Winsome Earle-Sears announces VA gov bid to build on Youngkin record: It’s ‘all about business’
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announced her bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025, telling Fox News that she wants to build on her fellow Republican’s record of revitalizing the Old Dominion’s economy. Earle-Sears, if successful in the primary, will potentially face Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., if the similarly prominent Virginian wins the Democratic primary. “We really have to win, because the other side is wanting to do all kinds of machinations and so many ‘gotcha’ stuff that’s not going to help propel Virginia forward,” Earle-Sears said on Friday. Sears said that Youngkin’s single term has laid a “great foundation” for a like-minded successor. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS ON SUPREME COURT RULING: CHINA ISN’T ‘PLAYING STUPID GAMES’ ON RACE “We’ve got to keep building on that. We have had corporate headquarters that have moved here — even from overseas. We have grown businesses here. We have been an incubator for business,” Earle-Sears said on “Fox & Friends.” “It’s all about business, because that’s where the money comes from, so that we can have the beautiful things we like; the quality of life, the schools, the roads, the bridges, all of that.” Speaking with Fox News Digital, a Youngkin spokesman similarly praised Earle-Sears and called her a “steadfast partner” over the past four years. “Governor Youngkin is squarely focused on helping Republicans win in Virginia in 2024, because this election is about strength versus weakness — a strong economy, a secure border and strong America,” Justin Discigil said Friday. FORMER VIRGINIA DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR PRAISES GLENN YOUNGKIN “The 2025 election will be about continuing the extraordinary results from commonsense policies that are making Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family versus returning to the failed extremism of the left-progressive agenda.” Earle-Sears, who emigrated from Jamaica as a youth, would be the first Black woman to hold such an office in Richmond. She served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was previously a state legislator from Virginia Beach. Earle-Sears noted Friday that her initial win there had been a major upset in a majority-Democratic district. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I only had three months to run and no money,” she said. “When you have the right ideas, and when you know the voters have given you a mandate to run, to move forward, then you’ve just got to press forward,” she said on Fox News Channel. “You have hostile legislators who want to stop you [in] every way because they’re thinking you’re going to get a win — but the win is for the people.”
DNA TV Show: Congress releases list of 31 candidates for Haryana elections, Vinesh Phogat to contest from Julana
Vinesh Phogat vowed to continue the fight especially for the women in the country and affirmed that she is proud she joined a party that stands with women and is ready to fight from ‘sadak to sansad tak’.
Liz Cheney says Dick Cheney will vote for Kamala Harris, and she will support Democrat Colin Allred in Texas Senate race
Liz Cheney endorsed Allred at The Texas Tribune Festival Friday.
“It’s time for big change”: Texas Republicans seeking to oust Speaker Dade Phelan present united front
Reps. Tom Oliverson and Shelby Slawson, both members of House Republican leadership, became the first two candidates to challenge Phelan’s speakership.
Former schools police chief says he was not at fault in Uvalde shooting, asks judge to toss charges
Pete Arredondo’s lawyers tell the court that the shooter, not the police, was to blame for the school violence.
