Dem challenger calls GOP congresswoman ‘ESL puppet’ in heated immigration post: ‘Vile extremist’
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., responded to comments from a Democratic challenger referring to her as an “ESL puppet” in a post criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “My story is not unique. It’s the story of so many Korean Americans and immigrants across the country who are proud Americans and are making our communities better every day. I’m proud of my accent and will keep using my voice to protect the American dream for future generations,” Kim told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. “It’s a new low for a child of Korean immigrants to move to a district two hours away to parrot race-baiting, anti-immigrant slurs targeting a fellow Korean American. Young is the most effective federal lawmaker from California and continues to prove she’s an independent fighter for her community,” Callie Strock, campaign spokesperson for Kim added. Democrat Esther Kim Varet’s post Wednesday night included screenshots from a National Republican Campaign Committee X post that says Kim Varet is “radical,” “anti-ICE,” and “pushing fringe conspiracy theories.” It also included screenshots of various news articles about Asian immigrants facing deportation and other woes as ICE doubles down on deportation efforts. TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION RESET IS LIFTING WAGES AND FORCING REAL ECONOMIC REFORM “Remember when your own racist MAGA party couldn’t tell your much older a– apart from me [Rep. Kim]?” Kim Varet wrote. “You’re a power-hungry Korean-born immigrant that has sold your conscience to the devil – at the price of all hard-working immigrants. You don’t work hard, you and your husband are the biggest GRIFTERS representing the swamp – putrid and pussing from the rot that is your soul. “Don’t you even realize that OUR shared Korean-American community has the highest number of undocumented immigrants amongst Asians?” she added. “You don’t even speak English well enough to hold a single cohesive argument. You ESL puppet. So embarrassing. A real life Judas to our community. You sicken me [Rep. Kim].” The posts quickly caught the attention of the NRCC as it focuses on competitive House races. MOM OF MS-13 MURDER VICTIM CONFRONTS DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER’S ‘TRAP’ QUESTION AT SENATE BORDER HEARING The comments come as ICE operations continue to be a major topic of debate in the Golden State. Most Republicans argue the efforts are necessary for public safety, while others worry it’s harming immigrant communities. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Unhinged Democrat Esther Kim Varet is a hate-filled bigot who embodies the worst of today’s political discourse. Californians will reject this vile extremist who has no business representing them in Congress,” NRCC spokesman Christian Martinez said in a statement Thursday. In response to the NRCC’s comments, Varet told Fox News Digital it “seems like par for the course that national Republicans can’t tell Asians apart.” IMMIGRANTS NEEDED FOR ‘REDISTRICTING PURPOSES,’ HOUSE DEM ADMITS IN VIRAL CLIP: ‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’ California congressional seats could face redrawing for the 2026 cycle, but the fate of redistricting is still to be battled out nationwide. Still, Kim could be in yet another closely watched race after President Donald Trump won the district narrowly in 2024. Kim defeated Democrat Joe Kerr by over 40,000 votes in November. Kim Varet is one of several candidates in a wide Democratic field seeking to challenge the incumbent Republican in the general election, according to Politico. Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Lean Republican.”
Steve Bannon has two-word answer to dismiss 2028 presidential candidacy rumor
After a report by the Daily Mail cited “well-placed” sources close to Steve Bannon who claim he is gearing up for a 2028 presidential run, the former chief strategist to Donald Trump gave a two-word response. “Trump 2028,” Bannon said in response to a report he’s seeking political advice for a potential run. The report also claimed Bannon had privately disparaged Vice President JD Vance, considered the top contender to run for the presidency on the GOP’s ticket in 2028. A source in Bannon’s inner circle told the Daily Mail Bannon has repeatedly said he does not think Vance is tough enough to run in 2028. 21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY TRY TO SUCCEED TRUMP IN THE 2028 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION However, this week, President Trump said JD Vance would most likely be his successor. He added that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would make a formidable ticket, noting it was “too early” to discuss the matter. “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee if he decides he wants to do that,” Rubio said during an interview with Lara Trump. SUCCEEDING TRUMP: 6 REPUBLICAN POTENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON IN 2028 Bannon’s two-word response was published by the conservative news outlet The National Pulse, which blasted the Daily Mail for the “thinly sourced story” and argued the article was an effort to drive division within the Republican Party. Bannon told Politico in March that “all I do is back President Trump and try to move the populist agenda and the America First agenda. I don’t think like a politician.” Bannon also described the notion of him running for president as “absurd.” In April, Bannon told News Nation that there are “many different alternatives” that could permit Trump to sidestep constitutional term limits, noting in another interview the same month that “we have a team” looking at those alternatives. Three days after Trump’s 2025 inauguration, Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow the president to serve a third and final term. According to Congress.gov, that proposal was referred to the House Judiciary Committee but has received no further consideration thus far. The official Trump Store continues selling “TRUMP 2028” merchandise, such as a hat for $50, which has further fueled speculation about a potential Trump run for a third term.
