DHS must fully account for migrant crimes linked to Biden parole program, lawmaker says
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Marcus Luttrell, R-Texas, is introducing legislation that will require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report any crimes committed by individuals who were admitted into the U.S. under a controversial Biden-era immigration policy. “If we’re serious about securing our country, we need to know exactly what we’re up against,” Luttrell told Fox News Digital. The bill, dubbed the Criminal Illegal Alien Report act, will require DHS to provide Congress with a report on crimes committed by anyone who was admitted into the U.S. under the Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program. TRUMP ADMIN TURNS TABLES ON POLICY ‘EXPLOITED’ BY BIDEN DHS TO SHIELD MORE HAITIANS FROM DEPORTATIONS The controversial CHNV program, which was implemented under the Biden administration in 2022, initially allowed for asylum seekers in Venezuela to be paroled into the United States for up to two years if they had a person in the country who agreed to financially support them. Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua were added to the list of countries the program supported in 2023, with the program allowing for 30,000 people per month from the four countries to enter the United States. While the Biden administration touted the program’s success for reducing the numbers of individuals attempting to illegally cross the U.S. southern border by land, it did not slow the number of total migrants entering the country, with CHNV program beneficiaries instead being mandated to travel by air to a U.S. airport before being paroled into the country. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN The program drew even more scrutiny when Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan national paroled into the U.S. under CHNV in 2022, attacked and ultimately killed University of Georgia Student Laken Riley. While President Donald Trump shut down the program by executive order on his first day in office, Luttrell pointed out that more than 50,000 people were paroled into the U.S. at airport ports of entry nationwide. Luttrell also pointed out that in addition to the Riley murder, another CHNV beneficiary was arrested in 2024 after being accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in Virginia. “The bill I introduced will give Congress the hard facts we need to work with the Trump administration to strengthen security and make sure those who threaten our communities are stopped in their tracks,” Luttrell said. “Protecting Americans should be the top priority.”
Republicans seek to end taxpayer funding of ‘green energy boondoggles’ on agricultural lands
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are seeking to prevent the use of taxpayer dollars to incentivize what they describe as “green energy boondoggles” on agricultural lands, citing subsidies that could cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., is introducing legislation on Thursday, shared first with Fox News Digital, to end federal funding of renewable subsidies for wind and solar development on agricultural lands. The bill, titled the Future Agriculture Retention and Management (FARM) Act, would not prevent developers from building wind turbines or solar panels, but rather end the use of federal funds to encourage such projects. “Taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to sacrifice farmland for green energy boondoggles,” Tiffany told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The FARM Act ends corporate welfare for unreliable energy sources and ensures agricultural land is protected for future generations.” BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS NJ LAWSUIT CLAIMING OIL COMPANIES CAUSE CLIMATE CHANGE DEALT MASSIVE BLOW IN COURT Renewable subsidies for clean energy projects, such as wind and solar, could cost taxpayers $424.6 billion over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Treasury Department for 2024-2033, cited by the Republican congressman in a press release. The congressman said he introduced the FARM Act after hearing concerns from his constituents who “fear too much farmland is being taken away” amid the push for more green energy projects. If the bill is passed, Tiffany hopes that it will “protect family farms for generations to come, save American farmland, and safeguard long-term food security,” citing a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealing that in 2022, U.S. farmland was down 6.9% from 2017, suffering a total decline of 20.1 million acres. Lawmakers cosponsoring the legislation include Reps. Ben Cline, R-Va., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Roger Williams, R-Texas. The bill comes after the Biden administration pushed the use of federal funds to incentivize green energy projects, such as the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, which provided grant funding to agricultural producers for small and large wind and solar generation.
