Texas’ longstanding “Robin Hood” school finance system will face a new legal challenge
Midland school trustees argue they have minimal control over local taxes and can’t properly serve students as a recapture system redistributes millions of the district’s revenue.
Cornyn votes for Trump diplomatic nominees after securing funds for global HIV/AIDS initiative
The Republican senator from Texas had threatened to withhold his vote on Trump’s ambassador nominees unless the White House unlocked the freeze on a fund meant for HIV/AIDS prevention.
Higher education agency prepares to cut 3% of spending as ordered by Texas leaders
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board mulled a course action at a meeting Wednesday, including asking the Legislature for money to offset the impact the cuts would have on students.
Jack Smith hit with criminal referral as GOP moves testimony fight toward prosecution
FIRST ON FOX: Former Biden special counsel Jack Smith could face potential criminal prosecution after Republicans accused the ex-prosecutor of misleading Congress about the scope of his investigation into President Donald Trump. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, issued a criminal referral for Smith Wednesday, arguing newly released records contradict Smith’s testimony to his committee that he did not obtain or review lawmakers’ text messages during his multiple probes into President Donald Trump. “All individuals have an obligation to comply with a duly authorized congressional inquiry. Mr. Smith, a former public servant, is no different,” Jordan wrote in a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday. “Yet his testimony included intentionally false statements designed to obstruct the Committee’s oversight. “His conduct can only be understood as an effort to thwart the Committee’s inquiry by intentionally making false statements and representations before Congress,” Jordan continued, adding that the Justice Department should examine whether Smith’s actions warrant criminal charges. VETERAN DEM BREAKS PARTY LINE AS JACK SMITH SPYING SCANDAL GRIPS CAPITOL HILL Jordan’s letter accused Smith of making false statements during a December deposition before the House Judiciary Committee. Specifically, Jordan argued that “responses provided by Mr. Smith gave the impression that neither Mr. Smith nor his team had access to the content of members’ privileged text messages.” “We now know this to be false,” the letter adds. The referral comes after Smith faced mounting scrutiny from Republicans over allegedly weaponizing the Justice Department and violating constitutional privacy protections during his investigations into alleged interference during the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified documents. He has denied any wrongdoing. And Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, blasted Jordan’s referral. “This referral deliberately distorts and misstates the facts, including what questions the Republicans actually asked at Mr. Smith’s interview. The Republicans fault Mr. Smith for not reading the minds of congressional investigators and for not volunteering information they didn’t ask for. This is absurd. Mr. Smith may be telegenic but he is not telepathic,” Raskin said in a statement. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released documents last week showing Smith’s team read the text messages of 44 members of Congress from both parties and White House staff during its investigation. Targeted lawmakers included Jordan and Grassley in addition to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. Trump officials affected included former Vice President Mike Pence, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, FBI Director Kash Patel and Ivanka Trump, among others in the president’s orbit during his first term. BIDEN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S ‘RUNAWAY TRAIN’ SCOOPED UP SENSITIVE LAWMAKER INFO: ‘ABUSE OF POWER’ Grassley’s office also found that Smith’s team appeared to violate investigative protocols by accessing text messages that had not been reviewed by a “filter team,” a safeguard designed to prevent investigators from accessing privileged information, according to the documents. When Smith was asked by congressional investigators if he examined the contents of lawmakers’ text messages during his probe, he said, “no.” He told the House Judiciary Committee his team only sought telephone toll records. “Toll records were sought for historical telephone routing information, collected after calls had taken place, identifying the incoming and outgoing call numbers, the time of the calls and their duration,” Smith testified in December. “Toll records do not include the content of calls.” The Justice Department told Fox News Digital when reached for comment, “The Department can confirm receipt of the criminal referral from the House Judiciary Committee and will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.”
