The nation's wealthiest residents saw their billions grow even larger in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic due to policies from the Federal Reserve that have deepened the chasm of income inequality, economic experts report."If you look at the amount of federal regulation, the amount of federal taxes, if anything the economy has gotten less friendly toward big business, and toward rich people," economist Peter St. Onge told Fox News Digital in a May phone interview. "What's actually been happening is that the Fed has been driving income inequality. And, I think for a long time, Republicans were sort of in denial not just Republicans, but sort of free market types were in denial and they didn't want to talk about income equality.""I think they should absolutely talk about it, because what's causing it is not free markets," he said. "It's something that I think everybody should oppose, which is government manipulation of the monetary system."St. Onge was reacting to data showing that billionaires' share of the GDP increased from 14.1% in 2020 to 21.1% in 2025, as reported by Johns Hopkins University economic professor Steve Hanke.JPMorgan Chases private bank estimated that the number of billionaires in the U.S. increased from 1,400 in 2021 to nearly 2,000 as of 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported in April.DOGE SHOULD 'DEFINITELY' LOOK AT FEDERAL RESERVE COSTS, ELON MUSK SAYSThe Federal Reserve is America's central bank, which sets monetary policies and oversees banks. It acts independently, meaning it does not require approval from the president or Congress when enacting policies.St. Onge explained to Fox News Digital that "debt is a rich man's game" and that billionaires have benefited financially since the pandemic as the Fed worked to "manipulate interest rates" down below market value, which subsidized loans."During COVID, you could get a mortgage for, you know, three, three and a half percent, when inflation was running higher than that," he explained. "You were literally being paid to borrow money, which is not a free market outcome. So it makes loans cheap and the rich overwhelmingly borrow money."ELON MUSK WARNS FEDERAL RESERVE MAY FACE DOGE AUDITThe average debt for the top 5% of Americans sits at about $600,000, he said, while the average debt for the vast majority of Americans is roughly $74,000."That's about a nine times difference," he said of the data. "So if you make loans too cheap, you are giving nine times more money to rich people. If you make loans cheap, you're functionally giving $9 to rich people for every $1 to give everybody else."Assets are even more skewed, he explained, with the top 5% of Americans holding $7.8 million in assets compared to the average American's $62,000 notching 130 times the difference between the two demographics, he said."The value of a stock or even a house are based on the future stream of income, and those are all discounted by the interest rate," he said. "And so pretty close to mechanically, if you cut interest rates in half long-term interest rates you are doubling the value of stocks."St. Onge pointed to the American economy in the 1970s and the early 2000s, outlining that growth "took a big step down" in the 2000s while asset values, such as housing prices and the stock market, skyrocketed."The reason is because, since the 1970s, the Fed has very aggressively held rates low, and so this has caused all those assets to go up. So stocks have gone up, housing has gone up. And again, those are rich men's games. Overwhelmingly, people who own stocks are rich. Housing is even more skewed.""So if you've got a nine times difference on loans between the bottom 50% and the top 5%, and then you've got 130 times on assets, then the Fed manipulating rates down they're not doing it to make rich people rich, hopefully but that's sort of the consequence of doing that," he said. "Holding long-term interest rates low is to shower money on rich people and to shower it in proportion to which they're rich, right? So the most extreme version of that is going to be billionaires."FEDERAL RESERVE HOLDS KEY INTEREST RATE STEADY AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTYEconomist Steve Hanke discussed how the Federal Reserve has fanned the flame of income inequality through its policies at a conference earlier in 2025 at the Mises Institute, an economics-focused think tank based out of Alabama. "In 2020, billionaires' share of GDP was 14.1%. Now, it's 21.1%. The Fed increased the money supply, asset prices went up, & guess who owns the assets? Billionaires. By ignoring the money supply, the Fed is an ENGINE OF INCOME INEQUALITY," he posted to X in April of his findings."Take the Federal Reserves excessive money printing during the pandemic," Hanke said in an interview published by the think tank in April. "The transmission mechanism of monetary policy roughly dictates that changes in the money supply are followed by changes in asset prices in 19 months time, changes in real economic activity in 618 months time, and finally changes in the price level in 1224 months time.""Thanks to the Feds helicopter money drops beginning with COVID, the annual growth rate of the US broad money supply peaked at 18.1% per year in May 2021," he added. "Lo and behold, the transmission mechanism followed the S&P 500 reached a local maximum in December 2021 (6 months later), and inflation peaked at 9.1% per year in July 2022 (14 months later)." US JOB GROWTH COOLED IN APRIL AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTYThe result, he said, was skyrocketing wealth inequality to the tune of billionaires increasing their share of the GDP by 7.6 percentage points in just four years.St. Onge said the Fed's policies have been political in nature, while remarking he would welcome "naive" Democrats who bang the proverbial campaign drum of income inequality to jump onto the "end the Fed bandwagon.""They have a naive argument where they look at rich people and they say, Hey, this is so terrible. We live in this dog-eat-dog jungle of an economy,'" St. Onge said of Democrats who campaign on income inequality. "And that is inaccurate," he added, citing Federal Reserve policies that have amplified income inequality.On the opposite side of the political coin, Vice President JD Vance has railed against the Biden administration and "Wall Street barons" for policies he said have hurt the working class. During his acceptance speech after officially becoming the vice presidential nominee in July, Vance said an affordability crisis is strangling the working class, while touting that the Trump administration would end economic "catering to Wall Street."