Secretary of War Hegseth lands in Puerto Rico as US ramps up Caribbean cartel fight with naval forces
The U.S. ramped up its fight against Caribbean drug cartels Monday as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine touched down in Puerto Rico to bolster military operations. Puerto Rican Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón and First Gentleman Dr. José Yovín Vargas welcomed the pair, framing the visit as the Trump administration’s show of support for troops training on the island. “We thank President Trump and his administration for recognizing Puerto Rico’s strategic importance to our national security, and for their commitment to combat drug cartels and the narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro,” the governor said. “We fully support America First policies that protect our borders and fight illicit activities in defense of the American people.” The meeting took place at Muñiz Air Base in Carolina, outside San Juan, and drew top brass including Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutant General Carlos José Rivera-Román, Public Safety Secretary Brig. Gen. Arthur Garffer, and other senior military leaders. RUBIO SAYS TRUMP ‘WANTS TO WAGE WAR’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BLOW THEM UP IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES’ Hegseth spoke to nearly 300 soldiers at the base, thanking and describing them as “American warriors.” The secretary of war also provided affirmation that those serving in the Armed Forces will be the best equipped and prepared in the world. The visit comes as the U.S. military expands its naval footprint near Venezuela, part of President Donald Trump’s push to choke off drug flows from Latin America. Naval and air assets have been dispatched to confront traffickers and secure key maritime routes, with some already used this week against alleged narco-terrorists. US BOLSTERS MILITARY PRESENCE IN CARIBBEAN NEAR VENEZUELA AMID TRUMP’S EFFORTS TO HALT DRUG TRAFFICKING Last Tuesday, Marines hit a vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea that was allegedly ferrying members of the Tren de Aragua gang smuggling narcotics to the U.S. While the U.S. military has long worked to counter cartel and international gang organizations beginning in the late 1980s, the strike killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua – which the Trump administration designated as a terrorist organization in February – marked a definite shift from previous seize and apprehend operations. President Donald Trump has made it clear since his first administration that he strongly opposes Maduro’s regime and even announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. TRUMP TOUTS US STRIKE AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY ‘THREAT’ OFF VENEZUELA Hegseth has also sent major firepower to the region—including the USS Iwo Jima, USS Lake Erie, USS Jason Dunham, USS Gravely, and USS Sampson—to hunt criminal networks and narco-terrorists. Trump’s decision to deploy U.S. troops off of the South American nation prompted Maduro, last Monday, to decry the move as an attempt to seek regime change and said, “Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.” Against that backdrop, González-Colón cast Puerto Rico as America’s frontline in the regional crackdown. “President Trump’s leadership in the fight against narcotrafficking places Puerto Rico—our nation’s Caribbean border—at the forefront of our security and interests,” González-Colón added. “For the first time, I believe we are confronting the problem at its root, striking directly at the source of the drug flow.”
Ryan Routh trial opens with bizarre jury questions and witness drama
The first day of jury selection kicked off Monday in Fort Pierce, Florida, for the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who allegedly sought to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. Routh, who is representing himself, appeared at the federal courthouse on Monday morning wearing a gray suit and ankle shackles as the voir dire process began, with prosecutors and Routh questioning jurors to determine whether they can fairly participate in the trial. The jury selection process will identify 12 jurors and four alternates for the trial. RYAN ROUTH TRIAL: JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE During jury selection, Routh asked potential jurors their views on the war in Gaza, their position on the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland as the president has floated, and how they would act if they were driving and spotted a turtle in the middle of the road. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed Routh’s questions as “politically charged,” and said that they were unnecessary for jury selection. “None of the questions on your list have any bearing whatsoever. They were off base, sir, and have no relevance to jury selection,” Cannon said. When Routh attempted to speak in protest, Cannon warned him not to interrupt. Routh also said a former co-worker listed on his witness list, Eric Zuniga, would not testify on Routh’s behalf because Zuniga lives in Costa Rica and “likes his freedom and doesn’t want to get arrested or deported.” Routh then withdrew Zuniga’s name as a potential witness. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH CHALLENGES PRESIDENT TO ROUND OF GOLF Routh also said another potential witness he’d listed would also unlikely to appear, due to scheduled travel to Vietnam during the trial. After the morning session wrapped up, Cannon asked if there was anything else, prompting Routh to say that he is “still in a situation at the jail where I can’t sleep.” “I don’t know if they could move me to general population or something,” Routh said. But Cannon once again shut Routh down, and said that the statement wasn’t appropriate at that time. Twenty-seven out of the 60 prospective jurors claimed that they had a hardship that would prevent them from participating on the jury for Routh’s case. Meanwhile, Routh claimed he had reservations about many potential jurors, but couldn’t identify specific concerns. Prosecutors claim that Routh sought to kill Trump for weeks, and staked out a spot in shrubbery on Sept. 15, 2024, when a Secret Service agent detected him pointing a rifle at Trump while the then-presidential candidate played golf at his West Palm Beach country club. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, but abandoned his weapon and the scene after the Secret Service agents opened fire. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH CAN’T SEE CLASSIFIED INFO RELATING TO CASE, JUDGE RULES Routh faces federal charges, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, as well as assaulting a federal officer and various gun violations. The charges carry a potential life sentence if the jury finds him guilty. Meanwhile, Routh has maintained he’s innocent and pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, in addition to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder. Opening statements for the trial are expected to kick off on Thursday, and prosecutors are poised to launch into their case immediately afterward. The court has allocated four weeks for Routh’s trial, although it is expected to wrap up sooner. Fox News’ Jamie Joseph, Heather Lacey, Jake Gibson, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Comer vows ‘accountability,’ Trump rips ‘scandal’ after bombshell report on Biden autopen pardons
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said his panel is wrapping up its investigation into President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen after a new report revealed concerns raised within the former administration itself. “New records reveal President Biden’s own administration raised concerns about autopen use to grant thousands of pardons. This is a historic scandal with massive repercussions,” Comer told Fox News Digital in response to the Axios report. “As President Biden declined, his aides carried out executive actions without his approval, casting doubt on the legitimacy of thousands of pardons and other executive actions.” Comer added, “The House Oversight Committee is in the final stages of its investigation. There must be accountability for this scandal.” BIDEN’S AUTO-PEN PARDONS DISTURBED DOJ BRASS, DOCS SHOW, RAISING QUESTIONS WHETHER THEY ARE LEGALLY BINDING President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social: “THE BIDEN AUTOPEN SCANDAL IS BIG, NOT AS BIG AS THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, OR THE RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT, NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, EVER!!!” A former Biden White House staffer familiar with the pardons process pushed back. “Republicans like to talk about Biden whenever news hits that they don’t want to talk about. Today, they want to talk about Biden because Trump is responsible for the latest jobs report, which is the worst August jobs gain since 2020,” the staffer told Fox News Digital. “What these emails show is a full process to support that decision-making and checks on the use of the autopen.” Axios reported over the weekend that senior Department of Justice (DOJ) officials flagged issues with Biden’s clemency process in his final days in office. Biden approved nearly 2,500 commutations on Jan. 17, just days before leaving the White House, setting a record for most clemency orders ever granted by a U.S. president — more than 4,200 in total — and the most ever in a single day. The next day, DOJ ethics lawyer Bradley Weinsheimer reportedly wrote in a memo: “Unfortunately and despite repeated requests and warnings, we were not afforded a reasonable opportunity to vet and provide input on those you were considering.” Noting that at least one murderer granted clemency had been flagged by DOJ, he added: “I have no idea if the president was aware of these backgrounds when making clemency decisions.” The New York Post first reported details of the memo. Meanwhile, Axios reported that a DOJ pardon attorney took issue with White House lawyers asking the department not to solicit views of murder victims’ families of multiple death row inmates if it had not already done so — including people whose sentences Biden commuted as well. The Axios report further revealed that Biden White House staff secretary Stef Feldman repeatedly sought clarity on the autopen process. In one Jan. 16 email, she asked for details on drug-related clemency orders approved by then-Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. After being asked to use autopen on an executive order, Feldman reportedly wrote: “When did we get [Biden’s] approval of this?” ‘SHOULD BE PROSECUTED’: HOUSE REPUBLICANS ZERO IN ON BIDEN AUTOPEN PARDONS AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT The former Biden staffer insisted the process was sound. “The pardon power rests with the president — not the Department of Justice,” the staffer said. “While the DOJ is free to raise its own concerns about pardons, and did before Trump fired all of the career staff who did so, it is ultimately the President’s decision.” Biden himself told The New York Times recently that he made every clemency decision on his own. Zients is expected to testify before the Oversight Committee later this month. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is also scheduled for a closed-door interview Friday.
New FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey begins transition to FBI role alongside Bongino
The FBI will welcome a second deputy director for the first time in its history in the coming days after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey resigned his position on Monday to join the bureau. Bailey will serve as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, with the pair reporting to FBI Director Kash Patel. The unprecedented setup comes as President Donald Trump is placing a new emphasis on federal law enforcement amid his wider crime crackdown. There also has been controversy within the FBI regarding the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, with sources saying Bongino has been deeply frustrated. “As I approach the final hours as your Attorney General, I am profoundly grateful to Missouri, as it has been the honor of my life to serve you,” Bailey wrote on social media Sunday night. “Together, we have accomplished much for the place we call home. Until Missouri calls again, thank you.” Fox News Digital has learned that Bailey is set to start at the FBI next Monday. TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY 1 EXECUTIVE ORDERS As Missouri’s AG, Bailey made national headlines opposing former President Joe Biden’s efforts to wipe away student debt. He also worked to curb Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at multiple major companies, including at Starbucks, which he accused of “race-based hiring” earlier this year. Bailey also spoke up in favor of President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. Bailey also launched an anti-human trafficking task force and addressed more than 1,100 reported incidents in Missouri, in addition to clearing the backlog of Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kits to improve prosecution of sexual assault cases. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., hailed Bailey’s hiring in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, praising the former prosecutor’s work in his home state. “Andrew Bailey is going to be terrific at the FBI,” Hawley said. “He’s been a stand-out prosecutor for Missouri. Now he will bring all those skills to bear for the country.” FBI’S DAN BONGINO THINKING OF RESIGNING AFTER CLASH WITH AG BONDI: SOURCE U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Bailey’s hiring last month as Trump launched the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. and his national crime crackdown. “I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Bailey as Co-Deputy Director of the FBI,” Bondi told Fox News Digital. “He has served as a distinguished state attorney general and is a decorated war veteran, bringing expertise and dedication to service. His leadership and commitment to country will be a tremendous asset as we work together to advance President Trump’s mission.” Bailey’s entry comes after weeks of rumblings within the FBI regarding the Epstein files. Bongino is said to have raised his voice in outrage during a private discussion with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Bondi before storming out of the meeting, according to two sources close to DOJ leadership. The ordeal had led him to consider resigning from the FBI, another source said. 10 REASONS DOJ AND FBI FACE BACKLASH AFTER EPSTEIN FILES FLOP Bongino was frustrated about the rollout of a public Epstein memo in July and what he viewed as Bondi’s “lack of transparency from the start.” The memo, a joint product of the DOJ and FBI, said the two agencies had no further information to share with the public about Epstein’s case, a revelation that sparked fury among the MAGA base. It has been nearly two months since the rumors of Bongino’s potential resignation began, however, and he still remains at the FBI. Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Brooke Singman contributed to this report
How Trump could restore capital punishment in Washington amid crime crackdown
President Donald Trump wants to bring the death penalty back to Washington for those convicted of murder amid his crime crackdown in the District — even though capital punishment has been outlawed there for decades. While Washington, D.C.’s Superior Court that handles local trial matters is barred from utilizing the death penalty, and any changes at that level likely would require intervention from the D.C. City Council or Congress, the death penalty is legal at the federal level. As a result, Trump would seek to capitalize on capital punishment in Washington for those convicted of federal crimes, according to Matthew Cavedon, the director of the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice. BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER “What would happen is, on major crimes, the U.S. Department of Justice would be prosecuting those cases through the United States Attorney’s Office,” Cavedon said. “And that’s the new U.S. attorney, Jeane Pirro. Those cases would be brought in U.S. District Court… rather than D.C. Superior Court and D.C.’s internal court system.” Trump laid out his plans to revive the death penalty in Washington during an August Cabinet meeting while discussing efforts to drive down crime in the nation’s capital. Trump has dispatched hundreds of D.C. National Guard troops to combat crime in Washington — resulting in more than 1,600 arrests since Aug. 11. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,” Trump told reporters during an August Cabinet meeting. “And that’s a very strong preventative. And everybody that’s heard it agrees with it. I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have it.