‘Another D-Day’: Biden once urged ‘international strike force’ on narco-terrorists as Dems now blast Trump
Former President Joe Biden, when he served as a Delaware senator, railed against foreign narco-terrorists flooding the U.S. with highly addictive substances, calling for an “international strike force” against the drug traffickers in a fiery 1989 speech. “Let’s go after the drug lords where they live with an international strike force. There must be no safe haven for these narco-terrorists and they must know it,” then-Sen. Biden said in an 1989 video speech addressing then-President George H.W. Bush’s efforts to combat the narcotics flooding U.S. streets. The remarks have resurfaced on social media as the Trump administration currently faces outrage from Democrats over its strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean. Biden’s address was billed as the Democrat Party’s official response to then-President H.W. Bush’s Sept. 5, 1989, address on his administration’s efforts to tackle the crack cocaine epidemic and rampant use of cocaine, C-SPAN footage reported. Bush had announced that the administration would double federal assistance to state and local law enforcement to tackle the drug problem, $65 million emergency assistance to nations such as Colombia to “fight against the cocaine cartels,” an overall $1.5 billion increase in drug-related federal spending on law enforcement and other initiatives. EXPERT REVEALS WHAT IT WOULD TAKE FOR TRUMP TO DEPLOY TROOPS TO VENEZUELA: ‘POSSIBILITY OF ESCALATION’ Biden, in the Democrat Party’s response, called for “another D-Day” to end the war on drugs. “The president says he wants to wage a war on drugs, but if that’s true, what we need is another D-Day, not another Vietnam, not another limited war fought on the cheap and destined for stalemate and human tragedy,” Biden said in his response. Biden railed that the H.W. Bush administration was failing to take stronger actions on drugs at a time when cocaine from Colombia flooded the nation and U.S. cities were rocked by the crack epidemic that persisted through the 1980s and early 1990s, when crystal meth and heroin became the drugs of choice. “We speak with great concern about the drug problem in America today, but we fail to appreciate or address it for what it really is, the number one threat to our national security,” Biden said during his 1989 address on the war on drugs. “It affects the readiness of our army, the productivity of our workers and the achievement of our students and the very health and safety of our families.” “America is under attack, literally under attack by an enemy who is well financed, well supplied and well armed and fully capable of declaring total war against a nation and its people, as we’ve seen in Colombia. Here in America, the enemy is already ashore, and for the first time, we are fighting and losing the war on our own soil,” Biden continued before arguing the U.S. should “go after the drug lords where they live.” CAPITOL HILL REVOLT THREATENS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA PLAYBOOK AMID CARIBBEAN STRIKE OVERSIGHT Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office Friday inquiring if he stands by his 1989 address or has any additional comment to include, but did not immediately receive a response. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has come under fire for carrying out a series of military strikes on boats suspected of trafficking narcotics from Venezuela in the waters off of Central and South America. The administration has carried out at least 22 fatal strikes on the boats since September, killing dozens of suspected drug traffickers. The administration has defended the strikes, saying the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels after the groups evolved into transnational terror organizations. Trump has said the strikes are part of an effort to curb drugs flooding into the U.S., while experts have weighed in that the pressure on Venezuela is likely also to force Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s ouster and end his regime in the country. US CARRIES OUT 22ND STRIKE ON ALLEGED DRUG VESSEL OPERATED BY A DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATION Democrats have taken issue with a pair of strikes on Sept. 2 against an alleged drug boat from Venezuela. The White House confirmed the military carried out an initial strike on the boat before firing off a second that killed two suspected traffickers, sparking Democrats to claim the administration committed potential war crimes. “If the reports are true, Pete Hegseth likely committed a war crime when he gave an illegal order that led to the killing of incapacitated survivors of the U.S. strike in the Caribbean,” Nevada Democratic Sen. Sen. Jacky Rosen said in a statement earlier in December. RAND PAUL JOINS DEMS ON ‘WAR POWERS RESOLUTION’ CLAIMING TRUMP ADMIN COULD SOON STRIKE VENEZUELAN TERRITORY Several Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration has been well within its rights to act against Maduro’s regime. They added that they’re eager for more information after several strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug boats and Trump’s heightened rhetoric targeting Maduro. Trump campaigned on ending the flow of narcotics flowing across U.S. borders in 2024, vowing after his election win to deploy the Navy to assist in the effort. “To stop the deadly drugs that are poisoning our people, I will deploy the U.S. Navy to impose a full fentanyl blockade on the waters of our region.…The drug cartels are waging war on America, and we will destroy those cartels!” Trump wrote on Truth Social a day before his inauguration. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Alaska Natives defy Democrats, champion push to revive Arctic drilling that Biden shut down
