Reporter’s Notebook: GOP lawmakers prepare to slash $9.1B from USAID, NPR and PBS in rare vote
DOGE targeted tens of billions of dollars in what it deemed waste, fraud and abuse. But that means nothing unless Congress acts. For the first time in three decades, lawmakers will vote today to claw back money already appropriated. This is money DOGE recommended eliminating, and since Congress has the power of the purse, that requires a roll call vote. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOW THE HOUSE IS TECHNICALLY DONE WITH THE ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Today’s spending cancellation plan targets USAID, NPR and PBS. But it’s about the math. There is some skepticism among Republicans who support public broadcasting or foreign aid programs. POWER PLAYERS OR BASEBALL PLAYERS? THE HISTORY BEHIND THE CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME This bill amounts to cutting $9.1 billion in spending. That’s a federal teardrop – as Republicans often talk about reining in federal dollars. This is their chance to do it. The vote will be tight, and it would be an embarrassment for House Republicans if the bill fails, and they stumble to implement even a pedestrian cut – especially since they historically talk a good game about the debt and deficits.
Fate of Trump’s $9.4 billion spending cut package hangs on House GOP moderates
The fate of President Donald Trump’s $9.4 billion spending cuts request could rest on the shoulders of a handful of moderate House Republicans. The House of Representatives is set to consider the measure on Thursday afternoon, which cuts $8.3 billion in funds to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and just over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which routes federal funds to NPR and PBS. But at least four GOP lawmakers are known to have expressed some concerns about various aspects of the package. House Republican leaders have a razor-thin, three-seat majority in the chamber, which means any dissent beyond that could sink the bill. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE None of the four Republicans – Reps. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., David Valadao, R-Calif., Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Don Bacon, R-Neb. – have said how they will vote on the bill, however. They also all approved a procedural vote to allow for debate on the measure. But Amodei, co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, told Fox News Digital on Wednesday afternoon that he was not worried about NPR and PBS’ national brands, with which he acknowledged the GOP’s bias concerns, and that his fear was gutting funding to smaller local outlets that rely on federal funding to keep people informed in areas with less access. “These aren’t the people that are doing editorial boards that are flipping you the bird,” Amodei argued to his fellow Republicans. “They’re kind of important pieces of infrastructure in their communities.” Amodei, who is intimately familiar with the government funding process as a House appropriator, said “a whole bunch of red counties” depend on public broadcast funding. “It’s easier for the nationals to raise money if they’ve got to make up for some funding they lost than it is these guys,” he said. Valadao, who represents a California swing district, told Politico he was not sure if the measure would pass. He declined to elaborate on his concerns to Fox News Digital, however, and his office did not respond to a request for clarification. Meanwhile, Malliotakis told reporters on Wednesday that she met with Republican voters in her district who wanted PBS funding preserved – but that her real concern was the process. “I think that there’s a lot of questions that members have regarding what programs specifically are going to be cut. This is a broad look at general accounts. We are, at the end of the day, the Congress that holds the power of the purse. We’re the ones who we’re supposed to be identifying where funding is going. And this gives a lot of discretion to the White House to be doing that unilaterally without Congress,” Malliotakis said. “I think there’s a large number of members that do have concerns about that. And whether members are going to vote yes or no is a different story in this place. But I have, certainly, reservations… and we’ll see how things go.” Bacon, one of three House Republicans representing a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, told reporters Tuesday morning that he was feeling better about the legislation after getting assurances that the foreign aid cuts would not gut money for critical medical research. MCCAUL TOUTS MONEY IN TRUMP TAX BILL TO PAY TEXAS BACK FOR FIGHTING BIDEN BORDER POLICIES He did not say whether his earlier concerns about PBS and NPR were alleviated, however, nor did he say how he would vote on the bill. Bacon told reporters last week, “It does bother me, because I have a great rapport with Nebraska Public Radio and TV.” When reached for comment, his office pointed Fox News Digital to Bacon’s Wednesday morning appearance on C-SPAN. “I think the president has to work with us and make this better. So I’m in opposition. That said, I’m in current negotiations with the leadership on this as well,” Bacon said. The $9.4 billion proposal is called a rescissions package, a mechanism for the White House to block congressionally approved funding it disagrees with. Once transmitted to Capitol Hill, lawmakers have 45 days to approve the rescissions proposal, otherwise it is considered rejected. Such measures only need a simple majority in the House and Senate to pass. But that’s no easy feat with Republicans’ thin majorities in both chambers. If passed, Republican leaders hope the bill will be the first of several rescissions packages codifying spending cuts identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk set out with a goal of finding $2 trillion in federal waste, but wound up identifying about $180 billion. House GOP leaders lauded the proposal during their weekly press conference on Tuesday. “These are commonsense cuts. And I think every member of this body should support it. It’s a critical step in restoring fiscal sanity and beginning to turn the tides and removing fraud, waste, and abuse from our government,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.
