Mr. Cao, who earned an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, defeated four other Republican candidates: Jonathan Emord, Eddie Garcia, Scott Parkinson, and Chuck Smith.

Mr. Cao’s victory sets the stage for a November showdown with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a popular incumbent who’s best known to most Americans as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 running mate.

Mr. Kaine is a political powerhouse in the Old Dominion State, where he won his most recent election in 2018 by roughly 16 points.

Mr. Cao initially ran for federal office in 2022, when he attempted to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.). Mr. Cao came within six points of winning the district, bringing Democrats’ 13-point lead from the previous election down to just a 6 percent gap, but was ultimately unsuccessful in his bid.

Former President Trump endorsed Mr. Cao on May 26, 2024.

In a post to Truth Social, former President Trump said that Mr. Cao “ will be a tireless fighter to stop Inflation, grow our Economy, secure our Border, strongly support our Incredible Military/Vets, and defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Despite liking former President Trump, some Republicans voters we spoke with in the district expressed reservations about the nominee.

Steve Robinson, 75, of Loudoun County, told The Epoch Times that he doubted Mr. Cao’s ability to win the election.

Mr. Robinson said he was backing Mr. Emord, a constitutional lawyer. He said if Mr. Emord were elected, it would at least be “possible,” if “unlikely” for Republicans to flip the seat.

“If we don’t select him, or we elect Cao as our candidate, unfortunately he couldn’t beat Jennifer Wexton in the last election, so there’s no way he could beat Tim Kaine.”

Mr. Robinson indicated that he thought the endorsement was an effort to win increased Republican support among minorities.

The political arithmetic represents an uphill battle for Mr. Cao. Virginians last sent a Republican to the upper chamber in 2002. The last statewide vote to send a Republican to federal office came in 2004, when Virginians voted to reelect President George W. Bush.

But there are some encouraging signs for Republicans in the state. In the two most recent polls taken in the presidential contest, conducted by Fox News and Roanoke College, former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden were locked in a dead heat.

Early polling indicates that whatever happens at the presidential level, Mr. Kaine still retains the advantage on the Senate level.

Earlier polling looked at a hypothetical match-up between the popular Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Mr. Kaine.

In those polls, Mr. Kaine led by between 2 and 5 points—which doesn’t bode well for Mr. Cao, who doesn’t have nearly the same statewide profile as Mr. Youngkin.

In a late April poll, pollsters asked voters who they’d choose in a hypothetical matchup between Mr. Kaine and Mr. Cao. In that poll, Mr. Kaine led by 12 points.

Still, with polls showing that Republicans are on track for a better performance in Virginia than they’ve seen in years, the seat remains a target for Senate Republicans.

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President Trump spoke to reporters before taking the stage in Laconia, New Hampshire, where he fielded questions from NTD, The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet, and others. It marked his last campaign stop in the Granite State ahead of the first in the nation primary.

Asked how he would bring the United States back together after years of deep political division, President Trump told NTD that he would do it through “success.”

Now, in a head-to-head with former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley for the nomination, President Trump refrained from saying he thinks she should drop out, telling NTD, “That’s up to her.”

The comments come as team Haley is praying for a win in New Hampshire, where some polls have shown her roughly neck and neck with the former president.

But President Trump didn’t seem worried. Asked whether he thought he could replicate his historic Iowa win in New Hampshire, President Trump was confident he could.

“I think we’ll win by big margins,” he said.

Despite some polls giving Ms. Haley a reason for optimism, most polls still show President Trump with a sizable lead in New Hampshire, which helped deliver him to the White House in 2016.

Former Rivals Take the Stage

President Trump was joined in Laconia by three of his former rivals for the nomination, who’ve since dropped out and endorsed him.

These included biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

“Now is the time for the Republican Party to come together,” President Trump said. “We have to unify.”

President Trump then turned to his erstwhile adversaries, who spoke in favor of their former rival.

“Right now, we need a commander-in-chief who will lead us to victory in this war,” said Mr. Ramaswamy. “That is this man standing right here.

“If you want to seal the border, vote Trump. If you want to restore law and order in this country, vote Trump. If you want to defeat the deep state, vote Trump. If you want to fight inflation, vote Trump. If you want to revive national pride in this country, vote Trump. If you want to revive our national identity in this country, for Trump. If you want to make America great again, vote Trump.”

Mr. Ramaswamy then turned the podium over to Mr. Burgum.

“Biden has been a disaster on the economy,” the governor said. “He has been a disaster on energy, and he has been a disaster on national security, including the border.

