Arizona voter-law fight reaches SCOTUS as election groups warn ‘absurd’ consequence could ensue
Election experts are warning the Supreme Court that affirming a lower court’s ruling could mean that noncitizens, minors, or factitious people listed on state voter rolls could be impossible to remove. The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in RNC v. Mi Familia Vote this December and will determine whether a pair of Arizona’s state laws which remove the registrations of noncitizen voters from voter rolls within 90 days of the election and require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote are in violation of the National Voter Registration Act. “Citizenship is a qualification for voting. If states are going to enforce that requirement, they have to be able to verify it,” Justin Riemer, president & CEO of Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “And when officials find noncitizens on the voter rolls, they should be able to act before an election, not after. We are confident the Supreme Court will agree and reverse the Ninth Circuit’s misguided ruling.” In an amicus brief filed on Thursday, attorneys from Center for Election Confidence, Inc., Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections, Inc., and Honest Elections Project, argued that the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling that the Arizona laws are an act of “voter suppression” is “absurd” and raises serious threats to state rights. CLINTON-APPOINTED JUDGE TRIGGERS APPEAL AFTER BLOCKING KEY VOTER CITIZENSHIP LAW The brief argued that Congress may regulate the mechanics of federal elections, but states have the constitutional authority to set and enforce voter qualifications — a power they argued becomes meaningless if states cannot obtain documentation needed to verify citizenship or remove people who were never eligible to register. “Since the power to establish voting requirements is of little value without the power to enforce those requirements, it would raise serious constitutional doubts if a federal statute precluded a State from obtaining the information necessary to enforce its voter qualifications,” the brief stated. The amicus brief pushed back on the Ninth Circuit’s conclusion that Arizona cannot conduct a systematic program to remove noncitizens from voter rolls during the NVRA’s 90-day pre-election period. The federal law generally requires states to complete systematic voter-removal programs at least 90 days before a federal election, while allowing removals during that window for a voter’s request, death, criminal conviction or mental incapacity. DEMOCRAT NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR SAYS THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS DISCOVERED ON VOTER ROLLS, PURGED The groups argued that non-citizenship is not among those listed grounds because it concerns someone who was never eligible to register in the first place. They said the restriction is meant to protect eligible voters from erroneous last-minute removals — not to shield people who were never eligible to register. “If the Ninth Circuit is right that the 90-day limitation on programs prohibits removal on these bases — because the statute has listed exceptions — States could never remove improperly registered individuals who fall within these categories, no matter when the removal happens or whether it is after a systematic inquiry,” the brief said. “Not just that, but these States could never remove these noncitizens who were never eligible to vote,” the brief continued. The brief pointed to reported registration errors in New Jersey, Illinois and Oregon as examples of why states need a mechanism to correct allegedly improper registrations. It argues that an unlawful ballot cannot be undone once cast and counted. DHS APPROVES PLAN TO VERIFY VOTER CITIZENSHIP, MONITOR MAIL BALLOTS AS TRUMP PUSH INTENSIFIES “American elections are for American citizens only. Period,” Lisa Dixon, executive director of the Center for Election Confidence, said in a statement. “We should all support Arizona ensuring non-citizens can’t register to vote and removing any non-citizens who end up on the voter lists.” The amici also argued that the Ninth Circuit misread NVRA provisions governing what information is “necessary” for state election officials to assess a voter’s eligibility, and whether a state registration form is “equivalent” to the federal form. The brief argued that the Ninth Circuit wrongly concluded a voter’s citizenship attestation on a registration form is sufficient proof of eligibility and improperly interpreted an “equivalent” state form to mean one that is virtually identical to the federal form. “Once again, far-left activists are using the courts to twist federal law into a straitjacket that prevents states from securing their elections,” Jason Snead, executive director of Honest Elections Project, said in a statement to Fox News. “The Honest Elections Project urges the Supreme Court to side with Arizona and preserve the tools states need to ensure that elections are decided only by American citizens.”
