Social media erupts after illegal immigrant screams during viral DC arrest: ‘What I voted for’
Social media erupted on Wednesday and Thursday after an illegal immigrant was arrested in Washington, D.C., on child sex crime charges in a video that’s gone viral. Mexican national David Perez-Teofani exited his vehicle when officers approached him, and he was tackled when he tried to make a break for it, according to the video from an NBC Washington reporter. In the video, he’s heard yelling in Spanish while being held on the ground. ICE LODGES DETAINER AGAINST ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING, SEXUALLY ASSAULTING NEIGHBOR IN TEXAS Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin explained what happened, saying the individual allegedly entered the country illegally three times, had a final order of removal and was arrested in Fairfax County in January. “Yes this illegal alien from Mexico was previously arrested in January 2024 in Fairfax County for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13. Glad he is off of Washington DC’s streets thanks to [President] Trump, [Noem] and [ICE],” she posted to X. The video made rounds on the app with a wide range of reactions. “Turns out he IS a criminal…,” actor Dean Cain, who recently announced he’s joining ICE, posted on X. DHS SCOOPS UP TRANS ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH HEINOUS CRIME ON CHILD IN SANCTUARY CITY: ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ “Are we supposed to be offended by this? He entered the country illegally three times. When he tried to flee, he was subdued with reasonable force. Seems like textbook law enforcement,” lawyer Matt Martens wrote. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Every time,” lawyer Payton Alexander posted with an image showing the charges. “He’s an illegal alien from Mexico who was previously arrested in January 2024 in Fairfax County for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13. So yes, this is what I voted for,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson wrote. DHS ARRESTS FIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF SERIOUS CRIMES, INCLUDING MURDER AND CHILD ABUSE On the flip side, others expressed concerns with the clip, perhaps before knowing the additional context. “Also curious on what grounds they approached him in the first place,” one user wrote. “Fascism is here, folks. We have arrived. This is no longer a cautionary tale or a fate we can avoid. We are a fascist state,” “On Democracy” podcast host Fred Wellman wrote. “I do wonder how the images of people screaming and crying out that they just want to work and take care of their families, while being tackled and dragged away by masked men comport with anybody’s vision of a safer city. Unusual times,” another user posted. Many of the arrests in the nation’s capital have been immigration-related since the federal takeover was announced earlier this month. “We’ve now made a total of 630 arrests and seized 86 illegal guns in DC. 53 arrests were made yesterday, plus 24 ICE arrests and 10 guns taken off the streets. Our incredible [U.S. Marshals Service] even helped recover a missing child. Our mission to make DC safe again isn’t slowing down,” Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted on Thursday.
Federal judge rules Trump appointee Alina Habba is unlawfully serving as US attorney
A judge on Thursday found that Alina Habba was unlawfully serving in the role of acting U.S. attorney of New Jersey after President Donald Trump sidestepped typical processes to keep her in charge. Judge Matthew Brann said Habba has not been the rightful temporary U.S. attorney for New Jersey since July 1, a ruling that follows two criminal defendants in New Jersey challenging her appointment in court, alleging it was unconstitutional. “Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Brann wrote in a 77-page order. JUDGE TO DECIDE ALINA HABBA’S FATE AS US ATTORNEY IN NEW JERSEY Habba, Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, had been serving as interim U.S. attorney, but when her term expired last month, Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi used loopholes in federal vacancy laws to install her as “acting” rather than “interim” U.S. attorney. One of the defendants in the district, Julien Giraud, alleged that the moves violated his constitutional rights because of the string of unconventional actions it took to attempt to keep Habba in the role. TRUMP STANDS BY ALINA HABBA AS DOJ CLASHES WITH JUDGES OVER HER REPLACEMENT Brann, an Obama appointee serving in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, agreed and found Habba could not prosecute Giraud or another defendant who challenged Habba’s position. The judges said the criminal cases could proceed in the court district, just not under Habba’s purview. Brann is presiding over the matter after the chief judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New Jersey and Pennsylvania, decided the case presented too much of a conflict for New Jersey’s federal judges. Last month, the New Jersey judges made the rare decision to decline to extend Habba’s term and instead appointed career attorney Desiree Grace to the job. Trump and Bondi fired Grace, withdrew Habba’s nomination as permanent U.S. attorney and then reinstated Habba as acting U.S. attorney, which they said kept Habba in charge for at least another 210 days under federal statute. TRUMP APPOINTS HABBA AS ‘ACTING’ ATTORNEY AFTER JUDGES OUSTED HER Brann said his ruling effectively disqualified Habba from prosecuting the two defendants’ cases and that her signatures on court filings were invalid, opening the floodgates for other defendants in New Jersey to object to Habba prosecuting them as well. The judge said his ruling would not take effect until the Trump administration had an opportunity to appeal. Spokespeople for Habba and the DOJ did not respond to a request for comment. Brann’s ruling comes against the backdrop of Trump and Bondi using similar maneuvers to keep the president’s preferred appointees as head prosecutors of court districts in blue states, including in California and New York, where the appointees are struggling to find paths to Senate confirmation. Brann said the Trump administration improperly flouted the Federal Vacancies Reform Act by exploiting its loopholes in Habba’s case. “A statutory interpretation that opens a gaping loophole in this tightly crafted scheme meant to provide only limited flexibility and prevent ‘manipulation’ flies in the face of the goal that Congress was trying to accomplish,” Brann wrote. “Although clearer text could require such a result, the Government’s arguments reaching such a conclusion through vague implication must fail.”
