Thune’s suitcase nuke – and the filibuster’s latest blast injury
It was a full-on nuclear explosion. Just like the Pacific Testing Grounds near the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia. But this political blast tore through the Senate chamber. In November 2013, late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., detonated the first Senate “nuclear option.” He curbed the filibuster to confirm executive branch nominees — except the Supreme Court. Rather than 60 votes to break a filibuster, such nominees would only need a simple majority. SENATE GOP LEADER MOVES TO LOWER FILIBUSTER THRESHOLD FOR TRUMP NOMINEES THROUGH NUCLEAR OPTION Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ignited the second “nuclear option” in 2017. The Kentucky Republican anticipated a Democratic filibuster as the Senate tried to confirm Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. So, McConnell chipped away at the filibuster bar for nominations to the High Court. McConnell also lowered that bar from 60 yeas to 51. Both of these instances were so dramatic, they featured parliamentary mushroom clouds erupting over the Capitol. The Senate eventually fell into nuclear winter after both instances, paralyzed from the fallout. Now, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is poised to discharge the parliamentary equivalent of a “suitcase nuke” on Thursday. Thune’s gambit isn’t something to ignore. It won’t carry the same immediate parliamentary weight of the maneuvers executed by Reid and McConnell. However, it’s another crack in the Senate custom of the filibuster. The legislative filibuster still exists. Senators can still block bills if they can prevent the body from cobbling together 60 yeas to break a filibuster. Thune will follow the playbook established by Reid and McConnell to alter the Senate precedent (Note: this is not a rules change. The Senate requires 67 votes to break a filibuster on a rules change.) to expedite the confirmation of lower-level nominees in groups. This plan will not include judges nor cabinet secretaries. Thune set his gambit into motion Monday by introducing a resolution to accelerate a slate of about 40 nominees. By rule, the Senate will take a procedural vote to break a filibuster on his resolution to confirm the batch of nominees on Thursday. The resolution itself, which is specific to this type of batch of nominees, needs 60 yeas. The Senate won’t get 60 yeas. THUNE LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR NUCLEAR OPTION IN SENATE FIGHT OVER TRUMP NOMINEES But this is exactly the scenario that Thune needs to go nuclear. The coin of the realm in the Senate is unlimited debate. But one of the rare occasions senators can’t debate something is when an issue fails and a senator requests a re-vote. So, a failed vote to break the filibuster backs the Senate into the exact parliamentary cul-de-sac that Thune wants. At the end of the roll call vote, Thune will likely switch his vote from yes to no on breaking the filibuster. The Senate allows members to demand a mulligan if they are on the prevailing side of the issue. In this case, Thune is suddenly with the “noes,” even though he initially voted yes to break the filibuster. But remember, Thune is only temporarily switching his vote in order to advance his cause. He may lose the battle. But he may ultimately win the war. By changing his position, Thune can then order a re-vote on the roll call that failed. And since the Senate is in this unique posture of not allowing any debate, Democrats are paralyzed. They can’t do anything to stop Thune from what he plans next. This is similar to what Reid did in 2013, followed up by McConnell in 2017, on the first two nuclear options. Thune will then make a point of order on the floor. Thune will assert that on the resolutions like the one he drafted a bloc of lower-level nominees (e.g. – the ones now before the Senate) does not need 60 votes to break a filibuster. The chair — potentially Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, or even Vice President Vance, who is the President of the Senate — will presumably rule that Thune is wrong. Senate rules and precedent do require 60 votes to break a filibuster on this type of resolution. CONGRESS RETURNS WITH DEMOCRATS REFUSING TO NEGOTIATE AS OCT 1 SHUTDOWN DEADLINE LOOMS But Thune doesn’t stop there. The majority leader will then request a vote to overturn how the chair ruled. He will assert that a simple majority is necessary to break a filibuster for this type of resolution — even though that’s never been the case before. The Senate will vote. And if 51 senators vote in favor of ruling against the chair, the Senate will have established a new precedent. It will lower the threshold from 60 to 51 on this type of resolution to speedily advance a batch of nominees all at once. Once the Senate does that, Thune will need to set up another procedural vote under the new precedents to break a filibuster. If Thune “files cloture” again on Thursday, the Senate can vote on Monday to break a filibuster — needing only 51 yeas — on Monday, Sept. 15. If the Senate votes to break the filibuster on the resolution under the revamped precedents, the Senate could vote to confirm the 48 nominees in question on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Here’s an example of some of the nominees in the queue for confirmation: Former Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., is up for under secretary for nuclear security. President Trump tapped Leslie Beyer to serve as assistant secretary of the interior. Richard Anderson to become an assistant secretary of the Air Force. Jovan Jovanovic to lead the Export-Import Bank. Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., is the president’s pick as ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Thune says Democrats are obstinate, not allowing the Senate to confirm a batch of nominees in one fell swoop. He accuses Democrats of obstruction, saying the minority is trying to undermine the president. “This is simply the world’s longest, most drawn out temper tantrum over losing
