Bill requiring Texas hospitals to report the citizenship status of patients killed in House
It is unclear whether the House bill could come back as an amendment to another measure before the legislative session ends June 2.
GOP lawmakers target online pornography, propose interstate ban on obscene content
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced a bill aimed at criminalizing pornography and defining what is obscene and what is not. Lee and Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA) for all states, which, if passed, would make it illegal to transmit obscene content across state lines while also making it easier to prosecute. “Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, but hazy and unenforceable legal definitions have allowed extreme pornography to saturate American society and reach countless children,” Lee said in a news release. “Our bill updates the legal definition of obscenity for the internet age so this content can be taken down and its peddlers prosecuted.” The IODA attempts to clarify the definition of obscenity in all states and gives updated descriptions that are suited to modern content. LAWS PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM ONLINE PORN ARE WINNING IN SOME STATES AS ACTIVISTS PUSH NATIONWIDE SOLUTION Specifically, the new definition removes the current law’s dependence on ever-changing and elusive public opinion and replaces it with practical standards that make obscenity identifiable, according to Lee’s team. Lee and Miller could not be reached by Fox News Digital for comment on their proposed bill. The current legal definition of obscenity originated from a 1973 Supreme Court case, and the standards are subjective and vague, making it difficult to apply to any material. PORNHUB SHUTS DOWN WEBSITE IN TEXAS AFTER GETTING SUED UNDER AGE VERIFICATION LAW Because the pre-internet standards are so vague, they often present challenges in court when it comes to defining what is obscene and ultimately allow “criminals to evade prosecution,” the press release said. Lee’s IODA defines “obscenity” within the Communications Act of 1934 and “appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion.” PORNHUB PARENT COMPANY SUED BY TEXAS AG FOR FAILING TO VERIFY USERS’ AGES The bill also “depicts, describes or represents actual or simulated sex acts” intended to “arouse, titillate or gratify” a person’s sexual desires. Adding to that, the bill identifies obscene material as that which “lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” The IODA also removes the “intent” requirement, which only prohibits the transmission of obscene material for the purpose of abusing, threatening or harassing an individual. “The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act equips law enforcement with the tools they need to target and remove obscene material from the internet, which is alarmingly destructive and far outside the bounds of protected free speech under the Constitution,” Miller said. “I’m proud to lead this effort in the House with Sen. Lee to safeguard American families and ensure this dangerous material is kept out of our homes and off our screens.”
Minnesota Republican announces campaign for governor, vows to ‘fix’ what Tim Walz ‘broke’
FIRST ON FOX: Army veteran and business executive Kendall Qualls has officially launched his campaign to challenge former Democrat vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz to be the next governor of Minnesota. While Walz has not yet formally announced a third consecutive gubernatorial bid, Qualls, who also ran for governor in 2022, framed the race for Minnesota’s highest office as an opportunity to fix the problems Walz created. “I’m running because, after a 16-year reign of failed leadership, the citizens of Minnesota are looking for a different direction. They’re looking for new leadership, and I’m here to make sure they get it,” Qualls told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview ahead of his campaign launch on Tuesday night. In a statement shared first with Fox News Digital, Qualls said he is the only candidate who can help Minnesota reach its potential. WALZ SAYS HARRIS PICKED HIM FOR VP TO ‘CODE TALK TO WHITE GUYS’ “I don’t need to tell you that Minnesota is at a crossroads,” Qualls said in a statement. “Tim Walz took us further down the road of lost jobs, fleeing companies, rising crime and cratering education. Now, he’s spending more time outside the state on a vanity tour than he is trying to move Minnesota forward. That’s not leadership.” WHITE HOUSE TORCHES TIM WALZ’S SPEECH ABOUT TRUMP’S ‘GULAGS,’ ‘CHAOS’: ‘HIS LARGEST CITY BURNED TO THE GROUND’ Qualls explained that Minnesotans want to build the economy, feel safe in their communities and improve education, but “we’re not going to get any of those changes from Tim Walz.” “I’m the only candidate who can help Minnesota live up to its potential. If we are going to fix the budget Tim Walz broke, we need a proven leader with real-world business experience. If we are going to take back our streets and our classrooms, we need a candidate with a conservative backbone and law and order credentials,” Qualls said. Qualls said the only way to create the change that Minnesotans are asking for is to bring in a political outsider like himself. “Much like President Trump with his experience in business and leadership, my background has been in business. And before that, I was an officer in the United States Army. And even before that, I grew up in dire poverty. I know that there’s a formula for success in this country, even if we don’t come from a background of privilege,” Qualls said. The gubernatorial candidate said he wants Americans to know there is a pathway forward in the United States for anyone to succeed, regardless of their background or where they went to school. But Qualls said the government has a responsibility to get out of the way of those pathways to success. “There are pathways out. And unfortunately, what I’m finding with the Democrats is that they have been closing those doors of prosperity. When I turned 18 years old, I registered as a Republican, and I never looked back. I didn’t know any Republicans. I didn’t have a country club membership, but what I did know was what the Democrats were doing in the