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"Wall Street barons crashed the economy and American builders went out of business," Vance said from Milwaukee in summer 2024. "As tradesmen scrambled for jobs, houses stopped being built. The lack of good jobs, of course, led to stagnant wages. And then the Democrats flooded this country with millions of illegal aliens. So citizens had to compete with people who shouldn't even be here for precious housing. Joe Biden's inflation crisis, my friends, is really an affordability crisis."The Federal Reserve Board declined comment when approached by Fox Digital regarding St. Onge's and Hanke's remarks.

French movie star Grard Depardieu was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on the set of a movie in which he starred, and was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence by a Paris court on Tuesday.He was also fined a total of 29,040 euros (around $32,350), and the court requested that he be registered in the national sex offender database.The 76-year-old actor was convicted of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of "Les Volets Verts" ("The Green Shutters") in 2021. The case was widely seen as a key post-#MeToo test of how French society and its film industry address allegations of sexual misconduct involving prominent figures.FRENCH ACTOR GRARD DEPARDIEU CHARGED WITH ALLEGED RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT FROM 2018 CASEDepardieu, who has denied the accusations, didn't attend the hearing in Paris. Depardieus lawyer said that his client would appeal the decision."It is the victory of two women, but it is the victory of all the women beyond this trial," said Carine Durrieu Diebolt, the set dresser's lawyer. "Today we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema. I think that with this decision we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser. And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, Id like the film world to spare a thought for Grard Depardieus victims."Depardieus long and storied career he told the court that hes made more than 250 films has turned him into a French movie giant. He was Oscar-nominated in 1991 for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.In recent years, the actor has been accused publicly or in formal complaints of misconduct by more than 20 women, but so far only the sexual assault case has proceeded to court. Some other cases were dropped because of a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.During the four-day trial in March, Depardieu rejected the accusations, saying hes "not like that." He acknowledged that he had used vulgar and sexualized language on the film set and that he grabbed the set dresser's hips during an argument, but denied that his behavior was sexual.JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME HITS BACK AT 'GROTESQUE' SEX TRAFFICKING ALLEGATIONSThe court, composed of a panel of three judges, concluded that Depardieus explanations in court were "unpersuasive" and "not credible" and stressed both accusers' "constant, reiterated and substantiated declarations."The court also said that both plaintiffs have been faced with an "aggressive" defense strategy "based on comments meant to offend them." The judges therefore considered that Depardieus lawyer's comments in court aggravated the harm to the accusers and justified higher fines.Depardieus lawyer, Jrmie Assous, regretted that the court "considered that questioning the accusations is an additional assault ... which means that now the defense, even in this type of trial, is no longer accepted."The set dresser described the alleged assault, saying the actor pincered her between his legs as she squeezed past him in a narrow corridor.She said he grabbed her hips, then started "palpating" her behind and "in front, around." She ran her hands near her buttocks, hips and pubic area to show what she allegedly experienced. She said he then grabbed her chest.The woman also testified that Depardieu used an obscene expression to ask her to touch his penis and suggested he wanted to rape her. She told the court that the actors calm and cooperative attitude during the trial bore no resemblance to his behavior at work.FRENCHMAN FOUND GUILTY IN HORRIFIC RAPE TRIAL THAT SHOCKED THE WORLDThe other plaintiff, an assistant, said that Depardieu groped her buttocks and her breasts during three separate incidents on the film set.The Associated Press doesnt identify by name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they consent to be named. Neither woman has done so in this case, although one has agreed to be pictured."Im very moved," one of the plaintiffs, the set dresser, told reporters after the verdict. "Im very, very much satisfied with the decision, thats a victory for me, really, and a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made."Some figures in the French cinema world have expressed their support for Depardieu. Actors Vincent Perez and Fanny Ardant were among those who took seats on his side of the courtroom.French media reported last week that Depardieu was shooting a film directed by Ardant in the Azores archipelago, in Portugal.The actor may have to face other legal proceedings soon.In 2018, actor