Trump’s tariff revenue has skyrocketed in just a few months, soaring past 2024 levels
President Donald Trump has long touted tariffs as a key source of government revenue, and within just a few months of their implementation, billions of dollars have already flowed into federal coffers. The U.S. collected more than $29 billion in tariff revenues in July, the highest monthly total this year. According to the Treasury Department’s latest “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” data, released on Aug. 19, total tariff revenues have reached $158.3 billion for the fiscal year. BESSENT SAYS TARIFF REVENUE COULD HELP PAY DOWN THE NATION’S $37.2T DEBT The revelation comes on the heels of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on imported goods – duties paid by U.S. businesses to the federal government but often passed on to consumers through higher prices. Tariff revenues rose steadily from approximately $17.4 billion in April to $23.9 billion in May, before climbing to $28 billion in June and peaking to a cool $29.6 billion in July. At the current pace, the U.S. could collect as much tariff revenue in just four to five months as it did over the entire previous year. TRUMP CALLS TARIFF WINDFALL ‘SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE’ AS CASH SAILS IN On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he anticipates revising this year’s tariff revenue estimate above the previous $300 billion projection. While he did not offer a new forecast, he emphasized the total would be “substantially” higher. Bessent also said that the White House is considering the possibility of using some of the tariff revenue to address the nation’s surging debt, adding in a CNBC interview that he and Trump are “laser-focused on paying down the debt.” The nation’s debt, which is the amount of money the U.S. owes its creditors, is nearing $37.2 trillion as of Aug. 20, according to the Treasury Department. The staggering figure has intensified the long-standing debate in Washington over government spending, taxation and efforts to rein in the ballooning deficit. “I think that we’re going to bring down the deficit-to-GDP, we will start paying down debt, and then at a point that can be used as an offset for the American people,” he said of the tariff revenues.
