Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., got defensive in a new interview as she railed against billionaire donations in politics and was asked about Democrat Troy Jackson revealing multiple billionaire donors, as well as a large possible donation from Michael Bloomberg.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins said during an interview with Warren that Bloomberg had given about $80 million to help Democrats win the midterms after noting that Elon Musk had contributed $276 million to Republicans.

Collins asked Warren, "You're someone who has said billionaire donors should not be in politics. Given what you've said, do you want Michael Bloomberg's help here?"

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"Look, what I want is to get this kind of money out of politics," Warren said. "Right now, the Republicans know that their only chance, as they see it, to be able to hang on to the House and the Senate and some of these governors' mansions is to be able to just drown people in money, to be able to run all the ads on TV, to lie, to cheat, and that there won't be any opportunity for Democrats to be able to respond."

"We need to push back because, this campaign, this 2026 midterm, really is about the money or the people. Because the Democrats have got the people on their side. The Republicans have got the money, and they think if they can spend it, they can maintain control of this country, and I sure hope they're wrong," Warren said, arguing for a "very different" system.

Collins then raised Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson, who said during a debate against his opponent, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, that he had no billionaires funding him. However, a financial report released by the campaign earlier this month found there were at least four billionaire donors funding him, according to Fox23.

"Do you think that he needs to address that contradiction?" Collins asked Warren.

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"So look, really? That's where we're going to make the focus? So, Susan Collins has all this money coming in against her. Elon Musk has come in and put, I don't know, what are the numbers now, how many tens of millions of dollars? And we're going to say, ‘Oops, Troy Jackson may have gotten one of his numbers wrong. He may have gotten contributions from four billionaires,’" she responded.

She said she wanted all the billionaires out.

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"I don't think they ought to be able to control elections," she said. "But understand this: it is the Republicans who are outspending Democrats like crazy. And it's not Republicans who are small-dollar donors. It's billionaires and a trillionaire who think that they can just back up dump truck loads full of money, and they will be able to buy a Senate seat in Maine."

She went on to point a finger at President Donald Trump.

"That's a big part of why so much is broken in this country. It's that billionaires and insiders for Donald Trump are calling all the shots," she said.

Jackson's campaign did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

"Elizabeth Warren and Troy Jackson are both morally bankrupt hypocrites who want power at any cost. Warren overlooked Graham Platner's horrendous history in favor of advancing her socialist agenda, and now she's doing the same with his knock-off replacement," RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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Warren called on Democrats to reject billionaire donations ahead of the 2026 midterms and 2028 elections in January.

Warren was interviewed about her speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., at the time, where she said Democrats had to "credibly demonstrate" they could take on a "rigged system," which might mean upsetting the wealthy. In the address, she contrasted Democrats who will take on the fight head-on and those who "politely nibble around the edges of change."

"So, look, the Democrats need to build a bigger tent in order to win in 2026, 2028 and beyond. So the question is, how do we do that?" Warren told CNN. While she said he has not managed to follow through, she credited Trump for at least discerning that one of everyday Americans' biggest priorities is wanting basic costs lowered.

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Spouses of Trump administration Cabinet members say they lean on one another as they navigate life in Washington, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their friendships on the latest episode of Fox News' "the Girls" podcast.

On Thursday's episode, actress Cheryl Hines, wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, wife of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, discussed how Cabinet spouses lean on one another through occasional lunches, girls' nights out and reunions at crowded White House events.

"We actually get together like once a month or, you know, we have a club that we're part of. It's like an international club and most of us are in it," Campos-Duffy said. "We see each other then, and then sometimes we'll go to lunch or next week I think we're just doing a girls' night out after."

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Hines, known for her role on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," said seeing familiar faces at administration events can be comforting, as Cabinet spouses often gravitate toward one another in a crowd.

