more capable partner. France has already been displaced so all three countries might accept U.S. help if it comes only with strings attached that don’t offend or disadvantage them. Whether even the U.S. is capable of stopping the political decline of these countries, and the rise of militant Islam, is another matter. That cannot be achieved by military force alone.»
The FDD’s Fitton-Brown said U.S. assets such as aircraft may not be directly involved if there is a strike, «The U.S. might work with French and other intelligence services to develop local intelligence for strikes on JNIM leadership, but this is unlikely to achieve much. The organization is resilient and will be able to replace those killed.»
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A former senior Department of War official told Fox News Digital the U.S. has at its disposal cruise missiles and long-range bombers. Attack drones would probably not come into play, and the U.S. Naval Institute’s Fleet Tracker shows no American aircraft carriers anywhere near African waters, effectively ruling out carrier operations.
However, Ekman believes airstrikes are under consideration, noting «JNIM and ISIS are a threat to U.S. interests, and are ascendant in West Africa.»
africa, counter terrorism, mali, terrorism, national security, al qaeda
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Mamdani warning to wealthy New Yorkers about ‘fair share’ sparks online firestorm: ‘Full blown communist’
Mamdani’s NYC wealth tax plan ignites fiery debate
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s «pied-a-terre» wealth tax on luxury properties ignites a contentious debate, drawing strong criticism from Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.
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New York City socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing heat on social media after his post celebrating the state’s new pied-à-terre tax on New Yorkers with a second home.
«If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you’ve got mail,» Mamdani posted on X, touting the tax on specific second properties introduced by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul that he supported going into effect soon.
«Today, we sent notification letters to property owners, letting them know that our new pied-à-terre tax is coming soon,» Mamdani continued. «The best city in the world deserves the best parks, libraries, and schools in the world. That’s only possible when we all pay our fair share. «
As of Friday morning, Mamdani’s post had been viewed over 10 million times and conservatives on social media blasted the mayor and warned that the exodus of wealthy New Yorkers will only continue under this new plan.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s video admitting that he lacks the legal authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did little to ease Jewish leaders’ concerns. (NYC Mayor’s Office via YouTube/Handout via Reuters)
«Never elect a politician who: (1) sees your money as his slush fund, (2) loves Karl Marx, or(3) uses French words like ‘pied-à-terre’ to disguise new, confiscatory taxes he wants to impose to redistribute wealth,» Republican Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted on X.
«Socialism – Florida’s best real estate agent,» Republican Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) posted on X.
«NYC’s pied-à-terre tax hasn’t even started and brokers already say owners are calling to sell,» GOP strategist and attorney Mehek Cooke posted on X. «Empty units don’t tip [doormen] or pay supers. You’re not taxing the rich. You’re firing the working class that depended on them. «
«More incitement,» Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton posted on X. «Communist @NYCMayor celebrates a confiscatory tax targeted at a select few. «
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks about the excitement of seeing the Buffalo Bills in Western New York for the next 30 years during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on June 23, 2026. (Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
«What will the excuse be when literally nothing improves after all these tax increases?» New York City Republican Councilwoman Vickie Paladino posted on X. «Will they just demand even more, or will they tell us to ignore our own eyes as they insist they’ve actually fixed everything? Both? «
«The condescension towards the people who already pay a ton of property taxes to NYC,» Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter Chuck Ross posted on X. » He thinks you’re an immoral person and worthy of mockery if you have a second home. ‘when you’re back in the five boroughs.’»
«That’s only possible when we all pay our fair share,’ says the man who’s literally lived off of taxpayer dollars for years, produces nothing, and is concentrating the burdens on others—others who’ve contributed exponentially more to the city in both taxes and charitable contributions than he could possibly hope to contribute in 10 lifetimes, I might add,» Manhattan Institute fellow Rafael Mangual posted on X.
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a rally in New York alongside 1199SEIU members and immigration advocates after the Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration can revoke protections for Haitians and Syrians. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
«You can practically feel the glee emanating from this tweet so it’s hilarious that people will still refuse to admit he’s a full-blown communist,» civil rights attorney David Pivtorak posted on X.
Mamdani’s support of the pied-à-terre tax on second homes worth more than $5 million has been a viral controversy for months and started when
In April, New York City Mayor Mamdani and Hochul unveiled the joint legislative proposal targeting luxury second homes worth $5 million or more. Known as a pied-à-terre tax, the annual surcharge is expected to generate an estimated $500 million from affluent out-of-state property owners.
Mamdani has previously said revenue from the tax would go toward initiatives such as free childcare, cleaner streets and safer neighborhoods.
Critics, including billionaire Ken Griffin whose luxury New York City home was featured in Mamdani’s controversial video announcing the tax, argue the tax will only drive more wealthy New Yorkers out of the state and bring jobs and investments with them.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.
Fox Business’s Kristen Altus contributed to this report
zohran mamdani, politics, kathy hochul, taxes, property, new york city
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