Elon Musk halts plans for new political party, prioritizing business instead: report
Less than three months after its launch, Elon Musk’s “America Party” appears to have been shelved. Musk allegedly told associates that he wants to focus on his companies and avoid starting a party that could siphon voters from the GOP, the The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with his plans. Musk has also allegedly worked to maintain ties with Vice President JD Vance, considered the heir apparent to the MAGA movement, according to WSJ. The outlet added that the tech billionaire reportedly told associates he was concerned that forming a new political party would damage his relationship with the vice president. WHAT MUSK’S FRACTURE WITH TRUMP MEANS FOR GOP’S FUTURE: ‘BEATING HEART OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY’ While the plan is paused at the moment, Musk’s allies told WSJ that he has not formally ruled out launching the America Party and could revisit the idea as the 2026 midterms approach. After spending months working with the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk’s time at the Trump White House came to an end on May 30. Though they appeared on good terms, President Donald Trump and the tech billionaire began trading barbs almost immediately. A few days after leaving the administration, Musk posted on X — the social media platform he owns — criticizing legislation the Trump White House was promoting. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,” Musk wrote. His criticism continued, including memes and jabs aimed at the administration. Musk stayed firm in his opposition to the bill, citing the amount of spending as his reason for objecting to it. TRUMP DISMISSES MUSK’S POLITICAL AMBITIONS AS ‘RIDICULOUS’ IN SHARP REBUKE On June 5, Musk posed a question — and a poll — to his followers: Should there be a new political party? The next day, he announced that “the people have spoken. A new political party is needed in America to represent the 80% in the middle!” Musk asked a similar question nearly a month later, on July 4, the day Trump signed the “big, beautiful bill.” “Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?” Musk included another poll with his post. In the end, 65.4% of respondents voted “yes,” while 34.6% voted “no,” showing a drastic change from his June poll in which 80.4% voted “yes.” Musk announced the next day that “the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 6. “He even wants to start a third political party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States – The system seems not designed for them.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, the feud between the two appears to have cooled. The social media spats have stopped, and in late July Trump appeared to wish Musk well, writing on Truth Social that he wanted to see the tech billionaire’s businesses “thrive like never before.” “Everyone is stating that I will destroy Elon’s companies by taking away some, if not all, of the large-scale subsidies he receives from the U.S. government. This is not so! I want Elon, and all businesses within our country, to THRIVE, in fact, THRIVE like never before! The better they do, the better the USA does, and that’s good for all of us,” Trump wrote. A spokesperson for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
Top law enforcement agency offers cash awards for tips leading to DC arrests amid Trump’s crime crackdown
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that there will be $500 awards doled out for tips that lead to an arrest in Washington, D.C. “We have now made over 550 arrests in Washington, DC and have taken 76 illegal firearms off the streets—saving lives. You can help— [US Marshals Service] is offering a reward for any information leading to an arrest. Together, we will make DC safe again!” Bondi posted to X on Wednesday morning with a QR code. The crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital continues in coordination with local and federal agencies after President Donald Trump announced a takeover of the city’s police force earlier this month. MS-13 GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN DC AS BONDI TOUTS ADMIN’S ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ CRIME CRACKDOWN With Immigration and Customs Enforcement out, many of the arrests have been immigration-related, but roughly half of the over 200 non-immigration arrests have been in the high-crime Wards 7 and 8, a White House analysis explained, according to Axios. “In other news, on the home front, President Trump’s efforts to make DC safe again are working. There have been a total of 465 arrests since the start of this operation. On Thursday, August 7th. Last night, there were a total of 52 arrests, including the arrest of an illegal alien MS-13 gang member with convictions for DWI and drug possession,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the outstanding work of both federal and local law enforcement, dangerous gang members like the one picked up last night will not be allowed on the streets of our nation’s capital,” she continued. On immigration, Bondi issued an order last week giving local police the ability to comply with federal immigration authorities, despite the city having its own sanctuary laws. The DC Police Union, who’s backing the move from the Trump administration, said on Monday that there’s been a 46% decrease in robberies, an 83% decrease in carjackings, a 21% decrease in car theft, and a 22% decrease in violent crime. HUNDREDS ARRESTED AS TRUMP’S WASHINGTON, DC, CRIME CRACKDOWN HITS FULL STRIDE “While federal assistance gives us a boost, we must repeal the misguided Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act in order to make these changes permanent,” the union posted on Monday. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE There’s been opposition from Democrats on the takeover, with some criticizing the level of law enforcement presence, including the National Guard, on city streets. “American soldiers and airmen policing American citizens on American soil is #UnAmerican,” Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted from her personal account last week. BONDI ANNOUNCES NEARLY 200 ARRESTS ‘AND COUNTING’ AS FEDERAL AGENTS SWARM NATION’S CAPITAL D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has also maintained a sharp tone against the takeover. “Let us be clear: armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil. Instead of making DC more secure, it undermines public safety and endangers our democracy. It’s DC today, but the same dangerous strategy can be deployed to occupy any American community,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
DHS pulls funding from groups with ‘alleged terrorist ties’ after watchdog report
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing federal security grants for Muslim groups with “alleged terrorist ties” after a new report linked past funding to “extremist” organizations. According to a DHS document obtained by Fox News Digital, 49 projects “with alleged affiliations to terrorist activities” have already been canceled, a move the department estimates will save $8 million. The review primarily targets funding distributed through FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides aid to churches, mosques, synagogues, and other faith-based institutions facing threats of hate-driven violence. The probe follows a report by the Middle East Forum, a pro-Israel conservative think tank, which claimed that more than $25 million in DHS and FEMA grants went to “terror-linked groups” between 2013 and 2023. COTTON CALLS ON IRS TO PULL MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP’S NONPROFIT STATUS A DHS official said the department is conducting its own independent review of funding but added, “We take the results of the MEF report very seriously and are thankful for the work of conservative watchdog groups.” The report flagged a $100,000 grant in 2019 to the Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Virginia, which Customs and Border Protection once described as a “mosque operating as a front for Hamas operatives in the U.S.,” according to records obtained by the Investigative Project through the Freedom of Information Act. In response to the MEF’s findings, DHS is reviewing all current and future contracts to ensure funds are not awarded to such organizations. Officials said the department is also examining ways to recover unspent funds. Funding for fiscal year 2024 has already been allocated. That includes $94 million for 500 Jewish organizations and another $110 million shared among 600 Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jewish institutions. For fiscal year 2025, DHS said applicants will face tougher requirements to ensure a “robust” vetting process. “We don’t want to be empowering groups that could be causing a threat to our community here in the United States,” a DHS official said. The Middle East Forum’s report also highlighted specific cases of funding that it claims went to groups with extremist ties. It said $10.3 million had gone to the Islamic Circle of North America, which the forum alleges is tied to the South Asian Islamist movement Jamaat-e-Islami. The report further cited $250,000 awarded to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which DHS has accused of having “Hamas ties.” Another $750,000, according to the report, went to mosques in Michigan and Texas that DHS described as “outposts for Iran’s revolutionary brand of Shi’a Islamism,” including the Islamic Center of America and the Islamic House of Wisdom near Detroit, as well as the Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association in Austin. HOUSE COMMITTEE ALLEGES BIDEN ADMIN USED FUNDS TO BACK ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN ISRAEL CAIR told Fox News Digital it has no active federal contracts with DHS. “While our civil rights organization has no active federal grants that the Department could eliminate or cut, and while the government cannot ban American organizations from receiving federal grants based on their religious affiliation or their criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” a CAIR spokesperson said, “it’s important to note that Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security is embarrassing President Trump by making decisions based on the ravings of the Middle East Forum, an Israel First hate website.” FEMA has previously worked with CAIR, holding seminars to encourage participation in the NSGP program. But last week, CAIR urged organizations to withdraw from applying for DHS and FEMA grants — including the NSGP — unless DHS drops two new vetting rules. Those provisions require recipients to cooperate with immigration officials and prohibit them from running programs tied to diversity, equity, inclusion, or aid to undocumented immigrants, as well as from engaging in certain “discriminatory prohibited boycotts.”
