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.

The right-wing Reform UK Party saw a series of electoral wins early Friday after it secured parliamentary, mayoral and several local election seats in what leader Nigel Farage said is proof that Reform UK is ‘now the opposition party to this Labour government.’

Farage, who predicted earlier this year in an interview with Fox News Digital that there would be a ‘political revolution,’ said the centurylong, two-party system that has dominated British politics was ‘now dead’ after both the liberal Labour Party and Conservative Party saw losses in a Thursday election. 

Reform UK secured a fifth parliamentary seat after Sarah Pochin flipped the Runcorn & Helsby constituency, which is, according to Reform leaders, considered Labour ‘heartland.’

‘Victory in Runcorn & Helsby proves we are now the opposition party to this Labour government,’ Farage said on X. ‘With this and other results tonight, it’s clear that if you vote Conservative you will get Labour. But if you vote Reform, you get Reform.’

The race for the Runcorn & Helsby seat was the most closely watched race and required a full recount, after which it was confirmed that Reform secured the seat by just six votes.

Farage championed the victory as ‘a small margin’ but ‘a huge win.’

The Labour Party – which is led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer – currently holds 403 seats in Parliament, followed by the Conservative Party, which holds 121. Liberal Democrats hold 72 seats, while Independents hold 14. The remainder of the 40 other seats are divided between 11 other parties, including Reform. 

Andrea Jenkyns also snagged the mayorship for Greater Lincolnshire, which has for years been dominated by the Conservative Party.

Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, reportedly told Times Radio on Friday, ‘It’s certainly a political earthquake because up and down the country in some 650 elections, give or take, voters have voted and the votes are coming in against the main two parties.’

According to Farage, the rise in Reform UK supporters suggests the Conservative Party – which he was a former member of but left in the 90s and eventually started the Brexit Party before changing the name to Reform UK in 2021 – is losing support.

‘You’re witnessing the end of a party that’s been around since 1832,’ he told reporters, according to a Reuters report. 

FIRST ON FOX : Fox News Digital has learned that the U.S. could withhold funding for the war against Islamist terror in Somalia until Europe, the African Union (A.U.) and the United Nations (U.N.) pay more of their ‘fair’ share toward the cost of striking out and keeping the peace in the conflict-torn country. 

These plans to ‘prohibit’ the use of U.S. funds are key details, shown first to Fox News Digital, of a new bill to be introduced by three prominent Republican senators.

In line with President Donald Trump’s administration’s widespread moves to tighten fiscal controls in the U.S. and overseas, Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., are to introduce ‘the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) Funding Restriction Act of 2025.’ 

This is ‘to safeguard U.S. taxpayer funds and hold the U.N. and A.U. accountable in African peace operations,’ Risch told Fox News Digital.

The bill also seeks to mandate the U.S. to oppose any U.N. Security Council action which enables such funding.  

The East African country of Somalia has been wracked for decades by attacks and insurgency from Islamist terrorists, both from ISIS and the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab. In just the past five weeks, U.S. Africa Command reported that it has carried out four airstrikes; three against ISIS terrorists and one against al-Shabaab. At least one of these strikes, the command stated, was against multiple targets.

Chairman Risch told Fox News Digital, ‘The Trump Administration has taken decisive action to counterterrorist groups across Africa, and I’m very supportive.’

However, officials from the European Union, according to Risch, plan to skew payments for the AUSSOM peacekeeping and stablization operation more toward the U.S.; in other words, make the U.S. pay more than it should, he said.

‘At the U.N., our European partners are looking to skirt their financial commitments to AUSSOM in Somalia by switching to a new imbalanced funding mechanism that pushes the burden on Americans,’ he stated.

‘We can’t let that stand,’ Risch continued. ‘This bill will prohibit U.S. contributions to AUSSOM under this new funding scheme, until the A.U. and the U.N. can prove that they are using the funds they have responsibly, and prevent Americans from being locked into perpetually funding a broken system.’

Risch said, ‘President Trump has ushered in a new era of American foreign policy where American taxpayer dollars will be used only to secure a safe and prosperous America. For far too long, our allies have taken America for a ride, and profited off of America paying the lion’s share for global security. Europe must continue to shoulder this burden.’  

