Obama judge rules on effort to block America 250 events at WH and Lincoln Memorial
A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for UFC Freedom 250 to proceed at the White House and Lincoln Memorial this weekend, rejecting a last-minute court challenge just days before the high-profile event. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, an Obama appointee, denied an emergency request by two Washington-area residents to halt the mixed martial arts showdown, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to sue in the first place and had not demonstrated a sufficient injury. The lawsuit challenged plans for “UFC Freedom 250,” a mixed martial arts event tied to celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. The event includes a June 12 news conference and fighter face-offs at the Lincoln Memorial and a June 14 fight card on the White House South Lawn. It is expected to bring thousands of viewers. The plaintiffs argued that the events violate National Park Service regulations governing special events, that the UFC staging ring, known as “The Claw,” erected on the South Lawn lacked congressional authorization, that federal officials failed to conduct environmental review required under the National Environmental Policy Act, and that the government’s actions exceeded its legal authority. TRUMP ADMIN OFFERS BLUNT ADVICE TO WHITE HOUSE UFC CRITICS AS 11TH-HOUR LAWSUIT LOOMS Mehta did not decide whether any of those claims were legally valid. Instead, he determined that the plaintiffs’ alleged injuries were largely aesthetic and emotional in nature and did not demonstrate the kind of concrete, personal harm required under Article III of the Constitution. The plaintiffs had described the massive UFC staging structure known as “The Claw” as visually offensive and argued that the “unauthorized, commercial exploitation of the national monuments caused harm.” Mehta rejected this notion, writing that “general emotional harm, no matter how deeply felt, cannot suffice for injury-in-fact for standing purposes.” Citing precedent from the U.S. Supreme Court, Mehta wrote that a threatened injury must be “certainly impending” to qualify as an injury in fact. He found that one plaintiff’s assertions that he might encounter the event while driving for work were too speculative, while the other plaintiff’s plans to attend protests near the sites did not fit within traditional aesthetic-injury cases. UFC ANNOUNCES CARD FOR WHITE HOUSE EVENT “[W]e can find nothing in the existing case law to suggest that a person who incidentally views something unpleasant has suffered an injury-in-fact for purposes of standing,” Mehta ruled. The ruling noted that President Donald Trump publicly proposed hosting a UFC event at the White House in 2025 and that preparations had been visible for weeks before the lawsuit was filed. According to the opinion, the plaintiffs waited until days before the event to seek emergency relief despite longstanding public knowledge that the event was planned. Mehta also emphasized the temporary nature of the disputed structures and activities. Construction associated with the event is scheduled to be dismantled shortly after the fight card concludes. The opinion cited nearly a year of planning, extensive coordination among federal agencies, the involvement of hundreds of workers and contractors, and an estimated $60 million investment by UFC and affiliated organizations. The ruling also referenced the expected attendance of thousands of spectators and the anticipated remote audience of millions.
‘You failed your son first’: Howard prof blames father’s values after Karmelo Anthony murdered his son
A Howard University professor tore into the victim-impact statement delivered by the father of slain Texas teen Austin Metcalf, arguing that the teen’s death “did not begin with the knife” wielded by Karmelo Anthony but instead that his father’s parenting style was to be blamed as well. Dr. Stacey Patton, a professor at Howard University’s School of Communications, penned an opinion piece titled “Dear Jeff Metcalf: Your Son Is Dead Because You Failed to Teach Him That Black Boys Have Boundaries” to Substack on Wednesday on Substack, where she insinuated Anthony was acting out of self-defense. “YOU failed to teach your boy that Black children have boundaries,” Patton wrote. “YOU failed teach humility, restraint, or the sacred fact that another person’s body is not your jurisdiction. YOU failed to teach him that another child’s space is not a challenge to be conquered. YOU failed to teach him that “community” does not mean white boys get to decide who belongs and who does not.” Patton’s piece was published a day after Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Metcalf. The case drew national after now 19-year-old Anthony stabbed 17-year-old Metcalf in the heart during a confrontation at a high school track meeting in April 2025. The case has become a flashpoint in broader debates about race, with Anthony’s supporters arguing he has been treated differently because he is Black, while critics have rejected efforts to make the murder of Metcalf, a white teenager, about race. GRIEVING TEXAS FATHER SPEAKS OUT AFTER SON WAS STABBED TO DEATH AT HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET “YOU obviously failed to teach your son that touching, confronting, crowding, testing, or policing another person can have consequences,” Patton wrote. “And YOU failed to teach him that the same world that cheers white boys for being bold and aggressive will