Texas GOP lawmakers poised to finalize Trump-backed map after Dem redistricting walkout ends
The Texas legislature is poised to take up a new congressional redistricting bill put forward by Republicans on Wednesday, following weeks of pushback from Democrats. It is unclear how quickly Republicans will be able to vote on the redistricting plan, as it must go through floor debate before coming to a vote. It is a victory for Republicans, nevertheless, as Democrats who fled the state in an effort to block the plan are now back in the Capitol. If passed, the new congressional map would likely flip five seats currently held by Democrats over to Republicans, a reality that has unleashed cries of gerrymandering across the country. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to “fight fire with fire,” saying New York Democrats will pursue their own redistricting plan. BETO O’ROURKE ASKED POINT BLANK WHY HE’S HELPING DEMS FLEE TEXAS RATHER THAN HELPING TEXAS California Gov. Gavin Newsom has followed suit, with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) proposing a California congressional map that would flip five Republican seats over to Democrats. COLBERT CONFRONTS JB PRITZKER WITH MAP SHOWING ILLINOIS GERRYMANDERING Meanwhile, more Republican states, including Ohio, Florida, Indiana and Missouri, are moving forward with or considering their own redistricting efforts, as are Democratic states such as Maryland and Illinois. Nowhere has a redistricting battle been more dramatic than in Texas, however, where roughly 50 Democratic state lawmakers absconded from a special legislative session to block the vote in early August. TRUMP, REPUBLICANS RACE TO REDRAW TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL MAP AS DEMOCRATS THREATEN LEGAL WAR Democrats fled to Illinois and New York, but they faced a $500 fine for each day they refused to return home. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, and other state officials hit the Democratic legislators with lawsuits seeking criminal charges or to have them removed from office entirely. The walkout ended when Democrats returned on Monday, saying they had accomplished their goals of blocking a vote during the first special legislative session and persuading Democrats in other states to take retaliatory steps. Reuters contributed to this report.
Congressman whose DC apartment complex was robbed blasts Democrats for criticizing Trump crime crackdown
Congressman Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, blasted Democrats and the members of the media who have been critical of President Donald Trump sending the National Guard to the streets of Washington, D.C., in an effort to curb the rampant crime plaguing the city. Hunt also revealed that his own D.C. apartment complex in the Navy Yard area was broken into last year, leaving a front desk attendant robbed of her belongings just several floors away from the congressman’s own unit. “Downstairs in my apartment complex, there was a woman who was robbed,” Hunt told Fox News Digital. “She had her computer stolen, her phone stolen, and her iPad stolen right behind the desk, and we were all blocks away from the Capitol.” “I was a three-minute drive away from the Capitol when this happened,” Hunt added. “Across the street from our complex was where Henry Cuellar was robbed at gunpoint. I don’t understand what these [critics] are talking about. It’s not safe.” MS-13 GANG MEMBER ARRESTED IN DC AS BONDI TOUTS ADMIN’S ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ CRIME CRACKDOWN Trump’s military intervention to combat crime in D.C. has been widely criticized by Democrats, with House Judiciary ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., introducing a resolution last week to prevent the president from keeping service members in the district. Because Washington, D.C., is not a state, Trump was able to invoke Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, allowing him to declare a public emergency and deploy federal resources into the area. “Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN,” Trump stated in an Aug. 11 White House fact sheet on the emergency declaration. “Before the tents, squalor, filth, and Crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the World. It will soon be that again.” DC POLICE ACCUSED OF CHANGING CRIME STATS JUST WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP FEDERALIZED CITY Hunt also noted the actions of several Democrat governors who used their respective state’s National Guard to combat various issues. “Tim Walz used the National Guard to implement COVID restrictions on people, not to take care of the murder capital of the United States,” Hunt told Fox. “Gavin Newsom is willing to clean up downtown LA in California for the president of China to come visit, but you won’t clean it up just for everyday citizens when all this crime is happening?” The White House has also touted the success of the military presence in the nation’s capital, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters during a Tuesday press briefing that 465 arrests have been made since the start of the operation, including an MS-13 gang member illegally in the U.S. with convictions for drug possession and driving while intoxicated (DWI). PHOTOS: FEDS TAKE OVER DC AS TRUMP CRACKS DOWN ON CAPITAL CRIME “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the outstanding work of both federal and local law enforcement, dangerous gang members like the one picked up last night will not be allowed on the streets of our nation’s capital,” Leavitt told the press. As for the residents of D.C., James Laverty, a staffer on Capitol Hill, told Fox News that the military presence has made a “noticeable difference” in the nation’s capital. “In certain areas, like Navy Yard and U Street, it feels much safer than it did just a week ago,” Laverty told Fox. “This past weekend, there was a noticeable difference in the vibe late at night, and I think it goes without saying that the impact of the National Guard on the streets is the clear reason for the newly found safe sentiment in DC.”