“Under Donald J. Trump, our cities were safer. Our country was safer, and we were absolutely economically better off than we are today. Now, Joe Biden’s energy policies are empowering … dictators, and they’re hurting our economy.

“They’re raising the prices of what you pay for gas in your car, food on your table, and energy to heat your homes. We need Donald Trump. America needs Donald Trump.”

Up next was Mr. Scott, who spent his time on crowd engagement.

“If you want four more years of Donald Trump, let me hear your scream,” he shouted.

The MAGA crowd screamed back.

“If you want the race to be over tomorrow, let me hear you scream,” he said.

Another round of cheers.

“Four more years of low inflation under Donald Trump,” he added. “Four more years of low crime and high law and order under Donald J. Trump.”

President Trump also mentioned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, emphasizing the proper pronunciation of his name rather than using the now-retired nickname “DeSanctimonious,” and saying he ran a great campaign.

Interrupted by Hecklers

President Trump also faced interruptions from three sets of hecklers during a speech in Laconia, New Hampshire.
The hecklers, whose remarks were unclear, appeared to be climate protestors who’ve recently crashed a series of GOP events in the state, including those of Ms. Haley.

The interrupters were quickly escorted out by security in turn, facing boos and jeers from President Trump’s supporters as they left. Some appeared to be wearing face masks, and members of the crowd shouted against “Antifa.”

The hecklers heralded back to an earlier day of President Trump’s political tenure when hecklers were commonplace. However, President Trump hasn’t faced much strong opposition during his rallies recently.

Trump Says He’ll ‘Free the J6ers’

President Trump said he would free those arrested, convicted, and detained in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

While President Trump was speaking at a rally in Laconia, New Hampshire, his final campaign stop before the first in the nation primary election, someone called out “Free the J6ers!”

“We will,” President Trump replied.

The comment falls in line with past comments President Trump has made calling on the administration to free several of those held on charges related to Jan. 6, who he’s described as “hostages.”

With the conclusion of the rally, President Trump wraps up his long series of campaign stops in New Hampshire, as this was his final rally ahead of the New Hampshire primary.

The New Hampshire primary is an important test for the viability of Ms. Haley, the sole remaining contender still battling for the nomination.

While she only received third place in Iowa—over 30 points behind President Trump’s historic win—New Hampshire is less conservative and less religious, making it more amenable to her sometimes anti-Trump messaging.

A win in New Hampshire could keep her in the race, potentially giving her the momentum to become a serious rival to President Trump—a long shot given President Trump’s domineering lead nationwide, but not unheard-of in the history of presidential politics.

Failure to win the state would indicate trouble for Ms. Haley’s presidential aspirations. A win for President Trump, meanwhile, would all but cement his place as the Republican nominee.

A loss, meanwhile, would still leave Ms. Haley with a great deal of ground to catch up on in future battles, where she still largely trails President Trump by wide margins.

T.J. Muscaro contributed to this report.

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Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a declared candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, says he thinks transgender procedures on minors, including hormone blockers, should be allowed as long as a parent consents.

While governor of New Jersey, Christie signed into law a measure that allows self-identifying transgender minors to use the bathroom that accords with their professed gender identity. That proposal advanced amid national debate over whether transgender people should use opposite-sex bathrooms, particularly biological males using female bathrooms.

Now, a number of states have passed laws restricting access to transgender procedures for minors as the country has seen a sharp uptick in the number of youths who question their gender identity.

States with laws that limit transgender procedures include Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. Similar legislation is pending, having been approved by at least one state legislative chamber, in Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming. In total, 33 states have at least a pending bill addressing the topic.

Critics of transgender transitions by minors say minors aren’t developmentally equipped to make such decisions, arguing that the procedures used—double mastectomy, chemical or physical castration, and potentially sterilizing hormones and puberty blockers—are permanent and don’t take into account the prospect that a child may become more comfortable with their biological sex later in life. Supporters say these procedures are the most effective way to treat gender dysphoria, the subjective feeling that one’s “true” gender does not align with the gender they were “assigned” at birth.

Christie took a midline position on the issue, suggesting that he would allow the procedures as president but would emphasize the importance of parental involvement.

“Many Republican governors across the country have been banning hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender people under 18 years old,” anchor Jake Tapper said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“As governor of New Jersey, you signed into law some legal protections for trans people, including students. What do you make of your fellow Republican governors and candidates going in the opposite direction?”

Christie responded, “Jake, what I believe we should be focused on most importantly in these issues, is making sure there’s parental involvement and every step along the way.

