This is a non-story that is somehow still a story.

The Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, would love for John Fetterman to switch parties.

The Democratic senator says no way, I’m not doing it.

That would seem definitive enough to deflate this highly visible trial balloon.

JOHN FETTERMAN, UNDER FIRE FROM FELLOW DEMOCRATS, BREAKS WITH THE PARTY’S DICTATES AND OFTEN SIDES WITH TRUMP

Except for one thing: It’s hard to see how he wins re-election as a Democrat.

The Pennsylvania senator has already been through the worst experience of his life: a stroke that left him barely able to speak and struggling to process what others were saying.

In an extraordinarily candid memoir, he recounts how he battled depression, was kicked out of the family home and had suicidal thoughts.

FETTERMAN SAYS AMERICA MUST TURN DOWN THE TEMPERATURE AFTER WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER SHOOTING

Compared to that ordeal, political maneuvering is hardly as earth-shattering – and has left him unafraid to speak his mind. That, in turn, includes plenty of criticism of the Democratic Party. 

In an interview on Fox News, Fetterman cited a "communist takeover" in Maine (where Democrats are running far-left Graham Platner for Senate, who has a Nazi tattoo he eventually covered up), support for the Palestinians and attacks on ICE as evidence that the Democrats have descended into "an orgy of socialism."

The hoodie-wearing lawmaker is staunchly pro-Israel, putting him at odds with a liberal party that is increasingly hostile to the Jewish state.

Trump told Sean Hannity, who repeated the offer to Fetterman: "Your job is to tell him: He’s gonna run as a Republican, he’s gonna have our full support, more money than he ever dreamed of, and he’s gonna win big."

Fetterman didn’t respond to the offer but told Politico columnist Jonathan Martin that his party colleagues have been "suspicious or kinda standoffish."

After Trump won a second term, he invited Fetterman to Mar-a-Lago, making him the first Senate Democrat to visit the president-elect. Trump called him "impressive" and "just a common-sense person." Fetterman later became the only Democrat to vote to confirm Pam Bondi as attorney general.

He seems to spend more time these days hanging out with GOP lawmakers, especially two who are social friends along with their spouses.

But Fetterman is quick to note that he has voted with the Democrats 93 percent of the time – which raises the obvious question of how comfortable he’d really be as a Republican. 

In an earlier interview on Fox, Fetterman said:

"My voting record actually reflects that I am a Democrat. You know, what’s changed me with many of my other colleagues is that I don’t agree and I use like extreme rhetoric and say, but I support what I think most Americans should agree with these things. 

"You know, the Democratic Party, you know, we became an open border party, without a doubt. And now that’s wrong, and I support to make our border more security, and deport all of the criminals right now. So I can’t be a Republican because in many other areas, I disagree on that. So whether if I’m politically homeless or whatever, but I’m staying in my party."

And, as he enjoys pointing out, he’s the guy who flipped the seat, as lieutenant governor, in the fall campaign against Dr. Oz more than three years ago.

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But his semi-independent status gives him substantial leverage in light of the tight margin in the chamber. And if the Democrats manage to flip three seats in November – which I still think is a long shot – Fetterman could provide the 51st vote.

And if he loses, it would be far from the worst thing that ever happened to him.

Federal prosecutors' stunning indictment of a left-wing activist group for alleged financial crimes is reverberating in Georgia's 2026 Senate race, with Republicans targeting Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., for his past ties to the organization. 

The Department of Justice brought criminal charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center in April for allegedly defrauding its donors by secretly transferring money to extremist groups with the goal of infiltrating and monitoring their activities. 

Ossoff, the most vulnerable Senate Democrat running for re-election in 2026, is endorsed by the law center’s 501(c)(4) arm. The group contributed more than $700,000 to his campaign account in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings.

The Georgia Democrat has also praised the group’s purported efforts to combat racism.

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"Thank you for decades of work defending civil rights in the United States," Ossoff said in a video celebrating the nonprofit group’s 50th anniversary in November 2021.

"I'm deeply concerned, like many of you, by the rising level of polarization, hatred and mistrust in our society," he added. "We must recommit to the path of love, tolerance and peaceful coexistence if we are to flourish as a nation and as a world."

During that time, federal prosecutors allege that instead of combating extremism, the SPLC was providing financial support to organizations that spread it.

