Second immigrant dies after shooting at Dallas ICE facility
The 32-year-old Mexican citizen died after being taken off life support, his wife said in a written statement.
Trump declares ‘reawakening’ of ‘warrior spirit,’ unwavering support for military: ‘I have your backs’
President Donald Trump told senior military leaders on Tuesday that they have his steadfast support as he looks to rekindle the “warrior spirit” in America’s military. Trump delivered what he called a “very simple” message to senior military leaders at Marine Corps University on Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. “We’re a team. And so my message to you is very simple,” the president said. “I am with you, I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100%.” Trump told the senior military leadership that “together, we’re reawakening the warrior spirit,” invoking the names of Gens. George S. Patton, Omar Bradley and Douglas MacArthur. AMERICA’S NEW STEALTH B-21 RAIDER TAKES NEXT STEP WITH SECOND BOMBER’S FIRST FLIGHT Trump said that the Navy, Air Force and Space Force have all met or surpassed their recruiting goals after recruitment struggles under the Biden administration, and laid out changes that his administration is bringing to the military. “We’re bringing back a focus on fitness, ability, character and strength,” he said. “And that’s because the purpose of America’s military is not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic.” HEGSETH CHAIRS FIRST-EVER GOLD STAR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, GIVING FAMILIES DIRECT LINE TO PENTAGON Trump criticized what he described as a shift toward political correctness and away from merit in the military and its leadership. “The apparatus of our country was not set up for merit,” Trump said. “It was set up for political correctness. And you can never be great if you’re going to do that.” “We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom, and we will be a fighting and winning machine,” he continued. “We want to fight. We want to win, and we want to fight as little as possible.”
Hegseth tells troops to resign if they oppose his plan to scrap ‘woke’ policies and restore warrior ethos
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told service members to “resign” if they don’t like his message of eliminating “woke” diversity measures and removing restrictions on lethal force on the battlefield. In a speech before hundreds of commanders at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, Hegseth declared the Defense Department “dead” in favor of the War Department and told troops that the military’s sole mission is “preparing for war and preparing to win.” “If the words I’m speaking today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign,” Hegseth told the audience. “We would thank you for your service. But I suspect the overwhelming majority of you feel the opposite. These words make your hearts full.” Last week, Hegseth called back generals and flag officers ranked one star and above from across the world for an unprecedented in-person address. CALLING IN THE GENERALS: WHAT HEGSETH’S TOP-BRASS MEETING SHOULD — AND SHOULDN’T — MEAN The secretary has already fired a dozen senior-ranking general officers. Throughout the 45-minute address, Hegseth repeatedly attacked what he called decades of “decay” in the ranks, driven by diversity programs, lowered standards, and politicized leadership. “We became the woke department. But not anymore,” Hegseth said. “No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris. We are done with that.” HEGSETH ORDERS ‘HISTORIC’ REDUCTION IN GENERAL OFFICERS IN THE MILITARY The secretary said his directives will reestablish rigorous physical, grooming, and leadership standards — including requiring all combat positions to meet “male level” physical benchmarks. He said this would apply equally to men and women, even if it meant fewer female troops in certain roles. “If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is,” Hegseth said. “Weak men won’t qualify either. We’re not playing games.” Hegseth announced ten new directives aimed at restoring what he called a “warrior ethos” across all branches, beginning with a return of all combat standards to their pre-2015 levels, reversing changes made to expand female participation. Fitness tests will be gender-neutral and administered twice a year for every rank, from privates to four-star generals, while grooming rules — including bans on beards and long hair — will be strictly enforced. HEGSETH VOWS TO RESTORE WARRIOR MENTALITY AND RAISE STANDARDS IN SWEEPING MILITARY TRANSFORMATION Training, he said, will pivot away from mandatory PowerPoint courses toward more time in the field and on weapons ranges. Basic training will also be reset to “scary, tough and disciplined” practices, with drill sergeants empowered to use physical intensity to forge recruits. “Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high,” Hegseth said. “If not, they’re just suggestions. And suggestions get our sons and daughters killed.” Hegseth also criticized how terms like “toxic leadership,” “bullying,” and “hazing” have been applied, saying they were “weaponized” to punish tough leaders and promote risk-averse officers. “Real toxic leadership is promoting people based on immutable characteristics or quotas instead of merit,” he said. “If that makes me toxic, then so be it.” He announced changes to inspector generals, aiming to reduce what he called “frivolous complaints” and to put “power back in the hands of commanders and NCOs.” Framing his remarks with references to George Washington and the Roman Empire, Hegseth said the War Department’s mission is to deter adversaries through “peace through strength,” warning that the U.S. faces mounting threats from China and other rivals. “To our enemies, FAFO,” Hegseth said, using an acronym for “f*** around and find out.” “If necessary, our troops can translate that for you perfectly.” Hegseth concluded by casting his directives as a liberation for troops stifled by political correctness. “Today is another Liberation Day, the liberation of America’s warriors in name, indeed, and in authorities,” he said. “You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society. You are warriors.” He closed the address with a prayer.