“I don’t think that the government should ever be stepping into the place of the parents in helping to move their children through a process where those children are confused or concerned about their gender. And I just would say the parents are the people who are best positioned to make these judgments. And so what I’d like to make sure each state does is require that parents be involved in these decisions.

“The fact is, that folks who are under the age of 18 should have parental support and guidance and love as they make all of the key decisions of their life. And this should not be one that’s excluded by the government in any way.”

The comments put Christie at odds with some of his top rivals for the Republican nomination.

Former President Donald Trump, far and away the front-runner in current polling for the party’s nomination, has vowed to “defeat the cult of gender ideology” as a key plank of his 2024 platform. Trump has said that he would “protect children from left-wing gender insanity,” saying he would seek to punish doctors who perform such procedures on minors.

“No serious country should be telling its children that they were born with the wrong gender,” Trump said. “Under my leadership, this madness will end.”

The controversy has also been a pet issue for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s Trump’s closest competitor in various polls.

Last year, DeSantis signed a law—dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics, despite no overt reference to any gender identity or sexual orientation—preventing teachers from discussing controversial ideas of sexuality and gender in the classroom with children younger than 10 years old.

More recently, DeSantis signed into law a comprehensive package that limits access to transgender procedures and opposite-sex bathrooms.

That bill sought to define biological sex, describing a female as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing eggs” and a male as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing sperm.”

Christie’s position, while it may appeal to some independents, could put the candidate in conflict with the prevailing attitude of voters within his party.

In a Twitter post, the panel announced that Wray had told them the document was real and offered to let them review it, but has failed to produce the document for the Oversight Committee as a whole.

If true, the acknowledgment is the latest in an escalating showdown between House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Wray over the document.

In a May 3 letter, Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) revealed that they received “highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures” that the FBI possessed an unclassified record that “describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.”

Comer gave Wray a May 30 deadline to produce the document or face charges for contempt of Congress—a deadline Wray missed. The threat got a boost after it won the support of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who agreed to hold Wray in contempt if the deadline wasn’t met.

On May 31, Wray met with Comer and others, when he allegedly revealed the truth of the document’s existence.

But he’s failed to turn it over to the panel, prompting Republicans to again warn that they’ll move forward with contempt charges.

“If the FBI fails to hand over the FD-1023 form as required by the subpoena, [Comer] will begin contempt of Congress proceedings,” the Oversight panel wrote on Twitter.

After the announcement, the White House criticized Comer’s investigation into the matter, calling it a “silly charade” and “yet another reminder that his so-called ‘investigations’ are political stunts not meant to get information but to spread thin innuendo and falsehoods to attack the president.

“He has already admitted this isn’t about uncovering facts but about trying to hurt the president’s poll numbers, so the only question left is how long he will waste time, energy, and taxpayer dollars to support a fact-free, politically motivated goose chase simply to get media attention and the Fox News spotlight.”

This is a reference to an earlier comment Comer made, saying, “Look at that polling,” in regard to the public opinion outcome of his investigations into the president’s business dealings.

FBI Reply

Wray’s agency, already facing allegations of weaponization, was accused by several Republicans of withholding the document in order to protect Biden.

In an emailed response to The Epoch Times, the FBI said that it “remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith,” saying that it has made an “extraordinary accommodation” to meet Comer’s request while complying with confidentiality and national security requirements.

“In a letter to Chairman Comer earlier today, the FBI committed to providing access to information responsive to the Committee’s subpoena in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations,” a spokesperson said.

“Last week, Director Wray scheduled a telephone call for tomorrow to provide additional details of the FBI’s extraordinary accommodation to satisfy the subpoena request.”

The agency dismissed calls to hold Wray in contempt, saying, “Any discussion of escalation under these circumstances is unnecessary.”

The Bidens’ Business Dealings

Due to the FBI’s reluctance to hand over the document, it remains unclear what the exact charges leveled against Biden are. But Republicans have long sought to learn more about possible ethical concerns in the Bidens’ business dealings.

In January 2023, days after Republicans retook control of the House, Comer sent a request for information related to art sales made by Hunter Biden.

Just weeks before the 2020 election, the New York Post published a report documenting findings from Hunter Biden’s laptop, which had reportedly been forgotten at a computer repair shop.

Among other findings, emails on the laptop revealed that while he was still the vice president, Biden had been introduced to a top executive at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.

“Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving me an opportunity to meet your father,” reads an April 17, 2015, email allegedly sent from Vadym Pozharskyi, a Burisma executive, to Hunter Biden.

In December 2015, Joe Biden candidly admitted to the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018 that he threatened to withhold a $1 billion loan guarantee from Ukraine if a prosecutor looking into Burisma was not removed from his post. This threat came about eight months after Pozharskyi allegedly met the elder Biden.