Mayor of sanctuary city advances to November election amid ICE crackdown resistance
Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu of Boston on Tuesday easily came out on top in a preliminary municipal contest to advance to November’s mayoral election, amid a new crackdown in Massachusetts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Voters in New England’s most populous city cast ballots to narrow the mayoral field to two in Democrat-dominated Boston. Wu, the first woman and person of color elected Boston mayor, faced off against three challengers. Philanthropist Josh Kraft, a fellow Democrat and the son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, was expected to also advance to November’s mayoral election. TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS The voting came as Wu, who’s seeking re-election to a second four-year term, is pushing back against federal immigration enforcement in the city. The Department of Homeland Security announced on Sunday that “ICE launched ‘Patriot 2.0’ to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state of Massachusetts, following the success of Operation Patriot in May.” And taking aim at Wu, the statement argued, “Sanctuary policies like those pushed by Mayor Wu not only attract and harbor criminals but also place these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens. ICE is arresting sex offenders, pedophiles, murderers, drug dealers, and gang members released by local authorities.” Wu, on Monday, pushed back “They are wrong on the law, and they are wrong on safety,” Wu charged. “This is why Boston has been the target. Boston is going to continue to uphold the Boston Trust Act, our state law, and the clear separation where our local officials and our city government does not cooperate in the mass deportation efforts that this federal administration is trying to push.” And the mayor claimed, “For months, ICE has refused to provide any information about their activities in Boston and refuses to issue warrants, while we hear reports of ICE agents taking parents as they are dropping their kids off at school. That does not make our community safer.” Boston’s Trust Act prevents police in the city from handing people over to ICE without a criminal warrant. The latest confrontation comes as the Justice Department sues Boston city officials, including the mayor, for allegedly interfering with the immigration crackdown.
Whole milk makes a comeback in new MAHA children’s health strategy
The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission indicated that, after more than a decade of restrictions on whole milk in schools, the federal government is planning to drop them. The decision to drop the restrictions on whole milk sales in schools was announced as part of the MAHA commission’s Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy, a sweeping plan with over 120 initiatives released Tuesday. The initiatives cover a wide range of topics, from toxic food dyes, to nutrient requirements, to misleading health advertisements. Updated recommendations regarding fluoride and PFAS chemicals in water and a new definition for “ultra-processed food” were among the planned initiatives as well. “The Trump administration is mobilizing every part of government to confront the childhood chronic disease epidemic,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday. “This strategy represents the most sweeping reform agenda in modern history — realigning our food and health systems, driving education, and unleashing science to protect America’s children and families. We are ending the corporate capture of public health, restoring transparency, and putting gold-standard science — not special interests — at the center of every decision.” JILLIAN MICHAELS HAMMERS NY TIMES FOR ‘BLATANT HIT PIECE’ PORTRAYING HER AS DANGEROUS CONSPIRACY THEORIST The move to bring back whole milk to schools is something Kennedy has been considering since day one, according to Nina Teicholz, a nutrition expert who was privy to discussions among Kennedy’s staff before he was confirmed by the Senate to lead the nation’s public health response. While removing the restrictions is a significant move, there are still additional steps that will need to be taken before whole milk becomes widely accepted again, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). One of those additional steps is rewriting the national dietary guidelines, which directly influence school meal nutrition standards. The new MAHA children’s health strategy indicates that the Trump administration will update the 2025–2030 guidelines, while also reforming the manner in which future dietary guidelines can be updated. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would also initiate changes to school nutrition standards through its rulemaking process to permit whole milk in schools. Meanwhile, legislation is another avenue that could be used to streamline the process for bringing back whole milk in schools, the CRS notes, which would then compel the USDA to revise its regulations governing the National School Lunch Program. In the current Congress, a bill to bring back both whole milk and 2% milk has been approved in the House and is awaiting full approval in the Senate before it can be sent to the president’s desk. ‘CHERNOBYL-LEVEL FAILURE’: MAHA ADVISOR GIVES CDC FAILING GRADE ON COVID, CHRONIC DISEASES Another notable part of the new MAHA children’s health strategy entails an initiative to ramp up enforcement of prescription drug advertising laws. The strategy said this includes the dissemination of “risk information and