Biden breakdown: Where investigations into the former president stand
Former President Joe Biden left office in January, but questions about his mental acuity and decline while in office continue to mount amid the release of audio of his interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur and his cancer diagnosis, drawing attention to a number of actions taken in his final days in office and beyond. BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW Here’s a look at the known, active investigations into the former president and his team: Former President Joe Biden used his final weeks as commander-in-chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. The Justice Department is reviewing the list of people that were granted pardons by former President Joe Biden, amid concerns about his use of an AutoPen to automatically sign documents. DOJ Pardon Attorney Ed Martin is reviewing the list of Biden-era pardons granted during the former president’s final weeks in office, including the one granted to his son, Hunter Biden, and the preemptive pardons granted to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, Biden family members, and members of the House Committee investigating Jan. 6. BIDEN ONLY HAND-SIGNED ONE PARDON DURING FINAL SPREE, AND IT WAS HIS MOST CONTROVERSIAL ONE But Biden only signed one pardon by hand during his final weeks in office—and it was his most controversial one—for his son, Hunter Biden. Biden pardoned his son Hunter in December 2024 after vowing to the American people for months he would not do so. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony gun offenses during special counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes over his alleged failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Former President Biden in December 2024 announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the former president said. HERE ARE BIDEN’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARDONS, MAINLY SIGNED USING AUTOPEN “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading an investigation into an alleged cover-up of Biden’s mental decline. The investigation, specifically, is into whether those inside Biden’s inner-circle knowingly colluded to hide the former president’s declining mental acuity and used methods to circumvent the former president when it came to the issuance of important orders, particularly through the use of an autopen tool used to mimic the president’s signature. HOUSE GOP SECURES FOUR KEY WITNESSES IN BIDEN MENTAL-DECLINE PROBE AS FORMER AIDES AGREE TO TALK So far, four former Biden aides have agreed to voluntarily testify for transcribed interviews, including the director of Biden’s former Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, Biden’s assistant and senior advisor to the first lady, Anthony Bernal, former special assistant to Biden and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations, Ashley Williams, and Biden’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Annie Tomasini. Tanden will appear before the House Oversight Committee on June 24, Bernal two days later on June 26, while Williams will testify July 11 and Tomasini on July 18. LONE BIDEN OFFICIAL BREAKS SILENCE ON COGNITIVE DECLINE AS CABINET STAYS MUTE But Biden’s former White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor declined an invitation to sit for a transcribed interview scheduled for June 27. Comer subpoenaed O’Connor to compel that testimony. Comer sent letters to five more top former Biden staffers, putting his total outreach in the investigation to 10 people so far. The latest round of letters are being sent to former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, former senior communications advisor Anita Dunn, former top advisors Michael Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Bruce Reed. Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer in May. “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” Biden’s team shared in a statement. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.” “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement said. JOE BIDEN DIAGNOSED WITH ‘AGGRESSIVE FORM’ OF PROSTATE CANCER WITH METASTASIS TO THE BONE During his presidency, Biden had a “cancerous” skin lesion removed from his chest, the White House said at the time. Biden, during a 2022 speech discussing pollution in his home state, said: “That’s why I and so damn many other people I grew up (with) have cancer.” But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has expanded his investigation into Biden’s mental decline to include an investigation into the timeline of when Biden learned he had cancer. BIDEN’S WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN SUBPOENAED AS REPUBLICANS DIG DEEPER INTO ALLEGED COGNITIVE DECLINE COVER-UP “If you’ll remember, Joe Biden did an interview several years ago and said he had cancer. The White House quickly issued a statement saying, oh, he misspoke,” Comer said during an appearance on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria.” “Now, how many people do you know in the history of the world that have misspoke