FIRST ON FOX: Democrats sounding the alarm of potential harms to Alaskan communities if their efforts were reversed and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was further opened to energy development got a very different response than they may have been expecting from a consortium of local Natives. Using the Congressional Review Act, the Senate voted Thursday night to pass a resolution from Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, that formally reversed a Biden-era rule restricting more than 1 million acres to development in the refuge, where Native communities like Kaktovik reside. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., notably spoke out on the Senate floor against the effort, saying that Congress rightly established the refuge in 1980 but neglected to properly protect the “very fragile ecosystem” there from development, calling it “America’s Serengeti.” TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES BIG STEP TOWARD ‘ENERGY DOMINANCE’ WITH MASSIVE ALASKA LNG PROJECT ALLIANCE “So far, we’ve been able to protect the coastal plain and keep it intact as it has been for millions of years, and many Americans had hoped we had moved on,” Cantwell said. Using “the Congressional Review Act to drill in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge (could) very well backfire on our drilling advocates. If Congress votes to overturn the Biden record of decision today, it would create legal and regulatory chaos, not clarity.” Additionally, several Democrats and at least one Republican supported a separate bill in April that would designate the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as statutorily protected wilderness, shutting out any development whatsoever. LEE ZELDIN: START YOUR RIGS: ALASKA IS OUR ‘GATEWAY TO ENERGY DOMINANCE’ “There are some places too special and too amazing and too ecologically and culturally significant to allow them to be permanently despoiled by oil and gas,” House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said at the time as chief sponsor. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., also led that bill’s introduction along with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania moderate from the Philadelphia suburbs. Despite such claims that development would damage the land and adversely affect those living there, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE) — a group representing the communities in and around the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, were ecstatic at the Senate’s reversal of the restrictive rule. TRUMP ADMIN’S ENERGY AGENDA HAILED FOR CRUCIAL ‘WINS’ AS GREEN ACTIVISTS LASH OUT “These joint congressional resolutions are a positive sign that congressional decisionmakers support our Iñupiaq self-determination,” VOICE President Nagruk Harcharek said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. Harcharek said that the vote is turning the tide on years of “lopsided relations” with Congress and the executive branch. Our “communities are cautiously optimistic for the people of Kaktovik following this vote — supported by our local and regional leaders — in our Indigenous homelands.” BIDEN’S REGULATIONS WORSE THAN NORTH KOREA, TRUMP ENERGY SECRETARY SAYS Kaktovik Mayor Nathan Gordon Jr., added that the “Kaktovikmiut” — the community’s residents — overwhelmingly support responsible development projects in their native lands because it provides a prime way for them to provide for themselves and their regional economy. “Kaktovik is the only community within ANWR, but the federal government and Congress have disregarded our voices for generations,” Gordon said. A whaling captain who also attended a joint appearance in the region by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright also praised the news, crediting such officials for making efforts to engage with the Native community on issues that impact their lands. ENERGY GROUPS CELEBRATE TRUMP’S LATEST MOVE TO UNLEASH ALASKA DRILLING “Moving forward, we are hopeful to continue this positive relationship built on mutual respect with both Congress and the executive branch,” Charles C.C. Lampe said. In a statement after the vote, Begich remarked that “America is strongest when Alaska is empowered to responsibly develop its resources.” Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, also expressed the importance of listening to their state residents’ needs rather than the assumptions of the bureaucracy. BURGUM, ZELDIN, WRIGHT: THIS IS HOW AMERICA WILL ACHIEVE ENERGY DOMINANCE Murkowski said previous Democratic administrations “paused everything, illegally canceled every lease, and then rewrote the program to ensure that neither leasing nor development would occur.” “Their worldview was exactly backwards,” she said. “Today, we are on the cusp of righting this wrong, rolling back the lawless lock-up of ANWR, and unleashing good-paying jobs and opportunity for Alaska’s working families,” added Sullivan. Fox News Digital reached out to Cantwell, Markey, Huffman and Fitzpatrick for comment.
