GOP senator’s gambit exposes false Dem claims about supporting voter ID
Democratic leaders say they don’t oppose voter ID laws, but they blocked a bill to impose a nationwide requirement Thursday. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, attempted to pass a standalone voter ID bill through unanimous consent Thursday night, but Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., blocked the measure on the Senate floor. “I’ve heard my Democratic colleagues say that they don’t oppose photo ID laws,” Husted said during a floor debate. “I heard Senator Schumer say, ‘Our objection as Democrats is not to photo ID. I heard Senator Fetterman say he supports a photo ID law.” “If I could quote him, ‘If the GOP wants real reform over a show vote, put out a clean standalone bill and I’m in aye,” Husted continued, referring to a social media post Fetterman released Tuesday. “Well, that’s what I’m doing tonight.” THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT The measure would have enacted a nationwide voter ID requirement, though 36 states already have similar rules on the books. The Ohio Republican said citizens could use a state-issued driver’s license, a U.S. passport or valid military or tribal ID to meet the requirement. Husted, who is running to fill out the remainder of Vice President JD Vance’s Senate term in November, slammed Democrats’ opposition to the voter ID measure in a brief interview with Fox News Digital on Friday. “So apparently they would like people to believe that they’re for photo ID, but when it comes down to it, they didn’t appear to be,” the Ohio Republican said. Husted’s voter ID gambit came as the Senate is currently in the midst of a multi-day floor fight over the SAVE America Act, a Trump-backed elections bill aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting. The marathon debate schedule is a move by Republicans to pin blame on Schumer and Democrats for blocking the bill. But it’s not the same floor takeover, called a talking filibuster, that President Donald Trump, a cohort of conservatives in the Senate GOP and a fervent right-wing social media campaign have pressed for the conference to pursue. That’s because not enough Senate Republicans supported the move, which would require a near-unified front to successfully execute. And without Democratic support, the bill is doomed to fail at the end of the floor fight. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: TRUMP’S SAVE ACT ULTIMATUM RUNS INTO SENATE REALITY A Fox News poll released in September 2025 found that 84% of registered voters said photo ID should be required to prove citizenship before voting. Still, Democrats could move to filibuster a standalone voter ID bill if Republicans were to hold an up-or-down vote on the measure over the coming days. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who notably opposes the SAVE America Act over provisions that would restrict mail-in ballots, has called on the Senate to pass a standalone voter ID bill. “Stop turning this into a Christmas list and attacking vote-by-mail,” Fetterman wrote Tuesday. “If GOP wants real reform over a show vote – –put out a clean, standalone bill and I’m AYE.” One of the core components of the SAVE America Act is providing proof of citizenship to register to vote, something Democrats have pushed back against more fiercely than the voter ID provision. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is leading the SAVE America Act in the Senate, questioned why Democrats would say they want one without the other. “I’d love to hear their reasoning, why they would support voter ID but not proof of citizenship,” Lee told Fox News Digital.
Soros-backed Austin DA faces resignation calls over alleged ‘secret meetings’ in case against cop
A criminal case tied to the 2020 Austin, Texas, George Floyd riots is erupting into a broader controversy, with prominent law enforcement groups calling for the Soros-backed district attorney to resign over accusations of misconduct, political coordination, and withholding key evidence. Attorneys for Austin Police Department officer Chance Bretches filed a motion in Travis County district court to dismiss the case against him, alleging prosecutors in DA Jose Garza’s office violated the officer’s constitutional rights and compromised the integrity of the case by not disclosing alleged behind-the-scenes communications with Austin officials about potentially holding the city or police leadership criminally responsible for harming injured protesters. Bretches is facing charges of aggravated assault by a public servant after being deployed as part of a crowd-control response during the 2020 riot, where officers worked to disperse demonstrators and restore order in downtown Austin. His attorneys argue he relied on department-issued “less-lethal” beanbag rounds that were later called into question, contending the equipment itself was defective and contributed to the injuries at issue. The alleged “secret meetings” with Austin officials about the city being responsible for the defective beanbag rounds that caused more harm than they were designed for, Bretches’s attorney says, were something the prosecution was “required to give us” because it showed the belief and possibility the city had “criminal culpability” in the case. TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER The motion bases its claim of “secret meetings” on two sworn declarations: one from a former Austin city manager, who says he personally met multiple times with Garza and prosecutors in 2023 to discuss potential charges against the city, and another from a former city council member, who says she was aware of internal communications indicating the DA’s office was considering such charge. “Prosecutors can hold meetings with anybody, there’s nothing illegal about that,” Bretches’ attorney Doug O’Connell told Fox News Digital. “The problem in this case is the district attorney felt he had enough evidence to indict the city as a corporate entity, which would make the city an alternative suspect or an unindicted co-defendant.” O’Connell argues that Garza triggered disclosure obligations under Brady v. Maryland, which requires prosecutors to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to the defense. “If you follow that logic, then the basis of his indictment of the city, which never materialized, is, in fact, Brady,” O’Connell said. “Even if he thought he had enough evidence and later determined he didn’t, it’s still Brady. It’s a violation of the Michael Morton Act, a violation of the court’s order, and the defendant’s constitutional rights.” SOROS-BACKED ‘ANTI-POLICE’ DA SPARKS OUTRAGE AFTER SHOWING UP TO FALLEN OFFICER FUNERAL: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’ The Michael Morton Act, a Texas law enacted after a wrongful conviction