… We have no choice.” ‘RADICAL’ DC OFFICIALS TREATED OFFICERS ‘LIKE CRAP,’ POLICE LEADER SAYS – 7 ATTACKS THAT LED TO TRUMP TAKEOVER The White House referred Fox News Digital back to Trump’s comments at the Cabinet meeting. Trump has long voiced support for the death penalty, and issued an executive order in January titled “Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety.” The order calls for the attorney general to “pursue the death penalty for all crimes of a severity demanding its use.” “Capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens,” the order said. “Before, during, and after the founding of the United States, our cities, States, and country have continuously relied upon capital punishment as the ultimate deterrent and only proper punishment for the vilest crimes.” That executive order, coupled with Trump’s statements on the matter, show he will request federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in D.C. murder cases, Cavedon said. The D.C. Council officially rescinded the death penalty in 1981, and voters in the nation’s capital rejected the death penalty in a 1992 referendum, according to the nonprofit organization the Death Penalty Information Center. There hasn’t been an execution in Washington since 1957. TRUMP CLAIMS DC CRIMES TROUNCE STATS FROM NOTORIOUSLY VIOLENT CITIES WORLDWIDE Twenty-seven states still permit the death penalty, while 23 states do not have capital punishment. Four states — California, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Oregon — have a hold on executions, per orders from their respective governors. Trump’s push to revitalize the death penalty could push those states to eradicate it at the state level, Cavedon said. “Something like the president calling for lots and lots of executions might be enough to tip things over and get places like California to just do away with the death penalty on the state side,” Cavedon said. Meanwhile, Trump’s effort is unnecessary since crime is on the decline in Washington and studies consistently show that the murder rate is lower in states without the death penalty, according to Cliff Sloan, who teaches constitutional law and death penalty litigation at Georgetown Law. “It’s unnecessary because the D.C. homicide rate has been declining and, even more fundamentally, because there is absolutely no correlation between the death penalty and a reduction in homicides,” Sloan said in an email to Fox News Digital. “States that have done away with the death penalty have not seen any increase in homicides. States that actively impose the death penalty, in contrast, have very high homicide rates.” Although a majority of Americans – 53% – still back the death penalty, public support is declining and has reached a five-decade low, according to a Gallup poll released in November.
Epstein estate to begin handing files to House investigators after ‘birthday book’ subpoena
Jeffrey Epstein’s estate is expected to begin handing documents over to Capitol Hill lawmakers on Monday, pursuant to a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee last month. Trustees tasked with handling the late pedophile’s matters were ordered to turn over a tranche of files, including his infamous “birthday book,” as part of House lawmakers’ investigation into Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. A committee aide told Fox News Digital on Monday that they expect the first production of documents from the Epstein estate that day, but they did not elaborate on what the first tranche might contain. A lawyer representing the executors of Epstein’s estate confirmed to Fox News Digital that files would be handed over Monday. HOUSE MOVES TO EXPOSE EPSTEIN FILES, AUTHORIZES OVERSIGHT PROBE “As the Co-Executors have always said, they will comply with all lawful process in this matter, and that includes the subpoena issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,” the attorney said. “As part of the Estate’s compliance with that subpoena, the Co-Executors have arranged to produce documents, records and other materials to the Committee on an agreed-on schedule, commencing today as requested by the Committee.” Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., sent a letter on Aug. 25, requesting a slew of documents by Sept. 8. “It is our understanding that the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein is in custody and control of documents that may further the Committee’s investigation and legislative goals. Further, it is our understanding the Estate is ready and willing to provide these documents to the Committee pursuant to a subpoena,” Comer wrote at the time. Subpoenaed documents include all entries in a book compiled by Maxwell for Epstein’s 50th birthday, Epstein’s will and information on his 2008 non-prosecution agreement. Lawmakers hope that the “birthday book,” which allegedly includes personalized messages from Epstein’s friends and associates, will shed light on his personal connections. The information is likely to be dated, however, with the book having been compiled in 2003. Information is also being sought on Epstein’s financial transactions, call and visitor logs, and “any document or record that could reasonably be construed to be a potential list of clients involved in sex, sex acts, or sex trafficking facilitated by Mr. Jeffrey Epstein,” according to a copy of the subpoena viewed by Fox News Digital. Comer has subpoenaed a litany of individuals, as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), for information related to Epstein. HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE RELEASES THOUSANDS OF EPSTEIN DOCUMENTS He is also bringing in Alexander Acosta, a former Trump administration labor secretary who also served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida when Epstein entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the federal government in 2008, for a transcribed interview on Sept. 19. Comer and other members of the House Oversight Committee met with Epstein survivors last week. About 33,000 pages of files turned over by the DOJ have already been released by the House Oversight Committee, though the vast majority of those were already public knowledge.
