Trump administration resurrects ‘neighborhood checks’ for citizenship applicants last used in first Bush-era
The Trump administration is restoring an immigration policy that was last used under former President George H.W. Bush’s tenure to conduct neighborhood investigations related to immigrants applying for U.S. naturalization, according to a policy memo released Tuesday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is resuming personal investigations of aliens applying for naturalization in accordance with section 335(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act,” the memo, dated Aug. 22 but released publicly Tuesday, states. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act abolished immigration quotas and championed welcoming “those who can contribute most to this country — to its growth, to its strength, to its spirit,” according to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s remarks at the time of him signing the act into law. The administration’s revitalization of personal investigations, also called “neighborhood checks,” will include U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requesting information from immigrants seeking naturalization, such as “testimonial letters from neighbors, employers, co-workers, and business associates who know the alien and can provide substantiated information about the alien, including any of the requirements for naturalization.” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is an office under the Department of Homeland Security‘s umbrella that oversees the nation’s legal immigration processing. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO VET LEGAL IMMIGRANT APPLICANTS FOR ‘ANTI-AMERICANISM’ AND ANTISEMITISM The memorandum stated that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “generally waives the requirements for neighborhood investigations” under the 1965 law and historically had relied instead on FBI background checks to determine an “applicant’s good moral character and eligibility for naturalization.” The personal investigations will now include interviewing a naturalization applicant’s neighbors and employment history stretching back at least five years before an individual applied for naturalization, according to the memo. The checks are to ensure “scrutiny of an alien’s residency, good moral character, attachment to the U.S. Constitution, and disposition to the good order and happiness of the United States.” TRUMP ADMIN TO WEIGH US CITIZENSHIP APPLICANTS’ ‘POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS,’ GOOD MORAL CHARACTER Such investigations were last conducted in 1991 during the first Bush’s tenure, according to the memo. Similar investigations were carried out on immigrants applying for naturalization as far back as 1802, the memo added. “From 1802 to 1981, petitioners for naturalization were required to present two witnesses who could testify to their qualifications for citizenship,” the memo stated. “In 1981, Congress eliminated the requirement for witnesses, a change justified in part by the fact that a petitioner’s character could be better determined by an investigation, including a neighborhood investigation, if necessary. “However, by 1991, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service had essentially stopped conducting neighborhood investigations.” TOP DHS OFFICIAL CALLS CITIZENSHIP TEST ‘TOO SOFT,’ URGES MAJOR OVERHAUL OF NATURALIZATION PROCESS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services celebrated the return of the personal investigations. Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in comments provided to Fox News Digital Wednesday that the office “is working to ensure that only the most qualified applicants receive American citizenship.” “The Immigration and Nationality Act directs USCIS to conduct personal investigations, and incorporating neighborhood investigations will help enhance these statutorily required investigations to ensure that we are meeting congressional intent,” he continued. “Americans should be comforted knowing that USCIS is taking seriously its responsibility to ensure aliens are being properly vetted and are of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States and well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.” The move is the latest of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration that spiraled under the Biden administration. Democrats increasingly have spoken out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies, slamming its mass deportation efforts while ramping up visits to detention centers to draw attention to the facilities, The Associated Press reported. “Transparency matters. Oversight matters. Accountability matters,” Colorado Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse said in August after visiting a Colorado detention center. “You certainly can expect to see the Democratic members of Colorado’s House delegation continue to lean in on all fronts.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: DC Crime Crackdown
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Federal judge blocks Abrego Garcia deportation through October, extending court fight –Dem lawmakers call for gun control after Minneapolis school shooting -House Republicans ready slew of DC crime bills as Trump promises end to street violence President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are working to solidify his grip on Washington, D.C. A leadership aide told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that House Republicans are working with the White House on a package of bills “to fix the many problems with D.C. governance and crime.” Trump all but confirmed the effort in a late-night Truth Social post at midnight on Wednesday stating that House and Senate leaders “are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill.”…Read more CENTRAL BANK SHAKEUP: Cook’s potential exit hands Trump greater sway over Fed Board shaping US monetary policy ‘RALLY’: Trump’s cartel crackdown gains ‘powerful political leverage’ with El Mayo guilty plea WITCH HUNT: Jack Smith’s lawyers blast Hatch Act probe as ‘imaginary and unfounded’ GOLDEN DIVORCE: “2 state solution” — CA Republicans announce plan to split state to blunt redistricting ASYLUM AT THE PLANT: Chicago Teamsters, backed by mayor, want ICE blocked without warrants in strike fight SUPPORT LIMBO: Socialist candidate Mamdani meets with NY Dems as they withhold endorsements TRAGEDY STRIKES: DNC adjourns Minneapolis meeting as breaking news of deadly school shooting unfolds minutes away SAGA CONTINUES: Abrego Garcia renews push for asylum in US, reveals new country willing to accept him CASH CRISIS: Kamala Harris fundraising events have been a flop to help raise money for DNC: Report Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