Trump salutes ‘great heroes’ as he attends dignified transfer of US service members killed in Jordan, Iraq
President Donald Trump on Wednesday saluted the flag-draped caskets of four U.S. service members recently killed in action in Jordan and Iraq while attended a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Trump stood alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as they paid tribute to 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York; and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, who were killed in Jordan, and Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who was killed in Iraq. Trump told reporters ahead of the ceremony the service members were “great heroes.” “We’re going to honor them. And it’s one of the hardest things to do — for me, it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president. But it has to be done,” Trump added. US SOLDIER KILLED IN JORDAN ATTACK REMEMBERED AS LIVING ‘LIFE OF COURAGE AND SELFLESSNESS’ “All I’m going to say is we love you. We love your child,” Trump said when asked if he had a message for the families. “And that’s what they are to them. They’re their children. There’s no games, no nothing. That’s their child. And all you could do is throw out your heart.” Feehan’s parents, Stephen and Shari, told KUTV Tuesday, “No parents could have asked for a better son, and carrying your legacy forward is now our purpose. “To that end, we’re building a scholarship in his name — one meant to open doors to education for those who serve or hope to. We’re starting it with his death gratuity, and we welcome anyone moved to give.” RUBIO ACCUSES IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL INTO YEMEN AS HOUTHI THREAT ESCALATES U.S. Central Command said over the weekend that the service members were killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan as CENTCOM and partner forces “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.” Swinton was killed while troops attempted to destroy a downed Iranian attack drone Sunday at an air base in Iraq. Both incidents remain under investigation. Fox News’ Eric Mack and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Survivor of Hamas terror attack in Israel slams Mamdani over ‘dangerous’ video about Netanyahu
A survivor of the Nova music festival terrorist attack by Hamas pushed back against a video released by Zohran Mamdani calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal,” saying the New York City mayor’s comments were “dangerous.” Mazal Tazazo made the remark in a video shared on X by radio host Jason Rantz, one day after Mamdani said Netanyahu was “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” In Mamdani’s message, he said he agreed with the International Criminal Court that “Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested and tried for his crimes” and urged the federal government to carry out an arrest warrant if Netanyahu visits New York City in September for the U.N. General Assembly. MAMDANI GOES BACK ON CAMPAIGN PROMISE, SAYS NYC CAN’T ARREST NETANYAHU “I was shocked today when I saw that video. It’s so dangerous,” Tazazo said. “What’s happening there is not genocide. People died. Yes, this is a war. It’s very sad. But why? Because the terrorists hide behind their people,” she continued, referencing statements from the Israel Defense Forces that Hamas uses civilian buildings as cover for their military activity. “If you want to really want to understand what’s going on here, so come,” she added. “I’m Mazal Tazazo, nice to meet you, survivor of the Nova. You can come to Israel, nobody gonna arrest you, OK? You can come to Israel and hear my story and hear the story of Israel and go around the place.” Rantz wrote on X that Tazazo “absolutely unloaded on Zohran Mamdani for threatening to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.” NEW YORK DEMOCRAT HOPES MAMDANI WON’T BE ‘ARRESTING ANYONE’ AFTER RECENT NETANYAHU COMMENTS Mamdani said in his own video posted on X Tuesday that “my administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. “He is responsible for the killing of more than 73,000 people, for the maiming of tens of thousands of children, as those who survive undergo amputation without anesthesia, for the targeting of neonatal hospitals and maternity care centers, denying newborns even the chance to live, for the countless people he starved as he blocked food and humanitarian aid from reaching them,” Mamdani also claimed about Netanyahu.