case, requires prosecutors to turn over most evidence in their possession to the defense, including information that could be favorable to the accused. O’Connell says that the law mandates that “exculpatory mitigating evidence” must be given to the defense. “It’s clear they didn’t turn over the evidence of why they felt they could indict the city and the city was legitimately scared about this enough that the city went out and hired their own criminal defense attorney,” O’Connell said. “So one of two things is true, either he had the evidence and he didn’t produce it to us, or he didn’t have any basis to indict the city, and he was just threatening them, and that would be official oppression anyway.” Two of the most recognized police organizations in the area, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and the Austin Police Retired Officers Association (APROA), reacted to the motion by calling on Garza, who has long been accused of harboring animosity toward police, to resign from his role as the county’s top prosecutor. “It’s kind of the final straw, everything that’s been going on with the continuing political prosecutions of Austin police officers who are out simply doing their job and doing the job the way that we’re trained to do their job,” Farris told Fox News Digital about the APROA’s official letter calling for Garza to step down, the first time they have done so despite intense criticism of Garza over the years. Garza has faced public blowback from his critics for years over his treatment of police officers and from families of crime victims who have spoken out against what they view as a lack of willingness to put criminal offenders behind bars. “His focus has been on the cops and now we’re finding out that he did some shady stuff and it’s time for him to go,” Farris said. After winning an election following a campaign, backed by liberal megadonor George Soros, that pledged to prosecute police officers, Garza indicted over 20 police officers, including Bretches, for their role in quelling the Black Lives Matter riot. Garza has attempted to prosecute multiple other officers on deadly force-related charges with only one successful conviction that was later overturned. “There can be no worse violation of the oath taken by a District Attorney than to intentionally deny a defendant a fair trial,” Robert Leonard, CLEAT executive director, said about the motion. “It is a direct violation of their Constitutional rights.” Additionally, O’Connell filed a motion requesting a court of inquiry calling on a district judge to investigate whether Garza committed a crime through his actions. O’Connell described the move as utilizing an “obscure provision in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that allows a district court judge to hold a hearing to determine whether the law has been violated.” “In this case, it would be a hearing to determine if the elected DA and top lieutenants committed an offense of official oppression and tampering with evidence by not producing the mitigating or exculpatory evidence in this case.” While some in local media have cast doubt on the likelihood of the motion being successful, O’Connell says he is optimistic that he will be granted a hearing on his motion, possibly on a previously
DHS shutdown blows past one-month mark as Dems push to carve out ICE from any new funding deal
As a partial government shutdown blows past the one-month mark, Democrats are demanding lawmakers shrink the size of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding lapse — while leaving out the agency at the heart of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in their view, can stay shut down. “We already said we’d open everything in the department except ICE, so the answer is yes,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said when asked about partial funding for DHS. “Republicans won’t agree, because they’re trying to hold the security of the country hostage.” SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN His position was echoed by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. “We need to fund every aspect of it other than ICE. We’re going to fight on the ICE funding. I mean, they already have $75 billion,” Khanna said, noting that ICE itself already received funding through Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. In light of those appropriations, Republicans believe Democrats have assumed an unsustainable position as they continue to shoot down efforts to fund DHS in its entirety. “They’re not interested in reopening, right? Their whole thing is: ‘Okay, we’re doing a shutdown to go out there and affect ICE and Border Patrol.’ But ICE and border patrol are the ones that are not even affected by this shutdown. They’re funded by the One Big, Beautiful Bill that passed previously,” Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., said. “How long do I foresee Democrats lying to their base? Forever,” Mast added. Calls to implement the partial funding stance have grown louder since the shutdown first began. KRISTI NOEM’S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON Funding for DHS originally lapsed on Feb. 14 when Democrats refused to advance spending legislation for DHS that didn’t also include a set of demands to reform ICE. Among other changes, Democrats have conditioned their support on a ban on masks for ICE agents, stiffer warrant requirements for apprehending suspects in public and a ban on roaming patrols. Republicans have rebuffed the demands, arguing they would handcuff President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement goals. Republicans need at least seven Democrats to reach the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster in the Senate, where they hold just 53 seats. The standoff has overlapped with a series of domestic attacks, raising alarm among Republicans that DHS’ closure may be reducing the country’s preparedness to counter similar threats. A vehicle-ramming at a synagogue in Michigan, a university shooting in Virginia, the detonation attempts in New York and another shooting in Texas have left members like Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., joining calls to pass non-ICE DHS funding. ‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER “If it takes more time to negotiate those changes to ICE, then the right thing to do is to fund the rest of DHS, TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, counterterrorism, all of that, while we continue to negotiate over ICE,” Magaziner said. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he has also joined that position. “Ready, willing and eager to approve funding for TSA, for FEMA, and for the Coast Guard through the separate bill that we’ve offered and Republicans have rejected. There’s an easy solution here,” Blumenthal said.
