While some mainstream media outlets characterized the March 28 “No Kings” rallies as spontaneous demonstrations that “popped up” across the country, a Fox News Digital investigation has raised questions about the scale and coordination behind the massive, professionally produced infrastructure powering the movement’s flagship event in St. Paul, Minnesota. Far from a mere grassroots gathering, the St. Paul rally featured a logistical buildout estimated at $250,000 — a setup vendors compared to a professional music festival or a Def Leppard concert. The “No Kings” machine deployed 30 semi-trucks to the State Capitol to deliver a 40-foot mobile stage, 100 speakers, eight jumbo video screens, and high-speed internet. To ensure the safety of A-list participants like Bruce Springsteen and Jane Fonda, the stage was even fitted with ballistic bullet-resistant glass. The investigation identified nine specialized vendors responsible for the “art and science” of the event. Leading the operation was Roger Fisk, a political and communications strategist for the Obama and Biden administrations. Fisk, serving as senior advisor, boasted that the event generated nearly half a billion media impressions, noting that “earned media” was his primary metric for success. The funding for this sophisticated operation points to a powerhouse of established Democratic nonprofits. Permit records identify the “No Kings Coalition and Indivisible Twin Cities” as the organizers. Indivisible, a national advocacy group, reportedly footed the majority of the bill. This organization is part of a broader network of 500 groups — with a combined $3 billion in annual revenue — that have received millions in funding from billionaire George Soros and his Open Society philanthropies. Beyond mainstream Democratic ties, the investigation found involvement from a network of pro-communist groups, including Code Pink and the ANSWER Coalition. These groups are reportedly backed by Neville Roy Singham, an American tech tycoon based in Shanghai who promotes messaging aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. At the St. Paul event, this influence was visible as socialist organizations flew the flags of Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba while labeling the U.S. “fascist” and “autocratic.” “We are in an age of cognitive warfare,” Nancy Snow, author of Propaganda and Persuasion, told Fox News Digital. She emphasized that while funding doesn’t invalidate the grievances of protesters, following the money is essential to seeing “who is setting the agenda.” As the “No Kings” movement continues to frame itself as a leaderless, decentralized uprising of “We the People,” the sheer scale of the St. Paul production suggests a highly centralized “protest industry” designed for maximum television impact.

The pathway to the upper middle class remains open, with millions of American families moving up the income ladder even as public perception grows more pessimistic, according to a new report. Researchers at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) found that while the “core” middle class has shrunk slightly over the past several decades, it has not been hollowed out. Rather, more Americans are ascending into the upper middle class than at any point in modern history. Using an absolute definition of class based on purchasing power rather than relative comparisons, the study found that the share of families in the upper middle class tripled, rising from about 10% in 1979 to roughly 31% in 2024. Over that same period, the share of Americans who are poor or near-poor dropped dramatically, from more than half of families to roughly one-third. The findings challenge the common narrative of a collapsing middle class. The study argues that many claims about a “hollowed-out” middle class rely on relative definitions that automatically shrink the middle as incomes rise. By contrast, when measuring what families can actually afford, the data show broad gains across the income distribution. “Decrying a shrinking or hollowed-out middle class is just a gloomy way of saying the upper-middle class has boomed,” the researchers concluded. Median family income, adjusted for inflation and household size, has risen more than 50% since the late 1970s. At the same time, wage growth, particularly over the long term, has outpaced price increases, helping push more families into higher income brackets. Today, the upper middle class, defined in the study as families of three earning roughly $133,000 to $400,000 annually, accounts for nearly a third of U.S. households. Even more striking: for the first time on record, more American families are above the middle-class threshold than below it. Despite rising incomes, many Americans who now fall into the upper middle class do not feel wealthy. Families earning well into six figures increasingly describe themselves as “average,” squeezed by rising housing costs, education expenses, and a broader cost-of-living crunch. Randy Shilling, a Texas resident whose household earns around $220,000 a year, said, “I view myself as an average Joe,” despite having $3 million saved for retirement, he told the Wall Street Journal. Laura Shields, 46, told the Journal that she only began feeling financially comfortable in the last 10 years. She and her husband bring in approximately $240,000 per year, but have a son nearing college age. They fear that loans are the only answer, wiping out their progress.  Those concerns are not unfounded. The median home price in the United States now exceeds $400,000, while college tuition continues to climb, often nearing $40,000 per year.  That disconnect helps explain why, even amid measurable economic progress, pessimism persists. Surveys show that a large majority of Americans still feel burdened by a high cost-of-living. Still, AEI’s researchers argue that the broader trend is clear: economic growth, expanded opportunities, and a stronger safety net have combined to lift more Americans into higher-income tiers over time. Importantly, income gains were not limited to the top. The research found that earnings increased across nearly the entire income distribution, with even lower-income households significantly better off than their counterparts decades ago. None of this means inequality hasn’t grown; it has, particularly at the very top, the study finds little evidence that gains for higher earners came at the expense of others. Instead, the data suggests a more complex picture: an America where the middle class is evolving, not evaporating, and where upward mobility remains a defining feature of the economy.

