US swaps Maduro ally with Venezuela for 10 Americans, including ‘Fat Leonard’
The U.S. has reached an agreement with Venezuela to exchange a close ally of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro for 10 American prisoners who were being detained in the country. A senior Biden administration official confirmed the exchange on Wednesday, hours before the Americans were turned over. The released Americans include several who were considered wrongfully detained, as well as four who were not. Among the latter is Malaysian businessman Leonard Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” who assisted in one of the largest corruption scandals in U.S. Navy history. “We have reached an agreement to secure the release of six Americans who have been wrongfully detained in Venezuela, which means that all of the Americans detained in Venezuela and those four other Americans will soon be released. And we expect that they will be very soon on their way home to their families and friends and hope to be very soon in a position to share the news with their families,” the official said in a briefing call Wednesday morning. “Leonard Francis, who is also known as Fat Leonard, will be extradited from Venezuela and will be on a plane hopefully very soon on his way back to a federal detention facility,” the official added. FUGITIVE ‘FAT LEONARD’ MAY HAVE LEFT THE COUNTRY, US MARSHALS SAY President Biden, in a statement, said that the six wrongfully detained Americans “have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence.” “I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over, and that these families are being made whole once more,” Biden said. Maduro’s ally in the exchange is Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab, who was being held in the U.S. on charges of money laundering. The Maduro regime has also agreed to release nearly two dozen Venezuelan political prisoners as part of the deal. REPUBLICAN WARNS CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN ‘TRYING TO INVADE’ WESTERN HEMISPHERE 200 YEARS SINCE MONROE DOCTRINE Secretary of State Antony Blinken hinted at the deal earlier Wednesday. “We hope to have some good news to share probably later today,” he told reporters when questioned. “We want to make sure that our fellow Americans are released. We are also focused on political prisoners in Venezuela and trying to ensure their release. So what I can say in this moment is this: We have a lot of work going on.”
RFK Jr. issues stark warning after Colorado court blocks Trump from ballot: ‘Country will become ungovernable’
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is running as an independent for president in 2024, issued a warning after Colorado’s Supreme Court blocked former President Trump from the ballot over Jan. 6. “If Trump is kept out of office through judicial fiat rather than being defeated in a fair election, his supporters will never accept the result. This country will become ungovernable,” Kennedy, who initially launched a Democratic primary challenge to President Biden in April before switching to an independent 2024 bid in October, wrote on X. “It’s time to trust the voters. It is up to the people to decide who the best candidate is. Not the courts. The people. That’s Democracy 101,” Kennedy said. “When any candidate is deprived of his right to run, the American people are deprived of their right to choose.” Calling for a swift reversal, RFK Jr. said the 4-3 Colorado decision deeming Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause, “contributes to the perception that the elites are picking the President by manipulating the legal system, and through other interventions.” “Every American should be troubled by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove President Trump from the ballot,” Kennedy wrote on X. “The court has deprived him of a consequential right without having been convicted of a crime. This was done without an evidentiary hearing in which he is given the basic right of confronting his accusers.” TRUMP DECISION SPLITS COLORADO SUPREME COURT ALONG ELITE EAST COAST LAW SCHOOLS, DENVER LAW LINES In an earlier thread, Kennedy argued the U.S. would condemn foreign governments if they acted the way the Colorado Supreme Court has. “When a court in another country disqualifies an opposition candidate from running, we say, ‘That’s not a real democracy.’ Now it’s happening here,” Kennedy said. “I’m not a Trump supporter (if I were, I wouldn’t be running against him!) But I want to beat him in a fair election, not because he was kicked off the ballot. Let the voters choose, not the courts!” Speaking to Fox News Digital, Mark Gorton and Tony Lyons, co-founders of Americas Voice 2024, a super PAC supporting Kennedy’s 2024 presidential campaign, highlighted similarities between the Colorado Trump ruling and efforts to censor Kennedy and block the longtime Democrat from the Democratic ticket. “Generally, these kinds of tactics to keep somebody off the ballot are the same kinds of tactics that the DNC used against him when he was campaigning in New Hampshire. And they were saying that they were going to penalize him in Georgia and South Carolina,” Lyons told Fox News Digital, describing efforts he says the DNC is taking to block third-party candidates from ballots on a state-by-state basis. NEW POLL SHOWS RFK JR. BEATING TRUMP AND BIDEN AMONG YOUNG AMERICANS IN SWING STATES “They’re going to do everything in their power to keep Bobby Kennedy off the ballot because they don’t want him on the stage with Joe Biden. And the RNC doesn’t want Bobby on the stage with Donald Trump because he has better ideas, better arguments and better policies,” Lyons said. “They’re using these tactics as a way to avoid dialog and debate, to disenfranchise the American public, to, you know, take away voting rights that have been, you know, hard fought for 50 or 60 years. All of these tactics are anti-democratic tactics. And so I think that Bobby Kennedy is absolutely right to stand up for the right of even an opponent when he believes that what’s being done is not the right thing and unconstitutional.” Noting how Kennedy is not a Trump supporter, Gorton echoed those sentiments, describing RFK Jr. as “a man of principle” working against the “dirty games” of the political establishment. “The DNC is not just trying to do one thing to stop one candidate. They’re throwing the kitchen sink at every, you know, every Democratic letter. And whether it’s voting or rules for how you run the primary or ballot access or censoring people, it’s the same, you know, large scale organization or large scale network of people that instead of putting forth a candidate and letting the people choose, are constantly trying to corrupt and manipulate the system,” Gorton told Fox News Digital. “The DNC – it’s amazing because they run around and are constantly talking about threats to democracy. Yet they’re the ones who are saying the American people shouldn’t get a choice and they’re manipulating the system and they’re censoring people. And that’s the ethic of the people in D.C. today, where they feel like they’re entitled to rule and that anything they do in the service of their own power is acceptable.”
Fox News Politics: Chaos in Colorado
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s Happening? -Trump’s Republican rivals rally around him in Colorado ruling -Progressive Dem blasted for asking cops to patrol home after calls to defund police -CAIR scrubs Democrat praise for organization after leader’s pro-Hamas comments The Colorado Republican Party is planning to withdraw from the state’s primary election and move to a caucus system if the ruling against former President Donald Trump stands. A state GOP spokesperson made the remark on social media following a video posted by GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, in which he pledged to withdraw if the Colorado Supreme Court’s Tuesday disqualification of Trump is sustained. “I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately — or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country,” Ramaswamy said in the video. The Colorado Republican Party replied to the candidate’s video, assuring him, “You won’t have to because we will withdraw from the Primary as a Party and convert to a pure caucus system if this is allowed to stand.” ‘EXTREME’ CRITICISM: Biden admin, Texas clash over law marks latest border battle …Read more ‘WAR ON NATURAL GAS’: Biden admin is throwing $1B at cities to decarbonize buildings …Read more POLICY SHIFT: Dean Phillips endorses progressives’ ‘Medicare-for-All’ bill amid challenge to Biden …Read more RALLYING AROUND TRUMP: Trump’s Republican White House rivals rally around the former president in ballot battle …Read more GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Trump’s polls could point to a problem even in victory …Read more BALLOT BATTLE: Dem-appointed Colorado justice warns of repercussions of state Supreme Court ruling in fiery dissent …Read more ‘FRAUD’: Progressive Dem who voted to defund police blasted for asking cops to patrol his home …Read more ‘NO BUSINESS IN OFFICE’: Soros-backed DA blasted after man kills 2 people in 7th DUI, released on bond …Read more COVERING THEIR TRACKS: CAIR quietly scrubs Democrat praise for group after blowback over leader’s pro-Hamas comments …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
NYC council expected to ban solitary confinement despite protests from police, Mayor Adams
