Democrats are rolling out The Bench — a new political group pushing a crop of rising star candidates aiming to remake the party. The organization, which was formally launched earlier this month by a handful of campaign veterans, says its mission is to spend resources to build a bench full of candidates which they highlight as "the future of the Democratic Party ." The launch of the new group comes as Democrats aim to win back House and Senate majorities in this year's midterm elections, but as the party also suffers from historically low favorability and approval ratings. The party in power in Washington, D.C., which this year is clearly the GOP, normally faces stiff political headwinds in the midterm elections. And the latest national polls indicate that President Donald Trump 's approval ratings remain well underwater, fueled in part by Americans' continued deep concerns over persistent inflation. DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW AND UPHILL PATH TO SENATE MAJORITY But ...

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. , called for a full investigation after a federal agent fatally shot a man who was allegedly armed in Minneapolis on Saturday, calling the incident "incredibly disturbing." Cassidy joined a chorus of Democratic lawmakers raising questions following the shooting death of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex J. Pretti, who was killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday. Pretti allegedly confronted officers during a Department of Homeland Security operation in south Minneapolis and was carrying a gun, according to the agency. "The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing," Cassidy said in a post on X. "The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake. There must be a full joint federal and state investigation." Cassidy added that "we can trust the American people with the truth." TRUMP BRIEFED ON BORDER PATROL-INVOLVED SHOOTING AS MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR DEMANDS END TO ENFORCEMENT OPERATION The Louisiana Republican's...

A New Jersey man accused of injuring a young girl by throwing a baseball-sized rock at a school bus is in the country illegally, according to federal officials. Hernando Garcia-Morales, 40, of Palisades Park, faces multiple charges in connection with a Jan. 7 motor vehicle incident on the northbound New Jersey Turnpike, the New Jersey State Police said. The third-grade children were traveling back to Yeshivat Noam Jewish day school in Paramus after a class trip to the Liberty Science Center when a large rock smashed through the bus window , the school previously told Fox News Digital.  An 8-year-old girl suffered a skull fracture after being struck by the rock and was forced to have surgery, officials said. EXCLUSIVE: MOM SPEAKS OUT AFTER ILLEGAL ALIEN DUI SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY KILLS 8-YEAR-OLD, MAIMS MARINE DAD Garcia-Morales was arrested on Jan. 9 by New Jersey Turnpike State Police for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and possession of a weapon....

Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas, returned to the Lone Star State Friday after a photo went viral on social media of him boarding a plane as the state prepares for a potentially historic winter storm. The senator appeared to poke fun at himself on Friday as online chatter swirled over the past few days about whether he would once again be absent as his constituents hunkered down during a major weather event. "I’ve returned home from my work trip. It’s 66 degrees & beautiful. A storm is expected tomorrow night," Cruz wrote in an X post Friday. "But I am reliably informed by Twitter that if I simply raise up my hand on Texas soil , the storm will turn around & sunshine, rainbows & unicorns will emerge. Let it be," he continued. TRUMP MOCKS 'ENVIRONMENTAL INSURRECTIONISTS' AS AMERICANS BRACE FOR MASSIVE WINTER STORMS: 'GLOBAL WARMING?' In 2021, Cruz was slammed for traveling to Cancun, Mexico , with his family the same week that Texas dealt with...

Republicans are clinging to a razor-thin 218-213 House majority. But House Speaker Mike Johnson shouldn't expect many reinforcements anytime soon. This month's shocking early House retirement of MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and the unexpected death of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California further shrunk the GOP's margins in the chamber. And that has House GOP leaders keeping a tight leash on the party's rank and file members. DEMOCRATIC TAKEOVER FEARS SOAR AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS CLING TO FRAGILE MAJORITY "They'd better be here," Johnson recently said of his members. "I told everybody, and not in jest, I said, no adventure sports, no risk-taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here." And House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office confirmed it is advising members that "outside of life-and-death circumstances," they expect Republican lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill. REP. LAMALFA'S DEATH FURTHER...

"Real Time" host Bill Maher predicted Friday that Republicans will get the "dogs--t kicked out" of them in the midterms for one reason alone: immigration. "This is not what people voted for," Maher argued, showing his panelists pictures of people in the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including one of a woman appearing to be pepper sprayed in the face against the road. Maher’s criticism was echoed by thousands of protesters in Minneapolis Friday , who marched in sub-zero temperatures against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge. Some held signs featuring Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE agent after appearing to drive toward him with her vehicle on Jan. 7. CROCKETT WARNS OF NATIONWIDE PROTESTS OVER ICE SHOOTING: 'STATE-SANCTIONED EXECUTION' Maher called the shooting a public execution. "That woman, that was an execution in the street," Maher said,...

The Department of the Navy issued an apology letter Friday to former military personnel "unjustly removed" from service because of the COVID vaccine mandate during the Biden administration. Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao emphasized that the Department of War is committed to "righting past wrongs" and welcoming back former service members who were dismissed during the pandemic. "To the sailors and marines who were wrongfully discharged during COVID, we failed you," Hung said in a video posted on X. "We will never allow this to happen again, not on my watch. We are ready for you to come back, and we want to correct your records." Cao, the Department of the Navy’s chief operating and chief management officer, overseeing roughly one million Navy, Marine Corps and civilian personnel, acknowledged the impact of the mandate on those it forced out. HEGSETH ORDERS ABOUT FACE ON PENTAGON'S SLIPPING GROOMING STANDARDS "We are righting ...