not always be there to save them when they mistake somebody else’s restraint for permission.” She blasted Jeff for saying that Anthony had failed his parents in his decision to murder his son. “It is easier to stand in a courtroom and call Karmelo Anthony a failure than it is to admit that Austin’s death did not begin with the knife,” Patton wrote. “It began with every lesson that told your son that he had the right to approach, challenge, and cross a boundary. It began with every adult who smiled at white boy entitlement and called it leadership. It began with every cultural script that taught him Black boys are the ones to be feared, but never taught him that Black boys might also be afraid. AMERICA STILL CAN’T PUT DOWN THE RACE CARD. AND IT’S THE SHAME OF OUR NATION She also alleged that Jeff’s victim-impact statement was rooted in racism, homing in on Jeff saying that Anthony does “not belong” in the community because of what he did. “You don’t belong in this community” is not just a father’s grief spilling over,” Patton wrote. “It is a declaration of removal. And it is the language of somebody who believes he has the authority to decide who gets to stay, who must disappear, and whose presence contaminates the social order. Like father, like son.” “Your words landed on top of centuries of Black children being told they do not belong in white schools, neighborhoods, playgrounds, pools, churches, white juries, white imaginations, and white definitions of innocence,” Patton continues. “They landed on top of every Black boy this country has turned into a threat before he ever had a chance to be a child.” AUSTIN METCALF’S FAMILY HIT WITH DEATH THREATS AS KARMELO ANTHONY SUPPORTERS FACE VIOLENCE ALLEGATIONS She claimed that his son was not the only victim in this case and that Anthony’ family was also grieving. “Austin is dead. Your family is devastated,” Patton wrote. “That matters. Karmelo Anthony is alive but caged inside a racial imagination that had already convicted him. And that matters, too. Two families are shattered. And a whole country is using the tragedy to rehearse the same old script about Black guilt and white innocence.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Patton defended her opinion piece as a “critique of racial power” and said that she was not, “blaming a dead child, attacking a grieving father, excusing violence, and rejecting the legal system.” “My argument is simple: Black children are children,” Patton said. “They do not become monsters because white America needs one, and their humanity is not up for debate because a verdict has been rendered.” “Now, run along and feed your propaganda machine,” she added, declining to answer several of Fox News Digital’s questions. “I’m sure it’s hungry for another Black woman’s words to mutilate. That is my statement.” Fox News Digital reached out to Howard University and Metcalf’s family for comment. Patton’s Substack piece is the latest in a growing chorus of voices arguing that the murder case is rooted in race. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, questioned on her podcast whether Karmelo Anthony’s race played a role in his conviction. Crockett asked whether Anthony received a fair trial, spreading a false claim that all jurors were white and that could have impacted their ability to be impartial. “I’m not necessarily convinced — not that I could tell you the name of one person on this jury — that we had 12 impartial white folk out of Collin County sitting on a jury for this young black man,” Crockett said. Crocket also suggested black mothers have faced far greater agony on a day-to-day basis than the victim’s family. “Black women, especially black women who have black male children, live in fear and agony every single day,” she lamented. “A fear and agony that I promise you the Metcalfs probably had never spend a day living that way.”
EXCLUSIVE: ICE nabs multiple convicted killers in single day amid nationwide immigration sweep
FIRST ON FOX: Federal immigration agents arrested several convicted killers, a rapist and multiple drug traffickers in a single day Thursday, underscoring the Trump administration’s push to target what Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials call the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants living in the U.S. “Yesterday, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] arrested multiple murderers, rapists, and drug traffickers from our communities,” Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” she said. “Every day, our officers are putting their lives on the line to remove criminals from our communities.” According to DHS, Thursday’s arrests include: DHS ARRESTS 5 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF VIOLENT CRIMES INCLUDING MANSLAUGHTER, CHILD ASSAULT Roque Cinto-Mejia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of manslaughter in Brooklyn, New York. Alejandro De Jesus-De La Cruz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of voluntary manslaughter in San Bernardino, California. Francisco Antonio Morales-Acencio, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, is convicted of rape, assault and battery of a family member in Fairfax, Virginia. Heriberto Mendoza-Pineda, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, is convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Manuel Soto, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was twice convicted of drug possession and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute in Boston, Massachusetts.
