Harris campaign manager ignores press conference question as VP hits 33 days without one
EXCLUSIVE: Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign manager dodged questions about whether the Democratic presidential nominee would hold a press conference as her presidential bid recently passed one month since being launched. Campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez ducked questions from Fox News Digital on Thursday at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, keeping her head down and speeding away when pressed about Harris speaking to the press, which she has been avoiding. “Will Kamala talk to the press? Will she do a press conference?” Fox News Digital asked Chávez Rodríguez, who is also the granddaughter of labor activist Cesar Chavez. TRUMP TAUNTED OVER SPECULATED RFK JR ENDORSEMENT: ‘WEIRD AS HELL’ “Will Kamala do a press conference? Will she do a press conference?” she was asked a total of four times. Chavez Rodriguez looked away and rushed to an open door without responding to the queries. Harris officially announced her campaign on July 21, following President Biden’s decision to drop out and endorse her as his successor. Since then, 33 days have passed without Harris holding a press conference or sitting down for a news interview. BIDEN-HARRIS HHS SECRETARY SIDESTEPS BACKING ANY LIMIT ON LATE-TERM ABORTION Her campaign has remained silent on whether she will hold a press conference prior to the presidential election in 74 days. Early voting begins even sooner, kicking off in just 14 days, meaning there are just two weeks before some voters can cast their ballots without hearing Harris answer difficult questions about her record and policy positions. DEM LAWMAKERS’ VOTING RECORDS WITH BIDEN-HARRIS IN SPOTLIGHT AHEAD OF TIGHT RACES Harris’ campaign website is also devoid of any policy positions. She recently released an economic agenda, which featured a proposal for price controls in the food industry, which was heavily scrutinized. However, no new policy prescriptions were introduced during the DNC this week. NEWSOM DODGES QUESTION ON HARRIS PRICE CONTROLS: ‘SHE HASN’T PUT OUT THE DETAILS’ After being continuously pressed on when she would sit down for an interview, Harris told reporters earlier this month that she wants to get an interview on the schedule by the end of August. A campaign spokesperson repeated this on CNN, claiming last week that they would be doing a sit-down interview by the end of the month. However, no such interviews have been announced. The lack of access to Harris on her presidential campaign could foreshadow what can be expected in terms of transparency out of a Harris and Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., administration. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has used Harris’ avoidance of the press as an opportunity to show contrast, holding frequent press conferences and taking questions from reporters. He has further challenged Harris to speak to the press herself. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden-Harris admin launched new illegal migrant ‘amnesty’ while DNC was underway: Critics
The Biden-Harris administration kicked off what critics call an amnesty program for illegal immigrants during the week of the Democratic National Convention. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services calls it “Keeping Families Together,” which will make an estimated 500,000 noncitizen spouses and another 50,000 noncitizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens eligible for parole. The agency specifies, “Noncitizens who are present in the United States without admission or parole may be considered for parole in place under this process.” Admission means being legally authorized to be in the country with a green card, visa or other reasons. “This is a massive amnesty that Congress never authorized,” Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. BIDEN ADMIN SUED BY 16 STATES OVER PAROLE PUSH FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH US SPOUSES “Under a Harris-Walz administration, everybody in the country illegally could eventually be eligible for a process like this,” added Arthur, a former immigration judge. “It would hold Republicans’ feet to the fire to undo it thereafter, but as we’ve seen with DACA, administrative amnesties are difficult to undo.” DACA, an acronym for Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals, was a 2012 executive action by President Barack Obama’s administration, giving legal status to the children of illegal immigrants. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), for the new “Keeping Families Together” program, the spouse must have been physically in the United States for 10 years “without admission or parole;” “have no disqualifying criminal history and otherwise not deemed to be a threat to public safety, national security, or border security;” and undergo background checks. BORDER PATROL MOBILE APP FOR MIGRANTS SEEKING ENTRY FACES SCRUTINY FOR ITS LACK OF VETTING, SECURITY Noncitizen stepchildren of U.S. citizens must have been under the age of 21 since last June, when the executive action was first announced; have a noncitizen parent married to a U.S. citizen before June; and have no disqualifying criminal history. However, even the criminal history portion of the policy has a caveat. The USCIS added that an applicant with a criminal record can become eligible by “demonstrating positive factors that can be considered in overcoming this presumption and showing that they warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.” CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP Additionally, illegal immigrants in the middle of removal proceedings could still get parole under the process, according to the USCIS website. “If you have a final unexecuted removal order, non-disqualifying criminal history, or other derogatory information in your case, you may provide additional documentation that you believe demonstrates your parole is warranted based on a significant public benefit or urgent humanitarian reasons, and that you merit a favorable exercise of discretion,” the USCIS says. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
‘In our part of the world…’: EAM Jaishankar to foreign press on PM Modi-Putin hug
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy here on Friday, he first shook hands and immediately gave him a warm hug.
Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw retiring after 15 years as state’s top law enforcement officer
The longtime head of the Department of Public Safety will step down at the end of the year.
Top Republican demands answers from Newsom, feds over wrongful Medicaid payments to California immigrants
EXCLUSIVE: The top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee is demanding answers from both the Newsom and Biden administrations regarding promised repayment of $52 million in “improperly claimed” Medicaid disbursements made via “MediCal” to certain immigrants. Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa will send letters Friday to both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, requesting updates on the Golden State’s promise to return to the feds $52 million in wrongful disbursements from payouts to “noncitizens with unsatisfactory immigration status[es].” In response to a previous Fox News Digital inquiry on the matter, a representative for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) acknowledged the findings of an inspector general’s report on the matter and pledged to repay the feds by June 30. CALIFORNIA AGREES TO REPAY FEDS $52M IN IMPROPERLY-CLAIMED IMMIGRANT MEDICAID DISBURSEMENTS “The investigation found that the state over-counted its reimbursable emergency care percentage by 8.49 percent, and had improperly claimed $52,652,698 from the start of October 2018 to the end of June 2019,” Grassley wrote to Newsom regarding Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General Christi Grimm’s probe. “HHS OIG recommended that California refund the $52.7 million improperly claimed during that period and work with CMS to find any additional improperly claimed reimbursements for periods outside of the OIG audit.” Grassley added that it appears California did not adjust its algorithm for determining Medicaid disbursements to such immigrants, after the inspector general’s report made the recommendation. “As of today, [they] remain unimplemented. Each state must ensure that proper care is taken to protect the American taxpayer from fraud, waste, and abuse,” Grassley wrote. 19 STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL CHALLENGE BLUE STATES’ RADICAL CLIMATE POLICIES IMPACTING OTHERS He followed up with a list of questions he wanted Newsom to answer by Sept. 5. “Has California repaid any portion of the money it improperly received from the federal Medicaid program? If so, how much and when? If not, why not?” “What is California’s current methodology to quantify its portion of reimbursable income?” Grassley also noted California’s annual budget is around $300 billion, therefore, questioning why the California DHCS is using a “manual process” to repay the feds rather than an immediate lump sum. The May audit conducted by Grimm underlined that federal Medicaid benefits are usually limited only to citizens and “qualified” noncitizens. Examples of qualified noncitizens are refugees, people granted asylum or those lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The audit covered more than $372 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements made on behalf of noncitizens during FY 2019. The report, in part, blamed outdated algorithmic metrics on California’s end for the discrepancy in “improperly claimed” Medicaid reimbursements for the particular noncitizen class. In comments to Fox News Digital, Grassley said economic conditions created by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have led to households now “struggling, and having to stretch their dollars in every which way.” “Meanwhile, California is providing federal health insurance to ineligible illegal immigrants using taxpayers’ hard-earned money,” Grassley added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It’s a slap in the face, and we ought to know what CMS is doing to collect the improper reimbursements California confirmed it owed months ago.” In his corresponding letter to Brooks-LaSure, Grassley noted the Social Security Act of 1935 requires the feds to reimburse states via her agency for a percentage of their Medicaid costs. He said that, for “noncitizens with unsatisfactory immigration status,” only “emergency services” are typically covered after five years of coverage. MediCal (the state’s equivalent to Medicaid) “uses state funds to provide full coverage for noncitizens with UIS by paying each managed care plan a monthly capitation,” Grassley said. He similarly asked Brooks-LaSure whether California repaid their liability, and whether her agency has initiated any type of review to prevent this from happening in the future. Meanwhile, illegal immigrants remain ineligible overall for federal coverage and disbursements under the Affordable Care Act, according to HealthCare.gov. Fox News Digital reached out to CMS for an independent update on California’s agreed-upon repayment of the Medicaid remittances. In a statement at the time, an official with California’s DHCS expressed plans to repay the requested amount by June 30. “Additionally, DHCS has worked with the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to develop and implement a more refined service identification methodology with updated payment and claiming processes,” the spokesperson said. UPDATE: A spokesperson for the federal Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service said California has since returned the $52 million cited in the inspector general’s report.