Well-connected Dem operative learns fate after FBI busts him in child sex abuse sting
A well-connected political consultant in Virginia with ties to the state’s Democratic Party was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after getting caught with child sexual abuse material and attempting to sexually abuse an undercover agent’s purported 9-year-old son in an undercover FBI child sex abuse sting. Randon Sprinkle, 31, of Richmond, was handed the decade-long sentence on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young following a federal investigation by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, according to a Justice Department press release. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, Sprinkle was ensnared in a May 2025 undercover operation after making contact on a dating app called Jack’d with an agent posing as the father of a 9-year-old boy. Authorities said Sprinkle sent the undercover agent a video showing two adults sexually abusing a minor, voiced a desire to travel to Washington, D.C., to abuse the fictitious child, and was later found in possession of dozens of files depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and infants when agents searched his home. FBI RAIDS SPANBERGER ALLY OFFICE AS FEDERAL CORRUPTION PROBE TARGETS CANNABIS BUSINESS Beyond serving as the finance chairman for the Democratic Party of Virginia and the treasurer for the Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats, Sprinkle served as an elected delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, according to public party rosters and local reporting. He also worked as a paid political director for Rep. Jennifer McClellan’s 2021 gubernatorial bid and previously served as her legislative aide when she was a state senator. Meanwhile, Sprinkle has also worked for other Virginia Democratic Party campaigns, according to consulting payments, including state Sen. Jennifer Boysko. State campaign finance records compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) also show Sprinkle, who worked as an associate for the Richmond-based Reflex Strategy Group and another consulting group called Alexander Strategies LLC, donated thousands of dollars to the recent statewide campaigns of Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi. Alleged photos preserved online following his arrest show Sprinkle regularly operating alongside national-level Democratic Party politicians as well, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose name has been floated for a presidential run in 2028, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Spanberger, among others. Spanberger’s transition team previously released a statement after his arrest, thanking the FBI “for their investigative work and for bringing this predator to justice.” “As a former federal law enforcement officer who arrested child predators, she believes that this individual should be swiftly prosecuted and put behind bars for his sickening crimes against children,” the statement said. “Upon learning about these appalling reports, the Spanberger campaign immediately donated the full amount of this individual’s prior donations, $1000, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to support its critical mission of protecting America’s kids.” ILLEGAL ALIEN’S ‘INEXCUSABLE’ CRIME SPARKS INTERSTATE CLASH BETWEEN GOP SEN, DEM GOV: ‘YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED’ When reached for comment, the Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats referred Fox News Digital to a statement issued by the organization’s executive board following Sprinkle’s initial indictment in December 2025, confirming they took “immediate action to terminate all ties.” “The alleged conduct outlined in the indictment is reprehensible, unforgivable, and fundamentally misaligned with the values of our organization,” the board said in the statement. “It violates the most basic standards of humanity and decency.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the Democratic Party of Virginia and the public defender representing him but did not hear back in time for publication. .
Ex-Fetterman staffers promise more damaging details after blistering report: ‘Tip of the iceberg’
In just over a week, former staffers for John Fetterman, D-Pa., are planning to go public with inside details after expressing what they called disgust at his work as a legislator. “We’re a group of former campaign & Senate staffers for John Fetterman who are disgusted with what he’s become. If you were troubled by yesterday’s Wall Street Journal story… trust us, that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” the group wrote in a post to X. “It’s even worse than you thought.” The new social media account, which is calling itself “Former Fetterman Staffers” (FFS) alleges it will reveal additional unflattering details of the embattled senator’s office as he also faces blowback over Wall Street Journal reporting chronicling his reluctance to engage in the basic duties of his office. FETTERMAN FACES DEM REVOLT AS BOMBSHELL REPORT FUELS PUSH TO OUST HIM: ‘DISGRACE’ The FFS acronym notoriously also stands for “for f—s sake.” Fetterman routinely blew off constituent meetings, neglected legislative review and declined to make in-state public appearances, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Thursday, drawing immediate backlash online. “There is a lot I could say about this report of John Fetterman’s pathetic behavior as a senator,” Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., said on X. “But between the laziness, disrespect, and willingness to carry water for a foreign government, it shows us something we already know: this man has no sense of duty.” “John Fetterman is a disgrace,” Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., said in a post of his own. “Our state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job.” Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who is the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, also condemned Fetterman’s behavior. “This report is horrifying, but not new to many of us in PA. John barely showed up as [Lieutenant Governor] and is constantly MIA as our senator,” Kenyatta wrote. “When he’s not on FOX cheerleading Trump & endless wars, he is attacking the very neighbors who gave him a chance. 