‘I call it a rebellion’: Maxine Waters’ history of enflaming crowds, from Rodney King to today
Eighteen-term Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters resurfaced in the news after several run-ins with federal authorities during the ongoing illegal immigration riots in California, just as her House tenure began amid prior Angeleno unrest. In 1992, as she was finishing her first term in Congress, the not-guilty verdict against White LAPD officers seen beating a Black motorist named Rodney King sparked a similar conflagration in Los Angeles, and Waters was in the midst of it then as well. The riots greatly affected her South Los Angeles district, and Waters was quoted at the time as appearing to downplay the violence not as a “riot” but as “just a bunch of crazy people who went out and did bad things for no reason.” “I maintain it was somewhat understandable, if not acceptable. So I call it a rebellion,” she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. MAXINE WATERS TORCHED BY FEDS FOR ‘TAUNTING’ GUARDSMEN AND ‘SPEWING LIES’ ABOUT RIOTS, TRYING TO ENTER JAIL Waters had joined the Rev. Jesse Jackson in trying to convince the Justice Department to file civil rights charges against the acquitted officers, blaming the rioting on Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Daryl Gates and President George H.W. Bush, according to famed journalist Robert Novak. When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attempted to have Waters expelled from Congress in 2021 for “inciting violence and terrorism,” the Democrat claimed some of her past remarks were taken out of context. “I am not worried that they’re going to continue to distort what I say,” she told The Grio after Greene led her resolution with Waters’ Rodney King-era statements. Greene said Waters violated House Rule 23’s clause regarding conduct by members “at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.” At a 2007 anti-war protest, Waters declared she was “not afraid of George Bush” and also pledged to “get rid of” then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. She later drew the ire of Greene and other Republicans when she told an LGBTQ gala, “I will go and take out Trump tonight.” Defenders said she was speaking rhetorically and politically and not threatening the mogul. Later in Trump’s first administration, Waters was filmed on a California street corner shouting at supportive demonstrators and instructing them to be disruptive toward Trump allies. MAXINE WATERS TAUNTS ARMED AGENTS AFTER FEDS SLAM DOOR ON HER DURING LA RIOTS: ‘YOU BETTER SHOOT STRAIGHT’ “If you see anybody … in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out, and you create a crowd, and you push back on them. And you tell them that they are not welcome.” She later said she did not physically threaten Trump supporters, though then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had earlier been run out of a Lexington, Va., restaurant and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was accosted at a Washington, D.C., eatery. In April 2021, Waters rallied in Brooklyn Center, Minn., while ex-Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin was on trial for the murder of George Floyd. Waters was recorded telling protesters to “stay” in the street and warned that if the jury delivered a not-guilty verdict, “We cannot go away … we’ve got to get more confrontational.” The comments caught the attention of trial Judge Peter Cahill, suggesting the comments could lead to a defense appeal and also disrespected the judicial branch. Waters later pushed back on some characterizations, saying, “I am nonviolent. I talk about confronting the justice system. … I’m talking about speaking up.” In February, Waters appeared in front of the Department of Education building in Washington along with other House Democrats. A security guard was confronted as lawmakers tried to gain entry to voice concerns about Secretary Linda McMahon’s downsizing plans. This week, while riots again raged in Los Angeles, Waters hurried toward a group of National Guardsmen entering the plywood-covered door of the Metropolitan Detention Center. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I just came to use my congressional authority to check on David Huerta,” she said, referring to the SEIU union leader arrested during an immigration raid. A Guardsman told Waters to contact “public affairs” and slammed the door in her face. She was later seen asking armed Guardsmen if they planned to shoot her, why they were there and that the conflict was President Donald Trump’s fault. Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital after that incident that instead of “taunting” Guardsmen, Waters should have been trying to assuage the unrest. While some of her recent Republican challengers, like Joe Collins and Omar Navarro, have received hefty donations from around the country due to her polarizing comments, the 86-year-old has been re-elected with typically 70% of the vote. Fox News Digital reached out to Waters for comment but did not immediately hear back. Fox News’ Leonard Balducci contributed to this report.