Top Trump agency purges over 20 suspected China-linked products from federal marketplace
The Small Business Administration (SBA), in collaboration with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), is removing nearly two dozen foreign products from its official catalog that supplies government agencies, citing fears that some of them may be misrepresenting their sourcing. Kelly Loeffler, SBA administrator, raised concerns that China-based companies were falsely marketing their products as “made in America” on the Advantage! platform — a listing service the government uses to connect vendors with agencies. “As part of our commitment to rebuilding American industry and supply chains, the Trump SBA believes that every taxpayer dollar spent by the federal government should go to support American businesses, workers and products,” Loeffler said. SBA’s crackdown furthers efforts by the Trump administration to double down on American manufacturing and aims to reduce the risk associated with purchasing or implementing compromised China-sourced goods. REPUBLICANS LOOK TO STOP CHINA’S ‘BACKDOOR’ TARIFF DODGING SCHEME The concerns first arose at the White House Small Business Summit where a New York-based small business, Sherrill Manufacturing, communicated suspicions to SBA that China-based companies were only partially assembling or finishing their products in the U.S. Sherrill, according to the SBA, is the only manufacturer of stainless steel flatware that is 100% made in America. “When foreign companies were caught falsely claiming ‘Made in America’ status in the federal procurement system, President Trump directed the SBA and GSA to take aggressive action,” Loeffler said. Even in his first term, Trump used executive orders to maximize the use of domestically sourced raw materials such as iron, aluminum and cement. He issued a similar executive order earlier this year. INTEL RIVAL SKYWATER PITCHES ITSELF AS ALL-AMERICAN FIRM AS TRUMP MULLS MORE EQUITY DEALS But sourcing protections for federal materials didn’t start with him. For security reasons, the Berry Amendment, implemented in 1941, requires the Department of War to purchase only American-sourced steel. Similarly, the Buy American Act (BAA), a Great Depression-era law that passed in 1933, requires federal agencies to prioritize American-made goods over certain value thresholds. Loeffler explained that companies like Sherrill Manufacturing can be put unknowingly at risk of violating those requirements if vendors aren’t honest about their sourcing. “The Trump Administration is sending a clear message that we will not tolerate foreign impostors that hijack Made in America labels, or those that undercut honest, generational, American small businesses like Sherrill Manufacturing,” Loeffler said. The company’s CEO, Matthew Roberts, praised the SBA’s work and thanked the Trump administration. “The factory where Sherrill Manufacturing and Liberty Tabletop produce their flatware has a manufacturing history dating back to supplying America’s armed forces during World War I,” Roberts said. 18 BRANDS STILL MAKING COOKWARE AND KITCHEN TOOLS IN THE U.S. — FROM SKILLETS TO SPATULAS “We deeply appreciate President Trump, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, and GSA Administrator Ed Forst, along with their offices, for their continued efforts to keep American manufacturing alive and restore pride in products made in the USA,” he added. SBA did not list which specific vendors have been removed from the Advantage! platform.