Trump deportation policies spook Pennsylvania city into scrapping immigrant protection vote
President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation crackdown spooked leaders in at least one Democratic-majority east coast city, as its mayor and city council suddenly removed a scheduled vote on approving a “Welcoming City” ordinance from this month’s agenda. Mayor Sal Panto Jr., of Easton, Pa., a moderate Democrat, moved to strike the ordinance vote from the agenda, with all but its sponsor, Councilwoman Taiba Sultana, backing the move, according to Lehigh Valley News. One member was absent. The ordinance would have given the city – 80 miles west of New York City and 60 miles north of Philadelphia – a designation shared by Chicago, where leaders use the term “welcoming city” instead of the more politically charged “sanctuary city.” BOSTON’S WU FIRES BACK AT BONDI, CITING REVOLUTION, AS OTHER CITIES SLAM FEDS OVER ‘SANCTUARY’ WARNINGS Sultana told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that values should come first and lamented the decision. “The Council’s decision stemmed from a place of pragmatism rather than principle … But the majority felt that formally adopting the ‘Welcoming City’ bill now would effectively paint a target on our city – a target for an administration that has demonstrated a willingness to weaponize federal funds against political adversaries,” she said. In recent weeks, Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened civil action and withholding of federal funding from sanctuary cities or municipalities that do not align with federal immigration law – and Easton leaders didn’t want that kind of attention. “This threat, while legally dubious, is very real. It jeopardizes the critical funding that our residents, including our undocumented neighbors who contribute immensely to our economy, depend on for essential services like education and public safety,” Sultana said. POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS OUT-MESSAGING HARRIS: ‘I GET MORE FROM COLBERT’ Easton isn’t alone in weighing its options. Other Lehigh Valley cities have faced similar debates. In February, neighboring Bethlehem also decided against passing a similar ordinance, as the Christmas City’s Democratic mayor convinced city council against it. “We acknowledge that while many cities are seeking to respond to the recent threats of deportation by creating a ‘welcoming ordinance’… in fact many of these practices have been in place for years,” Mayor J. William Reynolds said at the time. Allentown – Pennsylvania’s third-largest city – went the other direction, codifying a longstanding policy barring local resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law. One councilman said the vote did not create a “sanctuary” but presented a “guiding light [to] know where we stand and… what we can and cannot do.” Councilman Frank Pintabone told Lehigh Valley News the “Welcoming City” ordinance sought to “fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” pointing to much heavier ICE activity in Allentown versus only two detentions so far in Easton. Panto said Easton remains a “welcoming city” in a proverbial sense and doesn’t need such a moniker: “We welcomed every immigrant. I think our record shows that.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A GOP official in Northampton County — whose parents immigrated legally to Easton from Cuba and Austria — criticized the idea of a “Welcoming City” or sanctuary ordinance, noting that his family already felt welcomed when they arrived. The official told Fox News Digital his father came to Easton in 1959, returned briefly to Cuba to see Fidel Castro overthrow the government and decided, “I’m getting the h–l out of here.”
Biden’s auto-pen pardons disturbed DOJ brass, docs show, raising questions whether they are legally binding
New documents and communications between Biden White House staff and career officials at the Justice Department prompted scrutiny of the legality of former President Joe Biden’s thousands of last-minute pardons. The Oversight Project shared documents obtained from the Trump DOJ with Fox News Digital showing that a career prosecutor warned Biden’s inner circle that the administration’s pardon process was unorthodox and legally troubling. In the most scrutinized e-mail, then-Assistant Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer wrote a group email to several executive office staff members on Jan. 18 asking questions about the more than 2,500 pardons. “[T]he White House has described those who received commutations as people convicted of non-violent drug offenses. I think you should stop saying that because it is untrue or at least misleading,” Weinsheimer said. ‘SHOULD BE PROSECUTED’: HOUSE REPUBLICANS ZERO IN ON BIDEN AUTOPEN PARDONS AFTER BOMBSHELL REPORT “As you know, even with the exceedingly limited review we were permitted to do of the individuals we believed you might be considering for commutation action, we initially identified 19 that were highly problematic,” he continued. He cited convicts Terrence Richardson and Ferrone Claiborne, who were included in the clemency grants, and noted the DOJ received “voluminous” objections from victims’ families and law enforcement as the men had been “sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking offenses during which a police officer was killed.” That, according to Oversight Project vice president Kyle Brosnan, shows DOJ was concerned about the “vague” construct of Biden’s pardons and how they appeared to be “illegally delegated” to staff. They also left the DOJ wondering at times which offenses, for people with multiple convictions, were specifically being expunged. “Later in the email, he was like, ‘Look, I read the statement you put out in the president’s name, saying you’ve