From ‘legislative terrorists’ to center of Trump’s DC revolution: Where key conservative caucus is now
A small group of Republican lawmakers who did not feel their leaders were pushing a conservative enough agenda first began meeting in secret a decade ago, huddling in small rooms both inside and outside the U.S. Capitol, while closely guarding their membership for fear of punishment by top House GOP leaders. Fast-forward to Thursday morning, and the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) was welcoming its members, top GOP donors, Trump administration officials and even Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to an ornate room inside Washington, D.C.’s Willard Hotel to mark its decade anniversary and its first annual policy summit. “It’s a big celebration and an anniversary for them, and I want to be a part of it,” Johnson told Fox News Digital just before addressing the group. “Some of my closest friends are in this room.” The caucus that former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, once called “legislative terrorists” is now at the center of key Republican policy fights in Washington. And while they’re still a source of frustration for many GOP lawmakers – who find the group to be disruptive to Republicans’ agenda – HFC is hiding no more and has the ear of some of the most powerful people in D.C. GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS “This was never our goal, you know, but we wanted to have an impact,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., a founding member of HFC who left Congress and returned in 2025, told Fox News Digital of the event at the Willard. “There’s always a lot of agreement in the conference, like, ‘Oh yeah, we would like to get there,’ but… sometimes you kind of need the difficult people to help move it a little bit further to the right than what you thought you might be able to.” And rather than being a thorn in the side of Republican leaders, HFC is trying to work hand-in-hand with President Donald Trump to push for conservative policies. They are not going against the grain any longer, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital. “We’re driving the grain,” he said. “We work with the president to advance his agenda in the most conservative way possible, and we’ve been successful.” Border czar Tom Homan, who also addressed the event along with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, told Fox News Digital that HFC was key to advancing Trump’s border agenda. “They’re on the right side,” Homan said. “They want to secure the border because they know a secure border, a strong border, gives us strong national security… they want us to enforce the laws.” In late 2023, a group of HFC members were key to successfully pushing out a House speaker mid-congressional term for the first time in U.S. history. They’ve also played significant roles in pushing Republican spending bills and the recent One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to the right – at least in the House. Even in the middle of their two-day event on Thursday, some HFC members threatened to sink a GOP-led spending bill as a warning shot to House leaders to keep on a conservative path. The approach has been seen as divisive for years, and this year is no different. “They act as if they are the only principled conservatives in the conference. It’s almost as if they would rather be in the minority,” one House Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. “They love the attention they get when they hold out, only to fold in the end. It’s why no one respects them.” Another GOP lawmaker said, in the context of current talks to avert a government shutdown, “The Freedom Caucus is not what it was two years ago or even four years ago. I don’t know what you call them, but Andy Harris speaks for himself.” GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE PUSHES REDISTRICTING TO OUST STATE’S LONE HOUSE DEM “What is the goal of the Freedom Caucus? Is it to win? Is it to fold?” they asked. “I mean, have they lost their teeth? From an outside perspective, no, I still think they get heard.” Current HFC members brushed off the criticism. “We’re willing to negotiate with Donald Trump and the Senate to beat Democrats with the most conservative bill possible, so please keep assuming that we’re dead, and please keep writing that obituary, because we’re winning,” HFC Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. Harris said of the critics, “If winning is folding, then I’ll fold every time.” Indeed, the group does have the ear of the White House. Former HFC Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., who gave opening remarks during a portion of the summit exclusively viewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that White House aides attended the group’s recent meeting with conservative senators. “Last night, with representatives from the White House, we were asked, ‘What is the plan?’ I’m not exaggerating, this is your Freedom Caucus, the ‘legislative terrorists’ in the room where it happened,” Perry told the audience. But the group is expected to see some high-profile departures in the next congressional term: Roy is running for Texas attorney general, and Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are both running for governor, among others. Roy told Fox News Digital of the turnover, “We’ve had a conversation. We have things we want to do to help kind of make sure and ensure the longevity. Right now, we’ve got to make sure the good people are running. We have to make sure we continue to grow the ranks of the Freedom Caucus.” And newer members have signaled they’re ready to fill the ranks of those left behind. “Now that I’ve been here, and it’s my third year, and I get comfortable with this, it gives me a lot more confidence to know what is the right path or what’s the wrong path,” said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., whose profile in HFC has risen in his short time in Congress. “And I think