Teenage cancer patient’s final fight becomes law as House passes landmark pediatric bill
A teenage girl who spent her final years advocating for young people battling cancer is forever memorialized in history, thanks to a key bill passed by the House of Representatives. Mikaela Naylon was just 16 when she died five years after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who helped lead the landmark legislation that became her namesake, said Mikaela spent much of that time fighting to give fellow children a chance to survive cancer. He told Fox News Digital that he viewed childhood cancer patients as “the best advocates” for their cause, calling them his “better angels.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO HARNESS AI IN FIGHT AGAINST CHILDHOOD CANCERS “Mikaela was a great example of that,” McCaul said. “She was very sick. She’d just undergone radiation and chemotherapy. She wasn’t feeling very well, and I could tell. But she still made the effort to come to Washington, to go to members’ offices and advocate for the legislation.” The Mikaela Naylon Give Kids A Chance Act is aimed at expanding children’s access to existing cancer therapy trials, as well as incentivizing development of treatments and solutions for pediatric cancer. It reauthorizes funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support pediatric disease research through fiscal year 2027, and extends the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ability to expedite review of drugs aimed at helping certain pediatric illnesses. FORMER NBA STAR TEAMS UP WITH GOP LAWMAKER TO HELP YOUNG CHILDREN SUFFERING FROM STUTTERING DISORDER “It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done is to not only draw awareness to childhood cancer by forming the [Childhood Cancer Caucus] and then having an annual summit, but to be able to pass legislation that results in saving children’s lives. I don’t think there’s anything more important than that,” McCaul said. His bill passed the House unanimously on Monday, with both Republicans and Democrats speaking out in strong support for the legislation. Mikaela’s family was in attendance to watch both its passage and the speeches lawmakers gave in favor of it. “Nothing will take the place of her. But it helped fill kind of a void, an emptiness they have right now. And they’re very proud of that, that her legacy is carried on through this legislation,” McCaul, who also gave the Naylon family a tour of the U.S. Capitol, said. Mikaela’s parents Kassandra and Doug, and her brother Ayden, told Fox News Digital that she had “faced every day with hope, purpose and a fierce determination to make the world better for the kids who would come after her.” “She believed that all children, no matter how rare their diagnosis, deserve access to the most promising treatments and a real chance at life. This legislation reflects that mission,” the Naylon family told Fox News Digital. They thanked McCaul as well as Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., for championing the bill, as well as advocacy groups who also helped shepherd it forward. “Their commitment ensures that Mikaela‘s voice, and the voices of so many brave children like her, will forever be heard in the halls of Congress,” the family said.
