Trump doubles down on plan for 600,000 Chinese student visas despite MAGA backlash
President Donald Trump on Monday defended his administration’s plan to offer 600,000 visas to Chinese students — a move that has drawn criticism from within conservative circles. Fox News’ Laura Ingraham pressed Trump during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle,” questioning how the proposal was “pro-MAGA” if it crowded out spots for American students and whether universities were “getting rich” from Chinese money. Trump argued that foreign students — particularly from China — are vital to keeping U.S. universities financially stable, adding that cutting the number of Chinese students in half would cripple the system. “We do have a lot of people coming in from China. We always have, China and other countries. We also have a massive system of colleges and universities. And if we were to cut that in half, which perhaps makes some people happy, you would have half the colleges in the United States would go out of business,” he said. SURVIVOR OF CHINA’S CULTURAL REVOLUTION WARNS AGAINST LETTING 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS STUDY AT US COLLEGES “I actually think it’s good to have outside, countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world, not the French, though,” he added. “The Chinese, they spy on us, they steal our intellectual property,” Ingraham shot back. “Do you think the French are better?” Trump said. “Yeah,” Ingraham replied. “I’m not so sure,” Trump said, citing French tariffs. Trump continued to frame the issue in economic terms, saying Chinese students pay far more in tuition than Americans and help sustain the system. TRUMP IGNITES CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH AFTER OPENING DOOR TO 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS: ‘WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?’ “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business,” he said. “One thing you don’t want to cut half of the people, half of the students from all over the world that are coming into our country, destroy our entire university and college system. I don’t want to do that.” Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea last week, saying the two leaders reached agreement on “almost everything.” Following the meeting, China reportedly held off on some of its toughest export restrictions for critical minerals, while the U.S. delayed plans to impose triple-digit tariffs. The remarks mark a reversal from earlier this year, when the Trump administration said it would “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas amid espionage concerns. In August, Trump changed course and announced plans to expand the program dramatically. More than 277,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. during the 2023–2024 school year, according to the Institute of International Education — the second-largest foreign student population after India. That figure is down from a peak of over 372,000 in 2019–2020. The comments come as the State Department has intensified its visa crackdown, revoking more than 80,000 nonimmigrant visas — including about 8,000 student visas — since the start of Trump’s term. Officials say many were revoked over criminal activity or participation in rallies against U.S. support for Israel. Former national security advisor Michael Flynn criticized Trump’s comments on X, writing: “Sorry Mr. @POTUS if we didn’t allow 600K Chinese spies to steal even more intellectual property and other ideas about how to dominate are our way of life, it wouldn’t make a dent in U.S. colleges and universities.” “We simply don’t need to help the Chinese anymore with their plans to be the sole superpower this century,” Flynn added. “They’ve been ripping us off for years. Because of that they have significant advantages over us now—and they have zero desire nor intent to make America great again.” China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law requires all citizens to cooperate with Chinese Communist Party intelligence efforts in the name of national security. China expert Gordon Chang, whose father fled Mao Zedong’s communist government after earning a master’s degree in the U.S., called the visa proposal “wrong-headed.” “Taking away spots in schools from Americans and giving them to future Chinese Communists is wrong, and admitting students who have been weaponized by the CCP to commit acts of espionage is extraordinarily dangerous,” Chang told Fox News Digital. “American presidents for decades have allowed China’s regime to maintain in our country organizations and extensive networks of agents and diplomats that surveil, intimidate, and coerce Chinese and other students.”