The other two senators sponsoring the bill, Cruz and Scott, also serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

Scott told Fox News Digital, ‘The United States will not allow our tax dollars to be exploited by the U.N. while our partners refuse to pay their fair share, much less for a mission that fails to spend these dollars responsibly or transparently. I am proud to join my colleagues on the AUSSOM Funding Restriction Act to ensure Americans’ interests are put first, and their tax dollars spent wisely.’

The specific aims of the bill that have been shown to Fox News Digital are:

Protect U.S. Taxpayer Funds: Prohibit U.S. financial contributions to AUSSOM under UNSCR 2719 and mandate U.S. opposition to any U.N. Security Council action enabling such funding.
Ensure Rigorous Oversight: Require the Secretary of State to conduct annual, independent assessments of the A.U.’s compliance with UNSCR 2719 criteria for all A.U.-led peace operations.
Enhance Transparency and Accountability: Mandate comprehensive reporting to Congress on the assessment findings, AUSSOM’s performance and funding, and any U.S. contributions under UNSCR 2719.
Strengthen Congressional Consultation: Expand existing State Department briefings to include specific updates on A.U. peace operations funded under UNSCR 2719.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, garnering support ahead of her upcoming confirmation hearing, with senators describing her as a ‘fierce’ advocate for the ‘Make America Healthy Again’ (MAHA) movement. 

Sources familiar with her confirmation hearing prep told Fox News Digital that Nesheiwat has had many ‘productive meetings’ on Capitol Hill regarding her nomination. 

Nesheiwat recently met with the staff for the Senate HELP Committee, along with all the health policy GOP staffers. Sources said those staffers have expressed support for her nomination as medical director in the Public Health Service and surgeon general. Nesheiwat also met with Democrat Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, along with Democrat Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. 

Sources told Fox News Digital that Blackburn is supportive of Nesheiwat. Details of Nesheiwat’s meetings with Hickenlooper and Alsobrooks were not immediately clear. 

The sources said various topics were discussed during those meetings, including fighting chronic illness, diseases, opioids, the mission of MAHA, vaccines, good nutrition, educating Americans with science-backed data, combating healthcare provider shortages, mental health, food deserts and the government’s role in tracking health crises and emerging health threats. 

Sources said the conversations have been ‘positive, productive conversations.’ 

Nesheiwat has met, so far, with all the Republican senators on the Senate HELP Committee except for Sen. Josh Hawley. 

A source told Fox News Digital that Sen. Katie Brit of Alabama, who is not on the committee, wants to meet with Nesheiwat in early May. 

Nesheiwat, formerly a Fox News contributor, is double-board certified in family medicine and urgent care medicine. 

Nesheiwat, a daughter of Jordanian immigrants, led frontline medical teams during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, along with her past work managing public health responses during flu epidemics, the opioid crisis, the monkeypox outbreak and other major health challenges. 

She also was named the first female medical director for CityMD in Manhattan — one of America’s largest urgent care systems. 

Upon nominating Nesheiwat to the position, Trump said she is a ‘fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.’

‘I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,’ he said. ‘She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives.’ 

Trump praised Nesheiwat’s work during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she ‘worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s Historic Operation Warp Speed that saved hundreds of millions of lives.’

He also praised her ‘expertise and leadership’ after New Orleans’ Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. 

The president said Nesheiwat ‘will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!’

Meanwhile, after meeting with Nesheiwat, Senate HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy said Nesheiwat is ‘aware of the issues facing our nation and how they relate all the way down to counseling a patient in an exam room.’ 

‘A very good meeting,’ he said. 

As for the MAHA movement led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republicans say Nesheiwat represents the vision of the Trump administration. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said Nesheiwat ‘understands the MAHA movement.’ 

‘With the Trump admin, American health is no longer taking a back seat,’ Banks said. 

Additionally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said that ‘Making America Healthy Again starts with having strong leadership’ within Health and Human Services. 

‘I know that @DoctorJanette, President Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, will be a fierce MAHA advocate and will work with @SecKennedy to increase transparency in our healthcare system,’ Tuberville said. 

Nesheiwat began her medical education at the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine. She completed her initial curriculum at the school’s Saint Maarten campus. She then went on to complete her clinical rotations at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Metropolitan State Hospital, Guy’s & St. Thomas Hospitals and Medway Maritime Hospital. 

Nesheiwat completed her family medicine residence at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Area Health Education Center, and was elected chief resident during her final year. 

