Trump’s swift ICE reversal hailed for showing ‘confidence’ in frontline agents
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s quick reversal of a nationwide ban on ICE vehicle stops has been a “huge” boost for many ICE agents on the ground and reassured them that the commander-in-chief still has “confidence in the agency and its people,” a federal special agent working deportations said. Speaking with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity, the agent said that the concerns that prompted the pause – a need for additional training for ICE agents on adversarial vehicle stops – are still being addressed. At the same time, the agent said the president’s action proved he still believes in law enforcement professionals to get the job done amid what has been an especially operationally challenging year. “Today, when the president came out with his un-pause, I think what he showed was confidence in the agency and its people, and I think that goes a long way when somebody is in one of those difficult situations,” said the agent. “I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen something like that,” the agent added. TRUMP REVERSES DHS POLICY, ORDERS ICE TO RESUME VEHICLE STOPS AFTER ONE-DAY PAUSE The Department of Homeland Security announced a pause on Tuesday for ICE vehicle stops after two ICE officer-involved shootings in Maine and Texas. The guidance was short-lived, however, as the next day Trump instructed the agency to reverse course on what he called “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.” Trump wrote that “the men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.” He noted that “CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades.” To the ICE agents operating across the country, Trump wrote, “Be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America.” 2028 DEM HOPEFULS TORCHED OVER WEBINARS TEACHING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HOW TO ‘DEFY’ ICE In response, the agent said Trump’s message meant he had the agents’ back. “You don’t have to be a Donald Trump fan but to know that the person who is ultimately responsible for all of this is saying, ‘Hey, I believe in you, you guys will work this out, we’re going to be all right,’” the agent said. The agent said that in the last year, illegal immigrants have grown more adversarial during arrests, increasing the danger of operations for both the arrestee and law enforcement. This is further exacerbated, said the agent, by the prevalence of interference and even often violent confrontation by civilian bystanders during operations. This means that agents are operating in increasingly stressful, unpredictable environments. Amid this, the agent likened ending all vehicle stops to removing a tool from a toolbox. “Any tool you take out of the toolbox is going to create challenges for [agents] to do their job in a more efficient way,” he said. DOCS EXPOSE HORRIFIC STRANGLING, KIDNAPPING CHARGES AGAINST ANTI-ICE LAWYER CHAMPIONED BY DEMS Still, the agent said they would “welcome” even more training. According to the agent, ICE has already increased its training for officers working deportation operations on the streets. The additional training has been especially concentrated on responding to riot-type situations, something that the agent said most ICE officers previously did not need to prepare for. “They should constantly be looking at these policies and how they affect the people in the field, but also how it’s perceived by the public, how legal it is, and how do we do this more safe?” the agent said, concluding, “I think any sane person would be in agreement with me to say, ‘Hey, let’s look at how we can do this safer for everybody.’”
Fetterman reveals what it would take for him to leave Democratic Party
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party but if it officially became the “anti-Israel party,” count him out. “My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel,” he said Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, D.C. “If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me.” The news comes as Fetterman and fellow Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., launch a rare joint fundraising PAC called “Common Ground PA” this month, according to FEC filings, and Fetterman’s breaks from Democratic Party votes have become increasingly apparent since he was elected in 2022 and took office Jan. 3, 2023. SEN JOHN FETTERMAN PLEDGES TO BE ‘LAST MAN STANDING’ IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL “Though I was elected as a Democrat, I’m proud to serve all Pennsylvanians,” Fetterman wrote in a May op-ed, delivering the age-old mantra that he has not changed from his principles, the party has. “It has become increasingly lonely to serve in that way, but I firmly believe it’s what is needed. “My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says. The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them. Such pointless pile-ons and attacks are unproductive. The American people want us to work together to find solutions on issues they and our country face.” His lines in the sand, he wrote, had been laid bare on: JOHN FETTERMAN’S FALL FROM HERO TO HERETIC EXPOSES DEMOCRATS’ HARD LEFT TURN The push away from Israel has become a “long-term concern” that he “can’t understand” and might ultimately become the ultimate red line for him, he told the Hill Nation Summit. “You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries,” he said. “It’s becoming more… anti-Israel and hostile to people.” Fetterman declined to discuss what he called “private conversations” with Republicans on a potential party switch, but he wrote in May he would first become independent. “Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first,” he wrote. “Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.” WHY TRUMP, GOP ARE COURTING JOHN FETTERMAN, WHO INSISTS HE’LL REMAIN A