Trump admin renews effort to exclude Harvard from billions in federal research grants
The Trump administration on Monday said it has started a new process to block Harvard University’s eligibility for federal grant money and its ability to enter into new federal contracts — yet another salvo from Trump officials as they continue to target the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. The Department of Health and Human Services notified Harvard President Alan Garber in a letter Monday that it has initiated the debarment process for the university — a move that would render the school ineligible to receive federal grant money or enter into new federal contracts. HHS officials cited allegations of antisemitism brought against the university and what Trump officials argued is the school’s failure to comply with recommendations from a federal antisemitism task force earlier this year. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ATTEMPT TO FREEZE MORE THAN $2 BILLION IN HARVARD FUNDS The familiar refrain has been at the center of a months-long legal fight between Trump officials and Harvard lawyers, who sparred over efforts to comply with recommendations from a federal task force earlier this year. Trump officials have argued the school has not done enough to comply with the task force recommendations; Harvard has countered that the effort amounts to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” from the administration to influence and exert control over its academic programs. It’s unclear how long the debarment process will take, and these efforts are often preceded by a shorter-term period of suspension, according to data from HHS’s Office for Civil Rights. Still, if successful, the effort could threaten billions of dollars in funding for Harvard at an already vulnerable time for the university. The debarment process, if successful, could eventually “blacklist” Harvard from doing business with the government in any capacity — including blocking its ability to accept billions in federal research funds and to sign new contracts with federal agencies. CONTINUED COURT FIGHTS COULD PUT HARVARD IN UNWINNABLE POSITION VS TRUMP Harvard’s lawyers have reportedly struggled to negotiate with the Trump administration in ongoing settlement talks, weeks after a judge in Boston sided with Harvard and ordered the administration to restore billions in funding to the school. The news comes just weeks after a federal judge in Boston sided with Harvard in ruling that the Trump administration had acted illegally in freezing more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding that had been allocated to Harvard. In an 84-page summary judgment earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that it was attempting to strip Harvard of billions in federal funding due to allegations of antisemitism, or the university’s failure to comply with the recommendations of a federal antisemitism task force. “A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that defendants used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs said in her decision. HARVARD PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO FIGHT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Harvard lawyers sued the Trump administration in April over its attempts to freeze billions in federal funding and block other grant money — which they argued in court amounts to an unconstitutional “pressure campaign” designed to influence and exert control over its academic programs. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration is likely to appeal the ruling, though the time frame for the appeal and the next steps for challenging the summary judgment remain unclear.