quality of life through misleading and deceptive advertising on social media and digital platforms.” The report notes that the new enforcement will target direct-to-consumer telehealth companies and social media influencers, among others. In April, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply. The MAHA strategy indicated this effort will remain ongoing as the FDA continues to pass policies that will either limit, or altogether prohibit, the use of petroleum-based food dyes in all food products approved in the United States. Other initiatives include providing a government-wide definition for “ultra-processed foods” to support future policy activity, efforts to require better transparency in food labeling, new recommendations regarding fluoride and PFAS chemicals in water, updates to the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) standards, changes to nutrition requirements for infant formula, and efforts to increase breastfeeding rates to ensure a safe supply of donor milk. “For too long, health care has used a reactive approach to chronic diseases,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said. “I am pleased to support the findings of the MAHA commission and to promote a more proactive approach, tackling root causes undermining the health and happiness of American children.” Tuesday’s children’s health strategy from the MAHA Commission follows an earlier assessment on children’s health released in May. After that report was released, farmers expressed concern over what the reforms could mean for their livelihoods. However, following Tuesday’s latest strategy report, at least one of those groups is applauding the Trump administration for taking steps to protect farmers. “It’s clear that farmers’ voices were finally heard, but our work to defend their access to safe and proven crop protection tools is far from over,” said Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance. “The Commission avoided some of the most damaging potential outcomes for American agriculture, but it still advanced some misconceptions about these essential farming inputs and the gold-standard science and regulatory processes that stand behind them.”
Democrat Walkinshaw wins special congressional election where Trump loomed large
Democrats will hold onto a vacant congressional seat in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., in a special election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump and his sweeping and controversial agenda. Democratic Party nominee James Walkinshaw defeated Republican nominee Stewart Whitson in Virginia’s left-leaning 11th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press. Walkinshaw will succeed late longtime Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, who died in May after a battle with cancer. Heading into Tuesday’s special election, Republicans controlled the House 219-212, with three seats controlled by Democrats vacant, as well as one held by the GOP. Walkinshaw’s victory in the left-leaning district that Republicans haven’t won in nearly two decades further narrows the GOP’s fragile House majority. TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS With the vast majority of votes counted on Tuesday evening, Walkinshaw appeared headed for a roughly 50-point victory margin over Whitson. Connolly won re-election by nearly 34 points last December, and by 33 points in the 2022 midterms. “Rep-elect Walkinshaw’s victory continues the dominant trend we’re seeing so far this year – Democrats are massively overperforming in nearly every race,” Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement. The district is home to tens of thousands of government workers and contractors, and the federal jobs cuts by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and crime and immigration, transgender policies and even the push to release the Justice Department’s files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were all in the spotlight on the campaign trail. FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERM ELECTIONS “Folks in Northern Virginia and Fairfax are feeling the impact of the Trump policies. And I like to say we’re kind of on the leading edge of the Trump economy here. Everybody in Fairfax knows someone, probably someone on their street, maybe the parent of their kid’s soccer team, who has lost their job because of DOGE or the Trump policies,” Walkinshaw told Fox News Digital on Election Day eve. Walkinshaw, a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors member who previously served as Connolly’s chief of staff, argued that “if the Trump policies continue, tariffs, the so-called big, beautiful bill, that’s going to be the case all around the country. So, I think we’re on the leading edge of that. And I think voters tomorrow are going to send a statement about that.” Whitson also said Trump was in the campaign spotlight because of a “lot of the great policies that he’s been championing.” Whitson, an Army veteran and former FBI special agent who oversees federal affairs for a conservative think tank, told Fox News Digital “the people in our district who have lost their job or who are worried about losing their job, they don’t need empathy. They need solutions.” He said Walkinshaw claimed “he’s going to fight President Trump and fight the administration. And my pitch to voters in our district is: is that going to help? Is that going to help improve the situation? The answer is no. “We need someone to represent the people in our district who can work with any administration, whether it’s Republican or Democrat,” Whitson emphasized. While Trump isn’t very popular in the district — the president won just 31% of the vote in his White House re-election last year — Whitson said Trump’s polices “center on … common sense.” Fox News’ Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.
