Paxton drops appeal: Texas to pay $6.6 million to whistleblowers
The Legislature will still have to appropriate the funds to pay the judgment, either during the upcoming special session or during the next regular session.
House Democrats, California leaders weigh tit-for-tat redistricting if Texas Republicans redraw maps
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aides have signaled their boss’s willingness to counter Texas redistricting with a similar move to offset GOP gains, lawmakers said.
Here’s what’s in Trump’s GOP megabill and how it will affect Texans
The wide-ranging bill is the vehicle for much of Trump’s domestic policy agenda, containing key changes that will affect daily life for millions of Texans.
Former Democratic state House candidate among nine indicted for alleged vote harvesting in South Texas
The charges are the latest escalation in a probe that resulted in Texas authorities indicting six other Frio County area officials in May.
NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani identified as Black, Asian on Columbia application: report
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, identified as “Black or African American” on his 2009 Columbia University application even though he now says he does not consider himself Black, The New York Times reported Thursday. According to The Times, the internal data came from a leaked database of past Columbia applications which was part of a recent hack targeting the Ivy League school. Mamdani, then a high school senior, also checked “Asian” and reportedly wrote in “Ugandan” in the space for additional background. He was ultimately not accepted to Columbia even though his father is a professor at the elite school. Now 33, Mamdani told The Times he identifies as “an American who was born in Africa,” and said checking multiple boxes was an effort to reflect his “complex background,” not to gain an edge in the competitive admissions process. FORMER CLINTON ADVISOR SOUNDS ‘9-1-1’ ALARM FOR DEMOCRATS AFTER SOCIALIST’S NYC MAYORAL VICTORY But at the time, Columbia, like many elite universities, used race-conscious admissions, a system the Supreme Court struck down in 2023. “Even though these boxes are constraining,” Mamdani said, “I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.” Mamdani told The Times that aside from those college forms, he doesn’t recall ever identifying as Black or African American. SHARPTON URGES NYC MAYORAL HOPEFUL TO MEET JEWISH LEADERS, TAKE ANTI-ISRAEL RHETORIC ‘OFF THE TABLE’ His parents are both of Indian descent. His father, Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani, has lived in East Africa for generations, but Mamdani said there had been no intermarriage in the family with native African groups. Mamdani has leaned into his South Asian and Muslim identity on the campaign trail. During a June speech at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, he also stressed his African roots: “I was born in Kampala, Uganda… I was given my middle name, Kwame, by my father, who named me after the first Prime Minister of Ghana.” President Donald Trump brought up Mamdani at a rally Wednesday, saying if he interferes with immigration laws “we’ll have to arrest him.” “Look, we don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over them very carefully on behalf of the nation,” Trump added. Mamdani, a self-identified democratic socialist, dismissed the remarks, accusing Trump of “an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: if you speak up, they will come for you. We will not accept this intimidation.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
ICE director says progressive Dem should apologize to voters after calling agency a ‘terrorist force’
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons is calling out the hypocrisy of progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who said the agency is “acting like a terrorist force,” pointing to an earlier attempt by the congresswoman to shift blame away from an actual terrorist. In a social media post this week, Jayapal claimed “ICE is acting like a terrorist force” and that “people across the country of all legal statuses — including U.S. citizens — are being kidnapped and disappeared off the street by masked men.” Jayapal asserted that the federal operations are being carried out with “no oversight, no accountability” and are “completely lawless.” During an interview with Brianna Keilar on “CNN News Central,” Jayapal doubled down on her statement, saying, “What is deranged and cruel and outrageous is that, literally, we are seeing ICE agents, I assume they’re ICE agents. They say they are. They don’t have any identification. They’re wearing masks. They’re in plain clothes. They are coming and kidnapping and disappearing people on the streets of the United States. ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS TAKE OVER LOS ANGELES BRIDGE AS ACLU FILES LAWSUIT “I never in a million years thought that that is something that I would see here in America,” she added. “And so I think it is the administration that has to apologize to U.S. citizens that have been rounded up to legal, permanent residents, to people with legal statuses across the country who are getting swept up, people who have been here for 20 years and committed no crimes, getting swept up by masked men who are kidnaping them and deporting them.” LA OFFICIALS CHARGE OVER 40 ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS WHO ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTED OFFICERS, HORSES AND THREATENED CHILD In response, Lyons said after “an actual Antifa terrorist tried to blow up ICE’s Northwest Processing Center in Rep. Jayapal’s home state of Washington in 2019,” she “tried to blame the violent attack on rhetoric from the right, in defense of an actual terrorist who tried to murder detainees and employees alike! “Now, she labels ICE officers enforcing immigration law set by Congress ‘terrorists,’” said Lyons. “This, at a time when officers are facing a nearly 700% increase in assaults, is in part due to the type of rhetoric she spews.” “Never in a million years did I think I would witness a sitting member of Congress prioritize regard for violent criminals over the law enforcement officers protecting her community from actual public safety threats,” he said. “The only apology needed is from the congresswoman to the people who voted for her.” The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News earlier this week that assaults against ICE officers and federal agents conducting immigration enforcement are up 690% compared to the same time last year. In an interview with Fox News Digital, a special agent working deportations voiced concern about the escalating violence and the effect of Democrats pushing policies to de-mask officials, which they said threatens their families and communities. ICE AGENT SHARES FEARS ABOUT FAMILY SAFETY AS ASSAULTS ON OFFICIALS SURGE The agent said that “whatever happens to us, my family,” Democratic leadership is “directly responsible for it.”