Trump’s DC crime crackdown overwhelmingly benefits Black Americans as homicides hit zero
President Donald Trump‘s federalization of the D.C. police department and crackdown on Washington crime overwhelmingly benefited Black Americans, who are common victims of violent crimes, crime data found. “You go 13 days without a homicide occurring, those homicides would have invariably been very heavily Black,” John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday phone interview. “And so those lives, you have Blacks who didn’t die, who otherwise would have died.” Lott published data in August focusing on Washington, D.C.’s 13-day run of zero homicides following Trump federalizing the city’s police department, deploying National Guard members to the streets, and unleashing federal law enforcement agencies to assist with arrests and crime sweeps of the city. There were no recorded homicides in the city beginning the afternoon of Aug. 13 through the early morning hours of Aug. 26, according to police data, with the streak ending when a 31-year-old man was fatally shot Aug. 26. TRUMP DECLARES DC A ‘CRIME FREE ZONE’ AMID HIS FEDERAL CRACKDOWN Using the city’s homicide rate from the first seven months of 2025, Lott found there was a 0.37% probability of such a homicide-free streak occurring on its own. The figure is based on D.C. crime data that is currently under Department of Justice investigation for claims the police department manipulated crime data to publish more favorable stats. The streak of no homicides overwhelmingly benefits Black Americans, the data found. Between 2019 and 2021, Black victims accounted for 96% of all homicides in the District, the report found. “You have others that are there that are going out and claiming that Trump’s policies are racist. Who are the victims of these crimes?” Lott asked, referring to Democrat politicians who have rejected Trump’s plans to roll out similar crime crackdowns in other cities notorious for crime woes. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, for example, recently argued that incarceration of criminals is “racist” and “immoral.” TRUMP CLAIMS ‘WE’RE AGAINST CRIME. DEMOCRATS LIKE CRIME’ “We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence; we’ve already tried that, and we’ve ended up with the largest prison population in the world without solving the problems of crime and violence,” Johnson said during an August press conference, the New York Post reported. “The addiction on jails and incarceration in this country, we’ve moved past that,” he said. “It is racist, it is immoral, it is unholy, and it is not the way to drive violence down.” The zero homicide count during the 13-day August period follows the city experiencing a 16-day run of zero homicides between Feb. 24 to March 13. Lott noted, however, crimes typically increase in the summer months — when residents spend more time outdoors and the days are longer — compared to the winter months. “Homicides usually peak during the summer months, yet D.C. does not provide an accessible historical breakdown by month,” Lott reported of the data. “As a result, including unusually low months such as February and March in the totals for the first seven months of 2025 — or even in the full-year total for 2024 — artificially lowers those figures compared to the August period we are examining. If we had the data to adjust for this seasonal variation, the results would likely appear even more statistically significant.” ‘RADICAL’ DC OFFICIALS TREATED OFFICERS ‘LIKE CRAP,’ POLICE LEADER SAYS – 7 ATTACKS THAT LED TO TRUMP TAKEOVER Trump repeatedly has floated sending the National Guard into Chicago to combat the city’s crime, while Johnson and Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker have shunned such talk as unnecessary. “If it sounds to you like I am alarmist, that is because I am ringing an alarm,” Pritzker told the media in August. “Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city to punish its dissidents and score political points. If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is: a dangerous power-grab.” “The president of the United States is doing this for theatrics,” Pritzker added. “This is not because we’ve asked for it. It is not because there is some justice that he is going to seek. It is because he wants to create chaos.” Chicago has long been a notoriously dangerous U.S. city, with summer weekends often resulting in dozens of shooting injuries and deaths. The homicide rate for the city in 2024, however, sat at about 17.4 homicides per 100,000 people, which is far lower than rates in more dangerous cities such as Memphis, Tennessee — which saw 40.6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024. If the Trump administration is aiming to save the most lives, however, heading to Chicago before Memphis, Tennessee, would fulfill that goal, Lott explained. BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER “Should you look at the murder rate or the number of lives to be saved? If saving most lives is the goal, in 2024, Chicago (recorded) 573 murders, Memphis 242,” Lott wrote in an X post comparing the two cities. Trump’s