Texas governor exposes ‘hypocrisy’ of Dem push for states’ rights in Minnesota after Biden years
EXCLUSIVE: Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called out the “hypocrisy” of the Democratic Party advocating for states’ rights in Minnesota after he was widely lambasted, and even sued, for his efforts to enforce the border during the Biden administration. Abbott remarked that “hypocrisy is the word choice that really applies to them, because, suddenly, these Minnesota states, they want to insist on states’ rights,” during an interview with Fox News Digital. In 2021, Abbott launched “Operation Lone Star,” which deployed state troopers and the Texas National Guard to the border and funded barrier construction to deter illegal crossings. He was sued by the administration that same year. Abbott said that Texas’ struggle with the Biden administration is fundamentally different from the controversy in Minnesota and other sanctuary states. “Texas insisted on states’ rights, but actually, what we were doing in Texas during the Biden administration, we were very simply trying to enforce the federal immigration laws that Joe Biden was refusing to enforce,” he explained. “What we see in Minnesota, however, is total chaos, total anarchy, because what they are doing is not trying to enforce the law; they’re trying to interfere with the enforcement of the law.” TEXAS BORDER OFFICERS ARREST 3 FUGITIVES WANTED FOR ALLEGED CHILD SEX CRIMES “My job as governor was to make sure we used every tool to secure the border, and it worked,” he explained. “Joe Biden required Texas to take matters into our own hands because of the lack of safety that he instilled in the country. Look at the millions of people who’ve crossed the border illegally. Look at the criminals, the rapists and murderers who came into Houston, Texas, that Joe Biden allowed in.” “We are a nation that was built upon the rule of law, and the rule of law has to be enforced. When it is enforced, it leads to safer communities,” he added. The result, according to Abbott, was an over 85% decrease in illegal immigration in the state and a simultaneous over 40 percent decrease in fentanyl deaths. Now, Abbott is running for re-election on a platform that he says will double down on making Texas a top destination for people seeking not only economic opportunity, but also “the opportunity of freedom to live their own life.” One of the core issues Abbott is running on is a plan to slash property taxes in Texas during the next legislative session. Abbott has proposed a five-step overhaul of the Texas property tax system that includes limiting local government spending growth to population growth or inflation, requiring two-thirds voter approval for local property tax increases, allowing voters to trigger rollback elections with a 15% petition threshold, capping homestead appraisal growth at 3% and expanding that cap to all properties, requiring appraisals only once every five years, and pursuing a constitutional amendment to let voters eliminate school district property taxes for homeowners. While many Democrats, such as U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, have predicted the Lone Star State is on the edge of turning blue, Abbott believes the GOP is well-positioned to win come November. JASMINE CROCKETT REFUSES TO APOLOGIZE FOR WILD RHETORIC ‘IN THIS ENVIRONMENT’ “As long as Republicans remain engaged, as long as we’re able to get out our vote, we’re going to win these elections and win them with ease, but also, very importantly, when we show the contrast between Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “We just had a forum here talking about cutting property taxes. Democrats are against cutting property taxes in Texas, Democrats are in favor of defunding the police, whereas Republicans believe in law and order and law enforcement. Democrats stood for these crazy open border policies, where Republicans fight to close the border, enforce immigration laws, and don’t let people in illegally.” Abbott shared that he intends to go on the offensive this election, even challenging Democrats in areas that have long been written off as blue strongholds, such as Harris County, in which the city of Houston sits. “I take every election seriously. I take nothing for granted,” he said. “We constantly battle against the Democrats in this state that believe in defunding the police. We fought a battle and won one here in Houston, Texas, where we had socialist judges letting murderers out of jail on low bond, only to go back out and murder somebody else. We passed laws cracking down on that here in Texas.” GREG ABBOTT THREATENS ARRESTS FOR VIOLENT STUDENT PROTESTERS, FUNDING CUTS FOR SCHOOLS ALLOWING WALKOUTS “Texas is the state that’s most on fire in the entire United States of America,” Abbott went on. “I [have] met people who moved from New York and other states because they wanted to get out of the chaos and communism in those states and come to a state that truly believes in capitalism, but also opportunity of all sorts.” “So, what our goal is to make sure we continue to pass policies that keep Texas attractive,” he concluded. “It’s a constant battle against the socialists, whether they’re in Minneapolis or Houston, Texas, or Austin, Texas, but righteousness and the rule of law will always prevail.”
