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House Freedom Caucus bid to censure Democrat over Epstein links goes down in flames

House Freedom Caucus bid to censure Democrat over Epstein links goes down in flames

A House Freedom Caucus-led bid to strip a member of the House Democratic Caucus of her role on a high-profile committee after her ties to Jeffrey Epstein were revealed earlier this month failed on Tuesday night. Lawmakers voted against censuring Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., the Virgin Islands’ nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives, over newly surfaced text messages between her and Epstein that were exchanged during the February 2019 congressional testimony of Michael Cohen. The censure had also included language to remove Plaskett from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which oversees entities like the FBI and CIA and regularly receives classified briefings on matters of national security. Three Republicans joined Democrats to kill the measure, while three more Republicans voted “present.” It ultimately failed in a 209-214 vote. DEMOCRAT FOUND TEXTING JEFFREY EPSTEIN FACES HOUSE CENSURE, COMMITTEE REMOVAL THREATS The three Republicans who voted against censuring Plaskett were Reps. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Dave Joyce, R-Ohio. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., voted “present” along with Reps. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who introduced the resolution, said during debate on the measure on Tuesday, “The House of Representatives has a responsibility and a duty to protect the integrity of this institution. And what we learn from the documents released by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate is nothing short of alarming.” “Those documents show that Delegate Stacey Plaskett, a sitting member of Congress, coordinated her questioning during an Oversight — an official Oversight hearing, with a man who was a convicted sex offender, a man whose crimes against minors shocked this entire nation.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who led Democrats’ rebuttal against the resolution, called the measure “one more pathetic effort to distract and divert attention from the fact that the president’s name appeared more than a thousand times already in the small fraction of material released on Epstein.” He also repeatedly referred to Epstein as Plaskett’s “constituent” over his primary residence having been in the Virgin Islands. KHANNA, MASSIE, GREENE URGE SENATE TO PASS EPSTEIN BILL UNCHANGED, WARN OF ‘RECKONING’ Texts exchanged during the 2019 hearing, in which Cohen accused President Donald Trump of a scheme to pay off mistresses to hide evidence of extramarital affairs during his 2016 presidential bid, show Epstein taking a heavy interest in Plaskett’s questioning. Epstein appeared to guide Plaskett’s lines of questioning at times. One text showed him saying, “Hes opened the door to questions re who are the other henchmen at trump org.” Plaskett was shown to respond, “Yup. Very aware and waiting my turn.” Republicans have seized on Plaskett’s messages with Epstein as proof of a double standard by Democrats on the late pedophile financier’s case. House Democrats have been arguing for transparency in pushing to uncover any potential improper links between Trump and Epstein but have been largely silent on Plaskett in the days since her ties to him surfaced. Neither Plaskett nor Trump has been accused of any wrongdoing connected to Epstein’s crimes, however. JEFFREY EPSTEIN SAGA CONTINUES AS CONGRESS RETURNS FROM RECESS Raskin accused Republicans on Tuesday of robbing Plaskett of her right to due process. “Without even going to the Ethics Committee, much less a court, they want to arraign her on some charges based on a newspaper article, that she did something lawful — however ill-advised — it may have been. She took a phone call from one of her constituents,” Raskin said. “Where is the ethical transgression? Where is the legal transgression? Are you saying anybody on your side of the aisle who had a phone call with Jeffrey Epstein should be censured?” Plaskett’s texts with Epstein were reported in a number of media outlets, but they were first found in a tranche of documents from Epstein’s estate and handed over to the House Oversight Committee. “I got a text from Jeffrey Epstein, who, at the time was my constituent — who was not public knowledge at that time, that he was under federal investigation — and who was sharing information with me,” she said in her own defense on Tuesday. Plaskett also pointed out her years of experience as a prosecutor when arguing she was not seeking advice on her line of questioning. It’s worth noting, however, that while the federal probe into Epstein was not public knowledge, he first faced charges related to the exploitation of underaged girls as early as 2006. The vote comes after a Democrat-led bid to refer Plaskett’s case to the House Ethics Committee, rather than moving forward with the censure resolution, failed to pass in a narrow 213-214 vote. The House of Representatives had earlier moved to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all of its unclassified Epstein files in an overwhelming 427-1 vote.