Progressive Talarico knifes Biden’s open border, tries moderating stance on key issues in Texas Senate race
The Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas torched former President Joe Biden’s open borders policies as he races to clean-up past comments amid criticism he is too radical to be elected in Texas. James Talarico hardened his stance on border security and pitted himself against the former president during a podcast interview on “Cogdell Law Uncensored” earlier this week. The Democrat member of the Texas legislature has a far-left track record that includes calls to “tear down” Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), an agency which he has called “secret police,” and claiming the border should act as a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants. He is now the Democratic nominee taking on Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the race for a Senate seat in Texas in November. JAMES TALARICO SAYS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAS CONVINCED BORDER SECURITY WAS ‘RACIST’ “I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. “But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.” Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens. When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office. Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature. Talarico said in the podcast: “The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.” While he has accused ICE of “terrorizing our country,” called for Americans to “stand up and fight back” and in 2019 slammed Texas Republicans for passing an “anti-immigrant bill” that funded President Donald Trump’s border wall project, Talarico said on the podcast this week that public safety should be a priority. TEXAS DEM TALARICO’S ‘CULTURE OF VIOLENCE’ REMARKS RESURFACE AS HE DENIES DEFUND POLICE TIES “But I also think we need to keep out folks who want to do us harm, and public safety is the most important thing the government does,” he said. Under Trump, ICE has been tasked with zeroing in on the “worst of the worst” illegal aliens for arrest and deportation, especially those with violent criminal records. “James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security — which is why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more Border Patrol agents,” Talarico’s press secretary JT Ennis told Fox News Digital. “Both parties have failed us on the issue of immigration, so James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.” Speaking to Cogdell, Talarico also pitched himself as a defender of the Second Amendment while simultaneously calling for strict gun control methods. TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK “I am a believer in the Second Amendment. I don’t pick and choose between the Bill of Rights. I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,” he said. “We have a right to bear arms, to protect ourselves, our families. We have a right to own weapons for sport or for hunting, but like any freedom in the Bill of Rights, it’s not absolute.” “We’ve gotta keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. We’ve gotta make sure that we’ve got safe storage laws and background checks so that we’re keeping everybody safe,” the candidate qualified. He positioned himself during the conversation as a moderate Democrat, chastising people on the political left who are “trying to take away people’s guns” and people on the political right who “don’t want to see any regulations.” MS NOW ANALYST ADMITS TALARICO ‘NOT A MODERATE,’ HAS PROGRESSIVE VIEWS LIKE CROCKETT But only a few months ago, Talarico said he favored “red flag laws,” which allow judges to order Americans to be stripped of their firearms if they think a person is a danger to themselves or others. Talarico also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children. “You can’t be the party of freedom and control women’s bodies,” he said at a 2024 event with the Travis County Democratic Party. “You can’t be the party of family and love your guns more than our kids. You can’t be the party of faith and worship at the feet of Donald Trump.” Ennis said that the candidate has “always believed, like the vast majority of Texans, that we must protect the Second Amendment while also enacting popular, common sense measures like universal background checks that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals.” MARK HALPERIN: IS DEMOCRAT JAMES TALARICO THE REAL DEAL — OR BETO 2.0 HEADED FOR A TEXAS FLOP? Talarico also distanced himself from child sex change surgeries, sometimes called “gender affirming care,” and said he does not support them despite often earning criticism for his comments regarding children who identify as the opposite of their biological sex. “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors,” he told Cogdell, claiming “the people that are in power” are trying to distract from “corruption in our government.” “So they’re gonna use a tried and true playbook to get out of this,” he said. “Distraction and division. That is how corrupt public officials stay
WATCH: Tim Kaine rejects claims Karmelo Anthony verdict was racist
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he has a “hard time understanding” claims that the guilty verdict in Karmelo Anthony’s murder trial was unfair or racially motivated, distancing himself from some Democrats and activists who have criticized the outcome of the case. “I have a hard time understanding why they would say that,” Kaine said when asked about claims from some Democrats that Anthony’s guilty verdict was unfair or racially charged. The Virginia Democrat’s comments come after protests and online criticism emerged following Tuesday’s verdict. Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of intentionally stabbing and murdering Austin Metcalf. Kaine’s comments stand in contrast with remarks from Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who has publicly described Anthony as a “scared Black boy” and argued he was not shown enough “mercy” following the verdict. AUSTIN METCALF’S DAD EXPRESSES EMPATHY FOR KARMELO ANTHONY AS KILLER’S PARENTS SAY ‘THEY DID A NUMBER ON US’ Fox News Digital asked Kaine his thoughts on Democrats, like Crockett, claiming the trial was unfair because of the belief that the verdict was racially motivated or that Anthony was not given a fair trial because of his race. “I know what they’re saying, but I have a hard time understanding,” Kaine reiterated. KARMELO ANTHONY TRIAL BEGINS WITH NO BLACK JURORS IN RACIALLY-CHARGED CASE OVER TRACK MEET STABBING Crockett took to her podcast, “Clock it with Crockett,” 19 hours after Anthony was found guilty in court. During the episode, she criticized the racial makeup of the jury and claimed the knife that Anthony used to stab Metcalf to his death was “not a deadly weapon.” “I would argue the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon,” Crockett said about the murder weapon that was discovered and confirmed to be the knife used to pierce Metcalf’s heart, leading to his death on the scene. She claimed the jurors were all “White folk,” and sources close to the trial told Fox News Digital that there were three jurors who were racial minorities. They said that of the 18 total jurors, including alternates, six were minorities. Crockett also said on her podcast that if she were in Anthony’s position, referencing the altercation that led to Metcalf’s death, she would have done the same thing in self-defense. KARMELO ANTHONY STAYS SILENT AS ANALYSTS WARN DEFENSE FACES UPHILL BATTLE IN TRACK MEET STABBING TRIAL She also claimed the victim’s family had never experienced living in the “fear and agony” that Black people live with every day. While Crockett is the only member of Congress to publicly make such claims since the guilty verdict was given, many activists agree with Crockett’s take, claiming Anthony’s actions were made in self-defense, often noting the 38-pound size difference between Anthony and Metcalf. Protests broke out outside the courthouse on Tuesday, and criticism of the verdict and claims that Anthony did not receive a fair trial continue to circulate online. Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca contributed to this report.