JD Vance ‘directly’ convinced UK to drop Apple backdoor data demand, protecting Americans’ rights: US official
Vice President JD Vance – who eviscerated European leaders earlier this year for allegedly retreating on free speech, essentially threatening fundamental democratic values – recently played a commanding role in convincing the United Kingdom to drop its demands that Apple provide the British government a “backdoor” to personal user data, Fox News Digital has learned. A U.S. official told Fox News Digital that Vance “was in charge and was personally involved in negotiating a deal, including having direct conversations with the British government.” Working with U.K. partners, the vice president “negotiated a mutually beneficial understanding” that the British government “will withdraw the current backdoor order to Apple,” the U.S. official said, adding that the “agreement between our two governments maintains each country’s sovereignty while ensuring close cooperation on data sharing.” BIPARTISAN LETTER WARNS GABBARD NEW UK ORDER FOR BACKDOOR APPLE DATA COULD JEOPARDIZE AMERICANS The U.S. official further told Fox News Digital that the vice president “took a strong interest in this issue because of his background in technology, his concern for privacy, and his [sincere] commitment to maintain a strong U.S.-U.K. relationship.” Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard said in an X post on Monday that she, alongside President Donald Trump and Vance, had been working “closely with our partners in the U.K.” over the past several months “to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected.” “As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a ‘back door’ that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberties,” Gabbard wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to Apple and the British Home Office for comment but did not immediately hear back. In February, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., penned a letter to the then-newly confirmed DNI, informing Gabbard of recent press reports that the U.K.’s home secretary “served Apple with a secret order” at the start of the year, “directing the company to weaken the security of its iCloud backup service to facilitate government spying.” The directive reportedly required Apple to weaken the encryption of its iCloud backup service, giving the British government “blanket capability” to access customers’ encrypted files. Reports further stated that the order was issued under the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act 2016, commonly known as the “Snoopers’ Charter,” which does not require a judge’s approval, according to the letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital. Wyden, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Biggs, who chairs a House Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, informed Gabbard that Apple “is reportedly gagged from acknowledging that it received such an order, and the company faces criminal penalties that prevent it from even confirming to the U.S. Congress the accuracy of these press reports.” The letter focused on the threat of China, Russia and other adversaries spying on Americans. At the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance, meanwhile, said that the threat he worried about the most when it comes to Europe was not China, Russia or “any other external actor,” but rather “the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” Vance specifically cited the case of Adam Smith-Connor, a British Army veteran and physiotherapist, who was prosecuted under the U.K.’s “buffer zone” or “safe access zone” laws around abortion clinics. British police confronted him for silently praying outside the clinic. The vice president also called out Europe more broadly for stifling opposition speech. DNC RIPS JD VANCE FOR FISHING WITH BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY IN LATEST BIZARRE ATTACK; REPUBLICANS HIT BACK “To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” Vance said at the time. More recently, Vance made a diplomatic visit to the U.K. earlier this month, meeting with the British foreign secretary for talks centered on the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas wars. Last week, the State Department, meanwhile, released its 2024 annual country report on “human rights practices.” In the report on the United Kingdom, the Trump administration