Who is Virginia’s next Glenn Youngkin: How the GOP wins statewide again
EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Glenn Youngkin cracked the code for Republicans in purple Virginia, a state that hadn’t backed a GOP governor in over a decade and hasn’t sent a Republican to the Senate since 2009. Now, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears hopes to repeat the feat — but can it be done? Dave Brat, a former Virginia congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus, says it can. Brat stunned the political world a decade ago when he toppled House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary no one thought he could win. He says his underdog playbook could hold the key for Earle-Sears as she faces a steep climb against Democrat Abigail Spanberger in this year’s governor’s race. A decade ago, Brat was an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland when he launched his longshot bid against Cantor, R-Va. – then a potential future speaker of the House. Outspent 40:1, Brat campaigned undeterred and kept to his small-government, grassroots message that included themes of Cantor being too enmeshed in Washington and critiqued mainstream Republicans’ openness to immigration amnesty. He shocked the political world by beating Cantor by more than 10 points and ultimately winning the general election. That victory, Brat told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview, shows Republicans can still defy expectations in Virginia — if they stick to clear, populist issues that resonate with voters. “Winsome has to be very smart in picking a few key issues where she thinks they’ll win,” he said. In 2021, then-business executive Glenn Youngkin – who, like Brat, was a political novice – beat back political headwinds against high-profile former Gov. Terry McAuliffe – winning the governorship for the GOP for the first time in over a decade. In November, Earle-Sears has that same chance, Brat said. JAMES CARVILLE ADMITS DEMS FOCUSED TOO MUCH ON TRUMP, RIPS ALTERNATIVE MEDIA FOR ‘GOOFY INFORMATION’ “Youngkin came in on the key issue of the kids in the bathrooms and all the craziness in the school and who’s in charge of that. And that’s, unfortunately, still with us,” Brat said. “Winsome is a very good person. And part of this lies at the feet of the voters.” But Brat also criticized his own party, accusing Virginia Republicans of relying too heavily on donors rather than grassroots supporters. VIRGINIA’S YOUNGKIN ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR GOVERNOR “The Virginia Republican Party [has had] a well-established pattern for about 40 years. The check-writers only support the check-writers. They never support the base,” he said. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, I love the commonwealth’, but the check-writers aren’t there, and we need them.” The Republican Party of Virginia countered that it remains firmly behind its nominee. “Our candidates remain united in their fight for hard-working Virginia families. All of our focus and our energy is aimed at highlighting the successes of the Youngkin-Sears-Miyares administration and exposing the failed radical left policies being advanced by Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Democrats,” the spokesperson said. Brat also painted the Democrats’ message and recent political posturing as being unpopular when voters are informed of it, citing Spanberger’s responses to questions about current controversies like transgender bathroom policies in schools, which Earle-Sears is hammering in her outreach. “Again, all political views of my own, but a former CIA person (Spanberger) who won’t say the basic things on the Judeo-Christian tradition, values, boys can be girls, the schools can take your kid, and they can change the sex of your kid without [parental intervention], and she can’t make a strong comment on that — I mean, that tells you all,” Brat said. 2025 SHOWDOWN: THIS REPUBLICAN WOMAN MAY BECOME NATION’S FIRST BLACK FEMALE GOVERNOR While Clinton confidant James Carville may have claimed “it’s the economy, stupid” as the top electoral axiom, Brat noted the intricacies often take “too long to explain.” “We had 20% inflation under Biden in those four years. Under Trump… it’s up like a half a percentage point,” he said when asked about how Spanberger continues to hammer cost-of-living and economic issues moreso than social issues highlighted by Earle-Sears. “So, [Spanberger] can say that. Winsome ought to come back and swipe it down hard — hit it hard to knock the economy out [as an issue for Democrats]. “We’re in favor of the private sector. Spanberger’s in favor of socialist policies and growing government. And the ‘fascist’ label the left is using: you can’t be a ‘fascist’ if you’re for small government. So that’s a problem. So she ought to swipe those out quick.” Like Youngkin, Brat said, Earle-Sears needs the “suburban mom” vote, suggesting battling the culture wars may do her well. “If the suburban Mom flips our way, we win going away,” he said. “I think she can win.”