Missouri House approves redistricting plan as part of nationwide GOP push to defend House majority
The Missouri House of Representatives passed a new congressional map on Tuesday that is expected to hand Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The Missouri Senate is now tasked with passing the new map before it can land on Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk. A special session of Missouri’s legislature to redraw the solidly red state’s congressional districts began last week. The Midwest state is the latest battleground in the high-stakes partisan fight over congressional redistricting ahead of the midterms. “Missouri’s conservative, commonsense values should be truly represented at all levels of government, and the Missouri First Map delivers just that,” Kehoe said as he announced the special session and unveiled the proposed map. TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH TURNS MIDWESTERN STATE INTO NEXT POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND Missouri Democrats staged a sit-in over the weekend, refusing to leave the chamber in protest of the Republican-backed map. Missouri state House Minority Leader Ashley Aune has accused Republicans of pushing to “rig our maps and eliminate our representation in Congress.” ABBOTT CLEARS FINAL REDISTRICTING HURDLE AS TEXAS SENATE PASSES NEW TRUMP-APPROVED MAP Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin celebrated the Missouri Democrats’ protest in a statement released Monday. “The DNC applauds their efforts leading and using every tool at their disposal to raise awareness for the craven scheme by Missouri Republicans. In every corner of this country, Democrats are fighting back. Missouri Democrats can count on the DNC’s support as we protect Missouri voters and save our country from Trump’s billionaire-first agenda,” Martin said. President Donald Trump argued in a social media post that Missouri voters would have “the tremendous opportunity to elect an additional MAGA Republican in the 2026 Midterm Elections.” Kehoe’s move came hours after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law a redistricting bill passed by the Republican supermajority in the state legislature that aims to create up to five right-leaning congressional districts at the expense of currently Democrat-controlled seats in the reliably red state. The efforts in Missouri and Texas are part of a broad effort by the GOP to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Democrats are fighting back against the rare, but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting. State lawmakers in heavily blue California have approved a special ballot proposition this November to obtain voter approval to temporarily sidetrack the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. The effort in California, which aims to create five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts and counter the shift in Texas, is being spearheaded by two-term Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is seen as a likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender. In Missouri, the new map proposed by Kehoe targets longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City area district by shifting it eastward to include rural right-leaning voters. If passed by the GOP-controlled legislature, the new map would likely flip Cleaver’s seat and give Republicans a seven-to-one advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation. Cleaver, whose seat is threatened, has vowed to take legal action if the new map is signed into law by the governor. With Democrats currently needing just a three-seat pickup in next year’s midterms to win back the House majority, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida are mulling their own GOP-friendly redistricting plans ahead of the 2026 elections. And right-leaning Ohio is under a court order to draw new maps ahead of the midterms. Democrats, as they push back, are looking to New York, Illinois and Maryland in the hopes of creating more left-leaning congressional seats. In Illinois and Maryland, where Govs. J.B. Pritzker and Wes Moore are discussing redistricting, Democrats hope to pick up to three more left-leaning seats. And Democrats could pick up a seat in right-leaning Utah, where a judge recently ordered the GOP-controlled legislature to draw new maps after ruling that lawmakers four years ago ignored an independent commission approved by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering.
Trump administration targets big pharma for deceptive drug advertising
The Trump administration is targeting “misleading drug advertisements” by initiating rule making to close a 1997 loophole that enables drug advertisers to conceal safety risks in broadcast and digital ads. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) sent thousands of warning letters across the pharmaceutical industry on Tuesday. Sources familiar with the letter told Fox that companies who practice widespread advertising like Hims/Hers are among those receiving the notice. Fox News Digital also obtained a copy of a letter sent to a pharmaceutical company, which outlines concerns that “patients are not seeing a fair balance of the information regarding a drug product” and directing the company to “remove any noncompliant advertising and bring all promotional communications into compliance.” TRUMP SENDS LETTERS TO 17 PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ON REDUCING DRUG PRICES “For far too long, the FDA has permitted misleading drug advertisements, distorting the doctor-patient relationship and creating increased demand for medications regardless of clinical appropriateness,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Drug companies spend up to 25% of their budget on advertising.” “Those billions of dollars would be better spent on lowering drug prices for everyday Americans,” Makary added. The letters to various companies are being sent out over the course of Tuesday afternoon, and it is unclear whether any companies have had the opportunity to respond. Fox News Digital reached out to Hims/Hers but did not receive a response. I WISH RFK JR.’S HEARING WAS ‘MORE PRODUCTIVE,’ FDA CHIEF SAYS The notice sent by the two health-related agencies also cites a 2024 review in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research which showed that while every pharmaceutical social media post highlights drug benefits, only 33% of these companies mention potential harms. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), a law dating back to 1938 and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, empowers the FDA to enact appropriate regulations for pharmaceutical advertising. Social media advertisements also apply to the FDCA and regulations set forth by the FDCA. PSYCHEDELIC DRUG POPULAR IN 1960S COULD EASE ANXIETY AS DOCTORS SHARE WARNINGS “Patients deserve the truth about the medicines they’re prescribed,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “For nearly three decades, drug companies have gamed the system to mislead families while pocketing billions. “Those days are over,” Kennedy continued. “We are restoring honesty and accountability in drug advertising to protect patients and rebuild public trust.” Per FDA regulations, a written warning letter, like the ones sent by the agency on Tuesday, is the first step in reprimanding drug companies and is one of the FDA’s most commonly used methods of enforcement.