RNC lawsuit claims Detroit hired seven times more Dem poll workers than Republicans, violating state law
FIRST ON FOX: The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing the Election Commission of the City of Detroit over allegations they violated state law by hiring more than seven times more Democratic poll workers than Republicans for the 2024 election. Michigan requires that the board of election commissioners “shall appoint an equal number, as nearly as possible, of election inspectors in each election precinct from each major political party,” according to Section 168.74 of the state’s election law. However, the city of Detroit hired about 2,300 Democratic poll workers and only about 300 Republican election inspectors for the state’s 2024 primary election, according to the Detroit Election Commission Report cited in the lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed by the RNC, Michigan GOP, and chairs of Wayne County Republican committees late Thursday, charged that the City of Detroit’s Election Commission violated state law and, moreover, has a legal duty to appoint an equal number of GOP and Democratic poll workers before the November election. OHIO STATE SECRETARY SAYS 100 NON-US CITIZENS VOTED IN RECENT ELECTIONS, BEGINS PROCESS TO PROSECUTE “Detroit’s failure to hire Republican poll workers is the kind of bad-faith Democrat interference that drives down faith in elections,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. Section 674(2) of the Election Law also requires the commission to “appoint at least 1 election inspector from each major political party,” but according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, 200 of the 335 precincts did not have a single Republican election inspector. “The RNC is bringing suit to remedy this completely unacceptable breach of public trust and our unprecedented election integrity campaign will continue to fight in Michigan and nationwide to protect the rights of every voter to have fair, accurate, secure and transparent elections,” Whatley and Trump said in a joint statement. The lawsuit asked that the commission use “appropriate practices and procedures to ensure the appointment of an equal number, as nearly as possible, of Republican and Democrat election inspectors,” and comply with state law by Oct. 15. The Detroit Election Commission did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
White House lawyers who advised Reagan, Bush endorse Harris over Trump in 2024 showdown
FIRST ON FOX: A dozen Republican White House lawyers who served in the administrations of then-Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in her race against GOP nominee former President Donald Trump. “We endorse Kamala Harris and support her election as President because we believe that returning former President Trump to office would threaten American democracy and undermine the rule of law in our country,” the lawyers wrote in a letter that the signatories shared first with Fox News Digital. The letter was released on Friday, the day after Harris delivered her nomination acceptance speech in the culminating moment of the Democratic National Convention, which was held in Chicago. HARRIS TAKES AIM AT TRUMP AS SHE VOWS ‘TO BE A PRESIDENT FOR ALL AMERICANS’ The signatories added that “we urge all patriotic Republicans, former Republicans, conservative and center-right citizens, and independent voters to place love of country above party and ideology and join us in supporting Kamala Harris.” The list includes Michael Luttig, the prominent right-of-center legal scholar and retired federal appeals court judge who previously served as assistant counsel to the president in the Reagan White House. Luttig made headlines at the start of the week by endorsing Harris as the Democrats’ convention kicked off. WATCH: TRUMP JOINS FOX NEWS FOLLOWING HARRIS ADDRESS The letter notes, “Donald Trump’s own Vice President and multiple members of his Administration and White House Staff at the most senior levels – as well as former Republican nominees for President and Vice President – have already declined to endorse his reelection.” Those signing the letter pointed to what they called “the profound risks presented by his [Trump’s] potential return to public office. Indeed, Trump’s own Attorney General and National Security Adviser have said unequivocally that Donald Trump is unfit for office, dangerous, and detached from reality.” And pointing to the then-president’s attempts to reverse the results of his 2020 election loss to President Biden, the Republican lawyers argued that “Trump’s attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after losing the election proved beyond any reasonable doubt his willingness to place his personal interests above the law and values of our constitutional democracy.” “We cannot go along with other former Republican officials who have condemned Trump with these devastating judgments but are still not willing to vote for Harris,” they added. “We believe this election presents a binary choice, and Trump is utterly disqualified.” And they charged that Trump “was guilty of grave wrongdoing to our Constitution, democracy, and rule of law, and who remains unfit, dangerous, and detached from reality.” Trump’s numerous indictments in four different legal cases dating back to the spring fueled support for him among Republicans as he fended off over a dozen challengers for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. His fundraising skyrocketed this spring after he was found guilty of all 34 felony counts in the first criminal trial of a former or current president in the nation’s history. While Trump easily captured the Republican nomination as he cruised through the GOP’s primaries and caucuses, his final rival – former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – continued to win up to 20% of the vote in Republican contests long after she dropped out of the race. President Biden’s campaign – which transformed into the Harris campaign after the president’s blockbuster announcement last month