Trump calls for federal AI standards, end to state ‘patchwork’ regulations ‘threatening’ economic growth
President Donald Trump has demanded an end to excessive state-level regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and warned that state rules will end up threatening the U.S. economy. In a post shared to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump also slammed “Woke AI” and referred to a “patchwork” of state regulations in the AI space. “Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World,” Trump wrote. “But overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Major Growth Engine. Some States are even trying to embed DEI ideology into AI models, producing ‘Woke AI’ (Remember Black George Washington?). We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE Trump made his comments as House Republican leaders signaled they may try to include AI preemption language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act. This would block states from bringing in their own AI rules and protections. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said Monday that GOP leaders are considering the measure to prevent what he called “regulatory chaos” as states advance their own rules. Trump’s push for a unified national framework is in line with his broader “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” Under executive orders issued in July, federal agencies must avoid procuring AI systems that “sacrifice truthfulness and accuracy to ideological agendas,” adhere to “Unbiased AI Principles” and support the fight against AI-generated deepfakes through the “Take It Down Act.” AMERICA’S SECRET WEAPON TO CRUSH CHINA IN THE GLOBAL AI RACE Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s stance at February’s Artificial Intelligence Action Summit. “We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it’s taking off,” Vance said. Not all Republicans are on board. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a post to X Tuesday and warned that overriding state authority would serve as a “subsidy to Big Tech” and “prevent states from protecting against online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources.” MEET THE EX-BIDEN APPOINTEE WHO COULD BE MAJOR FORCE AGAINST TRUMP’S AI AGENDA: ‘DOOMSAYER’ Trump’s Truth Social post also came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman committed during Tuesday’s visit to the White House to increasing his planned investment in the U.S. economy to nearly $1 trillion over the next year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., raised concerns Tuesday about the government’s potential use of taxpayer funds to support OpenAI and other AI firms. “OpenAI’s actions suggest that it may be pursuing a deliberate strategy to entangle itself with the federal government and the broader economy, so the government has no choice but to step in with public funds,” she said in a letter. “We have seen this before: take on enough debt, make enough risky bets, and then demand a taxpayer bailout when those bets go south, so the economy does not crash.”
Six Democrats urge military members to ‘refuse illegal orders’ in viral video; Hegseth responds
A group of Democrat lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds released a video Tuesday urging service members to “refuse illegal orders,” a message conservatives blasted as a call to defy President Donald Trump and his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The one-minute video, posted by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and viewed more than 1.6 million times, features six lawmakers invoking their prior service while telling members of the military and intelligence community that “the threats to our Constitution are coming from right here at home.” Slotkin and her colleagues have spent recent weeks introducing legislation to limit President Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard members domestically or launch military action against narcoterrorists without congressional approval. None of that context appears in the video, titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which instead frames the appeal as a warning to military members to “stand up for our laws” and “refuse unlawful orders.” MILITARY VETERANS IN CONGRESS CLASH OVER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AS TROOPS FACE MISSED PAYCHECKS Conservative accounts countered the viral clip, citing military law and interpreting the call to action as an alleged appeal to commit treason against the United States. “Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and defy orders from Trump and Hegseth,” wrote the conservative account Libs of TikTok. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added: “At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene. Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish.” PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL MEMBER CALLS ON NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO DEFY DEPLOYMENT ORDERS The Department of War directed Fox News Digital to Hegseth’s response, which simply read, “Stage 4 TDS,” referring to “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Slotkin’s “No Troops in Our Streets Act,” detailed in a Nov. 13 release, would give Congress the power to block National Guard deployments inside American cities. President Trump has expanded National Guard operations to Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago amid violent crime. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., simultaneously introduced a War Powers Continuing Resolution on Tuesday to block the president from ordering strikes on drug traffickers in the Caribbean—actions Crow described in a release as “unauthorized and illegal.” AS ‘SQUAD’ TURNS ASSIMILATION INTO ‘DIRTY WORD,’ EXPERT URGES US LEADERS TO RENOUNCE FOREIGN LOYALTIES Both Democrats argue their bills are about asserting congressional authority, not politics. The viral video shared Tuesday, set to triumphant music, does not explicitly mention either piece of legislation. Lawmakers appearing in the video include Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow. Several recite a version of the line: “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” The branches and agencies represented among the lawmakers include the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency. “Some in the administration and media are actively working to distort that message into something dark or divisive,” Houlahan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing more patriotic, nothing more stabilizing and nothing more true to the rule of law than reminding our military of their constitutional obligations and reassuring them that, if they are ever given an unlawful order, they do not have to carry it out.” “‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ is not a slogan of rebellion—it is a historic naval motto that has always stood for steadfastness, duty and loyalty to country. That is the backbone of American civil-military tradition,” she added. The video follows a 43-day government shutdown during which American troops continued receiving pay under the Trump administration. The White House, Slotkin, Kelly, Deluzio, Goodlander and Crow did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s father says he will keep ‘arm’s length’ from son’s upcoming administration
Zohran Mamdani’s father, Mahmood, will keep a distance from his son’s incoming administration, according to a new interview with the Ugandan-born academic released Tuesday. The 79-year-old professor spoke to The Guardian U.S. in the wake of his Democratic socialist son’s decisive mayoral election victory in New York City, where he is set to be sworn in as the new mayor Jan. 1. “As to how I will relate to Zohran’s administration, I think initially, at least, both Mira and I will have the relationship we did during the campaign, which is to stay at arm’s length, but always be available,” the elder Mamdani told the outlet. RESURFACED CLIP OF MAMDANI’S FATHER COMPARING ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO HITLER SPARKS VIRAL OUTRAGE: ‘WHAT A JOKE’ “Always be available for discussion, for sharing our point of view, but not mistaking ourselves for being him,” he added. Mahmood Mamdani, who is a professor of government and anthropology at Columbia University and director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) in Uganda, has also been promoting his new book, “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State.” The work is described as a re-examination of Idi Amin’s Ugandan dictatorship. SOCIALIST SHOCKWAVE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI STUNS NYC AS VOTERS HAND POWER TO DEMOCRATS’ FAR-LEFT FLANK Speaking during The Guardian interview about political power, Mahmood Mamdani also said, “I don’t believe one should just stay away from power, but I don’t think we should embrace it. “Power is a fatal thing for intellectuals. It corrupts intellectuals. I’ve seen many, many, many a friend get corrupted in the process.” Born in India and raised in Uganda, Mahmood Mamdani was expelled in 1972 under Idi Amin’s decree targeting citizens of South Asian descent. He later became a U.S.-based academic and went on to teach at several leading universities. UNEARTHED MAMDANI COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WRITINGS PROMOTE ANTI-ISRAEL BOYCOTT, RAIL AGAINST ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ Married to filmmaker Mira Nair since 1991, the two met while she was shooting “Mississippi Masala” in Uganda. Zohran was born in 1991, and went on to become a community organizer and New York State assemblymember representing Astoria, Queens. In the weeks leading up to Zohran’s New York City mayoral campaign, controversy surrounding Mahmood Mamdani surfaced after a video of him discussing America’s influence on global settler colonialism went viral. The clip, viewed more than 10 million times, featured him asserting in a 2022 panel discussion that the U.S. served as a model for subsequent settler-colonial projects, including those of Nazi Germany, Fox News Digital reported in July. Also, Mahmood Mamdani’s 2004 book, “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” that was reportedly dedicated to “Zohran and his mates” included a line arguing that suicide bombing “needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for comment. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: House votes to release Epstein files