Charlotte Arnould accused him of raping her at his home. That case is still active, and in August 2024 prosecutors requested that it go to trial.For more than a half-century, Depardieu stood as a towering figure in French cinema, a titan known for his commanding physical presence, instinct, sensibility and remarkable versatility.A bon vivant who overcame a speech impediment and a turbulent youth, Depardieu rose to prominence in the 1970s and became one of Frances most prolific and acclaimed actors, portraying a vast array of characters, from volatile outsiders to deeply introspective figures.In recent years, his behavior toward women has come under renewed scrutiny, including after a documentary showed him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to move against Hamas with "full force" in the coming days to "complete" the fight against the Iran-backed terror group.Netanyahu made the remarks about the war in Gaza while visiting with Israel Defense Forces reservists."In the coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation," Netanyahu said. "Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas."Netanyahu said that eliminating Hamas and freeing the remaining hostages that the group took during its deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023, "go hand in hand."AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER IS RELEASED BY HAMAS AFTER MORE THAN 580 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY"Its possible that Hamas will say, Time out we want to release ten more [hostages]. Fine, bring them. Well take them, and then well go in," the prime minister said. "But there will not be a situation in which we stop the war. There may be a temporary cease-fire, but were going all the way."With Hamas' release of Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander on Monday, there are 58 hostages now being held in Gaza. Netanyahu's remarks came just before Alexander was released.TRUMP STRAINS RELATIONSHIP WITH NETANYAHU AS MIDDLE EAST POLICY INCREASINGLY ISOLATES ISRAELU.S.Special Envoy Adam Boehler and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoffmet with the families of hostages for nearly two hours in Tel Aviv on Tuesday before traveling to Doha, Qatar, to join talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza.Boehler said that following Alexanders release, there is a better chance of securingthe release of the remaining hostages.Boehler and Witkoff told families that if they did not believe there was a genuine chance for progress in negotiations, they would not be making the trip to Doha.As the war in Gaza drags on, PresidentDonald Trumpkicked offa four-day Middle East tripon Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, where he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were expected to hold talks on ending the war in Gaza and more.Fox News' Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

British police arrested a 21-year-old suspect Tuesday after the private London home of United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer was targeted by a "suspicious" fire, reports say.The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was detained on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life a day after an early-morning fire on Monday damaged the door of the house where Starmer and his family lived before he was elected to lead the country, according to the Associated Press."As a precaution and due to the property having previous connections with a high-profile public figure, officers from the Mets Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation into this fire. Enquiries are ongoing to establish what caused it," the Met Police said in a statement.Police said that the arrest also concerns two other fires that may be linked a vehicle fire near Starmer's house on Sunday and a May 8 door fire at a property in another part of north London. The second property is a house converted into apartments and also is linked to Starmer.BRITISH POLICE INVESTIGATE FIRE AT PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMERS LONDON HOME"All three fires are being treated as suspicious at this time, and enquiries remain ongoing," the Met Police said.No injuries were reported from any of the fires.Starmer doesn't currently live in his private house. Since taking office in July, Starmer has lived with his family in the prime ministers official Downing Street residence.Neighbor Charles Grant told the AP that police searched his yard on Monday and "said they were looking for a projectile."RETIRED UK POLICE OFFICER SUING AFTER BEING ARRESTED OVER THOUGHT CRIME POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA"From what other people have told me today, I gather someone threw a firebomb at Keir Starmers house," he said.The main opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party, called it "a shocking incident.""No one should face these sorts of threats, let alone people in public service," she posted on X. "Its an attack on our democracy and must never be tolerated."Starmers house has attracted protesters in the past. Last year, three pro-Palestinian activists were arrested and charged with public order offenses after unfurling a banner covered in red handprints outside the building, the AP reported.