Page 1640 – Texas Weekly Online

Fixing Texas’ ballot secrecy problems won’t be easy, experts say

The burden will fall on local officials to determine which records they’re obligated to release or redact.

GOP senators invoke statute to force HHS answers on COVID origins: ‘Full-fledged cover-up’

FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are invoking a statute to force Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to provide answers to several outstanding inquiries about COVID-19’s origins and vaccine safety. “We write regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) complete disregard for transparency, Congressional oversight, and the public’s right to know,” wrote Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in a letter on Tuesday also signed by Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Roger Marshall, R-Kan. HOUSE GOP WILL SUE DOJ NEXT WEEK TO GET BIDEN-HUR AUDIO TAPES, JOHNSON SAYS The lawmakers announced they were invoking a federal statute which requires executive agencies to “submit any information requested of it relating to any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee” when prompted by five members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC). The letter states that the senators on HSGAC have written to HHS and its sub-agencies on several occasions with questions regarding the COVID-19 virus and pandemic and its origins. “Rather than provide comprehensive and thorough responses to requests from members of this Committee, HHS has opted to either ignore letters from duly elected U.S. senators, or provide incomplete responses,” the senators said. SUPREME COURT RULES ON CHALLENGE TO BIDEN ADMIN’S EFFORT TO INFLUENCE SOCIAL MEDIA Eleven specific outstanding requests are highlighted by Johnson, which he noted HHS should prioritize. Each relates to either the origins of the COVID-19 virus or the safety of its vaccines. The outstanding requests date back as far as 2020. Responses to the prioritized requests are expected by the senators from Becerra by July 12. HERE’S WHAT TOO MANY FEDERAL AGENCIES DON’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY “HHS’s indifference and lack of responsiveness threatens our ability to fulfill our Constitutional oversight responsibility,” the lawmakers claimed in the letter. According to the Republicans, “HHS’s refusal to provide the requested records over the last three years clearly demonstrates a full-fledged cover-up.” “What are you and your sub-agencies hiding?” they asked. NEW DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT OBAMA, BIDEN SECRET 2024 MEETINGS The senators also warned HHS and Becerra against non-compliance with the statutory request, saying, “HSGAC Republicans are taking note of HHS’s and your legal infractions and fully intend to hold you and your colleagues accountable using any means at our disposal.” The lawmakers are capable of using subpoena power to compel Becerra to speak to their questions, requesting transcribed interviews, or even attempting to hold him in contempt of Congress. However, with Democrats currently holding a majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely that a contempt of Congress resolution would pass. A spokesperson for HHS told Fox News Digital, “HHS has received the letter and will respond directly to the Senators.”

Supreme Court conservatives clash over ruling on Biden’s social media influence

Conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court clashed over Wednesday’s ruling in favor of President Biden’s administration. The Court ruled 6-3 that the plaintiffs, a group of conservative states and social media users, had no standing to sue the federal government over its attempts to influence the censorship policies of social media giants. Justice Amy Coney Barrett authored the opinion of the court, but Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented. Barrett, speaking for the court, argued none of the plaintiffs had established that they were under threat in the case. “To establish standing, the plaintiffs must demonstrate a substantial risk that, in the near future, they will suffer an injury that is traceable to a Government defendant and redressable by the injunction they seek. Because no plaintiff has carried that burden, none has standing to seek a preliminary injunction,” Barrett wrote. SUPREME COURT RULES ON CHALLENGE TO BIDEN ADMIN’S EFFORT TO INFLUENCE SOCIAL MEDIA Alito blasted the majority opinion in his written dissent, which Thomas and Gorsuch joined. He said the Court’s opinion “unjustifiably refuses” to intervene on behalf of the “victims” of COVID-era censorship. “For months in 2021 and 2022, a coterie of officials at the highest levels of the Federal Government continuously harried and implicitly threatened Facebook with potentially crippling consequences if it did not comply with their wishes about the suppression of certain COVID–19-related speech,” Alito wrote. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN KEY FIRST AMENDMENT CASE CHALLENGING BIDEN ADMIN TEAMWORK WITH BIG TECH “I assume that a fair portion of what social media users had to say about COVID–19 and the pandemic was of little lasting value. Some was undoubtedly untrue or misleading, and some may have been downright dangerous. But we now know that valuable speech was also suppressed. That is what inevitably happens when entry to the marketplace of ideas is restricted,” he continued. EITHER GARLAND OR WEISS ARE LYING IN HUNTER BIDEN CASE: CHRISTIE “These victims simply wanted to speak out on a question of the utmost public importance,” he added. Wednesday’s ruling overturns a lower court ruling that sided with the plaintiffs and imposed an injunction against White House officials meeting with major tech companies. That injunction is now lifted. The injunction had applied to several federal officials and agencies – including some of Biden’s Cabinet members and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

