Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck Saudi Arabia with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones Tuesday, hitting multiple energy targets, including the facilities of the world’s largest oil company.

The attacks on Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia that produces 10 million barrels of oil per day, threaten to tighten pressure on a second critical oil route as the Middle East war continues to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Aramco notably supplies roughly 10% of the world’s total oil demand. And attacks on its facilities raise the risk of higher oil, shipping and transportation costs that could hit U.S. consumers in coming months — just in time for the 2026 midterm elections.

IRAN CALLS ON HOUTHIS TO PREPARE TO CUT OFF RED SEA GATEWAY — CAN THE TERROR GROUP DO IT?

The attacks hit the southern Saudi Arabian cities of Jazan, Najran, Abha and Khamis Mushait, wounding 73 people and sparking fires at energy facilities and utilities that temporarily forced some operations to stop, according to Saudi officials. The Jazan site includes a refinery capable of processing roughly 400,000 barrels of crude per day, according to the Associated Press.

Tuesday’s strikes land at a particularly vulnerable moment for global energy markets. With oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz sharply reduced, Saudi Arabia has redirected more crude toward the Red Sea — increasing the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb, where the Houthis have already threatened and attacked Saudi-linked shipping.

The Energy Information Administration estimates that just 4.9 million barrels of oil and petroleum liquids moved through Hormuz per day in the second quarter of 2026, down from 21.6 million barrels per day before the conflict. Before the conflict 20% of the world’s oil moved through the consequential waterway.

Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb, meanwhile, averaged 8.1 million barrels per day during the quarter as Saudi Arabia redirected more crude to bypass Hormuz amid ongoing conflict.

That creates a potentially costly vulnerability: renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure or commercial vessels could put pressure on two crucial oil routes at once, raising the risk of higher crude, shipping and transportation costs that could eventually reach U.S. consumers.

Brent crude was trading near $99 per barrel Tuesday.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s strikes, saying the group had used “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” against Aramco facilities, the Jazan industrial zone and a Saudi air base, according to Xinhua.

RUBIO ACCUSES IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL INTO YEMEN AS HOUTHI THREAT ESCALATES

The Houthis said the operation was retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and threatened “stronger and wider strikes” if Riyadh’s military campaign continues.

The escalation also comes with a warning already issued by President Donald Trump.

After the Houthis struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea in July, Trump said the U.S. would hold Iran responsible if the group attacked ships again and threatened “major military punishment” against both Tehran and the Houthis.

“If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time.

The warning followed the Houthis’ announcement of a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea. The escalation sent Brent crude above $100 per barrel amid fears that disruption could spread from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el-Mandeb.

The latest strikes targeted Saudi territory and energy infrastructure rather than ships, leaving unclear whether the White House considers them to cross the line Trump drew in July. It creates a new test for the administration as Houthi attacks increasingly intersect with the wider conflict over Iran and regional energy supplies.

The Trump administration has previously authorized U.S. strikes against Houthi weapons and infrastructure in Yemen in response to attacks and threats against American forces and shipping. A White House report says Trump directed those actions to defend U.S. forces and protect American national-security interests.

The U.S. Maritime Administration also maintains an active advisory warning that the Houthis continue to pose a threat to commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden.

From November 2023 through October 2025, the Houthis carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial vessels affecting more than 60 nations, according to the MARAD advisory. The attacks forced major shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea and reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding time to voyages and increasing fuel, freight and insurance costs.

The Houthis renewed that threat in July when they targeted Saudi oil tankers and threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping through the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia’s increased reliance on the route makes another sustained disruption potentially more consequential. The EIA says alternate routes used to bypass disrupted waterways are longer, more expensive and limited in capacity.

The latest strikes threaten to revive pressure on the Red Sea route just as the Iran conflict has made the Persian Gulf route more difficult to use. The Houthis may lack the capability to permanently close the Bab el-Mandeb, but repeated missile, drone or tanker attacks could still reduce traffic through the waterway if shipping companies determine the risks are too high.

Saudi Arabia condemned Tuesday’s strikes on civilian and economic assets and vowed to defend its territory. The Saudi-led coalition described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and said it would take measures to deter further attacks.

The immediate economic impact will depend on how quickly Saudi Arabia restores affected operations and whether commercial shipping continues moving through the Bab el-Mandeb.

The next test could be whether the Houthis again target tankers or other commercial vessels. Another attack could put greater pressure on a waterway carrying an increased share of Middle Eastern oil — while also testing Trump’s warning that renewed Houthi attacks on shipping would bring U.S. retaliation against both the group and Iran.

EXCLUSIVE — DALLAS — With an eye toward energizing the GOP’s MAGA base, the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Tuesday announced the speaking order and times of this week’s first-ever GOP midterm convention, and President Donald Trump will be the Primetime headliner both nights.