This crucial state is the latest battleground in redistricting war between Trump and Democrats
Democratic state lawmakers in control of the Virginia legislature are fast-tracking a proposed new congressional map that would give the competitive state up to four more left-leaning U.S. House districts in time for this year’s midterm elections. The map, which Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign early next week, comes as Virginia voters are getting ready to vote this spring on a ballot measure which would give the legislature, rather than the current non-partisan commission, redistricting power through the 2030 election. Republicans are calling the Democrats’ redistricting effort an “unconstitutional power grab.” Democrats are countering that it’s a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented in other states by the GOP. Virginia is the latest battleground, with Florida on deck, in the ongoing high-stakes battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to alter congressional maps ahead of November’s elections. VIRGINIA JUDGE STRIKES BLOW TO DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING PUSH Republicans are defending their razor-thin House majority in the midterms, and Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to win back control of the chamber. That means the redistricting efforts in Virginia and other states may very well decide which party controls the House next year. “It’s happening all over the country,” the narrator in a new ad by Virginians for Fair Elections says. “Politicians redrawing maps to rig the midterm elections. And Virginia can’t sit back and do nothing.” The Democrat-aligned public advocacy group tells Fox News Digital it’s spending an initial seven figures to run the ad statewide in the commonwealth. The new map, if implemented before the midterms, could give the Democrats a shot at flipping four GOP-held congressional seats, turning a 6-5 edge in the state’s U.S. House delegation into a 10-1 advantage. STUNNING SETBACK FOR TRUMP IN REDISTRICTING WARS But the rival Virginians for Fair Maps, a Republican-aligned group that opposes the redistricting push, highlights that “Virginians came together to pass bipartisan redistricting reform — a process that took the power to draw maps out of politicians’ hands. Now, politicians in Richmond want to undo that progress.” And the Republican National Committee has called the Democrats’ push in Virginia a “power grab.” Democrats were dealt a big blow after a local court blocked their efforts to amend the state Constitution in order to redraw the lines, with a circuit court judge in conservative Tazewell County saying Democrats didn’t follow proper procedures. The ruling was appealed, and both sides are waiting to see if the Virginia Supreme Court weighs in. The clock is ticking, with early voting for the April 21 referendum scheduled to start on March 6. Aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterms, Trump last spring first floated the idea of rare, but not unheard of, mid-decade congressional redistricting. The mission was simple: redraw congressional district maps in red states to pad the GOP’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump’s first target was Texas. BIG WIN FOR TRUMP AS SUPREME COURT GREENLIGHTS TEXAS’ NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP When asked by reporters last summer about his plan to add Republican-leaning House seats across the country, the president said, “Texas will be the biggest one. And that’ll be five.” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called a special session of the GOP-dominated state legislature to pass the new map. But Democratic state lawmakers, who broke quorum for two weeks as they fled Texas in a bid to delay the passage of the redistricting bill, energized Democrats across the country. Among those leading the fight against Trump’s redistricting was Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. California voters in November overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative that temporarily sidetracked the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and returned the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democratic-dominated legislature. That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which aimed to counter the move by Texas to redraw their maps. The fight quickly spread beyond Texas and California. Republican-controlled Missouri and Ohio, and swing state North Carolina, where the GOP dominates the legislature, have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. In blows to Republicans, a Utah district judge late last year rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the midterms. But Utah Republicans have appealed to the state Supreme Court to block a new court-ordered map for this year’s elections. Meanwhile, Republicans in Indiana’s Senate in December defied Trump, shooting down a redistricting bill that had passed the state House. The showdown in the Indiana statehouse grabbed plenty of national attention. Florida’s next up. Two-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers in the GOP-dominated legislature are hoping to pick up an additional three to five right-leaning seats through a redistricting push during a special legislative session in April. But the bid by DeSantis and Republicans in Tallahassee last week drew its first lawsuit, from a group aligned with Florida Democrats. The lawsuit contends that the governor and Secretary of State Cordy Byrd don’t have the legal authority to reshape election laws, after Byrd pushed back congressional qualifying dates from April to June. Democrats in solidly blue Maryland are also pushing redistricting, which could result in one extra left-leaning congressional seat. But the effort, pushed by Democratic Gov. Wes Moore and green-lighted by state House Democrats, is facing opposition from Senate President Bill Ferguson, a fellow Democrat. Lastly, Republicans in South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas and New Hampshire, and Democrats in Illinois and Washington State are also exploring possible bids to redraw the maps. Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case that may lead to the overturning of a key provision