House tees up ‘China Week’ with floor votes aimed at combatting CCP espionage and economic advances
After six weeks of recess, the House is set to fast-track approval of a slew of China-related bills that aim to counter the U.S.’s growing foe beginning on Monday. With only three weeks of work on Capitol Hill before the November election, the Republican-led lower chamber is dedicating precious floor time to bills that would root out Chinese spyware within the country and set up the next president to take tougher action against Beijing. “We wanted to combine them all into one week so that you had a real sharp focus on the fact that we need to be aggressive in confronting the threat that China poses,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise told Fox News Digital about the planned “China Week.” “I think we can get real bipartisan support for a number of these,” the Louisiana Republican said. “They’re all bills that should be very bipartisan, because there are things that China is doing right now that are direct threats to our country’s national security, and if we get strong bipartisan votes, you have a higher chance of getting through the Senate.” HOUSE GOP PRESSES HOCHUL ON ALLEGED CCP AGENT’S INFLUENCE IN NY Scalise said that four bills will come up under a rule, meaning that they will be debated by the House and that members can offer amendments. Still more will come up under suspension of the rules, meaning that the House is aiming to pass them quickly and without debate. Scalise highlighted one bill that would undo the Biden administration’s guidance allowing Chinese-made electric vehicles to qualify for a $7,500 tax credit. The move enraged even West Virginia’s Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Joe Manchin, who helped author the Inflation Reduction Act that allowed for the credit. The End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles Act, introduced by Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., would tighten the Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) definition of a 30D EV that qualifies for the credit to exclude those vehicles with significant parts that are made in China. Another bill would broadly ban China from purchasing U.S. farmland. Chinese entities owned about 380,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. as of 2023, or less than 1%. HONG KONG LAWMAKERS UNANIMOUSLY PASS CONTROVERSIAL SECURITY LAW, GRANTING GOVERNMENT POWER TO CURB DISSENT Another bill, the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act, would prevent the U.S. from agreeing to any pandemic preparedness agreement negotiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. “We’re giving an extra buffer so that the administration can’t just go partner up with WHO and come up with an agreement that would result in really bad policy for America,” Scalise said. Another bill, the Biosecure Act, would ban federal agencies that run research labs from using any biotech equipment from any company that could be at risk of harnessing data to send back to the CCP. TIM WALZ SPENT YEARS PROMOTING RESEARCH FACILITY THAT COLLABORATED WITH ‘CHINESE MILITARY COMPANY’ Another, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, would prevent any federal money from going to universities involved with CCP-run Confucius Institutes. “You’re seeing China get more involved in our higher ed institutions,” said Scalise. During former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2018, Congress “restricted federal funding to schools with institutes; nearly all of the institutes have since closed,” according to Congress’s Government Accountability Office (GAO). Another piece of legislation would re-establish a task force formed under Trump within the Department of Justice specifically focused on Chinese espionage. FBI Director Christopher Wray estimated last year his agency has more than 2,000 active investigations related to Chinese spying. The FBI estimates that Chinese counterfeit goods, pirated software and theft of trade secrets have cost the U.S. economy between $225 billion and $600 billion.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia appointed as working chairman of All India Kisan Congress
A Congress press release said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for appointing Bajrang Punia as working chairman of All India Kisan Congress. He has been appointed to the post with immediate effect.
Trump reacts to sentencing delay in Bragg case, says case ‘should be dead’
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump reacted to Judge Juan Merchan’s decision to delay sentencing in New York v. Trump until after Election Day, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that he “did nothing wrong” and that the case “should be dead.” Trump spoke exclusively with Fox News Digital after Merchan granted the former president’s request to have his sentencing delayed until after the presidential election in November. Trump’s sentencing date is now scheduled for Nov. 26. The original date was set for Sept. 18. “The case was delayed because everyone realizes there was no case and I did nothing wrong,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “It is a case that should never have been brought.” Trump said “the public understands that and so does every legal scholar that has looked at it and studied it.” “I greatly respect the words ‘if necessary’ being used in this decision because there should be no, ‘if necessary,’” Trump said. He added: “The case should be dead.” Merchan said Friday that the “public’s confidence in the integrity of our judicial system demands a sentencing hearing that is entirely focused on the verdict of the jury and the weighing of aggravating and mitigating factors free from distraction or distortion.” “Unfortunately, we are now at a place in time that is fraught with complexities rendering the requirements of a sentencing hearing, should one be necessary, difficult to execute. Thus, in accordance with certain of the grounds submitted by Defendant and the reasons for adjournment provided by the People coupled with the unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in, the decision on the [motion] and the imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance – however unwarranted-that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate,” Merchan said. TRUMP ASKS FEDERAL COURT TO TAKE OVER BRAGG CASE WEEKS BEFORE SENTENCING Trump was found guilty in an unprecedented criminal trial on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, following a six-week trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation. Steven Cheung, Trump campaign spokesperson, told Fox News Digital, “There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA’s Election Interference Witch Hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris-Biden Hoaxes, should be dismissed.” ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE’: TRUMP LAWYERS CALL FOR DELAYED SENTENCING IN BRAGG CASE Trump’s initial sentencing was set for July 11 — just days before the Republican National Convention, where he was set to be formally nominated as the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, but Judge Juan Merchan agreed to delay that until Sept. 18. Trump lawyers then requested his sentencing be delayed until after the November presidential election, citing “naked election-interference objectives.” Trump has appealed the verdict, after pleading not guilty to all charges. Trump attorney Todd Blanche said the verdict should be overturned based on the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity. Blanche also pointed to Merchan’s daughter’s work at Authentic Campaigns, which represents top Democratic candidates. In his arguments for dismissal, Blanche argued that Bragg offered official acts as evidence during the six-week-long unprecedented criminal trial. Blanche said that included official White House communications with staffers like Hope Hicks, Madeleine Westerhout and others. The Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office but not for unofficial acts. The high court said Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for “official acts” but left it to the lower court to determine exactly where the line between official and unofficial is.