White House launches federal security blitz as president vows to end DC ‘crime plague’
In an effort to crack down on crime in the nation’s capital, President Donald Trump is ramping up federal enforcement in Washington, D.C., and deploying additional federal law enforcement agents this week. Backed by a March executive order, the White House, respective federal agencies and local officials will work together to drive down D.C. crime. D.C. residents can expect an increase in federal enforcement starting as early as Friday, officials said. “Washington, D.C., is an amazing city, but it has sadly been plagued by petty and violent crime for far too long,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Trump is committed to making our nation’s capital safer and even more beautiful for its residents, lawmakers, and visitors from all around the world.” DC US ATTORNEY SAYS ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ AS YOUTH CRIME PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NATION’S CAPITAL Trump on Monday threatened to federalize Washington, D.C., calling for local minors and gang members over the age of 14 to be prosecuted as adults after a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee reported being violently beaten in the city by two juveniles. A White House official told Fox News Digital the effort to revitalize the capital has been an ongoing priority for the president, who established the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force through the “Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful” executive order. Federal officials will monitor D.C.’s sanctuary city status to ensure compliance with federal immigration law and support the full accreditation of the district’s forensic crime laboratory to aid local investigations. TRUMP THREATENS TO FEDERALIZE DC AFTER EX-DOGE EMPLOYEE ‘BIG BALLS’ VIOLENTLY BEATEN The task force is also providing assistance to the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to boost recruitment, retain officers and facilitate work with federal personnel to reduce crime. Other areas of focus include expediting the concealed carry permitting process in D.C., ending fare evasion and other crimes within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system and reviewing prosecutorial policies on pretrial detention to ensure suspects who pose a genuine threat to public safety are detained. WATCH: TRUMP HINTS HE WILL FEDERALIZE DC SOON, BRING IN NATIONAL GUARD AFTER ‘BIG BALLS’ ATTACK One of the most visible changes will be a heightened federal law enforcement presence in and around key locations in the city. Officials said deployments will include areas including the National Mall, Lafayette Park, Union Station, Rock Creek Park and major parkways. The task force has already made progress, using federal enforcement and the National Park Services to increase enforcement, arrest illegal immigrants and remove homeless encampments from parks and public spaces. Operational details had not been finalized as of Thursday afternoon.
ICE could get boost from National Guard if called, Iowa governor says
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday that members of the state’s National Guard have been prepped to work alongside ICE, citing a mutual aid authorization from the Pentagon reported by the Quad City Times. Reynolds, a Republican, said that no mission directive has been received from Arlington but that the Iowa National Guard stands ready to deploy members to assist in clerical and administrative functions. 200 MARINES HEAD TO FLORIDA IN SUPPORT OF ICE AS MILITARY TAKES STRONGER STANCE ON IMMIGRATION Reynolds told reporters at an appearance in Cedar Rapids that she was one of several governors privy to a recent call with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in which the idea of state militias assisting with detention and deportation operations was discussed, according to the Des Moines Register. “What we really looked at was logistics and processing is probably the way that we would look to help from a state perspective,” Reynolds said, according to the paper. NATIONAL GUARD AUTHORIZED TO DETAIN ICE ATTACKERS, DHS SAYS She added that servicemember figures and the number of states potentially involved have yet to be determined. “We have said that we would step up and help and nothing has been finalized yet. But we’re … looking into helping in some ways that we can,” she said in comments aired on KCCI. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Escucha Mi Voz, a faith-based, immigrant-led community organization, told the network that any deployment of the National Guard against the immigrant community is “morally indefensible and risks widespread violations of civil liberties and constitutional rights.” The National Guards of five other states – Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Florida – also received directives to help ICE conduct “alien processing,” according to a memo obtained by The New York Times.