House bipartisan bill directs NSA to create ‘AI security playbook’ amid Chinese tech race
FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., is introducing a new bill Thursday imploring the National Security Administration (NSA) to develop an “AI security playbook” to stay ahead of threats from China and other foreign adversaries. The bill, dubbed the “Advanced AI Security Readiness Act,” directs the NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center to develop an “AI Security Playbook to address vulnerabilities, threat detection, cyber and physical security strategies, and contingency plans for highly sensitive AI systems.” It is co-sponsored by House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Ranking Member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., and Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. LaHood, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and the House Select Committee on China, told Fox News Digital that the legislative proposal, if passed, would be the first time Congress codifies a “multi-prong approach to ensure that the U.S. remains ahead in the advanced technology race against the CCP.” The new bill follows another bipartisan legislative proposal, the “Chip Security Act,” which he introduced in late May. That proposal aims to improve export control mechanisms – including for chips and high-capacity chip manufacturing – protect covered AI technologies with a focus on cybersecurity, and limit outbound investment to firms directly tied to the Chinese Community Party or China’s People’s Liberation Army. CHINESE BIOWEAPON SMUGGLING CASE SHOWS US ‘TRAINS OUR ENEMIES,’ ‘LEARNED NOTHING’ FROM COVID: SECURITY EXPERT “We start with the premise that China has a plan to replace the United States. And I don’t say that to scare people or my constituents, but they have a plan to replace the United States, and they’re working on it every single day. And that entails stealing data and infiltrating our systems,” LaHood told Fox News Digital. “AI is the next frontier on that. We lead the world in technology. We lead the world when it comes to AI. But what this bill will do will again make sure that things are done the right way and the correct way, and that we’re protecting our assets and promoting the current technology that we have in our country.” LaHood pointed to evidence uncovered by the committee that he said shows the CCP’s DeepSeek used illegal distillation techniques to steal insights from U.S. AI models to accelerate their own technology development. He also pointed to how China allegedly smuggled AI chips through Singapore intermediaries to circumvent U.S. export controls on the technology. “As we look at, ‘How do we win the strategic competition?’ I think most experts would say we’re ahead in AI right now against China, but not by much. It is a short lead,” LaHood told Fox News Digital. He said he is confident his legislative proposals will put the U.S. “in the best position to protect our assets here and make sure that we’re not shipping things that shouldn’t go to AI that allow them to win the AI race in China.” “Whoever wins this race in the future, it’s going to be critical to future warfare capabilities, to, obviously, cybersecurity,” LaHood continued. “And then, whoever wins the AI competition is going to yield really unwavering economic influence in the future. And so we’re aggressive in this bill in terms of targeting those areas where we need to protect our AI and our companies here in the United States, both on the commercial side and on the government side, to put us in the best position possible.” The “Advanced AI Security Readiness Act” calls on the NSA to develop a playbook that identifies vulnerabilities in AI data centers and developers producing sensitive AI technologies with an emphasis on unique “threat vectors” that do not typically arise, or are less severe, in the context of conventional information technology systems.” The bill says the NSA must develop “core insights” in how advanced AI systems are being trained to identify potential interferences and must develop strategies to “detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats by threat actors targeting covered AI technologies.” AMAZON ANNOUNCES $20B INVESTMENT IN RURAL PENNSYLVANIA FOR AI DATA CENTERS The bill calls on the NSA to “identify levels of security, if any, that would require substantial involvement” by the U.S. government “in the development or oversight of highly advanced AI systems.” It cites a “hypothetical initiative to build covered AI technology systems in a highly secure government environment” with certain protocols in place, such as personnel vetting and security clearance processes, to mitigate “insider threats.” Though not directly related, the new bill is being introduced a week after FBI Director Kash Patel sounded the alarm on how the CCP continues to deploy operatives and researchers to “infiltrate” U.S. institutions. Patel laid out the risk in announcing that two