RFK Jr. slams Democrat in fiery hearing, says senator presided ‘over the destruction’ of US health for decades
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slammed Washington Sen. Patty Murray during a Tuesday Senate hearing for allegedly “presiding over the destruction” of Americans’ health across her more than 30 years in the upper chamber. “You’ve presided here, I think, for 32 years. You presided over the destruction of the health of the American people. Our people are now the sickest people in the world,” Kennedy said to Murray during a tense back and forth Tuesday morning. Murray began her tenure in the Senate in 1993. “Seriously?” Murray interjected. WATCH: RFK JR. REBUKES DEM SENATOR FOR PLAYING POLITICS WITH CANCER-STRICKEN CONSTITUENT: ‘YOU DON’T CARE’ “What have you done about it? Kennedy shot back. What have you done about the epidemic of chronic disease?” As the two continued talking over one another, the subcommittee chair, Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, asked Kennedy to “hold back and let the senator ask the questions.” “Mr. Secretary, I’m asking you a question about child care,” Murray continued. “I’m asking you who made the decision to withhold child care and development block grant funding?” “That was made by my department,” Kennedy responded. BEN & JERRY’S CO-FOUNDER ARRESTED PROTESTING SENATE HEARING: ‘RFK KILLS PEOPLE WITH HATE’ Kennedy appeared before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee Tuesday morning to answer questions related to HHS’ budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. The hearing comes just after Kennedy joined lawmakers in both a Senate hearing and a House hearing, both of which included fiery exchanges between Kennedy and Democrat lawmakers. Murray continued in her questioning that the HHS was making vast cuts to scientists at the agency, which Kennedy dismissed, citing that he does not “trust” Murray’s information. “And you said last week, quote, ‘we were not cutting thousands of scientists,” Murray continued. “We are not cutting clinical trials.’ But I want you to know, in the last four months, you fired or pushed out nearly 5,000 NIH staff and terminated more than 1,600 NIH grants. That includes more than 240 clinical trials across the country. So whose decision was it to fire scientists and terminate these NIH grants and the clinical trial?” DEM LAWMAKER SEETHES RFK JR’S ‘LEGITIMACY’ AS HHS SECRETARY HAS ‘EXPIRED’ IN HEATED EXCHANGE “Senator, I don’t trust your information with all due respect,” Kennedy responded, continuing that Murray’s previous remarks in a recent hearing were not correct. “You told me what, three days ago or four days ago, that we had cut a clinical trial in your state and … what you said turned out to be completely untrue. And you knew it was untrue because you corresponded with (Director of the National Institutes of Health) Jay Bhattacharya before that.” “You came here to argue with me,” Murray added. “I came here to ask you questions about your budget request. Your budget request is asking us to cut dramatically. But I am also making the point that Senator Baldwin made, that what you are doing right now is enacting your budget, that Congress has not passed, by cutting critical funding across the board.” The Washington Democrat previously exchanged barbs with Kennedy Wednesday, when Murray accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of delaying critical cancer care for one of her constituents. “Mr. Secretary, one of my constituents … she’s a mom of two from Bainbridge Island in Washington state,” Murray said in her opening line of questioning Wednesday. “She has been fighting aggressive stage four colorectal cancer for nearly five years now. Her best hope now is a clinical trial she’s participating in at the [National Institutes of Health’s] Clinical Center.” FDA’S LATEST MAHA MOVE WOULD WIPE OUT KIDS’ FLUORIDE PRESCRIPTIONS AS HEALTH RISK EVIDENCE MOUNTS “But because of the thoughtless mass firing of thousands of critical employees across NIH and HHS that you carried out, Natalie’s doctors at that clinical center have told her they have no choice but to delay her treatment by an additional four weeks.” “I can’t tell you that now, Sen. Murray,” Kennedy responded. “What I can tell you is that if you contact my office tomorrow, I’ll look specifically into that.” However, that answer from Kennedy was “not acceptable” to the senator. “That is not acceptable,” Murray shot back, eventually demanding Kennedy provide her an update on Natalie’s case within 24 hours. “I want an answer.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kennedy added during Tuesday’s hearing that Murray’s constituent had qualified for the clinical trial “this week,” adding that “we shouldn’t be talking about patients’ private information,” with Murray agreeing. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this article.
