Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is hosting an in-person town hall in Jackson Heights, Queens, on Friday night amid speculation she is considering a 2028 presidential run. 

After speaking at a May Day protest in New York City on Thursday, rejecting Trump’s agenda and warning protesters that Republicans ‘are going after Medicaid next,’ Ocasio-Cortez is returning home to New York’s 14th congressional district to ‘share updates on her work in D.C., provide important constituent updates, and take questions from the audience.’

Ocasio-Cortez has been jet-setting across the United States with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour. The campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that Friday night’s town hall was originally scheduled for the April congressional recess, but had to be rescheduled because Ocasio-Cortez was sick. She posted an Instagram story two weeks ago apologizing for canceling. 

Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez did not rule out 2028 presidential aspirations when asked by Fox News Digital about the viral video that had pundits guessing whether she were soft-launching her campaign. 

‘I think what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now, and people’s healthcare is in danger. That’s really what my central focus is,’ the New York Democrat said when asked whether she is considering a run for president, despite President Donald Trump’s assurances that he wouldn’t cut Medicaid. 

‘This moment isn’t about campaigns, or elections, or about politics. It’s about making sure people are protected, and we’ve got people that are getting locked up for exercising their First Amendment rights. We’re getting two-year-olds that are getting deported into cells in Honduras. We’re getting people that are about to get kicked off of Medicaid. That, to me, is most important,’ Ocasio-Cortez said on Capitol Hill on Trump’s 100th day in office. 

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign account posted a video on X last week that invigorated those rumors as the four-term Democrat from New York City and a progressive leader proclaimed, ‘We are one.’

‘I’m a girl from the Bronx,’ Ocasio-Cortez said on a campaign-style stage in Idaho. ‘To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, seeing our common cause, this is what this country is all about.’

Americans reposted Ocasio-Cortez’s video across X, pointing to the video as proof of her 2028 presidential ambitions. ‘Get ready America. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will almost undoubtedly run for president in 2028,’ political reporter Eric Daugherty said in response to the video. 

As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, back at home in New York, a Siena College poll found that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability is down, at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14 through 16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability soared to 47%.

The longtime senator from New York faced pushback from the Democratic Party in March for supporting the Republican budget bill backed by Trump that averted a government shutdown and stirred up outrage among congressional Democrats who planned to boycott the bill.

That growing disapproval among Democrats was reflected in the poll, and the shifting perception comes as DNC vice chair David Hogg, through his political arm, Leaders We Deserve, faced blowback from the DNC for investing $20 million into electing younger Democrats to safe House Democrat seats.

Ocasio-Cortez raked in a massive $9.6 million over the past three months. The record-breaking fundraising haul was one of the biggest ever for any House lawmaker. Ocasio-Cortez’s team highlighted that the fundraising came from 266,000 individual donors, with an average contribution of just $21.

‘I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy. Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities,’ Ocasio-Cortez emphasized in a social media post.

Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the 2028 presidential speculation. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

President Trump announced his first judicial nominee of his second term, kicking off what will be a historic next four years as he continues to build on the most consequential accomplishment of his first term by appointing even more bold and fearless judges. The stakes could not be higher as Democrat activist judges are actively sabotaging American voters, the presidency, our Constitution, and our country.   

Trump nominated Whitney Hermandorfer to a Tennessee-based seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She is a brilliant legal mind and committed constitutionalist who has litigated critical First Amendment issues. Trump’s first nomination stands in stark contrast to the Obama- and Biden-appointed Democrat activist judges who have repeatedly attempted to sabotage the president’s core Article II executive powers during these first months of Trump’s historic second term. These anti-American judges, who side with Hamas supporters, MS-13 gang members, and no-show federal bureaucrats leeching on the taxpayer, need to be countered. Trump’s nominees promise a return to the original vision of a judiciary grounded in constitutionalism and judicial restraint.

During his 2016 campaign, Trump boldly and brilliantly ran on the issue of judicial nominations in an unprecedented way. He released a list of potential Supreme Court candidates from which he would choose to fill the vacancy arising from Justice Antonin Scalia’s death. This list of nominees set him apart from his rival at the time, Hillary Clinton. Had Clinton won, we would have been subjected to leftist judicial tyranny for at least a generation. Fortunately for the Constitution and the American people, Trump prevailed, and the country was rewarded with Justice Neil Gorsuch instead of Justice Merrick Garland. Given his horrendous and truly shameful service as attorney general, Garland would have been an unmitigated disaster had he received a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

Trump did not stop after the confirmation of Gorsuch. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation shifted the balance of the Court in 2018, as he replaced Anthony Kennedy, the pivotal justice in countless landmark cases. The coup de gras came in 2020, when Trump replaced liberal lion Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the more conservative Amy Coney Barrett. This dramatic shift paid dividends in short order and in many consequential ways.