The New York City Council is expected to pass legislation banning city jails from imposing solitary confinement on inmates in the vast majority of circumstances after a committee approved it Wednesday morning. The legislation, which will go before the full council Wednesday afternoon, comes despite protests from the New York City Police Department and Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has already vowed to veto the bill, but advocates say the City Council has enough votes to override the veto. “I don’t think this is thought through, and anyone who has knowledge of a correctional facility would tell you that you can’t leave dangerous people in a general population,” Adams told a local city outlet Tuesday. The city’s bill would ban solitary confinement in all cases aside from a four-hour de-escalation period to be used in the event of an emergency. It would also require that all inmates be allowed 14 hours per day outside their cells. SAN FRANCISCO OFFICE OF REPARATIONS BUDGET GETS GUTTED BY DEMOCRATIC MAYOR AS CITY FACES DEFICIT The bill’s supporters on the council argue solitary confinement constitutes torture. Council member Yusef Salaam, who was convicted in the Central Park Five case, is among the bill’s 38 sponsors, according to The New York Times. REPARATIONS PUSH GAINS STEAM AS COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE CONSIDER PAYMENT PLANS – AND NOT JUST FOR SLAVERY “You can hear people crying out,” he told the outlet. “You can hear people in pain. You can hear people going through a mental breakdown. It’s one of the most horrific things to experience.” BILL MAHER URGES PALESTINIANS NOT TO BELIEVE ‘MYTH’ OF ‘FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA’: ISRAEL IS GOING ‘NOWHERE’ A number of prominent members of Congress have put their support behind the effort, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Biden says ‘no question’ Trump supported insurrection
President Biden told reporters Wednesday that there is “no question” that former President Trump supported an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, following last night’s court ruling that disqualified the former president from appearing on Colorado’s ballots. Biden, speaking on the tarmac after landing in Milwaukee, declined to comment on the Colorado case. However, when asked if Trump is an insurrectionist, Biden said “we saw it all.” “Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero,” Biden responded. “And he seems to be doubling down on about everything.” TRUMP DECISION SPLITS COLORADO SUPREME COURT ALONG ELITE EAST COAST LAW SCHOOLS, DENVER LAW LINES Biden is in Wisconsin to highlight his administration’s support for Black-owned businesses. Tuesday’s 4-3 ruling in Colorado is stayed until January 4 because of likely appeals. Three justices on the Colorado Supreme Court dissented. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” DEMOCRAT-APPOINTED COLORADO JUSTICE SAYS TRUMP BALLOT BAN UNDERMINES ‘BEDROCK’ OF AMERICA IN FIERY DISSENT In a previous ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot, but she found that Trump “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement that she would “continue to follow court guidance on this important issue.” “The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is barred from the Colorado ballot for inciting the January 6 insurrection and attempting to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. This decision may be appealed,” Griswold wrote. The 14th Amendment states, “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.” Fox News’ Bill Mears and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
Pete Buttigieg spent $59,000 in taxpayer money traveling on govt jets: inspector general
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his staff spent nearly $59,000 traveling to official events on government-managed executive aircraft between August 2021 and June 2023, according to an inspector general audit released Wednesday. Buttigieg opted to travel on the government fleet across eight trips and more than 20 flights, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) determined in its months-long investigation. Though DOT has repeatedly explained that Buttigieg’s use of the jets saved taxpayers money, the audit revealed that just three of the trips were justified by “cost effectiveness,” while the others were justified by security, scheduling and communications concerns. “Ensuring that Federal officials, including career personnel and political appointees, adhere to Federal requirements regarding the proper use of public resources is essential to maintaining public trust and confidence,” the DOT OIG report concludes. “The Department has internal controls over the process to authorize and approve travel on official use of DOT aircraft, such as requiring legal review and approval of all aircraft use justifications, and has implemented new ones, such as expanded voucher audit criteria, to help ensure process standardization,” it continues. “Continued oversight in this area is important to maintain transparency and accountability for Federal funds.” PETE BUTTIGIEG’S OFFICE STONEWALLS TAXPAYER COSTS OF SWING STATE