Between 2014 and 2023, the Alabama-based organization paid more than $3 million to informants belonging to the United Klans of America, the Aryan Nation and other neo-Nazi groups, according to the 11-count indictment, which included charges of bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. The group allegedly concealed the payments by setting up bank accounts under fictitious names and did not inform federal law enforcement about their activities.

One informant, who the law center paid more than $270,000, was a member of an online group that helped plan the deadly 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors said the informant attended the rally at the direction of the SPLC and "made racist postings" on behalf of the left-wing nonprofit.

Thirty-two-year-old Heather Heyer died after a man drove his vehicle through a crowd of counter-protesters while injuring nearly 20 others.

"The SPLC was not dismantling these groups," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a news conference in April. The group, he added, "was instead allegedly manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose by paying sources to stoke racial hatred." 

SPLC interim CEO Bryan Fair slammed the charges as politically motivated and has argued the since-defunct program "saved lives." 

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The Republican National Committee (RNC) hammered Ossoff’s ties to the law center.

"If Jon Ossoff is too spineless to reject the Southern Poverty Law Center’s endorsement and return their money, he’s complicit in funneling millions to violent extremist groups like the KKK," RNC spokeswoman Emma Hall said. "Anyone who doesn't condemn these indicted fraudsters is wrong for Georgia — plain and simple." 

Ossoff has not commented on the grand jury indictment. His campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Ossoff is facing a crowded field of GOP challengers ahead of November.

Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are vying for the Republican nomination in an increasingly bitter three-way contest. President Donald Trump has yet to intervene and a significant chunk of the state’s Republican voters are undecided, according to recent polling.

The GOP candidates have raised just a fraction of the Ossoff campaign’s $31.7 million war chest.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its race rating to "lean Democrat" in Ossoff’s favor earlier in April, citing an "increasingly sour national environment" for Republicans.

A trucking industry insider is warning about a deadly danger rampant on U.S. highways: unqualified, under-trained commercial truckers, many of whom are illegal immigrants and cannot read basic road signage.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Mike Kucharski, co-owner and vice president of Illinois-based JKC Trucking, issued an impassioned appeal for more investigations into the problem, saying, "This is just madness."

"You wouldn't put someone in a cockpit of a Boeing 737 flying from New York to California if they weren't properly trained or couldn't communicate clearly or speak English. The same standard should apply to our highways," said Kucharski.

"Every day, truck drivers are driving alongside school buses, families and commuters just trying to get to work and back home safely," he continued. "When unqualified drivers slip through the cracks, that creates risk for our motoring public, and you can see that there's accidents all the time."

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This week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into several commercial driving schools in the state for allegedly "endangering Texans by providing inadequate commercial driver training, including to non-English speakers."

A statement by Paxton’s office said these practices violate federal law requiring basic English comprehension and Texas law mandating adequate training to operate a commercial vehicle.

Paxton’s investigation comes just months after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced his department had issued more than 550 notices of removal — decertification — to "sham CDL training schools" across the country. A statement by the DOT said the schools were found in violation of federal safety standards.

Speaking from inside the industry, Kucharski said that Duffy and Paxton are exactly right to crack down on the rampant CDL school abuse. He pointed to the ongoing spate of fatalities allegedly caused by individuals holding improperly issued CDLs.

In one recent case, Ohio officials revealed last week that Modou Ngom, a semi-truck driver charged in a fiery interstate crash that killed a young family of three, fraudulently obtained an Ohio driver’s license, a commercial driver’s license and later U.S. citizenship under an alternate identity.

Several months ago, in February, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Indiana arrested Bekzhan Beishekeev, an illegal alien semi-truck driver issued a commercial driver’s license by Pennsylvania. The Department of Homeland Security said that Beishekeev allegedly killed four people on Feb. 3, when he swerved into oncoming traffic and struck a van in a head-on collision.

In Oregon, ICE also recently arrested Indian illegal immigrant Rajinder Kumar, who is accused of jackknifing his semi-truck and trailer, blocking both lanes of traffic, causing a crash that killed a newlywed couple.

There have been several other high-profile traffic fatalities involving illegal immigrants and improperly issued CDLs that have rocked the nation in recent months.