Abbott turns up heat on Talarico, Soros-backed DAs over Texas crime
As Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico works to brand himself as a “law and order Democrat,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is rolling out a sweeping public safety agenda that could force the left’s rising star to defend parts of his legislative record on crime, bail reform and policing. Abbott, who is pushing to remove so-called “rogue” prosecutors, create a statewide prosecutor and deny bail to illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes, told Fox News Digital the proposals are necessary. “Texas Democrats have consistently sided with criminals over the citizens they were elected to protect,” Abbott told Fox News Digital, adding, “Keeping dangerous offenders behind bars is one of the most important responsibilities of government.” While Abbott’s proposals still need approval from lawmakers, they are already shaping a broader debate over crime and public safety in Texas ahead of the midterm elections. TRAVIS COUNTY DA FACES RENEWED ‘SOFT ON CRIME’ CRITICISM AFTER CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH MURDER Talarico has highlighted endorsements from law enforcement figures, including former Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno, to bolster his public safety record, but Abbott’s allies argue his voting record and absences from key public safety votes tell a different story. Talarico was absent for a vote on a bill named after slain Houston preteen Jocelyn Nungaray that would have automatically denied bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes. Talarico’s campaign defended the missed vote, telling Fox News Digital Talarico had an excused absence. The bill ultimately failed to pass, but Abbott is seeking to revive the measure. Among the public safety measures Talarico voted against were House Bill 1900, which prevented Texas cities from defunding their police departments; House Bill 20, which tightened bail restrictions for violent offenders; and Senate Bill 4, which established mandatory prison sentences for human smuggling and stash house operations. Abbott later signed all three measures into law. “James Talarico’s disastrous record on public safety is indistinguishable from the Texas Democrats who have repeatedly opposed common-sense measures to support law enforcement and keep violent criminals off the streets,” Eduardo Leal, press secretary for Abbott’s campaign, told Fox News Digital. “He’s led his Democrat colleagues to vote against legislation that prevented cities from defunding the police and twice failed to show up for votes to deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes.” Talarico’s campaign has pushed back on Abbott’s characterization, pointing to Talarico previously voting in favor of Abbott’s sweeping bail reform measure passed last year and voting for billions of dollars in funding for Texas law enforcement. “This baseless attack is a flat-out lie. James opposes defunding the police, has voted to deny bail for violent criminals, supports prosecuting violent felons, and has a proven track record of sending billions of dollars to support law enforcement,” Talarico’s campaign spokesperson JT Ellis said in a statement. But as crime continues to dominate headlines nationwide, Texas has not been immune, with Abbott blaming what he describes as soft-on-crime district attorneys for failing to hold offenders accountable. Abbott’s campaign team pointed to the release of two murder suspects in Austin on reduced bonds after Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza’s office missed the 90-day deadline for securing indictments last year. Meanwhile, Garza’s office has secured the indictments of 21 police officers over allegations of misconduct in the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON SUED OVER NEW RULE TO REIN IN ‘ROGUE’ DAS BY ALLOWING HIM ACCESS TO THEIR CASE RECORDS And in court Monday, a judge dismissed two motions targeting the Travis County District Attorney, first assistant and several prosecutors, meaning they are no longer facing allegations of criminal wrongdoing. Abbott’s office says concerns about district attorneys such as Garza are driving its push to create a Texas statewide prosecutor, a new office that would operate separately from the attorney general’s office and focus on prosecuting the state’s most serious crimes. The proposal to create a Texas statewide prosecutor would require approval from the Texas Legislature, which would need to establish and fund the new office through statute. Unlike some of Abbott’s other public safety initiatives, the measure would not require a constitutional amendment. An official from Abbott’s campaign team told Fox News Digital that creating this new office is necessary because current state statutes provide that the attorney general’s office has no general prosecutorial authority. Criminal prosecutions are generally handled by locally elected district and county