EU top court rules FIFA, UEFA unlawfully blocked Super League plans
The two football governing bodies contravened law by stopping the formation of league, the European Court of Justice says. The European Union’s top court has ruled that UEFA and FIFA broke EU law in blocking the formation of a rival Super League competition. Thursday’s ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) marks a serious legal setback for UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and for football’s world governing body, FIFA. The court found that the two sporting bodies threatening to ban future Super League clubs and players from taking part in their competitions was illegal. “FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” it said. In early 2021, 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, triggering a furious backlash from fans and a stark warning from UEFA that clubs and players who took part would be barred from competitions like the World Cup. Chelsea fans protest in London against the club’s then decision to be included in a new European Super League [File: Matt Dunham/AP] Within 48 hours, nine of the 12 rebel clubs – including six from the English Premier League – backed down and the project collapsed, leaving promoters A22 Sports Management to launch a legal challenge through the Spanish courts, which referred the question to the ECJ. In response to the Super League threat, UEFA launched a major reform of the Champions League starting in 2024, with 36 teams involved instead of 32. The clubs will play in a single league competition, which will replace the current group stage, guaranteeing at least eight matches for each team. European clubs, leagues reject Super League Though the Super League organisers welcomed the ECJ’s ruling, major leagues and clubs moved quickly to support the status quo. Manchester United were one of the first to say they remained committed to playing in competitions run by UEFA, as did German champions Bayern Munich. “Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game,” United said. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were the other five Premier League clubs involved before pulling out. Bayern Munich said they were committed to UEFA competitions, saying the door for the Super League “remains closed” for the German champions. “The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs,” Bayern CEO Jan Christian Dreesen said. “It is therefore our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them, not to weaken them. We are also committed to the European club competitions under the umbrella of UEFA.” The European Club Association (ECA), which represents nearly 500 clubs across the continent, said the football world had “moved on from the Super League years ago”. “Through ECA, clubs today are already at the heart of decision-making in relation to the competitions they participate in,” it said. “Most importantly, football is a social contract, not a legal contract.” France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said it “unequivocally supports” competitions organised by UEFA. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) reiterated its intention to protect the national championships, “for the defence of the broader and more general principle of sporting merit and the respect of international calendars”. “The FIGC believes that the Super League is not a project compatible with these conditions and will always act in pursuing the general interests of Italian football,” it added. Adblock test (Why?)
Rudy Giuliani files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148M
Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. The former personal attorney to Donald Trump submitted the Chapter 11 filing on Thursday after being ordered to pay a massive fine for defaming two election workers in Georgia. Giuliani was ordered to pay $148,169,000 to two women he falsely accused of committing election fraud in the 2020 election. Giuliani said Friday he would appeal the ruling. RUDY GIULIANI ORDERED TO PAY $148 MILLION AS DEFAMATION TRIAL WRAPS UP “The absurdity of the number merely underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding, where I’ve not been allowed to offer one single piece of evidence in defense, of which I have a lot,” he said. HUNTER BIDEN SUES RUDY GIULIANI OVER LAPTOP, ACCUSES EX-TRUMP LAWYER OF ‘HACKING’ “So I am quite confident when this case gets before a fair tribunal, it will be reversed so quickly, it’ll make your head spin and the absurd number that just came in will help that, actually.” The former New York City mayor — as well as Donald Trump ally and former personal lawyer — was on trial for the defamation of two Georgia election workers this week at a federal court in Washington, D.C. Giuliani had accused Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, of fraud while advancing former President Trump’s unproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell had already awarded default judgment to Freeman and Moss in August. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo, Adam Sabes, and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Special counsel Jack Smith urges swift Supreme Court decision in reply to Trump
Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed his reply to former President Trump’s team’s response to his initial filing at the Supreme Court. Smith is pressing to expedite the consideration of Trump’s immunity claims, hoping to keep the March trial date he set. Trump’s team opposes the fast track. This now means the Supreme Court has all the materials it requested and could make a decision on this at any time. A decision at this point would only be on whether the Court will expedite their ruling on this particular issue – not on the merits of the case at this stage. “This case involves—for the first time in our Nation’s history—criminal charges against a former President based on his actions while in office,” Smith wrote in the filing. “And not just any actions: alleged acts to perpetuate himself in power by frustrating the constitutionally prescribed process for certifying the lawful winner of an election. The Nation has a compelling interest in a decision on respondent’s claim of immunity from these charges—and if they are to be tried, a resolution by conviction or acquittal, without undue delay.” JACK SMITH WANTS ‘DOWN AND DIRTY’ TRUMP CONVICTIONS TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION: ALAN DERSHOWITZ This comes after Trump’s attorneys urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to stand down from a dispute over whether he can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. Smith’s team last week urged the nation’s high court to take up and quickly consider Trump’s claims that he enjoys immunity from prosecution as a former president. The unusual request for a speedy ruling seemed designed to prevent any delays that could postpone the trial of the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner until after the election. However, Trump’s lawyers told the Supreme Court that there was no reason for them to take up the matter now, especially because a lower appeals court in Washington is already considering the same question and has scheduled arguments for Jan. 9. “Importance does not automatically necessitate speed. If anything, the opposite is usually true. Novel, complex, sensitive, and historic issues — such as the existence of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts — call for more careful deliberation, not less,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. RFK JR. ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER COLORADO COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM BALLOT: ‘COUNTRY WILL BECOME UNGOVERNABLE’ It is far from certain that the Supreme Court will decide now to take up Trump’s immunity claims in the election interference case, which were rejected by the trial court judge in a ruling that declared the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.” Smith is asking the Supreme Court to bypass the federal appeals court in Washington, which has expedited its own review of the decision. So the Supreme Court may wait to get involved until after the appeals court judges hear the case. Separately, Trump’s lawyers plan to ask the Supreme Court to overturn a decision in another case barring him from Colorado’s ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it from holding office. The Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling is the first time in history the provision has been used to try to prohibit someone from running for the presidency. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: Christmas Crush
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s Happening? -Harvard finds more evidence of plagiarism -Sen. Mike Lee moves to gut Biden admin’s pause on gun export licenses -Mexican President mulls fight over Texas immigration law Migrant encounters at the southern border have already surged past the 200,000 mark for December, with an average of well over 10,000 encounters a day, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News — with still more than a week to go until January. Sources told Fox that already since December there have been over 200,000 encounters. The record for monthly encounters was set in September, with over 269,000. October saw over 240,000 encounters and the numbers have not yet been released for November. Last December saw over 252,000 encounters, which was then a monthly record. That number could easily be eclipsed if agents continue to encounter 10,000 migrants a day between now and the end of the month. ‘RELENTLESS REGULATION’: Republicans highlight 2023 wins against Biden climate agenda …Read more PHONE LINE REOPENS: US, China military leaders hold highest-level call since before Pelosi’s Taiwan visit …Read more FLY ME TO THE MOON: VP Harris says US, along with ‘international astronaut,’ will land on lunar surface this decade …Read more ‘DETER AND COUNTER’: Bipartisan group of senators wants Biden to have a ‘forceful’ response to Iran-backed militia attacks on US troops …Read more CLICK, CLICK, BOOM: Mike Lee moves to gut Biden admin’s pause on gun export licenses …Read more ‘STOLEN VALOR’: Veterans shame Democrat in top 2024 House race for wearing Army uniform during event despite never serving …Read more FOLLOW THE MONEY: Major Biden donors steer group that brought anti-Trump Colorado lawsuit …Read more COPY MACHINE: Harvard finds even more instances of Harvard president using ‘duplicative language’ amid plagiarism claims …Read more CROSS-BORDER BATTLE: Mexican president mulls legal fight over Texas immigration law …Read more FRESH ACCUSATIONS: House widens probe into Harvard President as plagiarism accusations mount …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Special counsel in Trump case unconstitutional, former Reagan AG says