Fresh Trump-linked case puts Boasberg back in GOP crosshairs
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is again facing scrutiny for his assigned cases after California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s high-profile lawsuit accusing a senior Trump housing official of brazen misconduct landed in his court. Some Republicans have criticized Boasberg’s docket, given his assignment to an earlier legal challenge involving President Donald Trump‘s removal of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a Salvadoran prison in March and his role in presiding over the so-called “Signalgate” lawsuit, which, as of this writing, is all but mooted. But like other federal courts, the D.C. District Court assigns its cases to judges via a randomized computer system — a process that former federal judges outlined to Fox News Digital in a series of recent interviews. A Fox News Digital review of the cases assigned to judges in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., showed the same — putting Boasberg on the lower side of Trump-related case assignments compared to some of his colleagues in the district. Judges are “totally reactive” by design, Philip Pro, a former U.S. district judge and Reagan appointee, said last month about the cases judges are tasked with hearing. SHELTERS, JESUS, AND MISS PAC-MAN: US JUDGE GRILLS DOJ OVER TRANS POLICY IN DIZZYING LINE OF QUESTIONING “We’re sitting in our districts. The cases are randomly assigned,” Pro said. “There is nothing ‘rogue’ about these decisions.” Boasberg’s earlier work on the FISA Court — and his rulings in cases tied to the Trump era — have long made him a focal point for Trump’s criticism. In 2014, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him to serve a seven-year term on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, or FISA Court — a court composed of 11 federal judges hand-selected by the chief justice. After returning full-time to the federal bench, Boasberg oversaw the sentencing of former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty to doctoring a 2017 email asking to extend surveillance permissions for the wiretap of former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page. Boasberg declined to sentence Clinesmith to prison time and instead ordered him to 12 months of probation and 400 hours of community service — a notable decision, given his own background on the FISA Court. He said in his sentencing decision that he believed Clinesmith’s role at the center of a years-long media “hurricane” had provided sufficient punishment. Trump has since zeroed in on Boasberg, now the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., as he continues to rail against so-called “activist judges” — though Boasberg is far from the only district judge to draw the former president’s ire. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, for example, has presided over cases involving the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict or ban transgender U.S. service members, and an early challenge to Trump’s National Guard deployment. U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in November sought to temporarily block the continued deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. Cobb also issued a temporary order in September blocking Trump from immediately firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Other challenges heard by judges in the district involve mass layoffs at government agencies in the early months of the Trump administration, efforts to reshape U.S. international aid programs — including funding previously allocated by Congress — and one of the consolidated tariff cases appealed to the Supreme Court. Still, the notion that Boasberg has an outsize share of the cases persists. This is likely due in part to the longevity of the J.G.G. v. Trump litigation, which centered on the Trump administration’s use of a 1798 Alien Enemies Act statute to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador in March. Despite Boasberg’s emergency order blocking the flights from leaving U.S. soil, the planes arrived in El Salvador hours later — kicking off a separate, months-long review of whether senior government officials knowingly defied his court order. A list of declarations from government officials is due Friday as part of that process, which Boasberg said he will use to determine which officials he plans to call as witnesses in the contempt proceedings. “The Senate has made great mention of the fact that the judiciary should not be involved in that decision,” former U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady said about the Alien Enemies Act case in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. EXCLUSIVE: BONDI DOJ TRANSFERS DEATH ROW INMATES COMMUTED BY BIDEN TO ‘SUPERMAX’ PRISON Boasberg “didn’t pluck this issue out of the sky and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to refuse this, because I don’t believe that the Alien Enemies Act is appropriately being used,’” said O’Grady, who spent 16 years as a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia and was appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts to serve on the FISA Court, where he overlapped with Boasberg. Boasberg “has a case before him where one side is saying, ‘it can’t be used,’ and the executive branch is saying, ‘it can be used,’” O’Grady said of the Alien Enemies Act case. “And it’s up to him to make that decision.” Former judges note that the D.C. District Court, by design, has jurisdiction over a large share of cases that emanate in the nation’s capital, including lawsuits against government agencies or administrative actions. JUDGES V. TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA It’s not the first time Trump’s allies in Congress have attempted to cast doubt on the randomized assignments. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the D.C. clerk’s office in May seeking more information about how cases are assigned in the district, after Boasberg was assigned to an earlier case brought by the American Oversight group in response to the so-called “Signalgate” controversy. The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of potentially violating federal recordkeeping laws when they exchanged sensitive information — including a planned strike in Yemen — in the Signal messaging app. “While the District Court’s allocation process is intended to produce an ‘equal distribution of cases to all judges,’ in practice