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 judges block Texas from using redrawn congressional map -Democrat found texting Jeffrey Epstein faces House censure, committee removal threats –Blue school district hit with federal complaint alleging it ‘sidestepped’ law depriving parent of transparency The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. It was the product of a months-long pressure campaign by Democrats and the bill’s leaders, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Several of Epstein’s survivors were present in the House chamber during the vote as well and appeared to erupt in cheers when the resolution passed. All but one House lawmaker present in the chamber voted in favor of the bill, which passed 427 to 1. The lone “no” vote was Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who posted on X shortly thereafter to explain his decision…READ MORE. DC REDUX: Power stripped from Education Department in latest Trump move to dismantle it ‘GET IT DONE, NOW’: Trump takes aim at ‘BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES,’ declares the ‘ONLY HEALTHCARE’ he’ll greenlight BIG-DOLLAR DEAL: Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman hikes committed US investment to nearly $1T ‘COMING TO RALEIGH’: Trump immigration enforcement focus to expand to new city, mayor indicates BROADCAST BRAWL: Trump erupts on ABC reporter over Epstein questions, suggests yanking network license BEIJING ON NOTICE: New Arctic discovery could deal massive blow to Chinese dominance of rare earth mineral DOOR SLAMMED SHUT: Ex-officials could get lifetime bans from lobbying for China, Russia under new bipartisan push FAITH UNDER SIEGE: US Ambassador Michael Waltz declares atrocities against Christians in Nigeria ‘genocide’ ICE COLD DEFENSE: Noem announces Arctic defense pact with Canada, Finland to counter rival powers DEMS IN DISARRAY: House Dems defy Jeffries, vote to rebuke progressive over controversial election move NO ESCAPE: Schumer says he’ll move to pass Epstein bill ‘immediately’ in Senate ‘REAL RECKONING’: Khanna, Massie, Greene urge Senate to pass Epstein bill unchanged, warn of ‘reckoning’ CRISIS WARNING: Lawmakers warned PennDOT of illegal immigrant-CDL crisis before bust; GOP demands answers from Shapiro DEMS RESIST RAIDS: North Carolina Democrats fall silent after ICE arrests dozens with violent records ‘RADICAL EXTREMISTS’: Texas Gov Abbott declares CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups, preventing land purchases Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Former Obama staffer, ex-congressman among candidates in crowded Democrat primary for Mikie Sherrill’s seat
As Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., prepares to resign her congressional seat, a crowded Democrat primary stable has emerged with nearly a dozen hopefuls ranging from moderate establishment types to far-left candidates. Sherrill, who represents New Jersey’s 11th District in the House of Representatives, was elected Governor of the Garden State during this most recent Election Day’s Democrat sweep seen across blue states and cities nationwide. Her resignation, as of yet unscheduled, will trigger a special election for the House seat. 11 candidates have expressed interest in the race, including former Obama administration staffer Cammie Croft, former House Rep. Tom Malinowski, and Governor Murphy-endorsed Brendan Gill, his former campaign manager. Cammie Croft called on Governor Murphy in a statement released just days after Sherrill won the governorship to set up a date for the special election. FORMER HOUSE DEMOCRAT TARGETS TRUMP IN BID FOR POLITICAL COMEBACK “In these extraordinary times, New Jersey’s 11th District deserves representation in Washington — not weeks or months of uncertainty,” said Croft. “Just like the Governor-elect has in Congress, the residents of this district need someone in Washington fighting like heck to bring down the cost of groceries, energy, and healthcare and rein in the Trump administration’s abusive and corrupt policies.” According to FEC filings, Croft has $176,000 cash-on-hand by the September 30 filing date. In those same filings, Morris Township mayor and candidate Jeff Grayzel has over $310,000 cash-on-hand. “I am 100% in the race,” Grayzel told the New Jersey Globe. “My full intention is to run for the seat should Mikie win the election, as many believe she will. The timeline for a special election in early 2026 is already very short, and planning for this kind of race takes time.” DEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP Former House Rep. Tom Malinowski has also thrown his proverbial hat in the ring and is especially active on social media. While not currently residing in NJ-11, Malinowski has pledged to move in-district should he win the special, according to reporting from the Washington Examiner. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., has endorsed Tom Malinowski via X in a video posted on Nov. 17. “I’m happy to endorse Tom Malinowski for Congress! I’ve known Tom for over 12 yrs, far longer than anyone else I know in Jersey politics, when we worked under President Obama,” the senator wrote. “Politics right now needs courage. People able to stand against the pressures of politics and special interests. @Malinowski has shown that in his actions.” Malinowski, a former House Rep. for New Jersey’s seventh District, lost his seat when the area was redistricted to include much of NJ-11. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR HOPEFUL ATTENDS ‘NO KINGS’ PROTEST, VOWS TO FIGHT TRUMP ‘TOOTH AND NAIL’ The former Rep. all but asked for Sherrill’s endorsement in a campaign video posted to X earlier this month announcing his run. “I’m running for Congress again to pick up where my friend Mikie Sherrill left off,” Malinowski said in the video. Governor-elect Sherrill’s office did not offer comment to Fox News Digital on any plans to endorse Malinowski or any other candidate. Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill has the endorsement of over 60 Democrats in-county according to reporting from the New Jersey Globe and enters a crowded field as a well-established party operative. “I’m running for Congress because our president, enabled by bootlickers in Congress and Wall Street, is wreaking havoc on our streets, hollowing out our economy, tearing down our American values. I’m running to fight back against Donald Trump and his crooked buddies, and to make sure that everyone has a place at the table,” Gill stated in a campaign video. John Bartlett, the only other candidate with a sizeable war chest according to FEC filings, still had around $200,000 left over from his 2018 House run, which was unsuccessful at the time. He currently serves as a commissioner in Passaic County. The FEC also notes Democrat candidates Anna Lee Williams, Justin Strickland, and Marc Chaaban. There is only one Republican listed in the race in the FEC filings, Joe Hathaway, mayor of Randolph Township. “Thank you, New Jersey,” Governor-elect Sherrill wrote in a post on Nov. 12. “Next week, I intend to submit my resignation in order to serve as your 57th governor.” “To my House colleagues: Do not become a rubber stamp for an agenda to take food and healthcare away from kids. To the country: Stand strong. Don’t give up the ship,” Sherrill concluded. Sherrill won the District in 2024 with a healthy lead, receiving 56.34% of the vote, according to the New Jersey State Board of Elections. The Cook Political Report has designated New Jersey 11 as “Solid D.” The primary does not yet have a set date. The office of Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden’s Saudi fist bump drew heat in 2022 — Trump just rolled out the red carpet
President Donald Trump made a point to shake the hand of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House Tuesday in a warm welcome — in contrast to former President Joe Biden, who came under scrutiny for fist-bumping the Saudi prince in 2022. Biden’s fist bump occurred during a trip to Saudi Arabia in July 2022, and attracted criticism due to U.S. intelligence reports that indicated that bin Salman signed off on the 2018 assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But when bin Salman arrived at the White House Tuesday, Trump indicated that the Saudi prince deserved a more formal greeting. “And Trump doesn’t give a fist pump. I grab that hand,” Trump told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t give a hell where that hand’s been, I grab that hand. Remember Biden? He travels for 20 hours, he gets out and he gives a fist bump. No. When you get out of the plane and you got the future king and the man who is one of the most respected people in the world, you shake his hand, you don’t give him a fist bump, right?” TRUMP, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN TO MEET AT WHITE HOUSE AMID DIPLOMATIC SHIFTS IN REGION “We don’t want to ask you about that,” Trump said, referencing bin Salman. “But I can’t imagine you were thrilled.” The Saudi leader’s arrival Tuesday came with full pageantry. A red carpet rolled across the South Lawn, military honor guard and an Air Force flyover underscored the formal state-level welcome. Biden’s 2022 fist bump with bin Salman occurred as he stepped out of a vehicle outside the Al Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Afterward, Biden brushed off questions about the interaction from reporters, but told them he suggested to bin Salman that he believed the crown prince was “responsible” for Khashoggi’s death. The exchange prompted former Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan to characterize the gesture as more offensive than a handshake. 9/11 FAMILIES URGE TRUMP TO PRESS SAUDIS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AHEAD OF MBS VISIT TO DC: ‘OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE’ “The fist bump between President Biden and Mohammed bin Salman was worse than a handshake — it was shameful,” Ryan said in a statement. “It projected a level of intimacy and comfort that delivers to MBS the unwarranted redemption he has been desperately seeking.” More than a year later, in September 2023, Biden shook hands with bin Salman when they met in person at the G20 global economic summit in New Delhi. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in 2021 that bin Salman gave the green light on the operation that took Khashoggi’s life. Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident, was brutally murdered in Istanbul at the Saudi consulate in 2018. Still, bin Salman has denied the veracity of those reports. When asked Tuesday about Khashoggi, bin Salman said that it’s “painful” to hear of the death of anyone for “no real purpose,” and said that “we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.” Trump also came to defend bin Salman Tuesday, and accused a reporter who asked about U.S. intelligence reports linking the prince to Khashoggi’s death of embarrassing bin Salman. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about,” Trump said Tuesday. “Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment and has not yet received a reply.
