2025 – Page 543 – Texas Weekly Online

Top GOP senator defies Trump demand to bend Senate rules for his court picks

The top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is again standing firm against President Donald Trump’s demand that Senate tradition be changed to ram through his district court and U.S. attorney nominees. Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, came under fire from Trump again late Sunday night over the Senate’s “blue slips,” a longstanding practice in the upper chamber that the president wants to be done away with. A blue slip effectively gives Senate Republicans and Democrats the ability to veto district court and U.S. attorney nominees in their home states. TRUMP TELLS GRASSLEY TO TELL DEMOCRATS ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER BLOCKED JUDICIAL NOMINEES IN SENATE But Grassley argued in a response on X Monday that without blue slips, none of Trump’s nominees would pass muster in the Senate. “A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not [have] the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t [have] the votes to get out of [committee],” Grassley said. “As chairman I set [President] Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILURE.” Trump argued that it was his constitutional right to appoint judges and U.S. attorneys, but the right had been “completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator.” GRASSLEY REBUKES TRUMP’S PRESSURE TO ‘HAVE THE COURAGE’ TO SPEED UP NOMINATIONS “This is because of an old and outdated ‘custom’ known as a BLUE SLIP, that Senator Chuck Grassley, of the Great State of Iowa, refuses to overturn, even though the Democrats, including Crooked Joe Biden (Twice!), have done so on numerous occasions,” Trump said. “Therefore, the only candidates that I can get confirmed for these most important positions are, believe it or not, Democrats! Chuck Grassley should allow strong Republican candidates to ascend to these very vital and powerful roles, and tell the Democrats, as they often tell us, to go to HELL,” he continued. TRUMP TELLS SCHUMER TO ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER SENATE NOMINEE DEAL FUNDING DEMANDS AFTER NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE Senate Democrats have indeed used the blue slip tradition this year to block some of Trump’s picks for the bench as part of their broader log jam of his nominees. For example, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., used his blue slip privileges to nix Trump’s U.S. Attorney nominees for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. And Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, both Democrats from New Jersey, used the blue slip to object to Alina Habba’s nomination to U.S. Attorney in the Garden State. Habba was tapped by Trump to serve in the role on an interim basis, but after her term expired a panel of judges opted to not extend her position. A replacement was chosen but then fired by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump then withdrew his nomination for Habba and restored her interim status. “Habba was withdrawn as the President’s nominee for New Jersey U.S. Atty on July 24,” Grassley said. “[And] the [Judiciary Committee] never received any of the paperwork needed for the Senate to vet her nomination.” Trump’s renewed ire comes after he singled out Grassley last month for not nixing the longstanding tradition, which is not a law, and demanded that he “have the courage” to change the practice. It also comes after Senate Republicans and Democrats failed to reach a deal on ramming through many of the president’s nominees before leaving Washington for all of August. Finding a pathway forward, including a likely change to the Senate’s confirmation process, is expected to be a top priority for Republicans when they return to the Hill after Labor Day.

FIRST ON FOX: Texas’ Ken Paxton endorses candidate to succeed him as attorney general