Alina Habba drops federal trespassing charge against Dem mayor, offers ICE facility tour: ‘Nothing to hide’
Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka is no longer facing a federal trespassing charge over an incident earlier this month at Delaney Hall, a privately operated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in his city. “After extensive consideration, we have agreed to dismiss Mayor Baraka’s misdemeanor charge of trespass for the sake of moving forward,” acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba said in a statement on Monday evening. “In the spirit of public interest, I have invited the mayor to tour Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide at this facility, and I will personally accompany the mayor so he can see that firsthand,” she continued. DHS SAYS ‘ARRESTS ARE STILL ON THE TABLE’ AFTER NEW JERSEY HOUSE DEMS CAUGHT ON CAMERA ‘STORMING’ ICE FACILITY However, Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged for allegedly “assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement.” Fox News has learned that McIver must turn herself in as soon as possible, though it is up to the magistrate on the specifics of when she must turn herself in and how. “I am glad that the U.S. Attorney has agreed that this case should be dismissed,” he said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “I have had strong relationships with prior U.S. Attorneys, and I plan to speak with the current U.S. Attorney about issues on which we can cooperate. As to Delaney Hall, I will continue to advocate for the humane treatment of detainees, and I will continue to press the facility to ensure that it is compliant with City of Newark codes and regulations.” NEWARK MAYOR ARRESTED AT ICE FACILITY CLAIMS HE WAS ‘TARGETED’ AFTER COURT HEARING “I understand that the U.S. Attorney has chosen to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver with assaulting law enforcement,” Baraka continued. “Congresswoman McIver is a daughter of Newark, past Newark Council President, a former student of mine, and a dear friend. I want to be clear: I stand with LaMonica, and I fully expect her to be vindicated.” Baraka and three congressional lawmakers – McIver, Robert Menendez Jr. and Bonnie Watson Coleman – were outside the ICE facility earlier this month with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. All four officials then allegedly rushed through the gates past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “If it was a typical U.S. citizen, and they tried to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told “Fox News Live” host Kevin Corke earlier this month. “Just because you are a member of Congress or just because you’re a public official, does not mean you are above the law.” BLUE STATE POLITICAL BATTLE INTENSIFIES AFTER DEM MAYOR’S ARREST AT ICE FACILITY: ‘OUTRAGED’ Baraka’s arrest triggered a local political firestorm, as he is also in the Democratic primary for governor. He appeared in court last Thursday for a status conference, where the case was expected to proceed to trial at the time for the class C misdemeanor charge. The court appearance led supporters of Baraka to rally outside the Newark federal courtroom, and Habba personally showed up to the conference. Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
Nebraska becomes first state approved to ban soda purchases with food stamps
Nebraska is the first state to receive a federal waiver to ban the purchase of soda and energy drinks under the benefit program for low-income Americans long known as food stamps. The move, announced Monday by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would affect about 152,000 people in Nebraska enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps families pay for groceries. “There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said in a statement. “SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing with today’s waiver.” ARKANSAS MOVES TO BAN ‘JUNK FOOD’ FROM SNAP PROGRAM: ‘DEFINITION OF CRAZY’ Six other states — Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia — have also submitted requests for waivers banning certain foods and drinks or, in some cases, expanding access to hot foods for participants, according to the USDA. The push to ban sugary drinks, candy and more from the SNAP program has been a key focus of Rollins and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rollins called Monday’s move “a historic step to Make America Healthy again.” MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN: TIMELINE OF THE MAHA MOVEMENT Details of Nebraska’s waiver, which takes effect Jan. 1, weren’t immediately available. Anti-hunger advocates criticized it, saying it adds costs, boosts administrative burdens and increases stigma for people already facing food insecurity. The waiver “ignores decades of evidence showing that incentive-based approaches — not punitive restrictions — are the most effective, dignified path to improving nutrition and reducing hunger,” said Gina Plata-Nino, a deputy director at the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy group. SNAP is a roughly $100 billion program that serves about 42 million Americans and is run by the U.S. Agriculture Department and administered through states. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The program is authorized by the federal Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which says SNAP benefits can be used “for any food or food product intended for human consumption,” except alcohol, tobacco and hot foods, including those prepared for immediate consumption. Over the past 20 years, lawmakers in several states have proposed stopping SNAP from paying for everything from bottled water and soda to chips, ice cream and “luxury meats” like steak. Until now, USDA rejected the waivers, saying there were no clear standards to define certain foods as good or bad. In addition, the agency had said restrictions would be difficult to implement, complicated and costly, and would not necessarily change recipients’ food purchases or reduce health problems such as obesity.