FEMA employees placed on leave after claiming Trump leadership could spark next Hurricane Katrina
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees who signed an open letter slamming the Trump administration’s leadership of the office have been placed on leave, with FEMA leadership subsequently slamming the “bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency” for “objecting to reform.” More than 190 current and former FEMA employees signed an open letter Monday criticizing the Trump administration, criticizing leaders they say lack the qualifications to oversee an agency focused on the nation’s preparation and response to disasters. The letter claimed a catastrophe on par with Hurricane Katrina could unfold due to the current climate of the office. By Wednesday morning, more than a dozen FEMA employees who signed the letter were placed on leave, The Washington Post reported. “It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform,” a FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Digital when asked about the letter and employees who were placed on leave. “Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo, who have forgotten that their duty is to the American people, not entrenched bureaucracy.” KENTUCKY GOVERNOR PRAISES FEMA UNDER TRUMP, SAYS ITS A ‘CREDIT TO HIS ADMINISTRATION’ The spokesperson did not reveal how many FEMA employees were placed on leave after the letter’s publication. “Under the Biden administration, the American people were abandoned as disasters ravaged North Carolina and needed aid was denied based on party affiliation in Florida,” the spokesperson continued. “Our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems. Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, FEMA will return to its mission of assisting Americans at their most vulnerable.” The nonprofit Stand Up for Science published the open letter Monday, directed to Congress, claiming FEMA is led by individuals who lack the “legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background” to oversee federal disaster preparation and response. The letter took direct aim at FEMA and Department of Homeland Security leaders such as Secretary Kristi Noem. “Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management,” the letter claimed. SENATOR PETER WELCH: I’M A DEMOCRAT AND WE NEED TO FIX FEMA WITH LOCAL CONTROL Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was one of the worst disasters to hit the United States in recent history, leading to 1,833 fatalities, more than $100 billion in damages and thousands of homeless New Orleanians, data from the National Weather Service shows. The letter claimed that such a disaster could rock the U.S. again due to the current state of the agency. “Hurricane Katrina was not just a natural disaster, but a man-made one: the inexperience of senior leaders and the profound failure by the federal government to deliver timely, unified, and effective aid to those in need left survivors to fend for themselves for days, and highlighted how Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities are disproportionally affected by disasters,” the letter states. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM “These failures prompted Congress to pass the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), which introduced safeguards to ensure such shortcomings of disaster preparation and response would not be repeated,” it continued. “However, two decades later, FEMA is enacting processes and leadership structures that echo the conditions PKEMRA was designed to prevent.” President Donald Trump and Noem have both expressed dissatisfaction with FEMA since taking their respective offices. Trump warned just days after his inauguration that the agency would face a reckoning over its failures to respond to the devastating floods that rocked North Carolina when Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeastern U.S. in September 2024. NOEM SAYS CRITICISM OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOODING IS ‘ALL POLITICS’: ‘DISSERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY’ “Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today,” Noem said in February on CNN when asked what she would advise Trump if he asked her to do away with the agency. Both Noem and Trump have advocated for local officials — such as county emergency management directors, mayors, city council members and commissioners — to lead disaster preparation and response as opposed to federal leadership. The letter published Monday included the full names of at least 35 former and current FEMA employees, while the majority were “unlisted” signatures. Signatories took issue with six initiatives under the Trump administration specifically, including “reduction in capability of FEMA to perform its missions,” the “failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator,” the “reduction of FEMA’s disaster workforce” and “the censorship of climate science, environmental protection, and efforts to ensure all communities have access to information, resources.” FEMA is led by David Richardson, who replaced former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton in May after Hamilton’s departure from the agency just days after telling members of Congress that he does not believe FEMA should be eliminated.