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, is endorsing Aaron Reitz for attorney general, Fox News Digital has learned. Paxton is throwing his support behind Reitz, who previously served under him as Texas deputy attorney general for legal strategy, just days after U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who previously served under Paxton as first assistant attorney general of the Lone Star State, announced a run for the attorney general post. “One of the most frequent questions Texans ask me is: ‘Ken, who should succeed you as Attorney General?’ My answer is now definitive: Aaron Reitz,” Paxton said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. Paxton described Reitz as “the only candidate who is fully vetted, battle-tested, proven, and ready to be Attorney General,” calling him, “loyal, fearless, trusted, and relentlessly committed to the Rule of Law.” TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON “Aaron Reitz absolutely must be Texas’s next top lawyer,” Paxton asserted in the statement, included in a Reitz campaign press release. “For that reason, I am giving him my complete and total endorsement to succeed me as Attorney General.” Reitz briefly served as assistant attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy earlier this year. In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump called Reitz “a true MAGA attorney” and “a warrior for our Constitution” in a Truth Social post announcing that he was nominating him to helm the DOJ office. While Reitz and Roy have both previously served as chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the senator is backing Roy for the job. “There are several excellent candidates right now in the race for Texas Attorney General. All of them are friends of mine, and all of them have been strong supporters of mine for many, many years. Texas is blessed to have an abundance of strong conservatives stepping forward to lead, in such a time as this,” Cruz said in a statement. “I am proud to endorse Chip Roy for Attorney General of Texas. As my very first chief of staff, Chip has been a close friend and ally of mine for over 12 years. We have been in more fights together than I can count, and I know Chip will always, always, always fight for conservative values,” Cruz asserted, adding later in the statement, “There is no one better equipped to lead the Office of the Texas Attorney General, and I know that he will ferociously fight and protect the Lone Star State.” Republican Texas state Sens. Mayes Middleton and Joan Huffman are also running to succeed Paxton in the post. On the other side of the aisle, Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the job. TED CRUZ ENDORSES CHIP ROY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘NO ONE BETTER’ Roy, the policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, announced his entry into the attorney general race last week, explaining his decision to shift his attention to the state role rather than remaining in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he has served since early 2019. “I am particularly proud of our work to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and fight to drain the swamp. I could do it forever and be fulfilled professionally. But representatives should not be permanent. And my experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home. I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas,” he said in a statement included in a campaign press release. “Texas is under assault – from open-border politicians, radical leftists, and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety, and our way of life,” he asserted. “As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families, and for the future of Texas. No more Soros-funded judges and DA’s putting criminals on our streets. No more judge-made mandates that Texans pay for illegals in our public schools. No more communities built on Sharia law.” Reitz has since made it crystal clear that he is not dropping out of the contest by sharing a clip from the film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” in which actor Leonardo DiCaprio declares, “I’m not leavin’. I’m not f***in leavin’!’” In the press release obtained by Fox News Digital, the candidate noted that he is “honored” to receive Paxton’s endorsement. FIRST ON FOX: BORDER PATROL UNION ENDORSES EX-TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR STATE AG “Serving as Ken Paxton’s ‘offensive coordinator’ was the crusade of a lifetime. I am deeply honored to have his support in my campaign for Attorney General,” Reitz said the statement. “Under Ken Paxton, Texas has been a shining example for the conservative movement on how to fight and win against the enemies of Law, Order, and Liberty. My promise to Texans is that I will keep my foot on the gas and energetically carry on Paxton’s legacy. That is the only way to defend Texas from the radical left. As the only pro-Paxton candidate in this race, I am unequivocally the best person to lead the Office of the Attorney General of Texas into battle,” he added. In a statement in 2020 responding to allegations Paxton had engaged in wrongdoing, Roy said that Paxton should resign. The Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton in 2023, but he was later acquitted by the state Senate the same year. During a radio interview on “The Mark Davis Show” last week, Roy said that he and Paxton are “friends,” noting, “I wish Ken all the best,” and stating that they have “overlapping belief systems.”

FIRST ON FOX: Retired Air Force colonel who piloted last flight out of Afghanistan reveals new mission

