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I don’t want to hear any more about motives. 

When someone engages in a mass shooting – or attempts to kill a president – they are by definition crazy. 

In the case of the Washington Hilton gunman, his motive is spelled out in his so-called manifesto: He hates President Donald Trump. 

Despite a background in engineering and teaching, he somehow became convinced that Trump was in cahoots with Jeffrey Epstein, calling the president a rapist and pedophile. 

HOW TRUMP SURVIVES: BATTLING THE MEDIA, FORMER ALLIES AND ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS

But again, who cares about motive? Anyone who would storm an event protected by the Secret Service – knowing he could easily wind up dead – is not sane. 

We do this all the time, try to impose a rational framework on irrational attackers.

The shooter was charged in court yesterday with attempted assassination of the president. 

COLE ALLEN CHARGED IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN FIRST COURT APPEARANCE AFTER WHCA DINNER SHOOTING

Another thing we do regularly is blame an entire class of people for the actions of a single attacker. 

After the Secret Service captured the California gunman – who I’m not naming, under my usual policy of not providing the attention they crave – many conservatives blamed "the left."

Trump himself accused the Democrats of "dangerous" and "hateful" speech. 

MS NOW anchor Antonia Hylton countered that the president should have said more about inflammatory rhetoric. 

Just weeks ago, she said, he "posted about the possible extermination of an entire civilization online" and "has called his political foes ‘vermin, lunatics, scum, terrorists, the enemy within.’  He has certainly contributed — at a minimum — to the political rhetoric."

This ideological finger-pointing is nothing new. One year ago, a gunman posing as a police officer killed Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and former speaker, and her husband in their home. The killer, a Trump supporter, also wounded a Democratic senator and his wife in their home. Trump said he was "not familiar" with the case.

One year ago, a man with a history of mental illness and a criminal record set fire to the mansion of Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, on the first night of Passover. He said he would have attacked Shapiro with a sledgehammer if he had encountered him. He had tried to convince his family to vote for Trump and slammed Shapiro for his position on the Palestinians. Trump didn’t contact Shapiro that day but did call the next day.

The gunman who badly wounded Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, and killed six others in Arizona, was said by many in the press to have been inspired by a Sarah Palin political map that put political opponents in crosshairs. Turns out the killer never saw the map. The New York Times apologized and corrected the false accusation, and a Palin suit against the paper was unsuccessful. 

This even goes back to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which President Clinton blamed on the atmosphere caused by the rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh and other conservative broadcasters.

The security lapses at the Washington Hilton were unforgivable. It’s no accident that President Reagan was shot outside the same hotel in 1981, an attack I covered, in which Reagan lost far more blood than was originally disclosed. 

All the gunman had to do to beat the system is take trains to Washington and check in as a guest. As at past White House Correspondent Association dinners, the checking even for tickets was inconsistent. Some journalists and other guests are there only for the pre-parties hosted by news organizations.

As Red Letter reporter Abi Baker explained:

"I didn’t have a dinner ticket, just an invite to a pre-party, so I flashed my phone at security, pulling up the email invitation. There was no barcode to scan, no list to check—just an email for a network news reception that could have been forwarded by anyone. At the party I was invited to, no one asked for ID, only my name. At others, just feet from the ballroom, I walked in without being stopped."

Incredibly, the Secret Service didn’t even invoke the highest level of security for an event attended by the president, vice president, House speaker and top Cabinet officials. There were other events and receptions going on at the hotel at the same time, so the building couldn’t be secured. There may be other reasons to get rid of the press dinner, but it can never again be held at the Hilton, a sprawling structure that has now been the target of two attempted presidential assassinations. 

KIMMEL CALLS MELANIA TRUMP AN ‘EXPECTANT WIDOW’ BEFORE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER SHOOTING

Melania Trump, meanwhile, ripped Jimmy Kimmel for telling this joke:

During a parody skit about the press dinner, he said: "Our First Lady Melania is here. Look at her, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expected widow."

Tasteless, to be sure. But this was days before Kimmel or anyone else imagined there would be gunfire at the dinner. 

"Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," the first lady said in a statement. "His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America," she said in a statement. "People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate…

"A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community."

The president added his voice yesterday, saying that in light of his "despicable call to violence," Kimmel should be "immediately fired by Disney and ABC." In fairness, Kimmel wasn’t calling for violence, he was doing a comedy sketch, but his words were offensive.

