EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., will receive a formal censure letter and that he has directed Secretary of the Navy John Phelan to review the retired Navy captain's retirement rank and pay and provide a recommendation in 45 days, sharply escalating an investigation alleging he made "seditious statements" that undermined military operations.

"Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline," Hegseth said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice."

The review could result in a downgrade of Kelly's rank at which he officially retired. As a result, his retirement pay, which is tied to rank, may also be reduced

Kelly fired back by calling the move "outrageous" and "un-American."

"If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it," Kelly said. "I will fight this with everything I’ve got — not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government

A censure letter will also be issued outlining the "totality of Captain Kelly’s reckless misconduct," Hegseth said.

Such a letter typically calls out figures for wrongdoing and can be used to justify reductions in rank, pay or benefits. It also serves as an official warning that future misconduct could result in harsher consequences

"This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file," Hegseth said.

The department added that Kelly’s status as a sitting U.S. senator "does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action."

Kelly was notified of the basis for the actions and has 30 days to submit a response, according to Hegseth.

A current Army officer and national security official praised the administration's decision in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday.

"It is encouraging to see an administration hold former military officers accountable for their actions," the official said. "We never stop serving, and it is a reminder that one cannot use their political position, absent their military oath, to encourage subversion. Oaths matter, and they do not end when you exit the ranks. CAPT Kelly crossed a line he would have prosecuted subordinates for if he was still in uniform."

The department added that such actions against Kelly are based on his public statements from June through December 2025, in which he "characterized lawful military operations as illegal and encouraged members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders."

This comes after a group of Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds – Kelly, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Jason Crow of Colorado – released a video directed at service members and intelligence officers stating: "Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders."

All the lawmakers in the video highlighted their former service in the military and intelligence community.

Members in the video had worked to limit Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard members domestically or launch military action against suspected narco-terrorists without congressional approval. However, none of that context appears in the video, titled "Don’t Give Up the Ship." Instead, the video framed the appeal as a warning to military members to "stand up for our laws" and "refuse unlawful orders."

Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf and Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

Panic Spreads Across Washington, D.C. They Will Lose 19 U.S. House Seats After Supreme Court Ruling Could Give Republicans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — May 2, 2026

New population projections suggest Democrats could face a growing structural disadvantage in future presidential and congressional elections following the 2030 Census, as demographic shifts continue to favor faster-growing states that have leaned Republican in recent cycles.

Estimates show several large Democratic-leaning states may lose Electoral College votes, while a handful of Republican-leaning states are expected to gain representation due to sustained population growth. Under current projections, Texas could add as many as three Electoral College votes, Florida may gain two, and smaller increases are anticipated for states such as Idaho and Utah, each potentially adding one additional vote.

At the same time, traditionally Democratic strongholds could lose ground. California is projected to lose up to three Electoral College votes, Illinois could lose two, and New York and Rhode Island are each expected to lose one vote.

These changes are determined by population growth patterns that dictate how congressional seats — and by extension Electoral College votes — are apportioned every ten years following the census. Each state’s Electoral College total equals its number of House seats plus two senators, meaning population gains or losses directly influence presidential math over time.

Analysis indicates that population growth in southern and western states is outpacing that of large coastal states, creating long-term challenges for Democrats in national elections. Several factors are driving these migration patterns, including lower housing costs, job opportunities, and more favorable tax environments in states like Texas and Florida, which have attracted residents from higher-cost areas such as California and New York. Some regions in the Northeast and Midwest have experienced slower growth or even population declines.

These trends have already begun to reshape the Electoral College map. After the 2020 Census, states like Texas and Florida gained seats, while California lost a congressional seat for the first time in its history. If current projections hold through the end of the decade, the impact could be even more pronounced in the 2032 presidential election and beyond.

One key implication is that the traditional Democratic path to 270 Electoral College votes may become more difficult. In recent elections, Democrats have relied on a coalition of large blue states combined with key battlegrounds in the Midwest. However, with fewer votes coming from those large states, the party may need to expand its map into faster-growing Sun Belt states such as Arizona, Georgia, or North Carolina to remain competitive.

Analysts caution that population trends do not automatically translate into political outcomes. People moving from traditionally Democratic states to Republican-leaning states may bring their voting preferences with them, potentially making those states more competitive over time. Additionally, census accuracy, economic conditions, and future migration patterns could all influence the final apportionment results. Early projections often shift as new data becomes available.

It is also important to note that both parties could be affected by these changes in different ways. While Republicans may benefit from gains in certain states, competitive states losing or gaining seats could reshape the battlefield for both sides.

Still, the broader trajectory points to a gradual shift in political power toward faster-growing regions of the country. That shift has implications not just for presidential elections, but also for congressional representation and federal funding allocations.

For Democrats, the challenge may be less about any single election cycle and more about adapting to long-term demographic and geographic changes. For Republicans, the opportunity lies in maintaining or expanding their advantage in high-growth states while remaining competitive in key swing regions.