released a bunch of non-violent drug offenders. You’ve got murderers on your list today. So I’m trying to figure out what the president wants here for this funky warrant.’” Discussing other documents received, Brosnan and attorney Sam Dewey cited a spreadsheet of convicts with “offenses described to the Department of Justice” for the second of several “collective” or catch-all warrants. NEW FOIA ON MIGRANTS POTENTIALLY AVOIDING THE DRAFT COULD OPEN NEW DEPORTATION PREDICATE: ATTORNEYS “I think it best that we receive a statement or direction from the President as to the meaning of the warrant language,” Weinsheimer wrote to White House staff. “That will allow us to give full effect to the commutation warrant in the manner intended by the president.” There was ultimately no explanation for what the offenses or the proverbial descriptions were, according to the document tranche, Brosnan said, adding that the DOJ official suggested to Biden staff that “you should stop saying [pardonees were mostly ‘nonviolent drug offen[ders]’] because it is untrue or at least misleading.” Brosnan explained that a spreadsheet of convicts, said to be attached to one of the e-mails, came from the U.S. Sentencing Commission – and only the president has the power to grant pardons. Treating it otherwise, he said, would amount to an illegal delegation of presidential authority. BIDEN DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL AUTOPEN USE FOR MASS CLEMENCY DECISIONS IN NYT INTERVIEW: ‘A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE’ To that end, Brosnan pointed to New York Times interviews with Biden in July, wherein the paper reported, “Mr. Biden did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people, he and aides confirmed.” “Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, he signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence.” “High-profile” pardon recipients like retired Gen. Mark Milley were discussed directly with aides. “Biden did not pardon individual people, but laid out categories of types of people to release and left it to the staff to figure out who meets that criteria,” Brosnan said, adding that many warrant documents were also found to be auto-penned. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Dewey told Fox News Digital the situation was “worse than that” – because “literally no one,” including DOJ officials, “understands what the [aforementioned pardon] criteria are.” “You generally don’t see people write emails like this,” he said. “This isn’t a ‘CYA’ – this is an ‘I’m going to do a Pontius Pilate routine because this is a drug deal and I want to make very sure it doesn’t come back on me.” The entire situation, Dewey said, also has a precedent for such pardons being considered “invalid” going back to “before we were even a country.” “If the pardon is invalid, it falls, and then you proceed as if there was no pardon.” Biden previously defended his pardons, saying that he wanted to undo “disproportionately long sentences compared to the sentences they would receive today under current law, policy, and practice.” “[This] clemency action provides relief for individuals who received lengthy sentences based on discredited distinctions between crack and powder cocaine, as well as outdated sentencing enhancements for drug crimes,” Biden said in a statement. “This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars.” Fox News Digital reached out to DOJ and a representative for Biden for further comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Meet Mamdani’s radical advisory circle that includes communist activist, anti-Israel advocates
FOX DIGITAL REVIEW: New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s growing circle of influence is littered with activists who have espoused anti-Israel views and socialist principles as he attempts to dispel the narrative that he is too “radical” to run the nation’s largest city. Mamdani, who has been a fierce critic of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, employs the help of several advisors as part of his “brain trust”, New York Times reported, which includes New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) president Murad Awawdeh, an activist for a group with a long history of seeking to end “state support for detention, deportation, and mass incarceration.” According to Awawdeh, illegal immigrants having access to taxpayer-funded healthcare is a right they “deserve.” “SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE BORDER IS A LEGAL RIGHT,” Awawdeh posted on X in 2022. “ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE FLEEING FOR THEIR LIVES FROM VIOLENCE, PERSECUTION, & IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THE U.S. HAS A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE REFUGE.” VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS HAMMERED WITH SCATHING AD HANDCUFFING THEM TO MAMDANI, JEFFRIES NYIC has close ties to and has taken money from the Vera Institute for Justice, a group that received a significant amount of support in the form of contracts from the Biden administration to assist illegal immigrants in avoiding deportations. Additionally, NYIC has taken in $175,000 from the sprawling George Soros nonprofit network. Soros is also tied to another key Mamdani advisor, Patrick Gaspard, who has served in several high-profile political positions, including advising former President Barack Obama’s historic 2008 campaign, serving as the Democratic National Committee’s executive director, and was tapped as the Center for American Progress (CAP) president in 2021. Gaspard, who Fox News Digital previously reported made millions of dollars serving as president of Soros’s Open Society Foundations between 2017 and 2020, has been a staunch defender of Soros, saying earlier this year that he was “inspired