DEMOCRAT The latest vow to break from Democratic Party votes is his rejection of the amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would cut off $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel. He is also increasingly concerned about the primary election successes of progressive candidates who have been sharply critical of Israel – evidence of what he views as a troubling shift inside his party. Democrats are “trying to ingratiate ourselves with that segment of the base of our voters” that are “intensely, intensely anti-Israel,” he warned Wednesday. Fetterman also raised concerns about Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s performance in polling for the state’s Senate primary, warning that Democrats could be forced to spend more heavily in the battleground state if El-Sayed becomes the nominee against former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who narrowly lost Michigan’s 2024 Senate race. “Rogers just barely, barely lost in ’24,” Fetterman said. “If El-Sayed wins, then that puts Michigan much more in play for us and would require us to spend more money. What’s defined El-Sayed is the more anti-Israel and hostile-to-Israel thing.” Fetterman also criticized El-Sayed and other progressive candidates over past support for the “defund the police” movement, arguing that his party risks repeating political mistakes from the 2024 election. “Now here’s more Democrats to ‘defund the police,’” he warned. “Here we are back to part of the worst impulses that we just can’t resist. “We forgot the crazy things that we said, and that cost us the election in 2024. Now we want to revisit that — if anything, they’re coming back in the strongest kind of terms. Look at the people who are winning.” The senator also took aim at fellow Democrats who backed progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner before Platner ended his campaign following allegations that he raped a woman in 2021. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., forcefully supported Platner, which left him “angry,” he said, questioning why Democrats embraced him as the evidence mounted. “Why did you push these people? Why did you buy in and then plunge that most consequential Senate race now into chaos?” Fetterman asked, arguing that it is now “more difficult” to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins and win control of the narrowly held Senate. “Where’s the accountability?” Fetterman asked. “Imagine if I would have done that and pushed that kind of individual.” Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s Senate office and campaign officials for further comment.
Rubio puts entire world on notice against rise of ‘poisonous’ far-left terror ‘masked as equality’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that violent far-left political terrorism “can no longer be denied” as he urged more than 60 countries gathered in Washington to treat the threat as a global counterterrorism priority. Speaking at the opening of a State Department ministerial attended by roughly 65 foreign delegations, Rubio said governments had spent too long overlooking what he described as a resurgence of transnational far-left extremist violence and called for greater international cooperation to counter it. Rubio described radical leftism as “a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice.” TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FAR-LEFT PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE IN ANTI-CONSERVATIVE PARTY RIOTS “Today we face a new wave of this old evil here in the United States, the share of left-wing terrorist attacks and plots has risen to levels not seen in decades,” the secretary went on. Rubio said the administration is rebuilding the U.S. counterterrorism strategy around what it views as an increasingly transnational threat, announcing that additional foreign terrorist organization designations are forthcoming after the State Department designated four foreign far-left groups in November 2025. Rubio said far-left extremist networks coordinate across borders by sharing training materials, encrypted communications, financing and safe houses while working alongside hostile foreign states. He argued the United States and its allies must respond by expanding intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation and efforts to disrupt terrorist financing. “You are here because this is real, and it is getting worse, and it can no longer be denied, and it can no longer be ignored,” Rubio said. “It is time to crush this evil forever.” “It’s time for people of the civilized world to defend themselves,” he added. A foreign terrorist organization designation criminalizes providing material support to the group, enables the U.S. government to freeze assets under its jurisdiction and blocks members from entering the United States. Administration officials said the ministerial is the culmination of an eight-month diplomatic effort to convince foreign governments that violent far-left extremist networks have become a growing cross-border threat requiring greater international coordination. The initiative comes as some analysts and foreign officials have questioned whether violent far-left groups constitute a cohesive international terrorism threat comparable to Islamist extremist organizations. Others have raised concerns governments could use such initiatives to target political opponents under the banner of counterterrorism. Administration officials rejected those concerns Wednesday, arguing the effort is narrowly focused on criminal and terrorist violence rather than political beliefs. “We haven’t waded into trying to disambiguate people’s beliefs and ideologies,” a senior State Department official told reporters. “In America, you can believe anything you want. The minute that you cross the legal threshold, that changes.” BILL MAHER TORCHES FAR-LEFT ASSASSINATION CULTURE