House Republicans warn Garland could be brought into custody over Biden tapes ahead of inherent contempt vote

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., warned that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland could be brought into custody for failing to deliver tapes of special counsel Rob Hur’s interview of President Biden to Congress. Joined by nine other House Republicans, including Freedom Caucus members as well as more moderate members, Luna announced at a press conference Wednesday that Garland “still has time” to comply with a congressional subpoena for the tapes, but if he does not, “we will press forward with calling the privilege motion on inherent contempt to the floor on Friday morning.” If the motion is successful, fellow House Republicans will direct House Speaker Mike Johnson to call up the Sergeant-at-Arms, “of which they do have the authority under this inherent contempt motion to bring him into custody,” Luna said. “I also want to make it clear, though, that this is of Garland’s choosing. Again, no one is above the law. And if he chooses to go down this path, then we will.” “It is also important to note that if we, as a Congress, do not have the ability to enforce our investigative ability, that we are essentially going to be ignored and undercut and essentially handicapped by all other branches, which would make us not a co-equal branch of government,” Luna said. ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO FORCE VOTE ON GARLAND’S ARREST THIS WEEK AFTER DOJ REFUSES CRIMINAL REFERRAL Inherent contempt differs from the criminal contempt resolution passed on June 12. The latter referred Garland to his own department for criminal charges. The Department of Justice said it would not prosecute Garland because he was acting on Biden’s own executive privilege claims over the interview tapes. The inherent contempt power “is a constitutionally based authority given to each house to unilaterally arrest and detain an individual found to be ‘obstructing the performance of the duties of the legislature,’” according to the Congressional Research Service. “The power is broader in scope than the criminal contempt statute in that it may be used not only to combat subpoena non-compliance, but also in response to other actions that could be reviewed as ‘obstructing’ or threatening either house’s exercise of its legislative powers.” When asked whether the House speaker has considered alternative ways to enforce the subpoena, Luna said she thinks that Johnson “is open to discussions on how to best enforce this,” but argued that with “what’s currently happening in our country,” a different process “would take a very long time.” “Why would we do that when we have the direct ability to do it here in the House? What you are seeing is the American people have a deep distrust in our ability to not only effectively govern, but also, too, they’ve lost faith within the Department of Justice and that we are truly an equal country,” Luna said. “Poor White, Brown, Black Americans don’t have the privilege of ignoring subpoenas when they’re called to come to court. I think that it’s pretty egregious that the man that’s in charge, and really the head enforcement officer, is basically choosing to break the law.” JOHNSON FLOATS DEFUNDING SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AMID JACK SMITH’S TRUMP PROBE “I understand that this sounds extreme,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said. “It sounds extreme to put the AG in handcuffs and drag him in here…. I’ll tell you why I’m here, what motivates me. Because what the DOJ is doing in my hometown in Houston, they’re willing to arrest a regular citizen, put them in handcuffs, charge them with ridiculous crimes. And for what? Because that particular citizen, a man named Doctor Haim decided to expose a crime in Texas. That crime was performing harmful gender transition practices on minors. He was indicted for alleged HIPAA violations and this demonstrates that Merrick Garland and this DOJ determination to target whistleblowers who oppose their ideology, they want to protect themselves.” Citing the 118th Congress Jefferson Manual, Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., said inherent contempt has been used by the House of Representatives more than 100 times since 1795 and has been upheld by the Supreme Court. “If we allow the Department of Justice and Attorney General Garland to dictate whether or not a congressional subpoena is enforced, we risk becoming subordinate to the executive branch,” Alford said. “That cannot happen. This is unacceptable. Congress must never rely on the actions of the other branches to carry out our constitutional responsibility under Article One. What does Attorney General Merrick Garland have to hide?” Luna said Democrats considered using inherent contempt powers under former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when Republicans failed to comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoenas, but they ultimately decided against it to avoid risking opening themselves up to discovery. In a contentious exchange with a reporter, Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., on Wednesday said he believes those people who failed to comply are now “in jail.” “I think they’re in jail. So are you suggesting the attorney general should be in jail? Because that’s what it sounds like,” Van Orden said. “Listen, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. So the Democrat Party under Nancy Pelosi politicized this body to the point where it’s destructive to the fabric of our nation. And it is time for a reckoning. This has got to stop.” “The only way that this is going to stop is if the president of the United States reads this,” he said, holding up a copy of the U.S. Constitution. “This is the law of the land. Is that clear? Now do your jobs, people. For Pete’s sake.” When asked whether she was confident she had enough votes from GOP colleagues to pass the resolution, Luna pointed to those who joined her at the press conference. Those members also included Republican Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Russell Fry of South Carolina, Max Miller of Ohio, Ben Cline of Virginia, Richard McCormick of Georgia and Tim Burchett of Tennessee. “As you’re seeing behind me, we have a great cross-section of what the

