Expert flips script on Dems pushing ‘cherry-picked’ crime stats to resist Trump’s DC crackdown
Democrats across the country have been pushing back on President Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown, citing statistics purportedly showing that crime in the nation’s capital is down or even at historic lows, but an expert who spoke to Fox News Digital is pushing back on that narrative. “These Democrats are citing statistics from the FBI, from its uniform crime report. And the problem with that is that they’re portraying it as if it’s a record of violent crime,” Jim Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital shortly after Trump announced he was sending federal resources to the nation’s capital to confront crime in the city. “But really what it is is a record of crimes that are reported to the police and then those of those crimes that get reported to the FBI. It’s not a full record of all violent crimes, and this is a problem. And the FBI is very explicit about this when they present the data in their formal report every year, where they say, ‘Do not directly compare the data from year to year because there are differences in how frequently people report crimes and how frequently the FBI gets that data from the local police agencies.’” While many prominent Democrats, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, have insisted violent crime is at a 30-year low in the city, Agresti told Fox News Digital the “best way to understand the state of violent crime” in any jurisdiction is to look at the number of murders because it is a violent crime that is difficult to “sweep under the rug” because it “produces a dead body.” WOMAN GUNNED DOWN IN ‘SAFE’ DC NEIGHBORHOOD AS TRUMP LAUNCHES FEDERAL POLICE TAKEOVER “When we look at the murder data for DC, we see that it is not a situation that is lower now than it’s been in the last 30 years. Quite the opposite,” Agresti explained. “It is currently 83% higher than it was at its low point a dozen years ago. So, there is a serious problem with serious crime, violent crime in D.C., and the city now, the nation’s capital, has a murder rate that is five times the U.S. average.” The chances of a person facing a violent crime in Washington, D.C., have dropped in recent years, but the possibility of dying during such a crime has skyrocketed, data shows, Fox News Digital reported on Wednesday. Lethality in D.C. jumped by a whopping 341% when compared to 2012 data, the study found, reporting that there were 13 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2012 and 57 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2024. Agresti explained that while many people operate with the belief that crime spiked across the country during and because of COVID, the issue actually began getting worse specifically when the Black Lives Matter rioting erupted. CAPITOL HILL STAFFER STABBED IN HEAD, CHEST WELCOMES TRUMP’S WASHINGTON, DC CRIME CRACKDOWN “That makes a lot of sense,” Agresti said. “Police were vilified. They pulled back out of fear of being hurt. People were talking about defunding the police, and there was overall mayhem in this country. So, that rise, by the way, that people blame on COVID actually didn’t start with COVID, and it didn’t appear in other countries. It happened here where we had these BLM riots.” Agresti told Fox News Digital there is a “clear connection” between crime in the United States and the “Defund the Police” movement and that most people don’t grasp the “full extent” of the crime problem in this country. “We had roughly 17,000 murders last year,” Agresti explained. “Imagine if all of them made national news. At the current rate of murders in this county, roughly one in every 230 people in the United States will have their lives cut short by being murdered. That statistic is so unbelievable.” In addition to the “staggering” facts about murder, Agresti said data compiled by Just Facts shows one in 10 women in the United States are raped in the course of their lives. “Think about the horror of that, and beyond all this pain, suffering, death, there’s also a financial cost to crime,” Agresti said. “It’s been quantified in a 2021 academic paper, and, bottom line, crime in all of its forms, pain, death, suffering, financial loss, activities we take to prevent crime, they amount to a cost on our US economy of roughly $40,000 per U.S. household.” Questions have also been raised about local crime stats from D.C. showing crime is down so far this year, with many pointing to news reports that a D.C. police commander was recently suspended for allegedly altering crime data. Agresti said anyone can “cherry-pick” crime statistics to promote a specific agenda but that it is important to also realize that many crimes also go unreported due to various factors, including animosity toward police or the belief that calling the police won’t yield results. “The vast majority of crime goes unreported, and another phenomenon that’s really, really disturbing is the amount of crimes that are solved,” Agresti said. “It used to be in this country, in 1960, that 92% of all murders are