Top Intel Republican Tom Cotton seeking re-election to Senate in 2026
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton, chair of the Republican Conference and Select Committee on Intelligence, revealed his plans to run for re-election in Arkansas in 2026, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview how he plans to help build on the GOP majority for the next Congress and sharpen his focus on national security, namely the threat posed by communist China. “It’s been a great honor and privilege to serve the people of Arkansas in the United States Senate,” he said, pointing to several GOP accomplishments. The Arkansas Republican is going into his re-election bid with a whopping $8 million in cash on hand between his campaign and leadership accounts, his campaign said. This is more than triple the amount he had for his 2020 campaign, in which he handily defeated his opponent. TULSI GABBARD GIVES EXCLUSIVE GLIMPSE OF TRUMP’S FIRST CABINET MEETING Cotton has amassed 135,000 donations, coming from tens of thousands of people from each of the state’s 75 counties, per his campaign. Cotton also boasts endorsements from all statewide officials in Arkansas, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin, Secretary of State Cole Jester, Treasurer John Thurston, Auditor of State Dennis Milligan and Land Commissioner Tommy Land, all Republicans. This support is in addition to the backing of congressional Republicans Sen. John Boozman, and Reps. Rick Crawford, Steve Womack, French Hill and Bruce Westerman – all of Arkansas’ D.C. delegation. “Senator Cotton is fortunate to have overwhelming support from Arkansans who recognize that he has fought and delivered for conservative values,” said Brian Colas, Cotton’s campaign advisor, in a statement. DEM SENATOR’S ‘DARK MONEY CORRUPTION’ HYPOCRISY REVEALED IN ETHICS COMPLAINT, EXPERT SAYS The senator also has the endorsements of several GOP senators he serves alongside, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming, and Sens. Tim Sheehy of Montana, Jim Banks of Indiana, Bernie Moreno of Ohio, and Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt of Alabama. “A fellow combat veteran, Tom Cotton’s entire career has been about serving the American people – whether it was on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan or at home in Congress. As chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, he is a tireless warrior for the America First agenda, fighting to secure the border, rebuild our military, bring down costs, and restore common sense in D.C. The people of Arkansas are blessed to have Tom as their voice in the Senate, and I’m proud to give him my endorsement,” Sheehy said in a statement. In his own statement, Tuberville noted that Cotton was born in Camden, Arkansas, a state “that holds a special place in my heart.” “Tom’s a conservative fighter who puts America first. He’s tough on crime, strong on national security, and understands the Constitution. I’m honored to serve with Senator Cotton and look forward to his leadership in the Republican Party for years to come,” he added. EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE REPUBLICANS’ LONG GAME TO CONFIRM TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL While a significant portion of Cotton’s time in the Senate has been spent pushing back on Democratic policies, the senator added, “I’m very excited now. We have a chance for at least the next four years with President Trump and a Republican Congress to get our state and get our nation back on track.” Cotton was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and was re-elected in 2020. He is now seeking his third term in the upper chamber. Now, with Republicans holding a trifecta of power in Washington, D.C., he’ll have several years to advance key policies that he likely would not be able to if Democrats led Congress. “I’ve been in the majority. I’ve been in the minority. It’s much better to be in the majority,” he said. GOP SENATOR SUFFERS SEIZURE, BRAIN BLEED AFTER FALLING ON ICE He doesn’t expect Democrats to come to power anytime soon, either. “I’m very confident that we’re not just going to keep our majority in the Senate, but we’re going to grow our majority next year,” he said in reference to the 2026 Senate election map. Cotton’s latest venture is his newly released book, “Seven Things You Can’t Say About China,” which just became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. “Most Americans have a rightly low opinion of Communist China, but however bad you think the Chinese Communist Party is, or dangerous it is to America, it’s actually much worse,” he said. “I think the success we’ve had in the first week since the book was published just reflects how many Americans, how many Arkansans are concerned about communist China,” the senator said, adding that it will be a “centerpiece of my campaign.”