‘Squad’ put on notice after Bowman is trounced, Missouri member’s nomination is up next

Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri is in the campaign spotlight, after the first member of the group of progressive and diverse House Democrats went down to defeat in a Democratic Party congressional primary. Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York was soundly defeated by Westchester County executive George Latimer on Tuesday in a high-profile and divisive Democratic Party primary in New York’s 16th Congressional District. Bowman has the dubious honor of becoming the first House member of either party to be defeated by a primary challenger so far in the 2024 election cycle. And Bowman also became the first member of the Squad to be ousted from Congress. THIS HOUSE DEMOCRAT BECOMES THE FIRST SQUAD MEMBER DEFEATED IN A PRIMARY The contentious battle between a member of the Squad and his more moderate challenger spotlighted the Democrats’ deep divisions over the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Bowman – who has been outspoken about his support for Palestinians amid the war in Gaza and has charged that Israel has committed genocide – was targeted by roughly $14 million in spending by a group affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the deep-pocketed pro-Israel group that supported Latimer. AOC EASILY WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY That spending – part of an overall $25 million shelled out by all sides in the primary to run ads -helped the race earn a page in the record books as the most expensive congressional primary in the nation’s history. The spotlight may now shift to Missouri’s First Congressional District, a deep blue seat which includes the city of St. Louis and its northern suburbs. That’s where the second-term Bush is facing a primary challenge from St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, who is being supported by AIPAC. The scant polling in the race suggests Bush faces a tough challenge as she seeks renomination in the August 6 primary. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP Ahead of Bowman’s double-digit defeat to Latimer, Bush took to social media on Tuesday afternoon to apparently take aim at AIPAC. “Let me be clear: #WeDecide our future. Not far-right megadonors who want to meddle in our Democratic elections.” she emphasized. The big question going forward in the Bush-Bell primary is whether DMFI and United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-affiliated group that shelled out big bucks to help topple Bowman, will also spend big in the Missouri primary to target Bush, who has also been critical of Israel. Squad members mostly represent deep blue seats with high concentrations of minority voters. But while New York’s 16th Congressional District, which Bowman represents, includes parts of the New York City borough of the Bronx, most of it lies in the southern half of suburban Westchester County. While Bowman went down to defeat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a founding member of the Squad – on Tuesday easily won renomination in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes portions of the Bronx and Queens. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Mayorkas to tout decrease in border encounters in 1st visit to border since failed impeachment vote

