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Running for Congress: Pooch leads police, reporter and Senate staffers on hairy rush-hour chase around Capitol

Running for Congress: Pooch leads police, reporter and Senate staffers on hairy rush-hour chase around Capitol

I thought it was a jogger at first. Someone clad in black ran up the sidewalk on the north side of Constitution Avenue, just across from the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol.  But it was too fast for a jogger. There was an urgency. This was a female U.S. Capitol Police officer, wearing a thick tactical vest. A radio pack and other police equipment sprouted from the front. Then yelling.  Then three other Capitol Police officers charged up Capitol Hill, knees churning.  Police radios crackled. Something was terribly wrong.  WOMAN DISCOVERS HER DOG IS ALIVE AND UP FOR ADOPTION AFTER ‘PUTTING HIM DOWN’ A security issue? A terrorist threat? Someone with a gun? A bomb? It was something else. A scruffy, brown and gray terrier scurried up the hill, with no leash. It darted between cars during the pm rush hour on Constitution Avenue.  The dark pavement respirated petrichor on this sticky June day. A stray shower had just bathed the street, charging the air with moisture in the way Washingtonians know all too well during warmer months.  But it was about to become a dog day afternoon. The loose pooch charged toward the Russell Senate Office Building. But then haphazardly hopscotched across the bustling roadway — eluding vehicles like an ‘80s arcade master playing Frogger. The dog artfully dodged the cars. But the canine risked getting KO-ed. That’s when I realized the mutt was heading toward me on the Capitol side of the street. He made a dogleg turn and loped toward the Capitol.  MISSING DOG RESCUED AFTER SPENDING 18 HOURS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY: OWNER WAS ‘PANICKED’ I had just gotten off the air — delivering a live report on Bret Baier’s program about criminal referrals for Hunter Biden and James Biden by a trio of House committees. It was around 6:25 pm and I was walking to my car. I dropped my lunch pouch on the sidewalk and inched toward the street between two parked cars. I crouched down, arms extended and hands sagging toward the ground, like a soccer goalkeeper about to challenge a breakaway at the front of the penalty area. Things were looking up. Anything to get the dog out of the street. A pursuit would be much easier on the Capitol square side of the Congressional complex. The U.S. Capitol rests atop a 60-acre expanse of lush open areas, bushes, leafy trees, park benches, accentuated by twisting footpaths. This would be safer for the dog than having it lope around Constitution Avenue. The pup spotted me. Zoooosh! He made a hard right and galloped into the gulley between where cars were parked on Constitution and the curb. There’s a raised, concrete barrier between the curb and the grass. It was too high for the dog to make it onto the Capitol square. Now he had reversed course and was running back down Capitol Hill. “Help!” I yelled at an oblivious woman talking on her phone next to one of the parked cars. “Get that dog!” She looked up just as he ran over her beige mules and zipped back into the street. Oh no.  By that point, several of the officers who joined the chase on the north side of street had now run over to the south side near the Capitol with me. Fortunately, no traffic was headed up the hill on Constitution as the dog loped down the hill. He undulated back and forth across the six lanes of roadway like running between agility obstacles at the American Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. DOG RESCUED AFTER BEING CHASED OFF ‘STEEP CLIFFSIDE’ BY RACCOONS: VIDEO  I took advantage of the break in cars coming up the hill, taking off in a sprint. My blue, striped tie flapped over my shoulder. My TV IFB cable was still connected to my earpiece and draped down my back from the live shot.  “Stop traffic!” I yelled behind me to the trailing officers. I peaked over my shoulder and saw a few cars creeping slowly in the westward lanes down the hill. The drivers obviously saw the commotion, spotting the contingent of uniformed officers running in the street.  Now the dog was drifting toward the north side of the hill, toward the lower end of the Russell Senate Park and the Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon.  Exhausted and scared, the terrier sought refuge under a parked car on the north side of the street. Someone must have called to shut off traffic on the radio because there was no traffic advancing in the far lane toward us. I could see a wave of traffic clustering at the foot of Capitol Hill, backing up toward the Department of Labor. An officer who is assigned to the post at the corner of Constitution and 1st St., NW, stood in the middle of the roadway, halting the cars.  I get to the rear of the car and drop down to my knees. The dog is there. One officer slides up by the driver’s side and drops to the ground, peeking under the vehicle. But all that did was flush our quarry. The dog escaped because there was only two of us surrounding the car. There was no way to trap him or grab ahold of a leg or a collar.  There he goes again, tiny legs pumping like miniature pistons as he races back up the hill and toward the Capitol side of the street. The dog crisscrosses lanes like a manic commuter on the Beltway. Fortunately, there was no traffic now. So the roadway was clear for the dog to bolt away and slip under a gunmetal-colored Toyota sedan with Maryland tags parked behind a maroon Acura SUV.  Four officers charged from the grassy hillside of the Capitol square toward the vehicle. Another three ran down the hill, including the original officer in the tactical vest. Two officers approach the car from the south side of the street along

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg agrees to testify in House GOP probe, but not on their timetable

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg agrees to testify in House GOP probe, but not on their timetable

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Friday declined to testify about his prosecution of former President Donald Trump to House lawmakers next week. In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., Bragg’s general counsel, Leslie Dubeck, said the district attorney has “scheduling conflicts” that will keep him from appearing before Congress. However, Dubeck indicated that Bragg may be open to cooperating with the committee in the future. “This Office is committed to voluntary cooperation,” Dubeck wrote in a letter first reported by Politico. “That cooperation includes making the District Attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the Office at an agreed-upon date, and evaluating the propriety of allowing an Assistant District Attorney to testify publicly about an active prosecution to which he is assigned. However, the proposed date that the Subcommittee selected without consulting the Office presents various scheduling conflicts.”  House Republicans have sought to drag Bragg into Congress on June 13 to answer questions about his prosecution of Trump, who was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by the district attorney.  REP JORDAN URGES CONGRESS TO ‘DEFUND LAWFARE ACTIVITIES’ OF TRUMP PROSECUTORS Trump, who maintains his innocence, has called the prosecution a “witch hunt” coordinated by President Biden and Democrats with the intention of kneecapping his presidential campaign. Biden and Bragg have separately denied this accusation, though Republicans continue to allege prosecutors were politically motivated. Bragg had campaigned for office on a promise to “get Trump.”  In the letter, Dubeck criticized the Judicairy Committee’s invitation for Bragg to testify, writing that Jordan “has not made clear the scope of the proposed testimony.”  WHAT’S NEXT FOR TRUMP LEGALLY? WHICH CASE MIGHT COME UP BEFORE ELECTION DAY? Dubeck also wrote that the upcoming sentencing hearing for Trump on July 11 and ongoing proceedings in the trial and appellate courts may prevent Bragg from testifying. Trump has said he will appeal his criminal conviction.  Dubeck wrote, “to participate in a public hearing at this time would be potentially detrimental to those efforts.”  TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL She asked the committee to negotiate a new hearing date with Bragg’s office and clarify what exactly Republicans want Bragg to testify about. “Everything is on the table as to what is next,” said Stefanie Farrell, a spokesperson for Chairman Jordan.  Earlier this week, Jordan told Fox News Digital he is proposing an appropriations package that would “defund the lawfare activities” of state and federal prosecutors leading “politically sensitive investigations,” pointing specifically to Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.  In addition to his criminal conviction in New York, Trump is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on whether he is immune from charges brought against him by Smith in his Jan. 6 investigation; awaiting a trial date on charges brought from Smith’s classified records case; and awaiting a trial date on charges brought by Willis in Georgia. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Biden wins Guam Democratic caucuses as 2024 presidential primary season wraps up

Biden wins Guam Democratic caucuses as 2024 presidential primary season wraps up

President Biden has won the Democratic presidential caucuses in Guam, according to the Associated Press, based on party results from the U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean. After five months and more than 100 primaries and caucuses, Saturday’s Democratic caucuses in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands bring to a close the 2024 presidential nominating season. “The Party is excited to be sending a delegation to the DNC Convention in full support of President Biden and Vice President Harris,” said the chair of the Democratic Party of Guam, Tony Babauta, in a statement Saturday. “Our island and country needs leadership that continues to invest in people, improves our infrastructure, focuses on sustainability and our environment, and protects women’s rights.” Biden and former President Trump clinched the Democratic and Republican nominations nearly three months ago, after their sweeping victories in the coast-to-coast Super Tuesday contests. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION SEASON RESULTS  While any major drama in the presidential nominating contests vanished long ago, the results from some of the primaries and caucuses of the past couple of months have pointed to potential problems for both Biden and Trump as they aim to secure their base voters heading into the general election. Former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s final rival for the nomination, suspended her campaign in early March, but she continued to grab up to 20% of the vote in some of the Republican presidential primaries even though she was essentially a zombie candidate. And in the Democratic contests, the president repeatedly faced a protest vote through the “uncommitted” option on the ballot, as part of demonstrations against his support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Additional barriers erected around White House ahead of planned pro-Palestinian demonstration

Additional barriers erected around White House ahead of planned pro-Palestinian demonstration