by the selection of my friend George Soros, who is one of our leading defenders of inclusive and accountable democracy and vibrant civil society,” after then-President Joe Biden announced he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “His accomplishments, in the face of distortions and threats from extremists, will be lauded well into the future,” he continued. In a long 2023 X thread, Gaspard also attempted to deflect blame away from Soros amid reports that Soros and his network were pouring millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of radical DAs and far-left groups that emphasized social justice programs and gave lenient sentences to violent criminals. Mamdani has rejected the “communist” label bestowed on him by critics, including laughing off the accusation when confronted by Fox News Digital earlier this year, while at the same time being advised by an activist who doesn’t appear to shy away from communists. Housing advocate Cea Weaver, part of Mamdani’s reported “brain trust,” is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and advises the mayoral hopeful on housing issues, including Mamdani’s plan to “freeze” the rent, which has gotten strong pushback from many New Yorkers in the industry. MAMDANI PREACHES FROM PULPIT OF RADICAL PASTOR PUSHING REPARATIONS, ABOLISHING POLICE: ‘BROTHER AND FRIEND’ Weaver is also the former coalitions director of Housing Justice for All, a group that counts dozens of radical far-left groups as coalition members, including the Communist Party of the United States of America and the New York Young Communist League. “Elect more Communists,” Weaver posted on social media in 2017, New York Post reported. “Seize private property,” Weaver posted in 2018. Mamdani has faced heated criticism for his long history of anti-Israel statements and positions dating back to his days writing for his college newspaper and his circle of advisors includes several people who have exhibited the same criticisms. Activist Faiza Ali, another member of Mamdani’s reported inner circle, formerly worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a group whose executive director, Nihad Awad, stated after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks that he was happy to see Gazans “breaking the siege” against the “occupying power” of Israel. Awad later said those comments were taken out of context. In addition to her ties to CAIR, a group that GOP Sen. Tom Cotton recently said should lose its nonprofit status due to alleged terror ties, Ali is an acquaintance of and has been photographed with Linda Sarsour, who the two are associated with through the Muslim Democratic Club of New York. Sarsour, a prominent anti-Israel activist who has long been labeled antisemitic, has faced criticism for lauding Minister Louis Farrakhan, objecting to the Jewish right to return to Israel, and even calling for “jihad” against President Trump in 2017. She later claimed she was calling only for nonviolent dissent. Maya Handa, a campaign manager reportedly part of the “growing circle” around Mamdani, was formerly a top advisor to former Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman who has a long history of anti-Israel controversy including last year when he defended the phrase “from the river to to the sea,” which is widely interpreted as a call for the elimination of Israel. Mamdani senior advisor Morris Katz, described by the New York Times as being one of two people in Mamdani’s “inner circle” and an “emissary” to the Jewish community to counteract skeptical pro-Israel voters, has been critical of Israel on social media. Katz has previously said the existential threat to Israel’s existence is “not the Palestinians who’re being oppressed and denied basic human rights” but rather Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Katz also amplified a quote from Mamdani saying that Democrats supporting a ceasefire and an arms embargo are “rightfully outraged over Israel’s killing of over 40,000 Palestinians.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
Ex-Adams aide allegedly tried to give reporter a wad of cash hidden in a potato chip bag
A New York City reporter was allegedly the target of an apparent bribery attempt by a former aide to Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently seeking reelection. Winnie Greco, a longtime Adams ally, is accused of trying to give a reporter from THE CITY, a New York City-based publication, a wad of cash hidden in a bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips. The publication said the incident occurred after a campaign event in Harlem on Wednesday. According to THE CITY’s account of the events, City Hall reporter Katie Honan spotted Greco near the opening of Adams’ new Harlem campaign office. The former Adams aide later texted the reporter and asked to meet across the street from the campaign office. The two then walked to a Whole Foods next door, where Greco handed Honan the bag. Honan, according to THE CITY, believed Greco was offering a snack and initially refused, but the former aide insisted she keep it. ADAMS, CUOMO TRADE JABS IN INTERVIEWS AS DEMS-TURNED-INDEPENDENTS COURT ANTI-MAMDANI VOTE Honan reportedly opened the bag while on her way to the subway and saw a red envelope containing at least one $100 bill and several $20 bills. THE CITY reports that Honan called Greco, who said she had left the area. When Honan said she had to return the money, Greco suggested they meet in Chinatown. According to THE CITY, Honan texted Greco asking when she could return the cash but did not receive a response. THE CITY interviewed Greco later that same day, and she reportedly tried to apologize multiple times, saying she had made “a mistake.” Greco reportedly told the publication that it was “a culture thing” and that she “just wanted to be