Former Attorney General Ed Meese has presented arguments to the Supreme Court that they should reject special counsel Jack Smith’s requests because he was unconstitutionally appointed in the first place. Meese, along with law professors Steven G. Calabresi and Gary S. Lawson, filed a friend-of-the-court brief Wednesday to present the case that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Smith – a private citizen – is in violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. “Not clothed in the authority of the federal government, Smith is a modern example of the naked emperor,” the brief states. “Improperly appointed, he has no more authority to represent the United States in this Court than Bryce Harper, Taylor Swift, or Jeff Bezos,” they argued. RED STATE AGS BLAST SPECIAL COUNSEL PUSH FOR SCOTUS TO RUSH TRUMP CASE: ‘PARTISAN INTERESTS’ The brief was filed in response to Smith’s request to the court to expedite former President Trump’s case arguing presidential immunity for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, which are connected to criminal charges brought by Smith. Meese argues that the “illegality” of Smith’s appointment is “sufficient to sink Smith’s petition, and the Court should deny review.” Messe and company noted in the brief that Smith was appointed “to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person or entity [including former President Donald Trump] violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021.” While Garland cited as statutory authority for this appointment, Meese argues that “none of those statutes, nor any other statutory or constitutional provisions, remotely authorized the appointment by the Attorney General of a private citizen to receive extraordinary criminal law enforcement power under the title of Special Counsel.” “Second, even if one overlooks the absence of statutory authority for the position, there is no statute specifically authorizing the Attorney General, rather than the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint such a Special Counsel,” the former AG wrote. SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM “Under the Appointments Clause, inferior officers can be appointed by department heads only if Congress so directs by statute… and so directs specifically enough to overcome a clear-statement presumption in favor of presidential appointment and senatorial confirmation. No such statute exists for the Special Counsel,” he added. Meese, who served as attorney general under former President Reagan, said “the Special Counsel, if a valid officer, is a superior (or principal) rather than inferior officer, and thus cannot be appointed by any means other than presidential appointment and senatorial confirmation regardless of what any statutes purport to say.” Earlier this month, Smith petitioned the high court to decide Trump’s immunity claims in his case facing charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES TRUMP’S CLAIM OF PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY IN SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S JAN. 6 CASE Smith asked for expedited consideration of the case to essentially have the high court take over jurisdiction before the lower federal courts have fully decided the matter. Smith wants the court to expedite the claims in hopes to keep Trump’s Washington, D.C., trial — scheduled to begin March 4 — on track.
New York lost more residents in a year than any other state in the country, US census data shows
New York lost the most residents in the past year compared to any other state in the country, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday. Of the eight states that saw their populations fall in 2023, New York lost the most, seeing 101,984 people depart the Empire State. That was followed by California, which lost 75,423 residents, Illinois, which lost 32,826, and Louisiana, at 14,274. Pennsylvania saw 10,408 residents leave the state, while Oregon saw 6,021 move away. Hawaii lost 4,261, and West Virginia lost 3,964, according to the new Vintage 2023 population estimates. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., on Thursday said the mass exodus from New York demonstrated “the consequences of Far Left Democrat leadership.” RED STATES SEE 2023 POPULATION GROWTH AS AMERICANS FLEE BLUE STATES, CENSUS DATA SHOWS “Far Left Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats have made New York so unlivable that our state leads the nation in population loss with more than 102,000 residents leaving in one year alone,” Stefanik said in a statement. “With record crime and cost of living far beyond the national average, New York’s mass exodus is far from over. If Far Left Democrats in Albany don’t start putting the safety and prosperity of New Yorkers before their extremist agenda, there will be no more residents left to tax and fund their radical, socialist programs.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment, but they did not immediately respond. Collectively, the eight states that saw declines had a population loss of 249,161 in 2023, compared to a loss of 509,789 in 2022. While many of these states have lost population annually since 2020, their population declines have slowed, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. NYC MAYOR ADAMS MIGRANT CRISIS WILL LEAD TO ‘EXTREMELY PAINFUL’ BUDGET CUTS; DOESN’T EXPECT FEDS TO HELP Meanwhile, as of early December, New York City has recorded an influx of more than 150,100 migrants from the southern border since the spring of 2022, according to the New York Times. And New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ office has been working with Hochul toward resettling those asylum seekers across the state. As of July 2023, New York still ranked as the fourth most populous state in the nation, with more than 19.5 million residents. The report released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday shows red states in particular saw population growth in 2023, as Americans flee blue states. As more states experience population increases, that growth is no longer concentrated in only a few states, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For example, four southern states – Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia – accounted for 93% of the nation’s population growth in 2022, but only 67% in 2023. Texas experienced the largest numeric change in the nation, adding 473,453 people, followed by Florida, which added 365,205 residents. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP South Carolina and Florida were the two fastest-growing states in the nation, growing by 1.7% and 1.6%, respectively, in 2023.
Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers.