AFTER STRING OF HIGH-PROFILE ATTACKS Officials argue governments spent much of the past two decades concentrating on jihadist terrorism while underestimating what they describe as a resurgence of politically motivated violence from violent far-left extremist networks operating across borders. “This has been a blind spot for a lot of our partners, frankly. They have not seen these trends … since the 1970s,” the senior State Department official said. “Our partners have talked to us about the rise of assassinations or assassination plots.” Administration officials pointed to a series of recent attacks in Europe that they argue underscore the need for greater international cooperation. On July 1, coordinated firebomb attacks targeted the homes of members of Greece’s governing New Democracy party in Thessaloniki, killing the mother of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora and injuring four others. Greek anti-terrorism police later arrested three suspects. In January, an arson attack on a power transmission facility in Berlin, Germany, knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. German authorities later transferred the investigation to the federal prosecutor over suspected involvement by a terrorist organization. The meeting builds on a series of actions the administration has taken since late 2025, including designating four foreign far-left organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, along with offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of their financial networks. Rubio is expected to argue that violent far-left extremist groups increasingly operate across borders, sharing tactics, coordinating attacks and exploiting international conflicts to recruit followers, making greater cooperation among governments essential to disrupting the threat. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also are expected to address the ministerial, which will include discussions on the global threat landscape, terrorist financing, intelligence sharing and protecting critical infrastructure. Officials also disputed reports that foreign partners were reluctant to participate, saying several governments approached the United States seeking to join the initiative after recognizing similar trends within their own borders. “We’ve had countries who have reached out to us that want to be part of this,” the senior State Department official said. The four organizations designated by the administration in November were Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI), Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The administration says the groups, which operate in Germany, Italy and Greece, have coordinated violent attacks across national borders.
‘Somebody needs to do something’: GOP senators split as Tuberville demands McConnell answers
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is calling for more information about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., prolonged absence from the Senate, while Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., urged people to “leave Mitch alone” as questions about the Kentucky Republican’s health persist. “Somebody needs to do something,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “Somebody needs to come out.” McConnell finally broke his silence on his previously undisclosed medical conditions that have kept him absent from the Senate since he was first hospitalized on June 14. In a post to social media, McConnell said he would not be returning to the Senate floor just yet due to doctors’ orders, but vowed he would return to “finish the job” before his announced retirement at the end of his term. MITCH MCCONNELL BREAKS SILENCE ON MYSTERY HOSPITALIZATION AFTER GRAHAM’S DEATH Tuberville said no additional information from Senate leadership about a timeline for when McConnell may come back or the status of his health has been given out internally to his colleagues. “We didn’t get any information today in our luncheon,” Tuberville said Tuesday. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you know that’s not my business.” Meanwhile, Kennedy vehemently defended McConnell, dismissing rumors that the 84-year-old senator was in a vegetative state, or even dead, as some had speculated a more serious condition than what was disclosed. “Look, I believe Mitch,” Kennedy said. “I don’t believe all these stories that he’s brain dead and all of that. People need to get a life.” ‘THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: AOC UNLOADS ON MCCONNELL’S PROLONGED ABSENCE In his post, McConnell claimed that his childhood fight with polio contributed to a fall that left him “briefly unconscious” and hospitalized last month — when some speculated he had suffered cardiac arrest. He said he was then hit with a “mild case of pneumonia” while in recovery, extending the healing process. “I think he had a fall, and Mitch is not 29 anymore,” Kennedy said. “And he’s recuperating from it, and he’ll be back as soon as he can.” He continued, “That’s what he said, and I take him at his word.” MCCONNELL WAS FOUND ‘UNCONSCIOUS’ IN HOME LAST MONTH AS CONDITION REMAINS UNKNOWN While Tuberville also expressed his well-wishes for McConnell’s recovery, he said more information about his timeline for return needs to be shared before the Senate begins August recess — when senators will take a break to head back to their home states from Aug. 8 to Sept. 13. “He’s gonna need to come back probably before this three-week session’s over with, because then we’re off for like five weeks,” Tuberville said. Tuberville said Republicans will need McConnell back as the Senate prepares for votes on President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda before lawmakers leave for the August recess. McConnell has not indicated when he expects to return. “We’re gonna need him, because the Democrats are not gonna give us any votes,” Tuberville said.