cited “credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression,” including “enforcement of or threat of criminal or civil laws in order to limit expression; and crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism.” The State Department asserted that the British government “sometimes took credible steps to identify and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, but prosecution and punishment for such abuses was inconsistent.” The report said British authorities, including the U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom), are legally authorized to monitor all forms of communication for speech they deemed “illegal.” The U.K. Online Safety Act of 2023, which came into force in 2024, “defined the category of ‘online harm’ and expressly expanded Ofcom’s authority to include American media and technology firms with a substantial number of British users, regardless of whether they had a corporate presence in the UK,” according to the State Department. Under the law, the report said, companies were required to engage in proactive “illegal content risk assessment” to mitigate the risk of users encountering speech deemed illegal by Ofcom. “Experts warned that one effect of the bill could be government regulation to reduce or eliminate effective encryption (and therefore user privacy) on platforms,” the report said. The U.K. has been increasingly cracking down on British citizens for opposition commentary, especially online posts and memes opposing mass migration. In August 2024, as riots broke out in the U.K. after a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event left three girls dead and others wounded, London’s Metropolitan Police chief warned that officials could also extradite and jail U.S. citizens for
DHS plans ‘Cornhusker Clink’ detention center as Trump expands immigration enforcement
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expanding detention centers with a new facility in southwest Nebraska and nicknaming it the “Cornhusker Clink.” As part of President Donald Trump’s push to add thousands of new beds nationwide for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), just like “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Speedway Slammer,” the facility increases ICE detention space for illegal aliens awaiting deportation or in deportation proceedings in the region. At the same time, Cornhusker Clink’s name recognizes the region’s heritage and is located around 200 miles from the state capital, Lincoln. ICE DEPORTATION EFFORTS COULD BE DERAILED IF CONGRESS DOESN’T ACT SOON With ICE arrests down and data showing removals are up, the new venue combines 200 beds with the 280 already in place at the Work Ethic Camp in McCook, which opened in 2001 as a prison. Acknowledging the facility as part of an agreement between Nebraska and the federal government, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warned that illegal aliens in the region could find themselves at Cornhusker Clink. “To help remove the worst of the worst out of our country, if you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Nebraska’s Cornhusker Clink,” she said. “Avoid arrest and self-deport now using the CBP Home App.” TRUMP ADMIN SLAMS ACLU FOR COMPARING ICE CENTER TO JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP: ‘DERANGED AND LAZY’ Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” provided funding for 80,000 new beds for ICE to use, which has contributed to an increase in facilities across the country. “Alligator Alcatraz,” one of the better-known facilities, was opened in the Florida Everglades and can house up to 3,000 migrants, while the East Montana Detention Center at Fort Bliss outside El Paso, which opened on Sunday, will be able to hold up to 5,000. FLORIDA BUILDING ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ WHERE ICE DETAINEES FACE NATURE’S OWN SECURITY SYSTEM “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana will also hold up to 1,000 migrants. Back in Nebraska, the National Guard is also helping ICE officials enforce immigration laws, involving 20 or so soldiers. In a statement supporting Trump’s immigration crackdown, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen said he was “pleased that our facility and team in McCook can be tasked with helping our federal partners protect our homeland by housing criminal illegal aliens roaming our country’s communities today.”