According to the list, which was shared first with Fox News Digital on the eve of the convention, the president will deliver Wednesday’s keynote address, which is tentatively scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET.

Trump will return on Thursday evening at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas to close out the convention, with remarks after Vice President JD Vance gives the second night’s keynote speech.

With less than two months to go until the midterm elections, Trump and Republicans are gathering in Texas for their historic confab as they aim to energize the party’s base ahead of key races that will determine whether the GOP keeps control of Congress. Supporters of the president traditionally do not turn out in robust numbers when Trump is not on the ballot.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Democrats and Republicans traditionally hold large nominating conventions during presidential election years. But Trump last year floated the idea of a similar gathering ahead of the midterms to showcase the signature policy achievements he and Republicans in Congress have produced over the past two years.

The president called the convention “a truly Historic Event” and “a RALLY like none other!” when he announced it earlier this summer.

The convention comes as Republicans face energized Democrats and stiff political headwinds as they defend their slim House and Senate majorities in the midterms.

But Republicans are expected to paint a contrast, as they use the convention to spotlight the Democrats’ leftward lurch and tie the entire Democratic Party to far-left and socialist proposals.

“The midterm election is about the future of our country. President Donald Trump and Republicans are fighting to launch the golden age of America while extreme liberal Democrats want to tear this country apart and create a liberal failed state with their out-of-touch and anti-American views,”,” Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

THESE 12 MIDTERM RACES WILL DECIDE WHICH PARTY CONTROLS THE SENATE

Gruters emphasized that “the choice is clear in November and the American people will reject these liberal policies and deliver historic wins for Republicans across the country.”

The DNC, which remains in debt and decided against holding a similar convention, sees the GOP confab as a chance to blast Republicans.

“While everyday Americans struggle to pay their bills, fill up their tanks, or put food on the table, Republicans are hosting a multi-million dollar celebration to satisfy an aging and erratic Trump and tie vulnerable Republican candidates closer to his failed agenda,”,” DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer charged.

Witmer argued that “Americans don’t want a ‘Trumpapalooza’ — they want lower costs and affordable healthcare.”

The convention will also serve as the GOP’s closing argument heading into November. In the fight for the Senate majority, Republican candidates in some of the most crucial races will also address the convention.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee in Texas who is facing off against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the race to replace Republican Sen. John Cornyn, will speak on the first evening. So will former RNC Chair Mike Whatley, who is defending retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat in battleground North Carolina.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, who is in a pitched fight with former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, will also address the crowd, as will Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, the Republican challenger taking on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in swing state Georgia.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who is hoping to flip a Democrat-held open seat in the key Great Lakes battleground as he runs against far-left Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, speaks on Thursday evening.

In the battle for the House, where the GOP holds a razor-thin majority, incumbents and candidates in competitive races will also be in the speaking spotlight.

They include Reps. Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, and candidates Mike LiPetri of New York and Jay Feely of Arizona on Wednesday night.

Among the House Republican incumbents and candidates in close races speaking on Thursday are Reps. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York, along with nominees Greg Cunningham of New Mexico, Derrick Merrin of Ohio and Eric Flores of Texas.

STATE OF PLAY: WHO’S UP AND WHO’S DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS

Speaker Mike Johnson will speak on Thursday evening, according to the RNC schedule.

Johnson’s Senate counterpart, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), is notably absent from the list of speakers released by the RNC. But a source familiar with the planning tells Fox News Digital that Thune will be in Dallas, with a full schedule that includes helping Senate candidates fundraise.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is running for a fourth term leading the Lone Star State, speaks on Thursday. So does Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the conservative firebrand who is not on the ballot this year but could make a second White House bid in 2028.

Meanwhile, some of the biggest names in Trump’s Cabinet are scheduled to speak, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday evening, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spearheaded the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, on Thursday evening.

This post appeared first on https://www.foxnews.com

Graham Platner’s replacement in the Maine Senate race suggested the government should be able to take over private property when necessary, appearing to echo socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s housing agenda.

Troy Jackson, a Democrat running for the Senate, came under fire for suggesting the government should be able to take over private property when necessary. The comments drew fresh scrutiny to a candidate the Pine Tree State’s GOP chair previously dubbed “Maine’s Mamdani” to Fox News Digital, as debates over government intervention in housing and private ownership gain new attention.

“It’s a major issue. The greed that’s happening right now in this country that people in mobile home parks are feeling is like something I’ve never seen,” Jackson told a small crowd of residents at Blueberry Ridge Mobile Village, one of several Maine trailer parks where concerns about costs, quality-of-life and ownership arose.