Far-left ‘Squad’ Dems mix up Jewish colleagues in botched attack — then get burned by their own votes
A social media attack by two far-left House Democrats on moderate Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., backfired after one confused him with another Jewish Democrat named Josh, and a New Jersey centrist used their votes for Ukraine aid to turn the exchange back on them. The clash erupted after Gottheimer criticized the growing influence of democratic socialists within the Democratic Party. “The DSA are not Democrats. They’re socialists, who want to hijack the Democratic Party,” he wrote in an X post Monday. DEMOCRATIC INFIGHTING GROWS AS CONGRESSWOMAN EXPOSES ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ WELCOME OF SOCIALISTS INTO ‘BIG TENT’ “The Democrats have a big tent. That’s our strength. We embrace a range of ideas — but there’s no room for anti-American bomb-throwers who oppose our ideas, values, & leaders.” The next day, Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., fired back by accusing him of being among the Democrats who “sign bombs and vote to drop them,” apparently confusing Gottheimer with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Shapiro, not Gottheimer, signed an artillery shell bound for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2024 visit to Pennsylvania, Fox News Digital reported in September 2024. “You know that’s the other Jewish guy named Josh, right?” Gottheimer said in response to Lee. “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., then jumped in to defend Lee, writing that Shapiro had signed “the bombs you voted to be dropped.” HOUSE DEMOCRATS FRACTURE BADLY OVER MASSIE AMENDMENT TO CUT $3.3B IN U.S. AID TO ISRAEL Neither Omar nor Lee identified a specific vote, but Gottheimer turned the accusation back on both lawmakers by pointing out that they had voted for a $60.8 billion Ukraine aid package before Shapiro signed the Ukraine-bound artillery shell. “Ilhan, you know who else voted for it?” Gottheimer said in response, including a screenshot of the “Official House Roll Call” for the April 2024 vote on H.R. 8035. “You.” The exchange comes as Gottheimer has increasingly accused his own party of applying a double standard to antisemitism. In a May New York Times opinion piece, the Jewish congressman argued that Democrats routinely condemn antisemitism from the political right but are too often silent when it emerges from the far left, calling the disparity a “glaring double standard.” That intraparty divide has also widened over support for Israel. According to the official House roll call, Lee and Omar were among 103 Democrats who voted last week for a failed amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would have prohibited funds in the underlying bill from being used for Israel and reduced the foreign military financing account by $3.3 billion. Gottheimer voted against the amendment. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Gottheimer, Lee and Omar for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Newsom turns to Hunter Biden’s high-powered ex-lawyer as federal scrutiny closes in on his family, allies
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, have turned to Hunter Biden’s former attorney as federal investigators scrutinize financial and nonprofit matters involving the first partner and a separate federal fraud case has ensnared the governor’s former chief of staff. The hiring of prominent Washington defense lawyer Abbe Lowell, whose recent clients have included high-profile figures who have clashed with Trump, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and former President Joe Biden’s son, comes as Newsom dismisses the scrutiny as a politically motivated “fishing expedition” aimed at one of President Donald Trump’s most visible Democratic opponents. In a news conference Tuesday, the California governor confirmed he had obtained Lowell’s counsel. GAVIN NEWSOM CLAIMS TRUMP ORDERED DOJ PROBE TARGETING HIM AND HIS WIFE Lowell, a veteran white-collar defense attorney who served as House Democrats’ chief minority counsel during former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, has represented a bipartisan roster of political heavyweights over his decades-long career. His past clients include Hunter Biden, Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Democratic Sens. Bob Menendez and John Edwards and an employee of longtime Trump ally Tom Barrack. More recently, Lowell has represented several prominent figures who say they have been targeted by the Trump administration, including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor and whistleblower attorney Mark Zaid. Lowell did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions in time for publication. At least two criminal investigations connected to Newsom’s family and political orbit have been handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, according to CalMatters. Citing a Justice Department source familiar with the matter, the outlet reported that both originated with whistleblowers and people in Sacramento. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEWSOM-LINKED CHARITIES REPORTEDLY CAUGHT IN DOJ’S SIGHTS One inquiry reportedly involves tax-related scrutiny involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom and financial arrangements connected to her nonprofit and filmmaking work. The other centered on former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson, who later pleaded guilty in a separate federal fraud case that prosecutors say grew out of an investigation launched during the Biden administration. The Los Angeles Times reported that nonprofits and a for-profit production company founded by Siebel Newsom are at the center of the federal scrutiny into her charity and business finances. The Justice Department and FBI have not commented publicly on the investigation, according to the Times. The Justice Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions in time for publication. Among the organizations identified by the Times is the Representation Project, a nonprofit that federal tax records show has paid Siebel Newsom more than $1.9 million in compensation. The nonprofit also awarded roughly $2.2 million in contracts to Girls Club Entertainment, a for-profit production company separately owned by Siebel Newsom. CRUZ PUSHES BILL TO HOLD TAX-EXEMPT SPONSORS ACCOUNTABLE AS DOJ PROBES SINGHAM NETWORK The Times also identified the California Partners Project, another nonprofit founded by Siebel Newsom. State disclosures reviewed by the outlet show it has received nearly $5.1 million in “behested payments” reported by the governor since 2020. Behested payments are donations made at an elected official’s request for charitable, legislative or governmental purposes rather than contributions to the official’s political campaign. Newsom and his wife have maintained that the current Justice Department is weaponizing investigations in retaliation for the pair’s criticism of Trump and his national political profile. However, in an interview last week with MS NOW, Siebel Newsom was asked about the origin of the probes and said she did not know the details. Newsom’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether he has been contacted by any federal investigators in relation to these cases or any others. However, Newsom did tell KCRA-3 in California during a news conference Tuesday he believes it is just a matter of time until he does. “It’s inevitable, come on,” Newsom said when asked about any contact from federal investigators. “Look at who we’re dealing with.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, which referred all questions to the Justice Department.