2028 can’t come soon enough,” he continued. DNC VICE CHAIR ATTACKS DEMOCRATIC SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN: ‘YOU’RE A MESS’ Conor Lamb, a former Pennsylvania congressman who ran against Fetterman in the 2022 primary for the party’s nomination, called on Fetterman to resign. “John, if there is a decent bone left in your body, just quit. It’s an insult to decent people in our state for you to treat them and the office this way,” Lamb wrote, referring to an instance where Fetterman blew off a meeting with paralyzed military veterans. As reactions continue to pour in, Former Fetterman Staffers, the new group on X, told viewers that they would set a deadline for some of its upcoming revelations. “Set your calendar for September 14th — the day the Senate is back in session — for our first drop. (Let’s be honest, maybe the 15th: he’ll skip Monday’s votes),” the group said. Despite raising questions and rage towards Fetterman, some observers condemned the staffers for what they called a lack of loyalty. “So disloyal. He gave you jobs and opportunities and advanced your careers, and you publicly turn on him and set up an X account to attack him?” Marc Thiessen, a political pundit and former White House speechwriter for the Bush Administration, wrote on X. “Honorable thing, if you disagree, is to resign quietly and work for someone else you prefer. You are pathetic,” he continued. Mark Morgan, political director for the Republican Governors Association, echoed Thiessen’s thinking, blasting the group for its anonymity. “Staff rule #1: it’s not about you Staff rule #2: Your boss had the courage to put their name on a ballot. If you’ve chosen to become a click-seeking bottom feeder, at least have the courage to put your own name on it,” Morgan said. EMBATTLED REP TONY GONZALES ANNOUNCES PLANS TO RESIGN AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS “I’m disgusted by anonymous leakers, actually,” Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, also chimed in. Fetterman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
NJ mayor demands sanctuary policy rollback after baby killed in crash allegedly involving illegal immigrant
The mayor of the New Jersey township where a baby boy was killed last week after an illegal immigrant allegedly struck the child’s family with her car in a grocery store parking lot told Fox News Digital that the state’s sanctuary policies should be rolled back to help prevent similar tragedies. “If our police pull somebody over and they’re undocumented… they can’t call the federal agencies, they can’t call ICE. That needs to change,” Jennifer Kuhn, the mayor of Jackson Township, said in an interview on Thursday. “Condolences at this point are not enough. At this point, leadership needs to step in. And we have to do something.” Authorities say Maria Cobon-Guzman, a Guatemalan national who did not have a driver’s license, hit a mother pushing a stroller carrying her 9-month-old son and 5-year-old daughter in the parking lot of a kosher grocery store in Jackson on Aug. 28. The infant died, while the mother and 5-year-old were critically injured. Kuhn argued the crash underscores the need to scrap New Jersey policies that, in most cases, limit cooperation between local, county and state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. ILLEGAL ALIEN’S ‘INEXCUSABLE’ CRIME SPARKS INTERSTATE CLASH BETWEEN GOP SEN, DEM GOV: ‘YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED’ “These issues shouldn’t happen whether you’re illegal or legal. But the problem is that we can’t hold them accountable if they’re not documented and they’re illegal aliens,” she added. Cobon-Guzman, 20, was charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors also charged Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, alleging she allowed Cobon-Guzman to drive her vehicle despite knowing she did not have a driver’s license. Lazaro-Flores, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent person, according to an inmate report. Both women illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, with Lazaro-Flores doing so five times in October 2023 and being removed each time, the Department of Homeland Security previously told Fox News Digital. Cobon-Guzman entered once in October 2023 but was released unvetted into the nation’s interior, DHS added. On July 31, an immigration judge issued an order of removal against her. DEADLY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK CRASH EXPOSED FAILURES ON THE ROAD AND AT THE BORDER: KEY SENATOR At the center of Kuhn’s criticism is New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy implemented under former Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018. Among other provisions, the directive generally prohibits police from asking about a person’s immigration status, notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when someone is being released from custody, or sharing certain non-public personal information for civil immigration enforcement purposes. Current New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation codifying the directive into state law in March. She also signed an executive order in February that prohibits ICE agents from using nonpublic areas of state property to stage or conduct operations unless they have a judicial warrant. NJ TAXPAYERS ON THE HOOK FOR $12M MORE AS DEM GOVERNOR PROTECTS ILLEGAL ALIENS BATTLING DEPORTATION Kuhn is calling for the Jackson Township Council to pass a resolution demanding an end to such policies at the state level. “I know that there’s other towns around in Ocean County and in other counties that are also doing the same. Something needs to change,” Kuhn said. Supporters of the policies say they help build trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement by encouraging victims and witnesses to report crimes without fear that routine interactions with police will lead to scrutiny over their immigration status. Dan Prochilo, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, defended the Immigrant Trust Directive and other sanctuary-style reforms signed by Sherrill. County jails and state prisons can notify ICE when someone is being released if they are charged with or have been convicted of certain violent or serious crimes, Prochilo said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Some of those crimes include assault, stalking, criminal sexual contact, arson and burglary, according to the Immigrant Trust Directive. New Jersey jails can also notify ICE if a suspect has been convicted of a felony within the past five years or is under a final deportation order from a federal immigration judge, Prochilo said. “Such notice has been provided regularly in appropriate cases by New Jersey law enforcement agencies since the Immigrant Trust Directive took effect in 2019,” Prochilo added. Fox News Digital also reached out to Sherrill’s office for comment.