"This is just madness what's happening," he said, adding, "It has to stop because the longer this continues, there's going to be more accidents, more people that are going to perish."

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Besides the danger posed to U.S. citizens on the roads, Kucharski said the abuse has been crushing the commercial trucking industry, and by extension, causing disruptions to the U.S. supply chain and impacting prices.

"This is an economic issue, not just a safety issue," he emphasized. "When unqualified drivers get on the road, it doesn't just increase risk, it drives up the insurance costs, which has already risen for all of us; our insurance keeps going up, lawsuits, ultimately prices for the consumers."

Kucharski has previously blown the whistle on illegal immigrants carrying sanctuary state licenses, sending a "shockwave" through the industry by edging out qualified, legitimate American drivers who require higher salaries.

He explained that illegal immigrant truck drivers can exploit a "loophole" in the system by obtaining non-domiciled commercial drivers’ licenses from states such as California and New York. They are then able to outcompete legitimate trucking businesses by charging lower prices, leading to the demise of many American small businesses in the industry.

"All our truckers are fighting for the same load, and it goes to the lowest bidder," he went on. "If you have these drivers coming in that are non-domiciled, they have no family here, they have no home, they live in their truck… They're saying, ‘OK, look, all the market's doing for $2,000, we'll do it for $1,700.’ So, it's putting small trucking businesses out of business every day."

Regarding the CDL schools certifying unqualified drivers, Kucharski confirmed, saying, "They're putting bad actors in there, and they're causing chaos in the trucking industry."

"It's just a huge black eye to the trucking industry," he said.

SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE AFTER TRUCK DRIVER WHO ALLEGEDLY FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINED LICENSE, CITIZENSHIP KILLS FAMILY

"This investigation is absolutely necessary," he continued. "It's about protecting the American public and restoring trust in the industry."

He encouraged other trucking owners to "jump in and join the fight" against the abuse, which he referred to as an "abomination."

"This driving school nightmare keeps me up at night," he admitted. "Our job as owners is to educate everyone else that is not familiar, so we can come up with solutions together that keep the wheels rolling and the U.S. Economy roaring."

The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people — including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.

This week's quiz highlights remarkable road trips, cool coin collections — and a lot more.

Can you get all 8 questions right?

Give it a try and see how you do!

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Also, to take our latest News Quiz — published every Friday — click here.

Prince William and Kate Middleton shared a new portrait of Princess Charlotte on Saturday for her 11th birthday along with a video that showed her playing on a recent beach holiday.

The posts come as the royals remain in the political spotlight, just two days after King Charles concluded his successful four-day U.S. state visit with President Donald Trump.

The Prince and Princess of Wales second-born wears a casual black-and-red long-sleeved top and jeans with her hair down as she stands among daisies in a garden in Cornwall.

The snapshot was taken by Matt Porteous, a go-to photographer for the Wales family, who also shot the photo William and Kate shared for Prince Louis’ eighth birthday just a week ago.

KATE MIDDLETON SURPRISES WITH PIANO DUET ALONGSIDE DAUGHTER PRINCESS CHARLOTTE FOR CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE

"Wishing Charlotte a very happy 11th birthday!" the royal couple wrote on their social media page.

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A video montage in a separate post showed the princess playing with her dogs, Otto and Orla, throwing a ball on the beach and writing in seashells on the sand during a recent seaside family vacation in Cornwall."

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"Thank you for the lovely birthday messages for Princess Charlotte, 11 today!" the royals captioned the video.

Otto, Orla’s son, also got his own royal birthday wish on Friday, with a windswept photo and a caption to read: "Welcome to the family, Otto! 1 today."

PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON ‘ARGUE' OVER PRINCE GEORGE’S FUTURE: EXPERTS

Charlotte’s older brother Prince George, who is second in line to the throne after his father, will turn 13 on July 22.

KING CHARLES, QUEEN CAMILLA BRING ROYAL FLAIR TO THREE US CITIES ON TRIP MARKING AMERICA'S 250TH: PHOTOS

Helena Chard, a British broadcaster and photographer, previously told Fox News Digital that Louis’ portrait being taken in Cornwall "says it all."