“I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,” Biden said of the affair in 2018.

“Well, son of a [expletive],” Biden continued. “He got fired.”

If true, this would mean that Biden’s oft-repeated claim that he has had no role in his son’s business dealings is false.

‘Don’t Mention Joe Being Involved’

James Gilliar, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, allegedly told fellow partner Tony Bobulinski in a May 20, 2017, email not to mention “Joe being involved.”

“Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s only when u [sic] are face to face, I know u [sic] know that, but they are paranoid,” Gilliar told Bobulinski.

Bobulinski, who confirmed the authenticity of the emails in a later statement, replied at the time, “OK, they should be paranoid about things.”

Another email relayed from Gilliar to Hunter Biden, Bobulinski, and a fourth business partner on May 13, 2017, described the breakdown of each member’s shares in a Chinese business venture dubbed Sinohawk.

“’Sino’ for the Chinese side, ‘hawk’ for Hunter’s brother Beau’s favorite animal,” Bobulinski later explained.

Gilliar suggested each of the primary business partners would receive 20 percent. Another participant, called “Jim” by Gilliar, and likely referring to Biden’s brother, apparently was to receive 10 percent. Finally, the other 10 percent would be “held by H for the big guy.”

On Oct. 22, 2020, Bobulinski made a public statement confirming that “the big guy” was indeed a reference to Joe Biden.

The document alleged by whistleblower allegations could give a more solid basis to allegations of Biden’s business dealings if recovered.

Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.

Navarro made the comments during an appearance on NTD. Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg, who is leading the case against Trump, is poised to release the list of charges against Trump on the afternoon of April 4.

Trump is accused of making a “hush money” payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claims the two had an affair in 2006, a charge that Trump denies. Further, the charges against Trump are considered misdemeanors past the statute of limitations that Bragg has elevated to a felony.

During his appearance on NTD, Navarro suggested that the charges were so unjust that moving ahead with the indictment constitutes “a crossing the Rubicon kind of event” for Trump’s enemies.

“It’s pure persecution that stems from the clear weaponization of our government for partisan purposes,” Navarro said when asked his opinion on the issue.

“This is unprecedented,” Navarro said. “Today is a very historic day in the sense that they’ve really gone too far.”

Executive Privilege

A key aspect of Navarro’s comments focused on the U.S. legal principle of executive privilege.

Navarro is under federal investigation for contempt of Congress due to his refusal to appear before the Jan. 6 panel during the last Congress. Like other Trump advisers, Navarro has claimed that executive privilege protected him from cooperating with the probe. Executive privilege is a U.S. legal tradition whereby the president is immune to specific congressional inquiries and subpoenas because he is the commander-in-chief and key national security figure.

Navarro still faces criminal proceedings for alleged contempt of Congress and faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

“[Trump] is the first president in our history of our republic to ever be indicted on a criminal charge,” Navarro said. “I myself am the first senior White House adviser and alter ego to the President ever to be charged with contempt of Congress. So these are like crossing the Rubicon kind of events.”

Navarro denounced Biden’s effort to strip Trump and his advisers of executive privilege as part of the larger weaponization of the federal government.

“Executive privilege … is something that goes back to the days of George Washington,” Navarro said. “It’s an institution in this country designed to enhance effective executive decision-making by ensuring the separation of powers, and of course, Biden has attacked that one head-on.”

Specifically, Biden has attempted to retroactively withdraw the claims of Trump and his aides using executive privilege.

During the interview, Navarro was asked what concerns he has about the effort to undermine the doctrine of executive privilege.

“I want to again reiterate what executive privilege means,” Navarro replied. “The word ‘privilege’ has kind of got a sketchy connotation these days, the way it’s been bandied about by the woke left, but executive privilege, again, goes back to George Washington.”

Navarro explained, “When [Washington] was president, he noticed that the legislative branch, that is, Congress, was trying to encroach upon the executive branch’s responsibilities. So the principle of separation of powers says that the President himself and his top advisors, who are treated identical to the president … have this executive privilege, meaning that they cannot be subpoenaed by Congress to testify or provide documents.”

The move to strip Trump and his advisers of executive privilege marks a sharp departure from previous Department of Justice (DOJ) policy, Navarro said. For over 50 years, the DOJ has worked on the assumption of complete testimonial immunity for the president and his advisors.

During the last Congress, however, Navarro and former Trump aide Steve Bannon were indicted for contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 panel.