Trump admin pours $1B into massive effort to restart nuclear reactor at historic meltdown site
Three Mile Island is getting a jolt back to life, courtesy of a $1 billion Trump administration loan to restart its nuclear reactor. The Department of Energy announced Tuesday a cash infusion in the form of a $1 billion loan to Baltimore-based Constellation Energy to restart a nuclear reactor at the site that has the potential to better secure the Mid-Atlantic grid and power as many as 800,000 homes on renewable power. The Three Mile Island site in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania melted down in 1979 when a loss-of-coolant malfunction released radioactive iodine, but one of the reactors remained operational for several years. “One of the biggest challenges American people have faced over the last several years has been the rising price of electricity … and when we arrived; the Trump administration; in town there were plans to close 100gW more of affordable, reliable, secure dispatchable electricity generation,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. ARMY’S NUCLEAR COMEBACK: SWEEPING NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO BREAK ‘TYRANNY OF FUEL’ AT BASES ACROSS THE GLOBE “We want to bring as much net addition of dispatchable, reliable electricity onto the grid to stop these price rises in electricity and increase American capacity to generate firm, reliable, electricity so we can reassure manufacturing in our country, and we can stay ahead in the AI race,” Wright said. While Reactor Unit Two has remained offline since its malfunction that March morning, Reactor Unit One kept running until the 2010s, when its owners shut it down, citing primarily economic reasons. Constellation Energy previously announced it had hoped to use the site in the future to power AI data centers after forging a deal with Microsoft. ‘WEB OF DARK MONEY’ TIED TO OBAMA, DEMS FUELS GREEN OPPOSITION TO CRUCIAL TRUMP ENERGY PLAN In July, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a public meeting at Penn State—Harrisburg to discuss reopening the facility, now called the Crane Clean Energy Center. Energy Department Loan Programs Office director Greg Beard told reporters Tuesday that a $1 billion loan has been extended to Constellation to restart what was Three Mile Island. Beard said the 800MW potential of the site is crucial to supporting regional power grid facilitator PJM with “stable, affordable baseload power.” TRUMP’S ENERGY PRICE PROMISE IS COMING DUE. HE HAS THE POWER TO SOLVE THE CRISIS Beard said the project could come to fruition as early as 2027. Wright said some of America’s biggest energy challenges come in terms of affordability with rising utility rates for the past several years. When Trump took office, he said, he reversed previously ongoing efforts to close up as much as 100gW of affordable and reliable energy through coal and gas, while adding several nuclear plants closed during the Biden years. The secretary called the Three Mile Island project “exactly what America needs” and proof the Trump administration is looking at an all-of-the-above approach to American energy dominance. Beard added there is an “active pipeline” of applications to his office for support for future nuclear, coal, oil, gas and critical minerals projects – and that his office is actively seeking and reviewing projects that can reinvigorate the energy supply chain. LIZ PEEK: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE FIRED UP ABOUT KING COAL’S RETURN TO POWER Constellation signed a 20-year lease agreement for the Three Mile Island site in late 2024, and renamed it after former CEO Christopher Crane. The effort to reopen the once-infamous site in the middle of the Susquehanna River upstream from Columbia and downstream from Lemoyne also has bipartisan support. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro previously called the state’s nuclear industry a key player in green energy. “[It provides] carbon-free electricity that helps reduce emissions and grow Pennsylvania’s economy,” he said.