Joint Chiefs, NATO counterparts to discuss Ukraine security guarantees after Trump suggests US air support
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is hosting his military counterparts from Germany, the U.K., France, Finland and Italy in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, to discuss potential security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent Russian aggression, U.S. officials confirm to Fox News. The high-level talks come on the eve of a NATO Chiefs of Defense meeting, where all 32 allied military leaders are invited to convene virtually on Wednesday to coordinate next steps. The session will be hosted in Brussels by the chair of NATO’s Military Committee, officials said. The urgent discussions follow President Donald Trump’s comments on “Fox & Friends” earlier Tuesday, in which he suggested the U.S. could provide air support to Ukraine as part of a security guarantee, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders visited the White House to push for peace talks to end the Russian war in Ukraine. According to a U.S. defense official, Caine is leading Tuesday night’s session in Washington with senior defense leaders from those five key NATO allies. EUROPEAN LEADERS WILL JOIN TRUMP-ZELENSKYY MEETING, SIGNALING SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), will also attend virtually from Washington, a U.S. military official said. The defense official added that the current agenda is limited to Tuesday night’s talks and the NATO Chiefs of Defense meeting on Wednesday but stressed the situation is “rapidly evolving,” leaving open the possibility of additional sessions if conditions change. Wednesday’s NATO meeting will include U.S. participation virtually, with Caine joining alongside his counterparts, while the Military Committee chair leads from Brussels. The broader alliance discussions are expected to build on Tuesday’s smaller Washington gathering among core European allies. TRUMP WHISPERS ‘CRAZY’ PUTIN DEAL THEORY TO MACRON IN HOT MIC MOMENT Wednesday’s NATO session will be chaired from Brussels by the head of NATO’s Military Committee, who will lead discussions on collective security commitments for Ukraine. The back-to-back meetings mark a critical moment for the alliance as NATO weighs how far to go in offering Kyiv credible security guarantees while seeking to avoid direct escalation with Russia. The Chiefs of Defense meeting is expected to help shape how NATO responds both to developments on the battlefield and to Trump’s public statements on future U.S. support. WHITE HOUSE ANNOUNCES PUTIN AGREED TO BILATERAL MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY Allies are expected to consider both battlefield realities and the impact of Trump’s remarks as they debate how best to demonstrate unity on Ukraine. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
‘Tired of Democracy dying’: Newsom redistricting push faces GOP backlash over voter rights
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting effort is receiving pushback from Republicans in the state assembly who are accusing the Democrats of keeping them in the dark and of “disenfranchising Californians.” GOP Assemblywoman Alexandra Macedo, vice chair of the California State Assembly Committee on Elections, slammed Democrats for giving her “barely 24 hours” to examine the redistricting bill before a Tuesday hearing – while Democrats, she claimed, had advance notice. Macedo vowed to defeat the redistricting push, saying, “We are in the super-minority, but we are effective, and we will defeat this.” She added that by the time she received the bill’s language as vice chair of the elections committee, several Democratic co-authors signed on. That, she argued, meant Democrats had a first look, while she had “barely 24 hours before committee tomorrow to prepare.“ CALIFORNIA REPUBLICANS SUE TO STOP NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS FROM PUSHING REDISTRICTING PLAN Macedo warned that witnesses appearing at Tuesday’s hearing could face legal consequences if they refused to answer her questions. “Let me warn anybody who will be testifying tomorrow. If you don’t answer my questions tomorrow, attorneys will be making sure you answer them in a courtroom,” she said, adding, “You can run, but you cannot hide.” Despite Democrats dominating California politics, Macedo pledged, “We are not backing down from this fight.” “You are disenfranchising Californians, and we are tired of democracy dying here,” she said. “We will fight back.” She added that if Republicans are not able to stop the redistricting plans in the assembly, then their victory will be “in a courtroom or it will be at the ballot box.” NEWSOM-BACKED HIGH-SPEED RAIL ‘BOONDOGGLE’ HIT WITH NEW HOUSE INVESTIGATION Four GOP state lawmakers have filed a lawsuit in California’s Supreme Court to stop the Democrat-controlled legislature from holding a vote by the end of this week to advance the redistricting push. Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, one of the four Republicans behind the suit, told Fox News Digital that she joined the lawsuit because “Californians have already spoken clearly at the ballot box.” “In 2008, voters approved Proposition 11 to take redistricting power away from politicians and give it to an independent citizens’ commission,” she said. “Two years later, with Proposition 20, voters doubled down and expanded that power to include congressional districts, passing it by a decisive 61% to 39%. Governor Newsom’s plan is a direct attempt to undo that mandate and put politicians back in control. I’m standing up because this isn’t about partisan advantage; it’s about respecting the will of the voters who demanded fairness and transparency.” Newsom announced he would advance a redistricting map in California to counter the Texas redistricting bill being pushed by President Donald Trump. On Friday, California Democrats and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) released a new district map that would likely eliminate five GOP congressional seats, theoretically nullifying the five additional seats Republicans would gain if Texas’ redistricting push is successful. HERE ARE THE 5 GOP HOUSE SEATS THAT COULD BE WIPED OUT WITH NEWSOM’S CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING PLAN The California legislature introduced a constitutional amendment on Monday to be brought to a referendum vote in November. If passed by California voters, the amendment would allow the legislature to temporarily suspend its nonpartisan districting commission and move forward with its redistricting plans as laid out by the DCCC. Newsom’s office declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment, with a spokesperson saying he would “point you to the Legislature given this is about the legislative process.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Democrat, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Kristi Noem reveals striking new layer in Trump’s border wall strategy
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday that the entire southern border wall will be painted black as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to increase the effectiveness of the wall as a deterrent. Speaking in front of a portion of the southern border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Noem explained that the wall would be painted entirely black for the dual purposes of making it heat up more and thus harder to climb, as well as increasing the lifespan of the metal. Noem said the new paintwork comes at the request of President Donald Trump. “If you look at the structure that’s behind me, it’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible. It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to dig under. And today we are also going to be painting it black,” said Noem. FIRST ON FOX: BORDER PATROL UNION ENDORSES EX-TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR STATE AG “That is specifically at the request of the president, who understands that in the hot temperatures down here, when something is painted black, it gets even warmer, and it will make it even harder for people to climb,” she added. “So, we are going to be painting the entire southern border wall black to make sure that we encourage individuals to not come into our country illegally, to not break our federal laws, but that they will abide and come to our country the right way so that they can stay and have the opportunity to become United States citizens and pursue the American dream.” Noem credited the ‘one big, beautiful bill’ that was passed by Congress in July for allocating “an incredible amount of resources” that she said is “going to allow us to continue construction” of the wall. The secretary said that construction on the wall is advancing at a pace of close to half a mile per day. Besides additional wall and the new paint job, Noem said the administration is also investing in technology, cameras, sensors and waterborne infrastructure that she said will ensure the border “will be secure far into the future and that will be efficient as well.” BORDER OFFICIAL FIRES BACK AT GAVIN NEWSOM’S POLITICAL ‘TANTRUM’ OVER IMMIGRATION RAIDS IN LOS ANGELES She also mentioned that the administration is not just focused on the southern border but also the northern as well, saying, “We’re doing due diligence in securing every single inch of our border.” “Remember that a nation without borders is no nation at all,” she said. “We’re so thankful that we have a president that understands that and understands that a secure border is important to our country’s future.” Noem was joined by several Border Patrol agents and officials, including Interim Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector Walter Slosar. He shared that agents in the sector are now apprehending an average of 41 people per day, compared to 2,300 a day under the Biden administration in 2023. Slosar said the seven-day average for gotaways in the sector is currently nine. He said the majority of those apprehended are single adults from Mexico, Guatemala and Ecuador. While agents were left simply “observing” migrants passing through under Biden, Slosar said illegals are now “running from us.” BIDEN TEAM LEFT THOUSANDS OF MIGRANT KIDS WITH LARGELY UNVETTED SPONSORS, RECORDS REVEAL “We’re apprehending those individuals. Our gotaways are the lowest they’ve ever been. And we’re putting we’re working with the Department of Justice … we’re putting criminal charges on those individuals applying consequences and our partners in ICE ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] are removing those individuals from the United States.” Slosar said that the morale among Border Patrol agents in the El Paso sector “is better than it’s ever been because we are doing our national security job, and we are keeping this area safe.” “Words and messages matter. It is not okay to enter the country illegally, and somebody is finally saying that, that’s our leadership here in the U.S government,” he said.