House Democrats threaten shutdown fight to protect Obamacare perks
House Democrats are ready to go to war to save enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year, even if it means risking a partial government shutdown. Democrats and some moderate House Republicans have been sounding the alarm about the expiring healthcare subsidies for weeks, a fight that’s now coming to a head as the Senate is poised to vote on a short-term federal funding bill called a “continuing resolution” (CR) aimed at keeping the government funded through Nov. 21. House Democrats held an in-person caucus meeting on Capitol Hill Monday night to paint a contrasting image with House Republicans who are home in their districts during a potential shutdown. “One, yes, we should get it done in this CR,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital after the meeting when asked if getting the subsidies included was worth risking a potential shutdown. “The Republicans in the last 20 years have asked for policy goal after policy goal in this similar situation.” DEMS NOT BUDGING ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEMANDS AHEAD OF HIGH-STAKES TRUMP MEETING, JEFFRIES SUGGESTS “And number two, we need some commitments that if we sign up for a budget, the budget will actually be observed,” he added. Both Himes and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, referenced earlier comments by senior appropriator Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., to Politico, questioning why Democrats would join the GOP in funding negotiations given the Trump administration’s propensity for cutting spending that Congress agrees on. DeLauro told reporters after the meeting that Republicans “absolutely” needed to deliver on Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in written legislation. “Why should we believe them if it’s not in legislation?” she asked. DeLauro said earlier, “We certainly don’t want to shut down. We’ve said that all along, and all we need is good, bipartisan cooperation. That’s what’s necessary. We’ve been able to do that before, I anticipate we ought to be getting there now. And all this is about is affordability, affordability of health care costs.” Other House Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital did not directly say the subsidies were worth risking a shutdown, but argued they needed to be addressed immediately. “Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and so look, I mean, to not address that reality is political malpractice. Congress has an obligation to do something, and we have to do something now. We’re here in Washington because we want to fix the problem. Republicans aren’t here,” Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said. “It’s about whether people continue to afford to have adequate healthcare…this is a big issue, and this is a fight the American people, I think, are on our side on.” Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, said when asked if the subsidies were worth risking a shutdown now, “I think this will be [President Donald Trump’s] shutdown, because he’s not just the president, but for his entire second term, he has tried to give everyone the impression that he is all powerful. And that does come at a cost.” “[Republicans] could extend these tax credits that are very popular and necessary at a time with rising costs, by simply sitting down and negotiating with us,” Landsman said. Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., pointed out that “notices are supposed to go out as early as Wednesday that ACA tax credits are going away.” SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “The Democrats are happy to support any bill that would protect Americans’ healthcare, our education, and we’re ready to vote. We’re here working right now, Republicans aren’t here,” Vindman said. Already existing ACA subsidies were increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic under former President Joe Biden. And while the credits were meant as a temporary expansion, they’ve since become a political lightning rod with healthcare premiums poised to rise for millions of Americans. There have been some conversations about limiting the income brackets eligible for those enhanced subsidies, while conservatives have pushed for them to be eliminated altogether. House and Senate GOP leaders have signaled they would be willing to have those discussions later this year and are accusing Democrats of trying to jam partisan demands into a seven-week government funding bill. While House Democrats appear united on the matter, however, it’s the Senate that is pivotal in the current equation. The House passed the CR largely along party lines earlier this month, and it’s now on the Senate to advance the measure before midnight on Oct. 1 to avert a shutdown. But even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., signaled on Monday evening that Democrats would hold firm. “They say give us 45 days. Since March, we’ve had 45 days and 45 days and 45 days and 45 days. We asked to meet earlier, they didn’t want to,” Schumer told reporters. “So we think when they say later, they mean never. We have to do it now, first because of the timing issue, and second, because now is the time we can get it done.”
User’s manual to a likely government shutdown tonight
A government shutdown is all but assured to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday. The Senate will take a test vote to break a filibuster on a House-passed interim spending bill later today. But that needs 60 yeas. That means Democratic votes are necessary, and that’s why the government likely shuts down. The House is not even in session this week. Plus, Yom Kippur begins Wednesday night at sundown. That means the government is closed for a minimum of several days. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: DEMOCRATS’ SHUTDOWN GAMBLE REVEALS PARTY DIVISIONS, SCHUMER’S WEAK SPOT WITH THE LEFT The last time the government shut down was in 2018-2019. That 35-day shutdown was the longest in history. The Trump administration will determine which agencies and services are essential. For instance, those in the military, national security and intelligence personnel remain on the job. Lawmakers must be paid, under the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: TRUMP HOLDS BIPARTISAN MEETING WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS AS WEDNESDAY SHUTDOWN LOOMS National Parks and museums usually close. However, the Postal Service continues to operate. Passport processing usually stops. Air traffic controllers continue to work. But they aren’t paid until there’s a resolution. The government continues to pay Social Security and other retirement or health benefits. But, there’s always the possibility that federal workers who process those checks could refuse to come to work if they’re not getting paid and a shutdown drags on. There’s often a tipping point in each government shutdown that triggers both sides to lay down their political swords and forge an agreement. That returns everyone to work. In 2013, U.S. Capitol Police officers were still on the job without pay when they got involved in a high-speed chase and shooting that started at the White House and wound up near the Hart Senate Office Building. Officers were injured in the mayhem. That prompted lawmakers from both sides to sober up and re-open the government. Growing concern about aviation safety helped end a 2019 shutdown. Air traffic controllers worked for more than a month without pay. A small group of controllers elected to stay home. That prompted a temporary shutdown at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Issues also materialized in Newark, N.J., Atlanta and Philadelphia. Fear of a major air disaster prompted lawmakers and the first Trump administration to terminate the shutdown. Who prevails in government shutdowns? It’s hard to gauge the political benefit. It’s widely believed that former President Bill Clinton won his standoff with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., in 1995-1996. Clinton rode easily to reelection in the fall of 1996. Gingrich seemed to bleed support on Capitol Hill after the shutdown. But Gingrich secured significant spending reforms that ultimately resulted in a federal surplus a few years later. And Republicans maintained control of the House and Senate in 1996. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, engineered the 2013 shutdown over repealing Obamacare. Obamacare remains the law of the land. Cruz won reelection in 2018. Democrats didn’t flip the House in the 2014 midterms as Republicans expanded their majority, and the GOP gained control of the Senate. The 2018-2019 shutdown started even before the House and Senate swore in freshmen elected in the 2018 midterms. So divining a political impact from that particular shutdown is challenging. A host of other factors — including the COVID-19 pandemic — were much bigger than the shutdown by the time we got to November 2020. Trump lost reelection that year. Democrats maintained control of the House in 2020. And Democrats narrowly flipped the Senate.