that he was ending his re-election bid – has made efforts for months to court Republican voters disaffected with Trump. The Harris campaign during the four-day convention in Chicago this week showcased Republicans who are supporting the vice president. Among them were former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. Trump has dramatically transformed the Republican Party since he first won the GOP nomination and the White House in 2016, turning it from a conservative-dominated party to one where the populist wing of MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters and followers dominate. The list of signatories to the letter, besides Luttig, includes (in alphabetical order) John B. Bellinger III, Senior Associate Counsel to the President and Legal Adviser to the NSC under George W. Bush, Phillip D. Brady, Deputy Counsel to the President under Reagan, Benedict S. Cohen, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan, Peter D. Keisler, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan, and Robert M. Kruger, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan. Also included are John M. Mitnick, Associate Counsel to the President and Deputy Counsel, White House Homeland Security Council under George W. Bush, Alan Charles Raul, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan and General Counsel, OMB under Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Nicholas Rostow, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Legal Adviser to the NSC under Reagan and George H.W. Bush, Peter J. Rusthoven, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan, David B. Waller, Senior Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan, and Wendell L. Willkie II, Associate Counsel to the President under Reagan. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Trump team irate over Secret Service failing to warn them about Crooks after spotting him with a range finder
Former President Donald Trump took the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, several minutes after the Secret Service first began tracking the former president’s attempted assassin, and Trump’s team was none too happy about it. Those in Trump’s orbit said the former president’s security detail became enraged after learning they were not told for 30 minutes about a suspicious subject carrying a range finder around the perimeter of Trump’s July 13 rally, according to the Washington Post. That suspicious subject turned out to be Thomas Matthew Crooks, the former president’s 20-year-old attempted assassin. Trump took the stage in Butler shortly after 6 p.m., according to reports. Meanwhile, local officers had first spotted Crooks between 5:45 p.m. and 5:55 p.m., the Washington Post’s timeline of events indicates. Once spotted, local law enforcement verbally communicated the threat to Secret Service agents, but the threat was reportedly never shared with Trump’s team. Trump’s team was also reportedly never told that local law enforcement counter-snipers lost track of Crooks at one point. Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment but did not receive a response. Anger from Trump’s team about the circumstances surrounding the July 13 Butler rally comes amid years of frustrations over the Secret Service’s failure to heed the Trump team’s repeated requests for additional counter-snipers, bomb-sniffing dogs, magnetometers and other security precautions at the former president’s rallies and residences, the Washington Post reported last week. ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN SEEN WALKING AROUND PENNSYLVANIA RALLY HOURS BEFORE OPENING FIRE In 2021, Trump’s Secret Service detail created an “Intrusion Detection Plan” to better secure the former president’s Mar-a-Lago golf club in South Florida, where other people seeking to harm Trump have been caught. However, when they asked for funds to implement the plan, the Secret Service only provided about 10% of the money that was requested, the Washington Post reported last week. “They didn’t see it as their job to protect his club, but to protect him,” a former Trump security official familiar with the request told the Washington Post. “But it could be hard to separate the two.” The Secret Service, meanwhile, told the Washington Post that the agency has “continuously invested in security enhancements” at the former president’s residences, but due to their policies on not disclosing operational tactics, would not discuss any specific funding numbers. TRUMP SHOOTER HAD MULTIPLE ENCRYPTED ACCOUNTS OVERSEAS, INCLUDING GERMANY: REP. WALTZ Secret Service officials have countered the Trump camp’s complaints about a lack of precautions with claims that the agency has never been asked to provide so much security for a former president, according to reporting from the Washington Post. Officials also appeared to throw some of the blame on Trump himself, reportedly asserting that his team schedules events that are especially challenging to protect. In the wake of the July 13 attempted assassination, the Secret Service has reportedly ramped up its security efforts for Trump. According to Trump advisers who spoke with the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, the former president’s security became as heavy after the assassination attempt as when he was president. MULTIPLE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS PUT ON LEAVE FOLLOWING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Trump’s outdoor rallies now include bulletproof glass surrounding the former president, a request he demanded following the attempted assassination. Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Amit Shah asks 10 questions to Rahul Gandhi after Congress’ alliance with NC in J&K, says, ‘risking nation’s unity for…’
The Congress has once again “exposed its ulterior motives by allying with the Abdullah family’s National Conference,” the BJP leader said on X and posted 10 questions for the national party and its leader Rahul Gandhi, while listing several of the manifesto promises of the regional party.