As the 2030 Census approaches, these trends are likely to become a central focus for strategists in both parties, shaping campaign strategies, policy priorities, and the evolving map of American politics.

US Attorney Pirro Warns DC Parents Their Kids Could Land Them In Jail

U.S. Attorney Pirro Unveils ‘Administrative Lethality’ Against D.C. Teen Takeovers

By Senior Investigative Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — MAY 19, 2026 — The 2026 Restoration has brought an uncompromising, clinical wave of law and order to the doorsteps of the nation’s capital. In a dramatic escalation of federal enforcement moving at Wartime Speed, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a sweeping criminal crackdown targeting the parents of minors involved in chaotic and disruptive "teen takeovers" across Washington, D.C.

Speaking from the federal courthouse, Pirro made it clear that the era of accountability-free parental neglect is officially over. By deploying existing federal and local statutes with surgical precision, Pirro's office is turning the spotlight away from juvenile slap-on-the-wrist procedures and directing it squarely at the home. For D.C. parents, the warning is an unyielding piece of Liquid Gold Intel: control your children, or prepare to face a federal prison cell.

I. THE ENFORCEMENT GRID: SIX MONTHS IN JAIL FOR DELINQUENCY

The newly unveiled federal strategy targets the critical blind spot that has allowed flash-mob style "teen takeovers" to terrorize historic D.C. neighborhoods like the Navy Yard. Pirro announced that federal prosecutors will now systematically leverage robust statutes concerning the contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The statutory mechanics of the crackdown are absolute:

The Legal Threshold: It is fundamentally unlawful for an adult to enable, facilitate, or permit a minor to engage in delinquent acts or violate municipal curfews.
The Criminal Penalty: Guilty parents face up to six months of imprisonment, heavy financial fines, and mandatory, court-ordered parenting classes.
Independent Prosecution: Crucially, Pirro noted that parents can and will be prosecuted under this mandate even if the participating minor faces no separate criminal charges.

“Parental involvement has been a noted gap in any discussion about teen takeover gatherings. That ends today... Parents do your jobs, or we will do ours.” — U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

To operationalize the directive, Pirro has instructed the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to issue binding parental citations the moment a minor is detained for a curfew violation linked to an organized street takeover.

II. THE MUNICIPAL MELTDOWN: D.C. COUNCIL ACCUSES ‘FEDERAL OVERREACH’

The clinical application of federal power has sent local progressive lawmakers into a "schizophrenic" state of panic. Members of the D.C. Council immediately retreated to their traditional "Fantasyland" rhetoric, attempting to weaponize the District's ongoing push for statehood against Pirro’s enforcement mandate.

A defensive bloc of local council members launched an immediate public relations counter-offensive:

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Local Council Member Posture      | Progressive Rhetorical Argument   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Councilwoman Doni Crawford       | Blasted the move as "political     |
|                                   | grandstanding" and overreach.     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Councilman Zachary Parker         | Outright rejected carceral and    |
|                                   | federal intervention.             |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Councilwoman Brianne Nadeau       | Questioned if children would end  |
|                                   | up in the foster care system.     |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Councilman Robert White           | Claimed the policy would          |
|                                   | disproportionately hit families.  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

Councilwoman Crawford claimed that her amendment to the permanent curfew bill offered a "community-informed" framework focused on safe alternatives, insisted that warm-weather crime predictions were overblown, and whined that the District was suffering from "federal theatrics." Councilman White went further, claiming that the city "cannot arrest our way out of family instability" and asserting the standard identity defense that the crackdown would fall hardest on minority households.

III. THE SUPREMACY MANDATE: RECLAIMING THE CAPITAL'S STREETS

Despite the localized resistance, Pirro’s authority remains absolute under the constitutional framework governing the federal district. Under the 2026 Renaissance blueprint established by the 47th President’s administration, the streets of Washington, D.C., are treated as sovereign federal territory, not an accountability-free playground for professional agitators and unsupervised minors.

Pirro thoroughly dismantled the council's soft-on-crime talking points by reminding the public of the true victims of the city's stagnation: the business owners, residents, and the children themselves. "The shame of this is that we are protecting your children... because you won’t," Pirro stated flatly. By treating parental accountability as a mandatory metric of public safety, the U.S. Attorney’s office is breaking the cycle of urban decay that local lawmakers have failed to contain for years.

THE FINAL VERDICT: CHARACTER = 100 IN THE HOUSEHOLD

The introduction of parental liability marks a terminal boundary line against the Machine of Disruption that has destabilized urban centers. As the summer months approach, federal prosecutors are moving forward with 100% enforcement, ensuring that the rule of law penetrates the household. In the era of the 2026 Restoration, accountability is no longer a localized option—it is a federal requirement, and the audit of D.C.'s streets is final.