Ukrainian refugees, wounded soldiers hope for US aid as funding remains stalled
Over $113 billion in U.S. tax dollars have already been sent to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion. But an additional $60 billion in aid is stalled in Congress and defense officials warn Ukraine is running out of resources. In Ukraine, there is a shortage of soldiers, ammunition and confidence that Western aid will come soon. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have died or lost limbs in the war. Twenty-five-year-old Oleksandr Bazilevych has only his right arm left. A Russian grenade exploded near him last September as he was helping a wounded friend reach a medic. He wasn’t surprised when he lost his limbs. “It could be even worse,” Bazilevych says as he sits in a Minnesota rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment clinic. Other organizations told him it would be impossible to help him. Then he found the Protez Foundation. PUTIN WARNS THE WEST THAT RUSSIA IS ‘READY’ FOR NUCLEAR WAR: ‘WEAPONS EXIST IN ORDER TO USE THEM’ Ukrainian American Dr. Yakov Gradinar was living in Minnesota and working as a prosthetist when the war started two years ago. He and his business partner and CEO, Yury Aroshidze, have now opened up three clinics, with another on the way in Kyiv, Ukraine. “They get much better quality of prosthetic care,” Gradinar said about the over 160 Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, and children they’ve brought to the U.S. “They get [a] break from sirens from all this pressure from war.” The nonprofit says over 60,000 Ukrainians are in need of prosthetics. Their waiting list is over 1,500 people long. Bazilevych says joining the military was the right decision at the time, despite only having one limb left. “We want civilization in our country. We want freedom in our country, not like in Russia,” Bazilevych said. U.S. NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER: SEE WHAT AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) OWE IN REAL TIME Twenty-seven-year-old Ninel Nosachova fled Ukraine at the start of the war. She and her family were refugees in Germany for months as she finished her education for physical therapy. Nosachova felt like she wasn’t doing enough to help her country. “People my age are fighting and protecting my country. I need to join. I need to protect my country, and then I saw this foundation on [the] internet,” Nosachova said. For the past eight months, she’s been working as a volunteer physical therapist at the Protez Foundation, helping soldiers who fought for her freedom walk again. But she worries about the future of her country without more U.S. aid. “We don’t have a lot of resources for the fighting and if the USA will not help us, we will die,” Nosachova said. Resources are running out as additional aid is stalled in Congress, with Republican lawmakers insisting new funds be linked to action against illegal border crossings. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized Tuesday at a meeting of Ukraine allies that the U.S. “will not let Ukraine fail.” The latest Pew Research Center poll shows that over 30% of Americans say the U.S. is providing too much aid to Ukraine. The national debt, which measures what the U.S. owes its creditors, increased to $34.54 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office indicates that the national debt will grow to an astonishing $54 trillion in the next decade. Should that debt happen, it could risk America’s economic standing in the world. Ukrainian-American Walter Anastazievsky is the refugee services director at the Ukrainian American Community Center in Minneapolis. His parents and grandparents fled Ukraine after WWII and he felt like this was an opportunity to give back. “I’ve literally had someone say, ‘Oh I thought the war was over.’ Pay attention, because people are suffering,” Anastazievsky said. Anastazievsky estimates the center has helped over 1,000 refugees get access to housing, health care and employment. US SENDING UKRAINE $300 MILLION IN WEAPONS DESPITE LACKING FUNDS TO REPLENISH ITS OWN STOCKPILES Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. He promoted former President Trump’s plan for a loan to Ukraine, rather than aid, to continue supporting the country in the war with Russia. “I think Ukraine needs assistance in any form that it can get. Ideally, it would be a continuation of the kind of assistance that the U.S. and other countries have been providing,” Anastazievsky said. “I don’t know that Ukraine is in a position to reject aid regardless of how it’s structured.” Back in Ukraine, Dr. Gradinar is opening another Protez Foundation clinic in Kyiv. The demand for high-quality, free prosthetics is high. As a Ukrainian American, Gradinar says he understands the need for taxpayers to know how their money is being spent in Ukraine. But he says Russia’s desire to take over the world is “scary for the 21st century.” He says Ukrainians want to be free of corruption and have a democracy like the U.S. “Tell me who’s going to be elected in United States as the next president? We don’t know,” Gradinar said. “Tell me who’s going to be elected in Russia president election. Everybody knows.”