Chinese nationals were charged with smuggling a potential bioweapon into the U.S. LaHood said that case further highlights “the level of penetration and sophistication that the CCP will engage in,” but he added that his bill focuses on putting a “protective layer” on U.S. AI tech and “restricting outbound investment to China.” He pointed to how the CCP also has bought up farmland around strategic U.S. national security locations, particularly in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. “If everything was an even playing field, and we were all abiding by the same rules and standards and ethical guidelines, I have no doubt the U.S. would win [the AI race], but China has a tendency and a history of playing by a different set of rules and standards,” LaHood said. “They cheat, they steal, they take our intellectual property. Not just my opinion, that’s been factually laid out, you know, in many different instances. And that’s the reason why we need to have a bill like this.” The bill comes as the Trump administration has been pushing to bolster artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, and major tech companies, including Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, Oracle and others, have made major investments in constructing AI-focused data centers and enhancing U.S. cloud computing. Last week, Amazon announced a $20 billion investment in
FIRST ON FOX: High ranking DOJ official resigns post to run for attorney general in red state
FIRST ON FOX: Aaron Reitz, a top official in President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, has resigned his post in the administration to run for attorney general of Texas, entering what he is calling a “fight for the soul of Texas.” Reitz, a former Marine and chief of staff to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, served in the Trump administration under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi as the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Policy. Following speculation of a possible run for Texas attorney general, one of the most powerful positions in the state, Reitz resigned his position with the DOJ on Wednesday and officially launched his campaign the day after. “If we lose Texas, we lose the Republic,” Reitz said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital. 205 ARRESTED IN FBI CHILD SEX OPERATION, PATEL AND BONDI ANNOUNCE “This is no time for half-measures or untested cowards,” he said, adding, “We are in a fight for the soul of Texas, our nation, and Western civilization itself.” “As Attorney General, I’ll use every ounce of legal firepower to defend President Trump, crush the radical Left, advance the America and Texas First agenda, and look out for everyday Texans,” he said. This comes as current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running in hopes of replacing incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in one of the most hotly contested primary races of the year. Reitz pledged to partner with the Trump administration to “clean up the border catastrophe with mass deportations and enhanced border security, take down the Soros-backed district attorneys, obliterate woke indoctrination, expose and root out election fraud, and defend our Constitutional rights without apology.” JOHN CORNYN SCORES TIM SCOTT ENDORSEMENT, BUT JOHN RICH CALLS CORNYN ‘THE LINDSEY GRAHAM OF TEXAS’ Reitz touted his conservative bona fides, saying, “I’ve spent my entire career in the trenches with the toughest conservatives in America.” He is likely to garner endorsements from some of the country’s leading Republicans, with DOJ officials, including Bondi, giving him a string of fond farewells after he announced his departure. In an X post Bondi said: “I’m proud to have worked with @aaron_reitz at @TheJusticeDept. Aaron played a central role in our work to Make America Safe Again — his next chapter will surely contribute to @POTUS’s mission, and I look forward to seeing what Aaron does next in his home state of Texas!” FBI Director Kash Patel also chimed in, saying “Aaron is a personal friend, great American, and a relentless advocate for law and order. Thanks for serving our country, now it’s time to deliver on his next mission. Good luck.” BONDI ANNOUNCES ONE OF LARGEST FENTANYL SEIZURES IN US HISTORY Before serving in the Trump administration and on Cruz’s staff, Reitz previously held the position of Texas Deputy Attorney General for Legal Strategy under Paxton. In December, Paxton spoke very highly of Reitz, saying, “he’s a proven and effective fighter for our Constitution and American Values” who was “our ‘offensive coordinator’ leading my very aggressive Texas-v-Biden docket.” Paxton said that while working in his office Reitz “spearheaded some of our agency’s most consequential actions on border security, immigration, Big Tech, Covid, energy, the environment, and election integrity.” Texas Republican state Senator Mayes Middleton, another pro-Trump conservative, is also running for attorney general.