Black community was something I didn’t want to be a part of. They weren’t helping. They were making things worse,” Qualls said, who grew up in poverty in Harlem in New York and in a trailer park in Oklahoma. While Qualls is presenting his campaign as the only alternative to what he describes as the destruction of Minnesota’s current Democrat rule, it’s not his first time running for the state’s highest office. “In this last election, I finished number two out of seven candidates in the Republican endorsement process. I agreed to abide by the endorsement. I actually endorsed. The candidate that won. But unfortunately, in that election in 2022, we lost everything, the governorship, Senate, House, attorney general, everything. And a lot of people felt that maybe we had the wrong candidate at the top of the ticket,” Qualls said. But Qualls said this time is different. “I worked around the state for four years helping candidates raise money, just rallying the troops,” Qualls said. “There’s a sense of true leadership that people haven’t seen before.” Leaning on his increased name recognition this time around, Qualls said he is focused on building a grassroots coalition of Minnesota Republicans who are ready for change. Walz did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Bill to ban child marriages in Texas advances in the House
Before the House takes a final vote on the bill, it could face a proposal that would allow adults and minors to marry if their age gap is three years or less.
Supreme Court to debate Trump restrictions on birthright citizenship and enforcement of nationwide injunctions
The case on the Supreme Court’s docket this week ostensibly deals with a challenge to the Trump administration’s efforts to narrow the definition of birthright citizenship. But overriding that important constitutional debate is a more immediate and potentially far-reaching test of judicial power: the ability of individual federal judges to issue universal or nationwide injunctions, preventing temporary enforcement of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive actions. That will be the focus when the nine justices hear oral arguments Thursday morning about how President Trump’s restrictions on who can be called an American citizen can proceed in the lower federal courts. Trump signed the executive order on his first day back in office that would end automatic citizenship for children of people in the U.S. illegally. SUPREME COURT POISED TO MAKE MAJOR DECISION THAT COULD SET LIMITS ON THE POWER OF DISTRICT JUDGES Separate coalitions of about two dozen states, along with immigrant rights groups, and private individuals — including several pregnant women in Maryland — have sued. Three separate federal judges subsequently issued orders temporarily blocking enforcement across the country while the issues are fully litigated in court. Appeals courts have declined to disturb those rulings. Now the three consolidated cases come to the high court in an unusual scenario, a rare May oral argument that has been fast-tracked for an expected ruling in coming days or weeks. The executive order remains on hold nationwide until the justices decide. But the cases will likely not be decided on the merits at this stage, only on whether to narrow the scope of those injunctions. That would allow the policy to take effect in limited parts of the country or only to those plaintiffs actually suing over the president’s authority. SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ORAL ARGUMENTS IN BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP CASE A high court decision could be sweeping, setting a precedent that would affect the more than 310 — and counting — federal lawsuits against White House actions filed since Jan. 20, according to a Fox News data analysis. Of those, more than 200 judicial orders have halted large parts of the president’s agenda from being enacted, almost 40 of them nationwide injunctions. Dozens of other cases have seen no legal action so far on gateway issues like temporary enforcement. While the Supreme Court has never ruled directly on the use of universal injunctions, several conservative justices have expressed concerns over power. Justice Clarence Thomas in 2018 labeled them “legally and historically dubious,” adding, “These injunctions are beginning to take a toll on the federal court system – preventing legal questions from percolating through the federal courts, encouraging forum shopping, and making every case a national emergency for the courts and for the Executive Branch.” And it comes to the Supreme Court as part of the so-called emergency or “shadow” docket, time-sensitive appeals known officially as “applications” that usually arrive in the early stages. They seek to temporarily block or delay a lower court or government action that, despite its procedurally narrow posture, can have immediate and far-reaching implications. Things like requests for stays of execution, voting restrictions, COVID vaccine mandates or access to a federally approved abortion medication and, since January, Trump’s sweeping executive reform plans. Some members of the court have expressed concern that these kinds of appeals are arriving with greater frequency in recent years, high-profile issues leading to rushed decisions without the benefit of full briefing or deliberation. ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES KEEP TRYING TO CURB TRUMP’S AGENDA – HERE’S HOW HE COULD PUSH BACK Justice Elena Kagan last year said the shadow docket’s caseload has been “relentless,” adding, “We’ve gotten into a pattern where we’re doing too many of them.” The pace this term has only increased with the new administration frustrated at dozens of lower court setbacks. “We’ve seen a lot of justices critical of the fact that the court is taking an increasing number of cases and deciding them using the shadow docket,” said Thomas Dupree, a former top Justice Department lawyer and a top appellate advocate. “These justices say, ‘Look, we don’t have to decide this on an emergency basis. We can wait.’” Many progressive lawyers complain the Trump administration has been too eager to bypass the normal district and intermediate appellate court process, seeking quick, end-around Supreme Court review on consequential questions