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Mike Pence aims to be ‘constructive force’ during Trump’s second term while willing to challenge him

Mike Pence aims to be ‘constructive force’ during Trump’s second term while willing to challenge him

Former Vice President Mike Pence is positioning himself as a “constructive force for the conservative agenda” during President Donald Trump’s second term as one of the few Republicans willing to challenge him.  “Well, for me, it’s always principles first. It’s not personal,” Pence said in an interview with the Associated Press.  Despite publicly falling out with Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Pence said he would support the new Trump administration on issues he agreed with, but would challenge others.  Pence’s political advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Trump’s newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  DOGE MUST ‘DEFUND’ PLANNED PARENTHOOD, MIKE PENCE’S WATCHDOG GROUP URGES MUSK The former vice president said he and those who work for him received “a lot of quiet encouragement” in opposing Kennedy. Pence described finding it necessary to speak out on finding the “nomination of an abortion rights supporter to be secretary of HHS to be a dramatic departure from 50 years of strong pro-life leadership at HHS under Republican administrations.”  Asked why Republicans might be reluctant to oppose Trump publicly, Pence said, “I never speculate on motives. You know, I’m not new to town. I’ve waged lonely battles before.” “But you know, you have to be willing to step out and lead,” the former vice president said. “My hope is that when the next issue of life comes up, that people will have been encouraged, emboldened to know that they’re not alone.” Regarding RFK Jr.’s nomination, Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman told Fox News Digital that the group believed “it would be an abdication of duty and responsibility if nobody said anything about the life issue in particular, let alone some of the other concerns.”  “I think it’s more likely now that he’s better on life than if we had not engaged in the issue at all,” Chapman said. “Part of being constructive is weighing in and sending a market signal when the administration or Republican leadership might try to go in a direction that’s not tethered to conservative principles. And so you’re not always going to win all those fights. And in fact, we don’t even view it as our job to win all those fights. We view it as our job to start the conversation.”  In the second Trump term, Chapman argued, “there is a far stronger echo chamber on the outside that is currently encouraging and sometimes, you know, doing more than encouraging Republicans and outside groups to stay in line with the administration.” He said it’s “creating an atmosphere where some people who may disagree with a nominee or with a policy decision are choosing to bide their time and not make that disagreement public.”  “Time will tell whether that environment remains permanent and time will also tell whether that echo chamber serves the president well or ends up not serving him well. For various reasons, we don’t feel the pressure from that echo chamber to stay silent if we disagree,” Chapman told Fox News Digital. “We’ll do our best to constructively, you know, make our points. And when we disagree, try to pull the administration towards our view on policy. But then, you know, when we agree, be totally there running beside them and trying to help them push their priorities over the finish line.”  Advancing American Freedom is now lobbying against Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Trump’s pick for labor secretary, accusing her of being pro-union. While Pence’s group plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent the Trump 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to stop implementing tariffs on allies, the former vice president and those who work for him insist they won’t take on the “Never Trump” mantle.  Pence has been delivering speeches urging Trump to stand with long-standing foreign allies and lobbying members of Congress, while his aides write letters and opinion columns. Advancing American Freedom says they intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don’t, advocating for longtime conservative principles that they believe have taken a back seat to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” brand of populism.  “We’re calling balls and strikes here,” Pence told the AP. “I think that the way we want to approach this is with integrity to principle. And I’m very encouraged. I think the Trump administration is off to a great start… I’m very pleased about the president undoing Biden’s border policies and putting back into place the policies that we had negotiated and established that secured the border.” Pence said he believes “some of the prominent voices in the party have embraced a more populist thinking” but that “the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote Republican think any differently than they thought during our administration when we hewed to a conservative agenda or the years before or since.” To support his opinion, the former vice president recalled an interaction he had with a farmer at a campaign stop in Iowa in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.  Despite the farmer saying he agreed with “absolutely everything” that Pence stumped about regarding “strong American support for Israel, strong American leadership in the world, continued support for Ukraine in their fight and limited government and bringing about reforms to put our fiscal house in order and right to life,” the former vice president recalled how the farmer said he could not vote for him in 2024 and that “I got to be for Trump this time.”  “And he goes, ‘But I’ll see you in four years. You’re going to be a great president someday,’” said Pence, who briefly pursued the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. “I said, ‘Would you mind telling me, you know, why?’ And he said words I never forgot, which was in effect: He lamented Biden’s failed record. And I saw that he was