TOUR ON GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE JET Overall, in the time period analyzed, Buttigieg’s flights cost taxpayers an estimated $58,882. The transportation secretary used the jets, managed by the Federal Aviation Administration, to traverse the country, often traveling to local events where he delivered remarks awarding federal funding and grants for local infrastructure projects. For example, in August 2022, Buttigieg and his staff traveled to Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada and New Hampshire, most of which are considered “swing states” during federal elections, on the so-called Building a Better America Tour where he unveiled grants earmarked under President Biden’s 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. INTERNAL EMAILS SHOW BIDEN ADMIN OFFICIALS COORDINATING ON SHIELDING PETE BUTTIGIEG’S GOVT JET USE Buttigieg’s use of the FAA aircraft for that trip cost taxpayers an estimated $14,940 and was justified by “exceptional scheduling” needs. In another example of his use of the FAA’s jets, he and his staff spent $1,822 in April 2022 to travel to New York City for a radio interview and two meetings before returning hours later. Scheduling considerations were again used to justify the travel arrangements. And Buttigieg most recently used the executive fleet to travel to Mexico for a meeting with the nation’s president. That trip cost $14,029 and was justified by “exceptional scheduling; communications or security needs,” according to the OIG report. The OIG noted that, based on DOT’s internal calculations, the three trips justified by cost-effectiveness saved a total of $10,678. However, the inspector general found that the agency is not required to “provide documentation to support commercial flight costs or availability information used in cost comparisons,” meaning it is impossible to prove those cost savings. PETE BUTTIGIEG BROUGHT HUSBAND CHASTEN ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT TO ATTEND SPORTING EVENT IN NETHERLANDS “As the report confirms, the Secretary travels by commercial airline the vast majority of the time and has directed that travel and logistical decisions be grounded in efficient and responsible use of taxpayer dollars,” a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The exceptions have been when the Department’s career ethics officials, who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, determined that the use of a 9-seat FAA aircraft would be either more cost-effective or should be approved for exceptional scheduling or security reasons,” they added. “The majority of times the FAA aircraft was used actually saved taxpayers money, including in instances that were required for exceptional scheduling needs.” The report found that Buttigieg opted to travel on commercial aircraft for 57 trips, or for 82.6% of his total trips. By comparison, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Buttigieg’s predecessor, opted for commercial on 90% of her trips. One of Chao’s trips, though, a trip to France in 2017, cost taxpayers a staggering $69,952, the audit showed. Also, in addition to determining the costs of Buttigieg’s travel, the DOT OIG found that the agency, under both Buttigieg and Chao, complied with federal regulations, policies and procedures for the two secretaries’ travel on the FAA fleet. But it also noted the agency has used incorrect cost estimates when determining the cost of traveling on the jets, an error that did not negatively impact cost-effectiveness. “In this holiday news dump, the Inspector General admits that the Department of Transportation has been using incorrect flight cost estimates to justify Secretary Buttigieg’s use of a taxpayer-funded private jet,” Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of Americans for Public Trust (APT), told Fox News Digital. “After stonewalling the release of records for over a year, the Biden administration will try to say Buttigieg is in the clear, but Americans will see through this thinly-veiled attempt to exonerate the Secretary. “Travelers are spending their hard-earned money and countless hours on flights to see loved ones this holiday season,” she continued. “As they sit on the tarmac, they’ll have plenty of time to wonder why they’re paying for their own commercial flights and Buttigieg’s private flights, too.” The OIG audit was initiated in late February after Fox News Digital revealed Buttigieg’s use of the jets, citing information obtained by Americans for Public Trust, a conservative-leaning watchdog group, in December 2022. Following the Fox News Digital report, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to the OIG requesting the investigation. “It is unclear why Secretary Buttigieg would require such costly travel in these instances when more economical options were reportedly available,” the Republican lawmaker wrote at the time.
