Free Republic

As the French right-wing National Rally is seizing on fiery protests in the country for its pre-election pitch, so are President Trump and his Republican allies in the U.S. The big picture: The Trump administration has used the unrest, which began over education grievances, to bolster its messaging on immigration and the threat of "communists," a group Trump has repeatedly claimed is threatening American civilization. Driving the news: "When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical 'Dumocrats' want to do to America," Trump said before a Kansas rally crowd Monday.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he'd leave the Democratic Party if it becomes the "anti-Israel party," though he signaled he had no plans to imminently depart the caucus. Why it matters: Republicans currently hold a narrow Senate majority, but with midterm elections looming, Fetterman's comments could be a blow to Democrats should they flip four seats in November and regain control. Fetterman acknowledged the Democrats' difficult Senate math when speaking Wednesday at The Hill Nation Summit: "And if we flip those four seats, then I would be 51, and ... watch what I do." He continued, "I'm the guy that...

Driving the news: Trump, in a Monday Truth Social post, also said he'd also target "Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES." Trump has argued mail-in voting was a source of cheating in the 2020 election, despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud. Trump also incorrectly claimed that the U.S. is the only country in the world that uses mail-in voting. Many countries offer some form of postal voting. The latest: Asked about his post Trump said "we're going to stop mail-in ballots because it's corrupt." He said he'd start with an executive order "that's being written...