Israel’s UN ambassador insists nation is ‘not getting involved’ in Syrian regime change
A top Israeli diplomat insisted his nation is “not getting involved” in Syria’s domestic politics after the nation launched an aggressive campaign of airstrikes and seized control of a buffer zone in Syria. “We are not getting involved in what’s happening domestically inside Syria. But we have concerns about our border,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News Digital. “It’s been a quiet border, relatively, but we hope it will continue to be the same.” Israel has launched an assault on military and chemical weapons sites within Syria, fearing they could fall into the wrong hands after the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad and his government over the weekend. The ouster left a power vacuum that leaves Israel and the U.S. to wonder which forces may seize dominance in the nation and how friendly they might be. HERE IS WHO IS VYING FOR POWER IN SYRIA AFTER THE FALL OF BASHAR AL-ASSAD In that vacuum, Israel moved troops into the Golan buffer zone for the first time since it was established after the 1973 Mideast war. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned the Israeli incursion, accusing it of exploiting the situation. Danon seemed hopeful the next Syrian government would not be under the thumb of Iran but warned “bad actors” had been involved in the overthrow of Assad. “Iran was heavily invested in Syria. And I’m sure that today it will change, and the Iranians will not be welcome anymore in Syria. So, on that front, I think it’s an achievement. But, at the same day, we have to look what’s happening on other fronts,” said Danon. “We have to remember that it’s not like a peaceful revolution. You know, they walked with al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. So, we have to pay attention to that.” NETANYAHU KNOCKS OBAMA, JOHN KERRY IN FIRST APPEARANCE AT CORRUPTION TRIAL Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was the key faction behind the fall of Damascus and the fleeing of Assad and now controls the capital city. But the Islamist militant group was founded as an offshoot of al Qaeda, and its leader has a $10 million bounty on his head. The group in recent years has worked to soften its image and lobbied to be delisted as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Israel has also taken control of Mount Hermon, the highest point on the border between the two countries and a blind spot in its defenses that Iran had been exploiting to send low-flying drones. “That was a defensive, temporary act,” said Danon. “We want to see what’s happening there.” The ambassador said Israel hopes Syria will have a “better future,” but its only goal is to “not allow terrorists to be on the fence.” “For more than 50 years, the Assad family tortured the Syrian people, massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians. So, we are the one humanitarian point of view. We do hope that they will have a better life.”
Trump’s incoming border czar reveals he’s already making plans for 1,400 acres of land offered by Texas
Incoming border czar Tom Homan says he is already making plans to use more than 1,400 acres of land being offered to the next Trump administration to stage its mass deportation operation. Fox News Digital first reported last month that Texas has offered the administration land in Starr County, which the state purchased from a ranch owner in October. The 1,402 acres are in the Rio Grande Valley sector near the border. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said her office was “fully prepared” to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to “allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history.” In remarks on “Dr. Phil Primetime,” Homan accepted the offer and said he was already making plans for the land. ‘100% ON BOARD:’ BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE PLOT OF LAND TO AID MASS DEPORTATION OPERATION “I’m writing the plan as we speak, I was working on it last night as a matter of fact,” he said. He praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration for his efforts to secure the border. The state has built its own border wall, including starting construction in the area in Starr County. Homan said migrants would be moving in and out of the area before they can be put on deportation flights. ‘SHUT IT DOWN’: RED STATE MAKES MASSIVE LAND BUY TO RAMP UP BORDER WALL EFFORTS AMID MIGRANT SURGE “This 1,400 acres of land, that saves us from acquiring the land. The government never buys things fast and when we do, we overpay for it, so having this from the state of Texas is great,” he said,. In a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Buckingham said she was looking forward to taking the next steps with the land. “For far too long, Texans and Americans have suffered from Biden’s broken border policies. I am looking forward to working with the newly appointed Border Czar, Tom Homan, in ridding our communities of violent, illegal criminals who are hurting our sons and daughters and anticipate discussing the next steps on January 21, 2025,” she said. “As Texas Land Commissioner, it has been my promise to all Texans to do everything in my purview to gain complete operational control of our southern border. It’s my hope that the leasing of this land will be able to aid the incoming Trump Administration in keeping our American families safe,” she said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The Texas General Land Office purchased the land in October to facilitate the construction of additional border wall, a project that the Biden administration stopped. The area, which was a ranch before Texas bought it, had seen drug smuggling and human trafficking, officials said. President-elect Trump made a mass deportation campaign a key plank of his 2024 campaign and quickly announced Homan as the man to lead the operation. While some states, including Texas, have been supportive of the operation, others have not. Officials in some states, including Arizona, Illinois and California, have all said they would not assist the federal government in their efforts to deport more illegal immigrants.