Trump AG pick hangs by a thread as key GOP senators refuse to commit
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is headed for a second straight day of grilling in the Senate, and his path to confirmation still remains cluttered with two key Republicans keeping tight-lipped on whether they’ll support him. Blanche’s first day was fraught with questions about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) handling of millions of documents related to the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, known as the Epstein Files, the now-defunct anti-weaponization fund and whether he would operate the DOJ as a tool of retribution for President Donald Trump. Two Republicans on the committee hold the key to Blanche’s success, Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, and so far, neither has committed to voting for him. TRUMP’S DOJ PICK IN TROUBLE AS GOP CONCERNS THREATEN CONFIRMATION Cornyn, who has taken issue with the nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund and the underlying settlement reached by Trump and his family and the IRS, which Blanche acknowledged was still “enforceable” but was not moving forward, was noncommittal on how he would vote. “Well, I don’t know what other information’s gonna be coming in,” Cornyn said. “The hearing is not even halfway done. And so, you know, I don’t have to make a decision now, so I’m not.” Blanche received heat throughout the hearing for being Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, and quickly corrected himself when asked by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., if he considered himself the president’s friend. TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE RACKS UP MASSIVE SUPPORT AHEAD OF CONFIRMATION HEARING: ‘REAL RESULTS’ “I’m his lawyer — was his lawyer, and now I’m the deputy attorney general,” Blanche said. When asked about the slip-up, Cornyn said, “I think he’s trying to walk the line.” “I think he’s trying to walk a very difficult line,” he said. Tillis’ primary concern, similar to Cornyn’s, is the anti-weaponization fund and whether it is truly dead and gone. He declined to say whether he would support Blanche, but noted that when asked if he was willing to work on legislation to put a permanent end to the fund, Blanche said, “Yes.” TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON $1.8 BILLION ‘SLUSH FUND’ THAT KILLED HIS AGENDA, SPURRED REPUBLICAN REBELLION “I think that’s a pretty strong indication that he and the administration are OK with [it],” Tillis said. “Does anybody really believe that the nominee for attorney general would answer that question if he didn’t think that he had the support of the president to end this?” Meanwhile, Senate Democrats on the panel are dug in against him. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, browbeat Blanche for his handling of the Epstein Files release and whether he would actually meet with Epstein survivors. “Anyone who can represent a known pathological liar like Donald Trump can have no integrity,” Durbin said. “You can’t have integrity if you represent Donald Trump, because he is such an inveterate liar. And that person, of course, should never, never, never be attorney general.” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., admitted that Blanche was, “qualified… as someone who has been a prosecutor.” “But given his legal experience, he should have known better than to be willing to tolerate or support the weaponization of the department,” Coons said. “Using it as a tool not to follow the facts and the law, to pursue justice, but to carry out a retribution agenda by President Trump.”