"As you guys know, there are so many events going on for the White House, for the Cabinet. So, whenever there's a big sea of people at a party, and I use the term loosely, you know, Rachel and I will gravitate and go, ‘How's it going? How's it going?’ It's nice to have a pal," Hines said.

Campos-Duffy added that while the spouses often see one another at events, they find it difficult to have meaningful conversations in a crowded room, so they make time to get together outside official functions.

"We do find that time, which is actually really great," Campos-Duffy said.

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The conversation also offered a humorous glimpse into life at home with one of the administration's most outspoken advocates for healthy living. Kennedy has championed the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, urging Americans to cut back on ultra-processed foods and raising concerns about seed oils.

"Well, once in a while, he will catch me eating potato chips, and then I won't stop because, you know, it's okay. I'm not shoplifting. But he'll say, ‘Are you [going to] do this in front of me?’ I was like, ‘Yes.’ But yeah, he definitely makes it … He brings it to the forefront, shall we say," Hines said.

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When Fox News host Harris Faulkner asked whether Kennedy ever gives in to his own cravings, Hines said the health secretary has a hard time stopping at just one bite.

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"If you're eating, like, a piece of cake or something, the problem with Bobby is he can't have a bite. He has to have the whole thing," Hines said, laughing.

Fitness trainer and media personality Jillian Michaels is urging parents to "keep the pressure on" social media companies, warning about the platforms' allegedly "addictive" algorithms and content.

Michaels made the comments during an appearance on "The Faulkner Focus" while promoting her new Fox Nation documentary, "Toxic 2: A Generation on the Brink." Michaels advised parents to limit their children's access to online activities.

"You have to do everything you can," Michaels said. "And that means putting parental controls on your kid's phone, period. Take the phone away at night, limit the sites that they can access, have communications with them regularly about the content that they're seeing online. But you also have to be realistic about what they're going to do when they're not with you."

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"This is the part where we also have to continue putting pressure on the social media companies to make their algorithms safer for kids," she said. "They created an addictive product, they know it, and we need to keep the pressure on."

In the documentary, Michaels examines the risks she says children face in the modern age, including excessive screen time, mental health issues and over-medicalization.

"The truth is, a lot of parents probably don't realize the scale of what kids are dealing with today," she said. "From day one, the fragile little bodies and brains of the tiniest and most vulnerable among us are being targeted, treated and toxified from all angles."

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Michaels is joined by several experts in "Toxic 2: A Generation on the Brink," including psychology researcher Jean Twenge, who argues that individuals who begin using smartphones at an early age are more likely to experience mental health issues later in life. 

"In some of the best design studies, the heaviest users of social media are about twice as likely to be depressed as lighter non-users," Twenge said. "Even in other studies, you see at least often a 40% or a 50% increase in depression from not using social media to being a heavy user of social media."

"Gen Z and Gen Alpha know how bad these technologies can be for them," Twenge added. "They're the ones who came up with phrases like 'chronically online,' which make it sound like a disease, 'brain rot,' that it's bad for your attention span and your focus."

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Social media companies have faced increasing pressure to be regulated and be held accountable for the potential effects of their platforms. In August, Meta agreed to pay as much as $17.1 billion and implement restrictions on teen accounts to settle claims that it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict children and misled the public about the platforms' safety. Meta denied the allegations.

For more on the potential risks personal tech and other issues pose to young children, make sure to watch "Toxic 2: A Generation on the Brink," now streaming on Fox Nation.

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A Christian couple who spent more than a decade caring for foster children is celebrating a major legal victory after Washington state agreed to change its licensing rules following a dispute over requirements that foster parents use children's preferred pronouns and comply with gender identity policies, even when those requirements conflicted with their religious beliefs.

Shane and Jennifer DeGross told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday that the dispute began in 2022, when they attempted to renew their foster care license and discovered the state had changed its requirements concerning gender identity.

The couple said they were willing to love and care for any child placed in their home but could not agree to certain state-imposed requirements they believed violated their Christian faith.