FBI leader says it’s ‘concerning’ how little his agency knows about mysterious drones seen over New Jersey
A top FBI leader revealed the agency knows concerningly little about the mysterious drones that have been seen hovering over New Jersey. Asked if Americans are “at risk,” FBI Assistant Director of the Critical Incident Response Group Robert Wheeler told Congress: “There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don’t know. And that’s the concerning part.” Dozens of drones have been spotted flying near sensitive sites like a military research facility in recent weeks. The FBI has been investigating the incidents and has called on the public for additional information. According to Gov. Phil Murphy, there were 49 reports of drones on Sunday alone, mostly in Hunterdon County. The FBI assistant director’s comments came during a joint hearing of two Homeland Security subcommittees on unmanned aerial systems. NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY “We do not attribute that to an individual or a group yet. we’re investigating, but I don’t have an answer of who’s responsible for that of, one or more people that are responsible for those, drone flights,” said Wheeler. “That’s crazy, that’s madness that we don’t know what these drones are,” said Rep. Anthony Gonzales, R-Texas. “There are a lot of Americans that are very frustrated right now that are essentially questioning where my taxpayer dollars going,” he added,asking Wheeler how much of the FBI budget goes toward counter-drone efforts. About $500,000, Wheeler replied, goes to counter-drone technology and its deployment within the FBI. “No wonder we don’t know what the hell’s going on!” the congressman replied. MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED IN NEW JERSEY WITHOUT ANSWERS A top border official also revealed in the hearing that during a recent six-week period, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sensors recorded 6,900 drone flights within close proximity to U.S. borders, potentially threatening the lives of CBP officers and some of which had been carrying drugs. CBP could not engage with some 95 percent of those drones because they did not breach U.S. airspace but hovered just near the border. Keith Jones, CBP head of Air and Marine Operations, revealed that no money had been allocated to CBP for counter-drone procedures. Some drones as large as SUVS have been spotted hovering in the Garden State skies, as well as smaller, more rapidly maneuverable drones, resembling what’s referred to as “drone motherships” that have been deployed in Ukraine, Russia and China, Fox News contributor Brett Velicovich said. The motherships launch smaller drones, which do not have the necessary range-antennas to carry them over long distances. That suggests, according to Velicovich, that a foreign adversary could be at play in New Jersey. New Jersey authorities could not jam the drones due to Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulations. Experts had first warned the U.S. lacks a clear counter-drone procedure after 17 unmanned vehicles traipsed into restricted airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last December. The mystery drones swarmed for more than two weeks. Lack of a standard protocol for such incursions left Langley officials unsure of what to do – other than allow the 20-foot-long drones to hover near their classified facilities. Brad Wiegmann, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for National Security, implored Congress to grant law enforcement agencies greater legal authority to shoot down drones that could be considered threats. “We need legal authority is that without it, use of the most effective types of drone detection and counter drone technologies could violate criminal laws, including those that prohibit destroying or disabling aircraft in flight and intercepting signals and communication,” he said. The DOJ’s current counter-drone authorities will lapse in just 10 days, and Wiegmann urged Congress to not only renew them but expand them. “The two most important issues for us are, number one, broadening the types of sites that law enforcement can protect from nefarious and suspicious drone users. So, for example, to cover as was mentioned in the opening statements, airports, critical infrastructure like power plants and chemical facilities,” he went on. “Number two is my colleague from the FBI just mentioned. It’s about empowering state and local law enforcement and operators of critical infrastructure to engage in counter-drone efforts nationwide. This is not a job the federal government can do alone.”