Likely end of government shutdown in sight as House lawmakers poised to clear final hurdles
The House of Representatives appears to be on a glide path to ending the longest government shutdown in history, with lawmakers racing back to Capitol Hill after six weeks out of session. The House Rules Committee will meet to consider the Senate’s amended federal funding plan sometime after 5 p.m. Tuesday, two sources told Fox News Digital. In other words, the 42-day shutdown — which has led to thousands of air travel delays, left millions of people who rely on federal benefits in limbo, and forced thousands of federal workers either off the job or to work without pay — could come to an end before the end of this week. The House Rules Committee is the final hurdle for most legislation before it sees House-wide votes. Lawmakers on the key panel vote to advance a bill while setting terms for its consideration, like possible amendment votes and timing for debate. MIKE JOHNSON SPEAKS OUT AFTER SENATE BREAKTHROUGH ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The funding bill at hand is expected to advance through the committee on party lines. Democrats on the panel are likely to oppose the measure in line with House Democratic leaders, while Republicans have signaled no meaningful opposition. Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., the two Republicans on the committee who have most often opposed GOP leaders’ legislation for not being conservative enough, both suggested they would be supportive of the funding measure. Roy told Fox News Digital on Monday night that he would vote “yes” on the bill on the House floor, meaning he would likely not oppose it in the House Rules Committee. The Texas Republican is currently running to be attorney general of the Lone Star State. Norman told Fox News Digital via text message Tuesday morning, when asked about both his Rules Committee and House floor votes, “My support is based on READING the FINE PRINT as it relates to the 3 bills especially VERIFYING the top line spending limits as we previously passed.” “If ‘THE FINE PRINT MATCHES’ what’s being reported, I will be a yes,” Norman said. THE 5 LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS IN HISTORY: WHAT HAPPENED, HOW THEY ENDED The South Carolina Republican, who is running for governor, was referring to three full-year spending bills that are part of the latest bipartisan compromise passed by the Senate on Monday night. Terms of the deal include a new extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels through Jan. 30, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal on FY 2026 spending. It would also give lawmakers some headway with that mission, advancing legislation to fund the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction; and the legislative branch. They are three of 12 individual bills that are meant to make up Congress’ annual appropriations, paired into a vehicle called a “minibus.” In a victory for Democrats, the deal would also reverse federal layoffs conducted by the Trump administration in October, with those workers getting paid for the time they were off. It also guarantees Senate Democrats a vote on legislation extending Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year. JOHNSON WARNS US ‘BARRELING TOWARD ONE OF THE LONGEST SHUTDOWNS’ IN HISTORY Extending the enhanced subsidies for Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was a key ask for Democrats in the weekslong standoff. No such guarantee was made in the House, however, so Democrats effectively folded on their key demand in order to end the shutdown — a move that infuriated progressives and left-wing caucus leaders in Congress. The full House is expected to take up the measure sometime after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a notice sent to lawmakers. There will first be a “rule vote” for the bill where lawmakers are expected to green-light debate on the House floor, followed by a vote on the measure itself sometime Wednesday evening. House schedules for both Tuesday and Wednesday were left intentionally fluid to allow for lawmakers to return to Washington amid nationwide flight delays and cancellations, mostly imposed by the shutdown. The House was last in session on Sept. 19, when lawmakers passed legislation to keep the government funded through Nov. 21. It passed with support from one House Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and opposition from two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. No further House Republicans have signaled public opposition to the new measure so far.
Sexual harassment allegation that derailed Democrat’s congressional campaign results in defamation settlement
A sexual harassment allegation in the 11th hour of a congressional campaign that derailed a Virginia Democrat has resulted in two settlements from defendants in a defamation lawsuit he filed after the campaign ended. “The matter was settled to the satisfaction of the Parties, and the terms are confidential,” Virginia House of Delegates member Dan Helmer said in a press release in late October. The press release stated Helmer reached a settlement with two of the three defendants he sued for defamation: Avram Fechter and attorney Charles King. The statement described these settlements as “an important step in finally closing the dark chapter for Delegate Helmer” and said his defamation case against the woman who he claims made the allegations, the third defendant Lissa Savaglio, is still open. Two weeks before the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District last June, Helmer was leading in several polls and looked to be the frontrunner heading into the general election in the Democrat-heavy district. VA DEMS REJECT RESOLUTION CONDEMNING POLITICAL VIOLENCE WHILE HOUSE SPEAKER CUTS OFF JAY JONES REFERENCES But, just a week before the election, that changed after a media report revealed that members of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee were accusing Helmer of sexual harassment. Days later, King, an attorney for the alleged victim, released the following statement. “After a political event in 2018, Mr. Helmer groped my client’s breast,” King wrote. “In later conversations with others, Helmer sexually described the woman’s physique and talked about different sexual positions he wanted to try with her and other women.” Helmer denied the claims, but ultimately lost his race for Congress by four percentage points to Democrat Suhas Subramanyam. After the election, Helmer filed a defamation lawsuit in Fairfax County Circuit Court against King, Fechter and Savaglio. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER SEALS HISTORIC VIRGINIA WIN, ENDING GOP’S GLENN YOUNGKIN ERA In Helmer’s $15 million defamation lawsuit, he alleged a coordinated effort by Helmer’s political opponents and Loudoun County Democrats to push allegations of sexual misconduct they knew were false. Helmer’s suit claims that the alleged groping could not have physically taken place because photographs from the evening in question showed he and Savaglio did not attend the same political event. The suit also alleges that Savaglio told Helmer after the fact that he had “never acted inappropriately toward her.” “Because of a mix of personal, political, and financial motivations, Savaglio intentionally published known falsehoods to harm [me],” the lawsuit states. An attorney who spoke to Fox News Digital suggested that the settlements represented a political victory for Helmer. “They must have had enough black and white to force them to the table and force them to settle and that’s pretty remarkable,” Virginia attorney Jeffrey Breit told Fox News Digital. “It’s unusual to see that in political cases.“ “What makes it interesting in this case is defamation cases are very very hard to win nationwide and in Virginia because of so much you have to show for intent, truth, lots of issues that you have to do in a defamation case which makes them very, very hard,” Breit explained. “And so the fact that he could file a suit having lost because of what was said and force these people, one to the table, and two to settle, to me shows they had real evidence that this was false.” When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Fechter said the terms of the settlement prohibit him from commenting on the matter. King told the Loudon-Times Mirror that he is limited on what he can comment on but did tell the outlet he is “very, very satisfied.” Fox News Digital reached out to Savaglio for comment but did not receive a response. Democrats had a big night in Virginia last Tuesday across the board on election night, including the House of Delegates where they expanded their majority control. Helmer won re-election in District 10, defeating a Republican challenger.
Parents’ rights group releases scathing ‘Lookout’ warning targeting top 2 teachers unions: ‘Indoctrination’
FIRST ON FOX: A top parents’ rights organization is sending a “Lookout” warning to parents urging vigilance against two of the top teachers unions in the United States, making the case that they are “prioritizing radical agendas” at the “expense of educational outcomes.” The warning, sent by the American Parents Coalition, targets the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA) and, in addition to concerns about student outcomes not being the priority, highlights a report that it says shows the unions “have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in woke organizations.” The APC warning hits the NEA and AFT for pushing a variety of far-left causes, including boycotts in support of DEI, legal and activist campaigns against the Trump administration, denouncing a Supreme Court ruling that “enabled parents to opt their children out of age inappropriate and one-sided LGBTQ+ content,” and climate activism. “Teachers’ unions were created to support educators and improve classroom instruction. Instead, they have transformed into radical political organizations that exploit their influence to push far-left ideology instead of prioritizing student academic success,” APC Executive Director Alleigh Marré told Fox News Digital in a statement. CLICK HERE FOR MORE CAMPUS RADICALS COAST TO COAST “Parents should be aware of the outsized influence these unions have on their child’s school, because these organizations may be pushing policies that undermine parental trust and do nothing to further a child’s education. Every year the teachers’ unions funnel millions of dollars into campaigns and activist causes that almost exclusively favor Democrats, while students continue to fall further and further behind on foundational subjects. Families expect schools to teach reading, writing, and math, not political slogans. It is time for teachers’ unions to prioritize academic teaching, restore transparency, and refocus on the purpose of education to prepare children for success, not indoctrination.” The warning also focused on the NEA 2025 Handbook, which the APC claims “exposed the organization’s radical beliefs” and “attacks homeschooling.” “The handbook touted the use of preferred names and pronouns as of the ‘utmost importance’ while blaming ‘white supremacy culture’ as the ‘primary root cause of institutional racism,’” the APC warning states. TEACHER UNION SENDS MAP ERASING ISRAEL TO ITS MILLIONS OF MEMBERS FOR ‘INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY’ Fox News Digital reached out to the NEA and AFT for comment. The warning also provided templates for parents to formally file complaints and call on their local school boards to take action prioritizing student performance. “Parents have the right to know what their children are taught, approve sensitive content, see who influences the classroom, and hold decision-makers accountable,” the report states. “It’s time to reclaim parental authority, and to demand teachers’ unions focus on academic success and not divisive ideologies.” Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that the NEA and AFT have poured tens of millions into far-left causes, including left-wing philanthropic behemoths like the Tides Network, New Venture Fund, Sixteen-Thirty Fund and Future Forward. The unions also forked over significant amounts of cash for groups that focus on supporting left-wing candidates for public office, such as the Democratic Governors Association, Democrat’s House Majority and Senate Majority PACs. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn E Jean Carroll case verdict
President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a jury’s civil lawsuit verdict that he sexually abused and later defamed former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll. Trump’s lawyers argued in a filing that allegations leading to the $5 million verdict were “propped up” by a “series of indefensible evidentiary rulings” that allowed Carroll’s lawyers to present “highly inflammatory propensity evidence” against him. “President Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident ever occurred,” Justin Smith, one of Trump’s lawyers, and his co-counsel wrote in the filing, according to The Associated Press. “No physical or DNA evidence corroborates Carroll’s story. There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation.” Carroll sued Trump twice after she released a book in 2019 that claimed Trump raped her during a brief encounter in a department store dressing room in New York City in the 1990s. Trump vigorously denied the claims, saying he had never met Carroll, that she was not his “type” and that she fabricated the incident to sell books. His vocal and repeated criticisms and denials led to Carroll’s defamation allegations. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS $83.3 MILLION E. JEAN CARROLL JUDGMENT AGAINST TRUMP Trump’s lawyers accused the trial judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, of warping federal evidence rules to bolster Carroll’s “implausible, unsubstantiated assertions.” They also said that by upholding the verdict, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was in conflict with other federal appeals courts on how such rules should be applied. In September, when Trump’s lawyers first indicated they would appeal to the Supreme Court, Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said, “We do not believe that President Trump will be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court,” the AP reported. A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told the AP the Supreme Court appeal was part of the president’s crusade against “Liberal Lawfare.” “The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes,” the statement said. TRUMP ARGUES SCHUMER ‘MADE A MISTAKE’ AMID DEMOCRAT LEADER’S PARTY INFIGHTING A three-judge appellate panel upheld the verdict in December 2024, rejecting Trump’s claims that Kaplan’s decisions spoiled the trial. Then in June, 2nd Circuit judges denied Trump’s petition for the full appellate court to take up the case. That left Trump with two options: accept the result and allow Carroll to collect the judgment, which he’d previously paid into escrow, or fight on in Supreme Court. Trump skipped the 2023 trial but testified briefly at a follow-up defamation trial last year that ended with a jury ordering him to pay Carroll an additional $83.3 million. The 2nd Circuit upheld that verdict on Sept. 8, with a three-judge panel calling the jury’s damages awards “fair and reasonable.” Trump has since asked the full appellate court to hear arguments and reconsider the ruling. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom, Ashley Oliver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mamdani’s top incoming aide was ‘chief architect’ of radical proposal overhauling NYPD
Zohran Mamdani’s latest hire to his incoming staff includes the mayor-elect’s long-time chief advisor, who has been dubbed the “chief architect” of Mamdani’s campaign proposal to have social workers respond to certain non-violent 911 calls in New York City. The heavily criticized proposal was drummed up by the Ivy League-educated, California-native Elle Bisgaard-Church, a relative political newcomer affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Bisgaard-Church was tapped by Mamdani Monday to once again be his chief adviser while running the helm at New York City’s City Hall after serving in the same post during his campaign and during his state assembly days. Bisgaard-Church has been credited with being pivotal to getting Mamdani’s message to voters and campaign staff dub her the “chief architect” behind Mamdani’s Department of Community Safety proposal, according to CBS News. When developing the Department of Community Safety proposal, which aims to replace police officers with mental health professionals to deal with non-life-threatening emergencies with a focus on subway stations, Bisgaard-Church reportedly spoke to mental health experts, public safety officials from other cities and former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chief of Department Rodney Harrison. The new department will cost approximately $1.1 billion, according to a campaign proposal on Mamadani’s website. TOP MAMDANI TRANSITION LEADER WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SOROS NETWORK DURING BIDEN ADMIN In addition to leading Mamdani’s much-maligned Department of Community Safety proposal, Bisgaard-Church was a key