Trump gives emotional tribute to fallen Army Lt Tyler Feehan after flying grieving family on Air Force One
President Donald Trump paid an emotional tribute to fallen Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan during an event Wednesday at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, revealing he invited the slain soldier’s grieving family aboard Air Force One. The family was in the crowd after Trump met with them earlier in the day at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Trump traveled to Georgia after attending the dignified transfer ceremony of four U.S. service members killed in Jordan, including Feehan, and the president met Feehan’s parents, Shari and Stephen, and his uncle David. Speaking to the crowd, Trump recounted learning the family was also headed to Georgia after the ceremony. TRUMP TAKES INAUGURAL FLIGHT ABOARD NEW AIR FORCE ONE AHEAD OF LIBRARY DEBUT HONORING FAMED OUTDOORSMAN “I said, ‘If you want, I’ll give you a ride on Air Force One,’” Trump told the audience. “Today they were on Air Force One, and it’s quite nice, I must say.” Trump said the family was “heartbroken” but grateful for the gesture. “They couldn’t believe it,” he said. “They live minutes away. We’re here today.” ARMY IDS 2 VICTIMS KILLED IN JORDAN AIR BASE ATTACK; TRUMP: IRAN WILL PAY ‘MANY TIMES OVER’ Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, was among four U.S. service members killed in Jordan while supporting a U.S. mission. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was also among those killed. U.S. Central Command announced the deaths Saturday. Trump said he reviews biographies of fallen service members before each dignified transfer and described Feehan as an exceptional young officer with a promising future. DEMOCRATIC MARYLAND GOV WES MOORE PRAISES TRUMP ACCOUNTS AS ‘SMART POLICY’ “Lieutenant Tyler Feehan … he was a person that was going all the way,” Trump said. “He was going to be a general. He would have been a general very quickly. He was heading in that path.” Trump then thanked Feehan’s family, whom he said he got to know during the flight from Dover to Georgia aboard Air Force One. “But I just want to thank Tyler’s mother, Shari; his father, Stephen; and his uncle David. Great people. I got to know them a little bit on the plane and standing there and watching this site,” he said. Calling dignified transfers the most difficult responsibility of the presidency, Trump said he would never forget the family. “I think it’s the toughest thing I do,” Trump said. “But to Shari and Stephen and David, we will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever. I just want to thank you. It’s an honor to have you here today.” The audience responded with sustained applause before Trump addressed Feehan’s mother directly. “Shari, he’s looking down right here,” Trump said. “He’s so proud right now.” Trump visited Georgia on Wednesday to tout his administration’s Trump Accounts initiative, saying the program would help families build long-term savings for their children as part of what he described as America’s “Golden Age.”