President Donald Trump clashed with a PBS reporter on Monday, rejecting the suggestion that he had no concern for the Iranian people. “How is it taking care of the Iranian people if you’re bombing?” the PBS reporter asked. “Who you with?” Trump asked. “PBS,” the reporter replied. “Well, that’s a radical leftist group of lunatics if you will,” Trump fired. He went on to argue that many Iranians oppose the regime and support America’s actions against it. “The Iranian people, when they don’t hear bombs go off, they’re upset,” Trump said. “They want to hear bombs because they want to be free. And the only reason they’re not out protesting is because they were informed that if they protest… they will be shot immediately.”

Savannah Guthrie returned to NBC’s ‘Today” show Monday as the search continues for her missing 84-year-old mother, Nancy. “We are so glad you started your week with us, and it is good to be home,” Guthrie said at the top of the broadcast. Savannah’s co-anchor Craig Melvin welcomed her back, telling her, “Yes, it is good to have you at home.” Both wore yellow as a symbol of hope, matching the yellow ribbons and flowers outside of Nancy’s home. Savannah seemingly resumed her hosting duties effortlessly, covering the day’s news and conducting interviews, including a segment on the rescue of a missing Air Force officer in Iran. Outside Rockefeller Plaza, fans gathered holding yellow ribbons, flowers, and signs of support, including messages reading, “We love you, Savannah,” and “We love you, Nancy.” “These signs are so beautiful, you guys have been so beautiful,” Savannah told the crowd of supporters, at times appearing emotional. “I’ve received so many letters, so much kindness to me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers.” During commercial breaks, Savannah interacted with her fans, taking photos and thanking them for their encouragement. In a video message shared on Easter Sunday with her church, Guthrie reflected on faith and hardship. “Perhaps this is too dark a message to share on Easter morning, but I have long believed that we miss out on fully celebrating resurrection if we do not acknowledge the feelings of loss, pain, and yes, death,” Savannah said in the video. “It is the darkness that makes this morning’s light so magnificent, so blindingly beautiful. It is all the brighter because it is so desperately needed.” “So, I close my eyes this morning and I feel the sunshine. I see a bright vision of the day when heaven and earth pass away because they are one on earth as it is in heaven. When we celebrate today, this is what we celebrate. And I celebrate too. I still believe. And so I say with conviction — Happy Easter.” Nancy Guthrie was last seen ten weeks ago on January 31. Authorities in Pima County, Arizona, said she was forcefully taken from her home overnight. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for information leading to her recovery, in addition to rewards offered by the FBI and Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Even though Democrats have obtained tens of millions to pass a mid-decade redistricting amendment in Virginia on April 21, a recent poll indicates that the race is closer than they might hope. Registered voters support the effort 53-44%, and likely voters back the effort at a narrower 52-47%, according to a new Washington Post/George Mason University Schar School poll. Those in favor of the amendment have fundraised $38 million, including from large political groups, to change the commonwealth’s congressional map from 6-5 in favor of Democrats to 10-1 in favor of Democrats, according to WJLA as of March 27. The maps could influence who controls the House for remainder of President Donald Trump’s term, as Republicans currently hold a narrow 218-member majority. On the opposition side, “Virginians for Fair Maps” says it’s raised about $5 million, 29News reported on March 18. Early voting started in the race on March 6, and it will end on April 18. The ballot question itself frames the proposal as a way to “restore fairness in the upcoming elections” while noting that it will be in place until after the normal redistricting is done following the 2030 census. The Virginia Democrats’ website says that the measure is because “Trump and MAGA are trying to rig the midterms.” The proposal mirrors the one passed in California in November, which redrew the state’s maps to create five more Democrat-favored seats. Proponents of the California and Virginia ballot measures argue that it is a counteraction to the redistricting done in Texas, which added five Republican-favored seats, as well as the redistricting in other red states. In an interview with The Daily Wire last month, former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) said that there’s been a “groundswell of support” for the opposition effort. “It’s not like all this California money cares about Virginians or cares about voices of rural Virginians in Congress,” he said at the time. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) told NBC News on March 21 that the amendment is “not a done deal by any means.” “We have to effectively make the case that even though this seems unfair in Virginia, it’s totally fair for America, for those of us who believe that taking back the House is the most significant thing we can do to stop Donald Trump,” the Democrat told the outlet. The proposal has won the backing of former President Barack Obama and Gov. Abigail Spanberger, whereas some Republicans have hit the campaign trail against the measure. The special election comes at a major point of transition in the commonwealth, as Spanberger, along with Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi and Attorney General Jay Jones, flipped the statewide leadership blue in the November in a heated off-year statewide election. “THE VOTE WILL BE CLOSE!” Republican activist Scott Presler posted to X last week. “Hakeem Jeffries is spending tens of millions of dollars trying to buy 4 congressional seats in Virginia.” “Shock the nation by voting NO & show Washington, DC, outsiders that they CAN’T buy the Commonwealth,” he added.