Walz proposes $10M business relief package as Republicans cry ‘new avenue for fraud’ in Minnesota
Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz was slammed online by Republicans after proposing a $10 million emergency relief package for small businesses across the state impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Walz unveiled the proposal Thursday after border czar Tom Homan announced that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota would be ending. The proposal calls for forgivable loans ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 to be distributed to eligible businesses that are able to demonstrate “substantial revenue loss” during “specified dates” tied to the operation. “The campaign of retribution by the federal administration has been more than a short-term disruption; it has inflicted long-term damage on Minnesota communities,” Walz said in a statement. “Recovery will not happen overnight. Families, workers, and business owners are feeling the effects, and our responsibility is clear: we will help rebuild, stabilize these businesses, protect jobs, and ensure Minnesota’s economy can recover and thrive.” Republicans quickly criticized the proposal as Minnesota continues to face extensive fraud allegations. CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD President Donald Trump previously claimed that fraud in Minnesota exceeded $19 billion. Dozens of people have been prosecuted in Minnesota in recent years for alleged large-scale welfare fraud schemes involving food assistance and autism services. Federal prosecutors have alleged the schemes stole hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded programs, with separate investigations also examining alleged fraud in the state’s daycare system. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. reacted to the governor’s proposal on X, saying, “BREAKING: Tim Walz opens up a new avenue for fraud in Minnesota.” NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY FOR IGNORING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS Minnesota Republican state Sen. Michael Holmstrom said on X that the proposal would be an “immediate NO from me,” adding that Minnesota taxpayers “do not deserve to have more money stolen from them.” Others referenced fraud related to Minnesota’s daycare system, including Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., who responded to the proposal on X, “Does that include learing centers?” His post referenced a typo that read “Quality Learing Center,” which was eventually corrected. The Quality Learning Center was infamously featured in a video by YouTuber Nick Shirley, who visited multiple daycare centers across Minnesota that allegedly received public funds but were not providing any services. SCOOP: THOUSANDS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA AS ADMIN VOWS ‘WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN’ The governor’s office included a statement from Henry Garnica, the owner of CentroMex in East St. Paul, who said the past few months during the immigration operation have been “some of the hardest I’ve experienced as a business owner.” “Sales are down, we have limited hours, and we have had to change how we operate,” he stated. “That’s not who we are as a neighborhood store. This proposed forgivable loan package would give businesses like mine breathing room — to keep employees on payroll and keep our doors open. For some of us, it could mean the difference between surviving and closing for good.” On Thursday, Walz demanded that the federal government “pay for what they broke” after the Trump administration said it would draw down its presence in the Twin Cities. Walz said during a news conference that federal law enforcement’s presence in the state was leaving “deep damage” and “generational trauma.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Bhopal Ashamed: Minor girl raped, thrashed inside car
An 11th-grade student was allegedly assaulted inside multiple vehicles in Bhopal in a case involving blackmail and extortion. Two accused have been arrested, four cars seized, and a Special Investigation Team formed. Police are probing video evidence and possible links to a suspended constable.
In a contest to regulate Texas’s oil and gas industry, one Republican wants to talk DEI and China
Jim Wright, the GOP incumbent, and several other Republican candidates dismissed Bo French’s campaign rhetoric as distracting from the Railroad Commission’s mission.
UT-Austin to consolidate race, ethnic and gender study programs
More than 800 students are pursuing degrees in the affected departments, which include African, Latino and gender studies.
Pentagon let border agency use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace, AP sources say
The sources say the border security agency borrowed the laser and fired it without first coordinating with the aviation agency, sparking the sudden shutdown.
AG Ken Paxton backs ivermectin champion’s fight against Texas Medical Board
The board reprimanded Dr. Mary Bowden last year after she prescribed ivermectin to a patient at a Fort Worth hospital during the height of the pandemic.
