Border apprehensions hit record low in dramatic turnaround from Biden era
The southern border has largely gone quiet. United States Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted to X on Friday that southwest border apprehensions hit a monthly record low in July, with only 4,399 apprehensions. For the third month in a row, there have been zero releases. This is the new all-time record low, beating the prior record low of 6,070 in June. BORDER CROSSINGS PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS; TRUMP’S ENFORCEMENT POLICIES YIELD BIG RESULTS In July, it averages out to 141 apprehensions per day at the southern border. At the height of the Biden-era crisis, there were 10,000-plus apprehensions on some days in December 2023. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The high number of crossings resulted in an intense strain on resources in small border communities for years, as agents struggled to keep up with the demand while also dealing with responsibilities at the legal ports of entry. In addition, many migrants were bused at the request of some Republican leaders to Democratic-run areas like New York City. ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ TOUTED AS SOUTHERN BORDER NUMBERS STAY LOW, INCLUDING NEW RECORD During the Biden administration, the record high was December 2023, with 249,785 apprehensions, the majority of which were released into the U.S. The nosedive in numbers is seen as a major victory by Republicans and the Trump administration. “The border is secure again — as it should be. Strong policies equal quiet borders,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, posted to X. At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, troops were deployed to the border, and the CBP One app that was commonly used for people crossing illegally to claim asylum was shuttered. NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN The app was replaced with CBP Home, which is used for people to self-deport. The Department of Homeland Security has been touting for months an offer to give people $1,000 and free travel outside the U.S. if they have not committed other crimes. Deportation efforts are now underway throughout the U.S., as the administration is honing in on areas with sanctuary policies, with push back from Democratic officials at different levels of Congress. Still, border and immigration enforcement is expected to get a resources boost with the recent passage of the Trump-backed spending bill, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Billions were allocated for border security efforts, including to pay back states for costs incurred during the Biden administration, and ICE is now beginning recruitment for thousands more agents they’ve been given the budget to hire.
Trump officials visit Gaza aid sites as international community pressures Israel
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visited Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites amid controversy over the distribution of aid in the Strip. “Went into Gaza today [and] observed humanitarian food program by U.S.-launched GHF. Hamas hates GHF [because] it gets food to [people without] it being looted by Hamas. Over 100 MILLION meals served in 2 months,” Huckabee wrote on X. In a separate post, Huckabee hailed GHF’s work as “an incredible feat.” HUCKABEE, WITKOFF SLATED FOR HIGH-STAKES GAZA VISIT TO ADDRESS ‘DIRE’ STARVATION CRISIS “At [President Trump’s] direction, [U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee] and I met yesterday with Israeli officials to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza — level setting the facts on the ground, assessing conditions, and meeting with [GHF] and other agencies. The purpose of the visit was to give [President Trump] a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza,” Witkoff wrote on X after the visit. GHF also posted about the visit, saying it was the organization’s “privilege and honor” to have the Trump officials at one of its sites as it delivered its 100 millionth meal. GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE US-BACKED AID GROUP “The GHF food program is working. It’s working very well,” Huckabee told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade on Friday. He also said that the situation in Gaza is “a mess” because of Hamas. Huckabee dismissed two prevailing charges against Israel: that the IDF is randomly shooting Palestinians and that there is no proof that Hamas has been stealing aid. Both the U.S. and Israel have backed the GHF largely as a way to distribute aid to people and block Hamas from looting trucks. The ambassador told Kilmeade that incidents of people being shot by the IDF at aid sites are “never random” and expressed his exhaustion with the narrative. Additionally, he dismissed claims that Israel lacked evidence of Hamas stealing aid as “ludicrous.” Huckabee said he had seen evidence of Hamas looting aid trucks and selling food on the black market for outrageous prices. According to Huckabee, a 4-kilogram (8.8-pound) bag of sugar is being sold on the black market for as much as $200. HAMAS LOSING IRON GRIP ON GAZA AS US-BACKED GROUP GETS AID TO PALESTINIANS IN NEED “People need to understand that until now, most of the humanitarian aid that entered Gaza was looted by Hamas and various clans. They sold the goods to Gazans for money,” GHF executive chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore wrote in a recent Jerusalem Post op-ed. “As a result, prices of basic products in the Strip skyrocketed — Hamas created conditions that led to hunger in Gaza by denying food to the population that had no means, and with the money and supplies it looted, it managed to recruit new fighters and keep operating.” In the interview with Kilmeade, Huckabee went on to call out the United Nations, demanding it stop “pretending” that GHF’s system isn’t effective and instead work with the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization. Huckabee also accused the international body of having more interest in acting like a humanitarian organization than doing the work. ISRAEL ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE RESUMPTION OF GAZA AID AIRDROPS AMID GROWING HUNGER CRISIS The U.N. and the GHF have been at odds since before the American-backed organization began distributing aid in May. While the U.N. has expressed concern that GHF sites are dangerous and ill-prepared to hand out food, the organization has pointed to the number of meals distributed as a success. “When parents no longer have to plead with Hamas for flour, something good has happened. When women can safely collect food for their children, a small piece of dignity is restored. When children are fed without conditions or coercion, a bit of light breaks through the darkness. These are victories, even if others refuse to see them,” Moore wrote in his op-ed. Huckabee and Witkoff’s visit comes as the Trump administration appears to shift its messaging on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. While in Scotland this week, President Donald Trump pledged to set up new food centers in Gaza in an apparent break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While Trump said he saw “real starvation in Gaza,” Netanyahu sent exactly the opposite message. “There is no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza, and I assure you that we have a commitment to achieve our war goals,” Netanyahu said in a video statement on X. On Friday, Trump told Axios that he is working on a plan to “get people fed” in Gaza. The outlet noted that the president was concerned about starvation in Gaza, but placed the blame on Hamas. Additionally, Trump told Axios that Witkoff was “doing great work,” but that he had not gotten a briefing from his special envoy yet.