Man named in Minneapolis mass shooter’s disturbing video speaks out
The man named in a disturbing video allegedly made by the prime suspect in Wednesday’s mass shooting at a Catholic church and school is speaking out and condemning the shooter’s “hateful and senseless act.” Brandon Herrera, a Second Amendment activist, YouTuber and Texas Republican congressional candidate, responded to being named in the shooter’s video in a statement emailed by his campaign to Fox News Digital. Herrera said, “I’m horrified by this clearly hate-motivated attack on innocent children and disgusted that my name came out of this demon’s mouth.” Herrera went on to say, “I meet thousands of people every year at SHOT Show in Las Vegas, but I don’t remember this individual at all, nor does anyone I was there with.” RETIRED NYPD LIEUTENANT REVEALS WHAT IS ‘VERY TELLING’ ABOUT CHURCH SHOOTER “Nonetheless, I am making myself fully available to the FBI and any other law enforcement agency that have questions,” he added. Herrera also mentioned that he is “coordinating with friends in law enforcement to see how my community and I can best support those families affected by this hateful and senseless act.” Authorities confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday that the suspected shooter who killed two school children during a Catholic mass in Minneapolis went by two names, Robin Westman and Robert Westman. Westman is accused of fatally shooting two children and injuring 17 others at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning. Police say Westman is deceased, likely of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. DNC ADJOURNS SUMMER MEETING AFTER NEARBY CATHOLIC SCHOOL SHOOTING A disturbing video posted by a person using the name Robin Westman was deleted from YouTube after the shooting, showing handwritten pages of a notebook, bullets, weapons with messages painted on them, and commentary from whoever filmed them. The authenticity of the clip has not been confirmed by authorities. During the video, the person filming commented, “Brandon Herrera for president. Yeah, I met Brandon Herrera at SHOT Show last year and he and I had a conversation, a brief conversation, we agreed on a lot of things, so y’all should vote for Brandon Herrera for president.” SHOT Show, which is an acronym for “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show,” is an annual trade show held in Las Vegas. Mark Oliva, a spokesperson for NSSF, which owns and operates SHOT Show, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that though Westman claimed to have attended SHOT Show, “NSSF has verified that the murderer’s name is not among any of the attendees at SHOT Show in 2024, or any year prior.” Oliva said that “only those registered are allowed entry into SHOT Show and the trade show is not open to the public.” WITNESS RECALLS HEARING ‘SPORADIC’ GUNFIRE DURING MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOL SHOOTING Herrera, who also goes by the moniker “TheAKGuy” on X, also responded to the tragedy on social media, saying, “I will not, nor will I ever say the name of the gutless coward who decided to take the lives of innocent people in Minneapolis today.” “My heart goes out to the family of those affected, but to the shooter, I have one thing to say in response. F— you. Burn in hell,” wrote Herrera.