"We were made aware that the state had updated and changed some of their requirements," Jennifer DeGross told Fox News Digital. "While we agreed that we would love and care for any child in our home, they had specific things that we could not agree to as Christians."

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Shane DeGross said the state required them to affirm the state's views on gender identity and human sexuality.

"Those views directly conflict with the biblical worldview of human sexuality," Shane DeGross said. "So, as Christians, we just couldn't accept that. Our allegiance is to God and the truth of Scripture. And we just couldn't abide by what they were requiring us to affirm."

Washington's licensing policies required foster parents to affirm and support LGBTQ children, including expectations concerning gender identity and the use of preferred names and pronouns. The DeGross family challenged the requirements on religious freedom grounds. Jennifer said the state eventually partially reinstated their license but restricted the ages of children they could foster.

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"We felt like even when they reinstated a partial license to us that they were still discriminating against us," she said.

"When a child reached 5, they had to be removed from our home," Jennifer said. "So not only was that upsetting to us, but that's not good for kids, right?"

Jennifer argued that such a restriction could disrupt a child's placement even if the child had already spent years living with a foster family.

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"If we had had a child for a couple of years, and then they have to be removed just because they turned or reached a certain age, it's definitely not in the interest of children," she said.

The legal battle resulted in a settlement under which Washington agreed to revise its foster care licensing rules, addressing the conflict between the state's gender identity requirements and foster parents' religious freedom claims.

Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, told Fox News Digital that the DeGross' case should serve as a lesson for the rest of the country.

"These foster care agencies, they have to respect the First Amendment rights of foster parents, as well as the children in the system and everyone that they work with," Widmalm-Delphonse said. 

"So, states should be on notice from this settlement, as well as some of the other cases that we've seen like the Bates v. Pakseresht decision, that they have to respect First Amendment rights, they have to respect free speech rights, and the way you do that is you invite as many foster parents into the system as possible on the front end, and then you match at the back end according to children's individual needs or family's abilities, comfort level, things like that, which is what they've been doing for decades, and this settlement shows that they can continue doing that now," Widmalm-Delphonse added.

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Widmalm-Delphonse said that since the settlement, Washington State has a new proposed regulation, WSR 26-20-103, currently undergoing the public notice and comment process which would in part give foster parents like Shane and Jennifer DeGross a religious exemption.

"This new rule, in part, would give foster parents like the DeGross's a religious exemption from any rule requiring them to violate their religious beliefs on gender or sexuality," Widmalm-Delphonse said.

Shane DeGross told Fox News Digital, "It's a great victory in the sense that more Christians can be available to love and care for foster kids without fear of being excluded because of their religious beliefs."

"It's a huge victory for kids that need a loving home," he added.

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"We are proud of the diversity of our foster parent and kinship caregiver community who have different cultures, religious beliefs, and lived experience," the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families said in a news release on the settlement. "We are grateful that they all open their doors and provide a loving home to children and youth in foster care."

"This settlement agreement respects the religious beliefs of foster parents, while ensuring LGBTQIA+ youth are placed in an environment that is safe and supports their well-being," DCYF Secretary Tana Senn said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Washington DCYF for further comment.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says she is helping President Donald Trump choose his next press secretary after his first pick for the job lasted just five days.

"I've offered my help to the president to help him select someone who can serve him and the country well," Leavitt said Wednesday evening in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Leavitt served as Trump's press secretary from the start of the president's second term until Aug. 27, when she stepped down from the demanding role to spend more time with her two young children, including a daughter who was born in May.

Her successor, political commentator Katie Zacharia, took over earlier this month, but lasted just five days in the role, making her the shortest-serving White House press secretary in U.S. history.

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"White House press secretary is a tough job. I know that because I did it, obviously for almost two years, and many people say it's one of the hardest jobs in politics," Leavitt emphasized.

She noted that the job "takes a lot of preparation and sometimes you don't know how someone will perform until they go out there."