of law only when it loses. The debate over birthright citizenship and injunctions is expected to expose further ideological divides on the court’s 6-3 conservative majority. That is especially true when it comes to the 13 challenges over Trump policies that have reached the justices so far, with six of them awaiting a ruling. The court’s three more liberal justices have pushed back at several preliminary victories for the administration, including its ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport scores of illegal immigrants suspected of criminal gang activity in the U.S. TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE Dissenting in one such emergency appeal over the deportations to El Salvador, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, “The Government’s conduct in this litigation poses an extraordinary threat to the rule of law.” “Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. And our job is to be the champion of lost causes,” Sotomayor separately told an American Bar Association audience last week. “But, right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing. And we need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight.” Trump has made no secret of his disdain for judges who have ruled against his policies or at least blocked them from being immediately implemented. He called for the formal removal of one federal judge after an adverse decision over deporting illegal immigrants. That prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public statement, saying, “Impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” And in separate remarks last week, the chief justice underscored the judiciary’s
DHS fires back at blue-city mayor unhappy about ICE operation, provides rap sheets for those charged
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday fired back at Democrat Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell‘s public accusation that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “do not share [the state’s] values of safety” after a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) operation in coordination with ICE resulted in nearly 200 illegal immigrant arrests. ICE and THP announced 196 arrests of illegal immigrants during the Nashville effort, 95 of whom had prior criminal convictions and pending criminal charges. More than 30 were previously removed individuals who reentered the U.S. illegally, a felony offense under federal law. ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS Despite the operation’s success in protecting Americans from illegal immigrants, DHS officials wrote in a news release that O’Connell “stands by pro-illegal policies, claiming that these operations were done by ‘people who do not share our values of safety.’” DHS noted “attacks and demonization of ICE” have resulted in officers facing a 413% increase in assaults. “You would think all public officials would unite around DHS bringing violent criminal illegal aliens to justice and removing them from American communities,” DHS Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release. “However, pro-open borders politicians – like Mayor O’Connell – would rather protect illegal aliens than American citizens.” TRUMP NABS 30K ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, 1,100 GANG MEMBERS IN 100 DAYS: ‘CRIME WILL GO DOWN,’ EX-FBI AGENT SAYS “This operation resulted in getting gang members, sex offenders, and other violent criminals off Nashville’s streets,” McLaughlin added. “President [Donald] Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem will continue to stand with victims and the brave ICE agents who are on the front lines, making America safe again.” Though O’Connell launched the “Belonging Fund” to provide taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants in Nashville, DHS officials stood firm, saying, “BOTTOM LINE: DHS is [a] law enforcement agency, and it will continue to enforce the law and work with all state and local partners so that Americans do not continue to be victimized by criminal aliens.” Below are detainees who ICE officials said were nabbed during the Nashville operation. Jassim Jafaf Al-Raash, a 60-year-old illegal immigrant from Iraq, was previously convicted of rape, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, according to DHS officials. He was also convicted of larceny and false imprisonment, for which he was sentenced to nearly a year in prison, and charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Al-Raash had a final order of removal dated Sept. 1, 2021, according to DHS. Franklin Oswaldo Velasquez, a 33-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, is allegedly affiliated with the MS-13 gang, according to DHS. He has an active Red Notice in El Salvador for aggravated murder, which is a worldwide wanted alert. Velasquez was convicted of possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to appear and criminal impersonation, according to DHS. NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’ Inmar Antonio Penado-Membreno, a 34-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was previously convicted of possession with intent to manufacture, deliver, or sell cocaine, for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison, according to DHS. Penado-Membreno was also convicted of aggravated assault, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, officials said. Richard St. Baptiste, a 36-year-old illegal immigrant from Haiti, was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, for which he was sentenced to eight years of probation, according to DHS. He was also convicted of marijuana possession, for which he was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment, according to officials. Carlos Reinaldo Alvarado-Rodriguez, a 39-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was previously convicted of aggravated assault, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison, according to DHS. DHS and O’Connell’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Texas Legislature approves bill to ease polling place requirements for countywide voting
The bill would reduce the minimum number of polling places that Texas counties must have, rolling back a 2023 law that created challenges for election administrators.