her friend.” The publication said that it contacted the Department of Investigation (DOI) after the incident. ERIC ADAMS HIT WITH ACCUSATION OF OPERATING ‘CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ AT NYPD Greco’s attorney, Steven Brill, denied the act was “nefarious,” saying that it was a Chinese custom to give money to others as a sign of “gratitude and friendship,” though he did not explain why it was hidden in a bag of chips. “This was no payoff. This was no handing over a bag of cash. This is nothing more than a gesture of kindness blown out of a Chinese tradition of handing money to others as a form of gratitude and friendship. She knows this reporter and was fond of her. It may appear strange, but there was nothing nefarious about it,” Brill told Fox News Digital. When Honan returned to her office, she gave the bag to her editors, at which point the publication contacted New York City’s Department of Investigation. THE CITY said it did not open the envelope or count the money inside. Reports indicate that the Adams campaign has since prohibited Greco from participating in volunteer campaign-related activities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Greco is no stranger to law enforcement and has been under federal investigation for some time. The FBI raided her Bronx home in February 2024 amid reports that Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to raise funds. She later resigned from her position as the city’s director of Asian American affairs. According to Fox 5, the DOI is also investigating claims that Greco pressured a campaign volunteer to do personal tasks in exchange for a City Hall job. Fox News Digital reached out to Greco and Adams’ campaign for comment but did not get a response in time for publication. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Texas Rep Chip Roy announces run for state attorney general to replace Ken Paxton
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, announced Thursday that he is running to become the next Texas Attorney General. Roy, who represents Texas’ 21st Congressional District in the U.S. House, made the announcement in a campaign video shared to X that centered on preserving the Lone Star State’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.” “Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities,” he wrote in an accompanying message. “I’m running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy… unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn. #LiveFree.” LONE STAR STATE RIVALS FOR US SENATE COMPETE TO WRANGLE RUNAWAY DEMOCRATS The race is slated for November 2026 – the same time as Republicans defend a slim minority in the House during the midterm elections. A primary is scheduled for March. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is eligible for a fourth term but is not seeking re-election as the state’s top prosecutor. In April, Paxton announced that he was instead running a 2026 primary challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, making for a clash between two powerful Republicans that could have state and national implications. ‘NOT A POLITICIAN’: FATHER OF YOUNG CANCER SURVIVOR DJ DANIEL RUNS FOR TEXAS 18TH DISTRICT SEAT Roy, policy chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said it has been an honor to represent the 21st Congressional District and that he was particularly proud “of our work to deliver on President Trump’s agenda and fight to drain the swamp.” “I could do it forever and be fulfilled professionally. But representatives should not be permanent. And my experience watching Texans unite in response to the devastating Hill Country floods made clear that I want to come home,” Roy, who has served the central Texas district since 2019, said in a statement. “I want to take my experience in Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as First Assistant Attorney General to fight for Texas from Texas.” “Texas is under assault – from open-border politicians, radical leftists and faceless foreign corporations that threaten our sovereignty, safety and our way of life,” Roy said. “It’s time to draw a line in the sand. As Attorney General, I will fight every single day for our God-given rights, for our families and for the future of Texas.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Kennedy’s HHS terminates California sex ed grant after it refuses to drop ‘radical’ gender lessons
FIRST ON FOX: An office within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated a federal grant funding California’s sex education program aimed at preventing teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases after the West Coast state reportedly refused to remove “radical gender ideology” from its curriculum, Fox News Digital exclusively learned Thursday. “California’s refusal to comply with federal law and remove egregious gender ideology from federally funded sex-ed materials is unacceptable,” Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at the Administration for Children and Families, said in comment provided to Fox News Digital Thursday. “The Trump Administration will not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to indoctrinate children. Accountability is coming for every state that uses federal funds to teach children delusional gender ideology.” The Administration for Children and Families, an office under HHS’ umbrella that funds state, local and tribal organizations to provide support for families such as child care, announced Thursday morning that it was terminating the funding to California’s Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) grant. The PREP program aims to educate California’s youth, ages 10–19, on preventing teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, which the state says has led to students in the program “delaying sexual activity, increasing condom or contraceptive use for sexually active youth, or reducing number of sexual partners.