MELANIA TRUMP CALLS FOR ABC TO FIRE JIMMY KIMMEL OVER ‘HATEFUL AND VIOLENT RHETORIC'

In December, as part of their long-running feud, Trump called Kimmel "a dead man walking!" and that CBS should "put him to sleep…it is the humanitarian thing to do!"

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that Trump has been the target of "completely deranged" rhetoric since he first ran for president. She blamed a "left-wing culture of hatred." By falsely accusing him of being a "fascist" and "threat to democracy," she said, elected Democrats and some in the media have "helped to legitimize this violence and bring us to this dark moment."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, while calling for a lowering of the temperature, said "you have some of the most prominent figures in the House and in the Senate on the Democrat side effectively calling for war. They use those kinds of metaphors. And it incites violence, because there are crazy people in society, and they get radicalized online."

During an interview on "60 Minutes," Norah O’Donnell read from the shooter’s document. Having somehow convinced himself that Trump was part of Jeffrey Epstein’s child abuse network, he wrote: "I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes." 

"I was waiting for you to read that," Trump said, "because I knew you would – because you’re horrible people…I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody. Excuse me, I’m not a pedophile. You read that crap from some sick person... You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that – because I’m not any of those things."

O’Donnell said she was just citing the shooter’s words. 

TRUMP CALLS '60 MINUTES' HOST 'DISGRACEFUL' FOR READING WHCD SUSPECT'S ALLEGED MANIFESTO ON AIR

It’s important to recognize that Trump also has a history of violent rhetoric. He has accused journalists of "treason," a crime punishable by death.

He has said "if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath," though he was referring to the auto industry.

During the campaign, he said the Democrats were running a "Gestapo administration."

In 2020, he reposted a video of a supporter saying, "The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat."

Two days before the election, he said this about renegade Republican Liz Cheney: 

"She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK? Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face."

And, of course, he pardoned and praised the Jan. 6 rioters.

A Utah prosecutor said the man charged last September with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, despite coming from a Republican family, had moved toward a leftist ideology, and had become "increasingly concerned about gay and trans rights." (He had a transgender roommate.)

The shooter, in court last week, asked that the media be barred from covering the trial because it taints the jury pool.

But that brings us back to the useless question of motive. Who cares? There’s no question the recent spate of violence has come from shooters and suspects who at a minimum could be described as anti-Trump.

Some criticized the president for bringing up his planned White House ballroom, because it would be bulletproof and heavily secured. It’s hardly surprising that he would use the occasion to plug his pet project. 

But a tragedy was averted that could have been so much worse was thankfully averted.

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

FBI Director Kash Patel, who was at the Hilton media dinner, said at a briefing yesterday that Trump had delivered a "message of unity" after the gunfire on Saturday night. We could use more of that, from both sides.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said "the political violence and rhetoric has got to stop." He did not exclude "many in this room" for their negative coverage of the president.

Fortunately for all of us, the Secret Service did its job at the last security checkpoint that prevented the irrational gunman from opening fire in the room below. 

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, posted on social media what appeared to be contradictory messages about the shooting over the weekend at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

In the shooting that unfolded at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., gunman Cole Tomas Allen of California rushed through a security checkpoint with guns and knives. One Secret Service agent was shot in the chest but was saved by his bulletproof vest.

The Justice Department charged Allen with attempting to assassinate the president, transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

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President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials were in attendance, as were members of Congress and the media. Trump and other attendees were rushed off the stage, and the suspect was taken into custody.

Crockett, who lost in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate this year, has made multiple posts about the shooting since it happened, with some condemning political violence and others questioning whether assassination attempts against Trump were staged.

On her official X and Threads accounts, she said, "The political violence is unacceptable and must stop."

"I am grateful that everyone attending tonight’s WHCD is safe," the congresswoman added.

OHIO TEACHER FIRED AFTER VIDEO APPEARING TO LAMENT TRUMP SURVIVING WHCA DINNER SHOOTING

But on her Jasmine For US campaign Threads account, she posted, "Has there ever been a president have this many close 'attempts' on their life?"

"Maybe it’s lax gun laws, maybe it’s lack of mental health funding, or maybe it’s fake… who knows," the post continued.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Crockett's office for comment. A message was also left with the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., seeking comment.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Trump began claiming that the incident showed the need for his proposed White House ballroom. Other administration officials and the president's allies in Congress quickly began pushing for the ballroom as well.

