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Year: 2025

Judge Boasberg orders Rubio to refer Trump officials’ Signal messages to DOJ to ensure preservation

Judge Boasberg orders Rubio to refer Trump officials’ Signal messages to DOJ to ensure preservation

A federal judge on Friday ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also serving as the acting archivist, to collect any Signal messages belonging to top Trump officials that could be at risk of deletion and to refer those messages to the Department of Justice for further review. Judge James Boasberg said his hands were tied beyond that and that he could not do anything about Signal messages that had already been deleted. Boasberg’s order came in response to a watchdog group suing five of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members, including Rubio, after the Atlantic published a story revealing their Signal chat discussing imminent plans to conduct airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Boasberg, who has become one of Trump’s top judicial nemeses because of his rulings in an unrelated immigration case, said the court record shows that the five Trump officials “have thus far neglected to fulfill their duties” under the Federal Records Act. JUDGE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP DEPORTATION CASE ORDERS PRESERVATION OF SIGNAL MESSAGES The judge said American Oversight, the left-leaning watchdog that brought the lawsuit, made a strong case that the Cabinet officials have used Signal, an encrypted messaging app, to communicate for work purposes and that they have allowed the messages to auto-delete, likely rendering them permanently lost. But in the context of the Federal Records Act, Boasberg said he had limited options to address American Oversight’s allegations aside from demanding that Rubio ask Attorney General Pam Bondi to ensure compliance with the law for existing Signal messages that were at risk of deletion. Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight, indicated in a statement that the group’s lawsuit was over for now but that it was “fully prepared” to sue again if it found the Trump administration failed to comply with Boabsberg’s order. JUDGE TELLS GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS FIRED BY TRUMP THERE’S NOT MUCH SHE CAN DO FOR THEM “It should never have required court intervention to compel the acting Archivist and other agency heads to perform their basic legal duties, let alone to refer the matter to the Attorney General for enforcement,” Chukwu said. The explosive Signal incident involved Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and others communicating about their attack plans in a chat group after then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz apparently accidentally added an Atlantic journalist to the chat. The Trump administration denied wrongdoing and insisted the communication was not “classified.” Bondi dodged a question during a press conference about investigating the incident and instead doubled down on the White House’s claims that the chat was merely “sensitive” and not “classified.” The Pentagon inspector general launched an investigation into the incident in April in response to a bipartisan request from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

JD Vance rails against Newsom, LA mayor for declaring ‘open season on federal law enforcement’

JD Vance rails against Newsom, LA mayor for declaring ‘open season on federal law enforcement’

Speaking in Los Angeles Friday, Vice President JD Vance criticized California state and local politicians, especially Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, for “endangering” federal law enforcement and effectively declaring “open season on federal law enforcement.”   Vance said he was “shocked” to hear that “far-left agitators” have been posting the names, addresses and even family members of federal law enforcement officials in Los Angeles to harass, antagonize and threaten their lives. “Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass have got to stop this craziness,” Vance said. “Every single law enforcement officer I talked to today, every single one of them, said they feel like the local leadership — the mayor and the governor — are encouraging these far-left agitators. What is the justification for this?” VANCE TO MEET WITH FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, MARINES IN LA AMID ANTI-ICE RIOTS Vance said he has been told by law enforcement officials in the area that “when they go out, let’s say you have a Border Patrol official who needs to go out and arrest somebody, maybe a violent criminal who’s also an illegal alien. When that Border Patrol agent goes out to do their job, they said within 15 minutes of them trying to do their job, they have protesters, sometimes violent protesters, who are in their face obstructing them, preventing them from doing their job and endangering their lives. “Why do they have that?” he added. “Because those people have been egged on by local officials. Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that it is open season on federal law enforcement.” Newsom has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s use of the National Guard and Marines to help local police quell the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, calling it both illegal and immoral.  The governor launched a lawsuit against the federal government to stop the use of the military in response to the riots. Though a district court ruled in Newsom’s favor, the 9th Circuit Court ruled Thursday to allow the Trump administration to continue using the military to assist local officials. FEDERAL AGENTS THWART MAN’S EXPLOSIVE ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST OFFICERS DURING LA RIOTS “They have treated Border Patrol and border enforcement as somehow an illegitimate force instead of what they are, which is the American people’s law enforcement trying to enforce the American people’s laws,” Vance said. “So, when Gavin Newsom encourages violence and rioting, he encourages people to get in the face of our great Border Patrol officers, he is absolutely endangering the lives of federal enforcement.” Commenting on the 9th Circuit’s ruling, Vance said, “It’s interesting that, for the past couple of weeks, Gavin Newsom has said that there’s an illegitimate effort to send federal resources to secure a city that he refuses to secure, and what the 9th Circuit said yesterday is that that was a completely legitimate and proper use of federal law enforcement. TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS TO DEPORT CONVICTED MURDERER SHIELDED BY BIDEN-ERA TORTURE PROTECTION “The president has a very simple proposal to everybody, in every city, every community, every town, whether big or small. If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we’re not going to send in the National Guard because it’s unnecessary,” he said.  “But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then, of course, we’re going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect. “What I see here today is the great tragedy when a mayor and a governor encourage their citizens to harass and endanger the lives of our police officers and our law enforcement officers,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to see, and thank God we’ve got great people who are willing to persevere despite it.”