Walz, Hochul, Pritzker face off with Congress as Newsom battles Trump
Democratic “sanctuary governors” will face a barrage of tough questions at a highly anticipated congressional hearing Thursday morning, as California Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump continue to throw jabs over immigration policy. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will testify before the House Oversight Committee and sources tell Fox that Los Angeles riots over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and Newsom’s battle with Trump will likely be prominent topics of discussion. GOP LEADERSHIP UNLEASHES FURY ON DEM GOVERNOR AHEAD OF BLOCKBUSTER CONGRESSIONAL HEARING Fox News Digital obtained opening remarks to be delivered by Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Kentucky, which will set the tone for the fiery hearing. “These Governors handcuff law enforcement from doing their jobs, harbor predators, and call it ‘compassion,’” Comer’s opening remarks explain. “It is NOT compassion, and it is costing lives, hurting Americans, and draining taxpayer money. Congress must consider whether to defund every single penny of federal dollars going to cities and states that prioritize criminal aliens over the American people.” GAVIN NEWSOM MOCKED FOR TECH ISSUES DURING ANTI-TRUMP ADDRESS TO CALIFORNIANS: ‘ABSOLUTE FAIL’ “Americans want a return to common sense. The Trump Administration and this Republican Congress aims to restore our safety and sovereignty. It is past time for these governors to put Americans first.” All three Democratic governors testifying at the hearing sided with Newsom in a statement Sunday addressing Trump’s use of the National Guard to dispel riots that have been raging over the past few days in Los Angeles. Rioters set cars on fire, looted businesses, and clashed with law enforcement. “We stand with Governor Newsom who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation,” the statement signed by Walz, Pritzker, and Hochul reads. LOS ANGELES BUSINESS OWNERS ‘SICK AND TIRED’ OF ‘STUPID’ ANTI-ICE RIOTERS LOOTING THEIR STORES Since LA’s riots, protests over President Trump’s immigration policies have since spread to Pritzker and Hochul’s states on Tuesday with large gatherings in Lower Manhattan in New York and Federal Plaza in Chicago, blocking off streets and causing disruptions. Fox News Digital also received J.B. Pritzker’s opening remarks, where the governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate said his state “could not simply ignore the suffering” illegal migrants faced in Illionis. “The crisis at the southern border in recent years has been devastating; the response from some of our political leaders even more so,” Prtizker’s statement reads. “As individuals fleeing poverty, violence, and persecution arrived at our border, our nation’s leaders were confronted with a choice: would we do everything possible to make the promise of America the practice of America?” JB PRITZKER RIPS TRUMP AS ‘AUTHORITARIAN,’ RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT CALLING OUT HIS WEIGHT “Some border state governors and mayors abandoned our nation’s highest ideals – instead of choosing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to treat people as pawns, busing them to states like ours in a dehumanizing attempt to leverage the crisis for political gain. The State of Illinois chose a different path.” Republican members on the Oversight Committee spoke to Fox News Digital ahead of Thursday’s action, saying the three governors testifying “are willing to trade public safety for left-wing virtue signaling.” “Democrat-run sanctuary states shield criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement, put law enforcement in unnecessary danger, and disregard the safety of millions of Americans,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan told Fox News Digital. “Seventy-seven million people gave President Trump a mandate last November to put an end to the Democrats’ prioritization of illegal aliens over American citizens. And he’s doing just that.” NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS DETAIN ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS IN LOS ANGELES UNDER TRUMP’S ORDERS “To folks like Walz, Hochul and Pritzker, sanctuary state policies are a badge of honor. They are willing to trade public safety for left-wing virtue signaling,” said Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, explained to Fox News Digital. “Perhaps Governor Gavin Newsom will take a break from defying federal authority to tune in and see why Americans are fleeing California in droves to escape his failed policies that invite illegal migrant crime and anarchist thugs,” Fallon added. The stage is set for the hearing, which will take place on Thursday at 10 AM eastern time. Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul and Walz but did not receive a response.