But the dinner was hosted by the White House Correspondents' Association and not the White House, and it had more than twice as many guests as the proposed ballroom could hold.

A judge had, on multiple occasions, halted construction of the $400 million White House ballroom, ruling that it lacked congressional approval, while offering an exception for "actions strictly necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House and its grounds."

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It’s often said that bad ideas start in California and make their way east. But these days, Virginia looks eager to take that crown. 

The two U.S. senators from the Old Dominion aren’t just embracing gun control from Richmond — they’re trying to export it nationwide. Democrat Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner have rolled out the so-called "Virginia Plan," a package that would take 13 of the most extreme gun restrictions in Virginia law and impose them on the entire country. 

In pushing this agenda, Kaine points to the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre as justification. But the facts tell a different story. A comprehensive analysis of mass shootings for more than 75 years demonstrates that 93% of mass public shootings occur in so-called Gun-Free Zones. That suggests the problem is not too many guns, but too many places where only the attacker is armed and victims are left defenseless. 

Nevertheless, Kaine and Warner want to expand those very zones — prohibiting firearms within 1,000 feet of most hospitals and mental health facilities. But does anyone seriously believe a sign will stop a criminal intent on murder? These attackers ignore such restrictions all the time. And given that most of them choose these disarmament zones, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that these policies don’t deter attacks — they invite them.

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Take a hospital in Darby, Penn. A deranged individual entered, intent on killing as many people as possible in 2014. By the logic of gun control advocates, that attack should never have happened. The shooter was prohibited from owning firearms — he couldn’t pass a background check. Yet he still obtained several guns illegally.

And the hospital was exactly what gun control proponents claim to want: a place where no one but law enforcement is allowed to carry. But, in practice, those restrictions did nothing to stop him. And as the saying goes, when seconds count, police are minutes away. 

The gunman walked right past a "no guns allowed" sign and opened fire. What he didn’t expect was resistance. His intended target, Dr. Lee Silverman, was a lawful permit holder who carried despite the hospital’s policy. When the shooting began, Silverman took cover and returned fire, striking the attacker multiple times and stopping the rampage. Tragically, one life was lost — but authorities credited him with preventing a much larger massacre.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE. IS IT TIME FOR A NEW DOMESTIC TERRORISM LAW?

That’s not theory — that’s reality. And yet Virginia’s leaders are moving in the opposite direction. Among the 13 provisions in the Virginia Plan, the most egregious may be its ban on commonly owned firearms — a restriction that Virginia itself is now preparing to enforce. 

The term "assault weapon" is one of the most misleading labels in this debate. But any item used to kill could be labeled an "assault weapon." FBI data from the past five years shows knives are used in about 1,500 homicides annually — over three times more than all rifles combined. AR-15s are only a small subset of long guns. So why is policy fixated on one category that represents a tiny fraction of violent crime? 

These bans don’t just miss the mark — they come at a real cost. The firearms being targeted are among the most popular in the country for lawful purposes, including self-defense. Stripping law-abiding citizens of access to effective defensive tools doesn’t disarm criminals — it only tilts the balance against those who follow the law. If the goal is public safety, we should focus on violent offenders, not restrict responsible citizens. 

That’s something President Donald Trump has done well. Our country is enjoying unprecedented safety — and it didn’t come from new gun restrictions. It came from a shift in priorities. In the first month of his second administration, Trump implemented measures aimed at deporting violent gang members, ending catch-and-release policies for illegal aliens and getting repeat offenders off the streets. That’s what real public safety looks like.

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The results speak for themselves. We saw the largest single-year drop in murders ever recorded — without a single new federal gun control law. While some politicians insist more gun restrictions are the answer, the data shows otherwise: enforce the law, incarcerate violent offenders and crime falls. That should be a wake-up call for anti-gun Democrats like Kaine and Warner. But they’ll likely ignore it. 

In the end, this isn’t just a policy debate — it’s a real fight over whether this nation will respect the Constitution or bend the knee to tyranny. That’s why Gun Owners of America has been engaged in court battles across the country: challenging Illinois’ so-called assault weapons ban, pushing back against expanded Gun-Free Zones in New York, and preparing a challenge to Virginia’s new ban on commonly owned firearms.

At its core, the Virginia Plan is about exporting Virginia’s experiment to the nation. But if it becomes a national model, it will also meet a national response — in the courts, in the states and in defense of the Second Amendment. 