"We wish Katie the best. The job obviously was not for her, but we wish her and her family well," Leavitt added.

When it comes to whom Trump will choose next for the position, Leavitt said the president "is continuing to look over options. There's a lot of people who want that job. It's an amazing job. It provides you with incredible opportunities."

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Asked what advice she's offered to Trump, Leavitt said, "I'll keep my private counsel to the president private, but I do obviously talk to him about what the job entails, and he knows it very well."

"Nobody understands the press better than Donald Trump. He knows he needs someone who is tough, who is smart, who understands his policies, who is loyal, and who can go out there and put up a fight," she added.

Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, served as an intern in the Trump White House after graduating from Saint Anselm College in 2019. She later became an assistant White House press secretary at the end of Trump's first term.

After Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election, Leavitt worked as communications director for Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. She then served as spokeswoman for the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. before taking over as press secretary for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

After being named White House press secretary following the 2024 election, Leavitt made history as the youngest person ever in the role.

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Leavitt also ran for Congress in 2022, winning a heavily contested GOP nomination in New Hampshire's 1st District before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Asked if she might make another run for public office in her home state when Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is up for re-election in 2028, Leavitt quickly said, "No, I'm all set. I don't have any plans to run for office in the near future at all, or in the future at all."

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"I am home with my family, and we're really excited about that," she explained. "Right now I'm really focused on being a wife and a mother to my two very young children. That's why I made the decision to leave Washington. So we're just happy to be home and enjoying the ride."

Leavitt officially becomes a Fox News contributor at the start of November.

Politico has issued a correction and re-examined multiple articles after the White House threatened "consequences" if the outlet doesn't retract its recent reporting on President Donald Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

In a letter addressed to Politico's global editor-in-chief Jonathan Greenberger on Monday, White House counsel William Scharf slammed three "demonstrably false and defamatory articles" about Wiles, including claims that Trump was mulling Wiles' ouster, and that he had a "freak-out" when Politico published its story.

"These publications reflect far more than sloppy reporting or an unfortunate, inadvertent reliance on unreliable sources. They instead reveal a disturbing pattern of the publication of sensational falsehoods despite direct, on-the-record refutations from senior White House officials and even the President of the United States himself, as well as documentary evidence provided to Politico, all of which established clearly that claims central to Politico's planned reporting were false. Put simply, your publication was told the truth and presented with corroborating evidence, and yet chose to publish fanciful fiction regardless," Scharf wrote in the letter first reported by Axios that has been obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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"This is not a question of competing interpretations, editorial judgment, or political disagreement. It is a question of whether a major news organization may knowingly publish demonstrably false factual allegations, disregard documentary evidence contradicting those allegations, and then hide behind anonymous sources when confronted with the truth. It may not. I therefore demand that Politico retract these defamatory articles and issue corrections promptly, or face the consequences," he later continued.

Scharf gave Politico "48 hours" to reverse its reporting and issue an apology to both Trump and Wiles before the White House explores "appropriate and available legal remedies."

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"The White House has no obligation to pretend that this persistent conduct is consistent with responsible journalism. Nor should Politico expect that its institutional behavior will be insulated from scrutiny. After all, freedom of the press is not a professional exemption from accountability," Scharf told Greenberg.

"I therefore demand that Politico immediately correct or retract these publications, issue a prominent and public apology to the President of the United States and to Ms. Wiles, and remove the false reporting from your digital archives. Failure to do so or otherwise respond justifying Politico's publications within 48 hours will prompt an immediate review of Politico's relationship with the White House, and, of course, consideration of all other appropriate and available legal remedies."

Politico responded on Wednesday, insisting it strives for accuracy in its reporting and "categorically rejects the false accusations" that it "chose to publish fanciful fiction" and "purposeful falsehoods designed to mislead the public." 

"That said, Politico takes seriously assertions like those made in your letter. Accordingly, consistent with its commitment to ensuring its reporting is as accurate as possible, Politico re-examined all three articles identified in your letter and did follow up reporting," Politico's attorney wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"As a result, Politico determined it was appropriate to correct one of the three articles identified in your letter," the letter continued. 