Why are Israelis ‘not at all troubled’ by starvation in Gaza?
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand that their government reach a deal to release two Israeli captives held in Gaza who have been shown as starving in Hamas footage. The video showed that captives have been as badly affected by the blockade Israel imposed on Gaza in March as the rest of the population trapped there. So far, at least 197 people have starved to death in Gaza, 96 of them children and global outrage about the famine Israel is imposing on Gaza has mounted. However, a poll from the Israel Democracy Institute (PDF) found more than half of Jewish Israeli respondents were “not at all troubled” by the reports of Palestinians starving and suffering in Gaza. Front pages of international newspapers previously accused of backing Israel’s war on Gaza have carried images showing the massive human cost of Israel’s actions. Yet, in the past 24 hours, gangs of far-right Israeli agitators have blocked aid trucks from reaching a starving Gaza, in apparent defiance of global anger. Formerly stalwart allies, such as Canada, France and the United Kingdom, have condemned Israel and its actions in Gaza, committing to recognising Palestinian statehood if some kind of resolution is not reached. I guess Israeli settlers are stopping and destroying aid meant for starving Palestinians, so that Israel-first politicians in the West can accuse Hamas of stealing the aid… pic.twitter.com/6ECMP23g8r — Trita Parsi (@tparsi) August 6, 2025 Domestically, two of Israel’s leading NGOs – B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, Israel – have labelled Israel’s war on Gaza a genocide, and protests against the war have grown. Advertisement But a week ago, hundreds of demonstrators led by wounded soldiers and the families of some of the captives marched on the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, demanding that the war on Gaza be continued. Widespread awareness of the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and their government’s role in inflicting it, has yet to dawn upon the bulk of Israeli society, Orly Noy, journalist and editor of the Israeli Hebrew-language magazine Local Call, told Al Jazeera. This is particularly the case because Gaza’s suffering has not been featured in mainstream media. “I avoid Israeli TV,” Noy told Al Jazeera. “However, I was round at my mother’s yesterday, and they were covering the story of the video of the two captives. “So, for once, starvation and famine in Gaza was finally on Israeli news,” she said, adding that, instead of denying that starvation existed in Gaza, the wider Israeli public was being told that the only two people starving there were the captives in the Hamas film. For months now, the mainstream media narrative in Israel has been that the widespread hunger documented by numerous aid agencies is “a Hamas-orchestrated starvation campaign”. This perception runs deeper than the framing by Israel’s nationalistic television channels, political analyst and former government adviser Daniel Levy told Al Jazeera. “It comes from decades of self-justification and dehumanisation,” Levy said. “Most Israelis would be uncomfortable setting out some kind of moral critique of the country, but still have the feeling that something has gone very seriously wrong. There’s a kind of cognitive dissonance at play that helps them make sense of it.” Then there is the language used by politicians, the media and, ultimately, the public to discuss the war, Israeli sociologist Yehouda Shenhav-Shahrabani said. “They’ve corrupted language. Instead of ‘concentration camps‘, they say ‘humanitarian city’. Instead of talking about ‘killing’, they say ‘elimination’. Every military operation has a biblical name, which we now use to measure time. “We don’t say ‘such and such a thing’ happened in June. We say, ‘during Operation Whatever’. It helps people make sense of everything. The jargon’s become a new type of speech. It’s become Orwell’s 1984,” he said, referring to the dystopian novel in which language is dictated by the state. Changing tides However, while most Israelis have continued to see Gaza’s starvation through the lens of its media and politicians, there are signs that, at its fringes, the mood is beginning to shift, observers say. Standing Together’s Alon-Lee Green is arrested while protesting near Gaza [Courtesy of Standing Together] “This isn’t going to hold up,” Aida Touma-Suleiman, a member of the Israeli parliament representing the left-wing Hadash-Ta’al party, said. Advertisement “More and more, people are beginning to understand that there is real hunger in Gaza, and if Israel is making such a big deal of sending food now, then how can it not have been responsible for the hunger before?” Meanwhile, activists such as Alon-Lee Green of the Israeli-Palestinian group Standing Together say resistance to the war is growing across all parts of Israeli society – albeit for often widely differing reasons. “We don’t care why people are protesting the war. We don’t care if it’s because you don’t want to do another tour with the army, or you don’t want your children to go to Gaza and kill people. If you’re against the war, you’re welcome,” he said. However, despite the killing of more than 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023 – and thousands more lost under the rubble and presumed dead – much of Israeli society has yet to accept that the suffering Israel is inflicting on Gaza is real. “From my perspective, we’ve reached the point where the Israeli state and society has lost whatever moral claims they had as a result of the Holocaust,” Shenhav-Shahrabani said. “They’ve spent whatever symbolic capital that was associated with it.” Adblock test (Why?)