Dem Senate hopeful’s pink-gloved meltdown resurfaces after viral pep talk ignited mockery
Rep. Haley Stevens’ awkward campaign pep talk that went viral this week is not the first time the Michigan Democrat has made waves for an unusual public speaking moment. Stevens, who is now running for Michigan’s open Senate seat, was mocked online this week after a video of her cringey stump speech telling supporters she would bring “a little bit of enthusiasm, a little bit of energy and a little bit of stick-it-to-them… because that’s the Michigan way” went viral and garnered reaction online. The viral moment harkened back to a separate cringey 2020 House floor episode, when Stevens wore pink latex gloves during comments about the coronavirus pandemic and was repeatedly gaveled down after her time expired. SWING-STATE POLL SPELLS TROUBLE FOR FAR LEFT AS SCHUMER-BACKED CANDIDATE DOMINATES WITH CRITICAL VOTING BLOCS “I rise for every American who is scared right now,” Stevens said during the March 2020 floor speech, after requesting additional time while pointing to the gloves she was wearing, her voice raising as her testimony progressed. The speaker pro tempore, residing on the House floor, tried to gavel Stevens out repeatedly, which she ignored. Eventually, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., yielded her 30 more seconds, at which time Stevens continued addressing doctors and nurses despite the calls to order. “You will see darkness. You will be pushed. And our society needs you to stand together at this time. Our country loves you – to our doctors and our nurses, I wear these latex gloves to tell every American to not be afraid,” Stevens continued before once again being cut off by the speaker pro tempore. MICHIGAN DEM SENATOR THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND CANDIDATE TO REPLACE HIM IN CONTENTIOUS PRIMARY “The gentlelady’s time has expired… the gentlelady from Michigan is out of order,” the speaker pro tempore said repeatedly, even as Stevens refused to cease her enthusiastic remarks. “The gentlelady from Michigan is out of order. The gentlelady from Michigan is no longer recognized.” Stevens’ viral moments come just three weeks until Michigan’s Senate primaries, at which time she will take on Democratic challenger Abdul El-Sayed. “Maybe Abdul El-Sayed is winning hearts and minds in liberal Michigan… or maybe he’s just running against this?” Brent Scher, editor-in-chief for the Daily Wire, said in a post to X, referring to Stevens’ awkward stump speech. “I just want to know why, and when, she chose to adopt this fake accent?” Chris Gustafson, the communications director for the Senate Leadership Fund wrote on X after the stump speech. “Stevens’ ads from 2018 sound like an entirely different person. Make it make sense.” In recent weeks, the Michigan primary has drawn national attention as it pits El-Sayed, a candidate pushing the party further left on issues like healthcare and international affairs, against Stevens, an establishment figure with the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Those lines grew clearer as a third Democratic candidate, Mallory McMorrow, dropped out of the race earlier this month, taking away a third, more middle-of-the-road option.
Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran has released an American woman who he said was “wrongfully detained” in the country for the past year and a half. She was identified as Iranian-American citizen Dena Karari by her attorney Jared Genser, who confirmed her release to Fox News. She was reportedly accused of espionage over her work with an American nonprofit helping impoverished children. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the woman was detained in December 2024, during the Biden administration and was recently allowed to leave Iran. “Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote. TRUMP REVIVES HIS DECADES-OLD IRAN WARNING AS US RAMPS UP MILITARY PRESSURE: ‘REMARKABLY CONSISTENT’ Karari is reportedly now safely outside Iran and in good condition following her release, according to Trump. Her release marks the first time an American has been freed from Iranian custody since 2023, and represents a notable development amid ongoing military confrontations between Washington and Tehran. Following her release, Trump thanked Iran for what he described as a “gesture of goodwill.” “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” he wrote. TRUMP SAYS IRAN CEASEFIRE IS ‘OVER’ AFTER IRANIAN ATTACKS TRIGGER MASSIVE US RESPONSE Gesner released a statement shortly after Trump’s announcement, saying she had been “trapped in Iran on bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage” but is now on her way back to the United States. According to Genser, Karari was targeted after Iranian authorities linked her to the Children of Mehr Foundation, a U.S.-registered nonprofit that provides books, literacy programs and other humanitarian assistance to impoverished children in rural Iran. Under the regime, affiliations with U.S.