attorneys, and the Attorney General may intervene only when authorized by statute, requested by local prosecutors, or otherwise permitted by law. Under the proposal, if a district attorney does not pursue an indictment within 90 days, the statewide prosecutor would be authorized to intervene and take over the prosecution. GOV ABBOTT UNVEILS NEW CAMPAIGN EXPOSING HORRIFIC DANGERS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION Police departments would be required to send reports involving certain serious crimes to both local district attorneys and the statewide prosecutor, enabling the office to track cases from the beginning. Garza dubbed Abbott’s sweeping criminal justice reform proposal to be a “distraction from the governor’s litany of failures.” “Under his leadership, Texans are paying more for groceries, public schools are losing funding, and too many Texans lack access to healthcare and mental healthcare,” Garza said. Abbott’s other two legislative requests — ending bail for illegal immigrants and making it possible to impeach district attorneys — would require a statewide vote by Texans. Last month, Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to expand the Texas Repeat Offender Task Force from the Houston area into the Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Austin regions, saying the effort will help target violent repeat offenders and improve public safety. Since launching in October, the task force has arrested 728 repeat offenders, including 455 high-threat suspects; seized large quantities of drugs and weapons; encountered 155 known gang members; and recovered 25 stolen vehicles. “The choice in this election is clear,” Abbott said. “Republicans will protect communities and prosecute criminals, while Democrats stand with the very people who threaten public safety.”
California accused of blocking federal voter roll audit as DOJ escalates probe of election fraud claims
The Justice Department is escalating its clash with California over voter-roll access, accusing state officials of blocking a federal audit — though Golden State officials warn the demand threatens voter privacy and oversteps federal authority. The dispute centers on voter roll maintenance and access to registration records, not any publicly identified allegation of impropriety in a specific California race. “If California genuinely wants voters to trust its elections, it should open its records, not fight to keep them closed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a lengthy post on X that included a copy of a letter U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the DOJ office enforcing federal voting-rights laws, sent to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber last year demanding the state’s voter rolls for inspection. “What are they afraid of?,” Essayli questioned. MORE THAN 500,000 CALIFORNIANS DEMAND VOTING OVERHAUL, BACK ‘STRAIGHTFORWARD’ ID LAW Dhillon’s letter followed an Aug. 8 response from Weber’s office raising concerns about privacy protections that could be implicated by the state voter-registration data sought by the federal government. A spokesperson from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital that “every federal court to consider the issue has ruled U.S. DOJ’s demands violate federal law,” adding that “unlike this federal administration, we don’t do things that are illegal.” Weber’s office offered to let DOJ inspect a redacted voter-registration database by appointment in Sacramento, arguing that satisfied their legal obligations, but Dhillon rejected that proposal and demanded an electronic copy of the statewide voter list “with all fields,” according to legal filings from the ongoing dispute taking place in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. “We also have serious concerns about how California maintains its voter rolls,” Essayli wrote in his X post, calling out California Democrats for blocking the federal audit of their voter rolls. “There are open questions about whether the state is promptly removing deceased voters, people who have moved, and individuals convicted of disqualifying felonies.” Essayli also highlighted how California’s rules allow certain first-time voters who do not provide a Social Security number or driver’s license when registering to verify their identity with documents including gym membership cards, employer IDs, credit or debit cards, prescription labels and insurance cards — a policy his office says warrants scrutiny. NONCITIZENS ON VOTER ROLLS IN DEMOCRAT-RUN STATE EXPOSED AS RNC CHAIR PLEDGES SECURE ELECTIONS “On top of that, California allows third parties to collect and turn in ballots on voters’ behalf (a practice known as ballot harvesting) with few restrictions,” Essayli added. “This makes it difficult to track who actually received, completed, and submitted each ballot.” The California Attorney General’s office pushed back on Essayli’s framing, noting that DOJ had already lost the case at the district court level and