Politico did not offer an apology to Trump and Wiles or correct the report that Trump was considering moving on from Wiles. Instead, Politico corrected an article to note that Wiles simply offered "positive reinforcement" for then-White House press secretary Katie Zacharia's Fox News appearance on "Hannity" last week before she stepped down, but did not play a direct role in booking the interview. 

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"The updated version of that article, reflecting the information obtained through Politico's further reporting, has now been published. Promptly and transparently making corrections, as Politico has done here, is a hallmark of journalistic ethics and integrity, and of the very professionalism your letter falsely claims Politico is lacking," Politico's attorney wrote. 

The White House did not immediately respond when asked for comment. 

Politico has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration in recent weeks as among the outlets that were banned by the White House last month, which had been reversed by a judge's ruling.

"To be clear, any error that you could identify in Politico's reporting about the President or his administration would not excuse the White House's unconstitutional retaliation and discrimination against Politico for the content of its news coverage," Politico's response said. 

"The White House's efforts to retaliate against Politico for its constitutionally protected journalism, and to discriminate against Politico based on what the President perceives to be its editorial viewpoint is a profound affront to the most fundamental constitutional rights," the response continued. "Politico will defend its journalism and the right of its reporters to pursue their mission and report fearlessly on the President and other White House officials for the benefit of the American public, notwithstanding the White House's ongoing attempts to intimidate Politico and chill and punish that reporting."

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SALT LAKE CITY — Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Fox News Digital that the United States is due for a "reset" of public education after spending $3 trillion over decades while national reading scores have consistently declined.

"We've spent this $3 trillion that you referenced, and we've watched scores continue to come down. So we're doing something wrong. We need to reset," McMahon said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"We know that the president believes, as do I, that the best education is the one that's closest to the child with parental involvement," McMahon added. "Our goal is to make sure that we move administrative programs that focus more on adults out of Washington, D.C., so that we can get all of those dollars back into education in the states."

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McMahon visited Utah on Tuesday to highlight the Trump administration's progress in reforming K-12 education. Delivering a speech titled "The Next 250: K-12 Education," the secretary emphasized returning education authority to the states, investing in proven academic interventions and expanding school choice for families.

"In every decision we make, we are not asking what's better for growing government power, ideological agendas or bureaucrats' careers. We are returning education to its most basic obligation: to nurture the God-given potential of our children," McMahon told a crowd of students, parents and teachers at American Preparatory Academy in West Valley City.

The Utah event marked the 47th stop on the department's 50-state tour aimed at decentralizing federal education authority. According to Department of Education officials, more than $3 trillion in federal taxpayer money has been spent over the decades, while national test results show that only about three in 10 students perform at or above the proficient level in math and reading.

Speaking with Fox News Digital following her address, McMahon said parental involvement in education increased during the pandemic. 

"Parents, for the first time, could see what was going on with education, with the curriculum that was being taught to their children," McMahon said. "They became involved, they became concerned, and they started going to school board meetings. I think that really started to change the focus. And that, in conjunction with looking at the fact that NAEP scores — our national report card — have simply gone down since the Department of Education was established."

McMahon pledged upon taking office to work toward dismantling the federal agency, including hiring leaders tasked with phasing out their own offices. The push aligns with President Donald Trump's broader education initiative, which he highlighted at a White House Rose Garden event promoting school choice. Trump also pledged to eliminate "far-left extremism" from classrooms and argued that federal education spending has failed to deliver acceptable academic results.

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As part of the administration's broader effort to downsize federal oversight, the Department of Education announced an interagency agreement with the Treasury Department in March. Under the agreement, Treasury will take on certain responsibilities for managing federal student loans, including collections on defaulted loans, as part of the administration's effort to transfer administrative duties away from the Education Department.