player setting up weekly standing meetings with the New York City DSA chapter throughout the campaign to incorporate leadership from the groups that helped Mamdani win. During a feature interview last month ahead of the looming mayoral election, the former student at private liberal arts Swarthmore College and the Ivy League’s Columbia University, compared her motivations to those of the DSA. “I still feel daily, deeply ashamed to live in a place where we allow people to sleep on concrete at night … and I fundamentally believe it doesn’t have to be that way. It represents (a) political choice,” Bisgaard-Church told New York’s City & State. “The place where I have seen that shared sense of rage at such a moral failure has been in a handful of movement organizations, including New York City DSA.” REPUBLICANS TARGET 2 KEY DEMOCRATIC RACES WITH MAMDANI CONNECTION STRATEGY It was apparently seeing five democratic-socialist candidates win their 2020 primaries in local races in Brooklyn and Queens that initially galvanized Bisgaard-Church to apply for a role on Mamdani’s team while he was a state representative, according to her City & State feature. It was a public affairs fellowship that initially brought her to the Big Apple, but Bisgaard-Church reportedly thought she would just end up working at some government agency after a couple stints at various nonprofits in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Bisgaard-Church, who does not keep an active social media presence and infrequently comments in the media, gained a reputation of being relatively “low-profile” and has been credited with playing a major role in securing the DSA’s endorsement of Mamdani’s electoral campaign. Her history with the DSA includes helping form their legislative analysis team and helping form a guiding document for the group in 2021 about how the group should interact with elected leaders, according to City & State. In comments following her appointment, Bisgaard-Church said it was “the honor of a lifetime” to lead Mamdani’s campaign, and is now ready to roll up her sleeves and deliver on Mamdani’s “affordability agenda” while “demonstrating what a well-run City Hall can do for everyday New Yorkers.” Mamdani’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Stefanik receives top Jewish award days after announcing New York governor bid at Manhattan gala
Rep. Elise Stefanik on Monday night accepted the World Jewish Congress’ highest honor, vowing to continue fighting antisemitism and defending what she called “the very Western values that have shaped America” just days after announcing her bid for New York governor. Speaking before 400 guests at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, Stefanik received the Theodor Herzl Award from Ronald Lauder, the businessman and former U.S. ambassador to Austria under President Ronald Reagan. Established in 2012, the award is considered the World Jewish Congress’ highest honor and recognizes individuals who embody Herzl’s vision for a secure and self-reliant Jewish people. “I want to thank my friend Ambassador Ronald Lauder for his steadfast leadership and his extraordinary commitment to the cause of Jewish unity and security,” Stefanik said. “Under his leadership, the World Jewish Congress has carried forward Theodor Herzl’s vision — not only of a Jewish homeland, but of a Jewish people strong, self-reliant, and respected among the nations.” “It is deeply humbling to receive the Theodor Herzl Award from the World Jewish Congress — an organization that, for generations, has stood as the diplomatic voice and moral conscience of the Jewish people across the globe,” she continued. “You have defended Jewish communities in every corner of the world, fought antisemitism in every form, and strengthened the unbreakable bonds between Israel and the global community of free nations.” KEY TRUMP ALLY JUMPS INTO NEW YORK GOVERNOR’S RACE DAYS AFTER SHOCKING MAMDANI MAYORAL VICTORY Stefanik described her fight against antisemitism in Congress and on college campuses, recalling her viral 2023 hearing with the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania. “Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct?” she recalled asking what she said was a moral question, not a political one. “I expected them to say ‘yes.’ But one after another after another said, ‘it depends on the context.’ And the world heard. Let me be clear. It does NOT depend on the context.” She said that exchange “set off a global reckoning and delivered accountability in higher education that we are still just beginning.” STEFANIK DECRIES HOCHUL AS ‘WORST GOVERNOR IN AMERICA’ IN FIERY 2026 CAMPAIGN LAUNCH Turning to New York, Stefanik said the state “is not just a city and state in crisis — it is the epicenter of the battle for the very Western values that have shaped America.” “Eighty years after Kristallnacht, we must not stay silent. I will continue to call out Antisemitism. Bigotry. Jew-hatred. Anti-Americanism,” she said. “This moral fight is particularly important in New York — the beloved home to more Jews than anywhere outside of Israel — where antisemitic incidents hit an all-time high last year, the highest count in the nation.” “My friends, Theodor Herzl’s story is not ancient history,” she said. “That is the spirit I see in this room tonight — the spirit that built Israel, the spirit that has always animated the Jewish people, and the spirit that will save New York.” STEFANIK TO RELEASE NEW BOOK ON COLLEGE ANTISEMITISM AS SHE EYES BID FOR NY GOVERNOR The award comes a day after billionaire philanthropist Miriam Adelson voiced support for Rep. Elise Stefanik’s New York gubernatorial bid during the Zionist Organization of America’s Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner. Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Leadership, was honored with the Zionist Organization of America’s Mortimer Zuckerman Maccabee Warrior Award for her efforts to combat antisemitism. Introducing her at the gala, Adelson lauded Stefanik for confronting university leaders over antisemitism and invoked her late husband Sheldon Adelson’s insistence on moral conviction. Adelson described Stefanik as “a great leader,” crediting her for defending “the Jewish people, Israel and the Free World.” Stefanik launched her long-anticipated Republican campaign for New York governor on Friday, entering the 2026 race as she challenges Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hochul’s office for a comment. Stefanik, who once criticized President Donald Trump during his first presidential run, has since become one of his staunchest defenders in Congress. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Senate ends 41-day government shutdown stalemate, sends bipartisan deal to House
The shutdown stalemate that has dragged on in the Senate officially ended late Monday night, and it places Congress on a path to reopen the government later this week. Senators advanced a bipartisan funding package to end the government shutdown after a group of Senate Democrats broke from their colleagues and joined Republicans in their bid to reopen the government. Those same eight Senate Democratic caucus members stuck with Republicans and provided the crucial votes needed to send the package to the House. MIKE JOHNSON EYES WEDNESDAY VOTE WITH END OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN SIGHT The votes went deep into Monday night on the shutdown’s 41st day and resulted in an updated continuing resolution (CR) being combined with a trio of spending bills in a minibus package that is now headed to the House. Whether the Senate would get to this point was in the air for much of last week and even earlier in the day. On Monday, lawmakers were riding high after smashing through the package’s first procedural test, but concerns of objections and other procedural maneuvers threatened to derail the process. “I think everybody’s pretty united [behind] this bill,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, said. “We want to reopen the government.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus demanded throughout the entirety of the shutdown that they would only vote to reopen the government if they received an ironclad deal on expiring Obamacare subsidies. But that deal, or at least the one that Democrats wanted, never materialized. Instead, eight Senate Democrats took the offer that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has made since the beginning: A guarantee to vote on legislation that would deal with the subsidies. SENATE HOPES TO BLOW THROUGH PROCEDURAL HURDLES IN BID TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT Thune reiterated his promise and noted that a vote would come, “No later than the second week of December.” The subsidies are set to expire by the end of the year. “We have senators, both Democrat and Republican, who are eager to get to work to address that crisis in a bipartisan way,” he said. “These senators are not interested in political games, they’re interested in finding real ways to address healthcare costs for American families. We also have a president who is willing to sit down and get to work on this issue.” Senate Democrats did not leave completely empty-handed, however. Included in the revamped CR, which would reopen the government until Jan. 30, was a reversal of the Trump administration’s firing of furloughed federal workers, a deal to ensure that furloughed workers would get back pay and future protections for federal workers during shutdowns. “This was the only deal on the table,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one of the eight that crossed the aisle to support the package, said. “It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the [Obamacare] tax credits that tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep costs down.” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., another of the eight Senate Democrats to break with Schumer, said that it was clear that Republicans weren’t going to budge on their position that healthcare would be dealt with after the government reopened. But it wasn’t the guarantee of a vote on the expiring subsidies that got him to splinter, it was promises that there would be protections for federal employees. SENATE DEMOCRATS CAVE, OPEN PATH TO REOPENING GOVERNMENT “If you wait another week, they’re going to get hurt more, another month or even more,” Kaine said. “So what got me over the line was the pledge that they were able to give the federal employees.” On the House side, it appears GOP leaders are eager to move quickly on ending the prolonged shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., earlier Monday told Fox News Digital that he would bring the House back into session “immediately” upon Senate passage of the legislation. He later told House Republicans on a lawmaker-only call that he anticipated a vote in their chamber midweek at the earliest, Fox News Digital was told. “We’re going to plan on voting, on being here, at least by Wednesday,” Johnson said. “It is possible that things could shift a little bit later in the week, but right now we think we’re on track for a vote on Wednesday. So we need you here.” Johnson signaled the House would not move to fast-track the legislation via suspension of the rules however, which would bypass procedural hurdles in exchange for raising the passage threshold to two-thirds of the chamber. It’s not a surprising move given House Democratic leaders’ opposition to the bill. He said, however, that the House Rules Committee should be ready to move by Tuesday at the earliest.
