Libertarians like Ron Paul warned against REAL ID — is the criticism merited? Experts weigh in
While many public policy leaders believe implementation of REAL ID requirements across the country will bolster national security, some more libertarian critics say the Bush-era protocol could come at a cost to individual liberty and bigger government, with one expert telling Fox News Digital it essentially sets up a de facto national ID system and treats law-abiding Americans with suspicion. When Congress debated REAL ID in 2005, libertarian Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, strongly opposed the move, positing that it constituted a national ID card that had no limitations on what type of information could be stored on it, posing a significant threat to American civil liberties. After being signed into law, the implementation of REAL ID was repeatedly postponed during administrations of both political parties, including the first Trump administration during the height of the COVID pandemic. This year, however, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set a new deadline for obtaining a REAL ID of May 7. Having REAL ID-compliant identification will be required to board domestic commercial airline flights and to access some federal facilities like courthouses or military bases. So, should citizens be concerned about getting a REAL ID? Fox News Digital spoke to two policy experts, one supportive and one critical, for their views. WHAT IS REAL ID? DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR NEW IDENTIFICATION CARDS REQUIRED TO FLY DOMESTICALLY Simon Hankinson, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital that requiring additional documentation to obtain a REAL ID will have a significant impact on identifying and cracking down on terrorism and other illegal activity in the U.S., including illegal immigration. By requiring a REAL ID to fly, Hankinson explained that IDs offered by liberal states to illegal immigrants will no longer allow those illegals to easily move about the country unchecked. He pointed to the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, in which several of the al Qaeda terrorists involved had obtained valid state licenses, which were accepted for boarding their flights. And while Hankinson acknowledged that concerns about data privacy are legitimate, he pointed out that most Americans already have much of their information stored in databases such as that of the Social Security Administration. ‘WE’RE SIMPLY NOT READY’: REAL ID ROLLOUT COULD TRIGGER NATIONAL HEADACHE, STATE LAWMAKER WARNS Hankinson said the government will have to be held to the highest standards to uphold citizens’ privacy. Still, he compared the risk-reward scenario posed to the nation by REAL ID to nuclear power. “If it’s done right, you can mitigate the risks, and you can have, like France, 75, 80% of your power from nuclear power plants,” he said. “If you cut corners, and you put the wrong people in charge and you take risks, then you end up with Chernobyl.” But Jim Harper, a senior fellow of digital privacy and constitutional law at the American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital that though REAL ID is not technically a national identification card, since it is issued by individual states, obtaining one enters private citizens into a national database, effectively making it a national identification system. “REAL ID is a national ID system. And historically, national ID systems have been used for terrible things,” he said. “We want to make sure that we don’t position ourselves in the United States ever to have that much authority reside with the government. And so, for two decades now, I’ve been arguing against REAL ID, simple as that.“ BLUE STATES RALLIED FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO OBTAIN DRIVER’S LICENSES AHEAD OF TRUMP’S REAL ID CRACKDOWN What is the problem with being entered into a national system? Harper explained that his concern is that setting up such a system treats American citizens as suspects before they have committed any crimes. He granted that the dangers of REAL ID are “not as urgent” as something like the Patriot Act, which was passed in the wake of 9/11 and significantly expanded the scope and powers of law enforcement and intelligence operations in the U.S., but that it similarly expands the ability of the government to control and monitor its citizenry. “I reject the idea of having law-abiding American citizens put into a national I.D. system because they might be terrorists. That’s not the way we do law enforcement in this country, to treat people as suspects from go,” he said. “I don’t think natural born citizens should, should be put into a national I.D. system for immigration control. That’s the that’s the problem of illegal immigration being visited on the citizen. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.” In his view, the “burden” of the reasons for having a national ID “all falls on the citizen, on the individual who’s not accused of any crime or any wrongdoing. That’s not the way to do it.” WHAT DID THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, 9/11 COMMISSION SAY ABOUT REAL ID LEGISLATION? Harper predicted that the federal government will ultimately bend on enforcing REAL ID requirements and continue to “kick the can down the road” as they have done for two decades. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP What’s more, according to both Hankinson and Harper, citizens in most states will still have other options available to them if they want to opt out of getting a REAL ID. In the end, the decision of whether to obtain a REAL ID or to accept the risks of not doing so rests with individual citizens.
After Fawad Khan, Hania Amir, India suspends THIS Pakistani actress’s Instagram page
From suspending Indus Water Treaty to banning Pakistani actor’s social media accounts – India is not shying away from sending a strong message against Pak-backed terrorism.