PRINCE WILLIAM, KATE MIDDLETON ‘ARGUE' OVER PRINCE GEORGE’S FUTURE: EXPERTS

"It’s William’s Duchy, yes. But more than that, they all love Cornwall, and it paints a picture of ‘We holiday where you holiday.' Everyone enjoys a joyful relatable image," she explained.

Charles left the U.S. for an official visit to Bermuda, which is part of the British Commonwealth, on Thursday, after a four-day visit in which he had a bilateral meeting with Trump and a state dinner at the White House, addressed Congress, attended a 9/11 wreath-laying ceremony in New York City, and went to Virginia for 250th anniversary celebrations.

After a month on the sidelines, the 2026 primary season is back with a vengeance.

A dozen states from coast to coast hold primaries or runoffs in May, and the results of those nomination contests may ultimately determine the outcomes of November’s midterm elections, when Republicans will be defending their slim Senate and razor-thin House majorities.

Also on the line in some of the ballot box showdowns: President Donald Trump’s immense sway over the GOP, as his endorsements in key races will be tested.

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Indiana and Ohio kick off the action on May 5, with Nebraska and West Virginia holding primaries a week later, on May 12. Louisiana’s nominating contest follows on Saturday, May 16. Three days later marks the busiest day of the month, with Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania holding primaries. Texas wraps up May with runoff showdowns on May 26.

Here’s a closer look at some of the top races.

The first major test of Trump’s grip on the GOP comes in Indiana.

Five months ago, Republicans in the GOP-dominated state Senate withstood immense pressure from Trump and his allies and voted down congressional redistricting, which would have given solidly red Indiana two more right-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms. Seeking retribution, the president endorsed challengers to eight GOP state senators who voted against the redistricting bill.

The president’s allies have spent millions of dollars to try to oust the state lawmakers who opposed Trump’s redistricting push. Among those in the political fight on behalf of the president are Turning Point USA’s political wing and the Club for Growth.

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The intra-party battle is seen not just as a test of fealty to Trump but rather a fight between MAGA forces and more traditional conservatives for the future of the GOP.

"We’ve got to change those old-style Republicans, put in people who will fight, fight against the Democrat gerrymandering," Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital.

McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana, said "I want to see my state do the right thing."

In neighboring Ohio, there’s a lot less drama.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader who grabbed national attention during his bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before dropping out and becoming a top Trump surrogate, is all but certain to capture the Republican gubernatorial nomination in his home state. Ramaswamy, who is backed by Trump, will face off in November against Dr. Amy Acton, a doctor and researcher who served as director of the state Department of Health from 2019 to 2020. Acton is unopposed in the Democratic primary. The winner will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine.

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It’s the same story in Ohio’s Senate primary, where appointed Republican Sen. Jon Husted, a former lieutenant governor, is unopposed in the GOP primary. Former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown is expected to cruise to his party’s nomination. The winner will serve the final two years of the term of Vice President JD Vance, who stepped down from the Senate after the Trump-Vance ticket won the 2024 presidential election.

Once a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted to the right over the past decade, with Trump carrying the state by 11 points in the 2024 election. But this year's races for the Senate and governor are expected to be very competitive. And the Senate race is one of a handful across the country that may determine if the GOP holds the majority or if the Democrats flip the chamber.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is facing primary challenges from two Republicans: Rep. Julia Letlow and former Rep. John Fleming, who is currently the state treasurer. Trump earlier this year weighed into the race by endorsing Letlow.

Cassidy was one of only seven Senate Republicans who voted in early 2021 to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for his role in the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters who aimed to upend congressional certification of former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

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But since the start of Trump's second term 15 months ago, Cassidy has been supportive of the president's agenda and his nominees.

If no candidate cracks 50% of the primary vote, the top two finishers will face off for the nomination in a June 27 runoff election.

The third major test of Trump’s endorsement power this month is in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where Rep. Thomas Massie is facing a challenge from Trump-backed Ed Gallrein.

Massie has long been one of Trump's most vocal GOP critics in Congress, repeatedly taking aim at the president over the Epstein files and foreign policy.

Trump allies have spent big bucks to boost Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL, and to take aim at Massie.

The president’s endorsement is also being tested in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the 2026 race to succeed popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp, who is term limited.