Trump admin hits bullseye with first US mine for key mineral used in military ammo, night-vision, Big Tech
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration has helped launch the first-ever U.S. mine for a critical mineral largely dominated by China, which controls about half of global production, Fox News Digital has learned. The Idaho operation will extract and smelt antimony – a metalloid that is key to the U.S. defense and technology sectors – and reduce reliance on malign actors like the CCP – from which about half the world’s stock is currently produced. Antimony has a myriad of national security uses – including in military tools like night-vision goggles, explosives, flame-retardants, tracers, lasers, nuclear weapons production, military clothing and ammunition. It also plays a role in the bloodless AI arms race, as a component in semiconductors and infrared technology, as well as its use increasing the hardness of alloys like lead and copper. CHINESE SOLAR TECH POSES CHILLING THREAT TO US ELECTRIC GRID, LAWMAKERS WARN While not technically considered a rare earth element because of its placement on the periodic table, antimony is considered critical and less common than other elements. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum played a leading role in the groundbreaking effort to boost U.S. energy dominance and self-reliance in terms of critical minerals and natural resources. The antimony stibnite mine will be used to mine for gold as well, Fox News Digital has learned. The mine’s opening is another example of a critical global supply chain shifting stateside, as Burgum and other officials aim to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign suppliers for national security and economic stability. The National Energy Dominance Council, an executive branch advisory group founded in February by executive order and led by Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, was a key player in the opening of the mine. Burgum issued the mine’s 404 permit – which governs dredging and discharge into American waters — on Thursday to Boise-based Perpetua Resources. TRUMP ENERGY CHIEF RECOUNTS EVOLUTION OF US ENVIRONS OVER 56 EARTH DAYS: A HANDILY-ENERGIZED SOCIETY WORKS Perpetua President Jon Cherry called the achievement the culmination of eight years of study, refinement and “lots of hard work.” “We are immensely proud to achieve this milestone. It’s time to move forward and take the Stibnite Gold Project into a new and exciting phase of development,” Cherry said in a statement. “We believe this [Trump] administration’s commitment to boosting efficiency without compromising rigorous environmental standards can have a transformational impact on American mining,” he added. The project will also create 550 jobs and, on the gold front, is primed to produce more than 400,000 ounces of the precious metal annually over the next four years. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The antimony stores therein are estimated at 148 million pounds and are the only identified such reserve in the U.S. – and the largest outside China. It is expected to cut foreign reliance on that critical mineral by one-third.
More polling problems for this blue state Democrat governor facing re-election next year
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s approval ratings are holding slightly in positive territory, but a new poll indicates a majority of New Yorkers would still prefer someone else to win the 2026 election for governor in the Empire State. A Siena College poll released on Tuesday also suggests that Rep. Elise Stefanik is the polling frontrunner among three major Republicans considering runs for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the race to challenge Hochul next year. According to the poll, which was conducted May 12-15, 36% of registered voters in New York state said they would vote to re-elect Hochul to a second four-year term, with a majority (55%) saying they wanted someone else. It is a 10-point negative movement for Hochul compared to Siena’s April survey, when 39% of those questioned said they were prepared to vote to re-elect the governor and 48% who wanted someone else. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL Fifty-one percent of Democrats surveyed in the new poll said at this early point in the 2026 election cycle they are prepared to re-elect Hochul, with 38% of Democrats saying they want “someone else.” The percentage of voters who prefer another candidate jumps to 64% among independents and 82% among Republicans in blue state New York. “Even more Republicans – 82% up from 68% last month – and independents – 64% up from 55% – prefer ‘someone else’ to be the next governor, while a small majority of Democrats, 51%, say they are prepared to reelect her,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said. Hochul, who at the time was the state’s lieutenant governor, in August 2021 was sworn in as New York’s first