‘COME FOR ME’: AOC taunts Tom Homan after DOJ referral threat over deportations
Queens, N.Y.: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., threw down the gauntlet to Tom Homan on Friday after the border czar previously threatened to refer her to the Justice Department for giving advice to migrants on how to avoid being deported. Ocasio-Cortez told attendees at a Queens town hall event that she was not afraid of the immigration hard-liners’ words in the wake of her office hosting a “Know your Rights” webinar in February. Homan has suggested her actions might be illegal and may impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations. “Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?” Ocasio-Cortez told a cheering crowd. HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’ Ocasio-Cortez asserted that there was “nothing illegal about it and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me.” In February, Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar advising migrants in her district about their rights if they come face to face looking to deport them. People were recommended to ask for warrants, record searches if ICE came calling and were given tips on how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry. That led to Homan suggesting the New York Democrat could be crossing a line. “I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he said after the event. “What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress… because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally,” the Trump border czar said separately on “Sunday Morning Futures.” AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS “Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony. What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing… she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement.” Ocasio-Cortez on Friday also attacked the Trump administration’s approach to border security and immigration, referring to its deportation of Venezuelan gang members as “sanctioned kidnappings.” “I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman told attendees. “They do not have carte blanche to enter. If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away.” Ocasio-Cortez was speaking to a packed auditorium full of hundreds for attendees. Those who couldn’t get in sat in an overflow room across the hall. Attendees gave the progressive lawmaker a warm reception and, bar one disruptor, appeared fully supportive of her legislative agenda and her representation of the district to date. Many questions from the audience centered around local issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, how to improve air quality as well as asking her how she plans on tackling the Trump administration. The loudest applause came when Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition to a proposed new casino at Citi Field, which would be part of new sports and entertainment park. It has gotten approval from the New York City Council, although the congresswoman said she doesn’t have a say in the matter since it’s a state issue as well as not being in her district. The event was mostly uneventful except for an early disruption by a protester who began shouting at Ocasio-Cortez about the “genocide” in Gaza. “I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza,” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman. “Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well before she was eventually led out by security. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Taylor Penney contributed to this report.
AOC taunts Tom Homan after DOJ referral threat over deportations: ‘Come for me’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., threw down the gauntlet to Tom Homan on Friday after the border czar previously threatened to refer her to the Justice Department for giving advice to migrants on how to avoid being deported. Ocasio-Cortez told attendees at a Queens town hall event that she was not afraid of the immigration hardliners’ words in the wake of her office hosting a “Know your Rights” webinar in February. Homan has suggested her actions might be illegal and may impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations. “Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?” Ocasio-Cortez told a cheering crowd. HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’ Ocasio-Cortez asserted that there was “nothing illegal about it and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me.” In February, Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar advising migrants in her district about their rights if they come face to face looking to deport them. People were also recommended to record searches if ICE came calling and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry. That led to Homan suggesting the New York Democrat could be crossing a line. “I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he said after the event. “What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress… because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally,” the Trump border czar said separately on “Sunday Morning Futures.” AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS “Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony,” he said. “What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing… she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement.” Ocasio-Cortez on Friday also attacked the Trump administration’s approach to border security and immigration, referring to its deportation of Venezuelan gang members as “sanctioned kidnappings.” “I don’t even want to call them deportations. They are sanctioned kidnappings in many circumstances,” the congresswoman told attendees. “They do not have carte blanche to enter. If they do want to knock on your door, or knock on anyone’s door — including your workplace — you can tell them, ‘Show me a warrant. Show me a judicial warrant.’ And if they don’t show you a warrant, you can say they can come back with a warrant. You have the right to turn them away.” Ocasio-Cortez was speaking to a packed auditorium full of hundreds of attendees. Those who couldn’t get in sat in an overflow room across the hall. Attendees gave the progressive lawmaker a warm reception and, bar one disruptor, appeared fully supportive of her legislative agenda and her representation of the district to date. Many questions from the audience centered around local issues, calls for a minimum wage hike, how to improve air quality, as well as asking her how she plans on tackling the Trump administration. The loudest applause came when Ocasio-Cortez voiced her opposition to a proposed new casino at Citi Field, which would be part of a new sports and entertainment park. It has gotten approval from the New York City Council, although the congresswoman said she doesn’t have a say in the matter since it’s a state issue as well as not being in her district. The event was mostly uneventful except for an early disruption by a protester who began shouting at Ocasio-Cortez about the “genocide” in Gaza. “I am a healthcare worker and I want to know what you’re doing about the genocide in Gaza,” the protester started shouting at the congresswoman. “Shame! Shame! Shame!” the audience began shouting at the disruptor. Audible “boos” could be heard as well before she was eventually led out by security. Fox News’ Alec Schemmel and Taylor Penney contributed to this report.