New cartel threats against border agents: Explosives, drones and wireless tracking

New cartel threats against border agents: Explosives, drones and wireless tracking

As President Donald Trump steps up border security and deportation efforts, agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are finding themselves under alarmingly sophisticated threats to their safety, an expert tells Fox News Digital. “The cartels are losing business. The encounters at the border are the lowest they’ve been in decades, and the cartels are not just going to give up that business quietly,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital.  The comments come after it was reported over the weekend that CBP agents will no longer wear body cameras during field operations, a response to a post on Reddit that claimed it could help people track agents wearing the cameras with an application called BLE Radar, which uses Bluetooth to scan for such devices within a 100-yard radius. BORDER PATROL AGENTS TO STOP WEARING BODY CAMERAS AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POST REVEALS ‘SECURITY RISK’ “Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received,” a directive over the weekend announced. While the tracking of agents was presented as a way to help immigrants find soft spots on the border, it also opened up agents to threats to their safety, including from improvised explosive devices. Cartels could also make use of the tracking information to threaten the lives of agents, Ries noted. “It is possible that they could use the cameras… the low-level frequency interception to track the agents, harm the agents, and attack the agents,” Ries said. Ries also noted that the cameras played an important role in protecting field agents from false claims of abuse, providing key evidence they now won’t have after encounters with migrants. DAILY AVERAGE OF KNOWN GOTAWAYS AT SOUTHERN BORDER PLUMMETS, DOWN 93% FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HIGHS “I anticipate the number of claims of abuse are about to jump to exploit this lack of camera use,” Ries said. When it comes to cartels, Ries noted that there have been warnings sent out that cartels could use shooters on the other side of the border to target agents. “I just saw a memo about potentially using a shooter on the Mexican side to shoot at our agents and our military, so we have to assume that’s being planned and use countermeasures against it,” Ries said. Ries also noted that cartels have in the past effectively used drones to track CBP agents, though that threat could now be lower with the increased military presence at the border. Aside from the threats from cartels, CBP and ICE agents also face dangers from inside the borders of the U.S., Ries noted, pointing to leaks of ICE raids as an example of something that has recently endangered agents. “That subjects ICE agents to an ambush,” Ries said. “It’s one thing for aliens to flee, so when ICE shows up there’s no one there… worse would be if aliens stay here and attack ICE agents, that is a risk.” Such leaks of planned operations and technological vulnerabilities could continue to be a threat to the safety of agents as those opposed to Trump’s enforcement-driven agenda seek to undermine those plans, Ries said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Countering such threats will not only take awareness and smart tactics during operations, but also help from Congress in order to secure funding to equip agents with enough resources to combat the dangers. “It’s technology, it’s equipment, it’s intel, and personnel… they can’t be out patrolling alone, they need to work together,” Ries said. “Congress is working, although too slowly, getting resources to CBP and ICE to continue to carry out these mass deportations. Congress needs to hurry up.”

