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Portland mayor condemns federal intervention, claims videos of anti-ICE riots were from years ago

Portland mayor condemns federal intervention, claims videos of anti-ICE riots were from years ago

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on Saturday dismissed President Donald Trump’s plan to send federal troops to Oregon’s largest city, claiming there is no lawlessness or violence there. Trump announced Saturday morning he plans to send troops to Portland at the request of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The president said he directed War Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide “all necessary troops to protect war-ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,” adding he was authorizing full force, if necessary. Hours later, Wilson said during a news conference the number of necessary troops is “zero” in Portland, “and any other American city.” TRUMP VOWS ‘FULL FORCE’ AS HE PLANS TO SEND TROOPS TO PORTLAND AMID ANTI-ICE PROTESTS “This is an American city,” Wilson said. “We do not need any intervention. This is not a military target.” The mayor alleged the president would “not find” lawlessness or violence in the city, claiming video footage showing violence in the city was from five years ago was “recycled and then recycled again.” “If President Trump came to Portland today, what he would find is people riding their bikes, playing sports, enjoying the sunshine, buying groceries or produce from a farmers’ market,” Wilson said. “We’ve had hard conversations, and we’ve done important work in the years since that footage was taken, we reformed our public safety system. We’ve refocused our community and on our economy, and we’ve redoubled our efforts to help our most vulnerable.” Since June, protests have erupted near an ICE facility in Portland, where city officials cited land use violations, including improper detainee holding times and boarded-up windows.  PORTLAND RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON ICE BUILDING WITH LAND USE VIOLATION NOTICE The building has been vandalized with anti-ICE graffiti and clashes between protesters and federal agents have occasionally turned violent, leading to the use of rubber bullets, tear gas and flash bangs.  Video obtained by Fox News Digital confirmed another violent protest in August, with footage showing protesters rolling out a guillotine, lighting fires and fighting with authorities — forcing law enforcement to disperse the crowd with munitions. PORTLAND MAYOR WARNS CITY TO FIX HOMELESS PROBLEM BEFORE TRUMP ‘DEPLOYS BULLDOZERS’ Instead of sending troops to protect the federal facility, Wilson suggested the president send “hundreds of engineers, or teachers, or outreach workers” to Portland instead of a “short, expensive and fruitless show of force.” “I am so deeply disappointed with the federal government’s irresponsibility,” he said. “At the end of the day, this may be a show of force, but that’s all it is. It’s a big show, and after the big show, everyone goes home. That’s what I want to happen here today in Portland. We have a long and proud tradition of peaceful protest. We have a long and proud track record of being at the forefront of positive social change.” “There are new risks today, risks that we do not yet fully understand,” he continued. “The administration has refused to elaborate on what they mean when they say they will deploy full force against our city and citizens.” In his announcement on Saturday, Trump did not say he would deploy full force against the city of Portland and its citizens, as Wilson claimed.  The president said he would send “all necessary troops” to protect the city and its ICE facilities, authorizing full force against domestic terrorism “if necessary.” Portland, a sanctuary city since 2017, has resisted federal immigration enforcement, making it a focal point during the administration’s immigration enforcement initiative. In August, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Wilson, warning the city’s sanctuary policies undermine U.S. interests. She demanded Portland affirm compliance with federal law and end practices that obstruct immigration enforcement. The City of Portland did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Trump to meet with top congressional leaders at White House as government shutdown looms

Trump to meet with top congressional leaders at White House as government shutdown looms