Blasts, gunfire kill several at M23 rally in eastern DR Congo
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Rebel commander Corneille Nangaa says he is unharmed as video shows dead, wounded people in Bakavu. Explosions have rocked a major city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a rally for the M23 rebel group and their supporters that one of the armed group’s top commanders attended. The first explosion in Bukavu on Thursday caused panic, sending attendees fleeing from the area before a second explosion rang out, according to the AFP news agency. Residents said the explosions were accompanied by gunfire. People ran through the streets, some bleeding and carrying limp bodies, video showed. Residents said they saw dead people, but there was no immediate information on the number of casualties. The meeting was the first to be attended by M23 commander Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, since his forces seized control of the region’s second largest city nearly two weeks ago. Nangaa told the Reuters news agency by phone that neither he nor other senior rebel commanders were wounded in the attack and he blamed DRC President Felix Tshisekedi without providing evidence. There was no immediate comment from the government. Advertisement Bukavu is one of two key cities in the turbulent region seized in recent weeks by antigovernment M23 fighters, who United Nations experts said are backed by Rwanda. The armed group has been trying to demonstrate that it can restore order in the territory it has captured from the DRC’s army and has reopened ports and schools. M23 fighters have swept through the eastern DRC, seizing key cities and killing about 7,000 people. There have also been reports of sexual abuse of children and recruitment of minors as soldiers. The rebel advance has stirred fears of a regional war that could draw in the DRC’s neighbours, including Rwanda. The advance has been described as the gravest escalation in more than a decade of the long-running conflict in the eastern DRC, which is rooted in the spillover of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide into the DRC and the struggle for control of the DRC’s vast mineral resources. Rwanda has said it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which it said is fighting with the Congolese military. Adblock test (Why?)
Jailed PKK leader tells group to lay down arms, end conflict with Turkiye
In a historic move, Abdullah Ocalan has asked his party to ‘lay down arms’ and dissolve itself, according to statement. The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan has called on his Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to lay down its arms and dissolve itself, a move that could end its 40-year conflict with Turkiye and have an impact on the region. A delegation of Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM Party visited Ocalan on Thursday in his island prison and later delivered his statement in nearby Istanbul. “I am making a call for the laying down of arms, and I take on the historical responsibility of this call,” Ocalan said in a letter made public by DEM party members. Ocalan wants his party to hold a congress and to formally agree to dissolve itself, they quoted him as saying. “Convene your congress and make a decision. All groups must lay their arms and the PKK must dissolve itself,” Ocalan said, according to the statement. The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkiye and its Western allies. More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its fight in 1984 with the aim of carving out an ethnic homeland for Kurds. It has since moved away from its separatist goals and instead sought more autonomy in southeast Turkiye and greater Kurdish rights, but groups affiliated with the PKK have continued to carry out sporadic attacks in Turkiye. Advertisement The appeal from Ocalan could have implications for the major oil-exporting region of northern Iraq, where the PKK is based, and for neighbouring Syria, which is emerging after 13 years of civil war and the ouster in December of Bashar Al-Assad. A Turkiye-PKK peace process collapsed a decade ago. Ocalan’s momentous announcement is part of a new effort for peace between the group and the Turkish state, which was initiated in October by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s coalition partner, Devlet Bahceli. The nationalist politician suggested that Ocalan could be granted parole if his group renounces violence and disbands. Adblock test (Why?)