Mayor Karen Bass’ handling of LA riots adds to decades of political baggage
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing heightened scrutiny from President Donald Trump for her handling of the anti-ICE riots gripping the city, which follows a history of political scandals and criticisms across her decades as an elected official, Fox News Digital has learned. Bass, who was sworn in as mayor in 2022, is under fire after denouncing immigration raids that began in LA on Friday, when federal law enforcement officials converged on the city, sparking protests that soon devolved into violence and chaos. Trump administration officials have since argued that Democratic rhetoric denouncing the immigration raids, while simultaneously offering messages of support to illegal immigrants residing in the nation, emboldened protesters, which led to the riots. “Newsom and his stooge Karen Bass fomented and encouraged the riots, because their entire political movement exists for one purpose: to promote mass migration into our country,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Tuesday. “It is their reason for being. Democratic leadership has no solution for the economy, for prosperity, or for security. They use their power when they’re in the majority to import millions of illegal immigrants and when they’re in opposition they do everything possible to prevent deportations.” SOCIAL MEDIA, TRUMP ADMIN ERUPTS OVER LA MAYOR’S REACTION TO ICE RAIDS: ‘YOU’RE A CRIMINAL TOO’ As Bass faces ongoing condemnation from the Trump administration over the violence in Southern California, Fox Digital took a look back at previous scandals and incidents that landed the former House lawmaker in hot water. As Bass was floated as a top contender to join former President Joe Biden as his running mate during the 2020 election, multiple news reports parsed Bass’ past comments on communist leaders, including lamenting Communist Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s death in 2016 in a statement. “I wish to express my condolences to the Cuban people and the family of Fidel Castro. The passing of the Comandante en Jefe is a great loss to the people of Cuba. I hope together, our two nations will continue on the new path of support and collaboration with one another, and continue in the new direction of diplomacy,” she said in a statement after his death. “Comandante en Jefe” translates to commander in chief. Bass distanced herself from the statement as she faced vetting to potentially join the 2020 presidential ticket alongside Biden, telling Fox News in 2020 that her views on Cuba “developed over time” and that she understood that Castro’s government, which spanned nearly 50 years, “was a brutal regime.” MAYOR BASS BLAMES TRUMP’S ICE RAIDS FOR STARTING RIOTS WHILE CLAIMING ‘THINGS IN LA ARE CALM’ “I absolutely would have not put that statement out,” she added while appearing on Fox News that year. Bass again raised political eyebrows in 2020 for her praise of communists after Politico resurrected her 2017 remarks eulogizing one of the top members of the Communist Party USA in 2017, including calling him a “friend and mentor” in remarks inserted in congressional record. “I would like to honor the life and memory of my friend and mentor, Oneil Marion Cannon, who passed away on January 20, days before his 100th birthday,” Bass wrote of Oneil Cannon. The comments did not mention that Cannon was a top leader of the Communist Party USA, identifying him instead as being “deeply involved in politics” and that he belonged to the Independent Progressive Party. “I would like to salute Oneil Cannon for his longstanding commitment to serving and uplifting others, and for a century of fighting to make the world a better place,” she added. An obituary published in the communist-founded newspaper, People’s World, reported that Cannon was a “longtime communist” who served as the Communist Party USA’s “education director in the Southern California District, and a member of the Party’s Southern California and National Central Committees.” REP. KAREN BASS CALLED TOP MEMBER OF COMMUNIST PARTY USA A ‘FRIEND AND MENTOR’ IN EULOGY: REPORT Bass’ team argued in response to criticisms over the praise of the communist leader that the former House lawmaker never shared Cannon’s political ideology, similar to how she was friends with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy without the pair holding the same political views. “Karen Bass has always been a Democrat and only a Democrat. The Congresswoman is friends with Kevin McCarthy and is not a Republican. She knew Oneil Cannon but never shared the political ideology he may have had at one time in his life,” a spokesperson told Politico at the time. Bass’s office told Fox Digital on Thursday, when asked about the list of previous scandals and criticisms, that the mayor is focused on “leading the city through this difficult time to ensure the safety and stability of its residents.” “While the Administration continues