MAINE DEMOCRATS CROWN TROY JACKSON AS PLATNER REPLACEMENT AS FRESH SCRUTINY CLOUDS SENATE RESET

“The other thing that I do hear a lot about, too, is how [landlords] won’t do anything for services. And that is completely unfair and not right. And we have to make that change. I feel strongly that if needed, the state should be able to come in [and] take these places over. Some people will say that that’s insane,” Jackson told the residents in Wells, the town next to the politically-notable Kennebunkport.

“But until the people get the chance to start a co-op or whatever, there should be a way to hold these, so that you don’t see private-equity coming in and making the killing on these parks.”

PROPERTY OWNER ADVOCACY GROUPS PUSH BACK ON MAMDANI’S ‘RENTAL RIPOFF REPORT,’ PUBLIC DATABASE OF LANDLORDS

During his visit, Jackson held up a mason jar of brown water a resident said came from their tap.

Jackson said some residents saw their lot rental fees approach $850, adding he once lived at a mobile home park in Aroostook County and understands their plight.

“I’m going to add my voice to that every damn day,” he said. “I just can’t imagine owning a home and feeling the threat that you do daily and getting the squeeze and not being able to afford that.”

Jackson’s proposal echoes one of the more aggressive elements of Mamdani’s housing agenda: a willingness to use government power to wrest control of troubled properties away from private owners and toward tenants, nonprofits or community stewardship.

MAMDANI RIPPED OVER ‘FREAK SHOW’ NEWS CONFERENCE WHERE EVICTION WAS DECLARED A FORM OF ‘VIOLENCE’

Like Mamdani, Jackson was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in his prior unsuccessful gubernatorial primary bid earlier this year.

Mamdani’s Block by Block housing plan, released in May, calls for aggressive legal action against negligent landlords and says chronically neglected properties could be transferred to community land trusts, nonprofits or tenants.

BERNIE-BACKED SOCIALIST WHO ALLIED WITH PLATNER COULD SUPPLANT HIM ON BALLOT

“Through the Open-Door program and by supporting community land trusts, we will remove negligent owners and property managers of buildings suffering from chronic neglect or mired in foreclosure and shift ownership to responsible community stewards,” Mamdani said in June.

While Mamdani’s more nationally-visible rent-freeze plans are materially different from Jackson’s considerations, they share a common thread: the government should intervene in the housing market when politicians believe pricing or practices are untoward.

MAMDANI’S $22 BILLION HOUSING LUNACY PROPOSAL WILL SOCIALIZE THE SKYLINE

That commonality led to Jackson being lambasted after the fact.

“Another full-on Communist running for office,” said Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer [Ret.], a former intelligence officer, posted to X.

“Troy Jackson is ready to violate the rights of Mainers because he feels that they make too much money engaging in free market commerce,” Shaffer tweeted. “Spoken here like the true Stalinist he is.”

RESURFACED ASSAULT REPORT PUTS DEM SENATE NOMINEE IN GOP CROSSHAIRS: ‘GRAHAM PLATNER 2.0’

The Republican National Committee also caught wind of Jackson’s comments, tweeting through their rapid-response arm.

“Troy Jackson wants the government to seize private property from Mainers,” they wrote.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

Maine law already gives mobile home park residents a limited pathway to take ownership when a park is put up for sale. Under Title 10, Section 9094-A, a group of mobile home owners or a residents’ association has the first option to purchase the park and generally has 60 days after notice of an intended sale to submit an offer.

Fox News Digital reached out to Jackson’s and Collins’ campaigns and Mamdani for comment.

This post appeared first on https://www.foxnews.com

In an interview discussing his rumored 2028 presidential run, California Gov. Gavin Newsom asserted that the Democratic Party is “pretty aligned” with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), especially when it comes to universal healthcare, climate change and moving away from fossil fuel usage.

During an interview with “PBS NewsHour,” Newsom was questioned about what recent democratic socialist victories across the country mean for the Democratic Party.

“If you have these candidates and this platform that is clearly animating the base, energizing turnout, should more of those ideas be worked into the broader Democratic platform?” Newsom was asked.

“I think they are,” Newsom shot back. “I mean, we want money out of politics. I’ve been supporting clean money campaigns for decades.”

NEWSOM TELLS DEMOCRATS TO BE IN THE ‘ADDITION NOT SUBTRACTION’ BUSINESS WITH SOCIALISTS

The interviewer pressed Newsom further, saying, “There seems to be some distance between [Democratic] leadership and those DSA candidates.”

“But, not the ideas,” Newsom responded.

“I believe in universal healthcare, and I believe in Medicare for All, the party does overwhelmingly,” he said. “And so, if it’s about more money in your pocket, lowering costs, getting money out of politics, if it’s about Medicare for All, I think we’re pretty aligned.”