Longest held Palestinian prisoner released by Israel
NewsFeed Nael Barghouti, the longest held Palestinian prisoner who spent 44 years in an Israeli jail, was released and exiled to Egypt as part of the 7th prisoner-captive exchange between Israel and Hamas. This is his message to Gaza. Published On 27 Feb 202527 Feb 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Illinois governor says Trump admin withholding $1.88B in approved taxpayer money, amid rift with president
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a letter on Tuesday that calls for the White House to release $1.88 billion in approved federal funding that he says the Trump administration is withholding. Pritzker, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, said in the letter addressed to Russel Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), that the nearly $2 billion in federal funds “were passed by Congress, signed into law, and promised to Illinois.” “We have an obligation to Illinois taxpayers and residents to demand answers about the future of this funding,” the letter said, “including when the Trump Administration will follow the law and make good on the federal government’s promise to deliver hard-earned taxpayer dollars back into Illinois’ economy, workforce, and communities.” The letter stated that nine Illinois agencies, boards and commissions are unable to access $692 million obligated but not yet received from the federal government. Ten state entities were expecting another $1.19 billion in federal funds yet to be obligated, and grants or programs have been “essentially paused.” ‘DULY OWED TO US’: BLUE STATE GOVERNOR SAYS $2.1B IN FEDERAL FUNDING RESTORED AFTER SUING TRUMP ADMIN While the letter did not specify which state agencies and other entities were supposed to have received the funds, it shared some details on what kind of programs were affected. “These frozen funds impact programs that provide technical assistance for small businesses, provide affordable solar energy for low-income residents, improve roads and bridges, and more,” according to the letter. SHAPIRO LATEST DEMOCRAT SUING ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ TRUMP ADMIN The White House Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to halt federal funding on Jan. 27 in compliance with Trump’s executive orders. Federal judges had issued a temporary restraining order to block the funding freeze, but only states with litigation against the Trump administration were able to access the unfrozen funds. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavy contributed to this report.
Pentagon says transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption
U.S. service members who are transgender or otherwise exhibit gender dysphoria are prohibited from military service unless they obtain an exemption, according to an internal Pentagon memo. The memo, revealed in a court filing on Wednesday night, details the Trump administration’s new policy regarding transgender individuals. The policy notes that such service members “may be considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling Government interest.” “Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are disqualified from military service,” the memo reads. “Service members who have a history of cross-sex hormone therapy or a history of sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria or in pursuit of a sex transition, are disqualified from military service,” the memo continues. JUDGE GRANTS 19 AGS PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION AGAINST DOGE ACCESS TO TREASURY PAYMENT SYSTEM The memo goes on to stipulate a number of requirements a solider must meet in order to obtain an exemption. The soldier must demonstrate 36 consecutive months of “stability in the service member’s sex.” The soldier must demonstrate that they have never attempted to transition to any sex other than their sex. Finally, the soldier must be willing to adhere to any standards associated with their sex. The Pentagon’s transgender ban is currently facing legal challenges. Trump’s Justice Department filed a complaint against the presiding judge, Ana Reyes, accusing her of potential bias and misconduct. OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS ON ‘LIST’ OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON The letter, addressed to Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Sri Srinivasan and signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, concerns what the DOJ characterized as Reyes’ “misconduct” during the proceedings in Nicolas Talbott v. Donald J. Trump. The case was brought by two LGBTQ groups challenging the Trump administration’s executive orders barring transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. According to the complaint, the transcript “reveals multiple instances where Judge Reyes’ misconduct compromised the dignity of the proceedings and demonstrated potential bias, raising serious concerns about her ability to preside impartially in this matter.” In addition to appearing to take the plaintiffs’ side on the issue of transgender service members, Reyes also went on a bizarre rant against graduates of University of Virginia School of Law. The letter closes by requesting that “appropriate action be taken to address these violations,” saying that, at a “minimum, this matter warrants further investigation to determine whether these incidents represent a pattern of misconduct that requires more significant remedial measures.” Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
SHOCKING! Woman runs car over 5-year-old in Ghaziabad society, flees spot, video surfaces
The video footage shows a white Honda City car entering society and running over the child,
Grieving parents slam Dems for opposing bipartisan fentanyl bill using claims parroted by Soros-backed group