Fox News Poll: Voters want major change amid economic and political discontent
Several findings in the latest Fox News Poll show voters are unhappy and want major change, which bodes well for Democrats in November: President Donald Trump’s job approval remains near a record low, more Democrats are motivated to vote, Republicans join Democrats and independents in rating the economy negatively, and 4 in 10 voters want “dramatic” or “revolutionary” change. Plus, more view the GOP as tied to elites than the Democratic Party. Voters say Democrats can better handle income inequality (+22 points), healthcare (+21), inflation (+10), the economy (+9), and foreign policy (+7). Republicans hold the advantage on crime (+7 points), while government spending (Democrats +3) and national security (R +2) are more evenly divided. On immigration, the GOP had an 8-point edge in April. Now, Democrats are preferred by one point. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE More Democrats (68%) say they are extremely motivated to vote in November than Republicans (57%) by an 11-point margin. By a 25-point spread, more MAGA Republicans (66%) are extremely motivated than non-MAGA Republicans (41%). FOX NEWS POLL: A CLOSE SENATE CONTEST IS BREWING IN IOWA If the election were today, 53% of voters would back the Democratic candidate in their House district and 46% the Republican. That 7-point edge is just outside the poll’s margin of error. Democrats were up by 5 points in April. Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996. When looking only at counties where the 2024 presidential vote was close — Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris within 10 points — the Democratic candidate leads by 59-41%. “Although these data look promising for the Democrats, some of their support is in less-contested districts, padding their national totals without adding House seats,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News polls with Democrat Chris Anderson. “The best estimates I’ve seen suggest the GOP could retain the House even if the Democrats win the national vote by 2-3 points, but if Democrats win by 6-7 points, they probably take the House.” The Democratic advantage comes amid weak ratings for Trump and continued economic pessimism. Trump’s job approval stands at 39%, unchanged for the third month in a row and one point above his low of 38% in October 2017. Approval of Trump is a touch lower than former President Barack Obama’s at the same point in his second term (42% in July 2014). Trump received net-negative ratings for handling immigration (42% approve, 57% disapprove), Iran (34-66%), the economy (33-67%), and inflation (27-73%). Three-quarters rate the economy negatively, about the same for the past six months. Another three quarters say inflation has caused them financial hardship, including 34% who say “serious” hardship, up from 26% last year. Fifty-four percent expect the economy to worsen in the coming year; only Republicans express optimism (71%), while Democrats (75%) and independents (64%) expect it to worsen. Dissatisfaction extends beyond individual figures to both political parties and the broader economic system. “Democrats and Republicans have a surprisingly broad array of shared beliefs about politics today,” says Shaw. “Both think elected officials answer to the elites, both think the system is rigged, both want to see new blood in office, both feel betrayed by their party, both disapprove of their members in Congress, and both want a mandatory retirement age for Congress.“ Some 70% say the Republican Party is closely tied to elite interests, while 55% say the same about the Democratic Party. The 15-point gap reflects more Democrats and independents saying the GOP is tied to elites, yet even Republicans are equally likely to describe both parties as close to elites. There’s disillusionment in both parties. Many Democrats (48%) and Republicans (41%) say they feel betrayed by their party, and for both it is primarily for selling out to special interests. Perceptions that the political system favors elites are reshaping views of the economy as well. The number who accept income inequality because “that’s how our economy works” has fallen 16 points compared to 2014 (from 62% to 46%), while the share who want government action has more than doubled (from 13% to 30%). At the same time, an increasing number, 65%, think the country’s system is rigged in favor of the wealthy (up 9 points compared to 2019). By 2-to-1, voters say it is more important to elect new people than keep those with experience. Overall, 19% say they want revolutionary change in the nation’s government, while many others want substantial (38%) or dramatic (23%) change. Almost twice as many Democrats (52%) as Republicans (28%) want dramatic or revolutionary change. Nearly 7 in 10 voters disapprove of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Some 32% of Republicans disapprove of their party’s lawmakers, while 39% of Democrats disapprove of theirs. More than 8 in 10 independents disapprove of both. Fully 85% support a mandatory retirement age for members of Congress, up 20 points since 2002. Of those in favor of setting a cap, 80% think it should be before age 75, with 61% selecting a cutoff between 65 and 74 — a boundary supported by more than half of every generation. Just 50% of voters have a positive view of capitalism, down from a high of 57% in 2019. For socialism, it’s 30% favorable, up from 27% last year but below the 32% who said the same in 2021. The Democratic Socialists of America are viewed positively by 31%. By an 11-point margin, more Democrats have a favorable opinion of socialism (52%) than capitalism (41%), while by a 50-point margin, more Republicans have a positive view of capitalism (61%) than socialism (11%). Forty-five percent of voters have a favorable view of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., That makes him more popular than Vice President JD Vance (41% favorable), Trump (38%), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., (35%). Each is viewed more unfavorably than favorably. Voters under 30 and those ages 65+ are equally likely to