State-level AI rules survive — for now — as Senate sinks moratorium despite White House pressure
The Senate is quietly winning the battle over states’ abilities to craft their own artificial intelligence (AI) regulations, but there is still a desire to chart out a rough framework at the federal level. The issue of a blanket AI moratorium, which would have halted states from crafting their own AI regulations, was thought to have been put to bed over the summer. But the push was again revived by House Republicans, who were considering dropping it into the annual National Defense Authorization Act. However, Republicans in the lower chamber have pulled back from that push, even as the White House has pressed Congress to create a federal framework that would make regulations more cohesive across the country. LAWMAKERS UNVEIL BIPARTISAN GUARD ACT AFTER PARENTS BLAME AI CHATBOTS FOR TEEN SUICIDES, VIOLENCE A trio of Senate Republicans, Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who banded together to block the original proposal, cheered the provision’s apparent rise from the grave. Hawley told Fox News Digital that it was good news that the provision would not be included in the defense authorization bill, but warned that “vigilance is needed, and Congress needs to act.” “I mean, for everybody out there saying, ‘Well, Congress needs to act and create one standard,’ I agree with that,” he said. “And we can start by banning chat bots for minors.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, initially pushed for a moratorium to be included in Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill. His position on the issue has been to unchain AI to give the U.S. a competitive edge against foreign adversaries like China. But that attempt was nearly unanimously defeated over the summer and stripped from the bill. And Cruz hasn’t given up. “The discussions are ongoing, but it is the White House that is driving,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. PROTECTING KIDS FROM AI CHATBOTS: WHAT THE GUARD ACT MEANS Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged that getting the moratorium into the defense authorization bill would be difficult earlier in the week. “That’s controversial, as you know,” Thune said. “So, I mean, I think the White House is working with senators and House members for that matter to try and come up with something that works but preserves states’ rights.” Trump declared last month that the U.S. “MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes,” and argued that over regulation at the state level was threatening the investment, and expected growth, of AI. The White House reportedly drafted an executive order that would have blocked states from regulating AI that would have withheld certain streams of federal funding from states that didn’t comply with the order, and enlisted the Department of Justice to sue states that crafted their own regulations. So far, Trump has not taken action on the order. AI COULD DRIVE US UNEMPLOYMENT TO 20%, SENATORS WARN AS NEW BILL TARGETS JOB TRACKING Blackburn, who was the leading player in thwarting Cruz’s previous attempt to assert an AI moratorium into Trump’s marquee tax bill, also wants some kind of federal framework, but one that is designed to “protect children, consumers, creators, and conservatives,” a spokesperson for Blackburn told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Senator Blackburn will continue her decade-long effort to work with her colleagues in both the House and Senate to pass federal standards to govern the virtual space and rein in Big Tech companies who are preying on children to turn a profit,” the spokesperson said. And Johnson, another key figure in blocking the moratorium earlier this year, argued to Fox News Digital that it was an “enormously complex problem. It’s my definition of a problem.” But unlike his counterparts, he was more skeptical about Congress producing a framework that he would be comfortable with. “I’m not a real fan of this place,” Johnson said. “And I think we’d be far better off if we passed a lot fewer laws. I’m not sure how often we get it right. Look at healthcare, look at how that’s been completely botched.” “What are we gonna do with AI? Hard to say, but we just don’t go through the problem-solving process,” he continued. “And again, I’m concerned, the real experts on this have got vested interests. Whatever they’re advising is, can you really trust them?”
Democrats reveal whether they believe US citizens or drug boat traffickers are more important
As scrutiny mounts on the Trump administration’s use of force in its targeting of suspected cartel members in the Caribbean, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were asked whether they believe U.S. citizen victims or drug traffickers are more important. Republicans, such as Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said the answer is easy. “I can’t speak for anybody else, but my top concern is American citizens, their lives, their health. So, for me, it’s an easy choice. Kill drug dealers, save Americans,” said Sheehy. Democrats, however, had less black and white opinions on the strikes. “Look, I fully support doing whatever we can within the legal means to make sure that we’re stopping drug trafficking,” said Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-Md., adding, “We should absolutely be concerned about the victims of drug trafficking and people who have lost their lives to drug violence.” SENATE REPUBLICANS BLOCK BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO HALT MILITARY ACTION, DRUG BOAT STRIKES IN THE CARIBBEAN “We support all efforts to [interdict], arrest, hold people accountable who are trying to smuggle drugs into this country. However, we have a rule of law, and we have rules of engagement for a reason. And so, we need to make sure that we have full transparency in terms of how these strikes are happening,” Olszewski went on. He added that “if the reporting is true, it’s very likely” that the administration’s drug boat strikes are “in violation of our laws and may in fact be a war crime.” “So, it merits full investigation; it merits the details being released. And you know, again, I fully support doing all that we can to stop drug trafficking, but that means that we have to make sure that we’re doing it within the rule of law and the rules that we have in this country.” Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., pushed back on the question, asking, “Is this going to do anything to truly help them?” “Cocaine’s still flowing, the demand is still there,” Smith said, adding, “You see a drug dealer on the street, that’s a bad person. That person is selling drugs. Let’s say they’re selling actual fentanyl, not the cocaine that we’re hitting here. Would you support allowing anyone to execute that person who wants to on the spot? … You want to be tough on drug dealers. Drug dealers are bad people. Why do we need due process? Why do you need probable cause?” COMMANDER OF SEPTEMBER ATTACK BELIEVED SURVIVORS WERE CONTINUING DRUG RUN, REPORT SAYS “Don’t give me this crap about how this proves you don’t care about [selling drugs],” he said. “I care about selling drugs. I don’t want a fascist regime that gets to decide who they can kill when they want to kill them without any check on that power. That simply doesn’t make sense in the United States of America, or at least not the United States of America that I want us to have.” Meanwhile, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., answered, “We have to do our best to disrupt drug distribution. Also, we have to invest in drug health care and drug education, et cetera. We have to do all the things. The real question is, how do you do it right?” Pressed on whether the government should be prioritizing drug victims above the traffickers, Reed responded, “I’ve commented and thank you for asking,” before walking away. SCHUMER ACCUSES TRUMP OF PUSHING US TOWARD ‘FOREIGN WAR’ WITH VENEZUELA Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., simply answered, “Congress has to do its job: oversight,” and walked away. Republicans, meanwhile, were much more unilateral in their responses. “If it disrupts the flow of one drug coming into West Virginia, I’m all for it,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “I come from a state that has historically had enormous drug problems. A lot of deaths from fentanyl, from overdoses,” said Capito. “So, I’m supportive of whatever the president can do to end the flow of fentanyl. And [with] the narco-terrorism, the intelligence around these strikes, from my understanding, is pretty solid.” “For too long, politicians have been satisfied to have a hundred thousand Americans die every year of drug overdoses. Finally, President Trump has stepped up to the plate and said, ‘No more,’” said Rep. Glenn Grothman. “If you’re going to attack our country, and these people know full well Americans are dying because of what they’re doing. If you’re going to attack our country, we’re going to fight back, about time,” Grothman added.
Biden says ‘we’re the United States of Amerigotit’ in latest gaffe at DC conference
Former President Joe Biden said, “We’re the United States of Amerigotit” in his latest gaffe during a speech on Friday at the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. Biden was urging elected officials, leaders and advocates to “continue the fight” for equality when he slurred his words. “We just have to get up. As long as we keep the faith … and remember who the hell we are. We’re the United States of Amerigotit, that’s who we are! We’re the U.S.!” Biden said. ‘THIS GUY’: SLURRING BIDEN TAKES SHOT AT TRUMP, THOSE TRYING TO ‘ERASE OUR HISTORY’ AT JUNETEENTH CHURCH EVENT Biden continued to affirm that it is time to “fight back” and protect the Constitution in the face of the Trump administration’s policies and actions. “All of us are dismayed by the present state of the union,” he added. “This is no time to give up. It’s time to get up. Get up and fight back. Get up. Continue to fight. And what’s the fight all about? … it’s about protecting the Constitution. It’s about protecting the Constitution.” TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON VOIDING BIDEN AUTOPEN ACTIONS, INCLUDING PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS The former president accused President Donald Trump and his loyalists of attempting to “distort and derail our fight for equality” and “further divide the country.” He continued, “They’re trying to turn it into something scary, something sinister. But folks, it’s really not about anything that’s all that complicated. At its core, it’s about making every American given the opportunity to be treated with basic decency, dignity, and respect they all deserve. That’s what every single American deserves, every American.” Biden was awarded the Chris Abele Impact Award during the event for his role in advancing LGBTQ+ rights during his administration. The award was named after LGBTQ+ Victory Action board member Chris Abele. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
DHS fires back after Dem lawmaker claims she was ‘pushed aside and pepper sprayed’ during ICE raid