Border Patrol officials say threat posed by ‘gotaways’ at southern border ‘keeps us up at night’
FIRST ON FOX: Top Border Patrol sector chiefs expressed concern about the number of illegal immigrants evading detection at the southern border, saying the potential threat coming across the border “keeps us up at night” during interviews with the House Homeland Security Committee throughout the year. Fox News Digital obtained excerpts from transcripts of interviews with the committee taken during the year as part of its work on the ongoing migrant crisis, which has set multiple records this year. Then-Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens, now head of the Border Patrol, told lawmakers that a major concern for the agency is the impact the humanitarian crisis has on the border security mission. SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS “And our true adversary, the smugglers, while we’re tied up with this humanitarian effort, what are they doing around the bend that we can’t be there to respond to?” he told the committee in May. “Is that where they’re crossing dangerous narcotics? Is that where they’re crossing convicted felons? That is what keeps us up at night.” “Gotaways” are illegal immigrants who evade Border Patrol detection but are sometimes caught by other forms of surveillance. Fox reported this month that officials told lawmakers that there were around 670,000 known gotaways in FY23. There have been increased concerns about gotaways given the ongoing migrant crisis, where agents are being diverted to processing duties rather than out in the field. In some areas, agents have been outnumbered 200:1 by migrants. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in November that gotaways are a source of “great concern” for the FBI. Tucson Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Modlin, in July, said that when agents are aware of large groups of migrants, “then the primary goal becomes the humanitarian mission of, of course, apprehending them, but also making sure that they’re not out there in the heat. We try to get them out as soon as possible. So then the border security mission suffers at that point.” Owens said that those who are seeking to evade Border Patrol, rather than turning themselves in for processing as many do every single day, are more likely to have something to hide. “If a person is willing to put themselves into harm’s way crossing through very remote, very dangerous conditions to evade capture, you have to ask yourself why. What makes them willing to take that risk? That’s of concern to me,” he said. “What’s also of concern to me is I don’t know who that individual is. I don’t know where they came from. I don’t know what their intention is. I don’t know what they brought with them. That unknown represents a risk, a threat. It’s of great concern to anybody that wears this uniform.” Then-El Paso Chief Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez was asked in September what types of crimes and allegations are among those seeking to evade detection. “So there’s a variety that are encountered. Many times it’s gang members. Other times, there are criminal records of sex offenders, homicide, burglaries, etc.,” she said, according to the excerpts. However, El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino said his concerns were broader than just the gotaways. 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS “Any gotaway or any illegal alien for that matter presents a threat to national security or a threat to the taxpayer of the United States,” he said. House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green said in a statement that officials have warned that the true number of gotaways could be higher due to those who are evading detection as well as agents. “We know nothing about the people entering our country uncaught, and we don’t know their intentions or possible malign ambitions. We do know that many gotaways pay the cartels extra to avoid apprehension, which should make us all wonder — why?” he said. “Why give up the prospect of likely release into the interior of the country after turning yourself in to the Border Patrol, being released to a local NGO, and given a paid-for bus or plane ticket to the destination of your choice — unless you have something to hide?” Sector chiefs also talked about how they have been forced to pull resources from CBP checkpoints, including shutting them down, to focus on the