Biden admin sued by 16 states over parole push for illegal immigrants with US spouses
FIRST ON FOX: 16 Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration to block a controversial parole program that gives protection from deportation to illegal immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The states, led by Texas and America First Legal, are suing over the “parole in place” rule announced in June by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The rule allows for humanitarian parole and a path to permanent residency for certain illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens without them having to leave the country. The states argue that the rule violates federal law, which prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining immigration benefits, including permanent status, without first having left the country and being readmitted. They argue it does that by an unlawful use of parole, which is limited to use on a “case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” GOP LAWMAKERS WARN BIDEN PAROLE SCHEME COULD LEAD TO MASSIVE SPIKE IN MARRIAGE FRAUD “Claiming that it has ‘unfettered discretion,’ Implementation of Keeping Families Together…DHS has announced the creation of a program that effectively provides a new pathway to a green card and eventual citizenship; announcing that it would allow more than 1.3 million aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States—more than 200,000 of whom live in Texas—to circumvent the processes established by Congress to apply for permanent residency,” the states argue in the filing, obtained by Fox News Digital. The new process applies to noncitizen spouses who have lived in the U.S. for 10 years as of June and are judged not to pose a threat to public safety or national security, allowing them to apply for permanent residency. It argued that families live in fear and “face deep uncertainty about their future” due to the requirement that they depart and be processed abroad. “In addition, individuals must have no disqualifying criminal history or otherwise constitute a threat to national security or public safety and should otherwise merit a favorable exercise of discretion,” a fact sheet said. DHS estimates that it will affect approximately 500,000 illegal immigrants. The process would not be eligible for new arrivals, as they must be in the U.S. for more than 10 years by June 2024. TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE DEMANDS MAYORKAS FORK OVER DOCS AFTER BIDEN ADMIN FREEZES MIGRANT FLIGHT PROGRAM o But the coalition of states says that it would allow more than 1.3 million illegal immigrants to benefit. They argue it would also violate laws created by Congress that restrict the use of parole to a case-by-case determination. “Under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the federal government is actively working to turn the United States into a nation without borders and a country without laws. I will not let this happen,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “Biden’s new parole workaround unilaterally grants the opportunity for citizenship to unvetted aliens whose first act on American soil was to break our laws. This violates the Constitution and actively worsens the illegal immigration disaster that is hurting Texas and our country while the Administration denies any responsibility for the border crisis.” The states in the lawsuit are Texas, Idaho, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. Stephen Miller, President of America First Legal, called the rule “brazenly unlawful.” “Since our founding over three years ago, America First Legal has led the courtroom fight against the open borders agenda of Biden and Harris. We have sued time and again to fight their catastrophic policies. Today, we are proud to represent a coalition of 16 states in filing a lawsuit to block an unconstitutional Biden-Harris amnesty program,” he said. “This executive amnesty gives over one million illegals legal status, work permits, and a path to voting citizenship. It is brazenly unlawful, a deadly accelerant to the ruinous border invasion, and we will use every lawful tool to stop it.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The Biden administration’s use of parole has caused controversy with Republicans. The administration is paroling up to 1,450 a day at ports of entry via the CBP One app and is allowing an additional 30,000 nationals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter into the U.S. a month via a separate program. The CHNV program was halted last month after an internal report discovered a significant amount of fraud among those applying to be supporters for migrants entering the U.S. DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.