Trump asks SCOTUS to uphold freeze on billions in USAID payments
Lawyers for the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on Tuesday night asking the justices to halt a lower court injunction and allow it to freeze billions in foreign aid spending previously allocated by Congress — kicking the issue of USAID funding back to the high court for the second time in roughly six months. At issue is nearly $12 billion in funding allocated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and owed by the end of the fiscal year in September. The majority of those funds were axed by President Donald Trump almost immediately after taking office, under the broader mantle of slashing foreign aid and eliminating so-called “waste, fraud, and abuse.” U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court in an emergency filing Tuesday that, absent intervention from the high court, the Trump administration would be forced to “rapidly obligate some $12 billion in foreign-aid funds” owed by September 30, or the end of the fiscal year. SCOTUS RULES ON NEARLY $2 BILLION IN FROZEN USAID PAYMENTS Those payments have been held up in court for months, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office in January seeking to block nearly all foreign aid spending, as part of his administration’s broader crackdown on waste, fraud, and abuse. That order was blocked by a federal judge in D.C. earlier this year. That judge, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, ordered the Trump administration to resume payments on billions of dollars in funding for USAID projects that were previously approved by Congress. That order was overturned this month by the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which ruled 2-1 to vacate the lower court injunction. TRUMP TEMPORARILY THWARTED IN DOGE MISSION TO END USAID The appeals court partly vacated Judge Ali’s injunction, rejecting a request from foreign aid groups that had sought to restore the grant payments. The 2-1 majority also ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show Trump had acted “plainly” in excess of his executive branch authorities. Writing for the majority, Judge Karen L. Henderson, a President George H.W. Bush appointee, said that the plaintiffs lacked the proper cause of action to sue the Trump administration over its decision to withhold the funds, or what is known as impoundment. But the appeals court has not yet issued a mandate to enforce that ruling — meaning that, for now, the judge’s order, and the payment schedule he previously laid out — remains in place. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS Sauer argued in the emergency Supreme Court appeal that the foreign aid groups, which sued the Trump administration this year in order to claw back some of the grant money, have no legal authority to challenge the executive branch on the matter, which is technically under the legal jurisdiction of the Impoundment Control Act. “Congress did not upset the delicate interbranch balance by allowing for unlimited, unconstrained private suits,” Sauer wrote. “Any lingering dispute about the proper disposition of funds that the President seeks to rescind shortly before they expire should be left to the political branches, not effectively prejudged by the district court.” Plaintiffs, for their part, have argued that the executive branch lacks the authority to unilaterally withhold already-appropriated funds, under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), as well as the Administrative Procedure Act. The Supreme Court previously ruled 5-4.
Chicago Teamsters, backed by mayor, want ICE blocked without warrants in strike fight
A Chicago Teamsters local is demanding a packaging company refuse to allow federal immigration enforcement on its property without warrants as a top tenet of its overall demands. The workers are seeking assurances from Mauser Packaging Solutions that it will require ICE to display a warrant signed by a judge before it is allowed on the property. The strike at Mauser’s plant in the heavily Hispanic “Little Village” neighborhood has lasted more than two months, and the Teamsters Local 705 negotiator recently refused the factory’s latest offer, according to multiple reports. About 140 people work at the plant, which reconditions metal barrels for chemical storage, and a plurality are Latino, according to the American Prospect. CHICAGO MAYOR CONCLUDES COUNCIL-DEMANDED PROBE OF CITY POLICE’S ROLE DURING RECENT ICE RAID One striking worker told the outlet that he and others are concerned that ICE may target them on a racial basis even if they are able to prove legal residency. The Prospect reported the strike began over a separate issue — allegations of employee surveillance during discussions with union representatives amid contract bargaining. The Illinois-based global company’s striking workers also collected a big-name voice in their court during that time: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. Johnson, a former teachers’ union figure, is familiar with similar situations and also agreed with the union’s aversion to federal law enforcement. CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS ICE RAIDS ‘TERRORISM,’ SAYS TRUMP’S AMERICA APPEARS AS IF ‘THE CONFEDERACY WOULD HAVE WON’ “This union and this strike is leading the way to ensure that this country knows that workers run this country,” Johnson said while rallying with strikers earlier this month. He said Mauser’s workers have the right to seek livable wages and environs “at a time in which we have a federal government coming after workers, immigrants, Brown and Black people,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Johnson demanded workers get protections to ensure “ICE agents do not get to run amok [or] create fear and come in and disrupt and destabilize our communities and workplaces, whether you are at work, school, church or the barbershop.” He noted that Chicago is a “welcoming city,” a term increasing in popularity among Democratic leaders due to the political stigma now associated with “sanctuary cities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In his remarks, Johnson also once again referred to President Donald Trump as a “dictator.” Updated figures from Chicago’s official crime dashboard now show 266 homicides this year, averaging more than one a day. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and the Teamsters for comment. Mauser Packaging Solutions communications director Kimberly Braam told Fox News Digital later Wednesday the company “is aware of the concerns raised by members of Teamsters Local 705. We are committed to negotiating a fair and sustainable collective agreement with employees.” When asked about the union’s demands, a DHS spokesperson criticized Johnson, saying he and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “stand with criminal illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens.” The spokesperson also said “shameful rhetoric” against ICE has “fueled a culture of hate against law enforcement resulting in a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them.” Fox News Digital’s Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
Socialist candidate Mamdani meets with NY Dems as they withhold endorsements
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., on Tuesday, as New York Democrats continue to withhold their endorsements ahead of the November election. “Zohran joined Congresswoman Clarke and Congressman Jeffries today to meet with Black clergy leaders from across central Brooklyn,” Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec told Fox News. Jeffries and Clarke are among the Democratic leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, who have yet to endorse Mamdani following his primary win in June. “They engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on a number of issues, including the urgent affordability crisis and the exodus of Black New Yorkers from the five boroughs—and Zohran shared his agenda to make sure every New Yorker can afford to continue to call this city home and live a life of dignity,” Mamdani’s campaign said. JEFFRIES DECLINES TO ENDORSE MAMDANI, SAYS THEY WILL MEET AFTER UGANDA TRIP Tuesday’s meeting was held at a church in Beford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, which is in the heart of Jeffries’ congressional district. Clarke, who also represents parts of Brooklyn, is chair of the Black Congressional Caucus. JEFFRIES GIVES ANSWER FOR NOT YET ENDORSING MAMDANI FOR NYC MAYOR “I think there was a very meaningful exchange,” Clarke told NY1 after the meeting. “Assemblyman Mamdani has a platform that he’s been running on, and they wanted to know how that’s applicable to the communities they reside in.” Clarke said the pastors “wanted an intimate setting where they could really speak to their lived experiences, the lived experiences of their congregants.” She told the same outlet last month that she wanted to ask Mamdani about his past refusal to condemn the term “globalize the intifada,” a term he has since said he would discourage others from using. “I think that it’s best that I have this conversation so that my credibility among my constituents is, you know, intact,” she told NY1, referencing the large Jewish community in her Brooklyn district. Jeffries met with Mamdani earlier this summer, but the House minority leader has stopped short of endorsing the self-described democratic socialist candidate. Jeffries confirmed to CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday his plan to meet with Mamdani this week, while reiterating that his first meeting with Mamdani in July was “very candid and constructive and community-centered.” “I don’t think we’ve withheld an endorsement,” Jeffries said. “We are engaging in a conversation about the future of New York City, about the issues that need to be addressed.” While both Democrats stopped short of endorsing Mamdani after their meeting on Tuesday, other New York Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler and Adriano Espaillat have thrown their political weight behind the 33-year-old candidate. Mamdani also traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this summer, where the mayoral hopeful and Ocasio-Cortez hosted a breakfast with national Democrats. Mamdani met with several progressive leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, an early endorser of his campaign. Still, New York Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi, Dan Goldman, Gregory Meeks, Ritchie Torres, George Latimer and Grace Meng have yet to endorse Mamdani. Fox News Digital reached out to Jeffries and Clarke for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump, House GOP allies eye pathways to extend White House crime crackdown in DC