to create chaos and provoke the people of Los Angeles, Mayor Bass is focused on leading the city through this difficult time to ensure the safety and stability of its residents. Mayor Bass has made change in Los Angeles and under her leadership, crime is down, she has reduced homelessness for the first time in years and is leading a natural disaster recovery effort that is on pace to be the fastest in state history,” the mayor’s office said. Bass’ office faced scrutiny late last year after the FBI raided the home of her deputy mayor of public safety, Brian Williams, in December for making a bomb threat to Los Angeles City Hall. Williams, who no longer works in the mayor’s office, agreed to plead guilty in May to a felony charge of “information with threats regarding fire and explosives,” which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The former deputy mayor’s plea agreement outlined that on Oct. 3 of last year, Williams was in a virtual meeting with colleagues when he used a Google Voice application on his personal cell phone to call his work phone, the DOJ reported in a press release last month. The city official then left the virtual meeting and called
National Guard authorized to detain ICE attackers, DHS says
National Guardsmen deployed to Los Angeles have the authority to temporarily detain anti-ICE rioters in Los Angeles, the Department of Homeland Security says. President Donald Trump has deployed some 4,000 National Guardsmen to the city as the riots continue, but Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman said on Wednesday that there have only been a small number of cases where they have detained civilians. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin says the troops are on the ground to provide protection for ICE agents and other federal law enforcement groups. “If any rioters attack ICE law enforcement officers, military personnel have the authority to temporarily detain them until law enforcement makes the arrest,” McLaughlin told Axios in a statement. NEWSOM FILES EMERGENCY MOTION TO ‘IMMEDIATELY BLOCK’ TRUMP’S USE OF MILITARY TO STOP LA RIOTS TRUMP TAKES ACTION AGAINST ‘ORCHESTRATED ATTACK’ ON LAW ENFORCEMENT BY DEPLOYING MARINES TO LA: ASSEMBLYMAN Sherman told the Associated Press on Wednesday that about 500 National Guard troops have been trained so far to help agents carry out immigration operations in Los Angeles. Immigration officials have already circulated photos of soldiers from the National Guard providing security for Department of Homeland Security agents. He told the AP that over the past few days, National Guard soldiers have temporarily detained anti-ICE protesters, though there have not been many as of late because things have calmed down. Sherman also said the soldiers did not participate in the arrests or law enforcement activities. Instead, he added, they let the agitators go once police take them into custody. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has had a public feud with the Trump administration, accusing the president of having “commandeered” 2,000 of the state’s National Guard members “illegally, for no reason” without consulting with California’s law enforcement leaders. The Trump administration, meanwhile, said its ICE operations are aiming to get “criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, gangbangers, drug dealers, human traffickers and domestic abusers off the streets.” Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Fetterman issues ‘DO’ and ‘DO NOT’ list, doubling down on anti-violence message after calling out LA ‘anarchy’
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who recently called out the “anarchy and true chaos” that has occurred in Los Angeles, doubled down on his anti-violence message in a post on Wednesday that featured a “DO” and “DO NOT” list. “WIN THE ARGUMENT,” Fetterman’s post on X reads, before the list, which indicates that people should not “loot,” light “s[—] on fire,” or “assault law enforcement,” but that they should “protest peacefully,” “organize to win elections,” and “call out destructive behavior like this.” The tweet featured a photo of burning vehicles. FETTERMAN EMERGES AS DEMS’ ‘VOICE OF REASON’ AS LA BURNS, CONSERVATIVES SAY Sen. Dave McCormick, R-PA., agreed with his Keystone State colleague. “Well said, John,” the Republican noted in a post on X. FETTERMAN CALLS OUT ‘ANARCHY’ IN LA, NOTING THAT DEMS FORFEIT ‘MORAL HIGH GROUND’ BY FAILING TO DECRY VIOLENCE Earlier this week, Fetterman declared in a tweet, “I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that. This is anarchy and true chaos. My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement.” Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona agreed with Fetterman. NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS DETAIN ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS IN LOS ANGELES UNDER TRUMP’S ORDERS “I didn’t have agreeing with Senator Fetterman on my bingo card today but he’s not wrong,” Gosar noted.