Tennessee governor backs military veteran just days before crowded primary election
FIRST ON FOX: Less than one week until the primary election, Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tenn., is endorsing Republican Matt Van Epps to replace former Rep. Mark Green in the U.S. House of Representatives. Green’s retirement triggered a competitive special election with a staggering 19-candidate field, including 11 Republicans vying for the party’s nomination. Van Epps secured Green’s endorsement ahead of his last day representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in July. “My friend Matt Van Epps has my complete and total endorsement, and I look forward to calling him my congressman,” Lee announced Tuesday. “I’ll be casting my vote for Matt, and I encourage all conservatives to join me in doing the same on October 7th.” Van Epps told Fox News Digital that he is “deeply honored” by Lee’s endorsement, vowing to defend President Donald Trump’s agenda in the House and be a “strong conservative voice.” MARK GREEN RESIGNS FROM CONGRESS, FURTHER SHRINKING HOUSE GOP MAJORITY “Matt Van Epps is the conservative, America First fighter we need representing Tennessee,” Lee said in a statement. “As a West Point graduate, decorated Special Operations combat pilot, current National Guardsman, and former member of my cabinet, Matt has the character and the courage to go to Washington and fight for Tennesseans.” ‘A TRUE WARRIOR’: RETIRING REP MARK GREEN ENDORSES HIS POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT IN GOP RACE Van Epps was appointed DGS commissioner in 2024 and has worked for several Tennessee state agencies, including the Department of Veteran Services and the Department of Transportation. “In his time as commissioner, he worked to cut red tape, increase accountability, and drive government efficiency. He will stand fully with President Trump, bringing that same results-driven leadership to Congress to defend our conservative values, and fight back against the liberal policies that threaten our way of life,” the governor said. Van Epps graduated from West Point in 2005. He served nine combat tours as an Apache pilot for the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade and as a Chinook pilot for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the Night Stalkers. Green announced his retirement from Congress last month, notifying House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that he would resign as soon as the House voted on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which Republicans managed to pass by their self-imposed July 4 deadline. Green had served Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District since 2019, and his last day in Congress was July 20. He served as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. His early retirement from Congress narrowed the already slim majority in the House to 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats in July. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Tennessee’s 7th district voted for Trump by more than 20 points last year. The primary is set for Oct. 7, ahead of the special election on Dec. 2.