Netanyahu says Israel intends to take control of Gaza in interview
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, In an interview with Fox News, Israeli PM says Israel wants to take control – but not govern – the Strip. Correction Aug. 7, 2025: This article originally stated that Netanyahu wanted to hand Gaza over to armed forces. He said Arab forces. In an interview with Fox News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel intends to take control of the entire Strip, but does not want to govern it. His comments came on Thursday shortly before Israel’s cabinet meets to consider his proposal to take over the Strip. “We intend to [take over] in order to ensure our security, remove Hamas [from] there, enable the population to be free of Gaza and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas and not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel,” he said. He said in the interview that Israel wants a security perimeter, and that they want to hand it over to Arab forces to govern Gaza. “We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it. We don’t want to be there as a governing body.” The Israeli security cabinet meeting comes as international outrage over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza has ratcheted up pressure on Israel, with UN agencies warning of famine in the devastated territory. Gaza’s hospitals have recorded four new deaths “due to famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours”, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths to 197, including 96 children, since Israel’s war on Gaza after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel. Israeli media say Netanyahu is set to seek approval to expand military operations, including in densely populated areas where captives are believed to be held. This comes despite growing concern among Israelis about the fate of the remaining captives, some of whose families set sail from the port of Ashkelon on Thursday seeking to approach the Gaza Strip. Advertisement In the run-up to the meeting, rumours have been rife in the Israeli press about disagreements between the cabinet and Israel’s military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who is said to oppose plans to fully reoccupy Gaza. On Wednesday, Defence Minister Israel Katz had weighed in on social media, saying that “it is the right and duty of the chief of staff to express his position”, but the military must ultimately respect any policies adopted by the government. In a statement released by the military on Thursday, Zamir underscored his independence, promising to “continue to express our position without fear”. “We are not dealing with theory — we are dealing with matters of life and death, with the defence of the state, and we do so while looking directly into the eyes of our soldiers and citizens,” Zamir said in the statement. More to come. Adblock test (Why?)