Cash-for-query case: CBI registers FIR against TMC leader Mahua Moitra
Acting on the directions of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, the CBI on Thursday registered an FIR against former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the cash-for-query case.
Trump legal team blasts ‘unconstitutional’ attempts to force property sale as deadline for $464M fine nears
Lawyers for former President Trump are blasting New York Attorney General Letitia James’ “unconstitutional” attempts to block the GOP presumptive nominee’s appeal and force a property sale as the deadline for him to post hundreds of millions of dollars of bond in the case looms. Trump and his legal team have appealed and requested a stay on his $464 million civil fraud judgment. On Monday, his lawyers said that “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is a ‘practical impossibility,’” amid attempts to approach about 30 surety companies. NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ The lawyers said the “enormous magnitude” of the bond requirement, which effectively requires cash reserves approaching $1 billion, is “unprecedented for a private company.” James has pushed back, calling Trump’s request for a stay “extraordinary” and “improper.” James has said that Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real estate holdings as collateral. But Trump attorney Clifford S. Robert on Thursday sent a letter to the Appellate Division of New York’s Supreme Court, arguing James’ efforts are “unconstitutional.” “It would be completely illogical — and the definition of an unconstitutional Excessive Fine and a Taking — to require Defendants to sell properties at all, and especially in a ‘fire sale,’ in order to be able to appeal the lawless Supreme Court judgment, as that would cause harm that cannot be repaired once the Defendants do win, as is overwhelmingly likely, on appeal,” Robert wrote. Robert also argued that by James demanding Trump post bond in the full amount in order to appeal, she and the Supreme Court of New York have “sought to impose a patently unreasonable, unjust, and unconstitutional (under both the Federal and New York State Constitutions) bond condition, which would cause irreparable harm and foreclose any review of Supreme Court’s deeply flawed decision in this case.” “In short, while attempting to cynically and wrongfully tar the Defendants’ witnesses as ‘unreliable,’ the Attorney General does not actually dispute the truth of a single one of their specific claims,” Robert wrote. “This is unsurprising because these claims are undeniable to those with knowledge of real estate and sureties.” TRUMP UNABLE TO GET $464M APPEAL BOND TO STOP COLLECTION, ATTORNEYS SAY: ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ Fox News Digital has learned that Trump and his legal team currently have “all options on the table.” A source familiar told Fox News Digital that his team plans “to exhaust all options.” “The Trump team is continuing to look at every conceivable option,” the source said, adding that they are “hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.” NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT If the Trump team’s appeal is granted, the judgment bond could be slashed considerably. It is unclear whether the court will rule on his appeal.
Maine rejects sweeping electric vehicle mandate in blow to governor’s climate agenda
Maine’s top environmental regulator rejected a proposed state electric vehicle (EV) mandate in a surprise vote, bucking climate concerns voiced by eco groups and Democrats. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) turned down the so-called Advanced Clean Cars program after receiving overwhelming opposition from stakeholders and citizens. The proposed program would have closely mirrored regulations approved in California, mandating that at least 51% of new car purchases in the state be electric by 2028 and 82% be electric by 2032. “The Maine Board of Environmental Protection received nearly 1,800 comments from the people of Maine and nearly 84% were not in favor of this EV mandate,” Maine Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart told Fox News Digital. “Maine is far too rural with far too few charging stations, and many Mainers are also concerned about the reliability of these vehicles in our extreme cold weather months.” TRUMP CAMPAIGN RESPONDS IN FORCE AFTER BIDEN CRACKS DOWN ON GAS CARS, VOWS ‘DAY ONE’ REVERSAL According to BEP filings, earlier this year, the state received a total of 1,783 public comment letters with just 287 supporting the Advanced Clean Cars rule. A whopping 1,496 letters were filed in opposition to the mandate. Among the stakeholders who filed opposition letters were the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Maine Automobile Dealers Association and Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden, who represents a largely rural congressional district. 17 RETIRED MILITARY OFFICIALS RAISE ALARM ON BIDEN’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE PUSH “Affordable transportation is a requirement, not a luxury, in rural Maine,” Golden said in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, following the vote. “Regulations must recognize reality: California-style emissions standards would impose logistic and financial hurdles that Maine isn’t ready to clear. The state BEP made the right decision to reject them.” While the Maine BEP was originally slated to vote on adopting the Advanced Clear Car Program in late December, a major windstorm caused widespread power outages statewide, forcing state offices to be closed and the agency’s vote to be indefinitely delayed. The agency ultimately proposed a slightly-modified version of the EV mandate, pushing the start date from 2027 to 2028, and accepted a new round of comments from the public and stakeholders through early February. 130+ HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS JOIN FORCES IN OPPOSITION OF BIDEN’S UPCOMING EV MANDATE Critics of aggressive EV requirements warned that the Maine power grid is currently unequipped to handle the significantly increased demand and load that would be generated by widespread EV adoption. They also argued that power outages, triggered by storms like the December windstorm, could render large swaths of an electrified transportation sector useless. According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a group that represents major automakers, 5.8% of total car purchases in Maine last year were electric or plug-in hybrid. That figure is less than the national average of 9.3%. Meanwhile, more than a dozen states have successfully adopted California’s EV mandate regulations unveiled in August 2022. Under California’s plan, 100% of all car purchases must be electric by 2035. Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who has pursued an aggressive climate agenda since taking office, did not respond to a request for comment at press time.