RFK Jr’s health agenda gains popularity among state lawmakers

RFK Jr’s health agenda gains popularity among state lawmakers

State-level lawmakers are introducing a wave of bills aimed at advancing priorities championed by new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his “Make America Healthy Again” platform, in some cases citing the new administration’s support for these causes as the catalyst for their efforts.  Arizona, Kansas and Utah are examples of states doing this. The move is aimed at prohibiting junk food like candy and soda from school lunches and other federally funded food assistance programs, something Kennedy has expressed support for in the past. Others have included efforts to rid these programs of ultra-processed foods, certain additives and dyes. “It took Bobby to get into the position that he is in now for something to happen,” Arizona state Rep. Leo Biasiucci said during a press conference this month during which he introduced HB 2164. The bill seeks to ban several food dyes and other additives from school lunch programs in the state. “I can’t thank him enough for being the microphone … at the high level, to finally put a spotlight on this.” TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Idaho, similarly touted the new administration as a reason why he thought his new bill to remove candy and soda from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would be successful. The bill, HB 109, would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to seek a federal waiver to remove these items from SNAP. When asked by a fellow state lawmaker why he thought such a waiver to get rid of these foods would be successful, Redman cited a Trump administration that would be friendly to him. “I think that the chances are higher now with the new administration,” Redman said.  Wyoming, Kansas, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming have introduced similar bills aimed at reforming SNAP and school lunches. In addition to dietary-related legislation, several states have also taken steps to amend their vaccine rules. During Kennedy’s confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill, he was routinely grilled about his past skepticism towards vaccines. The new HHS secretary iterated to lawmakers at the time that he was not anti-vaccine, but rather “pro-safety.” Roughly a dozen states, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Texas have introduced a variety of changes. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO BLOCK FEDERAL MONEY FOR SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES WITH COVID VACCINE MANDATES  Some of the new bills targeting state vaccine rules include protections for immunization exemptions, efforts to bolster vaccine transparency, revised requirements related to the administration of vaccines and efforts to hold vaccine manufacturers accountable for harmful side effects. Others prohibit any future COVID-19 vaccine mandates related to education, work or travel, with some providing an exception if state legislatures are able to pass a new bill requiring vaccinations for certain public health emergencies.  Meanwhile, bills expelling fluoride from public water systems are also being introduced at the state level, another change Kennedy has promoted in the past.  While states like Arkansas, Hawaii, New Hampshire, North Dakota and others have taken steps to introduce legislation preventing fluoride from being added to public water systems, other states, like Kentucky and Nebraska, are considering bills that would make fluoride optional. At the federal level, the Senate’s Make America Healthy Again Caucus, which was formed to back the policies of Kennedy’s agenda, is reportedly readying a “package of bills” aimed at improving nutrition and the nation’s agriculture sector, according to Politico. “The MAHA Caucus is ready to get to work with Robert F. Kennedy Jr,” the group’s official X account stated on Friday after Kennedy’s confirmation by the Senate.

Trump greenlights some pro-immigrant moves amid broader anti-migrant crackdown

Trump greenlights some pro-immigrant moves amid broader anti-migrant crackdown

While President Donald Trump has taken a series of measures to restrict immigration into the U.S., particularly illegal immigration, he has also made a handful of less-scrutinized moves to help some immigrants on their way to becoming citizens. Trump ran on a platform of securing the southern border, deporting illegal immigrants and also shutting down parole programs introduced by the Biden administration to allow migrants to enter the U.S. Since taking office, he has also signed executive orders declaring a national emergency at the border and suspending refugee resettlement. HOMAN TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CROSSINGS PLUMMET DURING TRUMP ADMIN: ‘HE IS DELIVERING’ But he made an apparent exception to the refugee resettlement pause this month when he signed an executive order accusing the South African government of allowing attacks on white Afrikaner farmers.  That executive order, which cut assistance to the South African government, was accompanied by a move to offer Afrikaners refugee status. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR “The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps, consistent with law, to prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, for Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” Trump’s order said.  “Such plan shall be submitted to the President through the Assistant to the President and Homeland Security Advisor,” he said. Trump’s administration also made a significant move affecting immigrants in the U.S. already, if they are applying for their green card. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a short announcement on Jan 22, announcing that it was waiving the requirements that those immigrants applying for an adjustment to permanent legal status present documentation showing they have had a COVID-19 vaccine. Mandates for the COVID vaccine were controversial, and many Americans have declined to take it and pushed back against requirements that they do so. Now, those who are seeking to remain in the U.S. permanently have the ability to avoid the vaccine but still progress on the way to citizenship. “USCIS will not issue any Request for Evidence or Notice of Intent to Deny related to proving a COVID-19 vaccination,” the announcement said. “USCIS will not deny any adjustment of status application based on the applicant’s failure to present documentation that they received the COVID-19 vaccination.” It is unclear if any additional moves by the Trump administration are incoming that could be viewed as pro-immigrant. While some of Trump’s broader moves on immigration have cut legal forms of immigration, including parole and refugee limits, the main focus has been on cutting and disincentivizing illegal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security has dramatically increased illegal immigrant arrests in the interior, and numbers at the border have also dropped significantly, according to government data. The Associated Press contributed to this report.