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Isabelle St. Cyr, a transgender beauty pageant competitor who competed in Miss Maine USA over the weekend, opened up about an interaction with Jordon Hudson behind the scenes.Hudson was the second runner-up in the pageant amid a tumultuous few weeks that started when she shut down a question for her boyfriend Bill Belichick about how the two met. The interruption was during Belichicks CBS interview about his new book in which he described Hudson as his "creative muse."CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMSt. Cyr said the conversation with Hudson was about the media scrutiny they both received coming into the pageant."We had a conversation backstage and we were like, 'You know, the media hasn't necessarily been kind to us.' We just kind of talked about how we've dealt with it, how to move forward, how to remain positive and when to comment and not to comment," St. Cyr told People in a story published Tuesday. "I really appreciate her willingness to talk to me about the media coverage."JORDON HUDSON FALLS SHORT AT MISS MAINE USA PAGEANT AS SHE APPEARS TO SEND MESSAGE TO HATERSSt. Cyr lamented the media coverage and said they both expected negativity because "thats how people get clicks." St. Cyr said Hudson helped her realize they were not alone in that regard."And she admits that a lot of backlash still showed up to the pageant that night to compete, and I as well, with a lot of backlash and a lot of people saying that I shouldn't be there."Shelby Howell, of Bangor, was named Miss Maine USA.St. Cyr, of Monson, was a semifinalist. Hudson, who represented Hancock, won the "style" award.Hudson appeared to have a message for critics during the event. Shewas asked how she was doing before launching into her answer."Im feeling an immense amount of pride right now," she saidvia Mass Live. "I hope anyone whos watching this finds the strength to push through whatever it is that theyre going through and embodies that hate never wins."When asked what moment in life she would want to go back to, Hudson said she wished she could be transported back to her familys fishing boat."I think about this often because theres a mass exodus for fishermen occurring in the rural areas of Maine, and I dont want to see more fishermen leave this place," she said. "As your next Miss Maine USA, I would make a point to go to communities to go into the government and advocate for these people so that they dont have to think about these memories as a past moment."Follow Fox News Digitalssports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

American and Israeli officials believe the release of Edan Alexander, 21, presents a "window of opportunity" to free the remaining 58 hostages still held by Hamas after 585 days since their capture on Oct. 7, 2023.Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and hostage envoy Adam Boehler will travel from Israel to Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for further negotiations for the release of not only the 24 hostages still believed to be alive, but also the bodies of at least 34 individuals who have been held by the terrorist group including four Americans: Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, and Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai.In a nearlytwo-hour meeting with Witkoff, Boehler and the Hostages Families Forum, both officials emphasized that they remain committed to returning all hostages and confirmed they would not be traveling to Doha if they did not believe there was a real chance in advancing negotiations.AMERICAN HOSTAGE EDAN ALEXANDER RELEASED BY HAMAS AFTER MORE THAN 580 DAYS IN CAPTIVITYWhile Alexander's return has been championed as a major success story, and both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were reported to have spoken with the Israeli American from a hospital in Tel Aviv, immense concern remains over the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.Though Israel ceased its military operations in the Gaza Strip to secure the safe transport of Alexander on Monday, it has not committed to any continued cessation of strikes.In Witkoffs comments to the families of the hostages, he said President Trump would not "tolerate anything other than everybody coming home, and he will be relentless in that pursuit." He continued, "you saw what happened with the Houthis. You saw what happened when people don't do well with the United States, we don't do so well with them. So it's a message of do what we ask you to do. And you know then things will be better."Israeli reports also suggested the envoy may be feeling frustrated with his Israeli counterparts."We want to bring the hostages home, but Israel is not willing to end the war. Israel is prolonging it despite the fact that we dont see where else we can go and that an agreement must be reached," Witkoff reportedly said during the meeting with thehostage families."There is currently a window of opportunity that we hope Israel and all the mediators will take advantage of," he was reported to have added. "We are putting pressure on all the mediators and doing everything we can to bring the hostages home."The comments reportedly come following reports that Trump has also grown increasingly frustrated with his Israeli counterpart.TRUMP STRAINS RELATIONSHIP WITH NETANYAHU AS MIDDLE EAST POLICY INCREASINGLY ISOLATES ISRAELIsrael said last week that Trumps visit to the Middle East would be "the window of opportunity" to secure a ceasefire otherwise it would continue with its newly announced plans to capture all of Gaza, despite immense international pushback and concerns over human rights abuses and violations of U.N.-established borders.The comments came after Netanyahu prompted immense outcry after he said his number one priority was destroying Hamas, not returning the hostages, despite opposition to the plan by the majority of Israelis.On Monday, Netanyahu reiterated his intent to "destroy" Hamas while speaking with injured reservists and confirmed that even if Hamas agrees to return the hostages, Israel will continue with its military operations."In the coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation. Completing the operation means defeating Hamas. It means destroying Hamas," he said."Its possible that Hamas will say, Time out we want to release ten more [hostages]. Fine, bring them. Well take them, and then well go in. But there will not be a situation in which we stop the war. There may be a temporary ceasefire, but were going all the way," he confirmed.Witkoffs team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals questions.