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit Arizona on Wednesday on his first trip to the southern border since the Senate quashed articles of impeachment against him. Mayorkas will speak to reporters in Tucson, where he is expected to tout the decrease in illegal migrant numbers after President Biden took executive action on asylum processing three weeks ago. Arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen more than 40% since the executive order went into effect, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Border Patrol’s seven-day average of illegal migrant encounters dropped from well over 5,000 to about 2,200, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection numbers obtained by Fox News. Mayorkas said border encounters were “moving in the right direction” in an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning. “You correctly note that the number of encounters at the southwest border have decreased in the three weeks that we’ve been implementing the president’s proclamation by more than 40%,” Mayorkas told host Mika Brzezinski, adding it was a “remarkable implementation” by immigration enforcement agencies. RACHEL MORIN’S MOM BLASTS MAYORKAS’ DESCRIPTION OF SLAIN DAUGHTER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT NABBED “We are conducting more removal flights than ever before. We are moving people through the system, and those who do not qualify are being removed or returned more rapidly.” The latest Border Patrol figures are welcome news for President Biden, who must defend his record from withering attacks by former President Trump at the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday. The U.S. has seen record numbers of migrant crossings at the border, with more than 2.4 million in FY 23 alone, on top of three years of the highest crossings ever seen. Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden over the crisis, arguing that it is his policies — and the rolling back of Trump-era policies — that have fueled the crisis. Trump lambasted Biden’s border policies at a rally in Philadelphia over the weekend and accused him of “releasing illegal criminals into our communities to rape, pillage, plunder and to kill.” BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION “Just this week, a 12-year-old girl in Houston, Jocelyn Nungaray, was tied up, stripped, and strangled to death after walking to a 7-Eleven,” Trump said, referencing the suspected murder and sexual assault of a Texas girl who was found strangled to death in a creek last week. “Charged with Jocelyn’s heinous murder are two illegal alien savages that Joe Biden recently set loose into our country. They came across our border claiming they feared for their lives in Venezuela.” Trump has promised the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history if elected, and to terminate “every Open Border policy of the Biden administration.” He has also promised to deploy special forces to the border and reinstate his 2017 travel ban. Biden, on the contrary, has argued that Congress must pass reforms to fix what he calls a “broken” immigration system. He has proposed legislation that Republicans oppose which would grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants present in the U.S. BORDER PATROL INTERCEPTS MULTIPLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEX OFFENDERS IN A SINGLE WEEKEND He also backed a bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year, but it has failed to pick up steam in the upper chamber. Biden has blamed Trump for stifling the bill, which included additional funding for border operations and a mechanism to shut down crossings after a certain level. “Republicans in Congress, not all, walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to,” he said in February. With no progress in Congress, Biden took unilateral action to further limit asylum claims by migrants once average border encounters exceed 2,500 a day. Last week, he also announced a deportation shield for some illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. He has repeatedly said, however, that it is not enough, and he needs Congress to act in order to fix the system. Mayorkas reinforced the president’s arguments on MSNBC, calling on Congress to “fix” the “broken immigration system.” CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOOMS AS TOP ISSUE AMID OUTRAGE OVER 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S MURDER “Remember that our detention capacity — and this is not specific to our administration, this has been historic, ever since the 90s, when I was a federal prosecutor — our detention capacity is not sufficient to meet the number of people we encounter,” he said. “We have to release people into the United States when they are in immigration enforcement proceedings. And we put them on alternatives to detention when that is necessary from an enforcement perspective.” House Republicans approved articles of impeachment against Mayorkas earlier this year, accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and breach of public trust. However, the Democratic-controlled Senate had the articles declared unconstitutional and dismissed without a trial. Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mayorkas to tout decrease in border encounters in visit to border