Grieving dad slams lawmakers for crime policies that freed daughter’s suspected career criminal killer
A North Carolina father called for stricter penalties for criminals during a congressional hearing on Monday, saying that, similar to the case of the Charlotte light rail attack, his daughter was killed at the hands of a repeat offender. Stephen Federico said his daughter Logan’s alleged murderer had more than two dozen felonies on his record in South Carolina before he broke into a house in Columbia, where the 22-year-old woman was visiting with friends, and robbed her and shot her in the chest. “I will fight until my last breath for my daughter,” Federico told lawmakers during his opening remarks. “You need to fight for the rest of our children, the rest of the innocents, and stop protecting the people that keep taking them from us, please.” Federico joined Mia Alderman, whose granddaughter was murdered in 2020, to speak out during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Charlotte against a judicial system that they say failed their families. CONGRESS TO HOLD CRIME HEARING IN CHARLOTTE FOLLOWING DEADLY LIGHT RAIL ATTACK The committee held the remote hearing in North Carolina’s most urban region to highlight what lawmakers say is a need for criminal justice reform. The event comes after a repeat offender was caught on surveillance video last month stabbing Iryna Zarutska, 23, to death after she sat in front of the man on the Charlotte light rail. Logan Federico’s suspected killer, Alexander Dickey, had been arrested several times for first-degree burglary, which carries a minimum 15-year sentence, when he pleaded guilty in 2023 to a lower charge as a first-time offender. The solicitor’s office in South Carolina that handled Dickey’s last arrest later said it sought a sentencing based on a rap sheet that was incomplete because Dickey’s fingerprints were not properly recorded, according to a local report and a Fox News Digital analysis. Stephen Federico said in total, Dickey had 39 charges on his record before he went on a burglary spree in May 2025, shot and killed his daughter, and then went to a store and used her debit card and other stolen cards. He was arrested the following day. “When they saw his face on the video, they didn’t have to do a check. He was arrested so many times they knew who he was,” Stephen Federico said. CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS In Zarutska’s case, suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. had a criminal record that spanned ten years and previously served prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon. Brown had also been diagnosed with schizophrenia and, according to the New York Times, had been awaiting an evaluation for his mental competence at the time of Zarutska’s murder. Before that, a magistrate judge released Brown in January after he was charged with a misdemeanor for abusing the 9-1-1 call line. “Sadly, it’s all too common for a criminal to be let off easy by a judge only to have him turn around and commit an even worse crime,” said Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., who represents part of Charlotte. Alderman, meanwhile, said prosecutions for those responsible for murdering her granddaughter, 20-year-old Mary Collins, remain ongoing. Collins was found days after her death wrapped in plastic in a mattress with more than 100 stab wounds. “Five years is not justice. Five years is torment,” Alderman said, adding that one of the four people arrested, America Diehl, has been violating her release conditions. Three others have been arrested and charged, one of whom was out on bond for two years. “Justice delayed is justice denied, and time is stealing our justice with the backlogged court system for murder trials, and Mary is not the only victim. … The same system that failed Mary failed Iryna,” Alderman said.
US companies secure record $170B in global contracts under Trump so far, Commerce says
FIRST ON FOX: American companies have won a record $170 billion in foreign government contracts since President Donald Trump returned to office, the Department of Commerce announced Tuesday. The deals amount to 98 contracts and are expected to generate $144 billion in U.S.-manufactured exports and support nearly 600,000 American jobs, according to the International Trade Administration (ITA), the Commerce Department’s arm for trade and exports. TRUMP SAYS HE HOLDS ‘INCREDIBLE CARDS’ THAT COULD ‘DESTROY CHINA’ BUT WON’T PLAY THEM YET The total dwarfs the $12 billion in contracts signed during the same period in 2021 under former President Joe Biden. The aerospace and defense sector took the lion’s share, securing $153 billion in signed contracts. Other deals included about $5 billion in nuclear, oil and gas projects, $800 million in information technology, and more than $600 million in safety and security equipment. Commerce officials said the latest tally underscores a renewed focus to prioritize U.S. industry and competitiveness abroad. BESSENT DEFENDS TRUMP’S TARIFFS AGAINST CLAIMS THEY HARM US BUSINESSES “The record-breaking U.S. business wins under President Trump’s leadership reflect an unwavering commitment to rebuilding U.S. industry for the American worker,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement. “With record business deals abroad, America is strong again, and together with the American worker, President Trump is transforming the U.S. economy, rebalancing our global trade and restoring America’s place in the world,” he added. TRUMP SAYS US WOULD BE ‘DESTROYED’ WITHOUT TARIFF REVENUE The deals are driven in part by the ITA’s Advocacy Center, a Commerce Department team that helps U.S. companies compete for foreign government contracts by ensuring bids are judged on merit. “In the first nine months of the Trump administration, ITA advocacy has worked tirelessly to win contracts to support hundreds of thousands of American jobs,” said Under Secretary of Commerce William Kimmitt. “We will continue to be an unrelenting advocate around the world in support of American workers,” he added.