Puerto Rico governor signs law recognizing unborn babies as human beings
Puerto Rico’s Republican governor on Thursday signed a bill that amends a law to recognize an unborn baby as a human being, which opponents argued could eventually lead to outlawing abortion in the U.S. territory. Gov. Jenniffer González said in a statement that the measure “aims to maintain consistency between civil and criminal provisions by recognizing the unborn child as a human being.” The amendment, in Senate Bill 923, altered an article within Puerto Rico’s Penal Code that defines murder. The government said that the amendment complements a law affirming that it would be first-degree murder if a suspect intentionally and knowingly kills a pregnant woman, resulting in the death of the conceived child at any stage of gestation. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION AS MURDER The legislation was named after Keishla Rodríguez, a pregnant woman who was killed in April 2021. Her partner, former Puerto Rican boxer Félix Verdejo, was convicted in the killing and received two life sentences. Supporters of the law said it was designed to provide consistency between civil and criminal codes and focus on harsher punishments for the murder of pregnant women and that it was unrelated to abortion, but critics argued that it opens the door to eventually criminalizing the procedure in Puerto Rico, which remains legal. “A zygote was given legal personality,” Rosa Seguí Cordero, an attorney and spokesperson for the National Campaign for Free, Safe and Accessible Abortion in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “We women were stripped of our rights.” WYOMING SUPREME COURT RULES LAWS RESTRICTING ABORTION VIOLATE STATE CONSTITUTION Dr. Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Medical Surgeons, contends that the new law would lead to “defensive health care,” in which doctors may refuse to treat complicated pregnancies for fear of criminal prosecution on murder charges. “This will bring complex clinical decisions into the realm of criminal law,” he told The Associated Press, adding that it would bring “disastrous consequences.” Díaz said the amended law also allows a third person to intervene between a doctor and a pregnant woman, which violates privacy laws. He also said new protocols and regulations would need to be implemented. “The system is not prepared for this,” he said. Opponents of the law also said the amendment was approved without public hearings. “There is no doubt that the measure did not undergo adequate analysis before its approval and leaves an unacceptable space for ambiguity regarding civil rights,” Annette Martínez Orabona, executive director for the American Civil Liberties Union in Puerto Rico, told The Associated Press. “The legislative leadership failed to fulfill its responsibility to the people, and so did the governor.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sanctuary policies let alleged child predator roam free until DHS made Portland, Oregon, airport arrest
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested an illegal migrant who was charged with rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon, after the migrant was released on bail by sanctuary policies. Manuel Cruz-Ramirez, who still faces the slew of charges, was not referred to immigration officers upon his arrest and release due to Marion County’s sanctuary status. The illegal immigrant from Mexico was apprehended only because he was using a fraudulent Mexican passport at the Portland International Airport. TSA and CBP agents were flagged when his falsified name did not return full data, according to DHS. “Manuel Cruz-Ramirez was arrested for rape, purchasing sex with a minor, and sexual abuse in Oregon,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. “The state’s sanctuary politicians allowed this pedophile to be released from jail back into American communities.” TRUMP URGES DHS, ICE TO PUBLICIZE ARRESTS, SAYS CRACKDOWN IS ‘SAVING MANY INNOCENT LIVES’ In non-sanctuary cities, Cruz-Ramirez would have referred to immigration officers, who would have apprehended him before he was released from detention. “Americans can be proud of the swift actions of TSA and CBP for protecting them and our judicial system by preventing this monster from fleeing the country,” McLaughlin explained. “Criminal illegal aliens should not be released from jails back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans. “Oregon’s sanctuary politicians must stop this reckless insanity of releasing child predators from jail back into our neighborhoods to prey on more innocent children,” she added. DHS DEMANDS MN LEADERS HONOR ICE DETAINERS, ALLEGES HUNDREDS OF CRIMINAL ALIENS HAVE BEEN RELEASED UNDER WALZ DHS also told Fox News Digital that Cruz-Ramirez had been deported from the U.S. in 2018, though he re-entered the country at an unknown location and time. He is now in ICE custody and his removal order has been re-instated. Portland has been one of several cities where agitators have mobilized to confront and protest federal law enforcement. On Thursday, Fox News Digital reported that DHS launched an investigation into an Oregon resident who was arrested during a traffic stop with knives and materials to make Molotov cocktails. DHS URGES NEWSOM TO HONOR ICE DETAINERS AFTER FEDERAL AGENT ASSAULTED WHILE ARRESTING ILLEGAL ALIEN AT JAIL The 18-year-old Oregon resident allegedly authored a manifesto with the intention of killing ICE at a Portland ICE office. The individual reportedly told authorities that he was planning on picking up an AR-15 rifle to carry out the attack. Democrats, including those in Congress, have referred to ICE agents as Nazis and gestapo, and the Trump administration has said that such rhetoric is endangering the lives of law enforcement officers across the country. During an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this month, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noted the difference between some cities and those which are controlled by far-left leaders, saying that in cities where authorities cooperate with federal law enforcement there is far less conflict. “Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, have an opportunity to do the same thing that Memphis did. There we had a Democrat mayor who worked with us,” Noem told Fox News Digital. “It was about the same size as a city, about the same amount of federal law enforcement officers were there, and we dramatically cut crime and murder rates and partnered well together.”