President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are working to solidify his grip on Washington, D.C. A leadership aide told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that House Republicans are working with the White House on a package of bills “to fix the many problems with D.C. governance and crime.” Trump all but confirmed the effort in a late-night Truth Social post at midnight on Wednesday stating that House and Senate leaders “are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill.” “It’s what our country needs, and NOW! More to follow,” Trump posted. GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS Meanwhile, House GOP Trump allies have been working on various measures to extend the president’s grip on D.C.’s police, which another source told Fox News Digital the White House was keeping track of. Under The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, which, among other measures, established a local government for the nation’s capital, the president is allowed to federalize D.C.’s police force for a period of 48 hours, though it can extend to 30 days with notification to the relevant congressional committees. Any longer period must be authorized via a resolution passed in the House and Senate – several of which have already been offered while lawmakers are back on their home turfs for the annual August recess. The act does not limit how long Trump can deploy federal forces into the capital for, however – which he has also done. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., was first to announce he was working on a bill “to amend the D.C. Home Rule Act, so the president can extend this emergency as long as it takes, until our Capitol is taken back, and its streets are safe” on Aug. 13. He told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that House GOP leadership seemed positive about his bill. “I sent it to [House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.] after we drafted it,” Ogles said. “He liked the proposal, so when we get back, we’ll sort through the various ideas and approaches and see which one is best. Obviously, I’ll advocate for mine, but…whatever keeps the people safe.” Ogles pointed out that his bill, while getting rid of the 30-day limit, also requires the White House to notify Congress every 30 days about the basis for continuing federalization of D.C.’s police because “we still have a Constitution that we need to abide by.” Scalise’s office did not address Ogles’ bill when reached by Fox News Digital. Others, like Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., have introduced similar bills. “I think that there’s plenty of support for my bill, or a version of it,” Luna told Fox News Digital. “The fact is, is that, you know, we do have home rule. It’s well within our right and authority. And frankly, we’re doing it not just for us, but also for the actual civilians in the Washington, D.C., area.” Luna’s bill, like Ogles’, would extend Trump’s ability to federalize D.C. police for as long a period as the president deems necessary. GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE PUSHES REDISTRICTING TO OUST STATE’S LONE HOUSE DEM Biggs’ bill would extend Trump’s hold on D.C. police for a period of six months. Because D.C. is a federal district, and not a state, Congress and the federal government are able to exercise significant amounts of control over various aspects of how it’s run. The White House and Trump allies have touted a significant decrease in homicides in D.C. since Trump took over policing in the city, while signaling that other U.S. cities could soon see federal government intervention to deal with crime as well. Opponents of the move, largely Democrats, have accused the Trump administration of ripping autonomy away from those who live in the nation’s capital. A White House official told Fox News Digital when asked for more information, “Efforts to address some of the underlying causes of the DC crime problem will be a topic of sustained focus for the administration, as well as other issues, such as maintenance, transportation and beautification.” “That includes working with all levels of government, executive branch, legislative branch, and Washington, DC, to ensure that the capital city of the greatest nation on earth is the envy of the world,” the official said.
Top California Republican drops ‘two-state solution’ to combat Newsom’s redistricting
The top Republican in the State Assembly will announce Wednesday a new bill to split California into two new states along a north-south line as a response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mid-decennial redistricting effort, Fox News Digital has learned. Assemblyman James Gallagher’s plan, laid out in what will be filed as AJR-23, would create a new state featuring its liberal coast and another uniting California’s conservative inland counties. Gallagher, R-Yuba City, dubbed the move a “two-state solution” – a term more identified with territorial clashes in the Middle East – to Newsom’s own clash with Republicans, which is the governor’s reply to Texas’ redistricting efforts. “The people of inland California have been overlooked for too long. It’s time for a two-state solution,” Gallagher said. Gallagher’s resolution responds to Sacramento’s attempt to permanently redraw California’s congressional maps – an act he says would silence rural voices and rig the political system forever. DEMS WANTED TO DRAW EVERY REPUBLICAN OUT OF MARYLAND BUT NOW LAMBAST TEXAS REDISTRICTING While the political power of California’s overall current landmass would be diminished, the new “Inland” California would be one of the largest states by population in the nation, and reliably right-leaning. Following a series of county lines generally slightly west of Interstate 5 – which runs the 800-mile height of the state – the new coastal state would retain many notably left-wing communities like San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and Sonoma. It would also include the relatively center-right Orange County, as well as San Diego County, where the state’s Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones hails from. Jones said earlier this month that Newsom wasn’t elected “to play gerrymandering games to boost his presidential campaign, [but] to