‘Our top priority’: GOP senator reveals ‘transformational’ bill Republicans want to pass in 2025
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Tuesday that the incoming Republican Senate will make a “transformational” border security bill a “top priority” in 2025 – as immigration is set to remain a top political issue in 2025. “In January 2025, the Republican Senate will make its top priority a transformational border security bill that will be taken up and passed by the budget committee,” Graham, who has been involved in a number of bipartisan efforts on immigration, said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Graham made clear that the priorities for the GOP-controlled chamber will be related to the increased border security and deportation aims outlined already by the Trump transition team. TRUMP CLAIMS GOP ‘VERY OPEN’ TO KEEPING ‘DREAMERS’ IN US, TAKES SHOT AT ‘VERY DIFFICULT’ DEMS “Increasing the number of bed spaces available to detain people instead of releasing them,” Graham said. “Increasing the number of ICE agents to deal with people who should be deported. Finish the wall and put technology on the border so we’ll have operation control of the border.” “That’s going to be our top priority,” he said, saying it would “go first” through reconciliation. FIREBRAND GOP LAWMAKERS DEMANDS MAYORKAS PRESERVE BORDER CRISIS RECORDS FOR TRUMP ADMIN: ‘UNDO THE DAMAGE DONE’ Immigration and border security were two of the top issues among voters during the 2024 campaign, and President-elect Trump won the contest in part by promising a mass deportation campaign and ramped-up border security. Republicans in the House and Senate have expressed their support for such efforts, and many lawmakers made that clear in their election campaigns. While much of the deportation operation can be carried out via executive action, Congress can assist by providing additional resources and also changes to immigration law. Republicans passed a sweeping border security and asylum reform bill in the House – H.R. 2 – in 2023, but it has not been taken up in the Senate, which is currently controlled by Democrats. Democrats had pushed a separate bipartisan border security bill this year, which included increased funding for border agencies. However, Republicans largely objected to the bill due to the inclusions that they said would codify high levels of illegal immigration. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Graham’s comments took place at a hearing focusing on the potential impacts of a mass deportation operation. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., pointed to what he said would be the impact on prices if illegal immigrants were deported in significant numbers. “Prices will rise and rise and rise. So, hello America, get ready for a more expensive food bill when you’re preparing next year’s Thanksgiving dinner or next year’s Christmas dinner. And if you’ve been saving up for years and years to try to buy your first home, get ready to wait even longer because construction will slow and prices will go up,” he said.
Six human smugglers arrested in connection to 2021 crash that killed dozens
Authorities have arrested six Guatemalan human smugglers linked to a 2021 semi-truck crash that killed more than 50 migrants and injured more than 100, the Department of Justice announced this week. This comes three years after the tragic accident that occurred in Chiapas, Mexico, which killed and maimed scores of migrants, including children. Four of the Guatemalan nationals – Tomas Quino Canil, 36; Alberto Marcario Chitic, 31; Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, 24; and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 42 – were arrested by Guatemalan law enforcement and surrendered to U.S. authorities. Another smuggler – Jorge Agapito Ventura, 32 – was taken into custody by U.S. law enforcement at his home in Cleveland, Texas. The name of the sixth smuggler was blacked out in court documents from the federal court in Texas. According to Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez, the smugglers are part of a Guatemalan criminal group called “Los Quinos.” All six were indicted in connection with the crash in a federal court for the Southern District of Texas. INCOMING MISSOURI STATE LAWMAKER INTRODUCES BILL TO GIVE $1K TO ANYONE WHO TURNS IN ILLEGAL MIGRANTS According to the indictment, all six smugglers conspired between October 2021 and February 2023 to facilitate the travel of migrants from Guatemala through Mexico with the United States as the intended destination. The indictment alleges that the smugglers recruited Guatemalan migrants to enter the U.S. illegally, collected payments from them and even distributed written scripts to migrant children on what to say if apprehended by U.S. immigration authorities. During the journey, the smugglers moved the migrants on foot and on buses, cattle trucks and trailers. On Dec. 9, 2021, migrants being transported by the smugglers in a trailer crashed into a steel pedestrian bridge near a small town called Tuxtla Gutierrez, resulting in more than 50 deaths. MIGRANT CRIME WAVE DURING BIDEN-HARRIS ADMIN UNDER SCRUTINY AMID SERIES OF ASSAULTS, MURDERS: A TIMELINE Rescue workers discovered the crash with migrants inside the cargo trailer tossed and crushed in a pile of both the living and the dead. The trailer had been loaded with around 200 migrants. In a statement released this week, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said: “Human smugglers should heed these charges and arrests as a warning: you will be held accountable for your deadly crimes.” “The Justice Department is holding accountable the individuals who we allege preyed on vulnerable migrants and are responsible for this heinous crime that resulted in the deaths of over 50 people and injured over 100 more,” said Garland. “We will continue to work across agencies and across borders to stop the scourge of human smuggling.” MIGRANT ACCUSED OF SEX CRIMES AGAINST CHILD ARRESTED AFTER DETAINER REQUEST IGNORED, ICE SAYS U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani for the Southern District of Texas said that “while this crash transpired beyond our borders, it is imperative that the pursuit of justice transcends those boundaries.” “Today, we reiterate our commitment to ensuring that those allegedly responsible for exploiting the vulnerabilities of families seeking refuge and opportunity face the full force of the law,” said Hamdani. The six are being charged with conspiracy to bring undocumented aliens to the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injuries and causing death. The penalties for these crimes include death or imprisonment up to life.