female governor, after three-term Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned in disgrace amid multiple scandals. REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS ELECTION BATTLE PLAN She defeated then-Rep. Lee Zeldin by just over six points in 2022 to win a full four-year term steering New York. Zeldin’s showing was the best by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in blue-state New York since then-GOP Gov. George Pataki won re-election to a third term in 2002. In July of last year, Hochul announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026. The governor’s approval ratings in the new poll are slightly above water, at 50% approval and 46% disapproval, while her favorable rating is just underwater, at 44% favorable and 46% unfavorable. The poll was conducted after the governor and the legislature reached final agreement on a $254 billion budget, which includes provisions for tax cuts, increased benefits and investments in various areas like education and healthcare. When asked whether issues the governor touted in the budget – inflation rebate checks, middle-class tax cuts, free public school meals, and increasing the child tax credit – will make New York more affordable, the poll indicates 52% said a lot or somewhat, with 43% saying not very much or not at all. THIS BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN AIMS TO END THE GOP’S 20-YEAR LOSING STREAK FOR GOVERNOR The poll indicates Hochul continues to hold a wide lead over her two potential Democratic primary challengers. Forty-six percent of Democrats say they would support Hochul for their party’s gubernatorial nomination, compared to 12% for Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado and 10% for Rep. Ritchie Torres. “Two potential Hochul rivals for the Democratic nomination for governor next year – Delgado and Torres –remain largely unknown to a majority of voters and a majority of Democrats,” Greenberg said. In the race for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, 35% of Republican voters said they would support Stefanik, the six-term GOP representative from upstate New York. Stefanik, who is part of the House Republican leadership and a strong supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, has said she is seriously considering a run for governor. Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a swing congressional district in suburban New York City and who is also eyeing a campaign for governor, grabbed 22% support in the poll. Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, another major Trump ally and potential gubernatorial candidate, was at 11%. Trump stands at 40% approval and 57% disapproval among New York State voters, according to the poll, with his favorable rating at 38%-59%. Greenberg noted that “81% of Democrats disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, while 82% of Republicans approve, and independents are closely divided.” The survey had an overall sampling error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces Georgia governor bid, slams Trump in campaign video
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launched a Georgia gubernatorial bid on Tuesday, slamming President Donald Trump in a campaign video. “Donald Trump is a disaster for our economy and our country. From his failure to address rising prices to giving an un-elected billionaire the power to cut Medicare and Social Security. It’s one terrible thing after another,” she asserts in the video, later declaring, “Georgia families deserve far better than what Donald Trump and Republicans are giving us.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response. TRUMP ALLY MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE SAYS SHE WON’T RUN FOR SENATE WHILE BLASTING DEMS AND FELLOW REPUBLICANS Bottoms said in the video that “expanding Medicaid” would be her “top priority” as the state’s governor, and that she would “work to eliminate state income taxes for teachers.” She worked for President Joe Biden during a portion of his White House tenure. In 2022 she was announced as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement, and then in 2023 Bottoms was selected to serve on the President’s Export Council. POPULAR GOP GOV BRIAN KEMP ANNOUNCES WHETHER HE’LL RUN FOR SENATE IN BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA Current Peach State Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who is now serving his second consecutive term, is not eligible to seek re-election in 2026. BIDEN’S FORMER SENIOR ADVISER KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS REJOINING WHITE HOUSE IN NEW ROLE In addition to Bottoms, Republican state Attorney General Chris Carr and Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves, are both also running for the job. Olu Brown — who previously “served as the Founding and Lead Pastor of Impact United Methodist Church,” according to olubrown.com — is also seeking the governorship.