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to travel to parts of the United States beginning Monday, with new details outlining a multi-city visit to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of independence.

The royal couple will visit Washington, D.C., New York City and Virginia from April 27 through April 30, marking King Charles’ first official state visit to the United States as monarch, Buckingham Palace announced.

Queen Elizabeth II previously carried out four state visits to the U.S. in 1957, 1976, 1991 and 2007.

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President Donald Trump, who will host the royal couple at the White House, said he is looking forward to the visit.

Speaking to Fox News anchor Shannon Bream on "Fox News Sunday," Trump said the royals' trip to the U.S. was moving forward as planned.

"King Charles is coming, and he's a great guy, and we look forward to it," Trump said. "He's really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative."

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that the shooting over the weekend at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., has not derailed the royals' visit.

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"Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on [the] advice of [the] government, we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned," the spokesperson said.

Their trip comes during a milestone year commemorating 250 years since the United States declared independence, during the reign of the king’s ancestor, King George III.

Here are some of the highly anticipated stops on King Charles III and Queen Camilla's historic visit this week.

The visit begins in the nation’s capital, where King Charles and Queen Camilla are expected to be welcomed by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a private tea, Reuters reported.

The pair will later attend a formal White House ceremony featuring a military review of troops, followed by a state dinner hosted by the president and first lady, the White House announced in a statement.

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King Charles is also scheduled to address Congress, marking only the second time a British monarch has delivered remarks to a joint meeting, after Queen Elizabeth II’s address in 1991, according to The Associated Press.

After Washington, the king and queen will travel to New York City, where they are expected to honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary later this year, Fox News reported.

They will meet with first responders and families of victims, in addition to other engagements in the city.

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King Charles is set to visit a community organization focused on mentoring children through sustainable urban farming initiatives, while Queen Camilla will attend an event celebrating literature, including the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, People magazine reported.

The trip will wrap up in Virginia, where the royal couple will attend a community block party marking America 250, the nationwide celebration of the country’s 250th birthday, as Fox News has reported.

King Charles is also expected to visit a national park to meet with Indigenous communities involved in conservation efforts, while Queen Camilla will attend an event spotlighting U.S. horse racing, Fox13 reported.

"He's a friend of mine for a long time. So he's coming, and we're going to have a great time. And he represents his nation like nobody else can do," Trump said, praising King Charles on "Fox News Sunday,"

Ashley Hume, Michael Dorgan and Brie Stimson of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.

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Donald Trump has been written off a thousand times and always managed to bounce back.

He hung on when he first got in the race and was mocked as a sideshow. When the "Access Hollywood" tape came out. When his supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. 

He outlasted two impeachments and four criminal cases. He won reelection when that seemed like a long shot. He’s the Harry Houdini of Washington. 

And on Saturday night, he survived his third assassination attempt. At a dinner that was expected to feature the president mocking the media, his calm response to being targeted by a heavily armed shooter generated enormous sympathy for him. It’s a dangerous job, he said.

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In fact, he "fought like hell" to continue with the Correspondents' Association dinner, but the Secret Service – one of whose members was shot but saved by a protective vest – insisted on clearing the room. 

At the same time, Trump has such mounting political problems that it’s hard to avoid the conclusion he’s in a free fall. 

The president is bogged down in an unpopular war and canceled the latest talks. Rising gas prices are inflicting pain at home. He may be losing the redistricting wars. Some of his most prominent supporters in the conservative media have turned on him with a vengeance, even apologizing for having supported him.

That’s not all. The Democrats are virtually certain to win the House. They are talking about impeaching Trump the day they’re sworn in. Sure, he’d be acquitted in the Senate, but his last two years would be a blizzard of investigations and payback.

REPORT GIVES NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT'S 'DESCENT INTO MADNESS'

What’s more, the president can’t run again. He’ll still have the power of incumbency, but the House can block most of what he wants to do (and this is beyond the media fantasy that the opposition party could take the Senate as well).

In the ever-present polls, Trump has dropped as low as 33% approval in an AP survey, his worst numbers ever.

More eye-popping is a new survey with a large sample, from Strength in Numbers/Verasight, which says 21% of Republicans support impeachment, with 72% opposed. Among independents, 50% back impeaching the president.   

And a Fox News poll found more respondents trusting the Democrats over the Republicans on the economy, by four points, for the first time in 15 years.