Mexico’s president firmly refuses Trump’s proposal for US military strikes against cartels

Mexico’s president firmly refuses Trump’s proposal for US military strikes against cartels

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday rejected the idea of U.S. military strikes against cartels on Mexican soil, responding to President Donald Trump’s comments that he would do “whatever it takes” to stop drugs from entering the U.S. The Associated Press reported that Sheinbaum said Mexico would not allow foreign military action in its territory and reaffirmed her government’s position against any U.S. intervention. Trump said Monday he would consider authorizing U.S. strikes inside Mexico to halt the flow of drugs, calling it “OK with me” if that’s what it takes to protect American lives. He cited what he described as major success intercepting narcotics by sea and suggested similar operations could target cartel routes on land, arguing that such action would save “millions of lives” in the U.S. Sheinbaum pushed back quickly, saying the proposal echoed earlier talks with Trump about potential U.S. intervention. She said Mexico welcomes cooperation on security but that its sovereignty is nonnegotiable, stressing that any joint efforts must respect its authority within its own borders. DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT “It’s not going to happen,” Sheinbaum told reporters, noting Trump has previously floated U.S. military intervention to combat criminal organizations. She said she told both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that while Mexico welcomes intelligence sharing, it will not permit foreign forces to operate within its borders. Sheinbaum said both U.S. leaders appeared to understand her position. “We operate in our territory,” she said, emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty. TRUMP’S WAR ON CARTELS ENTERS NEW PHASE AS EXPERTS PREDICT WHAT’S NEXT Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on the matter. The exchange came as officials from both countries worked to clarify reports of a possible U.S. incursion into Mexican territory. On Monday, individuals arrived by boat on a beach in northeastern Mexico and posted signs marking the area as restricted U.S. Department of Defense property. AMERICA FIRST: RUBIO AND TRUMP JUST DREW A RED LINE FOR NARCO-TERRORISTS Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Navy removed the signs after determining they were on Mexican soil. Sheinbaum said Tuesday that the International Boundary and Water Commission, the agency that defines the U.S.–Mexico border, had been called in to review the issue. Witnesses said the signs were posted on Playa Bagdad, near where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of America. The signs said “Warning: Restricted Area” in English and Spanish and claimed the land was controlled by the U.S. military. Sheinbaum later said the signs were installed by contractors working for a U.S. government agency, noting that the shifting riverbed often complicates the exact location of the border. The disputed area is located near SpaceX’s Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, which operates under contracts with both NASA and the Pentagon. In June, Sheinbaum said her government was investigating reports of debris from a SpaceX test explosion that landed on the Mexican side of the border. The incident also reflects broader tensions between the two countries, including Trump’s earlier directive to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a move Mexico has strongly opposed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump calls for federal AI standards, end to state ‘patchwork’ regulations ‘threatening’ economic growth

Trump calls for federal AI standards, end to state ‘patchwork’ regulations ‘threatening’ economic growth

President Donald Trump has demanded an end to excessive state-level regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and warned that state rules will end up threatening the U.S. economy. In a post shared to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump also slammed “Woke AI” and referred to a “patchwork” of state regulations in the AI space. “Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World,” Trump wrote. “But overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Major Growth Engine. Some States are even trying to embed DEI ideology into AI models, producing ‘Woke AI’ (Remember Black George Washington?). We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE Trump made his comments as House Republican leaders signaled they may try to include AI preemption language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act.  This would block states from bringing in their own AI rules and protections. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Monday that GOP leaders are considering the measure to prevent what he called “regulatory chaos” as states advance their own rules.  Trump’s push for a unified national framework is in line with his broader “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” Under executive orders issued in July, federal agencies must avoid procuring AI systems that “sacrifice truthfulness and accuracy to ideological agendas,” adhere to “Unbiased AI Principles” and support the fight against AI-generated deepfakes through the “Take It Down Act.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE  Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s stance at February’s Artificial Intelligence Action Summit. “We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off,” Vance said. Not all Republicans are on board. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a post to X Tuesday and warned that overriding state authority would serve as a “subsidy to Big Tech” and “prevent states from protecting against online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources.” MEET THE EX-BIDEN APPOINTEE WHO COULD BE MAJOR FORCE AGAINST TRUMP’S AI AGENDA: ‘DOOMSAYER’  Trump’s Truth Social post also came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman committed during Tuesday’s visit to the White House to increasing his planned investment in the U.S. economy to nearly $1 trillion over the next year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., raised concerns Tuesday about the government’s potential use of taxpayer funds to support OpenAI and other AI firms. “OpenAI’s actions suggest that it may be pursuing a deliberate strategy to entangle itself with the federal government and the broader economy, so the government has no choice but to step in with public funds,” she said in a letter. “We have seen this before: take on enough debt, make enough risky bets, and then demand a taxpayer bailout when those bets go south, so the economy does not crash.”

Six Democrats urge military members to ‘refuse illegal orders’ in viral video; Hegseth responds

Six Democrats urge military members to ‘refuse illegal orders’ in viral video; Hegseth responds

A group of Democrat lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds released a video Tuesday urging service members to “refuse illegal orders,” a message conservatives blasted as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The one-minute video, posted by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and viewed more than 1.6 million times, features six lawmakers invoking their prior service while telling members of the military and intelligence community that “the threats to our Constitution are coming from right here at home.” Slotkin and her colleagues have spent recent weeks introducing legislation to limit President Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard members domestically or launch military action against narcoterrorists without congressional approval. None of that context appears in the video, titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which instead frames the appeal as a warning to military members to “stand up for our laws” and “refuse unlawful orders.” MILITARY VETERANS IN CONGRESS CLASH OVER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS TROOPS FACE MISSED PAYCHECKS Conservative accounts countered the viral clip, citing military law and interpreting the call to action as an alleged appeal to commit treason against the United States. “Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and defy orders from Trump and Hegseth,” wrote the conservative account Libs of TikTok. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added: “At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene. Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish.” PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CALLS ON NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO DEFY DEPLOYMENT ORDERS The Department of War directed Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s response, which simply read, “Stage 4 TDS,” referring to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Slotkin’s “No Troops in Our Streets Act,” detailed in a Nov. 13 release, would give Congress the power to block National Guard deployments inside American cities. President Trump has expanded National Guard operations to Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago amid violent crime. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., simultaneously introduced a War Powers Continuing Resolution on Tuesday to block the president from ordering strikes on drug traffickers in the Caribbean—actions Crow described in a release as “unauthorized and illegal.” AS ‘SQUAD’ TURNS ASSIMILATION INTO ‘DIRTY WORD,’ EXPERT URGES US LEADERS TO RENOUNCE FOREIGN LOYALTIES Both Democrats argue their bills are about asserting congressional authority, not politics. The viral video shared Tuesday, set to triumphant music, does not explicitly mention either piece of legislation. Lawmakers appearing in the video include Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow. Several recite a version of the line: “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” The branches and agencies represented among the lawmakers include the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency. “Some in the administration and media are actively working to distort that message into something dark or divisive,” Houlahan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing more patriotic, nothing more stabilizing and nothing more true to the rule of law than reminding our military of their constitutional obligations and reassuring them that, if they are ever given an unlawful order, they do not have to carry it out.” “‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ is not a slogan of rebellion—it is a historic naval motto that has always stood for steadfastness, duty and loyalty to country. That is the backbone of American civil-military tradition,” she added. The video follows a 43-day government shutdown during which American troops continued receiving pay under the Trump administration. The White House, Slotkin, Kelly, Deluzio, Goodlander and Crow did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s father says he will keep ‘arm’s length’ from son’s upcoming administration

NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s father says he will keep ‘arm’s length’ from son’s upcoming administration

Zohran Mamdani’s father, Mahmood, will keep a distance from his son’s incoming administration, according to a new interview with the Ugandan-born academic released Tuesday. The 79-year-old professor spoke to The Guardian U.S. in the wake of his Democratic socialist son’s decisive mayoral election victory in New York City, where he is set to be sworn in as the new mayor Jan. 1. “As to how I will relate to Zohran’s administration, I think initially, at least, both Mira and I will have the relationship we did during the campaign, which is to stay at arm’s length, but always be available,” the elder Mamdani told the outlet. RESURFACED CLIP OF MAMDANI’S FATHER COMPARING ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HITLER SPARKS VIRAL OUTRAGE: ‘WHAT A JOKE’ “Always be available for discussion, for sharing our point of view, but not mistaking ourselves for being him,” he added. Mahmood Mamdani, who is a professor of government and anthropology at Columbia University and director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) in Uganda, has also been promoting his new book, “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State.” The work is described as a re-examination of Idi Amin’s Ugandan dictatorship. SOCIALIST SHOCKWAVE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI STUNS NYC AS VOTERS HAND POWER TO DEMOCRATS’ FAR-LEFT FLANK Speaking during The Guardian interview about political power, Mahmood Mamdani also said, “I don’t believe one should just stay away from power, but I don’t think we should embrace it. “Power is a fatal thing for intellectuals. It corrupts intellectuals. I’ve seen many, many, many a friend get corrupted in the process.” Born in India and raised in Uganda, Mahmood Mamdani was expelled in 1972 under Idi Amin’s decree targeting citizens of South Asian descent.  He later became a U.S.-based academic and went on to teach at several leading universities. UNEARTHED MAMDANI COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WRITINGS PROMOTE ANTI-ISRAEL BOYCOTT, RAIL AGAINST ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ Married to filmmaker Mira Nair since 1991, the two met while she was shooting “Mississippi Masala” in Uganda. Zohran was born in 1991, and went on to become a community organizer and New York State assemblymember representing Astoria, Queens. In the weeks leading up to Zohran’s New York City mayoral campaign, controversy surrounding Mahmood Mamdani surfaced after a video of him discussing America’s influence on global settler colonialism went viral.  The clip, viewed more than 10 million times, featured him asserting in a 2022 panel discussion that the U.S. served as a model for subsequent settler-colonial projects, including those of Nazi Germany, Fox News Digital reported in July. Also, Mahmood Mamdani’s 2004 book, “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” that was reportedly dedicated to “Zohran and his mates” included a line arguing that suicide bombing “needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for comment. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Fox News Politics Newsletter: House votes to release Epstein files

Fox News Politics Newsletter: House votes to release Epstein files

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Federal judges block Texas from using redrawn congressional map -Democrat found texting Jeffrey Epstein faces House censure, committee removal threats –Blue school district hit with federal complaint alleging it ‘sidestepped’ law depriving parent of transparency The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. It was the product of a months-long pressure campaign by Democrats and the bill’s leaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Several of Epstein’s survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well and appeared to erupt in cheers when the resolution passed. All but one House lawmaker present in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, which passed 427 to 1. The lone “no” vote was Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who posted on X shortly thereafter to explain his decision…READ MORE. DC REDUX: Power stripped from Education Department in latest Trump move to dismantle it ‘GET IT DONE, NOW’: Trump takes aim at ‘BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES,’ declares the ‘ONLY HEALTHCARE’ he’ll greenlight BIG-DOLLAR DEAL: Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman hikes committed US investment to nearly $1T ‘COMING TO RALEIGH’: Trump immigration enforcement focus to expand to new city, mayor indicates BROADCAST BRAWL: Trump erupts on ABC reporter over Epstein questions, suggests yanking network license BEIJING ON NOTICE: New Arctic discovery could deal massive blow to Chinese dominance of rare earth mineral DOOR SLAMMED SHUT: Ex-officials could get lifetime bans from lobbying for China, Russia under new bipartisan push FAITH UNDER SIEGE: US Ambassador Michael Waltz declares atrocities against Christians in Nigeria ‘genocide’ ICE COLD DEFENSE: Noem announces Arctic defense pact with Canada, Finland to counter rival powers DEMS IN DISARRAY: House Dems defy Jeffries, vote to rebuke progressive over controversial election move NO ESCAPE: Schumer says he’ll move to pass Epstein bill ‘immediately’ in Senate ‘REAL RECKONING’: Khanna, Massie, Greene urge Senate to pass Epstein bill unchanged, warn of ‘reckoning’ CRISIS WARNING: Lawmakers warned PennDOT of illegal immigrant-CDL crisis before bust; GOP demands answers from Shapiro DEMS RESIST RAIDS: North Carolina Democrats fall silent after ICE arrests dozens with violent records ‘RADICAL EXTREMISTS’: Texas Gov Abbott declares CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups, preventing land purchases Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.