The student loan transfer is one of nine interagency partnerships designed to serve as a "proof of concept" for Congress to show that federal education tasks can be reallocated.

"I've asked Congress, with this proof of concept and these interagency agreements: Let me prove to you that it works," McMahon told Fox News Digital. "I know, ultimately, Congress has to vote if we do close the Department of Education and if I, in fact, am able to fire myself. Hopefully, they will vote for it because I believe the outcome will be better for students — and that is the goal."

McMahon said that the federal agency functions largely as a "pass-through" for funding rather than controlling local school curricula, a distinction she noted is frequently misunderstood by the public.

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"The goal is to get rid of the bureaucracy of education that seems to focus more on adults and not on children's performance," she said.

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Following her Utah visit, McMahon's four-part speaking series will continue with upcoming stops in Nevada, Arizona and Tennessee to address rising higher education costs and workforce Pell grants. Her final keynote in Tennessee later this month will focus on restoring accountability and standards in higher education.

During a podcast interview Wednesday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized a video from actor Matthew McConaughey encouraging voters to consider independent candidates.

On Sunday, McConaughey took to social media and challenged the long-held notion that voting for an independent candidate is a wasted vote, arguing that just a handful of independent lawmakers could dramatically shift the balance of power in Washington.

"They've been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote," McConaughey said in a video shared on Instagram. "Well, a great question for our times is has that unwasted vote been working out for you?"

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Liberal journalist Kara Swisher shared the video with Clinton on their new podcast "High Stakes," remarking that she didn't think McConaughey articulated the appeal of independent candidates well enough for viewers.

Clinton went further and criticized McConaughey for potentially complicating the Democratic Party's efforts to push back against President Donald Trump in the midterm elections.

"I think it's really unfortunate that somebody who's such a great actor with such a reach would be two weeks before a midterm that is aimed at stopping Trump's corruption, impunity and extreme damage to the country would suggest that any independent candidate is really a better choice," Clinton said.

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"Right now, we have a broad range of Democrats running, and Democrats are representing, I think, every kind of American in these elections," she continued. "And we know, I mean, it's just a fact. We know that if we don't vote for Democrats to defeat Republicans, then Trump will have two more unchecked years to do whatever he wants to our country."

Fox News Digital reached out to McConaughey's representative for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have recently taken steps to campaign for Democratic candidates ahead of the midterm elections. While the former president has been making public appearances on behalf of candidates, the former first lady has made rounds in the podcast sphere with Swisher.

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However, some Democratic strategists have expressed doubts about this latest push.

"Hillary and Bill are still relevant to some voters. However, they will mostly be useful in speaking to the Democratic base and those who are highly engaged in politics," Democratic strategist Mally Smith told Fox News Digital last week. 

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"It is a hard media environment to break through, and even current elected officials, let alone former office holders, will struggle to get people’s attention."

ESPN host Stephen A. Smith defended his trip to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump during an episode of "The View" Wednesday, telling the co-hosts he wouldn't apologize for sitting down with the president.

Co-host Sunny Hostin asked Smith, "He has this history of racial bias that is so clear. Did you think meeting with him, that you got anywhere?"

"I don't know. We'll find out, but he’s the president of the United States, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to try," he said. "And the reality is I’m just speaking from a constitutional perspective in that regard. 

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"And it points to a bigger issue. There are so many people that have this mentality, ‘Why even waste time talking to him?’ Whether you like him or not, he’s the president of the United States of America. He’s not going away until 2028. At least. He’s not going away."

Smith met with Trump, comedian Bill Maher and Kid Rock at the White House Oct. 15.

Hostin raised the possibility that Trump could be impeached after the midterm elections, but Smith rejected the idea. 

"I think you’re going to have a situation where the Republicans are going to maintain the Senate," Smith said. "They’ll probably lose the House. So, you’ll get folks to impeach him, but then they’ll step in and save him, and it will be an ongoing continuous thing. 