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BANS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER-FUNDED SERVICES, INCLUDING HEAD START “Program services are engaging, nonjudgmental, medically accurate and tailored to the unique needs of youth participants and their communities,” the PREP website states. “Services are offered in a range of settings, including schools, juvenile justice facilities, homeless shelters and foster care group homes. CA PREP activities also include community engagement and promotion of clinical linkages to youth-friendly reproductive health services.” PREP specifically aims to assist those who “reside, attend school or receive reproductive health services in a high-need geographic area; are homeless and/or runaway; attend an alternative or continuation school; are in or emancipated from foster care; are in the juvenile justice or probation system; identify as LGBTQ; are receiving treatment for mental health or substance abuse issues; have special needs; live in migrant farmworker families or are expectant/parenting female youth up to age 21.” GOP LAWMAKERS RIP NEWSOM, CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS FOR ALLOWING TRANS ATHLETES TO COMPETE IN GIRLS’ SPORTS The PREP grant has been under scrutiny by the Trump administration since at least March, when the Administration for Children and Families requested program leaders send copies of its curriculum and other relevant course materials to them for review. The probe was initially launched to ensure the state’s sexual education programming is medically accurate and age-appropriate. Previous grant funding shows California’s PREP program received just under $6 million from the federal government in fiscal year 2022. All in, California could lose $12.3 million in funding that it has not yet received, covering multiple years, according to HHS. The Administration for Children and Families reviewed the program’s curriculum and other teaching materials, and found a lengthy list of subjects and language deemed to fall outside the program’s “authorizing statute,” in particular references to “gender ideology.” In June, Fox News Digital reported Administration for Children and Families gave the sex education program a 60-day deadline to remove all references to gender identity or face potential termination of its funding. The 60-day deadline just ran dry, with the Administration for Children and Families subsequently terminating the funding and sending a letter to Sydney Armendariz, the division chief of Maternal Child, and Adolescent Health Division at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and Matthew Green, the deputy director of the Center for Family Health at CDPH, declaring it was “terminating all California State Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) awards and suspending the funding effective August 21, 2025.” The letter sent Thursday reported that following the Administration for Children and Families’ June request to remove what it said was radical gender ideology from PREP teachings, California refused in a letter of its own. 4-H FEDERALLY FUNDED CAMPS UNDER FIRE FOR CABINING KIDS, ADULT COUNSELORS BY ‘IDENTITY’ “CDPH will not make any such modifications at this time for several reasons,” the California Department of Public Health said in a letter to ACF earlier this week, according to HHS. “The listed reasons were: 1) PREP materials had already been reviewed and approved by ACF; 2) the materials are medically accurate; 3) the gender ideology content is relevant to purposes identified in the authorizing statute, specifically the adult preparation subjects listed at 42 U.S.C. § 713(b)(2)(C); and 4) ACF does not have authority to take an enforcement action.” Among the materials Administration for Children and Families found amid its review of the curriculum was a lesson for middle school-aged students that sought to introduce them to the concepts of transgenderism, Fox News Digital previously reported. “We’ve been talking during class about messages people get on how they should act as boys and girls—but as many of you know, there are also people who don’t identify as boys or girls, but rather as transgender or gender queer,” the lesson states to students. “This means that even if they were called a boy or a girl at birth and may have body parts that are typically associated with being a boy or a girl, on the inside, they feel differently.” Other flagged lessons in the materials included curriculum for high school-aged students with instructions on what it means to be “nonbinary” and language that informed students “gender-identity” is “essentially a social status.” “In a disturbing and egregious abuse of federal funds, California has been using taxpayer money to teach curricula that could encourage kids to contemplate mutilating their genitals, ‘altering their body… through hormone therapy,’ ‘adding or removing breast tissue,’ and ‘changing their name.’ It instructed teachers to ‘remind students that some men are born with female anatomy,’” HHS said in a Thursday press release of the teachings. HHS GIVES CALIFORNIA DEADLINE TO OVERHAUL FEDERALLY-FUNDED SEX ED PROGRAM ‘INDOCTRINATING’ KIDS The Administration for Children and Families also
Trump tariffs push India closer to America’s strategic rivals China and Russia