Harvard professor reveals university was ‘not ready’ after Oct 7 as Trump revokes tax-exempt status
An adjunct professor at Harvard spoke out Thursday after the Ivy League university’s president, Alan Garber, apologized as scathing internal reports exposed that antisemitism and Islamophobia were prevalent on campus. Eugene Litvak, who teaches at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that one of the nation’s top universities “was not ready” for the anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic behavior that has plagued Harvard since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. “Obviously, I was really, really upset,” Litvak told Fox. “What happened at Harvard after October 7th, and [at] the university, in my opinion, again, that’s my personal opinion, the university was not ready to face these kinds of challenges. None of the universities were ready.” COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JANITORS SUE ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS ACCUSED OF HOLDING THEM HOSTAGE IN CAMPUS BUILDING “I’m commending, actually, the letter from the president of the university,” the Harvard professor added. “What I really like, in science, we say that you cannot solve any problem unless you formulate it. So he formulated the problem in his letter. He acknowledged that there is a problem. Otherwise, nothing would happen.” Harvard president Alan Garber apologized in a letter Tuesday after internal reports unveiled antisemitism and Islamophobia’s presence at the Ivy League school. Garber described the findings as “disturbing.” HARVARD PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR FAILURE TO ADDRESS ANTISEMITISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA AFTER NEW REPORTS RELEASED “I think that’s a step in the absolutely right direction,” Litvak told Fox News Digital. “I would like to see the fruits of it. But again, I was very, very pleased because of the acknowledgment that there is such a problem.” Despite Garber’s apology and admission, President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social Friday stating that the administration will be “taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” noting “It’s what they deserve!” In addition to solving the troubling culture of one of America’s top universities, the Harvard School of Public Health professor also stressed the importance of addressing the imminent danger publicly funded healthcare programs like Medicaid and Medicare face. Litvak, who serves as President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Optimization (IHO), noted that the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts to the government would not harm the programs. “I think Medicare and Medicaid are facing danger, regardless of what DOGE is doing,” Litvak explained. “Medicare actually is going to become insolvent in 2036. It’s very close. And Medicaid is not in the best position. I can tell you, we have, last year we had 4.9, this year I believe we would have more than $5 trillion spending.” DR. OZ VOWS TO ‘WAGE WAR ON FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE,’ PRESERVE MEDICARE AND MEDICAID The professor stated that reducing government spending, similar to DOGE cuts, on healthcare can be a solution to the looming crisis. “I agree with the goal to reduce waste. It was a very timely call for waste reduction. It’s much-needed, the Harvard professor added. “Before doing that, if I were making decisions, before firing people, I would say, ‘how can we improve the efficiency of what we already have?’” While Litvak pushes for change in the public healthcare space, a dark cloud continues to hang over the Boston-based university as tensions between the Trump Administration and the Ivy League school have shown no signs of cooling down. A lawsuit over $2.2 billion in frozen research grants is still ongoing, and the funds may likely be held up into the summer. Harvard president Alan Garber said the “consequences” of the decision to withhold grants would be “severe and long-lasting”, and may impact work similar to that which Professor Litvak is hoping to accomplish. In response to the suit, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital in April that the “gravy train of federal assistance to institutions like Harvard, which enrich their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end.”
Who is Ajaz Khan, booked over viral ‘sex positions’ video from House Arrest web series
Actor Ajaz Khan, best known for participating in the reality TV show Bigg Boss, has found himself mired in yet another controversy. The 43-year-old has been booked by Mumbai Police over an obscene video clip form the web series House Arrest, released on the Ullu streaming app.
SpaceX launch site likely to become Texas’ next city after today’s election
Critics of Elon Musk and SpaceX say that a new city could give more power to a company they believe is harming the environment.
Private school vouchers are set to become law in Texas. Here’s how they will work.
Texas will give participating families about $10,000 to pay for their kids’ private schooling. Other details about the program, set to launch in 2026, are unclear.