EXCLUSIVE: A retired U.S. Air Force colonel who commanded the final American evacuation flights out of Afghanistan four years ago on Monday launched a Republican campaign in South Carolina’s First Congressional District. Alex Pelbath, who describes himself as a “Trump Conservative,” is running in the 2026 race to succeed three-term GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, who is bidding for governor rather than seek re-election in the right-leaning coastal district in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. “In combat, mission is everything. My mission is clear: provide President Trump the reinforcements he needs, deliver leadership that makes the Lowcountry proud, and bring an outsider’s perspective to Washington,” Pelbath said in a statement shared nationally first with Fox News Digital. FIRST ON FOX: NANCY MACE LAUNCHES BID FOR SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR Pelbath spent 22 years in the Air Force, flying over 4,000 hours—including more than 1,000 in combat. During the much-maligned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan during former President Biden’s first year in the White House, Pelbath served as Air Mission Commander for the final evacuation from Kabul, overseeing all aircraft involved. And he personally flew the last American plane out of Afghanistan. “I was the last one out. But the mission’s not over,” Pelbath said in his statement and an accompanying video. The release from Pelbath’s campaign highlighted that he helped shape two defense budgets and advised the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his service at the Pentagon. “I witnessed the devastation caused by career politicians’ weak leadership,” Pelbath argued in a statement. “I never planned to run for Congress, but I can’t stand by while Washington puts politics before the mission. America needs leaders who will stand with President Trump and deliver on his effort to Make America Great Again—by ending the flow of illegal immigrants, stopping the woke nonsense in our schools and military, and fighting for an economy that works for Lowcountry families.” HOUSE GOP TAKES AIM AT THESE DEMOCRAT-HELD SEATS IN 2026 MIDTERMS Pelbath, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, lives in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina with his wife and their two children. He becomes the second Republican candidate to jump into the race, following businessman and politician Marvin “Mark” Smith, a state lawmaker in the South Carolina House from the 99th District. Mace, who was first elected to the district in 2020, is one of five major candidates running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is the Palmetto State’s longest-serving governor. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Ralph Norman, and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are also seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination in the reliably red state.

Trump signs executive orders to eliminate no-cash bail for suspects in DC and nationwide

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that aims to eliminate cashless bail for suspects arrested in Washington, D.C., and a separate order focusing on ending the policy nationwide. Fox News confirmed earlier Monday that Trump was ordering the end of cash bail policies nationwide by threatening to revoke federal funding for jurisdictions across the country. “We are at a point where Washington is booming again,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before signing the orders. “People are pouring in like we haven’t seen for years.” Trump said that over the past 11 days, since his plan to make D.C. safer took effect, there have been zero murders, while authorities have “arrested a total of well over a thousand people” and “took hundreds of guns away from young kids that were throwing them around like it was candy.” He added that “scores of illegal aliens” were also apprehended. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHES FEDERAL SECURITY BLITZ AS PRESIDENT VOWS TO END DC ‘CRIME PLAGUE’ Trump had spoken about ending the no cash bail policy earlier this month, though hinted that he was going to do it through Congress using Republican votes “because the Democrats are weak on crime, totally weak on crime.” “Every place in the country where you have no-cash bail is a disaster,” Trump said at the time, specifically naming New York and Chicago. “I mean, bad politicians started it, bad leadership started it. But that was the one thing that’s central. No-cash bail. Somebody murders somebody and they’re out on no-cash bail before the day is out.” No-cash bail is generally considered a progressive approach to criminal justice. As such reforms have been implemented in states like New York, data shows that bail elimination can lead to higher recidivism rates. The Data Collaborative for Justice concluded in February 2024 that “the elimination of money bail increased recidivism for people charged with nonviolent felonies, with recent criminal history, and with a recent violent felony arrest, while it decreased recidivism for people charged with misdemeanors and people with no recent criminal history.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, has been a strong critic of the state’s cashless bail law, which was enacted by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019 and perpetuated under his successor, current Gov. Kathy Hochul. Adams, who has argued Cuomo-era bail reforms drove up recidivism rates, resulting in offenders repeatedly being arrested and released back on the streets, now faces the former governor in November’s mayoral election. Democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is seen as the front-runner in the mayoral race after his June primary win, has promoted radical initiatives, such as eliminating all cash bail and abolishing prisons. BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out a plan aimed at making Washington, D.C., “safer and more beautiful” as his administration doubles down on efforts to address crime and a growing homeless population in the nation’s capital. On Friday, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago, calling the Windy City “a mess,” though the White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson later called the Trump administration’s efforts “uncoordinated, uncalled-for and unsound,” seemingly snapping back at the president, who called him “grossly incompetent” earlier in the day. Johnson added the city has reduced homicides by 30%, robberies by 35% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year, suggesting federal action would deteriorate trust. The city, which struggles with poverty and gang activity, has a crime rate higher than the national average. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Amanda Macias and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