Iran war live: Trump says no ceasefire as Khamenei issues defiant message
blinking-dotLive updatesLive updates, Trump calls NATO cowardly over lack of support for Iran war, says Strait of Hormuz should be protected ‘by other nations who use it’. Published On 21 Mar 202621 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Al Jazeera reporter’s journey from Jordan to Iraq
NewsFeed Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque recorded his journey on the long road from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, Iraq as he deploys to cover the US-Israeli war on Iran. Along the 900km drive he found tight security and people largely unfazed by the conflict. Published On 21 Mar 202621 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Aid flotilla for Cuba sets sail from Mexico
NewsFeed “Cuba, yes! Blockade, no!” An aid flotilla from Mexico is sailing for Cuba as the country suffers under a tightening US fuel blockade. Published On 21 Mar 202621 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
UP Shocker: Varanasi student shot dead on campus, father demands encounter of accused; Protests erupts in college, teachers attacked
a student from Varanasi was shot dead on a college campus in a broad daylight. The deceased has been identified as Surya Pratap Singh, who was a BA fourth semester student at Uday Pratap College, hailing from Dubaiitha village in Saidpur tehsil of Ghazipur district and was living in Varanasi.
Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet oppose govt’s 60% free seat rule, warn of fare hikes
IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet oppose the government’s rule mandating 60% free seat selection, warning it may raise airfares. Airlines say losing ancillary revenue will force higher ticket prices, impacting affordability despite the policy aiming to benefit passengers.
NYC Mayor Mamdani’s wife glorified terrorists in online posts, criticized US military: report
The wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reportedly celebrated terrorists in a series of social media posts as a teenager and young adult as scrutiny over her online history continues. In September 2017, Rama Duwaji posted a photo on her Tumblr account of Leila Khaled, longtime active leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who participated in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970. “If it does good for my cause, I’ll be happy to accept death,” the caption said. CITY-RUN BOARD CANCELS LEASE OF ISRAEL DRONE SUPPLIER, SPARKING BACKLASH TOWARD MAMDANI: ‘LUDICROUS’ Khaled is the first woman to hijack an airplane and is revered by terrorists for her role in the crimes. Many of her posts were made in her early 20s, the Washing Free Beacon reported, noting that Duwaji, now 28, spent her early childhood in New Jersey before moving with her family to Dubai. In March 2015, when she was 17, Duwaji reposted a tweet on International Women’s Day praising the terrorist Shadia Abu Ghazaleh. An image in the post shows Ghazaleh, who participated in the bombing of an Israeli bus and led several other terrorist attacks. The image showed her posing with a rifle. She was killed in 1968 when a bomb she was building in her home accidentally exploded. The device that killed her was allegedly intended to blow up a building in Tel Aviv. Other posts include someone wearing keffiyeh clothing while sewing a flag. “Photography: ‘A Palestinian demonstrator sews a Palestinian Liberation Organization flag before a protest during the first Intifada’, February, 1988,” the caption says. Another showed a Bangladeshi postage stamp that said, “We salute the valiant freedom fighters of Palestine.” A July 2015 post criticized the U.S. military presence abroad. “*taps mic* American soldiers fighting in imperialist wars are not brave nor are they fighting for anyone’s freedom,” the post said. “They are mercilessly slaughtering 3rd world civilians and fighting to maintain American hegemony. That is all, thank you! *drops mic*” ISRAEL ACCUSES MAMDANI OF POURING ‘ANTISEMITIC GASOLINE’ AFTER HE REVOKES ADAMS EXECUTIVE ORDERS Later that same year, Duwaji reposted a Tumblr user. “You can’t blame muslims for terrorism because they didn’t construct, fund nor train Al-Qaeda,” the user wrote. “White People did that too.” In another 2015 post, she reposted a criticism of Snapchat for adding Tel Aviv to its live story feature. “But in all reality, @Snapchat has disappointed me. F*** #TelAviv. Shouldn’t exist in the first place. They’re occupiers. You celebrate them,” a post retweeted by Duwaji said. “And finally. Hey @Snapchat, as you give Israelis an outlet to celebrate their atrocities, youre supporting a genocidal state. Bye. #TelAviv.” Duwaji, who was born in Houston and identifies as Syrian, married Mamdani in 2025,. She drew national attention after revelations she liked several posts in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack that were critical of Israel. On the day of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, Duwaji liked an Instagram post showing images from participants who livestreamed footage of the onslaught, which left 1,200 Israelis dead, including young children. She also allegedly liked a February 2024 Instagram post claiming The New York Times’ investigation into sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack was “fabricated,” Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor’s office.