Trump has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is trading fire in a competitive and combustible battle with healthcare executive and mega GOP donor Rick Jackson, who has infused millions of his own money in his bid. Among the others battling for the nomination in a crowded Republican field are state Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who later served in then-President Joe Biden’s administration, is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Among the other contenders in the crowded field of candidates are Mike Thurmond, a former DeKalb County CEO and former state Labor Commissioner, and former Republican lieutenant governor turned Democrat Geoff Duncan.

Republicans are hoping to flip the U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this year in Georgia. The GOP views first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election this year. But beating Ossoff, who has built a massive war chest, won’t be easy in the southeastern battleground state.

Making matters worse for the GOP: There’s a nasty primary between major contenders Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college football coach Derek Dooley, who is backed by Kemp. Trump has remained neutral to date in the Senate primary in Georgia.

Longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn is fighting for his political life as he faces off in a runoff election against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is a MAGA firebrand and major Trump supporter.

Trump has stayed neutral in the showdown between the two Republican titans in right-leaning Texas.

Cornyn narrowly edged Paxton in an early March GOP primary that also included Rep. Wesley Hunt, but with no candidate topping 50%, Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the runoff.

The winner of the runoff will face off in November with Democratic nominee James Talarico, a state representative and rising Democratic Party star who hauled in an eye-popping $27 million in fundraising the first three months of this year.

Democrats are confident, and Republicans are concerned, that if Paxton wins the GOP nomination, Republicans will have a harder time in the general election holding the seat. And similar to the Senate race in Ohio, the showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that may determine if the GOP holds the majority.

NEW YORK CITY — A group financed by a pro-Chinese Communist Party tech tycoon was one of the first on the scene for Friday's May Day demonstrations and socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s remarks.

The People’s Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which both receive direct or indirect funding from Shanghai-based Neville Roy Singham, were key players in the organization of protestors in Union Square ahead of the May Day events.

A self-identified speaker from PSL announced a People’s Forum spokesperson who was the second to speak into a microphone. The speaker rallied the crowd of demonstrators, asking them to repeat chants and later bashed capitalism. Shortly before remarks, PSL arrived with dozens of pre-made anti-Trump signs and equipment, unloading them from a van parked next to Union Sq. Park.

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A Fox News Digital investigation found that the nonprofit received $22.4 million from  Singham.

Communism was a recurring theme at May Day in New York, with the Revolutionary Communists of America, the Revolutionary Communist Party and signs for the Communist Workers of America held by several demonstrators.

Pro-communism advocates were canvassing the crowd, hawking communist newspapers and encouraging participation in upcoming organization events.

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"The existing capitalist-imperialist system and institutions of government in this country must be abolished and dismantled – and replaced by a new, socialist system based on the constitution for the new socialist republic of America," one paper read.

Fox News Digital interviewed one of the members of the Revolutionary Communists of America, who went only by Tom, who said that capitalism "is in crisis in the U.S."

"The small farmer has been killed off by capitalism," Tom told Fox. "The small businessman has been killed off capitalism. Big corporations dominate the society. So America is very proletarianized. And therefore, the working classes has more of a, let's say, the class balance of forces. It's more on the side of the working class now than it ever has been."

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Teamsters and unions gathered downtown at Washington Square Park while TPF and PSL marched from Union Square several blocks up. The union workers’ rally ended shortly after the Singham-connected groups arrived. 

May Day is historically focused on advocacy for pro-workers, but once New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani began speaking, a significant number of teamsters and union employees had already left as calls for their cheers were dull, and the presence of other organizations dominated the crowd. 

Mamdani stood in front of billboards labeled "NO ICE, NO WAR" and "NO BILLIONAIRES," and pushed his commitment to taxing the rich, and noted "faster buses" instead of his usual commitment to making bus transportation in the city free. 

The crowd cheered loudly for Mamdani, whose appearance was not publicized and seemingly not expected from many of the demonstrators.

"That is why we continue to fight for those who power this city as we look to deliver universal child care," Mamdani told the crowd. "Faster buses, cheaper groceries, protecting our neighbors from the cruelty of ice. And yes, working to tax the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations in New York City."

Crowds dispersed following Mamdani’s brief address, but some roads remained closed as demonstrators continued the march, and one ambulance with flashing lights was forced to turn around earlier in the day on the march from Union Square to Washington Square.