‘It’s offensive’: GOP senator wages war on airline industry’s ‘discriminatory pricing’ targets
FIRST ON FOX: Airlines could be barred from offering employee “bounties” or incentives tied to extra airline amenity fees and ban “discriminatory” pricing under a new bill introduced Tuesday by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Hawley’s bill, called the End Airline Extortion Act, would ban airlines from providing incentives, bonuses or other payments to employees, contractors or representatives for charging passengers additional fees for services such as baggage, seat selection or other optional amenities as a condition of boarding a flight. “Airline companies treat their customers like cattle,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s offensive.” JOSH HAWLEY SCOLDS AIRLINE EXECUTIVES FOR PUTTING AMERICANS THROUGH A ‘HORRIBLE’ FLYING EXPERIENCE The legislation also seeks to eliminate “discrimination” in fare pricing or ancillary fees based on protected characteristics, including disability status and familial status, as well as other traits covered under existing federal aviation anti-discrimination laws. Airlines would still be permitted to offer free or reduced fares for minor children. “They charge flyers different prices for the same flights, and sometimes different prices for bags and carry-ons,” Hawley said. “Now they’re paying their employees bounties to harass customers trying to get on the plane. It’s wrong. And frankly, it needs to be illegal.” HAWLEY SAYS MAYORKAS, WRAY ‘ABSOLUTELY’ SKIPPED SENATE HEARING DUE TO LAKEN RILEY VERDICT, CALLS FOR SUBPOENAS The bill comes as Hawley grilled airline executives last week, arguing their service has been a “disaster” for the American people. During a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, senior executives from American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines were questioned about their companies increasing fees on customers. “I mean, you guys do appreciate that flying on your airlines is a disaster, don’t you?” the senator said. “I’m slightly amazed by the general attitude of all of you here. Flying on your airlines is horrible. It’s a terrible experience. I mean, I say this as a father of three young children, but I can’t tell you … nobody enjoys flying in your airlines. It’s a disaster.” AIR TRAVELER WARNS FLYERS NOT TO PLACE LAPTOPS IN THIS COMMON SPOT, PROMPTING SOCIAL MEDIA USERS TO REACT After the hearing, the chair of the subcommittee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters that outrage at the airlines is bipartisan. “The fury and frustration on both sides of the aisle was pretty dramatic,” he said. Fox News Digital’s Alexander Hall contributed to this report.
Biden admin report could slow Trump’s efforts to unleash domestic natural gas, experts say
A report from the Biden administration on the environmental impacts of increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports could add delays to President-elect Trump’s efforts to immediately authorize new licenses for the fuel, experts say. Brad Crabtree, the Department of Energy (DOE)’s assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, told lawmakers last week that the report, intended to measure the economic and environmental implications of increasing U.S. exports of the fuel, would be released by mid-December. Under the Natural Gas Act, the DOE must evaluate whether exports are in line with the public’s interest before issuing any new permits. While some experts dismissed the magnitude of the report, citing the fact that Trump can just undo any restrictions Biden puts on natural gas, others suggested it could provide fodder for environmentalists wanting to go after the Trump administration. “Corporate sponsors don’t put billions of dollars to work on fragile permits, period, full stop,” said Kevin Book, managing director at ClearView Energy Partners, an independent research and analysis firm that covers the natural gas sector. “The industry is right to expect support [from the Trump administration] but the documentation has to be airtight.” HOUSE SET TO CHALLENGE BIDEN GREEN STANDARDS FOR WASHING MACHINES WITH ‘LIBERTY IN LAUNDRY’ BILL VOTE Book noted that if the report is published and lays out reasons why new natural gas permits are not in the public’s interest, it would require the incoming Trump administration to come up with a different study, or a different interpretation of the study, in order to get to a place where it can cleanly say “yes” to new natural gas permits. Book said that depending upon what is shared in the Biden administration’s new study, that process could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, if not multiple quarters. DEMS JOIN HOUSE GOP’S REBUKE OF BIDEN LNG EXPORT PAUSE: ‘WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT ATTACK’ ON US ENERGY “I’m a strong supporter of LNG exports. Unfortunately, the report could slow down movement on new LNG export licenses both because the Trump team will need to respond to comments and because the report could provide fodder – even if