IRS fires top aide linked to Lois Lerner Tea Party targeting scandal
EXCLUSIVE: A top aide and confidante to former Obama official Lois Lerner who targeted conservatives and conservative groups was fired by the Internal Revenue Service, Fox News Digital has learned. Sources told Fox News Digital that Holly Paz, who served as the IRS Commissioner of Large Business and International Division, was terminated Monday. KEY AIDE IN IRS’ TEA PARTY TARGETING CONTROVERSY PUT ON LEAVE AFTER ALLEGATIONS OF NEW ANTI-GOP EFFORT Paz was placed on administrative leave last month and was subsequently fired following an internal review, sources say. Paz had served as Lerner’s deputy during the Obama administration. In 2013, it was revealed that the IRS, under Lerner, had wrongfully scrutinized tax-exempt applications related to the phrases “Tea Party,” “9/12” and “Constitution.” The Treasury’s inspector general later confirmed “inappropriate criteria” were used to target conservative groups and criticized ineffective oversight of systemic bias. The IRS reportedly spent more than two years targeting conservative tax-exempt groups. Paz reviewed and helped oversee the handling of tax-exempt applications, and has been described as a key link between the Cincinnati, Ohio IRS office where the screenings of applications took place and the IRS headquarters. FLASHBACK: HOLLY PAZ AND LOIS LERNER WANT IRS TESTIMONY SEALED FOREVER, FEARING DEATH THREATS Her dismissal followed scrutiny from lawmakers over a subordinate work unit aimed at auditing pass-through businesses that Biden-era Commissioner Danny Werfel had created and assigned her to lead. Werfel called the new work unit a big step in “ensur[ing] the IRS holds the nation’s wealthiest filers accountable,” and Paz called it an “important change” in the IRS structure. The Trump administration, after years of litigation, in 2017, settled lawsuits with Tea Party and other conservative groups who say they were unfairly targeted by the IRS under the Obama administration. TRUMP SCORES MAJOR WIN AS SENATE INSTALLS IRS CRITIC TO LEAD THE AGENCY Lerner and Paz, at the time, asked the federal courts to keep their testimonies in the Tea Party targeting case private forever, over fear of death threats. The targeting scandal drew heavy attention in 2013 after the IRS admitted it applied extra scrutiny to conservative groups applying for nonprofit status. Lerner became the public face of the scandal, though many other IRS officials, like Paz, were also involved. In a 2017 settlement, the IRS offered an apology, saying the agency “admits that its treatment of Plaintiffs during the tax-exempt determination process, including screening their applications based on their names or policy positions, subjecting those applications to heightened scrutiny and inordinate delays, and demanding some Plaintiffs’ information that TIGTA determined was unnecessary to the agency’s determination of their tax-exempt status, was wrong.” FLASHBACK: MCCONNELL, BRAUN TO ROLL OUT BILL TO PREVENT DEMOCRATS FROM ‘WEAPONIZING’ IRS TO TARGET CONSERVATIVES “For such treatment, the IRS expresses its sincere apology,” the IRS said at the time. While the Treasury Department did not comment on the move to fire Paz, it represents the latest step in Secretary Scott Bessent’s efforts to “de-weaponize” the IRS in his role as acting commissioner. Fox News Digital has learned that Bessent has been working closely with Hunter Biden whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, and has met several times with IRS leadership. Sources told Fox News Digital that Bessent and IRS officials are working to improve customer service and outcomes for American taxpayers. They are also working to streamline technical improvements, and cut back on bloated hiring from the Biden administration. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Unearthed emails show left-wing group quietly writing policies for progressive DAs: ‘No billing, no publicity’