Conservative student exposes Midwestern college for preventing Turning Point USA chapter
A conservative student from Beloit College in Wisconsin says her school is blocking students from establishing a new Turning Point USA (TPUSA) club on campus and has failed to adequately protect its members from harassment and threats they have faced for trying to do so. On Oct. 1, Jocelyn Jordan and some of her classmates began applying to start a new Turning Point USA chapter at Beloit College, requiring them to find a faculty advisor, among a list of other requirements needed to start a club on campus. Every faculty member the students have asked thus far, including the dean of students, refused to help them, according to Jordan, who said she was advised to establish a group that does not have the Turning Point name attached to it. Jordan also claimed a member of the student government said that even if they were to find a faculty advisor, they still would not be able to establish a Turning Point chapter on campus. Meanwhile, Jordan and her classmates began promoting their club on social media around mid-October, leading to a harassment campaign targeting the students for their efforts to create a chapter of the Republican group, first founded by assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk, on their campus. The harassment initially included disturbing imagery posted on the group’s new Instagram page, referring to Jordan and her co-founders as Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members and White supremacists, but eventually devolved into threats. TEXAS LAUNCHES EFFORT TO INSTALL TPUSA IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE However, Jordan said the university dismissed the students’ initial harassment concerns, telling them there was nothing faculty could do because they could not identify who was making the harassing posts. When the harassment devolved into threats, Jordan filed a subsequent police report, a move that appeared to spur greater action from the college, which eventually banned one of the main harassers from campus, who Jordan said was an alumnus working in food service on campus at the time. “As a student, I should feel comfortable coming to campus no matter what beliefs I have, no matter what I identify as, no matter who I want to be. And, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. “I mean, it took three and a half weeks for [Beloit College] to even address the situation, and that doesn’t give me much hope for how this is going to turn out for Turning Point.” LOUISIANA GOP THROWS WIGHT BEHIND TURNING POINT USA CHAPTER REJECTED BY NEW ORLEANS UNIVERSITY: ‘INJUSTICE’ In addition to banning the alumnus from campus, the college also sent out an email, which Jordan described as “vague” and pointed out that it came after weeks of their complaints that fell on deaf ears, warning students about hateful rhetoric towards other students. The email did mention an incident of late that included “the depiction of other Beloit students as dangerous radicals, Nazis, or monsters seeking to cause harm.” “I want to remind everyone that our Student Handbook states that social media harassment … is prohibited behavior,” the email added. “Engaging thoughtfully around difference is hard, but that’s why you’ve come to Beloit: to learn to do hard things well and with compassion. So let’s try this. Be kind to one another. Give the benefit of the doubt to other students.” The harassment campaign targeting Jordan and her classmates was led in part by a now-deleted Instagram page titled “bc_friendly_fan_edits,” which posted a photo of the potential Turning Point board members at Beloit photoshopped around Charlie Kirk in a casket and Donald Trump on a cross. The same group also posted a sexualized depiction of a female Nazi with Jordan’s face juxtaposed on it. The photo was captioned “#bullythebigots.” Another harasser sent the group’s new Instagram page direct messages calling them “cowards” and laughing about the fact they have been unable to find a faculty advisor to support them. “Careful yall. The Klan members (tpusa_beloit) are calling in their gang (local police) to invoke fear in brown people within the community because they couldn’t handle the consequences of their own actions,” said a post sent to the hopeful TPUSA chapter’s new Instagram page via its direct messages. Other posts sought to satirize Turning Point USA’s logo, using it to create a “Meet The Campus Nazis” graphic that called out all the potential chapter members. “Our first post received over 75 comments in just one day, with more than 90% of them being hateful. We heard every name from klan members to Nazis to white supremacists. Some people even began attacking our appearances, specifically my blonde hair (which isn’t even my natural color lol) and blue eyes,” Jordan wrote in a post on Facebook and X calling out her college for the lack of response to the situation. CHARLIE KIRK WARNED ‘ASSASSINATION CULTURE IS SPREADING ON THE LEFT’ IN EERIE ONLINE POST MONTHS BEFORE MURDER But then the threats started coming in, and things got a little more serious. “The lack of accountability is showing, but the lack of consequences won’t be,” a comment on one of the hopeful TPUSA chapter’s new Instagram posts said. Several posts also began chastising Jordan and her classmates for getting the police involved. “The day a white supremacist Nazi tries me is the day I’ll get to prove why burying authoritarians is a family legacy that I will carry on,” the same harasser who threatened there would be “consequences” posted on their Instagram story. “Come after me I dare you. If I run out of ammo I won’t run out of options. Second Amendment works better when its against Nazis.” “Imagine hiding your klan behind the police because you couldn’t handle the consequences of your own actions. How very klan-like of you,” said another comment on one of the group’s posts. In response to this article, Beloit College sent Fox News Digital a lengthy statement saying the school is “committed to fostering respectful open inquiry and encouraging a
Are American workers being replaced? Inside the H-1B visa controversy