Several additional barriers have been put in place around the White House ahead of this weekend’s pro-Palestinian demonstration, where activists plan to surround the iconic residence and call for an end to U.S. support for Israel amid its war with Hamas militants. A handful of activist groups, including CODEPINK and the Council on American Islamic Relations, said this week that they plan to mark eight months of the war in the Middle East through demonstrations in the nation’s capital. The most significant demonstration – the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) protest is taking place Saturday outside the White House, leading to enhanced security precautions. Several barriers and anti-scale fencing were erected this week ahead of the planned demonstration, with additional barriers appearing to have been set up prior to the demonstrations early Saturday morning. ISRAEL RESCUES 4 HOSTAGES KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS: ‘WE ARE OVERJOYED’ In a statement to Fox News Digital, U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, “In preparation for the events this weekend in Washington D.C. that have the potential for large crowds to gather, additional public safety measures, including anti-scale fencing, have been put in place near the White House complex.” Expected speakers at Saturday’s protest include legal scholars, attorneys, and family members of individuals in Gaza. Others are also expected to speak, including Loubna Qutami, a member of the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC); Brian Becker, national director for the ANSWER Coalition; Layan Fuleihan, education director for The People’s Forum; Jill Stein, presidential candidate for the Green Party; Claudia De la Cruz, presidential nominee for the Party for Socialism and Liberation 2024; Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of CODEPINK; and Nidal Jboor, a co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide. JEWISH STUDENTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST UCLA OVER ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT ON CAMPUS Throughout the U.S. in recent months, numerous anti-Israel protests have swept across the nation, including on several college campuses and in larger cities. Other anti-Israel protests have caused major disruptions to traffic in different parts of the country, where activists would block certain roads and prevent people from reaching particular destinations like the airport or train station. Following the dismantling of multiple anti-Israel encampments that were set up on college campuses earlier this year, President Biden said in May that he does not support the “chaos” that stems from many of the protests. “There is a right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos,” Biden said from the White House at the time. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Destroying property is not a peaceful protest. It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the canceling of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest,” he added. Biden and his administration have faced immense pressure from the progressive wing of his party to withdraw U.S. aid to the war-torn country.

California exodus continues as conservative states attract blue-state residents: Report

California exodus continues as conservative states attract blue-state residents: Report

Californians fleeing the blue state over its high cost of living are showing no signs of slowing down, according to the latest report by a major moving and storage company.  “The Golden State has a reputation for imposing high sales, income, and property taxes. The cost of living is approximately 50 percent higher in California than the national average, and housing costs can be prohibitive,” according to a report on 2024 moving trends published by PODS. The report, published May 20, found that more people are moving to the southern Appalachian region, which includes parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, all conservative states. “California is number one in all the wrong things,” Will Swaim, president of the conservative think tank California Policy Center, told Fox News Digital on Friday. “Add to that regulations that make building new homes almost impossible, and it’s no wonder that people are moving out.” HOMELESS CALIFORNIA PAROLEE DRAGGED FEMALE JOGGER BY PONYTAIL ON BEACH IN ATTEMPTED SEXUAL ASSAULT: POLICE Businesses are getting in on the piece of the pie, too. The study noted companies are packing up to southern sunbelt states like Texas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and Tennessee, according to data collected from Iron Mountain. Why? Because these regions “offer lower operational costs, tax incentives, and better value for employees.” Los Angeles and San Francisco landed in the top two spots for the cities seeing the highest numbers of residents moving out.  Terry Gilliam, the founder of the popular Facebook group “Leaving California” which has hundreds of thousands of members, told Fox News Digital in an interview the list confirms “you’re not just getting the high-end taxpayers, but the middle class taxpayers are leaving.” “I think that that’s what California’s been doing for the last many years, is eliminating the middle class, and Governor Newsom loves to brag about how California’s economy is top five in the world, and then he came out bragging about how there’s now more Fortune 500 companies based in California than anywhere else in the country,” Gilliam said. “But that’s for the wealthy, and in reality, the middle class is what’s suffering in California, and that’s why they’re leaving.” NEWSOM PROPOSES DEFUNDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, PRISONS, PUBLIC SAFETY AS CALIFORNIA FACES MASSIVE DEFICIT Gilliam and members of his group did a 10-day tour of the south, he said, and talked to people in every town who had left California.  “And really what it comes down to is the quality of life for their family, lower cost of living, better schools, politics that align with the way they feel in these southern towns,” he said.  According to the report, four California markets rank in the top 10 for the most outbound moves, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Stockton-Modesto.  “The various locations of these cities point to the fact that this is a statewide exodus,” the report concluded. California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020 when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000. In January, California topped U-Haul’s Growth Index list for having the largest net outbound movers in 2023. CA SCHOOL BOARD THROWS OUT STATE OFFICIAL AS HE PROTESTS FOR SECRET TRANSGENDER POLICIES: ‘PERVERT CHILDREN’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A spokesperson for Gov. Newsom’s office pointed Fox News Digital in an email to the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook report “noting that California remains the 5th largest economy in the world for the seventh consecutive year, with a nominal GDP of nearly $3.9 trillion in 2023 and a growth rate of 6.1% since the year prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.” “California’s per capita GDP is the second largest among large economies,” Newsom’s office said. “California, which has the most equitable tax system in the entire country, is #1 in the nation for new business starts, #1 for access to venture capital funding, and the #1 state for manufacturing, high-tech, and agriculture.” Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.