"And don’t get me started with that because I get disgusted with all that pomp and circumstance. I’m so sick and tired of us acting like that’s going to do something. He’s not going away until 2028.

"You’re going to have to deal with him," he continued. "And when it comes to getting things done, I’m all about exhausting every means and every measure to try to do what’s in the best interest of our community. I’m not apologizing for that to anybody."

The co-hosts told Smith they had invited Trump onto the show, but, on Tuesday, co-host Ana Navarro said there was "no way in hell" she would meet with the president.

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"It’s easy for the cast of ‘The View’ to attack people for meeting with President Trump or crow about how they would never take a meeting with him," Nicholas Fondacaro, associate editor of the Media Research Center's NewsBusters, told Fox News Digital in a statement about the exchange. 

"One, they’ll never be asked. Two, they’re not counted on by anyone to be a champion of their cause.

"It’s clear that ‘The View’ truly believe him to be the bumbling racist caricature that they and the rest of the liberal media paint him to be to their viewers," he continued. "They were visibly shocked to learn that Trump seemed to hear him out and called him a few days later to hear his argument again before he met with others about the HBCUs issue."

Navarro also pressed Smith on the meeting and questioned whether he pushed back on the president.

The ESPN host said he pressed Trump several times regarding the war in Iran and added that Maher grilled the president during the meeting as well.

"The only other thing I would add is I’m kind of disappointed that you’re asking whether or not I pushed back because that shows me that you’re not watching my SiriusXM show enough because I push back on Trump all the time," Smith said.

BILL MAHER REVEALS HE'S HAVING DINNER WITH TRUMP AGAIN, SAYS HE WAS 'REALLY NICE' BY TEXT

Kid Rock spoke on "Fox & Friends" about the meeting Friday.

"Last night, I'm having dinner at the White House with the president, Bill Maher and Stephen A. Smith. We all agreed socialism and communism has no place to have a foothold in our government," he said, before referring to Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

Asked how the dinner went, Kid Rock said the group had a great conversation.

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"It was epic," he said. "And the thing that was the greatest — there's so many points, I could do an hour on it — is that, you know, two Democrats, two Republicans sit down, break bread, have laughs, talk about, have tough conversations on a lot of the issues."

A California mayor insisted that handing out monthly cash payments is an effective tool to combat the state's soaring cost of living, even as local leaders face steep hurdles in securing permanent taxpayer funding to keep guaranteed income programs alive.

"I believe that guaranteed income programs like our Rise Up Alameda (RUA) pilot program are a valuable and effective tool to address the affordability crisis, based on the documented experiences of program participants," Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told Fox News Digital. 

"The average age of the 150 program participants was 49 years, with 26% being 62 years or older, and most participants were either employed or retired."

Ashcraft’s comments follow the completion of Rise Up Alameda, the city's first-ever guaranteed income pilot project. City staff presented the program's final 24-month evaluation report to the Alameda City Council on Oct. 6.

ALBUQUERQUE USES WEED TAX TO FUND 'NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED' GUARANTEED INCOME, SPARKING POLICY DEBATE

According to city documents, the pilot aimed to "reduce economic instability for program participants, help to change local narratives and perceptions surrounding poverty and the provision of public benefits and help to support and inform the national discussion regarding public benefits and anti-poverty policies."

The Alameda City Council previously allocated $4.6 million in federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to finance the initiative, which provided 150 low-income households with $1,000 per month in no-strings-attached cash over two years. However, city notices confirm that because ARPA was a one-time federal allocation, the pilot has officially concluded, and the city has no plans or budget allocated for a permanent continuation.

"As mayor, I believe our responsibility is to advance practical, compassionate and evidence-informed policies that help residents meet their basic needs, preserve their dignity and build a more stable future for themselves and their families," Ashcraft told Fox News Digital when asked whether she planned to implement a permanent program.