This comes against the backdrop of Trump having fired three women in his Cabinet, creating a sense of disorder, and his wife giving a televised speech to deny any involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.

But let’s have a reality check.

Trump’s relentless attacks on the press have taken their toll, with many dismissing the coverage as fueled by personal hostility. And Democrats, with few exceptions, aren’t helping themselves by appearing to root for the Iranian terrorists when our service members are at risk.

By November, the Iran war could be a distant memory. The economy might enjoy an uptick. Even now, with the ceasefire collapsing over the Strait of Hormuz blockade, the stock market has hit record highs.

Trump will use his media mastery to dominate the news agenda. He already takes calls from reporters at all hours. 

SHOOTING SUSPECT'S MANIFESTO CLEARLY STATED WHO HE WANTED TO TARGET, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

The Democrats, meanwhile, are leaderless. Even if Hakeem Jeffries is speaker, the president will make far more news. That won’t change until the 2028 primaries, when a front-runner or two emerges.

Trump can make news with executive orders, such as moving marijuana to a lower classification and boosting research into psychedelic drugs.

The betrayal being voiced by his onetime allies on the right, who embraced his pledge of no new foreign wars, may be less important for those not immersed in the online world. But it is a bellwether for the splintering of the MAGA coalition.

Now some of its leading members are calling him erratic and reckless.

No one is loving this more than the Democrats and the Never Trumpers, who say wait, you’re just noticing this now? We’ve been telling you this for years.

"Trump looks desperate to run for the hills," says New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. "He constantly says he has defeated the mullahs and ‘obliterated’ their military power, and yet Iran refuses to be subdued."

SEE PHOTOS: BEFORE AND AFTER SHOOTING AT WH CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER

What’s obvious, says veteran columnist Andrew Sullivan: "Trump is completely out of his depth. He went to war impulsively. He never expected the Iranians to close the Strait of Hormuz; and then they did. And he can’t re-open it. In fact, he decided to close it again. Or something."

Throw in the AI image of Trump as Jesus, which offended many Catholics, and the list of unforced errors just grows. He’s even attacked the Supreme Court, a third of which he appointed.

And there is growing concern about the health of the president, who will soon turn 80, with television running footage every time he closes his eyes at a meeting.

Trump regularly talks about building his massive ballroom, which reminds people of his surprise demolition of the East Wing and plans for a monument that would dwarf the Arc de Triomphe. He brought it up after the gunfire on Saturday night, saying the ballroom would be bulletproof and extremely secure.

Trump also used the gunfire at the Washington Hilton to underscore his own importance. Having studied assassinations, he said, "the most impactful people, the people that do the most… they’re the ones they go after."

Politically speaking, Trump is clearly struggling. But anyone who rules out a rebound for this president is ignoring history.

There will be all kinds of twists and turns in the remaining six months before the midterms, and the Democrats are unpopular as well. 

But here’s a moment of rare consensus: We can all be grateful that the Secret Service did its job well.

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Republican congressional candidate and CAL DOGE Director Jenny Rae Le Roux is slamming Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta for failing to crack down on widespread fraud after her watchdog group uncovered multiple cases she says state leaders ignored.

"Every day is opposite day when it comes to Gavin Newsom and Rob Bonta," Le Roux told Fox News Digital. "Whatever they say, I generally believe the exact opposite is true and so when Gavin Newsom says that fraud is under control, what that means is that either he's in on it or unwilling to do anything about it."

"They are either unwilling to do anything or they are not wanting to do it and they're just trying to spin what they are already doing in that way," she added.

CALIFORNIA REPUBLICAN SLAMS STATE'S HANDLING OF HOSPICE FRAUD AS SHE LOOKS TO FLIP BLUE SEAT

California has been at the center of the national fraud spotlight in recent months as the Trump administration has sent resources to the state to look into various accusations of fraud ranging from healthcare to homelessness to nonprofit organizations.

The CEO of a California hospice advocacy group told congressional lawmakers Tuesday that fraud in the industry is flourishing across the state, questioning how numerous fraudulent providers can continue to operate under the nose of regulators.

"You'd be amazed at how many hospices… the door you can walk up to in California and there is nobody there. Five months' worth of mail that you can see stacked… nobody's there," Sheila Clark, the president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA), said. "And that passed a survey. How did that happen?"