Manhattan DA urges judge to deny Trump motion to further delay trial
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is calling on a New York court to deny former President Trump’s request for a delay in his trial on Thursday. Bragg’s filing comes after new documents relating to Trump’s alleged hush money payments case were uncovered. Judge Juan Merchan agreed to impose a 30-day postponement to allow the documents to be reviewed, setting the date of the trial to April 15. Trump’s legal team argued that delay is not enough. They say the newly discovered documents constitute a violation of discovery policies and argue that a 90-day postponement is warranted. Bragg’s Thursday filing seeks to refute that request, saying that it is merely a ploy by Trump’s legal team to delay the case for as long as possible. JUDGE DELAYS TRUMP’S HUSH-MONEY TRIAL AMID LAST-MINUTE EVIDENCE DUMP BY FEDS “Defendant’s accusations of a discovery violation are a distraction from the only issue actually presented here, which is how this Court should respond to the late arrival of potentially relevant evidence from sources outside of the People’s direction or control,” Bragg wrote. TRUMP HOLDS SLIGHT EDGE OVER BIDEN IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND STATE: POLL “On that question, the appropriate remedy is the brief adjournment that this Court has already granted, which is more than enough time for the parties to review what the People now have good reason to believe is the limited number of relevant records in the USAO’s recent productions. This Court should accordingly deny defendant’s request for more extreme sanctions,” the filing continued. The Department of Justice had notified Trump’s legal team and Bragg’s office that it planned to produce 15,000 records as potential evidence late last week. The DOJ investigated the hush-money payment matter while Trump was president. COMER INVITES HUNTER BIDEN, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY MARCH 20 AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY The U.S. Attorneys Office said much of the material is unrelated to the state case against Trump. Federal prosecutors have already provided at least 104,000 pages of records — 74,000 of which initially went just to Bragg’s office and not to Trump’s lawyers. Bragg’s office has since turned over those 74,000 pages to the defense. The records from federal prosecutors pertain to a federal investigation that touched on the hush money matter and led to prison time for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Trump’s lawyers were seeking a 90-day delay or a dismissal of the charges against him, arguing that there were violations in the discovery process, whereby both sides exchange materials. Defense lawyers claimed that a 30-day adjournment was “insufficient” and asked Merchan to schedule a hearing on discovery. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from alleged hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress, during his 2016 presidential campaign. Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Trump aims to level playing field in fundraising battle with Biden as GOP billionaires come to the rescue
Former President Donald Trump significantly trails President Biden in the crucial dash for campaign cash, but he is hoping to level the playing field with the formation of a joint fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee (RNC). The committee, titled the Trump National Committee JFC, filed a statement of organization on Wednesday with the Federal Elections Commission. Trump, who clinched the GOP presidential nomination last week and is now the Republican Party’s 2024 presumptive nominee, has taken control of the RNC and installed allies in the national party committee’s top leadership positions. The move comes as Trump aims to catch up to Biden in the fundraising race. FIRST ON FOX: DONALD TRUMP’S FUNRAISING HAUL LAST MONTH According to the latest filings this week with the Federal Election Commission, Biden’s re-election campaign outraised the Trump campaign by a two-to-one margin last month and enjoyed a $71 million to $34 million cash-on-hand advantage as of the end of February. The fundraising reports from both Biden and Trump didn’t include details on the myriad of other joint fundraising committees the two White House titans are also relying on to haul in campaign cash. Filings covering those fundraising ventures will be made public late next month. THE POWER OF TRUMP’S GOP PRIMARY ENDORSEMENT HAILED AS ‘MOST POWERFUL’ Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee outraised the Republican National Committee by nearly $6 million last month. The DNC reported $26.5 million in its coffers at the end of February, compared to $11.3 million cash-on-hand for the RNC. Biden’s campaign taunted Trump over the fundraising figures. “If Donald Trump put up these kinds of numbers on ‘The Apprentice,’ he’d fire himself,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. One reason Trump faces such a large deficit to Biden is that the president has been able to raise money in conjunction with the DNC and Democratic state parties across the country. The new joint fundraising committee set up by the Trump campaign and the RNC will allow them to similarly coordinate among themselves and with state GOP chapters from coast to coast. “It’s definitely going to help,” Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks told Fox News. “It also gives a tactical advantage. It makes it easier in terms of some of the execution on some of the joint events. So, I think it’s a win, win.” Trump is also expected to get a boost early next month from some of the wealthiest Republicans in the country. That’s when some of the biggest donors in the GOP, some of whom stayed on the sidelines or supported the former president’s rivals during the recently concluded