FIRST ON FOX: A little-known consulting firm is quietly steering the policies and messaging of dozens of progressive prosecutors nationwide, according to a searing report exclusively obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. The Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF), a pro-police nonprofit based out of Virginia, is publishing a report Tuesday alleging that a liberal group focused on criminal justice reform called the Wren Collective has helped guide and shape the offices of at least 40 progressive prosecutors across 22 states on their “policies, public communications, and legal decisions,” according to the report exclusively obtained by Fox Digital titled, “Outsourcing Justice.” The report outlines the influence — both direct and indirect — that the Wren Collective has allegedly had in both the campaigns and subsequent policy priorities for certain district attorneys, including at least 40, whom the report alleges held cozy relationships with the group, such as joining weekly meetings to talk communication strategy, heeding advice on specific policy issues or even signing a non-disclosure agreement over a DA’s professional relationship with the group. The Wren Collective is a for-profit organization founded in 2020 by Jessica Brand, a Texas-based attorney who serves as the group’s executive director. Its aim is to “replace ineffective and often disingenuous solutions to crime and safety with solutions that support victims,” according to the website, and is bolstered by a team of policy and legal experts who “design, promote, and defend policies and practices grounded in evidence and compassion.” EPA URGED TO AXE FUNDS FOR ‘RADICAL’ CLIMATE PROJECT ACCUSED OF TRAINING JUDGES, STATE AGS RALLY But the report in question alleges a certain level of influence exerted by the group that goes beyond its stated priorities. Among other things, the report accuses the group of engaging in an “influence-peddling operation,” in part by increasing the access and engagement that certain donors or “well-connected” activists had with the district attorneys’ offices in question, arguing that it “demonstrates that these elected prosecutors’ actions are shaped not by their own ideas or by those of voters and local stakeholders,” but are instead pursued “at the behest” of a certain few. The LELDF report found that since 2015, there have been roughly 100 progressive district attorneys elected to office across the country, with Wren Collective staffers allegedly “embedded” in at least 40 of the offices, based on documents researchers compiled via Freedom of Information Act requests and other public documents showing a cozy relationship between the group and liberal prosecutors. The report identified “hatchlings” of the Wren Collective – which LELDF defined as left-wing DAs tied to the consultancy group – such as former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin, former Los Angeles DA George Gascon, and Travis County, Texas, DA Jose Garza. TOP ENERGY GROUP CALLS FOR PROBE INTO SECRETIVE ‘NATIONAL LAWFARE CAMPAIGN’ TO INFLUENCE JUDGES ON CLIMATE “Based on public information requests (totaling over 50,000 pages of emails and text messages), campaign finance filings, and tax documents, this study demonstrates [how] a handful of left-wing social justice organizations, with significant ties to campaign donors, hold immense influence over these prosecutors through The Wren Collective’s consulting service,” the report alleges. The report pointed to one email exchange in particular that “explains it all,” and shows the alleged cozy ties between the group and the services it can provide to prosecutors. An email sent in June 2020 by a Wren Collective attorney to Multnomah County (Portland) DA-elect Mike Schmidt and his policy advisor included two justice-related model policies on how to abolish bail and reduce jail populations that the group “wrote for Virginia commonwealth attorneys,” as well as a lengthy list of examples of how the group could help the incoming DA. SPECIAL PROSECUTOR WARNS KAREN READ SUPPORTERS’ BEHAVIOR IS ‘ANTITHESIS OF JUSTICE’ “In addition to assistance with staffing issues, office organization, and communications support during policy roll-out and in times of crisis, we have written and could help with policies in the following areas:1. Bail2. Diversion/Declination3. Intake4. Probation5. Plea guidelines6. Fines and Fees7. Prosecutions related to policing8. Brady (related to officer misconduct) and “do not call” or exclusion lists9. Conviction integrity or sentencing review units10. Juvenile transfer11. Felony and Misdemeanor case backlog” The email continued, according to the report, highlighting that the Wren Collective assists DAs in such matters “without any billing or publicity” while adding “these policies will be yours, not ours.” All in, the report includes documents from 23 open records requests, out of a total of 65 requests made, alongside publicly available documents and previous FOIA documents to “cross-reference names and communications to build out a list of 40 progressive prosecutors who themselves or their staff communicated regularly, and substantively directly