Trump says economy will ‘rocket’ after signing ‘big beautiful bill’: ‘It’s going to be really great’
President Donald Trump on Thursday celebrated Congress’ passage of his “big, beautiful bill,” describing the sweeping measure as “the biggest bill of its kind ever signed” and promising, “it’s going to make this country into a rocket ship. It’s going to be really great.” Earlier in the day, the House narrowly approved the package by a 218-214 vote after a marathon overnight session on Capitol Hill – the final hurdle after the Senate passed the measure earlier in the week. He noted that only two Republican lawmakers, Reps. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, and Brian Fitzpatrick, of Pennsylvania, voted against the bill. Zero Democrats backed it. CONGRESS SENDING TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ TO HIS DESK AFTER DRAMATIC ALL-NIGHT HOUSE VOTE “Well, I was disappointed that [Fitzpatrick] did that. There were two of them that voted down, so I was disappointed that he voted no,” Trump said. He hailed the outcome as a sign of GOP unity heading into the Independence Day weekend. “When you go over the bill it was very easy to get through the House,” Trump said. TRUMP URGES HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO IGNORE ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ AND DELIVER HIS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ BY JULY 4 Trump touted the bill’s broad scope, adding that it provides the “biggest tax cut in history” along with major investments in border security and the military. “Great for security, great on the southern border, immigration is covered, we covered just about everything. Again, it’s the biggest bill ever signed of its kind,” the president said. “We’ll have growth in record numbers,” he added. The White House stated that the bill will “create historic economic growth to usher in America’s Golden Age.” “The bill provides Americans with the largest tax cut in history, paired with a host of other pro-growth policies that will slash our deficits and debt. America is going to take off like a rocket ship!” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. The president also previewed a patriotic signing ceremony set for Independence Day. Trump said he will officially sign the bill at the White House on Friday around 5 p.m., with an array of U.S. Air Force jets soaring overhead in celebration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We’re signing at about 5:00 p.m., and at about 5:00 p.m. we’re going to have B-2s and F-22s and F-35s flying right over the White House… so we’ll be signing with those beautiful planes flying right over our heads,” he told reporters on the tarmac.