-based organizations operating inside Iran are often viewed with heightened suspicion and can lead to accusations of security-related offenses. Genser clarified that Karari was never formally imprisoned but was effectively held in Iran through a “coercive exit ban.” She was reportedly interrogated dozens of times by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and “suffered enormous physical and psychological hardship.” “We urge Iran to drop all the remaining charges against those who worked locally in support of the Children of Mehr Foundation, who are innocent and committed no crimes,” Genser said. “And I personally call on Iran to release both all wrongly imprisoned Americans and those subjected to coercive exit bans and all Iranian political prisoners.” PENCE COMMENDS TRUMP FOR WINNING FREEDOM OF BEIJING’S ZION CHURCH PASTOR EZRA JIN FROM CHINESE DETENTION Sources previously told Fox News Digital in January 2026 that Iran may have been holding more than eight American citizens and residents in custody, exceeding publicly available data that listed five American hostages in Iran. Two of the current hostages include Kamran Hekmati, a 61-year-old Jewish man held since May 2025, and Reza Valizadeh, a 49-year-old journalist and dual Iranian-American national held since March 2024. A U.S. State Department official previously told Fox News Digital that “President Trump is working to secure the release of detained Americans around the world.” “The Iranian regime has a long history of unjustly and wrongfully detaining other countries’ citizens as hostages for use as political leverage. Iran should release these individuals immediately,” the official said. US HOSTAGES IN IRAN FACE HEIGHTENED RISK AS PROTESTS SPREAD, EXPERTS SAY NUMBER HELD MAY EXCEED ESTIMATES According to United Against Nuclear Iran, Tehran detains foreign nationals on vague charges and uses them as “bargaining chips” to extract concessions from other countries, such as securing the release of frozen financial assets locked up by international sanctions. Iran has frequently targeted individuals who hold both American and Iranian citizenship, as Tehran does not recognize dual nationality and often treats dual citizens solely as Iranian nationals, limiting their access to U.S. consular assistance, United Against Nuclear Iran said. During the most recent major prisoner exchange in September 2023, the U.S. secured the release of five Americans who had been detained in Iran for years. In exchange, the U.S. approved the transfer of $6 billion in frozen funds. Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz publicly defended his vote to pardon a Laotian national who had been under a final removal order after losing legal status following a child sex crime conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl after the Trump administration deported him to Laos last week. Tou Lue Vang, 42, received a pardon from Minnesota’s Board of Pardons on June 10. On Friday, the Trump administration announced Vang’s legal status had been revoked and that he had been deported to his home country of Laos. Asked about the deportation, Walz questioned what the move accomplished. EXPOSED DOCS REVEAL WHY TIM WALZ BOARD AWARDED REPEAT CHILD RAPIST PARDON: ‘NO FUTURE’ “Did that make us any safer?” Walz said Tuesday, according to KTTC. “Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? “Did it improve the idea that we can’t all be judged by our worst day?” “And I want to be very clear,” Walz continued. “These are horrific crimes. They often are.” ALLEGED CUBAN INFLUENCE OPERATIVE, FAMILY IN FEDERAL CUSTODY AFTER RUBIO REVOKES LEGAL STATUS Walz also said Vang’s pardon was not about immigration policy, noting that the Board of Pardons had denied clemency to other applicants facing immigration-related consequences. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Vang’s deportation Friday, telling Fox News Digital, “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” Rubio continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SOCCER COACH WHO USED ALCOHOL AND DRUGS TO SEXUALLY ABUSE KIDS LEARNS FATE Fox News Digital previously reported that Vang admitted to repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over a period of several years beginning when she was 10 years old. Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and was granted legal status during the Clinton administration. Between 2002 and 2004, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first assault occurred when she was in the fourth grade. After his conviction, federal officials said Vang lost legal status and was placed under a final removal order. The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended a pardon for Vang. The Board of Pardons, made up of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, later granted the pardon. The pardon drew criticism from federal immigration officials and Republican lawmakers. Walz defended the decision by citing the victim’s support for Vang’s pardon, among other factors, according to KSTP. A spokesperson for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office told MPR News that the pardon did not protect Vang from deportation. At the time, Homeland Security acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the decision. “Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Walz’s office for additional comment. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry
Nevada Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony has an unusual plan to rev up the Silver State’s entertainment business: space tourism. And with Elon Musk having significant business interests in the state, Anthony won’t have to look far to find the man to do it. Anthony’s background has been anything but boring. He had a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement, was a regent in the state’s higher education system and served as a longtime Las Vegas city councilman. He ran a spirited campaign for mayor of Las Vegas and, since 2022, has served alongside Gov. Joe Lombardo, leading the Silver State. The Lombardo/Anthony ticket was the only one in America in which Republicans defeated an incumbent Democratic governor and lieutenant governor. Recently, Anthony sat down with Fox News Digital at FreedomFest in Las Vegas to discuss his career, the Nevada economy and electoral prospects in 2026 in what is shaping up to be one of the tightest gubernatorial races in the country. JOE LOMBARDO CRUISES PAST SIX GOP CHALLENGERS TO SECURE NEVADA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION Anthony promotes the state as a mecca for the entertainment business, touting a light regulatory touch and a thriving climate for entrepreneurship. He’s particularly bullish on professional sports and the nascent space tourism industry. “If you look at 10 years ago, we didn’t have one major sporting activity here in Nevada. They actually would not come here because they thought there would be illegal gambling and corruption and bribery and so on and so forth. In 10 years, we’ve become the sports capital of the world. Baseball is coming. We have hockey. We have football. We’re going to have basketball coming. F1. NASCAR. We have women’s basketball, on and on and that just kind of cropped up. “The thing about Las Vegas is anything can happen here, so it’s really not up to me as a lieutenant governor to decide what’s the next big thing in tourism. It’s the tourist industry that has to decide what’s the next big thing. REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS LAUNCHES RE-ELECTION BID IN KEY BATTLEGROUND “One thing that is of interest is space tourism. I think that might be a future here in Nevada because we have a lot of open land where … somebody like Elon Musk can shoot rockets up into outer space, hang out up there for a while, have some drinks. Hang out with friends. “What an experience that would be to see the Earth from up there and actually make it a tourist kind of an adventure. So, those are the kind of things that we’re constantly thinking about, but it’s the private sector that needs to do it. And I am very much in favor of allowing our entrepreneurs to come up with the next best thing and to support them.” Anthony credits his lengthy career with the Las Vegas Metro Police for giving him the problem-solving foundation to launch a successful political career: “You know, most people think of the policing that they see on television. High-speed pursuits, gunfights, bar fights, chasing people down dark alleys and arresting serious criminals. And that is a big part of policing. But, really, 90% of police work is really solving problems. Going into neighborhoods, finding out what are the issues in those neighborhoods, helping those neighbors solve issues to make their quality of life a lot better. “I’ve learned that that’s really what I should be doing as an elected official. My job is to go out there and talk to people and find out what the state can do, what a county could do, what a city could do to make their lives better; helping folks live the American dream and not causing problems like higher taxes, higher regulations, getting in their way, those sorts of things. So, that’s really what I learned about police work.” President Trump has endorsed the Lombardo/Anthony ticket, and he believes the new no tax on tips policy will prove to be a major electoral boost come November. “Well, President Trump has endorsed the governor. President Trump has endorsed me. He was just here a couple of months ago to talk about his no taxes on tips, which was a huge thing here in Nevada. TRUMP ENDORSES NEIGHBORING STATE LIEUTENANT GOVERNORS FOR RE-ELECTION “I think President Trump will be here. He’s welcome anytime to come to the great state of Nevada and talk to folks in Nevada. When he was campaigning, he would have events with 5,000 or 6,000 people attending. So, we have a good relationship with him. We want to have a relationship with him, and I believe he’ll be here to talk about some of the great things his administration is doing, not only in the country, but how it’s impacting Nevada in a positive way.” Anthony noted that his political philosophy is heavily shaped by his immigrant parents from Cyprus who instilled the values of hard work, self-reliance and fiscal responsibility. “When they came to the United States, and they didn’t have anything, all they could do was find a job and get married and raise a family. … No. 1: you work hard. “No. 2: you don’t ask the government for anything. You want them to protect you, you want to have roads. But you don’t ask them for welfare. You don’t ask them for unemployment checks. You don’t ask them for food stamps. So, that’s not something that they thought the government would do. “Their responsibility was to work hard, raise a family, buy a home and live the American dream. That taught me a lot. And that’s really how I’ve continued my public service. I am here to support Nevadans in ways that they want support, but I’m not here to carry them. They need to carry themselves, and I think they understand that.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’