BALTIMORE MAYOR BACKS BALLOT MEASURE CREATING TAXPAYER-FUNDED 'BABY FUND' FOR NEWBORN FAMILIES

The faces behind the program

Ashcraft highlighted several personal accounts of local residents who received monthly payments through the pilot.

Among them was Andrea, a certified nursing assistant who used the funds to stay afloat following the death of her mother. The financial boost helped cover medical bills, rent, gas and Bay Area bridge tolls while allowing her to care for her father and ailing brother.

Another participant, Dolores, a retiree in her 70s living in affordable senior housing after a 41-year career at AT&T, used the extra $1,000 a month to pay off credit card debt and build an emergency savings account.

Other recipients included Haroon, a rideshare and transit driver; Julia, a woman with a disability who was able to buy new mattresses, groceries and a set of car tires after an eviction forced her to move in with her sister; and Tyronne, a Navy veteran and former truck driver at the decommissioned Alameda Naval Air Station who relied on the extra money to cover medical bills and stabilize his housing.

While Ashcraft praised these personal outcomes, she acknowledged that direct cash payments are not a full remedy for California's economic pressures.

"These stories demonstrate the value of direct, unrestricted cash in helping residents navigate financial hardship, maintain stability and improve their overall well-being," Ashcraft said. 

"While guaranteed income is not a stand-alone solution to the affordability crisis, programs like Rise Up Alameda can provide meaningful support as we pursue longer-term solutions to the high cost of housing, health care, transportation and other basic needs."

GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM TARGETS LOW-INCOME HOMES LED BY BLACK MOMS AS CASH HANDOUTS SURGE NATIONWIDE

How will municipalities fund these programs?

Alameda's program underscores a funding challenge local governments face across the nation regarding how to sustain guaranteed income pilot programs now that temporary federal pandemic relief funding is ending.

Many local guaranteed income pilots were underwritten by temporary pandemic-era ARPA allocations. With federal deadlines requiring municipalities to spend remaining relief funds, mayors and advocacy groups are searching for ways to convert short-term experiments into permanent, taxpayer-funded government programs.

A major organization advocating for guaranteed income is the Economic Security Project (ESP). Founded in 2016 by a network of entrepreneurs, activists and researchers, ESP has helped support more than 100 guaranteed income pilots nationwide. California leads the country with more than 60 pilot launches.

ESP has urged governments to consider taxpayer-funded measures to establish permanent minimum-income guarantees.

When asked by Fox News Digital whether local pilots are transitioning into permanent public policies, ESP indicated that multiple municipalities are actively working on legislative proposals.

"We can say, however, that there’s an active and growing movement for cash in hundreds of communities across the country," Shafeka Hashash, director of cash initiatives at the Economic Security Project, told Fox News Digital.

"We regularly take calls from some of the 1,500 members of the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice — researchers, nonprofits, local government officials and community leaders all interested in bringing cash to their neighborhoods," Hashash added. 

"We just can’t announce any pilots or policies before the localities do."

MICHIGAN LAWMAKER MOVES TO SHUT DOWN 'GUARDRAIL-FREE' CASH HANDOUT PROGRAM FOR NEW MOTHERS

One pilot program has become permanent in Cook County, Illinois. To sustain the initiative without federal aid, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved $7.5 million for guaranteed income in the county budget, signaling a shift toward long-term local funding.

Republican state officials and conservative policy groups have sought to block guaranteed income programs. Critics argue unconditional handouts discourage work, increase dependence on government assistance and misuse taxpayer funds.

"The affordability crisis is hitting Americans across backgrounds, geographies and party lines, and it's imperative that state and federal leaders adopt a solutions-focused approach," Mayors for Guaranteed Income founder Michael Tubbs told Fox News Digital.

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"Banning policies that have proven effective at the local level is not only undemocratic, it is incredibly counterproductive to solving the key problem facing American families," he added. 

"We should be unlocking innovation at the local level to boost economic security, stabilize households and restore faith in the American dream."