physical land border itself. San Diego Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in May that in 2021 and 2022, his San Diego Sector pulled resources “off of the maritime side and then the checkpoint side and focused on the actual physical land border.” Other officials said the migratory surges made it “more challenging to keep checkpoints, through which illegal entrants can be arrested, open.” Republicans have blamed the policies of the Biden administration for the migrant crisis, including the roll-back of Trump-era policies. DHS has said it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and is expanding legal pathways for entry while increasing consequences for illegal entry and targeting smugglers. It says it needs more funding and immigration reform from Congress to fix a “broken” system. A $14 billion funding request is being debated in Washington as lawmakers struggle to find agreement on the supplemental spending bill. A DHS official told Fox that there have been 400,000 removals between May and the end of November — nearly the number of removals in all of FY19. The official also noted that the supplemental funding request includes funding for 1,300 additional agents in addition to the 20,000+ funded in the FY24 budget, and 300 Border Patrol Processing Coordinators among other staff. Democrats on the committee have highlighted other parts of the interviews, including one in which Chavez stressed the importance of Border Patrol processing coordinators. “They are an added value to the workforce, especially in the central processing centers. Their input and their contribution to the processing has been exemplary,” Chavez said, adding that 52-64% of personnel are now able to handle enforcement in
DOJ unseals terrorism charges against Hezbollah leader linked to 1994 Argentina Jewish community center attack
The Justice Department unsealed terrorist charges Wednesday against a notorious Hezbollah leader linked to a 1994 attack on Jews in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead. The DOJ charges allege that Samuel Salman El Reda, a 58-year-old dual Colombian-Lebanese citizen, conspired to provide and provided material support to Hezbollah. El Reda remains at large and is believed to be in Lebanon, the DOJ says. “Nearly three decades ago, long-time Hezbollah terrorist operative Samuel Salman El Reda allegedly helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said in a statement. “This indictment serves as a message to those who engage in acts of terror: that the Justice Department’s memory is long, and we will not relent in our efforts to bring them to justice.” “While it’s been nearly 30 years since this horrific terrorist attack, the FBI and our partners throughout the U.S. government are committed to delivering justice for the victims’ families,” added Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Our reach and our memory are long, as this investigation shows. The charges unsealed today are a result of the hard work and determination of the men and women of the FBI and Justice Department, and the assistance of our international partners in law enforcement.” GAZANS FLOCK TO AID TRUCKS AS US, ISRAEL DISCUSS FUTURE OF HAMAS WAR The indictment includes allegations that El Reda was involved with Hezbollah as early as 1993 and as recently as 2015. Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terrorist group operating in Lebanon. It has played a major role in Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza, launching rockets and missiles over Israel’s northern border. HERZOG SIGNALS ISRAEL READY FOR ANOTHER CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA TO FREE REMAINING HOSTAGES The threat of Hezbollah has divided Israel’s attention between Gaza in the south and the shared border with Lebanon to the north. Hezbollah’s activity appears to be part of a larger Iranian strategy aimed at escalating Israel’s war in Gaza. Similar Iran-backed groups have launched nearly 100 attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria since mid-October. NETANYAHU TELLS BIDEN ISRAEL WILL ACT MILITARILY AGAINST YEMEN’S HOUTHIS IF US WON’T: REPORT The Houthi rebels in Yemen, also backed by Iran, have wreaked havoc on international trade through the Red Sea as well. The U.S. Navy has been forced to shoot down multiple Houthi missiles and drones aimed at merchant vessels. The U.S. announced a coalition of navies aimed at countering the Houthi threat on Tuesday.