Trump denies wrongdoing, criticizes lawyers in press conference after E Jean Carroll hearing
Former President Donald Trump held a nearly hourlong press conference on Friday, when he denied wrongdoing in any of the cases against him and briefly criticized his legal team, who were lined up behind him. Trump, in particular, went after his three separate cases in New York, and the Georgia elections probe being conducted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. He accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of, in many cases, working with officials prosecuting him. The former president and 2024 Republican nominee is in his hometown to appeal a jury’s verdict in writer E. Jean Carroll’s civil case that found Trump liable of sexual abuse and defamation – and levied a $5 million penalty. “This is a disgraceful case, and disgraceful in particular, because it’s about a former President of the United States who is now leading in the polls to be the president again,” Trump said. “And this is being worked with the DOJ, Department of Justice – as are all of these cases.” FEDERAL JUDGE REJECTS TRUMP REQUEST FOR NEW TRIAL IN E. JEAN CARROLL SUIT, SAYS HE MUST PAY $83.3 MILLION “They all come out – Atlanta, Fani, that is all Department of Justice. Nobody knew that. The case with Judge Engoron, most over-turned judge in [New York] – that is very close because they sent their team from the DOJ to help him. The [Manhattan District Attorney], Alvin Bragg, that was all worked with, again, they sent a top operative from the department, from the DOJ, department of— I called the Department of Injustice, because they’re using the Department of Justice to rig the campaign. These cases are disgraceful.” At another point, he accused judges of acting with partisanship to block certain evidence from his trials. “I have all this legal talent, but legal talent cannot overcome rigged judges. They can’t overcome a 4% Republican area,” Trump said in reference to trials being held in Democratic strongholds. “And I’m disappointed in my legal talent, I’ll be honest with you. They’re good. They’re good people. They’re talented people,” he added, with his lawyers standing behind him. TRUMP DEFENDS HIMSELF ON THE STAND, BLASTS E JEAN CARROLL TRIAL: ‘THIS IS NOT AMERICA’ Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in all civil and criminal cases he has faced since leaving office. In addition to his hearing in the Carroll case, Trump was also in New York for a decision from New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan on whether to delay sentencing in his criminal trial about hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. A jury convicted him on 34 counts linked to falsifying business records earlier this year. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18, but Trump’s lawyers successfully petitioned him on Friday to delay until after the November election. TRUMP AND HARRIS IN TOSS-UP RACES IN KEY SWING STATES PENNSYLVANIA, GEORGIA, NEVADA: POLL While criticizing judges in several of his cases, Trump also praised Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon for her handling of special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case. “I think she’s a brilliant woman. I think she handled a scam. It’s a scam case,” Trump said. “We won that trial.”
Newsom vetoes controversial bill that would have given housing loans to illegal immigrants
FIRST ON FOX: Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a controversial bill that would have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in housing loans to illegal immigrants. Last month, the California legislature advanced AB 1840 – known as the “California Dream for All” loan program – which would have given illegal immigrants up to $150,000 in first-time homeownership loans — a bill that if signed into law, would have given first-time homebuyers up to 20% of a home’s value or up to $150,000 as down payment assistance. “This bill seeks to prohibit the disqualification of applicants from one of California Housing Finance Agency’s (CalHFA) home purchase assistance programs based solely on their immigration status. Given the finite funding available for CalHFA programs, expanding program eligibility must be carefully considered within the broader context of the annual state budget to ensure we manage our resources effectively,” Newsom said in the veto letter. “For this reason, I am unable to sign this bill.” CALIFORNIA CLOSE TO APPROVING $150K LOANS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HELP PURCHASE HOMES However, Democratic lawmakers in the state have defended the legislation, arguing that it is simply designed to give illegal immigrants the same benefits afforded to everyone else in the state. “It isn’t given out willy nilly to just anybody,” Democratic Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes said during a June hearing on the bill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This is a developing story, please check back for updates. Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report.