Judge upholds Trump’s authority to deport criminal migrants under Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Tuesday said the Trump administration can invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport criminal illegal immigrant members of the Venezuelan Tren De Aragua gang, but that it has not given adequate prior notice to those subject to removal, before those deportations can take place, which would allow possible due process and habeas legal challenges. The 43-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines, a Trump appointee, conflicts with other rulings challenging the administration’s deportation efforts. TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS’ VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS “Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will,” Haines wrote. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House. Trump issued an executive order on March 14, “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of the United States by Tren De Aragua.” Tuesday’s ruling was confined to Venezuelan aliens who are not naturalized or lawful permanent residents, 14 years or older, and have been specifically designated as part of a Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically Tren de Aragua. NOEM RIPS DEMOCRATS OVER SUPPORT FOR DEPORTED MIGRANT Earlier this month, another judge stated that he would not prevent the administration from deporting individuals in the U.S. illegally but that the Alien Enemies Act could not be used as a basis to expel alleged gang members from the country. “The question that this lawsuit presents is whether the President can utilize a specific statute, the AEA, to detain and remove Venezuelan aliens who are members of [Tren de Aragua]” U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., another Trump appointee, wrote in his order. “As to that question, the historical record renders clear that the president’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms,” the order states.
WATCH: Newark mayor compares self to biblical hero in wake of ICE protest arrest: ‘This is our David moment’
Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka compared his arrest at a federal immigration center last week to the Bible’s accounts of King David, telling a crowd at a political rally in his city Tuesday afternoon that it was “our David moment.” Baraka has repeatedly insisted he did nothing wrong, calling his tactics “absolutely effective” during a Democrat primary debate for the race for governor in New Jersey that took place Monday evening. He followed up the defense of his tactics Tuesday by comparing his arrest to the story of King David in the Bible. “This is our David moment,” Baraka told a crowd of several dozen supporters at a rally in his hometown on Tuesday. “Many of us miss our David moment because we [are] trying to run away from confrontation and controversy. But your crowd lives in the middle of controversy. The thing that has been promised to you is surrounded by high walls, and the gates are guarded by giants. If you’re running from conflict and controversy, then you’ll never get what’s promised of you. This is our David moment.” FAR-LEFT MAYOR ARRESTED AT ICE FACILITY DENIES IMPEDING LAW ENFORCEMENT, SAYS PROTEST ‘ABSOLUTELY’ EFFECTIVE Baraka told supporters that he physically could not have done anything to prevent his arrest at the immigration detention center on Friday, telling them his body “froze” involuntarily after being told he was going to be arrested for trespassing at the facility. “When the congressman came to the gate and was like, ‘Mayor, they said they’re going to arrest you.’ That was a David moment,” Baraka said Tuesday. “I could have gotten in the car and ran. I could have said, ‘I’m getting out of here, maybe they’ll arrest me at work or at home or whatever.’ But I froze. I froze – not even actively or deliberately – my body froze. My body – my body froze, like, ‘This is it, you’re supposed to be here. Whatever they going to do, they going to do it.’” Baraka’s arrest occurred during a protest at Delaney Hall attended by three members of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER? The three congressional lawmakers and Baraka were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. All four officials then allegedly rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. In addition to comparing his debacle with federal authorities to King David, Baraka also made light of his arrest Tuesday, quipping that he was speaking to attendees at the rally Tuesday “as a returning citizen.” “Pardon me, ‘formerly incarcerated,’” Baraka said, garnering laughter from the crowd. NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITY CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “They told me I got to check in, and they ain’t talking about the hood either,” Baraka added. “I got to check in, I have to give them all my information, all this stuff, all my family’s information. I mean, I’m making light of it, but it’s real. I got to go to court Thursday. Are these people … serious? They’re really trying to go forward with this and leverage it to make me be quiet.” Baraka confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he was back at the detention facility Tuesday morning. The Newark mayor also confirmed that he participated in a pretrial intervention phone call ahead of a Thursday court hearing over the matter. Media reports have indicated that Baraka plans to plead not guilty.
TribCast: Can Texas make its housing more affordable?
In this week’s episode, we discuss Texas’ rising home prices and the steps the Legislature is taking to reduce them.