ICE arrests Abrego Garcia at Maryland check-in, lawyer says

Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Monday morning after he arrived for check-in at the agency’s field office in Baltimore, Maryland, where officials plan to begin removal proceedings to deport him again to a third country, such as Uganda. Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. They also did not give his lawyers any paperwork detailing his removal. “As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country, unless and until he’s had a fair trial — as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. His attorneys filed the habeas petition in the U.S. District Court of Maryland. It was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who since March has presided over a civil case challenging his deportation to El Salvador. ABREGO GARCIA TO APPEAR AT ICE OFFICE IN BALTIMORE AMID TALK OF UGANDA DEPORTATION Xinis issued an order last month that sought to block ICE from immediately arresting Abrego Garcia. News of his detention is likely to be scrutinized closely by the judge, who has spent months grilling Trump officials for details over his removal and his current legal status. Shortly before his arrival at the ICE Field Office in Baltimore on Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside, some before sunrise, for a candlelight vigil to show their support for Abrego Garcia and his family. The morning was an emotional one, as faith leaders and family members surrounded Abrego Garcia and his wife. Many, including Abrego Garcia, were visibly emotional as they addressed the roughly 200 attendees who massed outside the office beginning around 6 a.m. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, meanwhile, took to social media to praise news of his arrest into immigration custody. Like other Trump officials, she has long argued Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member. She said on social media Monday that President Donald Trump, she said, will not allow him “to terrorize American citizens any longer.” Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda. The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court. He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial. ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda, an East African nation that reached a deal with the U.S. last week to accept migrants deported by the Trump administration. FEDERAL JUDGE DELIVERS ONE-TWO PUNCH TO TRUMP IN ABREGO GARCIA CASE The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).” Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S,, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal. “We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening. “He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.” This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Irish activists knit blanket representing children killed in Gaza

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Video shows a blanket knitted by Irish activists as a tribute to children killed in Gaza. Each square of the blanket rep

Vietnam prepares to evacuate half a million people ahead of Typhoon Kajiki

More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation. Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate from Vietnam’s coastline facing the South China Sea, with airports and schools shut as authorities brace for Typhoon Kajiki. The Vietnamese government said on Monday that about 30,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas. Authorities said on Sunday that more than half a million people would be evacuated and ordered boats to remain in port. “This is an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm,” the government said in a statement on Sunday night, warning that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides. More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation and to stand by for search and rescue, the government said in a statement. The typhoon with winds of up to 166km/h (103mph) at sea is due to make landfall on Monday afternoon, the country’s weather agency said. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center said conditions suggested “an approaching weakening trend as the system approaches the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tonkin where there is less ocean heat content”. Two airports in the Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been closed, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air cancelled dozens of flights to and from the area on Sunday and Monday. Coastal provinces have banned ships from going out to sea starting Monday and were calling in those already out, said Vietnam’s news agency. Vietnam is prone to storms that are often deadly and trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides. More than 100 people were killed or went missing due to natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Advertisement Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people and caused property damage of approximately $3.3bn. ‘A bit scared’ The waterfront city of Vinh was deluged overnight, its streets largely deserted by morning with most shops and restaurants closed as residents and business owners sandbagged their property entrances. “I have never heard of a typhoon of this big scale coming to our city,” 66-year-old Le Manh Tung, in the city of Vinh, told the AFP news agency. He is sheltering alongside other evacuated families at an indoor stadium. “I am a bit scared, but then we have to accept it because it’s nature – we cannot do anything.” Houses run the risk of collapse from the storm, and even high-rise buildings could suffer serious damage, said Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the official Vietnam News Agency reported. The storm is projected to move inland across Laos and northern Thailand. Kajiki hit the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday as it moved towards Vietnam. About 20,000 residents were evacuated from the Chinese province, which downgraded its typhoon and emergency response alerts on Monday morning. But authorities warned of heavy rain and isolated storms in cities in the southern part of the province. Adblock test (Why?)

Year: 2025