presidential campaign included repeated vows to bring crime down across the U.S. following the nation’s bloody trends that began in 2020 amid the defund the police protests and riots that summer. He federalized D.C. Aug. 11 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. There have been 1,914 total arrests in D.C. as of Sept. 5 since the crackdown began in August, including illegal immigrants, those with outstanding warrants, individuals carrying illegal firearms or drugs and other crimes. Lott said the operation will also have indirect benefits to D.C. residents, especially its poorest locals who have suffered with stores closing in recent years due to crime and costs of operating in a city rocked by crime. “Anybody who goes to a CVS or Walgreens knows everything’s behind plexiglass there,” he said. “You want to go and buy something, you
Ryan Routh trial: Jury selection begins in Trump assassination attempt case
Jury selection begins Monday in Fort Pierce, Fla., in the high-profile federal trial of Ryan Routh, who is accused of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. Jury selection is expected to wrap up Wednesday. Prospective jurors are drawn from voter rolls and driver’s license records in the Southern District of Florida. They are brought in and questioned under oath — a process known as voir dire — to determine whether they can be fair and impartial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is leading the prosecution. Both prosecutors and Routh, representing himself, will question jurors directly — an unusual dynamic that could make proceedings unpredictable. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH CHALLENGES PRESIDENT TO ROUND OF GOLF Both sides can challenge jurors “for cause” if bias is clear. They also get a limited number of peremptory strikes, where they can dismiss jurors without giving a reason, so long as it’s not discriminatory. A 12-person jury, plus alternates, will be seated. Federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction. Routh is charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, along with assaulting a federal officer and a string of gun violations. Federal prosecutors say the counts carry a potential life sentence if he’s found guilty. He has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges, as well as separate state counts of terrorism and attempted murder. Trump is not a defendant in this case. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT RYAN ROUTH CAN’T SEE CLASSIFIED INFO RELATING TO CASE, JUDGE RULES Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon approved Routh’s request to act as his own attorney, though court-appointed lawyers will remain on standby to step in if needed. Federal public defenders representing Routh sought Cannon’s recusal, citing her prior involvement in Trump’s classified documents case. Court filings show that request was denied, keeping Cannon — randomly assigned to the case — on the bench. Prosecutors say Routh spent weeks plotting the attack, even camping out near Trump’s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle. A Secret Service agent spotted the weapon and opened fire after Routh allegedly aimed at him, forcing Routh to drop the gun and run. Months later, investigators said they found a letter addressed “Dear World,” in which Routh admitted regret that he failed to kill Trump. Court filings also allege that just weeks before his arrest in August 2024, Routh was trying to obtain anti-aircraft weapons and hire someone to monitor Trump’s flights. SECRET SERVICE THWARTS POTENTIAL THREAT NEAR TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS WITH RAPID RESPONSE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Opening statements are scheduled to begin Sept. 11 and the trial is expected to last two weeks. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump administration for comment.
Rand Paul rips JD Vance’s assertion that executing cartel members is the ‘best use of our military’
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky strongly objected after Vice President JD Vance asserted in a Saturday post on X that “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.” “JD ‘I don’t give a s[—]’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military.’ Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation??” Senator Paul wrote. “What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.” In a Truth Social post last week, President Donald Trump shared video footage of what he said was “a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists” who he said “were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States.” SEN. RAND PAUL FAVORS THE PROSPECT OF ABOLISHING THE FEDERAL RESERVE Someone responded to Vance by writing that, “Killing the citizens of another nation who are civilians without any due process is called a war crime.” But the vice president swiftly fired back. DEM SEN JOHN FETTERMAN BACKS USE OF MILITARY FORCE TO COMBAT DRUG TRAFFICKING INTO US “I don’t give a s[—] what you call it,” Vance declared. GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio pushed back against Paul. RUBIO SAYS TRUMP ‘WANTS TO WAGE WAR’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BLOW THEM UP IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “What’s really despicable is defending foreign terrorist drug traffickers who are *directly* responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and Ohio. JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the life and liberty of American citizens,” Moreno wrote on on X.