Trump, Hegseth to announce ‘golden dome’ missile defense plan, US official says
President Donald Trump will make an announcement on the Golden Dome missile defense system at 3 p.m. ET this afternoon alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Space Force Vice Chief of Operations, General Michael Guetlein, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. The Pentagon’s recommendations for the multibillion-dollar project will be announced, including the drafted architecture and implementation plan for the complex satellite system, the official added. A total of $25 billion has been carved out of next year’s defense budget for this system, but the Congressional Budget office estimates it could cost as much as $500 billion over the next 20 years. Officials told Reuters that Guetlein will likely be named as the lead program manager for the Golden Dome project. SPACEX AND ITS PARTNERS EMERGE AS FRONTRUNNERS TO BUILD PART OF TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME PROJECT Last month, Reuters reported that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and two of its partners have emerged as frontrunners to build part of the missile defense system. SpaceX is teaming up with software maker Palantir and defense technology company Anduril for a joint bid, with all three of the companies having met with top officials in the Trump administration and the Pentagon to pitch their proposal, sources told Reuters at the time. Their plan is to build and launch 400 to up to more than 1,000 satellites to track the movement of missiles around the globe, the sources said. A fleet of 200 attack satellites armed with missiles or lasers would then eliminate enemy projectiles, but the SpaceX group is not anticipated to play a role in the weaponization of those satellites, the sources added. ‘GOLDEN DOME’ WILL NEED MANHATTAN PROJECT-SCALE WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT EFFORT, SPACE FORCE GENERAL SAYS Trump has ordered the construction of an advanced, next-generation missile defense shield to protect the U.S. from an aerial attack. In January, he signed an executive order that tasks Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with drawing up plans to build an “Iron Dome for America” that will protect Americans from the threat of missiles launched by a foreign enemy. The Pentagon has received interest from more than 180 companies to help build the project, a U.S. official told Reuters. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
GOP senators renew call for DOD watchdog to probe former Joint Chiefs boss Milley for alleged misconduct
Republican senators are renewing calls for the Pentagon’s watchdog to investigate alleged misconduct and efforts to “undermine the chain of command” by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Fox News Digital has learned. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., penned a letter obtained by Fox News Digital to the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, Steven Stebbins, renewing their 2022 request for a review of Milley’s conduct. MILLEY STILL HASN’T RESPONDED TO BANKS, GRASSLEY LETTER WITH QUESTIONS ON ‘COMMITMENT TO CIVILIAN CONTROL’ “We are writing to ensure that our concerns about alleged misconduct by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, are finally addressed,” Grassley and Banks wrote. The two senators made a request for an independent review of the conduct on Aug. 17, 2022, when Banks was serving as the chair of the House Republican Study Committee, but the review was closed by the former inspector general “without ever providing acceptable answers to our questions.” Grassley and Banks said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has since “revived this review,” directing the acting inspector general to “conduct a review of General Milley’s alleged misconduct, including his actions to ‘undermine the chain of command.’” Hegseth also is seeking answers on whether “enough evidence exists for General Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement.” “The Secretary’s request rungs parallel to ours,” Grassley and Banks wrote, noting that Hegseth’s request “takes priority,” but requested that once his request is complete, they will expect “some long overdue answers.” TRUMP ACTING DEFENSE SECRETARY MILLER SAYS HE ‘DID NOT’ AUTHORIZE MILLEY CHINA CALLS, SAYS HE SHOULD RESIGN The senators’ inquiry was triggered by “explosive statements” made by Milley in several books, including “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. The books chronicled Milley making “disparaging remarks about his Commander-in-Chief” and attempting “to insert himself in the nuclear chain of command despite having no nuclear command authority,” Grassley and Banks said. They also referenced a promise Milley made to his Chinese counterparts ahead of any potential U.S. attacks on Beijing. Fox News Digital reported in 2021 that Milley confirmed that he did, in fact, tell his Chinese counterpart that he would likely call ahead of any potential U.S. attacks on China, but maintained that he had that conversation at the direction of then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper after assessing intelligence suggesting heightened Chinese concerns about escalation. Milley added, though, that he was “not going to tip off any enemy to what the United States is going to do in an actual plan.” The book also chronicled comments in which Milley said he believed then-President Donald Trump “had gone into serious mental decline … and could go rogue and order military action or use nuclear weapons, without going through required procedures.” FLASHBACK: MILLEY CONFIRMS HE TOLD CHINA HE WOULD CALL AHEAD OF US ATTACK, CLAIMS ESPER ORDERED CALLS BASED ON INTEL The lawmakers also pointed to the book’s report that Milley had to “take any and all necessary precautions” to prevent the former president from engaging in a “rogue” military action and he “wanted to find a way to inject, if not require, that second opinion.” Grassley and Banks said that the Department of Defense’s former inspector general’s “refusal to investigate allowed Milley to dodge responsibility.” “The nation’s highest-ranking military officer has a solemn responsibility to set an example of excellence and to model good conduct for all American service members,” they wrote. “The record suggests that General Milley failed to meet those standards.” Grassley and Banks said Milley’s “conduct and willful undermining of his Commander-in-Chief posed a grave threat to civilian control of the military.” “The issues raised by Milley’s alleged misconduct are too important to be swept under the rug,” they wrote. “They must be examined, and if substantiated, General Milley should be held accountable.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Grassley and Banks added that the acting inspector general’s “full cooperation would be appreciated.” Milley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Federal air marshals surveilled Trump Cabinet member Gabbard in 2024, Rand Paul says