that the pending Ninth Circuit fight stems from the federal government’s appeal of that dismissal. A U.S. District Judge dismissed the DOJ’s lawsuit in January, with the presiding judge writing that the department was seeking “an unprecedented amount of personal information” from California’s unredacted voter rolls, including names, Social Security numbers, home addresses, voting history and other sensitive information from nearly 23 million Californians. The judge also wrote that DOJ could not use federal election laws in a way that “wholly disregards the separation of powers provided for in the Constitution.” FEDERAL JUDGE REJECTS TRUMP ADMIN LAWSUIT SEEKING MICHIGAN VOTER ROLLS A spokesperson for Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office highlighted in a statement to Fox News Digital that the DOJ has brought approximately 30 voter roll lawsuits nationwide and has lost all eight voter roll cases that have been decided to date. The fight for federal access to California’s voter rolls comes as voter roll maintenance has been a concern of President Donald Trump and Republicans nationally. “If fraudsters do it right, it can be many, many more votes like this,” Illinois GOP Chairman Bob Grogan told Fox News Digital two weeks ago after a Democratic city official in his state turned herself in for allegedly using her dead mother’s name to vote. Grogan expressed particular concern with mail-in balloting, even though he did recognize its necessity in some cases. TRUMP-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES DOJ LAWSUIT SEEKING ARIZONA VOTER DATA “Mail ballots are especially vulnerable, which is why they should be secured, should never be mailed without a specific request from the voter, and should always be verified before they are tabulated. This case also shows how essential it is to maintain clean voter rolls,” Jason Snead, who runs the Honest Elections Project, told Fox News Digital about the Illinois case. “Had the list maintenance process been slower, it is possible this illegal vote would have been counted before the fraud was discovered. Unfortunately, too many states — particularly blue states — actively resist commonsense safeguards, which begs the question: how many other illegal votes have slipped through the system?” Dead registrants have also fueled broader scrutiny of voter roll maintenance nationally. North Carolina election officials said in April they identified roughly 34,000 deceased people still listed on the state’s voter rolls after a federal database comparison, while other recent local controversies have included allegations or investigations involving deceased voters appearing on registration lists or absentee-ballot records. Republicans have argued cases such as these show why states should be more transparent about how they maintain voter lists. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters told Fox News Digital that the New Jersey records were “eye-opening” and said the party has sought voter roll maintenance information from nearly every state. DOJ has already pursued a similar records fight inside California, suing Orange County’s registrar last year for allegedly refusing to provide records to help remove noncitizens from its voter-registration list. At the time, Dhillon said removing noncitizens from California’s voter rolls was “critical” to ensuring the state’s rolls are accurate and that elections are conducted without fraudulent voting.
Former Biden ambassador considered running against him over border mess, bashes Kamala in new book
Ken Salazar, former U.S. ambassador to Mexico under President Joe Biden, considered running for president against his former boss in 2024, he revealed. “I should run for president,” Salazar told himself, after Biden’s disastrous July 2024 debate performance, according to a book excerpt obtained by Politico. Salazar also claimed that he begged for a border czar and early on advised Biden to refer to the U.S. border situation as a crisis. “There was political failure to understand the reality of the crisis at the border, and the political consequence it would have on Democrats in the 2024 election. HOW IMMIGRATION AND BORDER SECURITY DOMINATED 2024 AND DECIDED AN ELECTION Salazar claimed that within the administration, officials used the word “crisis” all the time, “even if at that time the White House refused to acknowledge it as such.” When Salazar advised then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to use the word, Mayorkas apparently told him: “Ken, I have a lot on my plate already. I’m about to be impeached for all this border stuff. The Republicans have it out for me.” Salazar never ended up declaring himself as a candidate despite recruiting a team and drafting a presidential platform, Politico reported. BIDEN AIDES WARNED DONORS DROPPING OUT AND RUNNING KAMALA HARRIS WOULD BE A MISTAKE: BOOK He had planned to throw his name into consideration when Biden dropped out, but the Democratic Party never held open primaries, instead