Chairs of group that led effort to boot Trump from Colorado ballot donated to Biden
The board chairs of the group that brought the lawsuit leading to former President Trump’s removal from the 2024 Colorado ballot had previously donated large sums to President Biden’s campaign and victory fund, filings reviewed by Fox News Digital show. The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from the ballot on Tuesday under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution over the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a self-identified “nonpartisan” watchdog group, brought the Colorado lawsuit against Trump on behalf of “six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters including former state, federal and local officials,” the group wrote on its website in early September. DEM-APPOINTED COLORADO JUSTICE SAYS TRUMP BALLOT BAN UNDERMINES ‘BEDROCK’ OF AMERICA IN FIERY DISSENT CREW’s leaders, meanwhile, have showered Biden with thousands of dollars in donations when he previously went head-to-head against Trump. Beth Nolan, a former general counsel at George Washington University who also served as counsel to former President Clinton, steers CREW’s board as its chair. According to Federal Election Commission records, Nolan sent $2,800 to Biden’s campaign and $3,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020. In addition to Nolan, CREW’s vice chair, Wayne Jordan, donated substantial amounts to Biden’s presidential apparatus by pushing $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020. Jordan is married to Democrat megadonor Quinn Delaney, who added $650,000 to Biden’s victory fund during the last election cycle, records show. RFK JR. ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER COLORADO COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM BALLOT: ‘COUNTRY WILL BECOME UNGOVERNABLE’ Neither Nolan, Wayne nor CREW responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Despite its self-identified “nonpartisan” status, CREW has long been viewed as a left-leaning organization. David Brock, founder of the liberal groups Media Matters for America and American Bridge, previously ran the group as its board chair. In early 2017, Brock huddled with donors at a posh resort in Florida to map out how his constellation of organizations would “kick Donald Trump’s a–” throughout his presidency, according to documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Brock had ostensibly stepped away from his position as CREW’s board chair at the time of the gathering. However, the documents detailing the upcoming goals and efforts of how his groups would attack Trump during his presidency include the watchdog group. The documents specified how CREW would hit Trump with “a steady flow of damaging information, new revelations, and an inability to avoid conflicts issues.” These actions, in turn, would force the Trump administration to defend “illegal conduct in court.” CREW has also received vast sums from major Democratic donors, including George Soros. Between 2017 and 2021, two nonprofits in the Soros-funded Open Society Foundations network combined to give CREW $2.85 million in funding, which largely went towards general operating support, according to its grant database. CREW’s involvement on behalf of the six voters ultimately led to Tuesday’s Colorado Supreme Court ruling to remove Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots. The watchdog group’s website states Tierney Lawrence Stiles LLC, KBN Law LLC, and Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC were also involved with the effort. “We just won before the Colorado Supreme Court in our challenge to keep Donald Trump off the ballot as disqualified under the 14th amendment for engaging in insurrection,” CREW President Noah Bookbinder said on X following the ruling. “A huge moment for democracy. More to come soon.” In a 4 to 3 ruling, the court argued that under section 3 of the 14th Amendment, Trump is “disqualified” from holding the office of president in connection to his alleged role on Jan. 6, 2021, and therefore, would not appear on the 2024 ballot. According to the 14th Amendment, no person shall hold public office who has taken an oath to support the Constitution and “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” The Colorado justices argued Trump violated this clause. “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability,” the amendment reads. Justice Carlos Samour, one of the three Democrat-appointed justices who dissented, wrote that the decision “risked chaos in the country” and urged that “there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office.” Trump’s campaign has vowed to “swiftly” appeal the Colorado court’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, where observers largely believe it will be overturned.