Democrats in Congress are facing backlash for their opposition to bipartisan legislation aimed at closing loopholes in U.S. drug laws taken advantage of by fentanyl traffickers. The HALT Fentanyl Act, which would make the temporary Schedule I classification for fentanyl analogs permanent, has been opposed by a George Soros-backed drug policy nonprofit that claims the bill will exacerbate mass incarceration and limit research on these types of opioids. Democrats, such as Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, have pushed the same arguments while also seeking to impede the bill’s passage with various amendments and procedural maneuvers. During comments Tuesday from the Senate floor, as he called for extending the temporary scheduling of fentanyl analogs, Booker claimed that the HALT Act will implement “harsher penalties for drugs” and that he would “not stop working until this body does more than just scheduling.” Other Democratic senators, including Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, have said the HALT Act will impede research on fentanyl analogs and exacerbate mass incarceration among minority communities. ‘OVERDOES EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES Booker cited testimony Tuesday from parents who lost their children to fentanyl overdoses during his remarks, but the same grieving parents he pointed to are calling on Congress to quit stalling the move to permanently schedule fentanyl analogs as Schedule I substances. “Continuing resolutions to accommodate the scheduling aspect of fentanyl analogs is simply a method of kicking the can further down the road,” Jaime Puerta, who lost his son, Daniel, in 2020 to a fentanyl overdose, wrote in a letter to Booker on Wednesday and obtained by Fox News Digital. “Fentanyl and its analogs have been the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, with synthetic opioids accounting for over 74,000 fatalities in 2023 alone. Your reluctance to support the HALT Fentanyl Act disregards the escalating death toll and the devastating impact on families and communities nationwide.” Another parent who lost their child to fentanyl in 2014, Lauri Badura, wrote in a separate letter to the top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that if they cannot pass the HALT Act, “how can the public hold out hope Congress will fix the larger problem of illicit fentanyl crossing our borders every single day?” “I am not alone in urging passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act,” Badura wrote. “Families across America – in your states! – who have lost a child or loved one to fentanyl poisoning want this bill passed. Our kids did not want to die.” The arguments put forth by Democrats against this bipartisan bill mirror those of the Soros-backed Drug Policy Alliance, a New-York-based 501(c)3, which declined to provide comment for this story. FENTANYL’S FINANCIAL GRIP ON US SKYROCKETED TO $2.7T AT HEIGHT OF BIDEN ADMIN: STUDY Earlier this month, after the House passed the HALT Act with a vote of 312-108, the nonprofit responded with a statement warning the bill would “create new mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl-related substances” and block “potential research that could uncover new overdose medications.” Stanford University’s Keith Humphreys, a former senior policy adviser in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, argued that claims the HALT Act’s scheduling permanency will increase incarceration rates among minority communities – similar to the impact of crack cocaine laws during the War on Drugs – are likely unfounded. “I don’t think [the HALT Act] is going to make a big difference,” Humphreys said. “It’s illegal now, you can’t go around doing fentanyl analogs … also the market size is just not comparable to the number of players that we had with crack.” BIPARTISAN BILL PROMISES MORE RESOURCES AT PORTS TO FIGHT FENTANYL SMUGGLING, SPEED UP WAIT TIMES Humphreys added that while it can be “hard” to get the approval to study Schedule I substances, it is “not impossible.” However, there are ways to schedule fentanyl analogs as Class I substances to remove these barriers, he noted. “You want to start scheduling drugs for use and for science and let them have two indicators.” According to its sponsors, the HALT Act would serve to reduce bureaucratic hurdles by streamlining the registration process for Schedule I researchers, opening up the door for more scientists to study fentanyl analogs. “Law Enforcement needs permanence. It needs a definitive change to combat the opioid crisis and to go after the criminals flooding communities with deadly drugs,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R–La., a former physician who introduced the HALT Act alongside Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. “Congress’ inaction only emboldens China, drug cartels and other criminals who exploit our communities.” However, some Democrats, like Booker, want more done. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP “This can’t be all Congress does. The whole bill cannot be our only response, because the whole bill permanently schedules what we have already scheduled temporarily,” Booker said Tuesday. “I’ve watched now, for at least three congresses that I’ve worked on trying to get a larger approach to meet the fentanyl crisis,” he continued. “And three congresses, this body has failed to rise to the challenge. I’m dying to be here when my colleague tells me, ‘I told you so” – and I give him permission to do that – that this body will do something beyond just scheduling.” Fox News Digital reached out to Booker and other Democrats for the purposes of this story, including Whitehouse and Markey, but did not receive any responses by publication time.