it is unfounded – for those who claim that LNG exports have detrimental consequences,” said Jeff Kupfer, the president of nonprofit ConservAmerica and a former acting deputy secretary and chief operating officer at the DOE under the second George W. Bush administration. While other energy sector experts agreed that the move could spell potential legal hurdles for the Trump administration and, thus, delay new natural gas licensing, they suggested there was not much to worry about. “It’s a last ditch effort,” said Trisha Curtis, CEO of PetroNerds and an economist at the American Energy Institute. “Could there be legal setbacks? Yeah. Just like there were legal setbacks under the Biden administration, and then they fight those legal battles. But if you’re trying to hurry up and issue a study before the end of the year, and then have a two-month comment period, I’m not sure anything’s going to really stick. Especially if your comment period is during the Trump administration.” The Biden administration announced a “temporary pause” on issuing new natural gas export permits in January, which included a DOE review of the current environmental impact analysis that the department uses to meet requirements under the Natural Gas Act. Under that measure, which was passed nearly 75 years ago, the DOE must evaluate whether natural gas exports are in line with the public’s interest before issuing any new permits. HOUSE DELIVERS BLOW TO BIDEN’S CLIMATE AGENDA, VOTES AGAINST NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM The requirement excludes free trade agreement countries, but, according to Book, 80% of the liquefied natural gas market is countries that do not have free trade agreements with the U.S. Trump has signaled that he wants to remove the natural gas pause immediately in order to boost domestic energy production. This is among several actions he plans to take to peel back the Biden administration’s climate regulations. On his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, he wrote: “Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!” “Families have suffered under the past four years’ war on American energy, which prompted the worst inflation crisis in a generation,” Trump-Vance Transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers. When he takes office, President Trump will make America energy dominant again, protect our energy jobs, and bring down the cost of living for working families.” Fox News Digital reached out to the DOE for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
McConnell’s Senate money machine makes transition to Thune as new era begins
The top outside group and financial boon for Senate Republicans, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), is being equipped with allies of Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., as he prepares to take on the top GOP role in 2025. The SLF was built by those aligned with outgoing Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and quickly became a huge resource for the Senate GOP and its candidates in key races across the country. ‘EXCEPTIONALLY QUALIFIED’: TRUMP TRANSITION ROLLS OUT VIDEO HYPING HEGSETH AMID CAPITOL HILL MEETINGS Former Colorado Sen. Cory Garder will become chair of SLF’s board, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital, and is expected to be involved in finding a replacement for SLF President and CEO Steven Law, who announced after the Senate leader race that he would be stepping down, following McConnell. Leaders of Thune’s outside political operation, Johnny DeStefano and Paula Dukes, are also expected to be involved in the search. RACHEL MORIN’S MOM PLEADS SENATORS ‘HEAR OUR CRIES FOR HELP’ IN MASS DEPORTATIONS HEARING TESTIMONY “Cory understands the complexity of midterm elections and modern campaigns, and he knows firsthand the importance of working hand in glove with President Trump and his team to defeat Democrats,” DeStefano said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. This will be the first time since the group’s creation during McConnell’s time as leader that it will see new leadership and potentially operate differently, with a new Republican in charge in the Senate. GOP SENATOR QUESTIONS FBI OVER REPORTED IRANIAN HACK ATTEMPT OF TRUMP PICK KASH PATEL McConnell and his allies were credited with building a huge donor network and fostering significant resources for Senate Republicans over the years. While Thune has managed to build up impressive fundraising this cycle, it’s not yet clear whether he will be able to sustain it while serving as leader. JOHN CORNYN ‘INCLINED’ TO BACK TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL AFTER SENATE MEETING The groups aligned with McConnell, SLF and sister group One Nation, have raised $2.3 billion in the past decade. The groups pulled in $400 million during the 2022 Senate cycle and $420 million in the recent 2024 cycle. It will be up to Thune’s political operation to sustain this cash flow or learn to navigate GOP races with less resources if reaching McConnell-level fundraising proves too difficult.