GOP report highlights 2023 energy, oversight wins over ‘unrealistic climate agenda’
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Republicans are releasing a report highlighting their accomplishments on energy and oversight issues over the course of 2023. The report — titled “Countering Biden’s Radical Green Agenda with Rigorous Oversight & Real Solutions” — states that EPW Republicans successfully “opposed President Biden’s regulatory overreach” while advancing bipartisan legislation. It further points to wins on streamlining infrastructure development, facilitating energy production and defeating federal environmental regulations. “This year, President Biden’s number one target for relentless regulation and executive overreach was American energy, mandating an unrealistic climate agenda that proved costly to American families and harmful to nearly every sector of the economy,” EPW Committee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In 2023, EPW Republicans set out to expose the negative impacts of these policies, conduct crucial oversight, and importantly, offer logical, bipartisan energy and environmental alternatives that — unlike the proposals of climate activists in the Biden administration — are actually based in reality,” she continued. REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE RESOLUTION CONDEMNING UN AGREEMENT TO SHUT DOWN FOSSIL FUELS The report states that committee Republicans are focused on building an economically prosperous future, ensuring federal agencies follow the law, combating extremist climate policies, exposing waste, fraud, and abuse, and reforming agencies’ management and use of taxpayer resources. “President Biden’s radical climate agenda has been rejected time and time again by Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the American public,” Moore Capito added. “This report tells that story and shows there is a better way, and I’m proud of the continued work of all our members.” BIDEN ADMIN AIMS TO PUSH TOWNS, CITIES TO ADOPT GREEN ENERGY BUILDING CODES: ‘VERY SUSPICIOUS’ Among the top achievements listed in the report is Revitalizing the Economy by Simplifying Timelines and Assuring Regulatory Transparency Act, legislation Republicans introduced that would streamline the environmental permitting process for new infrastructure projects. As part of that same goal, Republicans on the committee have pursued oversight of the Biden administration’s permitting delays for carbon capture technology. In addition, the panel’s GOP membership played a key role in ensuring the approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 303-mile natural gas pipeline project which was included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the bipartisan debt limit bill President Biden signed in early June. And six Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions — which are bills that rescind a particular federal rulemaking — that originated from EPW Republicans were passed on a bipartisan basis this year. Those include CRAs revoking regulations to electrify the trucking industry, wildlife protection blocking development and the so-called Waters of the United States rule. According to the report, Republicans’ actions directly led to pared back Federal Highway Administration regulations and a revised Waters of the United States rule. The report further highlights oversight efforts targeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant regulations cracking down on fossil fuel-fired electricity generation, “Good Neighbor Rule” which seeks to phase-down fossil fuel power generation, and particulate matter regulations that could hamper the manufacturing sector with significant new costs.
Migrant encounters at border soar past the 200K mark in December, with over a week still to go
Migrant encounters at the southern border have already surged past the 200,000 mark for December, with an average of well over 10,000 encounters a day, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News — with still more than a week to go until January. Sources told Fox that already since December there have been over 200,000 encounters. The record for monthly encounters was set in September, with over 269,000. October saw over 240,000 encounters and the numbers have not yet been released for November. Last December saw over 252,000 encounters, which was then a monthly record. That number could easily be eclipsed if agents continue to encounter 10,000 migrants a day between now and the end of the month. UNION PACIFIC WARNS BORDER CROSSING CLOSING DUE TO MIGRANT CRISIS HURTS CROSS-BORDER TRADE AS CHRISTMAS NEARS The new surge comes during a year that has seen multiple records smashed for daily and monthly encounters as well as for the fiscal year — in FY23 overall there were over 2.4 million encounters. On Monday, there were over 12,600 encounters, which itself broke the record for daily encounters after a surge into Eagle Pass, Texas. Sources told Fox that agents were outmanned at approximately 200:1 with migrants. On Thursday, Fox News was on the ground in Lukeville, Arizona, where there was another mass crossing of over 700 illegal immigrants, with massive numbers of adult males mixed in with families from Mexico and Ecuador. Last week, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced that she was mobilizing the National Guard to help federal officials and attempt to re-open the Lukeville port of entry, while accusing the federal government of inaction. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, meanwhile, has expanded his transports of migrants to “sanctuary” cities by flying migrants into Chicago. He also signed an immigration bill this week to allow law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants in an attempt to stop what he called a “tidal wave” of illegal immigration. 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS Fox reported last week that Department of Homeland Security officials told lawmakers this month that there were around 670,000 “gotaways,” illegal immigrants who slipped past Border Patrol agents, in FY 23, and that they are releasing an average of 5,000 illegal immigrants a day to non-governmental organizations. That is in addition to the over 1,600 migrants being paroled at ports of entry each day and the up to 30,000 Haitian, Venezuelan, Nicaraguans and Cubans being flown in each month through the Biden administration’s expanded “lawful pathways.” SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS Republicans have blamed the crisis on the administration’s policies, including its rollback of Trump-era border measures, and has called for strict asylum limits and greater border security. The administration has said it is pursuing a strategy of expanding those pathways while increasing consequences for illegal entry, but that it is also dealing with a hemisphere-wide crisis and needs additional funding and immigration reform legislation from Congress. A requested $14 billion for border funding from Congress as part of a broader $106 billion supplemental funding request is being debated by lawmakers, with Republicans demanding greater limits on humanitarian parole and higher asylum standards. While the Biden administration has reportedly expressed openness to a Title 42-style authority and greater deportations, it is unclear if such a deal is possible given likely opposition from both Democrats, who have opposed such limits, and Republicans who say that it isn’t enough. Lawmakers involved in negotiations have expressed optimism that a deal is possible, but it is unlikely to be agreed to before January.