primary season, will host a fundraising event to be held April 6 in Palm Beach, Florida. Billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson is hosting the top-dollar fundraiser, Fox News has confirmed. The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” will be held at Paulson’s Palm Beach home, which isn’t too far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and resort. Word of the gathering is a further sign of the coalescing of much of the Republican donor class around Trump, now that he’s clinched the GOP nomination and is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. A source in the former president’s political orbit called the fundraiser a “come home to Trump” moment. “We are receiving an overwhelming amount of support from donors.” Paulson said in a statement. Among those listed as co-chairs of the fundraiser are hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. They were major boosters of Trump in 2016 but mostly sat out the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign. Also on the list of co-chairs are oil magnate Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; and casino giant Steve Wynn, and Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, a member of the TD Ameritrade board of directors and former RNC finance chairman. Trump has long had strained relations with some in the Republican Party’s donor class, but he has worked hard in recent months to improve relations. He’s hosted some of these major contributors in recent weeks. “There’s no question that most of the major donors who were with DeSantis or Haley are coming on board and rallying around the president. I think everybody realizes what’s at stake in the 2024 elections,” Brooks, who has close ties to the Republican donor class, told Fox News. Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor and bundler who raised big bucks for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign but who backed DeSantis in the 2024 nomination race, is back supporting Trump and is attending the April 6 fundraiser. “There’s still hesitation, but many big donors are coming around now that the nomination process is over,” Eberhart told Fox News. Meanwhile, two top Trump allies – businessman and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who served as the former president’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Wilbur Ross, who was Trump’s Secretary of Commerce – are also listed on the fundraising invitation. Those attending the fundraiser are expected to donate from $250,000 and up to over $800,000. Three former 2024 GOP presidential primary rivals who’ve all backed Trump since ending their bids – Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and culture wars crusader Vivek Ramaswamy – are listed as “special guests” at the fundraiser. A source in the former president’s political orbit said that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who along with Scott is considered a potential 2024 Trump running mate, may also attend the fundraiser. The joint fundraising committee filing and the Palm Beach fundraiser come as Trump not only aims to catch up to Biden in the 2024 fundraising race, but as the former president also struggles to pay his mounting legal bills, with just seven and a half months to go until the November election. Trump’s latest filings with the FEC indicate the strain his multiple criminal and civil cases are putting on his campaign. Save America,
Chicago migrant evictions will add to homelessness, lawmaker says, as Democrat-led cities scale back aid
A lawmaker in Chicago is accusing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s ongoing migrant shelter evictions of adding to the city’s homeless count as Democrat-led cities around the U.S. are facing increasing financial strain from dealing with an influx of new arrivals. Chicago began evicting migrants from shelters on Sunday as a 60-day stay limit came into effect, with Johnson arguing the city’s “limited resources cannot meet the full scale of need.” The mayor’s office said 34 of Chicago’s 11,210 shelter residents would depart over the weekend, but as of Wednesday, only eight migrants have left, according to the Chicago-Sun Times. “At this point we have thousands of homeless,” Andre Vasquez, a Democratic Socialist and alderperson for Chicago’s northern 40th Ward, was quoted by the newspaper as saying at City Hall. “Mayor Johnson’s plan will add to those numbers.” “We know it’s unprecedented. We know the president should do more,” Vasquez added, calling out President Biden. “But when it comes to people being kicked out on the street, that’s solely the decision of our mayor.” CHICAGO MAYOR SAYS MIGRANT SHELTER EVICTION IS ‘A PATHWAY TO STABLITY AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY’ Johnson later said “Local municipalities are not designed to deal with an international crisis” and “The reality is that we have restraints,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported, noting that City Council members were informed by him in September 2023 that the migrant crisis will have cost Chicago taxpayers more than $250 million by the end of last year. “Our city is committed to compassion,” Johnson said earlier in a press release announcing the evictions. “By encouraging resettlement while also providing case-specific extensions with a focus on health and safety, we are advancing a pathway to stability and self-sufficiency.” His office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. On its website, the Democratic Party says “We honor our fundamental values by treating all people who come to the United States with dignity and respect, and we always seek to embrace — not to attack — immigrants.” However, that message appears to be wavering in cities led by Democrats who also are grappling with how to handle the influx of migrants that show up, often by bus, after coming across the U.S.