SCOTUS hears arguments in case that could reshape environmental law
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on a case that could reshape a key environmental law and determine the future of an oil railway project in the west. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to conduct a review of environmental impacts before making any decisions and then issue a “detailed statement” of the review. SCOTUS heard arguments in the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County case, to decide whether an agency is required to study environmental impacts beyond the “proximate effects of the action over which the agency has regulatory authority.” Justices appeared open to reconsidering the scope of NEPA, but did not specify how they would adjust the law. The Seven Country Infrastructure Coalition (SCIC) petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB), a federal agency, to build an over 80-mile transportation system to connect crude oil from Utah’s Uinta Basin to a national railway. FEDERAL COURT UPENDS DECADES OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS The STB released an Environmental Impact Statement on the railway, but opponents of the project in Eagle County, Colorado, argued that the federal agency did not consider all of its environmental effects – therefore, violating NEPA. SUPREME COURT APPEARS DIVIDED OVER STATE BANS ON GENDER TRANSITION ‘TREATEMENTS’ FOR MINORS The case was brought to a D.C. Circuit Court, which ruled that STB had violated environmental law and that a new, more thorough review be conducted before the project moves forward. In March 2024, SCIC petitioned SCOTUS in the case. Paul Clement, the attorney backing the SCIC project, argued that it is a “straightforward case” and requested NEPA be limited to “proximate cause” principles. “NEPA is a self-described procedural statute. It is designed to inform government decision-making, not paralyze it,” Clement argued on Tuesday. Clement called the D.C. court’s request to conduct further environmental review “a recipe for turning a procedural statute into a substantive roadblock.” “All of that is not just remote in time and space but falls well outside the STB’s limited remand – remit, and it falls within the jurisdiction of other agencies that can address those issues comprehensively and concretely if and when they arise,” he said during the oral arguments. Several justices appeared to agree that the D.C. court’s issuing of an entirely new environmental review of the project may have been unnecessary. “It’s not a question of did it fail to look at something,” Justice Sonia Sotomayer said. “So the question before us was, was it arbitrary and capricious for it not to consider something more?” The judges questioned Clement on how his request would impact the scope of environmental reviews, such as on smaller or larger projects. Clement replied, “If the environmental impact statement is focused on the project, it will inform – you can pick one route versus another, or the agency itself can impose mitigation measures. But, if you have to look at everything under the sun, that’s outside the ambit of the agency.” “This case is bigger than the Uinta Basin Railway,” Sam Sankar, Earthjustice vice president of programs, said in a statement. “The fossil fuel industry and its allies are making radical arguments that would blind the public to obvious health consequences of government decisions. The court should stick with settled law instead. If it doesn’t, communities will pay the price.” Justice Neil Gorsuch, on Dec. 4, dismissed himself from the case ahead of arguments.
Trump shooting task force says DHS, Secret Service haven’t produced docs on golf course incident
The House Task Force investigating the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump’s life has released its final report on Tuesday, detailing “preexisting conditions and leadership failures” that led to the deadly campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July. While the bipartisan panel was given ample information on that shooting, the report suggested requests for documents on the second attempt on Trump’s life – this one at his Palm Beach golf course in September – were seemingly stonewalled. “The Task Force notes that as of the date of publication of this report, [the Department of Homeland Security], [U.S. Secret Service], FBI, and [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] have not produced any documents responsive to the Task Force’s requests regarding the preparation for, events of, and response to the second assassination attempt that occurred on September 15,” the report said. Lawmakers found “critical vulnerabilities” in the security of that site. The report said Secret Service agents identified the golf course’s outer perimeter as “a favorable position for potential snipers.” REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY The report also called on the Secret Service to review its protocols for golf courses – which would be a significant policy overhaul, given Trump and past presidents’ historic penchant for golfing. Other recommendations in the 180-page report include calling on Congress to consider taking the Secret Service out from under the purview of DHS. “The current structure potentially weakens USSS, a small but critically important agency, in advocating for its budget and other priorities inside a much larger entity,” the report said. “The failure in [Butler, Pennsylvania] was far from the first significant USSS failure in recent history, and it is fair to question whether USSS should continue to be housed within DHS.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT The Secret Service was under the Treasury Department until 2003, when it was moved to the newly formed DHS, but the task force advocated for it to be its own structure entirely. “A fresh look at whether USSS might benefit from the status of an independent agency, with more freedom to make budget requests and advocate for itself, would be a healthy discussion for former USSS leaders to have with Congress,” the report said.