FIRST ON FOX: Former Vice President Mike Pence is calling on Congress to rename Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature Russia sanctions legislation after the late South Carolina Republican, telling Fox News Digital there would be “no more fitting tribute” to one of the Senate’s most influential national security hawks. In an exclusive interview, Pence said Graham’s years-long push for tougher sanctions against Russia should become both his legislative legacy and a permanent reminder of his unwavering support for Ukraine and America’s allies. Pence argued Congress has a rare opportunity to honor Graham by passing the bipartisan sanctions package he spent years championing and sending it to President Donald Trump with the senator’s name attached. GRAHAM REPORTEDLY REFUSED MEDICAL HELP BEFORE SCHEDULED TV APPEARANCE “I also believe it’d be altogether fitting to put Sen. Lindsey Graham’s name on that bill,” Pence told Fox News Digital. “Send it to the president, have him sign it into law.” Pence said Graham viewed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as one of the defining geopolitical challenges of the era and believed economic pressure was essential to forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate. “He never had any illusions about who we were dealing with — with Vladimir Putin,” Pence said. The former vice president, who has traveled to Ukraine twice since Russia’s invasion, said Graham understood that Ukraine represented “a frontier of freedom” and consistently pushed both Republican and Democratic administrations to stand firmly with America’s allies. When asked whether the sanctions legislation could ultimately become Graham’s greatest achievement, Pence said it may well define how history remembers the longtime senator. “I think it could be,” Pence said. EUROPE BANKROLLS PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE EVEN AS NATO RACES TO BOLSTER DEFENSES He pointed to Graham’s decades-long advocacy for Israel, Ukraine and a stronger NATO alliance, saying the senator remained remarkably consistent throughout his public career. Pence said Graham also played an important role in encouraging NATO allies to increase defense spending during the first Trump administration, while remaining one of Israel’s fiercest advocates on Capitol Hill. For Pence, however, Graham’s final legislative push is inseparable from one of their last conversations together. He still remembers the meeting vividly. Pence and his wife, Karen, had just landed at Reagan National Airport and were making their way through the terminal when they spotted Graham heading toward another gate. As he almost always did, Graham began by asking about Pence’s family. The senator wanted updates on Pence’s son, a Marine Corps fighter pilot, and his son-in-law, a Navy fighter pilot. Pence said Graham never forgot to ask about them. But after briefly catching up, the conversation shifted to the issue occupying Graham’s attention in his final months. “We went straight into a conversation about Ukraine sanctions,” Pence recalled. Pence thanked Graham for leading the effort and mentioned a Wall Street Journal opinion piece supporting tougher sanctions against Russia. Graham immediately leaned in. “He did one of those — puts his finger in my chest — and said, ‘You just stay on this. This is the way we’re gonna get this done. This is the way you bring Putin to the table.’” The two men embraced before heading toward separate gates. “We parted with a handshake and a hug,” Pence said. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 Looking back, Pence said that brief airport encounter perfectly captured the man he had known for decades. Graham enjoyed talking about family and could always be counted on for a joke, Pence said, but the personal conversation rarely lasted long before he returned to public policy. “He was a very serious legislator,” Pence said. “He was a man who was deeply committed to policy.” Pence said Graham’s convictions never changed, whether the issue was supporting the military, standing with Israel, protecting unborn life or confronting authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran and China. “He never wavered,” Pence said. The former vice president said he learned of Graham’s death Sunday morning and remains deeply saddened by the loss of someone he first came to know during the Republican Revolution of the 1990s before serving alongside him in Congress and later in the Trump administration. “I was taken aback by the news,” Pence said. “I really, really have a heavy heart to this hour.” Pence said he hopes lawmakers finish the work Graham dedicated years to advancing. “I really do believe there would be no more fitting tribute to the life and vision of Senator Lindsey Graham than for Congress to pass and the president to sign the tough Russia sanctions bill,” Pence said. “I’m going to continue to champion that in the days ahead.” The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.