with The Wren Collective or Jessica Brand on policy, communications, and legal strategy.” Brand defended the Wren Collective’s work in an emailed comment to Fox News on Monday when asked about the report, while critiquing LELDF for publishing the report. LEFT-WING ADVOCACY GROUPS IN THE HOT SEAT AS ANTI-ICE RIOTS TRIGGER INVESTIGATION: ‘NOT PROTECTED SPEECH’ “Wren has spent five years proudly working with prosecutors and law enforcement on policies that reduce crime and improve community safety. I have not seen the report, but Wren’s work is no secret and they could have just gone to our website, which makes clear what we do. Our team is also regularly quoted in major media outlets about our work. It is strange that, when there are major mental health challenges in law enforcement and a recruitment crisis, this organization wants to focus on Wren and what LEDLF surely knows is common practice – among conservative and progressive organizations alike who work with these offices – rather than how to help officers,” she said. On crisis communications, the Wren Collective allegedly helped shape former Loudon County, Virginia, Commonwealth Attorney Buta Biberaj’s handling of the high-profile sexual assault case on a female student in an Ashburn high school by a biological male student. The case became national news in 2021 when the girl’s father, Scott Smith, railed against
National Guard deploys to aid ICE operations in Arkansas, as Sanders backs key Trump initiative
EXCLUSIVE: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, one of the most visible figures in President Donald Trump’s first term, told Fox News Digital exclusively that she will announce a plan Tuesday to deploy dozens of National Guard to help in the deportation process for captured illegal immigrants. The Republican, who served as White House press secretary during the last Trump administration, will work with the Department of Homeland Security under federal Title 32 powers that allow guardsmen to remain under her control but be funded by Washington. “Violent, criminal illegal immigrants have no place in Arkansas,” Sanders said. “I signed the Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act to hold these criminals accountable and slap enhanced penalties on illegal immigrants who commit additional crimes while in our state, and I look forward to our guardsmen working with the Trump Administration to enforce federal immigration law.” ICE COULD GET BOOST FROM NATIONAL GUARD IF CALLED, IOWA GOVERNOR SAYS Sanders said her former boss has skillfully secured the border and praised his efforts to “clean up the streets” in major cities, to the chagrin of Democratic municipal leaders. “Arkansas stands with him every step of the way,” Sanders added. Arkansas National Guard Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges confirmed his service members are ready to assist DHS, saying in a statement that they are committed to “focus on their core operations.” A total of 40 guardsmen in Fort Smith, Little Rock and Fayetteville will be activated for this mission. GOP GOVERNOR GREENLIGHTS STATE TROOPERS TO JOIN ICE IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN Sanders indicated they will assist in logistical support and transportation of illegal immigrant detainees – and remain unarmed. Arkansas National Guard will also help DHS with the clerical side of the detainment and deportation process, allowing federal agents to focus on the hands-on efforts of capturing illegal immigrant criminals. Prior to the news, Sanders signed the state’s Defense Against Criminal Illegals Act, which stipulates enhanced penalties for illegal immigrants who commit crimes in Arkansas beyond simply being illicitly present in the Natural State. Sanders has also expanded the state’s ban on sanctuary cities to include areas of the state not directly governed by municipalities, including many rural communities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sanders’ office also shared information on some of the more violent illegal immigrants arrested in Arkansas. In January, ASP arrested Luis Danielle Valdez-Reyes who was accused of striking a state trooper, as well as Elias Avila-Bustillo, who was wanted by El Salvador for illegal gang activity. A nurse from Little Rock, Jennifer Ann Morton, was killed in a DUI crash allegedly caused by another illegal immigrant: Maynor Yair Sorto-Herrera. During the Biden administration, Sanders was one of a handful of governors to travel to the Mexican border to highlight the Democratic administration’s reticence to do so.