President Donald Trump plans to meet with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle on Monday, as a possible government shutdown looms, a White House official confirmed to Fox News.  The meeting comes after the president canceled one last week with Democrats, claiming they had “unserious and ridiculous demands.”  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., were set to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown before the Sept. 30 deadline. SPEAKER JOHNSON FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM LEADERS WITH STAUNCH WARNING AGAINST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Schumer and Jeffries will now meet with Trump, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.  Schumer and Jeffries put out a joint statement on Saturday on the rescheduled meeting.  “President Trump has once again agreed to a meeting in the Oval Office,” the statement said. “As we have repeatedly said, Democrats will meet anywhere, at any time and with anyone to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people. We are resolute in our determination to avoid a government shutdown and address the Republican healthcare crisis. Time is running out.” The Senate is expected to return on Sept. 29 following the Jewish new year, and the House is expected to be out until the deadline to keep the government funded passes. In a lengthy post on Truth Social last week, Trump blasted Schumer and Jeffries for pushing “radical Left policies that nobody voted for.”  “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump added at the time.  The now-canceled meeting with Trump came on the heels of a letter from Schumer and Jeffries sent over that weekend where the top congressional Democrats laid the possibility of a shutdown on his and Republicans’ feet. They argued that the Trump-backed short-term extension was “dirty,” which would mean it had partisan policy riders or spending attached to it, and panned it for continuing “the Republican assault on healthcare,” ignoring expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, and possibly leading to the closure of hospitals and other healthcare facilities across the country. TOP HOUSE DEM EXPOSES PARTY’S STRATEGY TO BLAME REPUBLICANS FOR LOOMING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “With the September 30th deadline fast approaching, Republicans will bear responsibility for another painful government shutdown because of the refusal of GOP congressional leadership to even talk with Democrats,” they wrote at the time. But Trump argued that their bill would allow for the nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts in his “Big, Beautiful Bill” to be repealed, and also blasted the Democratic continuing resolution (CR) for ending his bill’s $50 billion rural hospital fund.  “We must keep the Government open, and legislate like true Patriots rather than hold American Citizens hostage, knowing that they want our now thriving Country closed,” he said.  “I’ll be happy to meet with them if they agree to the Principles in this Letter,” Trump continued. “They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!” Without any action, a shutdown would start at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Johnson said last week that he had encouraged Trump to cancel the meeting last Thursday.  “He and I talked about it at length yesterday and the day before. I said, look, when they get their job done, once they do the basic governing work of keeping the government open, as president, then you can have a meeting with him,” Johnson said on the “Mike & McCarty Show.” “Of course, it might be productive at that point, but right now, this is just a waste of his time.” Fox News’ Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: Democrats risk flood insurance lapse in their shutdown fight, home builders and White House warn

EXCLUSIVE: Democrats risk flood insurance lapse in their shutdown fight, home builders and White House warn

EXCLUSIVE: As the Sept. 30 government funding deadline looms, the Trump administration is warning that millions of Americans could lose flood insurance coverage if Democrats refuse to back a House-passed spending bill that also extends the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The White House supports the continuing resolution (CR) approved by House Republicans, which would avert a shutdown and reauthorize the NFIP.  Administration officials said they worked to ensure NFIP was part of the current funding package, reflecting what they call the urgency of protecting millions of policyholders during hurricane season. Democrats have said they will not support the measure, citing broader spending disputes. Trump administration officials argue the standoff puts homeowners, the housing market and disaster recovery funds at risk just as peak storm season arrives. GOP SENATOR BLASTS SCHUMER, DEMS AS ‘FORCING’ SHUTDOWN WHILE DEMANDING PRICE TAG REPORT “In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, a White House official said: ‘The NFIP is a vital program utilized by millions of Americans, and it’s not a hard call to extend it – which is exactly why the administration supports the House-passed CR that would do so. Unfortunately, Democrats are happy to shut down the government and hurt the many thousands of Americans who rely on this program in the process.’” According to administration figures reviewed by Fox News Digital, a lapse in NFIP authorization could disrupt about 1,300 property sales every day. That’s roughly 40,000 closings in a single month, all in areas where flood insurance is required to secure a mortgage. More than 400,000 policies are set to expire in October. Officials say about 152,000 of those have been prepaid, but more than 250,000 households could still lose coverage if the program stalls. TRUMP-APPROVED PLAN TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SCUTTLED BY SENATE Administration officials also pointed to October 2024 as a warning sign. That month saw more than 427,000 new or renewed policies. Roughly 41,000 homeowners bought new policies while about 33,000 dropped coverage, leaving a net gain of nearly 9,000. Officials warn that similar growth this year could collapse if NFIP lapses. Administration officials told Fox News Digital that FEMA currently has $2.6 billion available to pay valid claims, including $1.5 billion in the National Flood Insurance Fund and $1.1 billion in reserves. But they warned the agency would be unable to borrow additional money from the Treasury if a major disaster exceeded those reserves, a scenario they described as “dangerous and avoidable.” The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) echoed those concerns.  “Past disruptions of the NFIP have caused immediate and widespread negative impacts on property sales, home values and consumer confidence,” NAHB said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “Home sales would cease in areas where flood insurance is mandatory in order to obtain a mortgage. What the housing market needs now is stability and certainty. NAHB calls upon the House to act quickly to continue to fund the operations of the federal government including the extension of the NFIP.” The NFIP has a long history of stopgap extensions. Since 2017, Congress has reauthorized the program more than 30 times, often through short-term measures. Lawmakers have typically made coverage retroactive to prevent permanent gaps, but even brief lapses have stalled real estate closings and left homeowners in limbo. The program currently serves about 4.5 million policyholders nationwide. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Unless lawmakers strike a deal, FEMA will be barred from selling or renewing flood insurance policies starting Oct. 1, a lapse that could leave millions of homeowners in limbo as Washington hurtles toward a shutdown. Administration officials argue the risk is especially acute this year as hurricane season continues. FEMA, Schumer and Jeffries did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.