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will visit Arizona on Wednesday to tout the decrease in illegal migrant numbers after President Biden took executive action on asylum processing three weeks ago. Mayorkas will speak to reporters in Tucson. Arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen more than 40% since the executive order went into effect, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Border Patrol’s seven-day average of illegal migrant encounters dropped from well over 5,000 to about 2,200, according to the latest Customs and Border Protection numbers obtained by Fox News. Mayorkas said border encounters were “moving in the right direction” in an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning. “You correctly note that the number of encounters at the southwest border have decreased in the three weeks that we’ve been implementing the president’s proclamation by more than 40%,” Mayorkas told host Mika Brzezinski, adding it was a “remarkable implementation” by immigration enforcement agencies. RACHEL MORIN’S MOM BLASTS MAYORKAS’ DESCRIPTION OF SLAIN DAUGHTER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT NABBED “We are conducting more removal flights than ever before. We are moving people through the system, and those who do not qualify are being removed or returned more rapidly.” The latest Border Patrol figures are welcome news for President Biden, who must defend his record from withering attacks by former President Trump at the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday. The U.S. has seen record numbers of migrant crossings at the border, with more than 2.4 million in FY 23 alone, on top of three years of the highest crossings ever seen. Republicans and Trump have hammered Biden over the crisis, arguing that it is his policies — and the rolling back of Trump-era policies — that have fueled the crisis. Trump lambasted Biden’s border policies at a rally in Philadelphia over the weekend and accused him of “releasing illegal criminals into our communities to rape, pillage, plunder and to kill.” BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION “Just this week, a 12-year-old girl in Houston, Jocelyn Nungaray, was tied up, stripped, and strangled to death after walking to a 7-Eleven,” Trump said, referencing the suspected murder and sexual assault of a Texas girl who was found strangled to death in a creek last week. “Charged with Jocelyn’s heinous murder are two illegal alien savages that Joe Biden recently set loose into our country. They came across our border claiming they feared for their lives in Venezuela.” Trump has promised the largest domestic deportation operation in U.S. history if elected, and to terminate “every Open Border policy of the Biden administration.” He has also promised to deploy special forces to the border and reinstate his 2017 travel ban. Biden, on the contrary, has argued that Congress must pass reforms to fix what he calls a “broken” immigration system. He has proposed legislation that Republicans oppose which would grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants present in the U.S. BORDER PATROL INTERCEPTS MULTIPLE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SEX OFFENDERS IN A SINGLE WEEKEND He also backed a bipartisan Senate bill introduced earlier this year, but it has failed to pick up steam in the upper chamber. Biden has blamed Trump for stifling the bill, which included additional funding for border operations and a mechanism to shut down crossings after a certain level. “Republicans in Congress, not all, walked away from it. Why? Because Donald Trump told them to,” he said in February. With no progress in Congress, Biden took unilateral action to further limit asylum claims by migrants once average border encounters exceed 2,500 a day. Last week, he also announced a deportation shield for some illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens. He has repeatedly said, however, that it is not enough, and he needs Congress to act in order to fix the system. Mayorkas reinforced the president’s arguments on MSNBC, calling on Congress to “fix” the “broken immigration system.” CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOOMS AS TOP ISSUE AMID OUTRAGE OVER 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S MURDER “Remember that our detention capacity — and this is not specific to our administration, this has been historic, ever since the 90s, when I was a federal prosecutor — our detention capacity is not sufficient to meet the number of people we encounter,” he said. “We have to release people into the United States when they are in immigration enforcement proceedings. And we put them on alternatives to detention when that is necessary from an enforcement perspective.” House Republicans approved articles of impeachment against Mayorkas earlier this year, accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and breach of public trust. However, the Democratic-controlled Senate had the articles declared unconstitutional and dismissed without a trial. Mayorkas last visited the U.S.-Mexico border in May. Fox News’ Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report. EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify that Mayorkas visited the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2024.

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