In 2009, Nesheiwat achieved board certification in family medicine for the American Board of Family Medicine, and in 2020 achieved board certification in urgent care medicine with the American Board of Urgent Care Medicine. 

Nesheiwat’s hearing is set for May 8 at 10:00 a.m., when senators on the Senate HELP Committee, will question her ahead of her confirmation vote. 

FIRST ON FOX: The United Nations’ UN80 Task Force is examining multiple suggested methods for reorganizing the institution, according to a leaked, confidential document shared with Fox News Digital. The six-page paper cites multiple inefficiencies and areas of improvement needed to combat ‘geopolitical shifts and substantial reductions in foreign aid budgets’ which are ‘challenging the legitimacy and effectiveness of the organization.’

The effort is ‘eight and a half years late,’ Hugh Dugan, former National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for International Organization Affairs, told Fox News Digital: ‘If [Secretary-General António] Guterres really comprehends that the system needs a major overhaul, he should step down and facilitate an early U.N. Secretary-General election.’ Dugan said that ‘the person with the fresh mandate’ should overhaul the U.N.

The UN80 Task Force document notes that ‘overlapping mandates, inefficient use of resources, and inconsistent delivery of services’ are among the problems with proliferating agencies, funds and programs, and notes ways to integrate, consolidate, and coordinate among reformed entities to maximize the benefit for those who rely on the U.N. 

As another means of reducing outlays, the task force also recommended reducing the quantity of high-level posts, establishing single entities to coordinate Peace and Security, Humanitarian Affairs, and Human Rights, and ‘reduc[ing] the number of U.N. development system entities.’ 

Dugan said the document ‘looks more like a whiteboard stream of consciousness approach that you find on the first day of a business retreat.’ He said that it lacks mention of human resource improvements, finding ways of recruiting ‘the very best in the world,’ or ‘identifying performance measurements or metrics against the leaders of the organization, branches, [or] offices.’ 

Dugan said that the task force is also missing the important confidence-building measures needed to increase buy-in from members, to keep them ‘impressed and enthusiastic’ about U.N. programs. ‘They’re assuming that they are the leaders that are the right people at the right time.’ Dugan said this is ‘a real shortcoming.’ 

‘I don’t think they have the confidence of the world community or the talents or the resources to hold out another year and a half under this regime of Secretary Guterres,’ Dugan said. Rather than utilize the ‘Noah’s Ark management mentality’ of attempting to ‘weather the storm,’ Dugan said that the U.N. must ‘get very creative very quickly with what they have at hand.’ 

Dugan noted that the U.N. has gone through a ‘fall-off in relevance’ with its lack of involvement in ‘real world dynamics between member states.’ He urged the organization to identify ‘the multilateral collateral, meaning we’ve got to identify what’s good, and then we have to get rid of what’s damaged after eight years.’

In response to concerns shared by Dugan, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, said that the memo ‘is the result of an exercise to generate ideas and thoughts from senior officials on how to achieve the Secretary-General’s vision’ and is one ‘of the three work streams that we are working on.’

Dujarric pointed to a speech Guterres delivered in March when introducing the UN80 Initiative, in which he called for an ‘ambitious reform agenda to strengthen how we work and deliver.’ Guterres said this involves increasing transparency and accountability, being more effective and cutting costs, and decentralizing decisions to serve those who rely on the U.N.

Dujarric also mentioned a speech Guterres gave eight years ago in September 2017, when he lamented the Byzantine bureaucracy that hampers progress at the U.N., and said that he was ‘pursuing sweeping management reform – to simplify procedures and decentralize decisions, with greater transparency, efficiency and accountability.’

For Dugan, Guterres’ failure to attempt those ‘sweeping’ reforms prior to 2025 is an indication that regime change is needed. He reiterated that ‘the Secretary-General’s ‘Trust me’ window dressing is no longer convincing us to pay full retail.’ 

U.S. contributions to the U.N. may also take a hit. In April, a White House Office of Management and Budget passback to the State Department indicated the desire to end funding for international organizations, including the U.N. 

Other countries are also falling short with contributions. In March, Guterres’ spokesperson Farhan Haq told Fox News Digital that member states’ non-payment of dues had forced the closure of one staff entrance to the U.N. headquarters in New York City at the time.