North Carolina Democrats fall silent after ICE arrests dozens with violent records
Several North Carolina Democrats who criticized or opposed federal immigration authorities in Charlotte were largely silent when asked about the dozens of criminals arrested during the operation. U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino – who hails from Watauga County and attended Appalachian State University in Boone – returned to familiar soil and was seen on-the-ground in Charlotte after weeks in Chicago. By Monday, the Department of Homeland Security recorded 130 arrests of illegal immigrants, including at least 44 with violent criminal records ranging from aggravated assault to known gang activity, in its latest “worst of the worst” cache. CHARLOTTE PROMISES TO RESIST PENDING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION RAIDS: ‘CAMPAIGN OF TERROR’ One of the more pointed reactions to the raids came from North Carolina state Rep. Aisha Dew, D-Charlotte, who said Friday that “we do not need to have Border Patrol [here].” “As I’ve already said, I’m not quite sure what border we’re patrolling here,” Dew said at a press conference, while adding that the surrounding states – South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia – don’t pose any threats to the Old North State. “[Charlotte] is a safe city. Our crime rates have gone down since the previous year. This is just another something out of the playbook,” Dew said. Dew did not respond to a request for comment after the “worst of the worst” list came out. TRUMP IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT FOCUS TO EXPAND TO NEW CITY, MAYOR INDICATES Rep. Alma Adams, D-N.C., who represents most of Mecklenburg County and Charlotte, also slammed DHS’ operations on Thursday and pledged to stand up to “intimidation” of her district’s immigrant community. “I am extremely concerned about the deployment of U.S. Border Patrol and ICE agents to Charlotte,” Adams said in a statement. “Charlotte’s immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by and watch my constituents be intimidated or harassed,” she added, accusing ICE of using excessive force in prior raids in Los Angeles and Chicago, and threatening the well-being of communities they visit. “Those tactics and values have no place in the City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County,” Adams said. An Adams staffer answered the phone at her Washington office, but her office did not respond to an ensuing emailed inquiry. PROTESTERS SCREAM ‘GET THE F— OUT OF MY CITY!’ AT FEDERAL AGENTS DURING IMMIGRATION RAID Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles was also apprehensive of ICE’s arrival, writing in a joint statement with Mecklenburg County Chairman Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board President Stephanie Sneed that they hope not to see the same public violence as Los Angeles and elsewhere. “The expected [DHS] operations are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in our community,” Lyles, Jerrell and Sneed said. “Diversity makes us stronger. And with that belief, we are unwavering in our commitment to a safe and welcoming community where everyone can grow and thrive,” they added while saying it is important for residents to understand their rights and be aware of various organizations who may be able to help with “legal guidance” on immigration matters. Jerrell and Sneed did not respond to requests for comment after the “worst of the worst” announcement. When reached for comment, a representative for Lyles pointed Fox News Digital to a separate Tuesday morning statement. FEDERAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT SWEEPS CHARLOTTE MONTHS AFTER UKRAINIAN REFUGEE KILLING SHOCKED NATION “First and foremost, the rights and constitutional protections of every person in Charlotte—regardless of immigration status—must be upheld,” Lyles said. “Our city has a long-standing commitment to fairness, dignity, and justice. I am deeply concerned with many of the videos I’ve seen, and I urge all agencies operating here to conduct their work with respect for those values.” “To everyone in Charlotte who is feeling anxious or fearful: you are not alone. Your city stands with you. We will continue working with community leaders, legal advocates, and service providers to make sure that resources, information, and support remain available.” Lyles called on the city to meet the situation with “calm, compassion and a steadfast dedication to the rights and well-being of all who call Charlotte home.” The state’s top Democrat, Gov. Josh Stein, offered a more balanced response than some in his party, like Dew. CHARLOTTE RAID TARGETING CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LEADS TO 130 ARRESTS, INCLUDING MS-13 GANG MEMBER Stein said he is in regular contact with state and local law enforcement as the raids continue, and encouraged residents to follow the law and peacefully “bear witness to what you have seen.” “To the CBP — if you know we have violent criminals in Charlotte who are undocumented, we want them out, too,” Stein said. “Everyone wants to be safe in their homes, but the actions of too many federal agents are doing the opposite,” he claimed. Stein claimed some ICE agents are targeting residents based on skin color and said in one case a landscaper decorating a resident’s Christmas tree was detained. He said the federal immigration system is broken and blamed Congress for playing politics. Stein said he supports “strong borders” but also a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers. “Governor Stein believes that government’s top priority must be keeping people safe. He has long supported efforts to hold accountable and deport violent criminals and drug dealers,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The governor continues to urge CBP to target people based on the level of threat they pose, not their skin color.”