Le Roux said her group uncovered what she described as "intentional fraud" in Sacramento, alleging funds are being redirected toward "Democrat base-building." Cal DOGE is a group that works to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in California that was launched in early 2026 by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton.

The group says it has uncovered almost $700 million in waste, fraud, and abuse since its founding.

"We have been more effective with a group of volunteers in the last 10 weeks than Gavin Newsom and Rob Bonta have since they've been in office," Le Roux said.

She added Bonta’s office wasted resources on legal battles against the Trump administration instead of focusing on fraud patterns that her group identified using artificial intelligence and financial data.

"Rob Bonta's office billed over 150,000 hours a year going after President Trump and the Trump administration's policies that equates to almost 200 lawyers times when you extrapolate it out over an entire year, which is one-sixth of his entire office, and larger than the DOJ office that's actually doing something in California," she said.

Le Roux, a cousin of Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, launched her campaign in March and is running in the GOP primary for California’s 47th Congressional District with a focus on combating fraud.

"It doesn't just happen, it's the normal way of operating, which is why, again, the people who've been perpetrating the fraud and leading the charge on it, Newsom and Bonta, can't be the ones that are actually going to investigate it," she said.

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In one example, she said her group uncovered a case where $370 million in cannabis tax revenue was routed through an intermediary and split into smaller grants that went to unrelated programs. She pointed to systemic flaws, including limited federal prosecution for funds "mostly under $1 million."

"There is no oversight, not one report that is required to explain where the money is spent," she said.

As a result, she said that a lack of oversight has contributed to an estimated $80 billion annually in "fraud, waste, or gross overpayments," arguing the problem is systematic.

Amid recent hospice fraud allegations, Le Roux said stronger oversight could have prevented the issue and curbed the fraud. Newsom’s office pushed back, saying enforcement falls to the federal government.

"These hospice agencies that we are now in the process of shutting down were licensed by the state of California," she said. "They should have never been opened. Every piece of oversight that the state of California should have been administrating had not been happening and so this is a California issue."

She said her group is pressuring officials to prosecute fraud.

"Newsom is trying to take credit for doing nothing instead of actually becoming a part of reform in our state, which is by the way, what not just Republicans, but independents and Democrats want desperately," she said.

However, she emphasized fraud extends beyond California.

"When money flows into California and nothing is checked, that is an American problem, not a California problem," she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Newsom and Bonta for comment.

Newsom's office has responded to critics in general in recent weeks by saying the state is "leading the nation in preventing fraud."

"Since @CAGovernor Gavin Newsom took office: — $125 billion+ in fraud STOPPED — 1,200+ criminals ARRESTED — 83% reduction in EBT fraud in one year — New hospice licenses BANNED beginning in 2022," Newsom's press office posted on X last month.

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A group of Mississippi middle school students jumped into action this week to stop a school bus after the driver lost consciousness on a highway, preventing a potential crash.

About 40 students from Hancock Middle School were on board when their driver, Leah Taylor, 46, suffered an asthma attack shortly after leaving campus, according to The Associated Press.

Taylor attempted to grab her medication but passed out before she could reach it.

Without hesitation, the students sprang into action to keep the bus from crashing.

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Sixth grader Jackson Casnave, 12, who was sitting behind the driver, noticed the bus begin to swerve. He rushed forward to grab the wheel and called for help.

"I didn’t have time to process my emotions," Casnave said. "I just wanted to make sure that nobody got hurt."

Darrius Clark, who is also 12, then hit the brakes, and the students steered the bus to a median and brought it to a stop.

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Clark’s sister, Kayleigh, 13, called 911, later saying she struggled to hear the operator over the screams from classmates.

"I was scared, but also I had to help," Kayleigh said.

Eighth grader Destiny Cornelius, 15, saw the driver holding a nebulizer and helped administer the medication, while 13-year-old McKenzy Finch assisted.

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Finch also noticed the driver’s phone ringing and alerted the district’s transportation team about what had happened.

Taylor, who has since made a full recovery, praised the students for their actions.

"I’m grateful for my students," Taylor said. "They’re the ones that saved my life and everybody else’s on that bus."

The students were honored at a school pep rally Friday and are set to receive a celebratory lunch next week, The AP reported.

"What they did took courage," the school's principal, Dr. Melissa Saucier, said. "They didn’t wait for somebody to step in, they stepped up themselves, and that says a lot about their character."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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