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he received records confirming that federal air marshals surveilled now-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard during domestic flights last year, “reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using.” The Republican from Kentucky made the revelation Tuesday on Capitol Hill as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Krisi Noem was testifying about her department’s budget request for fiscal year 2026. “I commend you and the Trump administration for ending all government-sponsored censorship using DHS personnel. Just last night, I received the first set of records from the department regarding Tulsi Gabbard’s placement on the TSA Quiet Skies watch list,” Paul said. “These documents confirm our suspicions. Federal air marshals surveilled the now-director of national intelligence during domestic flights in 2024, reporting back information related to her appearance and even how many electronics she was observed using. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case,” he added. GABBARD: ‘EVERYTHING CHANGED’ SINCE BEING PUT ON WATCH LIST The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) watchlist allows federal air marshals to follow U.S. citizens and collect information on their behavior in an effort to stop threats from potential terrorists. “As I was traveling, I ended up in 30 to 45 minutes of going through screening every time I would go to the airport to fly,” Gabbard previously told Fox’s “One Nation.” “I noticed air marshals, I noticed K-9 teams. There were things that I saw and noticed that were highly unusual. “But the deepest pain and harm and stress that’s been caused by this is that, forever going forward, I will always be looking over my shoulder, wondering if and how my government is surveilling me,” she said. The TSA is part of the DHS. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but they did not immediately respond. GABBARD CALLS REPORTED SPOT ON WATCH LIST AN ‘ULTIMATE SENSE OF BETRAYAL’ Paul also asked Noem on Tuesday if she has ever “uncovered any internal communications or activities” relating to the government under the Biden administration “being involved in censorship.” “We have literally found thousands of documents that have proven that they were involved in censorship and policing speech. So we will be unveiling these to this committee and making sure we’re exposing what CISA was doing with a vast majority of its time of certain employees,” she said. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is also part of DHS. “And some of the discussion I think we’ll have here today is about getting CISA back on mission and some of the reductions in staff that have been over there,” Noem added. “And that’s reflective in the fact that many of them were doing work that they shouldn’t have been doing.” Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
DOJ cites bodycam footage in charging document for House Dem McIver
The Department of Justice has accused Rep. LaMonica McIver of assaulting two federal agents at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey last month, according to a new charging document. The document cites bodycam footage from law enforcement officers who recorded events as McIver and two other New Jersey lawmakers stormed the ICE facility. Prosecutors say the first officer McIver allegedly assaulted was a Homeland Security Investigations agent and the second was an ICE agent. The DOJ accuses McIver of having “slammed her forearm into the body of a uniformed HSI agent and reached out and tried to restrain the agent by forcibly grabbing him.” The charging document also states that McIver “pushed an ICE officer & used her forearms to forcibly strike the agent.” BLUE STATE ICE FACILITY RAMPS UP SECURITY WITH NEW BARRICADES AMID CLASHES WITH PROTESTERS McIver rejected the charges in a public statement, arguing they are “purely political.” “Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” she wrote. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.” “The charges against me are purely political – they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,” she continued. “This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the truth being laid our clearly in court.” DEM LAWMAKERS DEFEND ‘STORMING’ OF ICE FACILITY, SAY TRUMP ADMIN IS ‘LYING AT ALL LEVELS’ Prosecutors say McIver helped create a “human shield” and blocked agents from handcuffing Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after he ignored numerous warnings to leave the property and was told he would be arrested. When the HSI agent told the mayor he was going to arrest him, McIver interjected and yelled “Hell no! Hell no! Hell no!” according to the charging document. The HSI agent then ordered Baraka to put his hands behind his back and displayed his handcuffs. McIver and other members of Congress “surrounded the Mayor and prevented HSI from handcuffing him and taking him into custody,” prosecutors say. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem weighed in on the charges against McIver on Monday, saying, “no one is above the law.” “If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the secretary wrote. “We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”