Trump turns up heat on fellow Republicans in push to redraw congressional maps ahead of midterms
President Donald Trump is amplifying his political targeting of Indiana Republicans who have been resisting calls from the president to move forward with congressional redistricting. Trump on Tuesday, for a third straight day, vowed to back primary challenges against state Republican lawmakers in the solidly red Midwestern state who didn’t support his push to draw new maps in Indiana, which would create another GOP-leaning congressional district. “A RINO State Senator, Rodric Bray, who doesn’t care about keeping the Majority in the House in D.C., is the primary problem. Soon, he will have a Primary Problem, as will any other politician who supports him in this stupidity,” Trump warned in a social media post. Despite pressure from Trump and his political team, Bray, the Republican leader in the state Senate, announced last week that there wasn’t enough support in the chamber to move forward with redistricting. Indiana is the latest battlefield in the high-stakes redistricting showdown pitting Trump and Republicans versus Democrats to shape the 2026 midterm landscape in the fight for the House majority. INDIANA REPUBLICANS REJECT TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH Republicans currently control seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts, and any new map passed by the GOP supermajority in the legislature would likely shift the state’s 1st Congressional District from blue-leaning to a red-leaning seat. Trump on Sunday lambasted Bray and another Republican state senator, calling for their ouster. The president returned to social media a day later, charging, “Because of these two politically correct type ‘gentlemen,’ and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL!” RULING BY RED STATE JUDGE REDISTRICTING SETBACK FOR REPUBLICANS Trump is twisting elbows in his attempt to make Indiana the latest Republican-controlled state to change their congressional maps. The president has called state lawmakers and Vice President JD Vance visited the state earlier this autumn to discuss redistricting. And Fox News has confirmed that Trump has invited some of the Indiana Republicans who are holding out against redistricting to White House meetings in the coming days. The news was first reported by Politico. Trump, in his Sunday post, also took a jab at Republican Gov. Mike Braun of Indiana, arguing that the governor “perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes.” Braun on Monday wrote on social media that “I just had a great call with President Trump! I told him I remain committed to standing with him on the critical issue of passing fair maps in Indiana to ensure the MAGA agenda is successful in Congress.” And the governor claimed that “the Indiana State Senate is hiding behind closed doors and refusing to even bring redistricting to a vote. Hoosiers deserve to know where their legislators stand and expect them to show up for work, not walk out and hide in the dark.” Trump on Tuesday called Braun “a good man,” but warned he “must produce on this, or he will be the only Governor, Republican or Democrat, who didn’t.” NEWSOM TAKES VICTORY LAP AFTER LANDSLIDE REDISTRICTING VICTORY IN CALIFORNIA The push by the president in Indiana is part of a broad effort by Trump’s political team and the GOP to pad the party’s razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in next year’s midterms, when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio have drawn new maps as part of the president’s push. And Florida and Kansas are also mulling redrawing their maps. “We must keep the Majority at all costs,” Trump wrote Monday. But on Tuesday, a three-judge federal panel delivered a blow to Trump and Republicans, by ruling that the state can’t use the newly drawn map in next year’s elections. Texas Republicans say they’ll appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting back. California voters two weeks ago overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot initiative which will temporarily sidetrack the left-leaning state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission and return the power to draw the congressional maps to the Democrat-dominated legislature. That is expected to result in five more Democratic-leaning congressional districts in California, which would counter the passage earlier this year in Texas of a new map that aims to create up to five right-leaning House seats. Illinois and Maryland, two blue states, and Virginia, where Democrats control the legislature, are also taking steps or seriously considering redistricting. And in a blow to Republicans, a Utah district judge last week rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
23 House Dems defy Jeffries, vote to rebuke progressive over controversial election move