choosing to coronate Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate unilaterally, a decision Salazar called “a mistake,” per Politico. Salazar criticized Harris’ action, or lack thereof, on the border after she was tasked with stemming the flow of migration. Harris was dubbed the border czar, a position Salazar had pushed for the Biden White House to create, but he was unhappy with the nature of her work in the position. “But sadly, her designation in this position was having no effect on migration flows,” he wrote. HOW HARRIS WAS DOGGED BY ‘BORDER CZAR’ LABEL, PAST RADICAL IMMIGRATION VIEWS DURING FAILED CAMPAIGN “[Harris] had been placed in charge of getting at the ‘root causes’ of migration, but many felt she had been ineffective,” he continued. “For whatever reason, she had been unable to help with the border and migration crisis, even though she’d sat next door to the Oval Office for almost four years.” Salazar, a Colorado-born lawyer of Mexican descent and his state’s first Hispanic senator, praised Biden’s eventual decision to effectively shut down the border in 2024, but acknowledged it was too late. MARK KELLY EYES 2028 WHITE HOUSE RUN WHILE FIGHTING TRUMP DEMOTION THREAT “This should have been a moment of vindication — after all, American voters were demanding action on the border — but it was too late, and images of an out-of-control border would dominate the closing months of the presidential election,” he wrote, per Politico. Salazar also revealed in his book, titled “Borderlands: My Fight For An Inclusive America,” that he’s been giving out advice to potential Democratic presidential candidates, pitching them on his “borderlands platform,” an immigration policy that he says acknowledges the U.S. immigration system is broken and “must be fixed,” according to Politico. He has already met with Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, and plans to meet with Illinois’ Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, Politico reported. Fox News Digital contacted Salazar, Pritzker, Gallego and Kelly for comment.
Mamdani touts massive taxpayer-funded investment for trans healthcare: ‘First step’
As part of the Pride Month celebration on Tuesday evening, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani touted the work his administration has done to expand services for LGBTQ+ communities, calling New York City a “haven” for people with alternative gender identities. In particular, Mamdani doubled down on promises of $15 million in funding for trans communities. “The threats will continue and so will our relentless protection of trans people across this city,” Mamdani said, referring to challenges he said LGBTQ+ communities face. “As a first step, my administration has made a $15 million investment in gender-affirming care over the next two years, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to make sure every trans and gender non-conforming New Yorker can live with the dignity, safety and freedom they deserve.” MAMDAMI MARKS PRIDE MONTH, SAYS HONORING ‘QUEER AND TRANSGENDER’ CONTRIBUTIONS WOULD TAKE MORE THAN 30 DAYS Mamdani’s speech builds on similar efforts in other cities and looks to follow through on campaign promises Mamdani made on the road to his mayoral victory. It’s unclear where, exactly, the $15 million request is being allocated from or how it will be disbursed as New York City Council members continue consideration of the 2027 budget, but taxpayer dollars will be on the hook for the investment. Progressive-led subsidized transgender initiatives have also advanced in San Francisco. Like New York, San Francisco established an Office of Transgender Initiatives and, through its Department of Public Health, has funded guidance for hormone therapy, surgery and mental health case management. MASSACHUSETTS TOWN VOTES TO BECOME A TRANSGENDER ‘SANCTUARY CITY’ AFTER WILD CITY COUNCIL MEETING If implemented, Mamdani’s initiative would go further, directly funding procedures. Despite pushing the envelope on city-led programs for trans services, the New York funding falls short of the vision Mamdani painted while on the campaign trail. “The Mamdani administration will budget $65 million in funding to explicitly support and expand access to Gender Affirming Care (GAC) in NYC,” Mamdani’s campaign website read. That plan detailed that up to $57 million would go to public hospitals, community clinics, health centers and nonprofits that could perform procedures. Although Mamdani’s plan for the $15 million remains hazy, he said his support of the LGBTQ community was proven — and would only grow. GRAMMY-WINNING MUSICIAN FIGHTS TRUMP’S TRANS EXECUTIVE ORDER BY DONATING TO PEOPLE SEEKING GENDER SURGERIES “As your mayor, I was proud to establish New York City’s first-ever office of LGBTQIA+ affairs within the first 100 days of our administration,” Mamdani said. “This office focuses on the well-being of queer New Yorkers so that you know you have a champion and advocate within city government.”