Nine PSG players dominate Ballon d’Or 2025 nominee list
Nine players from treble-winning Paris Saint-Germain have been nominated for the men’s Ballon d’Or this year, along with the club’s coach Luis Enrique, as France Football announced its list of nominees. Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha are all on the list of 30 players nominated on Thursday for the big prize. Dembele scored 35 goals and claimed 16 assists in all competitions as PSG won the Ligue 1 title, French Cup and Champions League and were Club World Cup runners-up to Chelsea. Other nominees include Barcelona’s Raphinha (34 goals, 25 assists), Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (34 goals, 23 assists), who was named Premier League Player of the Season, and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (34 goals, five assists). Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League [Peter Cziborra/Reuters] Scott McTominay, who won Serie A’s Most Valuable Player after guiding Napoli to the title, was also nominated as the first Scotsman in 38 years to make the shortlist. Barca’s Lamine Yamal (18 goals, 25 assists) made the cut while the 18-year-old winger was also nominated for the Kopa Trophy for best Under-21 player, an award he won last year. Five England players were nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or after their Euros triumph, including goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Leah Williamson. Marta, who came out of retirement to lead Brazil to the women’s Copa America title at the age of 39, was also nominated. Along with Luis Enrique, Enzo Maresca, who guided Chelsea to the Club World Cup title, and Liverpool’s Arne Slot, who won the Premier League crown in his first season at the club, were nominated for the men’s Coach of the Year award. Advertisement Spanish midfielders Rodri and Aitana Bonmati are the current holders of the men’s and women’s Ballon d’Or awards, respectively. The former spent most of last season injured with Manchester City, while Bonmati was a defeated finalist at Euro 2025 as England overcame Spain. Current Ballon d’Or Women’s holder Aitana Bonmati looks dejected after Spain’s Euro 2025 defeat by England [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters] The women’s coach nominees are led by Sonia Bompastor, who won a domestic treble at Chelsea, Renee Slegers, who took Arsenal to their second Champions League crown, and Sarina Wiegman, after she helped England retain their Euros title. Ballon d’Or nominations in full Men: Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Denzel Dumfries, Serhou Guirassy, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Scott McTominay, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Michael Olise, Cole Palmer, Pedri, Raphinha, Declan Rice, Fabian Ruiz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Jr, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, Lamine Yamal Women: Sandy Baltimore, Barbra Banda, Aitana Bonmati, Lucy Bronze, Klara Buehl, Mariona Caldentey, Sofia Cantore, Steph Catley, Temwa Chawinga, Melchie Dumornay, Emily Fox, Cristiana Girelli, Esther Gonzalez, Caroline Graham Hansen, Hannah Hampton, Pernille Harder, Patri Guijarro, Amanda Gutierres, Lindsey Heaps, Chloe Kelly, Frida Leonhardsen-Maanum, Marta, Clara Mateo, Ewa Pajor, Claudia Pina, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Caroline Weir, Leah Williamson Men’s coach of the year: Antonio Conte, Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, Enzo Maresca, Arne Slot Women’s coach of the year: Sonia Bompastor, Arthur Elias, Justine Madugu, Renee Slegers, Sarina Wiegman Men’s club of the year: Barcelona, Botafogo, Chelsea, Liverpool, Paris St Germain Women’s club of the year: Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, OL Lyonnes, Orlando Pride Yashin trophy men: Alisson Becker, Yassine Bounou, Lucas Chevalier, Thibaut Courtois, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Emi Martinez, Jan Oblak, David Raya, Matz Sels, Yann Sommer Yashin trophy women: Ann-Katrin Berger, Cata Coll, Hannah Hampton, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Daphne van Domselaar Men’s Kopa Trophy: Ayyoub Bouaddi, Pau Cubarsi, Desire Doue, Estevao, Dean Huijsen, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Rodrigo Mora, Joao Neves, Lamine Yamal, Kenan Yildiz Women’s Kopa Trophy: Michelle Agyemang, Linda Caicedo, Wieke Kaptein, Vicky Lopez, Claudia Martinez Ovando Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Uttarakhand’s Badrinath route shut amid landslides triggered by heavy fain, viral video shows impact
Heavy rains have created havoc in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, leading to destruction in various parts of the state. Badrinath hill collapse incident near Jogi Dhara in Joshimath in Chamoli district. This has hampered movement along the critical route and has also affected pilgrimage.
Uttarakhand cloudburst: At least 3 dead, 50 missing, 70 rescued in Uttarkashi, 8 jawans swept away in flash floods, rescue operation underway
After the tragic cloudburst in Dharali on August 5, that led to sudden landslide and flash floods in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. At least 70 civilians have been rescued so far. As per reports, 3 are declared dead and 50 people are missing.
Mallikarjun Kharge slams PM Modi over Trump administration doubling tariffs to 50%, calls it ‘foreign policy disaster’
What did the US say about additional tariffs on India? A senior United States Administration Official told ANI that there is simply “no comparison” between the hundreds of billions of dollars of growing Indian imports of Russian oil and the modest US imports of Russian goods.