solved. In 2023, that figure was down to 58%, meaning that 40-plus percent of people who committed murders got away with it, and they’re out there to commit them again.” As of Thursday, 800 Trump-authorized National Guard troops were in Washington, D.C., supporting other federal law enforcement agencies with “monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities and officers, traffic control posts and area beautification,” according to the State Department. Trump’s move to crack down on crime in the capital, which the White House says is happening at levels that dwarf capitals in other far more impoverished countries across the world, has sparked protests led by liberal activists and outrage from some elected Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “When politicians are saying, ‘We don’t have to worry about this, it’s the lowest crime rate in 30 years,’ they
Newsom’s office continues to mock Trump using his social media writing style: ‘TINY HANDS’
The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to troll President Donald Trump on social media by mimicking his infamous writing style. The press team for the Democratic governor has made several posts on X in recent days mirroring how Trump often writes when posting on X or Truth Social, including using all capital letters and nicknames. In the latest post on Friday, Newsom’s team responded to the White House Rapid Response account, which shared a picture of Trump scowling and pointing a finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin following a meeting on Friday between the two world leaders in Alaska. “TINY HANDS IS OUT HERE COPYING ME — BUT WITHOUT THE STAMINA (SAD), AND CERTAINLY WITHOUT THE ‘LOOKS.’ TOTAL BETA! — GCN,” the governor’s press team replied on X along with a similar picture from earlier this year of Newsom pointing a finger at Trump’s chest. CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS ACCUSE NEWSOM OF ‘SINISTER REDISTRICTING SCHEME’ AFTER TRUMP MOCKERY After the meeting on Friday, the press team accused Trump of refusing to take questions and having low energy during his time with Putin — again in all caps. “TRUMP JUST FLED THE PODIUM WITH PUTIN — NO QUESTIONS, NOTHING! TOTAL LOW ENERGY. THE MAN LOOKED LIKE HE’D JUST EATEN 3 BUCKETS OF KFC WITH VLAD. IS HE AFRAID THE PRESS WILL ASK ABOUT ME??? (AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR) AND THE FACT I ‘STOLE THE CAMERAS’ THIS WEEK WITH ‘THE MAPS’?” the press team wrote. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE BEGGED PUTIN TO HOLD HIS HANDS (TINY) ON THE WAY OUT,” the post continued. “ADMIT IT, DONNIE J… YOU’RE TERRIFIED BECAUSE THIS WAS THE WORST WEEK OF YOUR LIFE BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. ‘THE MAPS’ WILL END YOUR PRESIDENCY, RETAKE CONGRESS FOR THE PEOPLE, AND EXPOSE YOUR RIGGED “LITTLE GAME.” MY “PERFECT MAPS” ARE MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN ANYTHING IN TRUMP TOWER (WHICH MANY SAY SMELLS WEIRD). @STEVENCHUENG47 — EXPLAIN THIS DISASTER!!! ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT HOME, DONALD — YOU’RE PUTIN’S PROBLEM NOW. I’M AMERICA’S SOLUTION. — GCN.” The post referred to Newsom announcing that California Democrats would draw redistricting maps in their favor in response to Texas Republicans’ efforts to redraw maps in their favor in their state – a move supported by Trump. The account also accused Trump of considering giving California to Russia during his meeting with Putin. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT DONALD J. WOULD CONSIDER ‘GIVING AWAY’ THE FREE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO HIS ‘BEST FRIEND’ VLADIMIR PUTIN — ALL BECAUSE I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, STOLE THE CAMERAS THIS WEEK WITH “THE MAPS,” the post reads, in part. “…AMERICA WOULD COLLAPSE WITHOUT CALIFORNIA AND NOT EVEN ‘DUMMY DONALD’ (TINY HANDS) COULD MAKE SUCH A ‘DISASTROUS DEAL.’ BUT IF HE EVER TRIES TO ‘SWAP’ CALIFORNIA TO RUSSIA, MARK MY WORDS — THERE WILL BE BIG, BEAUTIFUL CONSEQUENCES FOR HIM!!! AND BELIEVE ME… HE WON’T LIKE THEM!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS VERY IMPORTANT MATTER!!! — GCN.” CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR DEMANDS TRUMP ABANDON TEXAS REDISTRICTING PUSH, THREATENS BALLOT MEASURE RESPONSE In another cap-filled post on Friday, the press team suggested Newsom should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his redistricting efforts, after a handful of world leaders announced they had nominated Trump for the award. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING — AND I AGREE — THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM (AMERICA’S FAVORITE GOVERNOR) DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE,” the account wrote. “WHY? BECAUSE OF THE ‘MOST INCREDIBLE MAPS IN THE HISTORY OF MAPPING’ (EVEN COLUMBUS). THESE MAPS WILL END THE ‘VERY RIGGED’ ELECTIONS, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN (MAGA!!!), RETAKE CONGRESS ‘FOR THE PEOPLE’, AND SAVE DEMOCRACY. NOBODY ELSE COULD HAVE DONE THIS — CERTAINLY NOT THE ‘SELF-PROCLAIMED’ MASTER DEALMAKER DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP (TINY HANDS) WHO MISSED ‘THE DEADLINE’ AND LOST (SAD!).” “PEACE THROUGH MAPS — NO ONE HAS EVER THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE,” the account continued. “I AM THE ‘PEACE TIME’ GOVERNOR NOW, STOPPING ‘POLITICAL WARS’ BEFORE THEY START. HARMONY, UNITY, EVEN LOVE. THE NOBEL COMMITTEE HAS GIVEN THIS AWARD TO LESSER PEOPLE FOR MUCH LESS. I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM, ACTUALLY EARNED IT. THE WORLD WILL BE SAFER, KINDER, AND FRANKLY MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL’ BECAUSE OF MY MAPS. GIVE GAVIN THE NOBEL, MANY ARE SAYING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GCN.” Before the series of posts on Friday, Newsom’s press team made several other posts targeting Trump and mocking “MAGA” Republicans throughout the week. “Vaxxed?” the account wrote on Friday in response to a picture another user shared of Trump and Putin in which the user said the U.S. president “looks awful.”
U.S. will build sterile fly factory in Texas to stop screwworm from devastating livestock industry
Mounted patrol officers, known as tick riders, who typically patrol the southern border to protect cattle from fever tick, will also now serve as the first line of defense against screwworm.
Texas released two years of A-F ratings for schools and districts. See how yours did.
In the 2024-25 school year, 14% of Texas school districts got an A, 71% got a B or a C, and 15% got a D or an F, new state data shows.
Four-day school weeks are on the rise as Texas districts look for teacher perks on a tight budget
More than 500 schools are using four-day school weeks, a dramatic increase from two years ago driven by tight budgets and fierce competition for educators amid a statewide teacher shortage.
Trump says he ‘won’t be happy’ if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine during Alaska summit
President Donald Trump said Friday he “won’t be happy” if he does not walk away from his meeting with President Vladimir Putin with a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier he doesn’t like to have “too many expectations,” but “I’d like to have a ceasefire.” “I wouldn’t be thrilled if I didn’t get it,” he said. “Everyone says, ‘You’re not going to get a ceasefire. You – it’ll take place on the second meeting,’ … but I’m not going to be happy with that.” The president said he might cancel talks entirely if Friday’s summit does not go well. “I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire. Now, I – I say this, and I said it from the beginning: This is really setting the table today. We’re going to have another meeting, if things work out, which will be very soon, or we’re not going to have any more meetings at all, maybe ever.” ZELENSKYY, AHEAD OF TRUMP-PUTIN MEETING, SAYS THERE IS ‘NO SIGN’ RUSSIA WANTS TO END THE WAR Trump spoke while flying on Air Force One toward Anchorage, Alaska, where he and his team met with the Russian delegation in the first face-to-face meeting with Putin of the new administration. Trump said that he would not be negotiating peace on Ukraine’s behalf, but would rather “set the table” for negotiations between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Well, look, it’s not for me to negotiate a deal for Ukraine, but I can certainly set the table to negotiate the deal,” he said. “Our next meeting will have President Zelenskyy and President Putin and probably me.” PRESIDENT TRUMP CONFIDENT PUTIN WANTS PEACE WITH UKRAINE, THINKS HE’S ‘HAD ENOUGH’ OF WAR Trump also added that he “may have to start liking” Hillary Clinton, after the former Democratic presidential candidate said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize if he negotiated a peace deal and did not “capitulate” to Russia. “That was very nice. I may have to start liking her again,” Trump said. Clinton, a former Secretary of State, said that there are several things Trump needs to get Putin to agree to if he were to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. “But maybe this is the opportunity to make it clear that there must be a ceasefire, there will be no exchange of territory, and that, over a period of time, Putin should be actually withdrawing from the territory he seized in order to demonstrate his good faith efforts, let us say, not to threaten European security,” she said. Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
Jharkhand Education Minister Ramdas Soren passes away at 62, CM Hemant Soren condoles death
Ramdas Soren, the education minister of Jharkhand, passed away on Friday at the age of 62. He had been undergoing medical treatment at a private hospital in Delhi. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has condoled the state minister’s death in a post on X. Read on to know more.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: From Admiration to Alaska