solve problems here at home.” Fox News Digital reached out to Jones, Newsom and Gallagher, for comment. Gallagher’s home county – Sutter, located north of Sacramento – would fall in the new conservative inland state. It would also include right-leaning Truckee – where Interstate 80 crosses the Sierras – along with Kern County, where former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., hails from. San Bernardino, Riverside and Imperial counties – which today make up what is similarly called the “Inland Empire” – would also fall in the new state. The 17 coastal counties would together create a state of 29.5 million people while the inland state would be home to 10 million, according to the Manteca Bulletin. MEXICAN IMMIGRANT-TURNED-CONGRESSWOMAN BLASTS DEM CLAIMS TEXAS REDISTRICTING HURTS LATINO VOTE Texas would become the nation’s most populous state, edging out Coastal California by about 1.5 million, while Inland California would become the 11th most populous state – fitting in between Michigan and New Jersey. Gallagher has lambasted what he calls Newsom’s “mid-decade power grab” as a “mockery of democracy.” “Don’t p— on my boots and tell me it’s raining. These are rigged maps, drawn in secret to give Democrat politicians more power by dismantling the independent commission Californians created to keep them out of map-drawing,” he said in a statement earlier this month. His comments came after Newsom approved the Democrats’ plan to place a resolution on the November ballot allowing the state to circumvent its semi-independent redistricting board. “Californians should choose their representatives, not the other way around,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP State Sen. Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks, is the top Republican on the elections committee. Niello said earlier this month that Democrats only recently found interest in redrawing the congressional maps – sharing several examples of liberal lawmakers verbally opposing redistricting as recently as July. “In just a few weeks, a mysterious case of collective and selective amnesia seems to have set in. Let’s rewind the tape and hear them in their own words,” Niello said. Gallagher is expected to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. PT in Sacramento to further discuss his plan.
Jack Smith’s lawyers blast Hatch Act probe as ‘imaginary and unfounded’
Former special counsel Jack Smith responded through his lawyers on Tuesday to news that a government watchdog had opened an investigation into his two prosecutions of President Donald Trump, calling the inquiry baseless. Smith’s attorneys at Covington & Burling wrote in a letter obtained by Fox News to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that the predicate for its investigation was “imaginary and unfounded” and that Smith followed all the Department of Justice’s rules and principles in his work. “Mr. Smith’s actions as Special Counsel were consistent with the decisions of a prosecutor who has devoted his career to following the facts and the law, without fear or favor and without regard for the political consequences, not because of them,” his attorneys wrote. EX-TRUMP PROSECUTOR JACK SMITH UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL The Office of Special Counsel is an independent agency unrelated to the DOJ or the special counsels, such as Smith, who have worked there. The OSC, which functions as a watchdog, handles complaints from government whistleblowers and investigates Hatch Act violations by federal employees. It can impose administrative punishments for wrongdoing, including fines or termination from government work. Fox News confirmed this month that the OSC was investigating Smith under the Hatch Act, which bars certain government employees from engaging in political campaign work while on the job. The OSC’s investigation came after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., demanded in a letter to the OSC that it look into instances of Smith seeking to expedite Trump’s prosecutions. “Many of Smith’s legal actions seem to have no rationale except for an attempt to affect the 2024 election results—actions that would violate federal law,” Cotton wrote. TOP GOP SENATOR DEMANDS PROBE INTO WHETHER JACK SMITH ‘UNLAWFULLY’ TRIED TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION Smith spent about two years investigating and prosecuting Trump during the Biden administration. He brought two indictments against Trump, one alleging he violated the Espionage Act by mishandling national defense information and another alleging he attempted to subvert the 2020 election. Smith dismissed both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, a move that aligned with longstanding DOJ policy about prosecuting sitting presidents. Smith’s attorneys wrote that the actions Cotton cited in his letter, including asking courts to move the proceedings along and to give him permission to file longer briefs, were “unremarkable,” standard for a prosecutor and subject to court approval. “This investigation is premised on a partisan complaint that suggests the ordinary operation of the criminal justice system should be disrupted by the whims of a political contest,” Smith’s attorneys wrote. The letter was addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who is serving as the acting head of the Office of Special Counsel while Trump’s nominee for the role faces roadblocks to Senate confirmation. The attorneys asked Greer to reach out to them directly before taking any further steps to investigate Smith so that his findings, if any, could be “fully informed by the record.” Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.