User’s manual to the Big, Beautiful Bill this weekend and early next week

User’s manual to the Big, Beautiful Bill this weekend and early next week

Next week is crucial to passage of the Big, Beautiful Bill in the Senate. If things go well, the bill could be done by the end of next week. If things go poorly, the Senate may be crashing to finish the bill before July 4. That could involve weekend sessions and the cancellation of the July 4 recess. AFTER MINNESOTA KILLINGS, CAPITOL HILL REPRESENTATIVES FACE STARK REALITY ABOUT FAMILY SAFETY On Sunday, Senate Republicans huddle with Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to whittle away provisions which don’t comport with Senate budgetary rules. The Senate is using a special process known as “budget reconciliation” to avoid a filibuster. As a result, the bill must be fiscal in nature and not add to the deficit. It cannot include “policy.” This is known as the “Byrd Rule.” It’s named after late Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.V.). The process of meeting with the Parliamentarian is the “Byrd Bath.” MacDonough serves as a referee to decide what fits with Senate budget rules. The various provisions which MacDonough fillets from the bill are called “Byrd droppings.” HOW JOHNSON PULLED OFF ANOTHER IMPOSSIBLE WIN WITH JUST 1-VOTE MARGIN ON $9.4B SPENDING CUT BILL Anyway, despite the cornpone Senate humor, the process offstage on Sunday is crucial to the process. What’s ruled in or out could bolster chances of passing the bill – or kill it. We will start to get information about what is ruled in or out over the weekend and stretching into Monday. Those policy details will be critical. So watch for leaks and other information to dribble out beginning on Sunday. SENATE GOPS CAREFULLY WEIGHING CONTROVERSIAL TAX PROVISIONS BEFORE BRINGING BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL TO THE FLOOR This process will roll into early next week with an initial vote to begin the process mid-week. It will culminate with a round-the-clock voting session (known as a “vote-a-rama”) late next week. Then the measure must go back to the House. That’s because the Senate will inevitably change the bill. The House and Senate must be aligned before the bill can go to the president’s desk. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP And this is why the deadline to finish the bill by July 4 may slip.

State Department says it has provided guidance to more than 25,000 people in Israel, West Bank and Iran

State Department says it has provided guidance to more than 25,000 people in Israel, West Bank and Iran

The State Department said Friday it had provided “information and support” to over 25,000 people in Israel, the West Bank or Iran seeking guidance on what to do and how to get out. When pressed on the matter during a State Department briefing Friday afternoon, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declined to go into further detail about how many of those 25,000 people are American citizens or any other breakdown of the number.  News of the number of people the State Department has assisted comes after the agency announced the formation of a task force to assist Americans looking to leave Israel or other Middle Eastern countries.   Bruce said during a press briefing Friday that the United States does not intend to help transport American citizens directly from Iran, and they will have to make it out first before they can be assisted by the government.  TUGBOATS, CRUISE SHIPS AND FLIGHTS: ISRAEL BEGINS EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF CITIZENS AMID IRAN WAR United States Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said earlier this week the embassy in Jerusalem was “working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures” for Americans trying to leave Israel. Huckabee released his statement hours after the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem wrote in its own X post that there was “no announcement about assisting private U.S. citizens to depart at this time,” but it simultaneously acknowledged “the Department of State is always planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens’ departure from crisis areas.” So far, the U.S. has not engaged in a large-scale effort to help Americans get out of Israel. But, according to ABC News, the military did assist in flying some American diplomats and family members from the U.S. Embassy this week.  1,500 JEWISH AMERICANS EVACUATED FROM ISRAEL AS DESANTIS SPONSORS RESCUE FLIGHTS TO TAMPA Private flights for American citizens did begin landing in Florida Thursday after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dispatched four planes to pick up U.S. citizens stuck in Israel during the ongoing violence. Other private options to get out of Israel are also available. On Monday, the State Department raised its travel warning for Israel to the highest level possible.