Rockets, VanVleet beat Warriors in Game 6, force playoff decider
Fred VanVleet scored 29 points as the Houston Rockets produce stunning 115-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Houston Rockets rode a crushing fourth quarter to a 115-107 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday to set up a game-seven showdown in their NBA Western Conference playoff series. The Rockets will be trying to become just the 14th team to rally from 3-1 down to win an NBA playoff series when they host game seven on Sunday. Fred VanVleet scored 29 points and Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets, who led most of the game and silenced an 18,000-strong crowd at the Warriors’ Chase Center arena with an explosive fourth quarter – putting together a 12-0 scoring run in the final frame to push their lead to as many as 17. Amen Thompson added 14 points for Houston and veteran New Zealand big man Steven Adams added 17 points off the bench, connecting on four of four from the floor while providing a formidable defensive presence. Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet holds onto the ball next to Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, guard Brandin Podziemski, second left, and guard Moses Moody, second right, during the NBA match [Cary Edmondson/Reuters] Adams had three of Houston’s five blocked shots as the Rockets kept the Warriors’ potent offence led by Stephen Curry in check. Advertisement Curry scored 29 points, but he connected on just nine of 23 shots from the field and coughed up five turnovers. Jimmy Butler added 27 points but no other Warriors starter scored in double figures. “Just make everything tough,” VanVleet said of the Rockets’ mindset as they took a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. “Obviously, we know what they bring to the table. “You want to make everything tough, contest everything … I just think our youth and our athleticism can wear on them over the course of the game, and we’re able to have some success lately.” Overwhelmed early in game five on Friday, the Warriors got off to a marginally better start, but in a nip-and-tuck first quarter that featured 10 lead changes they never led by more than two and Houston were up 25-21 at the end of the first period. A Curry three-pointer tied it at 46-46 with 1:59 left in the first half, but again the Rockets pulled away to lead 53-48 after a first half in which the Warriors made 11 of their 17 turnovers. “That’s the key to the whole series is our ball security,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Houston led 86-84 going into the fourth, but VanVleet drilled a three-pointer in the opening seconds, drawing a foul and making the free throw in a sign of what was to come. “I thought the key play was a four-point play to start the (fourth) quarter,” Kerr said. “We didn’t guard VanVleet, they threw it up the floor and he knocks it down and gets the free throw, and it felt like a game-changing play.” Draymond Green added: “We can’t give up a four-point play in a two-point game.” Advertisement Kerr also singled out 31-year-old Adams, whose 31 minutes on the floor were his season-high. “Adams was fantastic tonight,” Kerr said. “They controlled the game while he was out there.” The Warriors resorted to fouling Adams, a low-percentage free-throw shooter, but he made nine of 16 foul shots and the Rockets managed to grab the rebounds of a couple of his misses to score anyway. The winners of the series will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who ousted the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Adblock test (Why?)
S Korea’s conservative party picks Kim Moon-soo as presidential candidate
The snap election was triggered by the removal of Yoon Suk-yeol from the presidency for declaring martial law on December 3. South Korea’s main conservative party has nominated Kim Moon-soo, a former labour minister and veteran political figure, as its presidential candidate for the snap election to be held on June 3. Kim, 73, secured the People Power Party (PPP) nomination with 56.5 percent of the vote at the party’s national convention in Goyang city in Gyeonggi Province on Saturday. The election was triggered by the dramatic impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol after South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that he had grossly violated his duties by declaring martial law without justification on December 3. The ruling ended Yoon’s presidency and forced the country into an early vote to choose his successor. Kim, a former labour activist who later shifted to the conservative camp, previously served as labour minister under Yoon and governor of South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province from 2006 to 2014. Kim will face liberal Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung, who remains a clear frontrunner with nearly 50 percent of public support, according to a survey by the pollster Realmeter released on Monday, while Kim had 13 percent support. Advertisement Kim has pledged to implement business-friendly policies if elected. He laid out a sweeping conservative vision for the country in his acceptance speech, promising to take a hard line against North Korea and implement incentives for businesses and for innovation and science. He also pledged to strengthen policies to support young workers and the underprivileged, recounting his experience as a labour and democracy activist while in university for which he was jailed and expelled from school. “I have never abandoned the weakest among us in the lowest of places,” he said. But the race was rocked this week by a court ruling that cast doubt on Lee’s eligibility to run for the presidency, overturning a lower court acquittal that cleared him of violating election law in a previous race. The Supreme Court sent the case back to an appeals court and it was not clear when a new ruling will be made. On Friday, Yoon’s former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced his entry into the presidential race, hoping to leverage his higher profile. Han, while not a member of the conservative party, has been mentioned as a potential partner of the party to join forces against the liberals in the race. Adblock test (Why?)