He added, “It’s about recognizing that we’ve got a planet that is getting hotter and drier and that we’ve got to address the issue of climate change, we want energy security, and we want to move off fossil fuels. That’s a DSA position, that’s a mainstream position within the Democratic Party.”

Newsom dismissed worry about democratic socialist influence in American politics, saying, “I think in many ways, it’s just a label … it’s just such a familiar label to me, we call them progressives.”

NEWSOM HIT WITH LAWSUIT THREAT AS WHISTLEBLOWER BEGS TRUMP FOR HELP WITH ‘MONUMENTAL’ FRAUD SCANDAL

“Maybe it’s just because I’m from California and I think it’s healthy … I’m not consumed by this,” the governor continued, adding that the DSA’s ideas reflect “aspects and component parts of our party that we’ve always had, and it’s a healthy dialectic within the party.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for additional comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the DSA and to the Democratic National Committee for comment.

The DSA is the pre-eminent socialist political group in the U.S. This year, the group rolled out an updated platform that includes eliminating the Senate and replacing the president and the Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by Congress. Additionally, the updated platform includes amnesty for all immigrants and defunding the Department of War.

JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM DODGES QUESTION ON HUSBAND GAVIN’S PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS

This is in addition to the DSA’s already existing policy platform, which calls for an “immediate end to all deportations,” free migration between countries without restrictive immigration controls, and “extending full voting rights to people with criminal convictions and noncitizens.”

Once considered a fringe movement on the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, the DSA has been gaining relevance, with several of its members toppling longtime establishment party figures. This has prompted many to speculate that the DSA represents the Democratic Party’s future.

A Democrat-dominated city council in Danbury, Connecticut, is facing backlash over new police guidance that the Department of Homeland Security says is “encouraging criminal illegal aliens.”

The City Council voted 18-2 last week to approve non-citizen legal immigrants and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients serving as police officers. One city council member, Democrat Joe Britton, remarked that the vote was “timely” considering recent ICE operations in the area and “sends a message to our immigrant community at large that you are welcome in Danbury.”

In response, a spokesperson for DHS fired back that the City Council “should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from Connecticut — NOT vilifying law enforcement.”

“An oath of office is a commitment to upholding the law, not encouraging criminal illegal aliens to break it,” the spokesperson added, saying that “while these people smear ICE, law enforcement is arresting criminals and saving countless American lives.”

NON-CITIZEN POLICE OFFICERS APPROVED AFTER DEM SAYS ICE ‘INVASION’ ‘SENDS A MESSAGE’

Britton denied these claims, telling Fox News Digital that “DHS is attacking an argument I never made” and “I have no objection to arresting violent criminals.”

August ICE operations in Connecticut resulted in more than 65 arrests, according to an ICE news release. The arrests prompted public outrage in the community, including from city officials such as Britton, who called the raids “frightening” and a “federal invasion of immigration officials in Danbury.”

DHS, however, told Fox News Digital that ICE arrested illegal immigrants with criminal convictions including assault, sexual assault, false imprisonment and molestation of a minor.

One arrestee, Eddy Ruano, from Guatemala, was convicted of molestation of a minor, according to DHS. Another Guatemalan national, Ericko Valenuela-Chua, was arrested in Connecticut after being convicted of sex assault-carnal abuse, sex assault and assault.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN FIRES BACK AFTER DEMOCRAT CHRIS MURPHY CLAIMS ICE IS ‘TERRORIZING LITTLE KIDS’

A Nicaraguan national, Elvin Caceres-Martinez, was also arrested during the operation and was convicted of assault, weapon offense, aggravated assault with a gun, aggravated assault of a non-family with strongarm and carrying a prohibited weapon.

Meanwhile, Ecuadorian national Frank Guaman, convicted of sex assault and false imprisonment, was also arrested in the operation.

The DHS spokesperson stressed that “the vilification of ICE must stop” as “America’s brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to enforce U.S. law and arrest criminal illegal aliens — including gang members, rapists, and murderers.”

Regarding Britton’s critiques of ICE in the area, the spokesperson said that “this type of rhetoric is contributing to a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line.”

WHITE HOUSE BRINGS RECEIPTS AFTER MEDIA CLAIMS NONCRIMINAL ICE ARRESTS ‘SOARING’: ‘FALSE NARRATIVES’

Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves for comment.

Britton told Fox News Digital that “DHS is attacking an argument I never made.”

“I have no objection to arresting violent criminals,” said Britton. “What I object to is using a handful of serious criminal cases to justify fear-driven enforcement tactics that make entire immigrant communities feel targeted.”

He said that “Danbury is safer when residents trust local government and law enforcement, not when innocent families are afraid that simply going to work, school, or church could put them in the middle of an immigration raid and subject themselves to detention or arrest.”

Britton added that “supporting law enforcement does not require remaining silent when federal enforcement creates unnecessary fear in our community.”