For more than two decades, Washington and New Delhi built a strategic partnership that was hailed as one of the great success stories of post–Cold War diplomacy. Today, that relationship is facing its most serious test in years — and India is signaling it has other options. “We’re in a situation in the U.S.-India relationship where the premises and assumptions of the last 25 years — that everybody worked very hard to build, including the president in his first term — have just come completely unraveled,” said Evan Feigenbaum, a South Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The trust is gone.” Since President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Indian imports, New Delhi has turned visibly eastward. India’s national security adviser traveled to Moscow in recent weeks, its foreign minister is visiting this week and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi just concluded talks in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is preparing for his first trip to China in more than seven years, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to host him in Moscow before the end of the year. The pivot underscores how tariffs meant to punish India for its continued purchases of Russian oil may instead be pushing New Delhi closer to America’s rivals. TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE Trump slapped a 25% tariff on Indian imports earlier this year, citing India’s willingness to keep buying Russian crude. On August 27, that tariff is set to double to 50%. Indian public opinion has bristled at what many see as U.S. interference in sovereign decision-making. “They’re signaling very clearly that they view that as interference in India’s foreign policy, and they are not going to put up with it,” Feigenbaum said. Despite initial hesitation, state-run refiners resumed Russian oil purchases, lured by discounts of 6% to 7%. Russian oil now accounts for 35% of India’s imports, up from a negligible 0.2% before the Ukraine war. Moscow, for its part, has seized the opening. “We continue to ship fuel, including crude oil and oil products, thermal and coking coal,” said Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. “We see potential for the export of Russian LNG.” TRUMP’S DEADLINE ON SECONDARY TARIFFS ARRIVES; US-RUSSIAN RELATIONS HANG IN THE BALANCE Russia is using the rift to promote its vision of a “great Eurasian partnership” linking Moscow, Beijing and Delhi. “All of this engagement we’re seeing between India and China now is not exclusively coming because of Trump and his tariffs,” said Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst. “We’ve actually seen indications for almost a year of India wanting to ease tensions with China and strengthen relations, mainly for economic reasons. But the Trump administration’s policies have made India want to move even more quickly.” Some of India’s moves are diplomatic theater meant to signal anger at Washington. But others are more durable. “India is going to double down on some aspects of its economic and defense relationship with Russia,” Feigenbaum said. “And those parts are not performative.” Kugelman noted that before the Ukraine war, India had already begun reducing its reliance on Russian arms imports in favor of U.S., French and Israeli systems. “But as soon as the invasion happened, India very quickly started buying more from Russia, particularly energy,” he said. “This is essentially validation of a view in India that the U.S. can’t be trusted, whereas Russia can — because Russia is always going to be there for India no matter what.” Modi has used the standoff to reinforce his image at home as a defender of sovereignty. “India actually made a fair number of concessions to the Trump administration early on in its second term,” Kugelman said, citing tariff reductions and agreements to repatriate undocumented workers. “Because of those concessions, India needs to be careful about signaling further willingness to bend. This is one reason there was no trade deal — Modi put his foot down.” While not directly criticizing Trump, Modi has emphasized that his priority is protecting the livelihoods of farmers, small businesses and young workers. That defiant tone, Kugelman added, has “real political mileage” in India’s domestic debate. The Trump administration has shown no signs of backing down. Former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro blasted India’s oil purchases as “opportunistic” and “deeply corrosive” in a Financial Times op-ed this week. “This two-pronged policy will hit India where it hurts — its access to U.S. markets — even as it seeks to cut off the financial lifeline it has extended to Russia’s war effort,” Navarro wrote. “If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the U.S., it needs to start acting like one.” INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MODI TAKES PAGE FROM TRUMP, SAYS ‘MAKE INDIA GREAT AGAIN,’ OR ‘MIGA’ The contrast with the U.S.–India relationship of two decades ago could not be starker. In 2008, the two countries struck a landmark civil nuclear deal that gave India access to American technology and fuel despite not being a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “India put the entire government on the line for the deal,” Feigenbaum recalled. “Bush really went to the mat and provided a lot of assurances to Congress that were politically not easy, but he was willing to take risks for the relationship.” At that time, Washington and Delhi managed to work around their disagreements. “The U.S. objected to many aspects of India’s relationships with Iran, Burma and Russia,” Feigenbaum said. “India objected to aspects of the U.S. relationships with China and Pakistan. But neither side let that bleed back into the bilateral relationship in a completely debilitating way.” For years, the U.S. has viewed India as a democratic counterweight to China’s authoritarian model — central to its Indo-Pacific strategy under Obama, Trump and Biden. But now the question is whether that glue still holds. “Both sides agree that countering China is the main glue that has really bound this relationship together over this 20-year period,” Kugelman said. “But the tensions,