In 2022, the Court overruled Roe v. Wade (1973) in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and restored the issue of abortion to its rightful place: the states. The justices also strengthened the Second Amendment in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, ruling that the Second Amendment requires ‘shall-issue’ concealed-carry permits. No longer can states have foggy standards where bureaucrats whimsically decide whether to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons. States must set forth standards, and citizens who satisfy those standards will be able to carry such firearms.

The next year, the Court put a stop to the practice of race-based college admissions policies in two cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Thanks to the rulings in Students for Fair Admissions, students must be evaluated based on merit. Conservatives had been trying for decades to eliminate affirmative action, just as they had abortion. Trump made these dreams come true. Last year, the Court struck a giant blow against the administrative state in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a decision that overturned the requirement that courts defer to administrative agencies when a statute is ambiguous.

He will look beyond the garden-variety Federalist Society choices and install a new generation of judicial titans who will change the landscape for generations to come in line with our Founders’ intent.

Just days after Loper Bright, the justices strengthened the presidency in Trump v. United States. There, the Court held that presidents are absolutely immune when exercising core Article II powers like pardons and at least presumptively immune for acts done within the outer perimeters of their official duties. This ruling enormously aided Trump against the lawfare perpetrated by the Biden Justice Department.

Trump’s judicial impact extended beyond the Supreme Court. He appointed 54 circuit judges in his first term, second only to President Jimmy Carter’s 56 in a single term. Carter benefited enormously from the Democrat-controlled Congress’s creation of 35 new circuit judgeships during his term. Congress created none for Trump. More importantly, Carter did not appoint any Supreme Court justices. Trump’s impact on the judiciary dwarfs Carter’s by any reasonable metric. Trump appointed only one fewer circuit judge in one term than did President Obama in two, and several of Obama’s appointees were to the Federal Circuit, a court with comparatively less impact than the other circuits on crucial issues. More importantly, Obama’s two Supreme Court appointments did not shift the balance of the Court; he replaced two leftist justices with two others. Trump also has an excellent chance to surpass President Ronald Reagan’s record for circuit confirmations of 83.

The accomplishments of Trump’s first term were excellent, but there is still work to be done. At times, the Supreme Court has been frustrating with rulings, mainly on the emergency docket with respect to Trump’s policies and the leftist inferior court judges who have enjoined them. Thanks to the Republican-controlled Senate—and a wider majority than existed in the first two years of his first term—Trump will select even more bold and fearless nominees. He will look beyond the garden-variety Federalist Society choices and install a new generation of judicial titans who will change the landscape for generations to come in line with our Founders’ intent.

Trump has assembled an excellent judicial nominations team in Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, White House counsel Dave Warrington, and his deputy Steve Kenny to help him identify, vet, and nominate bold and fearless judges. The Article III Project, which I founded, is proud to support and assist their efforts and these excellent nominees, who will uphold the law and Constitution without fear or political consideration. We will continue to dedicate our resources and expertise to ensure only the most bold and fearless judges are nominated and confirmed to the bench.

A new report warns that NATO is unprepared for modern digital warfare. Without stronger leadership, especially from the U.S., the alliance could face serious security risks.

The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) released a study showing that many NATO members are failing to modernize their military data systems.

Although NATO leaders talk about the importance of secure and shared cloud infrastructure, most countries still store critical military information in local servers that are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The report calls data the ‘currency of warfare’ and urges NATO to improve how it stores and shares military information.

At the moment, most NATO countries are building separate national cloud systems. France uses Thales, Germany uses Arvato, and Italy is working with Leonardo to develop sovereign defense cloud services, according to the CEPA report Defend in the Cloud: Boost NATO Data Resilience.

The U.S. has its own approach, using Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Oracle to build a sovereign cloud for the Department of Defense, as noted in the same CEPA report.

This fragmented setup is creating major problems. The CEPA report explains that many of these national systems are not interoperable, which makes it difficult for NATO allies to share intelligence or respond rapidly in times of crisis.

Although 22 NATO members have pledged to build shared cloud capabilities, progress has been slow. CEPA describes a gap between what leaders promise and what is actually getting done, and the process remains slow and overly bureaucratic.

Some of the hesitation stems from political tensions. 

Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reinforced his long-standing position that NATO members must meet their defense spending commitments. 