Trump’s Pentagon shake-up revives a presidential power play with a long history
Dan Driscoll’s departure as Army secretary has brought new scrutiny to the Trump administration’s sweeping changes at the Pentagon, with Democrats and some Republicans warning that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s approach is creating instability among the military’s top leaders. But the president replacing senior military leaders is nothing new. Presidents from Abraham Lincoln to Harry Truman have removed commanders when they lost confidence in their leadership, disagreed over strategy or wanted a different direction. What stands out about the current moment is the pace of the turnover — and the debate over whether the administration’s changes are putting the military on a stronger footing or creating leadership gaps along the way. COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE US ARMY IN EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN THEATER IS UNEXPECTEDLY STEPPING DOWN North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Hegseth is “creating a leadership void at the top of our military ranks” while ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed of Rhode Island said, “Hegseth is cultivating a culture where dissent is punished, and competence is secondary to personal allegiance.” Under Trump’s second term, at least 20 military leaders have departed over a combination of clashes, including over Hegseth’s leadership, military strategy, as well as disagreements over DEI, according to a CBS report. Parnell told Fox News Digital that the Pentagon is “unified behind” Hegseth’s vision. “Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War and, at President Trump’s direction, has ushered in a new era of Peace Through Strength. Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs,” added Parnell. “Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way.” Presidents dating back to Abraham Lincoln have removed senior military leaders when they believed a change in personnel was necessary — a longstanding feature of civilian control of the military, not a new invention of the current administration. Then-President Barrack Obama accepted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel resignation in 2014 after the president concluded that new Pentagon leadership was needed amid disagreements over the administration’s strategy against ISIS, Syria policy and the management of the Defense Department. PENTAGON FIRES BACK AFTER MARK KELLY ACCUSES PETE HEGSETH OF TARGETING WOMEN AND BLACK MILITARY OFFICERS Reports at the time indicated the departure was a forced resignation. Following Hagel’s departure, Obama said the former Defense Secretary had “guided the department through this transition” and that it was “an appropriate time for him to complete his service.” He praised Hagel for helping modernize the military’s strategy and meet Obama’s concern for longterm threats such as China’s rise and Russian aggression. Harry Truman removed five-star Army general and one of the most prominent U.S. commanders of World War II Douglas MacArthur. The two men clashed over the Korean War with Truman wanting to avoid spreading conflict to China while MacArthur advocated for the opposite. One early example came during the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln removed Gen. George McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac after growing frustrated with his cautious approach to fighting Gen. Robert E. Lee. Lincoln later removed Ambrose Burnside after the Union’s defeat at Fredericksburg and replaced him with Joseph Hooker. RENEWED PATRIOTISM AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FUEL ARMY’S BIGGEST RECRUITING SURGE IN YEARS Trump named Adam Telle as acting secretary of the Army Thursday, calling him “a Great Patriot, who is respected by all” and saying he would assume the role immediately after Driscoll’s resignation. Telle previously was the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Driscoll’s exit comes after reportedly butting heads with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over concerns with the administration about the Army’s transformation and readiness, including his belief that Hegseth had hindered those efforts. Vice President Vance said Thursday Driscoll was a “very good friend” of his and was a “great secretary of the Army.” Vance acknowledged that he agreed with Hegseth, that there is a need to “have a culture shift at the Department of War.” US ARMY HITS 2026 RECRUITING GOALS FOUR MONTHS EARLY, PETE HEGSETH ANNOUNCES AT WEST POINT COMMENCEMENT “Secretary Driscoll has been highly effective in advancing President Trump’s agenda to Make America Strong Again at the Department of the Army by providing outstanding leadership during historic military operations, restoring an emphasis on readiness and lethality, assisting with negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, and more,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement. “The United States Army is more powerful than ever thanks to his work alongside the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War,” she added. Trumps entered his first administration with the message of peace through strength seeking to reinvent global perception of America while also modernizing the military such as creating the U.S. Space Force. During his first term, Trump had two Senate-confirmed defense secretaries, including Jim Mattis, who resigned in 2018 after Trump announced plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, and Mark Esper, whom Trump fired in 2020 after disagreements that included the military’s role in responding to domestic unrest. “Changes in civilian leadership at the military-service level aren’t unusual. During President Trump’s first administration alone, the Army had two Senate-confirmed secretaries, Mark Esper and Ryan McCarthy, while Robert Speer and McCarthy also served as acting secretaries during leadership transitions,” a senior Pentagon official told Fox News Digital. “There’s a reason the law is structured this way,” the official added. “The Department of the Army operates under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Army is specifically responsible for ensuring Army policy is consistent with the President’s and Defense Secretary’s national-security policies and that their decisions and instructions are implemented effectively and on time.” Trump came back during his second term with an aggressive approach to rebuilding the American military, tightening fitness requirements, axing DEI policies, overhauling weapons acquisition, building up recruitment and refocusing the force on combat readiness and lethality.