-Mexico border. MORE LIBERAL CITIES, STATES ASK PRIVATE RESIDENCES TO HOUSE MIGRANTS DUE TO OVERWHELMING NUMBERS Denver officials recently told media outlets that the city is looking for alternative ways to house migrants. Fox 31 reported that the city recently emailed Denver rental property owners asking if they would be interested in renting to migrants who need housing. It comes as Denver is scaling back its migrant services in an attempt to reduce the budget deficit by nearly $60 million and consolidate shelters. During a press conference in late February, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said that over the next month, one shelter will close each week. He added that with shelters closing, no one will be kicked out. People will simply be moved to another shelter, FOX 31 reported. New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday that the city’s infamous “right to shelter” policy, which mandates a bed be provided for any individual who requires it, would be significantly rolled back. Under the new terms, individuals would have a right to 30 days of housing services upon entry into the city’s aid system. Following the 30-day window, the city can refuse individuals’ re-entry into the system, “unless the individual has demonstrated they have some sort of extenuating circumstance necessitating a short additional amount of time in shelter or have received a reasonable accommodation due to a disability,” according to Adams’ office. “This new agreement acknowledges the realities of where we are today, affirms our shared mission to help those in need and grants us additional flexibility to navigate this ongoing crisis,” Adams said in a video statement. Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Timothy Nerozzi and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Delhi Excise Policy Case: ED arrests Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal after Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh; complete timeline here
A complete timeline of the Delhi Liquor Policy Case.
House GOP eyes putting Trump-era migrant policy in place on northern border: ‘Remain In Canada’
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are looking to echo a key Trump-era border policy, which kept migrants out of the U.S. for the duration of their immigration hearings, at the northern border with Canada – amid a sharp increase in apprehensions. The “Remain in Canada Act,” introduced by Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, would duplicate the Remain-in-Mexico program – officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols – at the northern border. MPP was launched during the Trump administration and expanded across the border in 2019 as migrant encounters rose to what were then historic highs. The program saw court tents set up across the border, and migrants had to wait in Mexico for their asylum hearings rather than being released into the interior. TEXAS CAN KEEP ARRESTING ILLEGAL MIGRANTS WHILE BIDEN CHALLENGE PROCEEDS, ABBOTT SAYS Conservatives have credited the policy with ending the “pull factor” of release into the U.S. which they believe has encouraged migrants to make the journey north. Currently, migrants are frequently released into the interior to wait for their court hearings, which may be up to eight years away. The Biden administration abolished the program, saying it was ineffective and left migrants in treacherous conditions in Mexico. Instead, it has pushed for initiatives to speed up asylum processing, including funding for immigration judges and a rule to bring the wait time down to a matter of months and allowing asylum officers to make final determinations on claims. But, while there has been focus on the crisis at the southern border, the northern border has also seen a significant increase in encounters, going from 27,180 in FY 21 to more than 189,000 in FY 23. BLACKBURN LEADS GOP PUSH TO RE-ESTABLISH TRUMP’S REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY The head of the Swanton Sector said in November that agents have seen a 550% increase in apprehensions, with migrants arriving from 79 different countries. The top five countries from which migrants originated were Mexico, India, Venezuela, Haiti and Romania. Babin, who co-chairs the House Border Security Caucus, accused the Biden administration of an “intentional mass-replacement effort” and said something must be done as America’s borders are “overrun.” He said a 2023 agreement between the U.S. and Canada to return migrants back to Canada had failed to lower encounters. “Under President Trump, we had the most secure borders seen in decades. President Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy worked to mitigate unlawful entry, secure the southern border, and hold Mexico accountable,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “My new bill, the Remain in Canada Act, will implement the same policy at the northern border.” “Instead of blindly allowing parolees into our nation, my bill will add an important tool to stop illegal immigration: ensuring illegal entrants or asylum seekers coming from Canada are not allowed to freely roam our country and burden American taxpayers,” he said. The nine co-sponsors on the bill include Reps. Andy Biggs., R-Ariz., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., and Keith Self, R-Texas. The bill comes as immigration is looking to be a top 2024 issue, as the migrant crisis moves into its third year and the administration battles with Republicans over how to solve it. Republicans have called on the administration to re-implement Trump-era policies – including Remain-in-Mexico – while the Biden administration has called for the passage of more funding and reforms, including in a recent bipartisan Senate proposal, to fix what it says is a “broken” immigration system.