Dem governors suddenly crack down on crime as Trump’s National Guard threats loom
A handful of Democratic governors are cracking down on crime as President Donald Trump threatens to send the National Guard into blue cities struggling with persistent crime waves that have left residents killed or injured and businesses shuttered. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) — who has traded barbs with Trump over objecting to the president’s calls to activate the National Guard in the long crime-riddled city — announced on Friday that the Maryland State Police will bolster the Baltimore Police Department’s efforts to crack down on crime. “We are proud of the progress that we’ve been able to make, and we’re all very, very concerned about how much work still needs to happen,” Moore said on Friday after ordering state police to assist its Baltimore law enforcement counterparts. “If one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that is one too many.” Trump is in the midst of a national crime crackdown that began in Washington, D.C., in August, when he federalized the city under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital’s police force for 30 days. Trump has since floated deploying the National Guard to crime-riddled cities such as Baltimore and Chicago to install law and order. NEWSOM DEPLOYS CRIME TEAMS STATEWIDE AS WHITE HOUSE MOCKS ‘COPYING TRUMP AGENDA’ Democratic state and local leaders, however, have frequently balked at Trump’s crackdown as a form of “authoritarianism.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, for example, declared in August that “we cannot incarcerate our way out of violence,” while claiming the U.S. has an “addiction” to jailing criminals. Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has characterized a potential National Guard presence on the streets as unnecessary, citing Chicago’s slowing crime trends since the wildly violent 2020 era and promoting state investments in community violence intervention programs. Amid left-wing outrage over Trump’s crime crackdown plans, some Democratic governors have taken additional steps at the state level to snuff out crime in violent jurisdictions, Fox News Digital found. “First, Democrats claimed there was no crime problem and mocked the American people for being concerned about their safety. But now that they’ve seen the tremendous results delivered by President Trump, they’re eager to mimic his success — the reality is, the American people benefit when the President’s agenda is implemented. Let this be a lesson to all Democrats, President Trump was right about everything!” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning when asked about a trio of Democratic governors who have announced crime crackdown initiatives in recent days. Just days after Trump federalized Washington, D.C.’s police department, Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Rio Arriba County, the city of Española and local Pueblo communities in response to a “significant surge in violent crime, drug trafficking, and public safety threats that have overwhelmed local resources.” TRUMP CLAIMS ‘WE’RE AGAINST CRIME. DEMOCRATS LIKE CRIME’ “We are making every resource available to support our local partners on the ground and restore public safety and stability to these areas that have been hardest hit by this crisis,” Lujan Grisham said in an Aug. 13 press release. The state of emergency authorized up to $750,000 in “emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management” to coordinate response efforts in the affected areas, and will stay in effect until the funds are spent, or the additional resources are no longer needed. Lujan Grisham’s decision followed the Democratic governor slamming Trump for federalizing D.C., calling it: “executive overreach in Washington [that] sets a dangerous precedent and undermines safety in our nation’s capital.” Lujan Grisham’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. In California longtime Trump political foe Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state’s highway patrol would deploy new “crime suppression” teams to the state’s massive cities seeing crime trends, including San Diego, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. The announcement followed a similar crime crackdown initiative in Oakland, Bakersfield and San Bernardino, the governor said at the time. “These operations will be targeted,” Newsom said at a news conference back in August when making the announcement. “They’ll be data-driven.” LIZ PEEK: TRUMP PRANKS DEMOCRATS INTO OPPOSING SOMETHING THEY’VE ALWAYS CLAIMED TO SUPPORT Newsom’s office pointed to data showing crime overall dropped in California in 2024 and that CHP’s increased presence in the new jurisdictions was part of the governor’s “next phase of his crime-fighting efforts.” “While the Trump administration undermines cities, California is partnering with them and delivering real results. With these new deployments, we’re doubling down on these partnerships to build on progress and keep driving crime down,” Newsom said in a statement of the initiative. Newsom is among vocal Democrats who have slammed Trump over his crime crackdown, including excoriating the administration in June, when federal law enforcement officials and the National Guard converged on Los Angeles to specifically detain and deport illegal immigrants. A federal judge ruled earlier in September that the Trump administration violated federal laws by sending the National Guard to LA in June — a ruling that affects only the state and not other states. “Today, the court sided with democracy and the Constitution. No president is a king — not even Trump — and no president can trample a state’s power to protect its people,” Newsom said following the judge’s ruling. The Supreme Court ultimately lifted restrictions on ICE raids in LA on Monday. When asked about bolstering CHP presence amid Trump’s national crime crackdown, Newsom’s office said “there is no correlation between California’s public safety investments and Trump unnecessarily sending in the National Guard to Washington, D.C.” The state has invested $1.7 billion since 2019 to boost public safety, including record funding in 2023 to combat organized retail crime with a 310% increase in enforcement operations, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told Fox Digital. “I know the issue of reduction