Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is suddenly surging in early 2028 Democratic presidential prediction markets — and that means he could have what it takes to reclaim the White House from the MAGA right, according to a CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom entered the year as the clear frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic nomination, with a 35 percent chance, according to the Kalshi prediction market, while Ossoff sat at just 5 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stood at 10 percent.

Since then, Enten said the field has shifted dramatically.

"Why is this 'Ossoff America?'" Enten said. "That is because Jon Ossoff is 'Hotlanta,' that's what we're talking about."

Newsom's odds have fallen to 18 percent, keeping him the nominal leader, Enten said, but Ossoff has more than tripled his standing to 16 percent, with Ocasio-Cortez close behind at 15 percent.

Enten pointed to surging public interest as one driver of Ossoff's rise.

Google searches for the Georgia senator are up 300 percent compared to last July — the highest search volume he's recorded in that month, according to the data. While some of that attention is tied to his ongoing re-election campaign, Enten noted the interest extends well beyond Georgia, reflecting growing national attention on Ossoff.

That re-election bid, Enten suggested, could serve as a launching pad for a national campaign. He compared Ossoff's current polling position to historical Democratic Senate performances in Georgia this century, noting that Sen. Raphael Warnock's 2022 win — the strongest Democratic Senate victory in the state so far this cycle — came by 3 points. A recent Fox News poll showed Ossoff leading by 13 points, a significantly wider margin.

Enten argued that a strong Georgia win would bolster Ossoff's viability on a national electoral map, demonstrating his ability to carry a key swing state — a case that has also fueled his growing social media presence and searches.

"If you're a Democratic candidate running for United States Senate, you show you can win in a swing state, and then, of course, you give those spiels that have been going all over social media, which is one of the reasons why, as Google searches are so high, you say, 'Hey, this is a coalition that might actually work,'" Enten said.

Fundraising numbers add to the momentum. Ossoff has raised $77 million this cycle, making him the top Senate fundraiser this century, according to the analysis.

Enten emphasized that fundraising strength is often a critical indicator of viability for a future presidential run, since building a national campaign requires substantial financial resources.

"Money is what makes a presidential bid go," Enten said, "and he's shown an ability to raise a lot of at the top fundraiser this cycle."

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A key claim used by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to defend immigration enforcement agent-involved shootings was exposed as a “stunning failure” Wednesday following an exhaustive investigation from The Guardian.

On at least a dozen occasions, DHS has defended shootings perpetrated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers by claiming a vehicle had been “weaponized” against them. However, an exhaustive investigation published by The Guardian found that DHS and prosecutors had suffered a "stunning failure" in their attempts to prove those claims accurate.

In its report, The Guardian identified 26 individuals that had been accused of using their vehicles to “threaten, assault or injure immigration officers,” five of whom were shot by agents, one fatally. Of those 26, 15 never faced federal charges, and of the 11 that did face federal charges, eight had their charges dismissed.

Furthermore, even after cases against individuals accused by DHS of weaponizing their vehicle against immigration agents had fallen apart, DHS “repeatedly continued to promote people’s cases as evidence of violence,” The Guardian found.

“This whole narrative that all of these people were trying to run over officers with their cars is frankly bizarre and laughable,” said Margaret Hellerstein, a lawyer with The Jurado Firm in Long Beach, California, speaking with The Guardian. “It’s just brazen to tell the same story over and over when it’s been disproven over and over. They believe they have ultimate power and they’re phoning in their explanations.”

A leaked DHS memo that circulated internally last November explicitly warned ICE agents about stepping in front of vehicles, with immigration enforcement agents having a well-documented history of “intentionally” stepping in front of vehicles to “justify using deadly force.”

“The review of cases also reveals a pattern of DHS blasting statements to the press and on social media, painting the subjects of their traffic stops as violent assailants without evidence and then failing to correct the record when those claims collapse under basic scrutiny,” The Guardian’s report reads.

Allegations that an employee hung a noose in a Treasury Department building in Texas have spurred a union representing 150,000 federal workers to demand congressional oversight, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The noose was reportedly found at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing's Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth just days before Juneteenth, the June 19 holiday commemorating the end of slavery, reported the Washington Post.

The National Treasury Employees Union detailed the allegation in a July 16 letter to congressional leaders, according to the Post.

A BEP spokesman said the employee accused of hanging the noose was placed on administrative leave and that an investigation was launched.

He said the bureau maintains "zero tolerance for hatred, discrimination, or misconduct" and that management addressed staff to reinforce its commitment to a respectful workplace. BEP leadership also notified the Treasury Department's inspector general.

But NTEU President Doreen Greenwald alleged that neither Treasury nor BEP leadership has taken meaningful action to change workplace culture through policy or training, and she requested formal congressional oversight to ensure a thorough investigation.

The episode adds to recent scrutiny of BEP's leadership, which faced criticism earlier this year after political appointees pushed staff to produce a $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump's image — a move that prompted Senate Democrats to press for a separate watchdog investigation.