Dems flip script on GOP crime agenda, targeting RNC convention plans with surprising name
FIRST ON FOX: Democrats are launching a major attack on Republicans’ plans for their party convention that reportedly include former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was pardoned by the former president after being convicted on bank and tax fraud charges in 2018. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is using the possibility of Manafort’s involvement with the convention to flip the script on Republicans’ usual tough-on-crime agenda, blasting them for opening the party to “tax cheats and fraudsters,” in addition to the “absolute weirdos” it says are already taking over the party. “This year’s Republican National Convention is shaping up to be a giant stage for Donald Trump’s soft-on-crime agenda. From pushing pardons for violent insurrectionists to elevating convicted tax cheats and fraudsters like Paul Manafort, Trump’s GOP is quickly becoming the ideal spot for anyone convicted of a felony,” DNC spokesperson Alex Floyd told Fox News Digital. STATE’S LARGEST POLICE UNION MAKES MAJOR ENDORSEMENT IN 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE “Manafort will fit right in with the C-Team of election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and absolute weirdos that make up Donald Trump’s MAGA takeover of the GOP,” the organization said in a separate statement earlier this week. “This latest report just confirms that Trump’s soft on crime approach for the violent insurrections who stormed the Capitol on January 6 extends to tax cheats and fraudsters as well.” “Given the RNC’s desperate financial state, we can’t imagine what could go wrong with hiring a convicted con man like Manafort to help run a multimillion-dollar convention,” it added, referencing the DNC’s vast money advantage over the Republican National Committee (RNC), which began the election year seriously lagging in cash on hand. The DNC’s mention of a push for pardons for people convicted on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol protests is in reference to attorney Joseph McBride, who represents multiple Jan. 6 defendants, calling in a report by Semafor for the “January 6 movement to have a presence” at the convention. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS UNLEASH MASSIVE INVESTMENT FOR BATTLEGROUND STATE’S ‘LARGEST EVER’ VOTE-BY-MAIL PROGRAM According to the report, McBride traveled to Mar-a-Lago in 2022 to meet with Trump’s legal team about his efforts, and has maintained periodic contact with them since. It was first reported by The Washington Post on Monday that Manafort was in talks to help with the Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee in July, but that it had not been decided in what capacity. Manafort joined Trump’s 2016 campaign ahead of the convention that year to help with the delegate process, but ultimately played a larger role helping lead the campaign alongside Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon. BIDEN CAMPAIGN REVEALS ‘AGGRESSIVE’ SWING STATE STRATEGY, ADMITS BEATING TRUMP WILL ‘TAKE RELENTLESS EFFORT’ After Trump’s election, he was swept up in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian collusion, which ultimately led to the financial crimes charges against him. He was pardoned by Trump in 2020. The reports that Manafort could help with the convention come just over a week after Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee for president with victories in the Mississippi, Georgia and Washington primaries. A week earlier, former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel stepped down from her role, and was replaced by staunch Trump ally Michael Whatley. Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, was elected as Whatley’s co-chair, solidifying the former president’s hold on party leadership and infrastructure. Fox News Digital has reached out to Manafort, the Trump campaign and the RNC for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub