Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

Hawley vows to hold Democrats’ ‘feet to the fire’ with new government shutdown funding bills

Hawley vows to hold Democrats’ ‘feet to the fire’ with new government shutdown funding bills

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is looking to hold Democrats’ “feet to the fire” with new legislation seeking special funding for farmers and food assistance programs amid the government shutdown. Hawley’s bills would reinstate federal funding for the Farm Service Agency as well as the federal SNAP food program. Democrats have so far refused to work with Republicans amid the government shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history. “We need to start forcing Democrats to make some tough votes. We need to start holding their feet to the fire,” Hawley said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “I mean, do they really not want people to be able to eat? This situation is ridiculous.” He says the farm bill is critical as the shutdown has landed squarely in harvest season for much of the country, including his home state of Missouri. WHITE HOUSE SLAMS SCHUMER’S ‘DISGUSTING’ STATEMENT ON SHUTDOWN AS POLITICAL STANDOFF CONTINUES Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has led Republicans in voting to fund the government 11 times since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, but Democrats have refused to cooperate, demanding extensive changes to the budget. SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED BY WEEKEND RALLIES BLOCK GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR 11TH TIME President Donald Trump has taken executive action to secure funding for members of the military, but the vast majority of the government remains stalled. “I have huge respect for what President Trump has done during this shutdown with shifting the funding pools available to him to help servicemembers and police. But even he is going to run out of tools soon,” Hawley said. Trump, speaking to Hawley and other Senate Republicans at the White House on Tuesday, accused Democrats of “holding the entire federal government hostage.” ‘GOOFBALLS’ AND HOSTAGES: GOP SENATORS SAY SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN TACTICS DESTROYING THE SENATE Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-N.Y., has remained obstinate in his demands for an extension to expiring Obamacare subsidies. Though Senate Republicans have been open to holding a vote on the matter after the government reopens, Democrats want an ironclad guarantee that the subsidies will be extended well before their expiration at the end of this year. Thune reiterated at the White House on Tuesday that Senate Republicans are united in their war of attrition strategy to continue putting the same bill on the floor again and again. “I mean, they want $1.5 trillion in new spending. They want free healthcare for people who are noncitizens in this country. That is just a flat nonstarter. It doesn’t pass the Senate. It won’t pass the House. It won’t be signed into law by the president,” Thune said. Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Coast Guard surges to Rio Grande in new border security mission, Operation River Wall

Coast Guard surges to Rio Grande in new border security mission, Operation River Wall

The Coast Guard is bolstering its forces along western Texas’ Rio Grande to support President Donald Trump’s border security mission as part of a “surge operation,” according to the service.  Trump declared a national emergency at the border in January, and his administration stood up Joint Task Force Southern Border in March to allow troops under the Department of War to assist with the Department of Homeland Security’s border mission.  Dubbed Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard deployment aims to counter the influx of drugs into the U.S., and to deter and interdict illegal immigrants along the 260-mile stretch of the river that is part of the U.S. border, the service announced Monday.  The Coast Guard said it is dispatching additional response boats, shallow watercraft, command and control assets, and tactical teams to the area to support the operation.  WATCH: COAST GUARD SEIZES COCAINE, SUSPECTED NARCO-TERRORISTS IN PACIFIC VIPER RAID The service said it is leading operations it is conducting alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of War under U.S. Northern Command to advance Trump’s border priorities.  “U.S. Coast Guard is the best in the world at tactical boat operations and maritime interdiction at sea, along our coasts, and in riverine environments,” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a Monday statement. “Through Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard is controlling the U.S. southern border along the Rio Grande River in eastern Texas.” COAST GUARD BURNS, SINKS SUSPECTED ‘DRUG BOAT,’ APPREHENDS 7 ALLEGED DRUG SMUGGLERS: VIDEO It’s unclear exactly how many Coast Guard personnel and assets are involved in Operation River Wall, and the Coast Guard did not provide specifics, citing operational security concerns.  “We are deploying a range of assets, personnel, and equipment appropriate to maximize coverage of the Rio Grande River,” Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Steve Roth said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. “Due to operational security concerns, we cannot provide specific details about deployment numbers or specific locations.”  However, the Coast Guard announced in March it was beefing up its operational presence along the southwest border for border security operations. Between January and March, the Coast Guard Southwest District announced it tripled its forces there.  The Pentagon said in July that roughly 8,500 troops are assigned to Joint Task Force Southern Border to provide backup to the Coast Guard and Border Patrol, and have been tasked with responding to security threats along the border.  COAST GUARD OVERHAUL TAKES OFF AMID TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION, NARCOTICS CRACKDOWN The Coast Guard has launched several high-profile operations in recent months. For example, the service kicked off Operation Pacific Viper in August — a joint effort between the Coast Guard and Navy aimed at countering the influx of illegal drugs to the U.S. as part of Trump’s larger effort to crack down on drug cartels. So far, the Coast Guard has confiscated 100,000 pounds of cocaine in the Eastern Pacific Ocean since August, averaging 1,600 pounds of cocaine daily, according to the service. 

Spanberger uses SpongeBob to mock Sears-Trump relationship, as president praises GOP nom

Spanberger uses SpongeBob to mock Sears-Trump relationship, as president praises GOP nom

President Donald Trump praised Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears this week after Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger mocked the Republican over her non-endorsement with a SpongeBob SquarePants reference. Trump was asked about Earle-Sears on Air Force One and praised her debate performance while appearing to criticize Spanberger’s refusal to explicitly call for scandal-plagued attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out after his texts envisioning the murder of a former House Republican leader. “I think the Republican candidate is very good and she should win because the Democrat candidate is a disaster,” he said. EARLE-SEARS COMES OUT SWINGING IN HEATED DEBATE AS SPANBERGER DODGES JAY JONES QUESTIONS “I haven’t been too much involved in Virginia — I love the state; I did very well in the state but I will tell you I think the republican candidate is excellent and the Democrat candidate is a disaster,” he said. He warned that both Spanberger and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J. – the Democratic nominee in the Garden State – will preeminently be bad for the current U.S. energy dominance agenda. “Both the Democrats are going to drive the energy prices through the roof,” he said. OBAMA ENDORSES SPANBERGER, ATTACKS REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE ADS Trump, however, again appeared to stop short of issuing an endorsement in the style he usually does – which includes effusive praise and “total endorsement” on Truth Social. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House for clarity on whether the AF1 comments constituted an endorsement. Former President Barack Obama was clearer in his commendation of Spanberger, whom he formally endorsed last week. WINSOME EARLE-SEARS RELEASES ‘TWO BULLETS’ AD SCATHING OPPONENT FOR FAILING TO DEMAND JAY JONES’ OUSTER A Spanberger campaign spokesperson also confirmed the two will rally in Virginia in the coming days. The site will reportedly be in Hampton Roads. Obama released a video calling Virginia’s elections “some of the most important in the country this year.” “I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for governor. Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts,” Obama said, echoing congressional Democrats. TRUMP VOICES SUPPORT FOR GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE, ADMITS SHE HAS ‘TOUGH RACE’ Asked about Trump and Obama, the Earle-Sears campaign said the video endorsement shows Spanberger is “scared – and it shows.” “After losing support across Virginia, she’s leaning on liberal elites to try and save her collapsing campaign,” press secretary Peyton Vogel told Fox News Digital. “This is a desperate play from a candidate who’s run out of support, out of ideas, and out of time. Voters see through it, and that’s why Winsome Earle-Sears is surging.” Spanberger got another boost Tuesday from PBS’ “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” who condemned Trump in a raucous speech over the weekend and will rally with the Virginia Democrat in Charlottesville. When asked about Nye’s resurgence on behalf of Democrats, a White House spokesperson quipped, “You mean, ‘Bill Nye the Liberal Activist Guy’?”

Former top leader of radical group tied to Mamdani has been on AOC’s campaign payroll for years

Former top leader of radical group tied to Mamdani has been on AOC’s campaign payroll for years

FIRST ON FOX: A former top leader and “lifetime member” of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has been on the payroll of “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s, D-N.Y., campaign since she first ran for Congress in 2018. Frank Llewellyn, the former director of the largest socialist organization in America and a founding member of the socialist group that would later become DSA’s sister organization, serves as the treasurer for both Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign and her political action committee, Courage to Change. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign has paid Llewellyn a total of over $250,000 for payroll, travel and other administrative expenses dating back to 2018, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reviewed by Fox News Digital. Disbursements range from $77.50 for cellphone, travel and internet stipends and salary payments of $1,281 approximately every two weeks. Besides working on Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign, Llewellyn also sits on the board of the Democratic Socialists of America Fund, a sister organization to the DSA, according to the group’s website. AOC DROPS THOUSANDS ON LUXURY HOTELS WHILE ‘FIGHTING OLIGARCHY’ WITH SANDERS, FILINGS REVEAL “Frank Llewellyn was one of the original incorporators of the Institute for Democratic Socialism which later became the Democratic Socialists of America Fund,” the DSA Fund website says. “A lifelong activist and socialist he served Democratic Socialists of America in New York City since the organization was founded. He served on its National Political Committee and as its National Director for more than ten years.” Llewellyn was national director of DSA for over 10 years, from 2001 to 2011. Llewellyn confirmed to Fox News Digital that he continues to be a “lifetime member” of DSA and that he has been on Ocasio-Cortez’s staff since her first election in 2018.  One of the most significant achievements of DSA during Llewellyn’s time as director was the election of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in 2006. Llewellyn wrote an article in the DSA’s magazine celebrating Sanders’ election as the first time in American history that “a self-declared socialist has won a seat in the United States Senate.” In the article, Llewellyn detailed DSA’s deep involvement with Sanders’ campaign, saying fundraising for his successful campaign “is a major accomplishment in which we can take great pride.” SPECULATION SWIRLS AS AOC IS RUMORED TO HARBOR 2028 ASPIRATIONS: ‘SAVVY POLITICIAN’ Llewellyn wrote that “in the coming period, it is vital that we use our newly gained grassroots network, and our ties to truly progressive Democrats and Bernie Sanders, to promote both a progressive agenda and progressive organizing.” The organization also later went on to endorse Sanders during both his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. An examination of Llewellyn’s social media shows that he continues to be an active member of the Queens branch of the New York City DSA. He posts regularly about Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders as well as New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who is also an active member of DSA. In a 2021 Facebook post, Llewellyn said he was “very pleased to vote for Queens DSA endorsing [Mamdani]” when he successfully ran for the New York State Assembly. Though Mamdani leads the New York City mayoral race by double digits, sparking concerns about the rise of socialism in America, a recent Fox News national survey revealed capitalism remains more popular than socialism. However, voters indicated they support raising taxes on the wealthy.  Fox News Digital previously reported on DSA’s massive influence on the Mamdani campaign, including highlighting how DSA members discussed during a July panel how they have been closely collaborating with Mamdani and how he has the organization positioned to “seize state power.” DSA organizer Daniel Goulden claimed the organization has been intimately involved in Mamdani’s campaign, even helping to write portions of his platform. “With Zohran, we’re in basically the best possible position to seize state power that we can be in because, you know, we’re like this,” Goulden said, indicating with his fingers that the campaign and organization are very close. Goulden went on to suggest that “one of the things that made Zohran really successful with his policy rollouts is specifically relying on DSA.” AOC and Sanders, who are both self-proclaimed democratic socialists, have both endorsed and promoted Mamdani’s campaign and will be participating in a rally with him this upcoming Sunday. FOX NEWS POLL: CAPITALISM REMAINS MORE POPULAR THAN SOCIALISM, YET MAJORITIES SUPPORT TAXING THE WEALTHY The national DSA organization and its chapters, including the NYC-DSA, have shared views on several issues that they have been vocal about, including their disdain for ICE and cracking down on “bad landlords” by having the city take control of properties when a landlord refuses to make repairs or “demonstrates consistent neglect” of their tenants. Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders went on a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour against the “billionaire class and corporate greed,” which amassed more than 300,000 attendees across 34 rallies in 20 states, according to Sanders.  Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism for racking up thousands at boutique hotels during the tour. Sanders also faced backlash after Fox News Digital exposed him and AOC for flying on private jets, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in disbursements during the tour. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office and DSA for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.