Squatter nightmare turns DC apartment building into ‘drug haven’ as legal battle drags on: ‘There’s no help’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — FIRST ON FOX: As Washington, D.C., grapples with a persistent squatting problem, one resident in the nation’s capital is speaking out about how unwelcome tenants have turned her life upside down, terrorizing her neighborhood while the city stands by and does nothing. “I lived in several countries, including Third World countries, but it seems to me that I’m living in a Fourth World country in D.C.,” Tatyana Day Velasquez, who owns a small three-unit building in Columbia Heights, told Fox News Digital. “I’ve never seen something like it. There’s no accountability for what goes on. Everybody just throws the ball to each other, and there’s no help. So how can somebody resolve a problem like mine if you don’t get help?” For a tumultuous eight months, Velasquez said her property’s basement apartment has been overrun by strangers who refuse to leave and live rent-free with no consequences in sight. HOMEOWNERS TERRORIZED BY PRO SQUATTERS TURNING DREAMS INTO NIGHTMARES IN PALM-LINED PARADISE, EXPERTS SAY Hidden behind a makeshift barricade built with trash cans and bricks, Velasquez said the apartment has transformed into a “drug haven,” with unfamiliar faces pouring in and out in the night, constant fights breaking out, and a chemical odor seeping through the building. Photos and videos provided by Velasquez show a disheveled apartment littered with needles and drug pipes, as well as Narcan, fentanyl test strips, a machete and guns. “They don’t pay rent,” she said. “I mean they’re making money by drug dealing, obviously.” The dispute has since landed in D.C. Superior Court, where Velasquez is fighting to reclaim the basement apartment, arguing the courts are “overfilled with situations like mine.” Court documents show that Velasquez discovered other people had taken over her apartment after the previous tenant told her he moved out. Despite one of the men claiming the tenant gave him a key, the lease explicitly states unauthorized occupants, subletting and drug-related criminal activity are prohibited. FURIOUS RESIDENTS CONFRONT HOMELESS HOUSING LEADERS AS POPULAR BEACH COMMUNITY HITS BREAKING POINT Three separate tenants ultimately fled and vacated the building amid safety concerns, with one of the tenants telling Velasquez she “no longer feels safe enough to sleep here,” according to court documents. With the men never receiving approval and not paying rent, Velasquez argued this was enough reason to have them removed from the building. “How could that be possible?” she said. “They are not guests. They’re not invitees. This property is not a business. So, they are not implied consent to get inside, they are trespassers.” Police records tell a more complicated story. A June 26 Metropolitan Police Department report said one of the occupants had “established residency” by living with a tenant on the lease and therefore could not simply be removed, so police treated it as a landlord-tenant dispute and made no arrests. Under D.C. law, property owners generally cannot remove occupants themselves and instead must go through D.C. Superior Court, a process that can take months in some cases. D.C.’s Office of the Tenant Advocate says occupants must be given an opportunity to challenge a property owner’s claims in court before an eviction can be carried out. NEW YORK CITY LANDLORDS WARN AMERICAN DREAM IS SLIPPING AWAY UNDER SOCIALIST RENT POLICIES “I believe this is predatory tactics, and I also believe that by letting squatters have rights, it’s a violation of the Fourth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment because you no longer have private property,” Velasquez said. “The government decides what your property is going to be used as.” But the bills never stopped coming, according to Velasquez, including D.C. property taxes and trash violations connected to the debris left behind by squatters. “I’m not making any income from the property and, as a matter of fact, I’m still being charged taxes from the D.C. government,” Velasquez said. Velasquez has now taken it upon herself to manage the chaos, driving to the building daily to confront the alleged squatters as her cries for help fall on deaf ears. “I have to go there every day because, you know, I haven’t received much help from the police and the neighbors are tired of it,” she said. The confrontations with the squatter have turned physical multiple times, according to Velasquez, who said has received pushback from the police over her continued calls reporting the squatter. “I’ve been assaulted like a couple of times and there’s nothing I can do because I’m responsible for the property and for the safety of other tenants,” Velasquez said. NYC LANDLORD PLEADS FOR HELP AS ‘9-YEAR-SQUATTER’ CONTINUES TO DRAIN HIM DRY IN COURT SAGA: ‘TWILIGHT ZONE’ One neighbor said the incident sends a troubling message about D.C.’s priorities. “You say you want to protect women,” Lloyd, Velasquez’s neighbor who identified himself only by first name, told Fox News Digital. “You’re so against domestic violence, you’re against this and that, but then you turn around and do something like this.” The disturbances have even spread beyond the property, Lloyd said, with neighbors passing by also being antagonized. “The way I see it, it’s a domino effect, and it’s an entitled domino effect, and it is an audacity thing,” Lloyd said. The ongoing legal battle is shining a spotlight on D.C.’s controversial approach to alleged squatters, with property owners left with few options while eviction proceedings play out in court and bills continue to pile up. Lloyd said the effects of squatting can ripple through entire neighborhoods. “It’s like one negative thing permeates another negative thing, so you become a fungus in the neighborhood with nuclear waste attached to you,” Lloyd said. A D.C. police spokesperson told Fox News Digital MPD’s authority is limited once someone has established residency at a property, adding that officers can respond to calls, investigate alleged crimes and make arrests when they find probable cause, but they cannot simply remove an established resident because a property owner considers the person unauthorized. Evictions and questions about possession have to go through D.C. Superior