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… –DC sues Trump administration over ‘unlawful’ federal takeover -Newsom, California Dems move forward with redistricting effort to counter Trump-backed push in Texas -Schumer claims Trump admin withholding Epstein files, threatens to sue President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in person on Friday for the first time in six years when they get together in Anchorage, Alaska. Here is a history of Trump’s high-stakes interactions with Putin while being President of the United States…Read more CRIME CONTROL CRISIS: Biden warned of DC crime crisis in 1992 as Dems blast Trump crackdown: ‘Don’t stop at a stoplight’ BATTLE FOR WASHINGTON: White House fires back as Trump’s use of D.C. police for crime crackdown is placed in the crosshairs by Dems ‘FAILED POLICIES’: Top Trump official vows to end ‘cycle of government dependency’ in homeless crackdown DEAL ‘DREAMING’: Hillary Clinton says she’d nominate Trump for Nobel prize herself if he brokers peace between Russia, Ukraine MORE GAMES: NATO defense minister signals ‘absolute distrust’ that Putin wants any peace deal ahead of Trump summit DIGITAL PREDATORS: Hawley opens probe into Meta after reports of AI romantic exchanges with minors GOP RESPONDS: California Republicans accuse Newsom of ‘sinister redistricting scheme’ after Trump mockery ‘VICIOUS DOXXING’: DHS says Noem is temporarily staying in military housing after facing ‘vicious doxxing,’ death threats COMING HOME: Zohran Mamdani closes out his anti-Trump tour in his home borough in Queens WALKOUT OVER?: Abbott, Texas Republicans launch new Trump-backed redistricting push as fleeing Democrats plan to end walkout ARMED AND READY: DC gun permit wait slashed from months to days as Trump’s crime crackdown continues ‘I SCREWED UP’: Former Washington Post fact-checker admits he ‘screwed up’ on COVID-19 lab leak theory LABOR TAKES AIM: Union boss compares ICE to Al Pacino mobster as more Dems pile on immigration enforcement Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Union boss compares ICE to Al Pacino mobster as more Dems pile on immigration enforcement
The Department of Homeland Security took more rhetorical fire this week from the left over its “mass deportation operation” enforcement of immigration laws, and growing numbers of detainees in federal installations. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers and advocates came together to back a new state bill that would ban law enforcement from obscuring their identity – as many ICE officers wear masks to protect themselves from being doxxed – where a union boss accused ICE of “disappearing innocent people.” “I frankly have been horrified by the conduct of these federal agents as has been reported in the media,” said AFL-CIO Philadelphia Council President Danny Bauder. Bauder, flanked by state Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Center City, and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, went on to accuse ICE of acting like a famous mob informant from an Al Pacino film. ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS TELL FEDS TO STOP TRYING TO ‘USURP’ STATE AUTHORITY OVER IMMIGRATION “I want to be very clear: kidnapping and disappearing innocent people is disgusting, it’s shameful, it’s un-American, and any claims to the contrary are absurd,” he said Thursday outside ICE’s office in Chinatown. “There is no good reason why a public servant would ever have to obscure or hide their identity while working in uniform. These ICE agents are not Donnie Brasco in some sort of deep cover situation to take down this enormous organized crime gang.” “These are people who are engaged in violent, warrantless kidnapping and detention, and they need to be held accountable for their actions,” Bauder said. Saval, sponsor of the “No Secret Police” bill in the Republican-controlled Senate, characterized ICE operations as “heavily-armed, masked, unidentifiable individuals roaming our public spaces … disappearing our neighbors … and violat[ing] basic vital rights.” State Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, D-Norristown, added that ICE has “actively undermine[d] public trust in our law enforcement agencies” and encourages bad actors to impersonate police due to their anonymous nature, according to City & State PA. THREE STATES SIGN NEW AGREEMENTS WITH ICE AMID EXPANDED IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS State Rep. Rick Krajewski, a democratic socialist representing West Philadelphia’s University City, introduced a companion bill in the Democratic-majority State House and told the outlet the effort is notably bolstered by a former cop: state Rep. Brian Munroe, D-Warminster. “My job will be a lot easier if we don’t have a crime wave of people pretending to be ICE,” added Krasner. Just down I-95, Maryland Democrats finally made it into the Baltimore ICE office they were rebuffed from a few weeks ago. After their visit, the lawmakers blasted ICE for the process and the conditions inside the Charm City complex. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., told Baltimore press that ICE has a “great deal of inefficiency” in its operations. “Shame on them,” Mfume – who represents much of the city – said. “The people of this nation deserve better no matter how you feel about immigration.” Mfume warned against public complacency, appearing to allege that ICE could easily grab anyone off the street in the future. “We recognize that today it’s somebody; or else tomorrow, it could in fact be one of us.” In July, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse and Rep. Jason Crow, both D-Colo., sued the Trump administration over lawmakers being denied access to ICE facilities. This week, they were able to take a sanctioned tour of an Aurora, Colo., facility along with Reps. Diana DeGette and Brittany Pettersen, both Democrats from Colorado. According to a release from Pettersen entitled, “House Democrats hammer ICE after Aurora facility visit,” the agency required the group to sign privacy releases to speak with detainees. DeGette called that another way of “stopping” lawmakers from visiting, according to Pettersen. Meanwhile, back east, a congresswoman arrested during a prior ICE facility visit said she would not stop fighting for her cause. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., told the New Jersey Monitor that she had been criminally charged for doing her job and that being told she could face 17 years in prison is “nothing to joke with.” “I’m a mother, I’m a wife, I have a family,” said McIver, who was joined both at the press availability and the raucous Newark ICE detention center visit by Rep. Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J. – whose formerly senatorial father is behind bars on corruption convictions. “I think they have an insatiable appetite for this, and it’s not about violent criminals,” Menendez Jr. said of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
Mamdani recalls Obama call about ‘darkness’ in politics after NYC primary victory
Zohran Mamdani confirmed to reporters that he spoke to former President Barack Obama on the phone soon after declaring victory in New York City’s Democratic primary in June. “It was a call that I was honored to receive,” Mamdani said during an anti-Trump event in the Bronx on Thursday. The 33-year-old mayoral hopeful told reporters that after winning the primary, he discussed with Obama “the importance of hope in our politics and the ways in which we govern to deliver on that.” Mamdani said they focused on the campaign he ran, calling it an “honor to receive that time” with the former president. “We spoke about the importance in a moment such as this, where politics is often characterized by a language of darkness, the necessity of hope in how we speak and how we orient ourselves to the world,” Mamdani said. ZOHRAN MAMDANI FIRES BACK AT WHITE HOUSE MISPRONOUNCING HIS NAME: ‘M-A-M-D-A-N-I’ The democratic socialist said he is “lucky” to have an example in the former president of how to rise above the barrage of criticism that has been thrown his way on the campaign trail. DEMS AT A CROSSROADS AS ESTABLISHMENT PLANS ‘PROJECT 2029’ WHILE SOCIALIST CANDIDATE WINS NYC MAYORAL PRIMARY During an anti-Trump stop on Staten Island on Wednesday, Mamdani was told to “go back to where you came from” and called a “commie” by some protesters outside his event. “I know that those New Yorkers are representative just of themselves. And yet, sadly, that is what politics has become for far too many,” Mamdani said. Mamdani answered a follow-up question about his discussion with Obama during the final stop on his anti-Trump tour across New York City in Queens on Friday. The Democratic nominee said Obama’s “stature speaks for itself.” “It was an honor to have that conversation, and that presents for us an opportunity to continue to build on both the way in which we practice our politics, but also, as the borough president said, it is one thing to inspire hope. Our responsibility now is also to deliver on and take justice seriously,” Mamdani said. And as he spoke to reporters in his home borough, Mamdani began looking to the future, reflecting on the reality that he could very likely become the mayor of New York City. “The first 100 days, the first year, the first term of what it means to be the mayor of the city, such that the New Yorkers who got to vote for the very first time, more than 30,000 we registered in the last ten days, but they continue to vote because they continue to see themselves in their democracy,” Mamdani said. The details of Obama’s call to Mamdani were first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday. According to the reporting, Obama congratulated Mamdani, offered him advice about governing, and the two discussed the importance of hope during a dark time politically, citing people with knowledge of the conversation. The report also details how Obama’s former aides, including the “Obama Bros” of “Pod Save America,” Jon Favreau and Dan Pfieffer, have been in communication with Mamdani’s Democratic strategist, Morris Katz. Obama has built a reputation since leaving office in 2016 for his strategic participation in politics. The news about his call to Mamdani broke as ABC News reported this week that Obama praised a group of Texas Democrats for fleeing the state to avoid voting for an ever-controversial Trump-backed redistricting bill, calling it “inspiring.”