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday pushed back against accusations from Arizona Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva, who claimed she was pepper sprayed during an immigration raid in Tucson. In a post on X, Grijalva said she was “pushed aside and pepper sprayed” after identifying herself as a member of Congress while seeking information from officers during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) operation near the Taco Giro restaurant. “ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson — a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years,” Grijalva wrote. “When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed aside and pepper sprayed.” DHS ARRESTS DOZENS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITHIN 24 HOURS OF LAUNCHING NEW ORLEANS OPERATION In a separate post, Grijalva called ICE a “lawless agency” that is “operating with no transparency, no accountability, and open disregard for basic due process.” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin swiftly fired back at Grijalva’s claims, saying she was never directly sprayed but merely in the “vicinity of someone who was.” “If her claims were true, this would be a medical marvel,” McLaughlin said. “But they’re not true. She wasn’t pepper sprayed. She was in the vicinity of someone who was pepper sprayed as they were obstructing and assaulting law enforcement.” THIRD AFGHAN NATIONAL FROM BIDEN-ERA PROGRAM ARRESTED IN A WEEK BY ICE AGENTS IN VIRGINIA: DHS McLaughlin also said two law enforcement officers were “seriously injured” during the incident. “In fact, 2 law enforcement officers were seriously injured by this mob that [Grijalva] joined,” she added. “Presenting oneself as a ‘member of Congress’ doesn’t give you the right to obstruct law enforcement. More information forthcoming.” The clash also prompted the Congressional Progressive Caucus — which includes nearly 100 Democratic lawmakers — to call for a congressional investigation. DEM-BACKED ‘DIGNITY’ BILL COULD STRIP ICE OF DETENTION POWERS, ERASE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, CRITICS WARN Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., a deputy chair of the caucus, denounced the incident as a “disgusting display of violence” against Grijalva and warned that it reflects “a dangerous moment for American democracy.” The dispute unfolded a day after DHS announced it had rounded up at least a dozen criminal illegal immigrants — including “child sex offenders, domestic abusers, and violent gang members” — during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. “No matter when and where, ICE will find, arrest, and deport ALL criminal illegal aliens,” McLaughlin said. DHS and Grijalva did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Texas AG Paxton sues EPIC City developers after probe finds alleged fraud, misleading Muslim-only marketing
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Friday against the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), Community Capital Partners (CCP) and several associated leaders, accusing them of running an illegal securities and land development scheme tied to a proposed 400-acre community known as “EPIC City.” The lawsuit, filed in Collin County, follows a monthslong investigation and a referral from the Texas State Securities Board. The state alleges the defendants raised tens of millions of dollars while violating securities laws, misleading investors about the project’s nature and location, and misrepresenting how funds would be used. “The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets,” Paxton said. “I will relentlessly bring the full force of the law against anyone who thinks they can ignore the rules and hurt Texans.” According to the Verified Petition, CCP sold investment interests for $40,000 to $80,000, despite failing to register the securities or qualify for federal exemptions. MUSLIM DAD, SONS ALLEGEDLY DROWNED TEEN OVER ‘WESTERN’ LIFESTYLE, REFUSING TO WEAR HEADSCARF The state claims the group broadly solicited investors through meetings, social media and online promotions, which is activity not allowed under the exemptions they claimed. Investigators also allege the developers failed to take reasonable steps to verify purchasers were accredited investors, with documentation missing or inadequate for a number of buyers. The petition says the project was advertised as being “in the heart of Josephine, Texas,” even after the city told developers in February 2025 that the land was not within its limits or utility district. Marketing materials allegedly continued to make the claim. FEDERAL JUDGE ALLOWS TEXAS AG TO CHALLENGE HARRIS COUNTY BAIL REFORMS: ‘UNLEASHING CRIMINALS’ The state further points to alleged promotional materials that appeared to target Muslim buyers, including early website language and videos describing EPIC City as the “epicenter of Islam in North America.” Paxton’s office also alleges CEO Imran Chaudhary publicly promised he would take “not a cent” in salary, but later signed a contract paying him $360,000 a year through a separate company, a compensation arrangement not disclosed in written offering materials. Investigators allege more than $1 million in investor funds were withdrawn for general operating expenses, exceeding what offering documents described. Texas Securities Commissioner Travis Iles claims EPIC entities sold securities without meeting registration or exemption requirements and referred the matter to Paxton after identifying “flagrant” violations. Paxton first announced his investigation in March, and sought the referral in October after uncovering additional concerns. FEDERAL JUDGE RULES LAW REQUIRING DISPLAY OF TEN COMMANDMENTS IN TEXAS CLASSROOMS UNCONSTITUTIONAL Paxton is asking the court to halt all fundraising tied to the project, freeze assets, appoint a receiver, correct public statements and impose civil penalties of up to $20,000 per violation. The suit also seeks the return of investor funds. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP EPIC City, since rebranded as “The Meadow,” was marketed as a master-planned development spanning Hunt and Collin counties. Court filings show hundreds of investors purchased units. Fox News Digital has requested comment from EPIC, CCP and Paxton’s office. The full lawsuit can be read here.