Saudi defense minister secretly meets with Trump to discuss Iran de-escalation, Israel: sources
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman secretly met with President Donald Trump and other key officials in the White House on Thursday to discuss de-escalation efforts with Iran, multiple sources confirmed with Fox News. Khalid, also known as KBS, is the younger brother of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Multiple sources told Fox News Channel’s chief political anchor Bret Baier about the meeting. According to sources, the talks included discussions about de-escalation with Iran and getting to the negotiating table. TRUMP TAKES WELL-EARNED VICTORY LAP FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE TRIUMPHS The talks were also reportedly about ending the war in Gaza and negotiating the release of the remaining hostages – whether dead or alive – and about working toward peace in the Middle East. Although the talks were not exclusively about the possibility of normalization with Israel, sources said the conversation dealt with steps that needed to occur to get there. Sources also said, “there was progress and optimism on all fronts.” 4TH ROUND OF US-IRAN TALKS ENDS AS TRUMP SET TO EMBARK ON HISTORIC MIDDLE EAST TOUR The Saudis are in the process of finalizing a defense and trade deal with the U.S., and the message shared between the two allies, sources added, is that they see eye-to-eye on all issues. The meeting comes days after Trump said other nations have suggested they would like to join the Abraham Accords amid recent Middle East shakeups that saw Israel and the U.S. inhibit Iran’s nuclear ambitions during what has been dubbed the “12-Day War.” The Abraham Accords, which sought to normalize relations between Israel, Sunni Gulf States and North African countries, was signed at the White House during the first Trump administration in September 2020. US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on June 25 that expanding the accords is one of the president’s “key objectives” and predicted that the administration will have some “big announcements” on countries coming into the accords soon. TRUMP TARGETS MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN FIRST MIDDLE EAST TRIP Last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt named Syria as one of the nations the president was keen to join, noting their historic meeting in Saudi Arabia earlier in the year. One of the largest Hebrew-language outlets, Israel Hayom, reported Tuesday that Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi believes those countries are Syria and Lebanon as the top Middle East states who could join the Abraham Accords. In May, Trump asked Syrian President al-Sharaa to fully normalize relations with Israel in exchange for sanctions relief. “The barriers of entry for expanding the Abraham Accords are incredibly low. It will not surprise me if President Trump expands the Accords within his second term,” Robert Greenway, former senior director for the National Security Council and key architect of the Abraham Accords, told Maria Bartiromo, on “Mornings With Maria” on FOX Business. After the completion of the Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020, there was a growing expectation among U.S. officials and Middle East experts that Saudi Arabia would follow suit. In February, Fox News Digital reported that Trump administration officials said the White House was seeking an expansion of the Abraham Accords. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Biden administration faced criticism for failing to expand the Abraham Accords and for picking fights with states who made peace with Israel as part of the landmark agreement. Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal, Morgan Phillips and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
Trump administration scores win as Supreme Court approves deportations to third countries
The Supreme Court on Thursday handed President Donald Trump a key immigration win, clearing the way for the deportation of eight migrants from Djibouti to South Sudan, a country not listed in their original removal orders. In a short, unsigned opinion, the justices granted the administration’s request to “clarify” a prior ruling, confirming that their June 23 stay of a lower court injunction also blocked a follow-up remedial order issued May 21. That remedial order had required the government to give the migrants notice and a chance to raise claims under the Convention Against Torture before being sent to a third country. SUPREME COURT SIDES AGAINST MIGRANT IN DEPORTATION CASE “The motion for clarification is granted,” the court wrote. “The May 21 remedial order cannot now be used to enforce an injunction that our stay rendered unenforceable”. The decision gives the Trump administration a green light to move forward with third-country deportations under its executive order, even to destinations not previously clarified in court-approved removal documents. Earlier, a district judge had found the government violated its April injunction by failing to provide a “meaningful opportunity” for six of the migrants to make their case against removal. The Supreme Court stayed that injunction in June, and Thursday’s clarification makes clear the lower court’s follow-up order can’t stand either. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented sharply, accusing the court of enabling deportations that could lead to torture or death. SUPREME COURT RULES ON TRUMP’S THIRD-COUNTRY DEPORTATIONS, IN MAJOR TEST FOR PRESIDENT “Today’s order clarifies only one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial. Respectfully, I dissent,” Sotomayor wrote. “The Government seeks to nullify [basic rights] by deporting noncitizens to potentially dangerous countries without notice or the opportunity to assert a fear of torture.” The ruling strengthens the Trump administration’s hand as it enforces its third-country deportation policy. The Department of Homeland Security celebrated the ruling, releasing a statement Thursday afternoon: “These sickos will be in South Sudan by Independence Day,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “A win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people.” The eight individuals include violent offenders with convictions for murder, robbery, armed assault, and sex crimes involving minors. Among them are Enrique Arias-Hierro, convicted of homicide and armed robbery, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, convicted of attempted first-degree murder; and Kyaw Mya and Nyo Myint, both convicted of serious sex offenses involving minors or vulnerable victims. DHS referred to them as “barbaric criminal illegal aliens” being removed by ICE under Trump’s executive authority. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X regarding the ruling, writing, “This is another incredible victory for America. Thank you to the Supreme Court for ruling on the side of law and order, and affirming the executive authority of the President.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Today’s decision makes clear it is district court judges who are defying Supreme Court orders, not the Trump administration,” David Warrington, White House Counsel wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. “This decision is a clear rebuke of such judicial overreach.”