President Donald Trump has not even hit the four-month mark yet in his second tour of duty in the White House, but that is not stopping Democrats from already looking ahead to the 2028 presidential campaign.The very early moves in the next White House race by potential presidential contenders are clearly underway.The latest comes from 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who later served as Transportation secretary in former President Joe Biden's administration. He is headlining a town hall with veterans on Tuesday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Iowa's caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties' presidential nominating calendars until the Democratic National Committee (DNC) demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule.TRUMP'S APPROVAL RATINGS SLIDE, BUT DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S POLLS HIT ALL-TIME LOWSAnother potential contender, two-term Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, late last month, gave the keynote address at a major state party fundraising gala in New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House.Even though he says he is not laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential run, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore later this month will headline a major state party fundraising dinner in South Carolina, which the DNC anointed last cycle as their lead-off contest on the primary calendar.Also making noise is two-term Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who said recently he would consider running for president if he felt he could successfully unite the country.WHAT BERNIE SANDERS SAID IN A FOX NEWS DIGITAL INTERVIEWAdditionally, progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York grabbed plenty of attention the past couple of months, co-headlining a slew of large rallies across the country with longtime progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, which sparked plenty of 2028 speculation.The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last November's election setbacks, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. Republicans additionally made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party's base.Since Trump's return to power, an increasingly angry and energized base of Democrats has been pushing for party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president's sweeping and controversial agenda during the opening months of his second administration.Democrats are not only looking ahead to next year's midterms, when they hope to make ballot box gains, but also to the next presidential race."There was a sense of hopelessness earlier this year among Democrats, as Trump came in with his wrecking ball, and it seemed like there was nothing but futile opposition to him," longtime Democratic strategist and communication Chris Moyer told Fox News. "So thinking about a presidential race with potential candidates is a way to get some hope back and look towards a future that doesn't include Trump."Moyer, a veteran of a handful of Democratic presidential campaigns, said the race is "wide open, and it wont be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates."The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race, too.For now, however, here is an early look at Democrats considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders.After lying low as the Biden administration came to a close, former Vice President Kamala Harris has picked up the political pace of late, including headlining a major DNC fundraiser last week in New York City.Among her campaign options that she is weighing is a 2026 run for the open governor's seat in her home state of California and another bid in 2028 for the White House.A source in the former vice president's political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital two months ago that Harris had told allies she would decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a 2026 gubernatorial campaign.Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and represented the Golden State in the U.S. Senate before joining Biden's 2020 ticket and winning election as vice president.Additionally, Harris would be considered the clear frontrunner for governor in heavily blue California in the race to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom.However, early polling in the 2028 Democratic nomination race indicates that Harris would be the frontrunner, thanks in part to her name recognition within her party.While there are plenty of voices within the party who would like to move on from the Biden/Harris era following Trump's sweeping victory, and there is little history of Democrats yearning for past defeated presidential nominees, Trump has re-written the rules when it comes to defeated White House contenders making another run.Potential buyers' remorse of a second Trump administration could boost the 60-year-old Harris in the years to come.The progressive "rock star" and best-known lawmaker among the so-called "Squad" of diverse House Democrats in October turned 35, the minimum age to run for president.Some Democrats argue that a riveting messenger with star power is needed as the party's next nominee, and Ocasio-Cortez is guaranteed to grab plenty of attention if she ultimately decides to run.There is also speculation the four-term federal lawmaker from New York City may primary challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York when he is up for re-election in 2028.California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for Biden during the president's re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News.Newsom's travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party's nominating calendar.After Harris, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats' 2024 ticket, the governor continued after a pause his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House.While Newsom and California's Democrat-dominated legislature took action to "Trump-proof" the Golden State, the governor has also worked with Trump on key matters, including January's wildfires that devastated parts of metropolitan Los Angeles.Newsom also appears to have moderated on some issues and invited well-known Trump allies Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his weekly podcast.The 57-year-old Newsom, who is term-limited, completes his duties in Sacramento at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up.Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has become a leading voice in the Democrats' opposition to Trump and has taken steps to Trump-proof his solidly blue state."You come for my people, you come through me," Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois.Pritzker was also a high-profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire.Additionally, the governor's recent trip to New Hampshire sparked more 2028 buzz.However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 60-year-old governor must decide whether he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois.Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with Trump over COVID-19 federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt.Trump, at the time, called her "that woman from Michigan."Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer's name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president.Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris.However, Whitmer was criticized by some in her party for appearing to cozy up to Trump during a White House visit earlier this spring.The 53-year-old governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year.Gov. Josh Shapiro, the 51-year-old first-term governor of Pennsylvania, was on Harris' short-list for vice presidential nominee.Even though the vice president named Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro remained a top surrogate on behalf of his party's 2024 national ticket.However, his two-day swing in New Hampshire during the final full week ahead of Election Day did raise some eyebrows and 2028 speculation.After Harris lost battleground Pennsylvania to Trump, there was plenty of talk within the party that Harris had made the wrong choice for her running mate.Shapiro, who has a track record of taking on the first Trump administration as Pennsylvania attorney general, is expected to play a similar role with Trump back in the White House.The governor will be up for re-election in 2026.Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is considered by many to be another Democratic Party rising star.The 46-year-old Army veteran, Rhodes Scholar and CEO of the charitable organization the Robin Hood Foundation during the coronavirus pandemic was elected two years ago.Even though Moore said in a recent interview on "The View" that he's "not running" in 2028, speculation persists, fueled in part because of his upcoming stop in South Carolina.Moore will be up for re-election in 2026.Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who surpassed expectations during his 2020 Democratic presidential nomination run, was a very active surrogate on behalf of Biden and later Harris, during the 2024 cycle.He helped raise a lot of money for the Democratic Party ticket, including heading a top-dollar fundraiser in New Hampshire.The 43-year-old former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and former naval officer who served in the war in Afghanistan, is considered one of the party's biggest and brightest stars. He was known as a top communicator for the administration, including making frequent appearances on Fox News.Fueling buzz about a potential 2028 presidential run, Buttigieg passed on a 2026 Senate bid in his adopted home state of Michigan and made a high-profile stop in Iowa on Tuesday.Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 47, who was elected governor in 2019 and then re-elected in 2023 in red-state Kentucky, was also on Harris' longer list for potential running mates.Beshear made plenty of new friends and contacts as he ventured to New Hampshire last month to headline the state Democratic Party's annual fall fundraising gala.He served as Kentucky's attorney general before running for governor.Beshear said last week in an interview with local state WDRB that "if you'd asked me a couple years ago if this is something I'd consider, I probably wouldn't have. But I don't want to leave a broken country to my kids. And so, if I'm somebody that can bring this nation together, hopefully find some common ground, it's something I'll consider."Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, 55, is a major player in Washington as the Democratic minority in the Senate fights back against the second Trump administration.Warnock, who won Senate elections in 2020 and 2022 in battleground Georgia, served as senior pastor at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.He is up for re-election in the Senate in 2028.Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, is considered one of the party's most talented orators.Thanks to his 2020 run, Booker made plenty of friends and allies in such early states as New Hampshire and South Carolina.Booker made headlines six weeks ago by delivering a record-breaking 25-hour and 5-minute marathon speech from the floor of the Senate. The speech protested the sweeping and controversial moves so far by Trump during his second administration, as well as the operations of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.The 56-year-old senator is up for re-election in 2026.Since the November election, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been very vocal about the steps Democrats need to take to win back working-class voters.First elected to the House in 2006 and later to the Senate in 2012, the 51-year-old Murphy cruised to re-election this year by nearly 20 points, which means he would not have to decide between a re-election bid and a White House run in 2028.Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, was a tireless surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris.He has been a regular visitor to New Hampshire in the past couple of years, including a high-profile debate last year against then-GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.Khanna has grabbed plenty of attention so far this year as he has held town halls in Republican-controlled congressional districts and targeted Vice President JD Vance with events in the vice president's home state of Ohio and at Yale Law School, where both politicians earned their legal degrees.The 57-year-old sports TV personality, sports radio host, sports journalist, and actor has grabbed a ton of attention this year as he has mulled a White House run and has even grabbed Trump's attention.Another potential contender with plenty of star power is Mark Cuban.The billionaire business mogul and part-owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks was a high-profile surrogate for Harris during her presidential election campaign.Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, 67, who at the beginning of the year finished up his eighth and final year as governor, took his name out of the Harris running mate speculation early in the process last summer.Cooper served 16 years as North Carolina's attorney general before winning election as governor.The former governor is being heavily recruited by Democrats to try and flip a GOP-held Senate seat in North Carolina in next year's midterms.New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, 65, is halfway through her second term steering New Mexico.The governor, a former member of Congress, was a high-profile and busy surrogate on behalf of Harris during the final weeks of the 2024 campaign.The 61-year-old Minnesota governor, who served as Harris' running mate, has two years remaining in his second term in office.While the vice presidential nominee's energy and enthusiasm on the campaign trail this year impressed plenty of Democratic strategists, the final results of the election will make any potential future national run for Tim Walz difficult.Walz has said he is not thinking of 2028, but he has been very busy so far this year heading events across the country, and an upcoming stop in South Carolina is fueling more White House buzz.Three other names keep coming up Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and former Chicago mayor, former congressman, former White House chief of staff and former ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, and Sen. Ruben Gallego of battleground Arizona.

Most of the youth I mentor on the South Side of Chicago come from the projects and from single-parent households. The sad reality is that the government plays a big role in the lives of these kids, from food on the table to the kind of education they receive. No child in America should have to grow up with this kind of dependency on a faceless bureaucracy every child deserves to grow up in a world of true opportunity where they have a shot to make themselves into somebodies.That is why I am launching an unprecedented summer camp initiative that is designed to end this cycle of dependency for once and for all. The camp "Secure the Bag: Gods WaySmall Investors, Big Futures" will directly challenge the destructive victimhood narrative of the Left and steer them toward the American Dream, where they will learn how to seek and create their own opportunities.Most of these young children have no idea that living a life of dependency on the government is not normal. Some of them come from families that have had five or seven generations on the government dole. The first thing we plan to do is disabuse them of that notion that this way of living is normal.CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE FIRST TWO LESSONS I TEACH MY KIDS ON CHICAGO'S SOUTH SIDEWhile Chicago politicians debate endlessly about solutions, this summer we will teach our youth that conservative or American values are the ones that truly lift individuals out of poverty. We will teach them the values of hard work, personal responsibility, entrepreneurship, and faith-based stewardship.We will educate these young minds on how government checks along with handouts have never lifted anyone out of poverty permanently. They instead trap their families and communities in endless cycles of dependency where there is little dignity to be had. Worse, the habit of ambition and aspiration is never learned. Our youth must learn to reject the false promises of the radical left and instead choose the path of freedom, self-reliance, and their God-given potential.I know freedom is scary for many. It exposes the flaws within us. But that is what this camp is for. So we can see where we stand today and begin the work to improve ourselves so that we may one day have the strength to not only create our own opportunities but pursue them with the resilience and faith that is needed to turn them into reality.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONTasha grew up in this world of dependency and her upbringing has not been an easy one. Her father was killed by a bullet and her mother works two jobs to provide for the family. Tasha admires her mothers strength and courage and she dreams of giving back to her mother and lifting her family out of poverty.See? She has the dream. A dream that is so natural to most of us if we were to find ourselves in her shoes. But Tasha doesnt know where the pathway to opportunity is.That is why I created this camp for kids like Tasha. For the entire summer, she will learn that she is capable, valuable, and designed for greatness. We will tell her that she must refuse to allow herself to be defined by tragedy or dependency. Her life must not be wasted. Faith and self-reliance will instead be her guiding lights.Today, more than ever, America stands at a crossroads. We can continue to fund failed government programs that breed poverty and all the ills that come along with it or we can invest directly in individuals like Tasha.It is my hope that you will support our camp with your prayers and anything else you feel called to do and help us change the culture in our country by installing the American values of faith, hard work, and education as the true pathways to a life of opportunity.Stand with us. Help us secure the bag, Gods way.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM PASTOR COREY BROOKS

The SKIMS founder set to confront Paris robbery gunmen in court. (Video credit: AP)

Fox News correspondent Brooke Taylor reports as ICE arrests hundreds in a week-long operation in Houston.