Tim Walz slams Trump for calling Minnesota’s Somali community ‘garbage’: ‘Unprecedented’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday for describing the state’s Somali community as “garbage.” Walz said Trump’s statements of contempt for the state’s Somali community were “unprecedented for a United States president.” “We’ve got little children going to school today who their president called them garbage,” the blue state governor said. Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the country, with about 84,000 people in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area of Somali descent. Nearly 60% of Somalis in the state were born in the U.S., while 87% of the foreign-born Somalis are naturalized U.S. citizens. TREASURY SECRETARY LAUNCHES PROBE INTO MINNESOTA TAX DOLLARS ALLEGEDLY FUNDING AL-SHABAAB TERRORISTS Trump’s comments about Somalis in the state have intensified after the City Journal, a conservative news outlet, claimed last month that taxpayer dollars from defrauded government programs have been sent to the Somali militant group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida. The alleged ringleader of the fraud scheme is white, but dozens of people in the Somali community have reportedly been involved. On Thanksgiving, Trump said Minnesota was “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity” and that he was terminating Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state. On Tuesday, the president said at a Cabinet meeting that he did not want Somali immigrants to remain in the U.S. “We can go one way or the other, and we’re going to go the wrong way if we keep taking in garbage into our country,” he said. During the meeting, he also called Somalia-born Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., “garbage” and said Somalia “stinks.” On Wednesday, Trump said Minnesota had become a “hellhole” because of the Somali community. “Somalians should be out of here,” he told reporters. “They’ve destroyed our country.” The Trump administration launched immigration enforcement operations targeting migrants living among Minnesota’s Somali community. “Demonizing an entire group of people by their race and their ethnicity, a very group of people who contribute to the vitality — economic, cultural — of this state is something I was hoping we’d never have to see,” Walz told reporters during a briefing on the state’s budget. “This is on top of all the other vile comments.” Republican legislative leaders have been reluctant to condemn Trump’s remarks, although some did suggest he went too far. They also contended that the dispute would not have happened if Walz had acted more effectively to stop fraud in social service programs. ILHAN OMAR PRESSED TO EXPLAIN HOW FRAUD IN MINNESOTA GOT ‘SO OUT OF CONTROL’ “In no way do I believe any community is all bad. Just like I don’t believe any community is all good. What we need to do is call the fraudsters in any community accountable for their actions and stop it here in the state of Minnesota,” Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is running for governor and hopes to secure Trump’s endorsement, told reporters. Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt, who is running for the congressional seat being vacated by Democrat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, also would not defend the president’s comments. “It wasn’t said the way that I would have said it,” Pratt said. “But what I will say is, I share the president’s frustration in the amount of fraud and corruption that’s effectively gone on in the state. I mean, it’s really put a black eye on the state, and we are in the national news for all the wrong reasons.” Trump and Walz have repeatedly hurled insults at each other in the past, including the president hitting the Minnesota Democrat as “grossly incompetent,” a “mess” and “re—-ed” and the governor calling Trump a “wannabe dictator,” a “cruel man” and a “bad human being,” and ICE under the administration a “modern-day Gestapo.”