Federal judge orders GOP Rep. Scott Perry to release texts and emails in 2020 election probe
A federal judge is ordering Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss and illegally block the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden. The ruling, late Monday, came more than a year after Perry’s personal cellphone was seized by federal authorities. The decision, by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, is largely in line with an earlier finding by a federal judge that Perry appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Boasberg, in a 12-page decision, said that, after viewing each record, he decided that Perry, a top Trump ally, can withhold 396 of the messages under the constitution’s speech and debate clause that protects the work of members of Congress. FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR SAYS SPEAKER JOHNSON MUST ‘REASSERT AUTHORITY’ AMID GOP INFIGHTING OVER SPENDING PLAN However, the other 1,659 records do not involve legislative acts and must be disclosed, Boasberg ruled. That includes efforts to influence members of the executive branch, discussions about Vice President Mike Pence’s role in certifying the election and providing information about alleged election fraud. Perry’s lawyer, John Rowley, did not immediately respond to a query about whether he will appeal. In the past, Rowley has said that government officials have never described Perry to him as a target of their investigation. Perry is chairman of the Freedom Caucus, a hardline faction of conservatives. Perry has not been charged with a crime and is the only sitting member of Congress whose cellphone was seized by the FBI in the 2020 election investigation. Perry’s efforts to protect the contents of his cell phone have proceeded largely in secret, except in recent weeks when snippets and short summaries of his texts and emails were inadvertently unsealed — and then resealed — by the federal court. Those messages revealed more about where Perry may fit in the web of Trump loyalists who were central to his bid to remain in power. Making Perry a figure of interest to federal prosecutors were his efforts to elevate Jeffrey Clark to Trump’s acting attorney general in late 2020. Perry, in the past, has said he merely “obliged” Trump’s request that he be introduced to Clark. At the time, Trump was searching for a like-minded successor to use the Department of Justice to help stall the certification of Biden’s election victory. But the messages suggest that Perry was a key ally for Clark, who positioned himself as someone who would reverse the Department of Justice’s stance that it had found no evidence of widespread voting fraud. GOP REP. TORCHES REPORTER CLAIMING AMERICANS SEE NO EVIDENCE FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT: ‘YOU DON’T REPORT ON IT’ To that end, Clark had drafted a letter that he suggested sending to Georgia saying the Department of Justice had “identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the state of Georgia,” according to the August indictment in that state accusing Trump, Clark and 17 others of trying illegally to keep him in power. At the time, Clark was the assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and served as the acting head of the Civil Division. The showdown over Clark brought the Justice Department to the brink of crisis, prosecutors have said, and Trump ultimately backed down after he was told that it would result in mass resignations at the Justice Department and his own White House counsel’s office. Clark is now described in the federal indictment of Trump as one of six unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators in an effort to illegally subvert the 2020 election.
Tillis proposes banning federal dollars from states that ‘misuse’ 14th Amendment after Colorado Trump ruling
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., plans to introduce a bill that would ban federal tax dollars from going to state election authorities that improperly apply a section of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies candidates who have engaged in insurrection against the United States. The legislation comes after the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s ballot in 2024, citing the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, as purported evidence to invoke the 14th Amendment. “Regardless of whether you support or oppose former President Donald Trump, it is outrageous to see left-wing activists make a mockery of our political system by scheming with partisan state officials and pressuring judges to remove him from the ballot,” Tillis said in a press release. “American voters, not partisan activists, should decide who we elect as our president.” The legislation, called the Constitutional Election Integrity Act, would also establish that the Supreme Court has sole discretion in adjudicating claims stemming from the 14th Amendment. COLORADO SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIES TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT It’s being introduced as an amendment to the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which was designed to modernize election systems, providing federal funds to upgrade voting equipment, and create minimum standards for voter identification and registration. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner, from appearing on the state’s ballot in a 4-3 ruling on Tuesday. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP In a previous ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot, but found that Trump “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement that she would “continue to follow court guidance on this important issue.” DEMOCRATS DROP ‘BIDENOMICS’ AS SOME VOTERS COMPLAIN IT’S ‘TONE-DEAF’: REPORT Other GOP lawmakers slammed the court’s decision Tuesday as well. “Liberal activist judges in Colorado are following the same playbook as Maduro and Castro,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on X. “Democrats’ gross attempts to silence or disenfranchise American voters will never stand.” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, wrote on X that the court’s “nonsensical ruling only adds to the preexisting chaos of the 2024 election. The biggest ‘threat to democracy’ is to deny voters their choice.” “This ruling must be reviewed by the Supreme Court,” he wrote. Fox News’ Bill Mears and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.