Chicago’s teetering debt is stark warning left-wing mayor is fueling ‘pay later’ doom cycle: expert
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and his administration are presiding over a city in serious financial straits. Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, is facing a corporate fund budget gap of more than $1 billion, while its 2025 fiscal year is projected to close with a roughly $150 million deficit with about two-fifths of the budget going toward debt service and pension costs. Johnson said in April the city was “at a crossroads” and had to “essentially do more with less,” while simultaneously slamming the Trump administration for reportedly threatening federal funding, calling it a “different scenario we weren’t under before.” Austin Berg, executive director of pro-taxpayer research group Illinois Policy Institute, said markets are looking at the true numbers and are “really concerned” about Chicago. RECORDS REVEAL CHICAGO MAYOR’S ‘GIFT ROOM’ WAS CONSTRUCTED AFTER INVESTIGATORS TURNED AWAY “And that’s why you see the spreads on Chicago debt getting wider and wider — the structural issues,” he said. Berg explained that the situation is akin to someone calling financial advisor Dave Ramsey’s radio show to ask what to do while buried in debt. “The solution set is always the same: Stop making bad decisions, and you have to put a structure in place to make better decisions,” Berg said. “So, the bad decisions are things like taking one-time revenues from federal COVID spending and putting it into operations. The bad decisions are borrowing for operations, which this latest bond issue just did. That’s a huge no-no and a red flag for investors.” Chicago also drew scrutiny over former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 75-year parking meter lease in 2008, a deal critics say has already allowed the private operator to recoup its investment while leaving the city without that revenue stream for decades. Berg pointed to a recent analysis he authored accusing Johnson of extending the city’s “pay later” culture, arguing that the mayor’s $830 million 2025 bond deal, which delays principal payments for 20 years, is his version of Richard M. Daley’s parking meter boondoggle. CHICAGO SUES TRUMP DOJ OVER ‘UNLAWFUL’ DEI RESTRICTIONS ON FEDERAL POLICING GRANTS He also suggested the city take more seriously a plate of $1 billion in potential efficiencies produced in a taxpayer-funded deep-dive by consulting firm EY, formerly Ernst & Young. While Chicago spends 40% of its money on debt service, actual services suffer, Berg said, adding is also the only city besides New York that doesn’t require voter approval of new general obligation debt. CHICAGO MAYOR LASHES OUT AT REPORTER OVER ‘ILLEGAL ALIEN’ TERM: ‘RACIST, NASTY LANGUAGE’ The city lacks a “truly independent” chief financial officer, Berg claimed, saying that the treasurer’s office does not have full auditing authority and that another related agency called COFA is understaffed and lacks resources. “Voters didn’t decide to have all of that debt. And it’s important for voters to be able to decide because those decisions affect Chicagoans 30 years from now. So, shackling them with these political decisions now is just really unfair,” he said. Chicago has also come under fire for expenditures on social justice and other efforts while city services continue to lack. Independent journalist William J. Kelly created a viral moment in January when he questioned Johnson on which type of ICE he should be focused on, immigration officers or snow that inundated the city, as he drove through unplowed streets. “Let me just commend the efforts of the city employees that made sure that our streets were plowed. … I do not personally plow streets. … No one was stuck,” Johnson replied. Berg suggested one outlet for Chicago would be to demand the state of Illinois allow municipalities to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which he said is a rare restriction nationally. He noted he did not want to see Chicago declare bankruptcy but that, without that lever, the city has much less leverage when negotiating with public sector unions for the very liabilities it is drowning in. The City Council successfully killed Johnson’s proposed “head tax,” a per-employee levy on large corporations, which critics said would have driven out or prevented future business and, thereby, sources of revenue in the city. DHS BLASTS CHICAGO MAYOR FOR COMPARING RAID LEADER TO SEGREGATIONISTS, ACCUSING HIM OF ‘TERROR’ The editorial board of the left-leaning Washington Post also slammed Chicago’s straits in a recent op-ed, writing that “it takes a long time to kill a city, and the bigger the city, the longer it takes.” “Chicago’s ‘public servants’ have done a fine job speeding up the process,” the board wrote, while noting the city had its bond rating downgraded in February by both Kroll and Fitch. “The modest tweaks [council] forced [Johnson] to accept in December won’t change the fiscal trajectory,” the paper predicted. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.