“There’s no precedent, there’s no case law, there’s nothing, not a zip” to justify the change, Navarro said. “It’s a ridiculous kind of thing, but for me, it was the tell in the whole case because it revealed the true partisan nature of it.”

Agent Provocateurs

During the interview, Navarro expressed concern that protests following the release of charges could be sabotaged by agent provocateurs working with the FBI, DOJ, or Antifa.

“I’m very concerned, in both New York and in Mar-a-Lago, that there will be agent provocateurs, Antifa, BLM, maybe even FBI informants trying to provoke a crowd to violence because one of the Democrats spins—for example, in the Jan. 6 thing—is that somehow we’re extremists and we incite violence,” Navarro said.

He cited reporting by Revolver News’ Darren Beattie that showed conclusively that FBI informants were in the crowd on Jan. 6. In the past, the FBI has evaded questions by Congress about its level of involvement during the Jan. 6 protest.

“If anybody tries to incite violence, take their picture, and let’s find out whether they’re there, whether they’re in Antifa, BLM, or the FBI,” Navarro said.

Many Republicans have expressed concern about protests taking a violent turn following the announcement of charges against Trump.

Article cross-posted from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.

Article by Joseph Lord from our premium news partners at The Epoch Times.

On July 13, the Department of Labor released its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI), showing that consumer prices have gone up by 9.1 percent over the past year, exceeding predictions and hitting a new 40-year high.

The CPI showed that energy has been the hardest hit, with costs rising by around 41.6 percent across the board for all types of energy. Gasoline prices have risen by a staggering 98.5 percent.

Other essentials have also been hard hit: in the past 12 months, the cost of food has gone up an average of 10.4 percent.

In a July 13 statement, Manchin, who has long been vociferous in calling for his party to do more to combat inflation, said: “Today’s inflation data illustrates the pain families across the country are feeling as costs continue to rise at a historic rate. 9.1% is cause for serious concern.

“Items like chicken, eggs and lunchmeat have increased to all-time highs, while energy costs rose more than 40% in June with those that can least afford it suffering the most. It is past time we put our country first and end this inflation crisis.

“For more than a year, leaders in Washington have ignored the serious concerns raised by myself and others about the rising cost of inflation,” Manchin continued. “While Washington seems to now understand this reality, it is time for us to work together to get unnecessary spending under control, produce more energy at home and take more active and serious steps to address this record inflation that now poses a clear and present danger to our economy.

“No matter what spending aspirations some in Congress may have, it is clear to anyone who visits a grocery store or a gas station that we cannot add any more fuel to this inflation fire,” he concluded.

The statement could spell trouble for Democrats who hope to pass through a scaled-down version of the BBB, which originally failed over Manchin’s concerns about inflation in December 2021.

In December, after months of scrambled negotiations with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Manchin dashed Democrats’ hopes when he said he wouldn’t vote for the package amid continued concerns about inflation.

Since then, some Democrats have made efforts behind the scenes to push for a revival of the package. Although Manchin has been loosely involved in these negotiations, they’ve only recently gained traction, winning the support of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who’s now making a desperate push to reach a scaled-down agreement on BBB before the end of the summer.

But any such package is far from close to being ready, according to Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon.

“Suggestions that a reconciliation deal is close are false. Sen. Manchin still has serious unresolved concerns, and there is a lot of work to be done before it’s conceivable that a deal can be reached he can sign onto,” Runyon said.

A particular focus of Democrats with the package has been on climate policy.

Many Democrats have pushed for tax credits for clean energy manufacturing, taxing methane emissions, and a new tax on carbon-intensive imports such as steel. However, this newest inflation report could make Manchin hesitant to accept any such new spending, particularly as his concerns continue to remain unresolved about the proposed package itself.

To pay for these policies, Democrats have pushed for a repeal of several provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—a proposal that the moderate Sinema isn’t enthusiastic about.

During the last round of BBB negotiations, several sources reported that Sinema—who generally declines to comment on her policy positions during negotiations—was opposed to re-hiking the corporate and income tax rates from their post-2017 levels.

It isn’t clear if Sinema maintains her opposition on this front. But if she does, it could put another kink in Democrats’ aspirations to fund the measure.

The legislation also faces potential challenges from Republicans.

On July 7, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) renewed an earlier threat to tank the bipartisan United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), a measure designed to increase U.S. competitiveness with China.

The House and Senate have each passed their own versions of the legislation, and bicameral committees are currently working to hammer out the differences between the versions passed by each chamber.

The White House and Senate alike are anxious to see the competitiveness legislation passed, further heightening the challenges that Democrats could face in moving ahead with a scaled-back BBB.