In early 2025, Trump proposed raising the target above the current 2% benchmark and stated publicly that the U.S. would only defend NATO allies who meet what he considers their ‘fair share’ of the burden.

At the same time, Trump has taken credit for strengthening the alliance by pushing European governments to boost their defense budgets. 

In March, he pointed to what he called ‘hundreds of billions of dollars’ in new allied defense spending as proof that his pressure was effective. His administration continues to engage in high-level NATO meetings and has publicly affirmed support for the alliance’s core mission.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has worked to reassure European partners. During an April meeting with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, he stated that the U.S. is ‘as active in NATO as it has ever been,’ pushing back on claims that the administration is disengaging.

According to statements published by the State Department and reported by Reuters, Rubio emphasized that Trump is not opposed to NATO itself, but to an alliance that is under-prepared or underfunded.

Rubio is also playing a central role in U.S. efforts to broker peace in Ukraine. In early 2025, he led direct talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia and presented Trump’s terms for a possible ceasefire, according to official State Department readouts and contemporaneous reporting by Reuters and other outlets.

Rubio has emphasized that Ukraine and European allies will remain closely involved in the process. After a pause in U.S. aid earlier this year, he announced that military support would resume once Kyiv signaled agreement with the proposed framework for peace.

Meanwhile, NATO continues to provide assistance to Ukraine through a trust fund valued at nearly $1 billion. This figure is based on NATO’s own reporting on its Comprehensive Assistance Package, as cited in CEPA’s April report.

The alliance is also coordinating training and equipment donations, but the CEPA report makes it clear that efforts are being slowed by a lack of secure data sharing.

The report points to Estonia as a model for digital resilience. Estonia backs up its government data in Luxembourg through a ‘data embassy’ system, ensuring it remains protected even if local systems are attacked. NATO, according to CEPA, should encourage similar strategies across the alliance.

According to CEPA, the U.S. is best positioned to lead the way, with Trump and Rubio already taking the necessary steps to push NATO in the right direction.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

CEPA’s report can be reviewed here.

The Trump administration on Friday officially designated two of Haiti’s most powerful gang networks, Viv Ansanm and Gran Grif, foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs).

The move is aimed at disrupting the gangs’ operations and supporting efforts to restore order in the troubled Caribbean nation.

The announcement was made in a formal statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who declared that ‘the age of impunity for those supporting violence in Haiti is over.’

‘These gangs have killed and continue attacking the people of Haiti, Haitian security forces and multinational security support (MSS) mission personnel and are committed to overthrowing the government of Haiti,’ Rubio said. ‘Their ultimate goal is creating a gang-controlled state where illicit trafficking and other criminal activities operate freely and terrorize Haitian citizens.’

The designations bring serious legal consequences. Individuals or entities that provide material support to Viv Ansanm or Gran Grif could face criminal charges, loss of immigration benefits or removal from the U.S.

Viv Ansanm formed in September 2023 through an alliance between Haiti’s two main gang factions, G-9 and G-Pép. The coalition has carried out coordinated attacks on Haitian infrastructure, including prisons, government buildings and the Port-au-Prince international airport. These attacks were part of a broader campaign that helped force the resignation of former Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Gran Grif operates mainly in the Artibonite region, a vital agricultural area. The State Department said the gang has been responsible for 80% of civilian death reports in that area since 2022. In February 2025, Gran Grif was linked to an attack that killed a Kenyan officer with the MSS mission.

According to NPR reporting from 2024, Viv Ansanm was spearheaded by Jimmy Chérizier, known as Barbecue, a former police officer turned gang leader. 

Chérizier helped unify rival gangs under a shared goal of opposing the Haitian government. In an interview with NPR, he defended the gang’s actions and blamed Haiti’s political elite for fostering the lawlessness. Though he acknowledged the violence, he claimed the government had enabled the conditions leading to it.

‘These designations play a critical role in our fight against these vicious groups and are an effective way to curtail support for their terrorist activities,’ Rubio said. He also warned that U.S. citizens and lawful residents who engage in transactions with these groups are exposing themselves to sanctions and prosecution.

Rubio praised the Haitian National Police and international partners for their efforts in pushing back against the gangs. ‘We commend the extraordinary bravery of the Haitian National Police and all international partners supporting the MSS mission for their ongoing efforts to establish stability and security in Haiti,’ he said.

He called on Haitian political leaders to focus on restoring peace. 

‘We urge all of Haiti’s political leaders to prioritize the security of the Haitian people, find solutions to stop the violence and make progress toward the restoration of democracy through free and fair elections,’ Rubio said.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.