Scoop: Ramaswamy pledges to spend at least $30M of his money in Ohio’s race for governor
FIRST ON FOX: Vivek Ramaswamy is putting his money where his mouth is. The multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and business leader fueled his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination with over $30 million of his own money. And in a Fox News Digital interview Thursday, Ramaswamy revealed that when it comes to his 2026 Republican campaign for Ohio governor, “we are prepared to invest at the same scale or greater.” “Whatever is required to ensure that we’re successful in really leading the state to the next level,” Ramaswamy said. “Losing this race is not an option. Winning is the only option, and we’re going to win it. And I think that that will require resources of every form.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON VIVEK RAMASWAMY Ramaswamy was interviewed the day after his campaign announced that he had raised nearly $10 million in a little over four months since he announced his gubernatorial candidacy in late February. Ramaswamy’s campaign touted that the money raked in set a “record for the largest first-quarter fundraising total in state history.” “I think it says that we have unprecedented support in our state, and that is a beautiful thing to see this early in a Republican race,” Ramswamy said. “And I think that that’s a powerful signal of unity.” RAMASWAMY LAUNCHES BID FOR OHIO GOVERNOR Ramaswamy, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, noted he’s the only major Republican candidate right now in the race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Mike DeWine. “I’m running unopposed in a Republican primary in a state that is certainly leaning reliably red, and I’m proud to say that we have united, not just the Republicans in Ohio, but we are beginning to draw support from a wide range of nontraditional Republican backers, entrepreneurs, younger people,” he added. State Attorney General Dave Yost launched a gubernatorial campaign but dropped out of the race in May. Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a former longtime Ohio State University head football coach who later served as president of Youngstown State University, said earlier this year he was considering a run for governor. But speculation surrounding Tressel has faded in recent weeks after his initial comments were not followed by any announcement. Asked if he has any concerns about facing a competitive primary, Ramaswamy said, “None, zero.” “I like Jim a lot. He and I have had some great conversations, none of which were about this race,” Ramaswamy said. “I actually consider him to be a guy who is bringing a great spirit and tenor to Ohio. And I view Coach Tressel as an asset that I want to see our state continue to use to revive our sense of unity and spirit and ambition and pursuit of success.” TOP JD VANCE POLITICAL ADVISERS TO PLAY KEY ROLES IN RAMASWAMY CAMPAIGN In the race for the Democratic nomination in the onetime battleground turned red state, former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton launched a gubernatorial bid in January. But all eyes are on former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who narrowly lost his Senate seat in last year’s election to GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno. Brown is thought to be a potential candidate in either the Senate or gubernatorial races. Ramaswamy said he “would love the Democrats to have a competitive primary while I continue to run unopposed in this race.” But he suggested it didn’t matter who the Democrats nominate because “it’s not who we’re running against, it’s what we’re actually running for.” “I think we have incredible strength,” he added before predicting “that we’re going to defeat whoever we are up against by, I believe, a decisive margin.” The 39-year-old Ramaswamy launched his presidential campaign in February 2023 and quickly saw his stock rise as he went from a long shot to a contender for the Republican nomination, as part of a field of candidates challenging Trump. He campaigned on what he called an “America First 2.0” agenda and was one of Trump’s biggest supporters in the field of rivals, calling Trump the “most successful president in our century.” Ramaswamy dropped his White House bid early last year after a distant fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses and quickly endorsed Trump, becoming a top surrogate on the campaign trail. Trump, in the days after his November presidential election victory, named Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, along with Ramaswamy, to steer the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency initiative, better known as DOGE. But in January, as Trump was inaugurated, the new administration announced Ramaswamy was no longer serving at DOGE. Ramaswamy’s exit cleared the way for Musk, Trump’s top donor and, at the time, a key ally, to steer DOGE without having to share the limelight. Ramaswamy quickly moved toward launching a run for governor. Ramaswamy was raised in Evendale, Ohio, in suburban Cincinnati by parents who emigrated from India. His father worked as an engineer at General Electric Aviation, and his mother was a geriatric psychiatrist. Ramaswamy and his family live in suburban Columbus. The candidate noted that “one of my core areas of focus that I think is really resonating, is elevating the standards of educational achievement in our state.” “The No. 1 issue that I see resonating across the board, in a non-partisan manner, is the recognition that we are in the middle of this educational achievement crisis,” he added. And Ramaswamy insisted that “anybody who’s a parent, or even anybody who’s a young person recently graduating from school, recognizes that this is going to be an issue that we have to turn around, to preserve our place, the leading country in the world, and that is the project that we are going to make Ohio ground zero for in the United States.” Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report