Missouri AG files petition asking Supreme Court to revive Trump-backed redistricting map
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Friday filed an emergency appeal urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the new congressional map backed by President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders to be used in November’s midterm election. The appeal comes after Missouri’s high court blocked the redistricting map and ordered a statewide vote in November on whether to keep it. Hanaway asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the state high court’s decision immediately. “We have just appealed yesterday’s catastrophic ruling to the Supreme Court of the United States. We look forward to the Court’s prompt review of this critical matter, as our ability to hold timely and lawful congressional elections hangs in the balance,” Hanaway, a Republican, said in a statement. MISSOURI HIGH COURT BLOCKS GOP-BACKED CONGRESSIONAL MAPS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS; TRUMP BLASTS ‘RIDICULOUS’ RULING State law sets a Tuesday deadline to make changes to the November ballot. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who hears appeals of cases from the region and can decide alone or refer to the full court, asked opponents of the new map to respond to the appeal by Monday. The Missouri high court ruling on Thursday was among the latest rulings in a national redistricting battle backed by Trump. The GOP had aimed to use Missouri’s new congressional map to help win an additional seat and hold onto its slim House majority. The state Supreme Court ruled that the referendum petition, filed in December after opponents submitted more than 300,000 signatures, prevented the new districts from taking effect unless approved by voters. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins waited until primary Election Day last month to reject the petition, arguing that Missouri’s constitution does not allow referendum petitions on congressional redistricting. A lower court sided with Hoskins, but the state Supreme Court overturned his decision. “The referendum petition was legal, sufficient, and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court said in its ruling. The measure with the new districts “did not go into effect and will not go into effect unless and until approved by the voters.” Missouri’s new districts were used in the primaries last month, but the state Supreme Court said they cannot be used again unless voters first uphold the new districts passed by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe last September. Now, the congressional map adopted after the 2020 census “remains in full force and effect for the November 2026 general election,” the court said. Five of the seven current justices on the Missouri Supreme Court, including the chief justice, were appointed by Republican governors. Hanaway said no other court has ordered congressional maps after a primary but before a general election. “No court in American history has ever given such an extraordinary remedy, which inflicts unprecedented chaos on Missouri,” her office wrote in the appeal. “Looking forwards, the State is genuinely unsure whether it can switch its governing congressional map in time to run a timely federal election.” DEMS DERIDED TRUMP’S MIDTERM GAMBLE — UNTIL HE ENDED UP WINNING BIG Congressional districts are typically redrawn at the start of each decade, based on new census data, but Trump’s mission to tip the scales in favor of Republicans in the midterm election sparked a mid-decade redistricting battle that spread to more than a dozen states across the nation. Trump called Thursday’s ruling “ridiculous” and argued it was unconstitutional, saying there will not be enough time to change the map before November’s elections. Missouri’s governor said he is “extremely disappointed” in the decision “by unelected judges and their lack of respect for the legislative process.” The new Missouri map targeted longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-area district by shifting it eastward to include rural right-leaning voters. The map was intended to make Cleaver’s district more favorable to Republicans, who hoped it would produce a 7-1 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation. “More than 305,000 Missourians demanded a say in who will represent them in the halls of Congress,” Cleaver said on Thursday. “Despite the cynical and deeply shameful attempt to silence many of our neighbors, the people fought back and won. This reaffirms that the people should choose their politicians, not the other way around. Democracy prevails.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify
The U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust division was directed earlier this week to pause all work with the Canadian government as the trade dispute between the neighboring nations intensifies, according to a report. The chief of the antitrust division’s international section, Lynda Marshall, ordered officials on Wednesday to halt all cooperation on cases and engagement on policy issues with Canadian authorities, without providing a reason for the directive, according to emails obtained by The Wall Street Journal. Section chiefs in the antitrust division were also instructed in another email on Friday to provide lists outlining areas of cooperation with Canada by the end of the day, according to the newspaper. NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL REJECTS TRUMP’S ‘LAKE AMERICA’ RENAMING WITH BLUNT MESSAGE The DOJ disputed the report, saying in a statement that the “alleged direction was never given to anyone.” The division was asked to “temporarily hold off on a scheduled meeting on a specific investigation until the DOJ’s antitrust team had more time to prepare,” the department said. This comes as the U.S. and Canada, which have been close allies for decades, continue to spar over President Donald Trump’s trade war against Ottawa and subsequent targeting of the U.S.’s northern neighbor, which most recently included the president’s executive order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Although the renaming only applies to the U.S. federal government, while Canada, other international bodies and U.S. states are not forced to follow the rebranding, the order adds to the ongoing tensions between the two countries that arose following Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025. The trade war has led to tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade. TRUMP RENAMES LAKE ONTARIO ‘LAKE AMERICA’ AMID INTENSIFYING US-CANADA TRADE DISPUTE The Canadian government said it would impose retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. beginning Sept. 8 in response to the Trump administration’s new 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, which took effect last month. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada “will match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses.” The Wall Street Journal and Reuters contributed to this report.
WATCH: Illegal alien busted in battleground state after allegedly committing voter fraud
EXCLUSIVE: Footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows federal agents executing a sweep linked to a multi-state Department of Justice (DOJ) probe that has resulted in criminal charges against individuals for illegal voting, falsifying citizenship status and other election fraud related charges in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The charges arrive as part of a highly publicized nationwide surge by the Trump administration to hunt down election-related crimes ahead of the 2026 midterms. Over the past year, the Justice Department has filed lawsuits against nearly 30 states to force the surrender of confidential voter rolls, while simultaneously repurposing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—an agency historically focused on cartels and terrorism—to spearhead a search for unlawfully registered non-citizens. “Despite the media and Democrats claiming it never happens, the evidence of non-citizens registering to vote in our elections continues to pile up,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Any non-citizens found registering to vote and voting in our elections will be held accountable. Only Americans should be electing American leaders.” ‘RAW MATERIAL FOR ELECTION FRAUD’: EXPERT FLAGS VOTER-ROLL PROBLEMS FAR BEYOND ONE STATE The Justice Department announced Friday that five people—including two illegal immigrants and two non-citizens with legal status—had been federally charged with unlawfully casting ballots, falsifying citizenship status, fraudulently registering to vote and aiding and abetting during the 2022 and 2024 elections. Some of the arrestees, according to a DOJ press release, could face up to more than a decade in prison if found guilty of providing a false statement of citizenship in order to vote and other election fraud charges they are facing. Fox News Digital obtained footage of the arrest of one of those individuals, Katya Rodriguez, 30. An illegal alien from Mexico living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to illegally voting as an alien in the 2024 election. In particular, she is facing allegations of providing a false statement of citizenship to vote, fraudulent registration and voting as an alien, according to a DOJ press release, and could serve a maximum 11 years in prison, a term of supervised release, and be forced to pay a fine. SPANBERGER FACT-CHECKED AFTER TRUMP MAIL-VOTING WARNING RAISES MILITARY BALLOT FEARS The Trump administration’s federal enforcement action comes just weeks after New Jersey officials disclosed a massive state software error that mistakenly registered nearly 6,600 non-citizens to vote, with roughly 400 casting ballots. Meanwhile, Homeland Security announced earlier this summer that an audit of public voter rolls had identified more than 250,000 registered noncitizens in just four states: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada. Just days ago, internal directives revealed by CNN showed Homeland Security Investigations launching a coordinated “voter fraud surge” into nine key states—including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—to hunt down non-citizens suspected of election interference. The handful of arrests announced Friday are among the latest enforcement actions. “Homeland Security Investigations is committed to safeguarding the integrity of our nation’s election systems and ensuring that allegations of unlawful voting, fraudulent registration, and other election-related crimes are thoroughly investigated,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon. “The American people deserve confidence that our elections are protected from fraud and criminal exploitation, and that those who seek to undermine the law are held accountable,” he continued. “As reflected in these cases, HSI special agents worked alongside our federal partners to identify alleged criminal conduct, follow the evidence, and support prosecutions that reinforce public trust and uphold the rule of law.”