Following months of controversy, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in September decrying the systemic abuse of the H-1B visa program, which he said is fueling the “large-scale replacement of American workers” that “has undermined both our economic and national security.” To address this, Trump instituted a $100,000 fee for companies seeking to obtain an H-1B visa, a move that has been widely criticized by business leaders, especially in the tech industry. Debate over the program has split both the American public and the GOP, with one side saying the visa holders are poaching American jobs and the other saying it is vital to U.S. competitiveness. So, what are H-1B visas, and why have they become a political flashpoint? TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS OVER 100 INVESTIGATIONS INTO H-1B ABUSES AS IT PLEDGES ‘EVERY RESOURCE’ TO PROTECT US JOBS An H-1B visa is a non-immigrant work visa that allows companies in the U.S. to hire highly-skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations for an initial period of three years, which can be extended to six years. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website states that the visas are meant for individuals of “exceptional merit and ability.” Individuals must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. By far the industry most heavily utilizing H-1B visas is the tech industry, which accounts for roughly 60% to 70% of all the new applications in recent years. Other top industries include consulting and professional services, engineering and manufacturing, healthcare and medical research and higher education. DESANTIS SAYS HE WON’T TOLERATE H-1B VISA ‘ABUSE’ IN FLORIDA UNIVERSITIES There is no official figure for the number of people currently holding H-1B visas. There is a yearly cap of 65,000 people who can obtain H-1B visas. The program allows for an additional 20,000 individuals holding master’s degrees or above. Notably, most universities and non-profit research organizations are cap-exempt, further increasing the number of people being approved each year. The Pew Research Center estimated that about 400,000 H-1B visa applications were approved last year under the Biden administration. Nearly 3 out of every 4, 73%, of H-1B visa holders come from India, according to Pew. The country with the second-highest number of visa holders is China, with 12%. The remaining 15% comes from a mix of other countries, with no single country reaching the 2% threshold. The H-1B visa program has been criticized on both sides of the political aisle, including from Trump to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. TRUMP’S $100K H-1B VISA OVERHAUL COULD HIT TECH GIANTS LIKE AMAZON AND MICROSOFT HARDEST Critics say the current program has veered away from its original intent to attract top talent to work in the U.S. and instead is being used by employers to import cheap foreign labor, depress wages, and cut out American workers. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reintroduced bipartisan legislation in September to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B program to protect American workers and stop the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries. On the state level, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis issued guidance in October to combat the university loophole. DeSantis directed the Florida Board of Governors to end the practice of higher education institutions “importing foreign workers on H-1B visas instead of hiring Americans” by requiring universities to “put American graduates first and ensure taxpayer-funded schools serve the American workforce.” On the other side of the debate, prominent figures such as Elon Musk have advocated for H-1B visas because the program is essential for the U.S. to maintain its competitive edge. Shortly before Trump returned to the Oval Office, Musk said, “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B” and pledged to “go to war” in support of the program. However, Musk also noted his belief that “the program is broken and needs major reform.” DOJ CALLS FOR TIPS ON EMPLOYERS FAVORING FOREIGN WORKERS IN HIRING PRACTICES He proposed “raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically.” Business leaders have said the H-1B program is important in competing with countries such as China, which just recently launched a similar program, called the K-visa, to attract top talent to the country. The program went into effect on Oct. 1. The H-1B program also has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On Sept. 19, Trump issued a presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” in which he said the H-1B visa program was being “deliberately exploited to replace, rather than supplement, American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.” Trump said this abuse has been used by companies to “artificially suppress wages, resulting in a disadvantageous labor market for American citizens, while at the same time making it more difficult to attract and retain the highest skilled subset of temporary workers, with the largest impact seen in critical science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.” The president wrote that “the large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security.” TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS OVER 100 INVESTIGATIONS INTO H-1B ABUSES AS IT PLEDGES ‘EVERY RESOURCE’ TO PROTECT US JOBS As such, Trump imposed a $100,000 fee, effective Sept. 21, 2025. The restriction will expire one year from the effective date. Trump also directed his administration to “initiate a rulemaking to prioritize the admission as nonimmigrants of high-skilled and high-paid aliens.” Meanwhile, another DHS rule will narrow the definition of “specialty occupation” that will allow the department officials to increase worksite compliance inspections before and after an H-1B petition, and require the petitioner’s employer to make the application directly — a move to stop companies from bringing in H-1B immigrants and then contracting them to other companies. The debate over H-1B visas promises to continue in the coming months and