Nearly two dozen House Democrats defied their party leaders’ wishes Tuesday to vote in favor of rebuking a progressive lawmaker for what critics called an unfair move to tip the scales in his district’s next election. The House voted to pass a resolution of disapproval against Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a measure that was led by one of his fellow Democrats — moderate Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. It passed in a 236 to 183 vote, with 23 Democrats voting with the GOP to rebuke García. Four lawmakers voted “present” — Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., and Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio. The Democrats who voted with Republicans include Reps. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., Sharice Davids, D-Kan., Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., Angie Craig, D-Minn., Kathy Castor, D-Fla., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., and Perez. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER DOUBLES DOWN ON FELLOW DEM, ACCUSING THEM OF ‘ELECTION SUBVERSION’ “I’m on the Ethics Committee — I just generally, for stuff that should be referred to the Ethics Committee, I voted present,” Subramanyam told Fox News Digital of his vote. Houlahan said, “I worry that we’re in an endless cycle of tit-for-tat. What [Garcia] did was not correct. But my choice was to say that this needed to be taken up in the Ethics Committee. That’s why I voted the way I voted, because I don’t want people to continue to bring up resolutions against each other for every single thing that happens.” Craig and Perez declined to elaborate on their votes. Perez had accused García of “undermining the process of a free and fair election” by abruptly changing course on his re-election bid hours before the filing deadline in his deep-blue Illinois district. Critics of the move said the timing ensured García’s chief of staff was the only person able to file to run instead. The division caused a political headache for House Democratic leadership, which opposed the resolution. House Democrats who voted in favor of rebuking García did so against the expressed wishes of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who said Monday that Americans were “focused on the high cost of living in the United States of America.” “I do not support the so-called resolution of disapproval, and I strongly support Congressman Chuy García. He’s been a progressive champion for disenfranchised communities for decades, including during his time in Congress. And he’s made life better for the American people,” Jeffries said. He released an additional statement on Tuesday morning alongside Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., urging opposition to the resolution. CHARLIE KIRK VOTE SPLITS DEMOCRATS, PROMPTING HYPOCRISY OUTCRY FROM HOUSE GOP: ‘AMERICANS WON’T FORGET’ “He is a good man who has always prioritized the people he represents, even while experiencing unthinkable family tragedy. We unequivocally oppose this misguided resolution and urge our colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus to reject it,” they wrote. García said his decision was due to health reasons for himself and his family, as well as a desire to spend more time with his grandchildren. Democrats’ bid to kill the measure failed on Monday night, with Perez and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, voting with Republicans to proceed with the vote. DEMOCRAT CIVIL WAR ERUPTS AFTER MODERATE ACCUSES PROGRESSIVE OF UNDERMINING ‘FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS’ Perez laid out her case during debate on the measure shortly thereafter. “I like Chuy García. I think his reasons for retiring are noble. We are not here to adjudicate the character of Chuy García. I’m asking the body to consider a set of facts laid before us tonight about how he chose his successor and deprived Americans the right to choose their elected representative,” she said. “One week before the filing deadline, Congressman Chuy García filed for re-election and submitted the necessary signatures for that petition. But three days before the filing deadline, he also began collecting signatures for his chief of staff, who shares his last name. Just hours before the filing deadline, Representative García’s chief of staff submitted the paperwork to run with at least 2,500 signatures attached to it, and Chuy García’s signature was the very first one listed in the petition.” During his own comments, García suggested his wife’s recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis was part of his decision to withdraw, while disputing other accusations against himself. “I filed to run for Congress because this work is more important than ever, and I wanted to deliver for my community and to be part, hopefully, of a new House majority next year. I followed the rules of Illinois and its election law … And contrary to claims that were made earlier today, I did not circulate any petitions that I was accused of circulating. I only circulated when I filed on the first day,” García said. “But as I looked ahead, I had to be honest about what the next term would demand and what my family needed. I saw the big picture — supporting my wife as we managed her illness, taking better care of my own health and being present for the grandson that we just adopted two weeks ago. It was a tough decision, but I made that choice.”