Trump lawyers target what Letitia James won’t say about evidence in $450M case
President Donald Trump’s legal representation is demanding an answer to a key question in the civil suit that almost cost him $464 million. In a letter filed with the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, Trump’s representation is arguing that New York Attorney General Letitia James failed to comply with a court order that required her to present “the preservation practices” and “its preservation efforts.” The demand is the latest objection Trump’s attorneys have used to argue that the case, which is being reconsidered, is full of errors. Trump’s attorneys believe James may have key evidence she hasn’t turned over — communications with Michel Cohen, a former attorney for Trump. DELETED EMAIL DETAILS ALLEGED TRUMP-TARGETING PUSH INSIDE LETITIA JAMES’ OFFICE: ‘FIND AND PURSUE CRIMES’ “In seeking the discovery, defendants rely on a January 16, 2026 article by Cohen, published on the online platform Substack in which he asserted that, in meetings with lawyers from [James’s] office, he had ‘felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgement and convictions against President Trump,” a court filing reads. Cohen was a star witness in the civil suit. During trial, he helped build the case that Trump had routinely misrepresented the value of his properties and testified that Trump had given him target net-worth numbers to meet. Although the judge denied the request for additional discovery, the process where parties disclose relevant information about the case, he did require James to detail the process it has used to maintain and preserve information. Trump’s attorneys maintain James failed to do so. “[New York Attorney General’s Office] also carefully avoids representing one way or the other whether any requested materials in fact exist, and, if they do, whether NYAG has confirmed that they are being preserved,” they wrote. “Instead of actually complying with the Order, NYAG has simply recited in general terms that her ‘standard litigation hold procedures’ have been in place since the investigation phase of this matter.” The back-and-forth is the most recent development of the civil suit James brought against Trump in 2022, accusing him of habitually inflating the value of his property to a fraudulent extent. LETITIA JAMES FACES SCRUTINY AFTER NEW YORK CITY SPENDS $81,700 PER HOMELESS PERSON AMID SHELTER SCANDALS After being found liable, Trump was ordered to pay $355 million plus interest in disgorgement and was banned from applying for loans from any New York bank or financial institution for three years. He was also banned from serving as an officer or director of any New York company for two years. Although an appeals court later vacated the monetary penalties, James has appealed to reinstate them. Trump, for his part, has argued the case is fundamentally flawed and that it should be thrown out in its entirety Earlier this month, Trump’s lawyers cited five key disqualifying weaknesses. They argue that Attorney General James lacked the authority to bring the case, noting that the case involves private commercial transactions rather than harm to the public. They also contend that Trump’s valuations reflected subjective estimates that lenders independently evaluated rather than fraudulent misrepresentations. “The only supposed ‘victims’ here are a handful of ultrasophisticated banks and insurers that have never claimed to be injured, were eager to do business with President Trump and his family, and made over $100 million from these transactions,” the appeal states. They further argue that the prosecution’s premise of overvaluation is based on the misguided idea that real estate has one objective value and that deviations from that value must be fraud. “Under that breathtakingly broad theory, NYAG can second-guess any business transaction in this State on almost any imagined grounds,” attorneys wrote. And, on the penalties, Trump’s representation argues that the $450 million disgorgement is excessive, unlawful and even unconstitutional. Finally, the appeal argues that the politically charged nature of the case, on its own, should have been enough to halt its consideration. “NYAG cannot point to a single Section 63(12) enforcement action against similarly situated developers (or any other type of defendant) based on practices comparable to those alleged here,” the filing states, referring to the state law Trump was accused of violating. On the matter of its disclosures, James’ office pointed to its own letter in response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital, contending that it had met its disclosure requirements. TRUMP BACKS REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER TO OUST LETITIA JAMES AMID ONGOING MORTGAGE FRAUD FEUD “Insofar as Defendants have sought or are seeking more information about OAG’s specific preservation efforts, OAG objects to the demand for this extrajudicial discovery,” the letter reads. “Moreover, OAG has completely satisfied its obligations under the Court’s Order for OAG to identify the preservation practices that existed and applied and continue to exist and apply.”