Trump endorses ‘MAGA warrior’ for RNC chairman after Whatley launches Senate campaign
President Donald Trump issued a full-throated endorsement of Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters for the role of Republican National Committee chair. “He will be a wonderful Chairman!” the president declared in a post on Truth Social. Current RNC Chairman Michael Whatley announced he is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Trump has endorsed Whatley’s campaign. Trump also backed Jennifer Saul-Rich for the role of RNC treasurer. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Democrats escalate anti-Trump lawfare by targeting Congress in Planned Parenthood funding fight
Abortion providers and Democrat-led states are bringing lawsuits over the Trump administration’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood, a legal fight that raises the stakes by challenging the will of both Congress and the president. Planned Parenthood and several blue states have sued over the provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that strips Medicaid funding from certain abortion providers for one year. The bill was passed by Congress and signed by the president in July. The legislation advances the pro-life movement’s longtime goal of defunding Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, but a federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the Trump Health and Human Services Department from carrying it out. Derek Muller, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, told Fox News Digital that taking on two branches of government sets this litigation apart from many of the hundreds of other lawsuits targeting the Trump administration. SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN OKS BAN ON PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERAL FUNDING IN TRUMP MEGABILL “Congress has the power of the purse,” Muller said. “Congress has a lot of discretion [over] how it wants to spend its money, and this is not an instance where the executive has been engaged in overreach or doubtful conduct. … This is ordinary legislation, and when it comes to ordinary legislation, there’s more deference given to Congress, and certainly more in how it chooses to subsidize things, where it wants to give money or where it doesn’t want to give money.” The judge’s decision to temporarily block the funding cuts stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit with hundreds of facilities across the country that provide abortions and other reproductive health services. Planned Parenthood’s attorneys alleged in court papers that the provision was unconstitutional, arguing it would deprive the nonprofit of millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements, causing it to lose half of its patients and forcing it to shutter up to one-third of its facilities. FEDERAL JUDGE PAUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PLANNED PARENTHOOD DEFUNDING MEASURE Katie Daniel, counsel at SBA Pro-Life America, told Fox News Digital Planned Parenthood was making a “desperate argument” that “totally undermines Congress’ ability to determine how taxpayer dollars are spent.” It also signals that Planned Parenthood was not a solvent business, she said. “It’s a business that really can’t keep itself afloat without getting hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars,” Daniel said. Planned Parenthood’s attorneys noted that Medicaid does not typically cover abortions and that the funding cuts would affect other services. Cancer and sexually transmitted infections would go undetected, especially for low-income people, and more unplanned pregnancies would occur because of a lack of contraception access, the attorneys said. “The adverse public health consequences of the Defund Provision will be grave,” the attorneys wrote. Daniel said the Medicaid marketplace includes other options for clinics and that those options “outnumber Planned Parenthood nationally 15 to one.” Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, said she was inclined to agree with Planned Parenthood that the legislation violated several provisions in the Constitution and granted a preliminary injunction, which the Department of Justice is now appealing. That lawsuit has been joined by two others challenging the bill. A coalition of 21 states with Democratic attorneys general, along with the District of Columbia and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, brought one of them on Monday. Maine Family Planning, which operates 18 health facilities in the Pine Tree State, has also sued over the legislation. While lawmakers have touted that the bill defunds Planned Parenthood, it was written to include other entities, including Maine Family Planning, as a way to pass parliamentarian scrutiny. JUDGE TORCHED FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ORDER: HER COURT LOOKS ‘LIKE A FAST FOOD DRIVE-THROUGH’ Daniel told Fox News Digital she anticipates the higher courts will rule in favor of the Trump administration but that the bill’s one-year limit on the funding cuts works in Planned Parenthood’s favor. “At this point for Planned Parenthood, it’s really about running out the clock,” Daniel said. “The defund provision is for one year, so every single day that they can keep getting money. … That’s existential to them.” If the Trump administration ultimately wins the court fight, it could attempt to claw back the Medicaid funds it lost while Talwani’s injunction was in place. Daniel noted, however, that “it’s incredibly difficult, it’s time-consuming, it’s costly, and Planned Parenthood is relying on all of that.” Among Planned Parenthood’s allegations was a longshot claim that Congress’s bill violates the Constitution’s bill of attainder clause because it singles out and punishes Planned Parenthood without a trial. Bills of attainder are pieces of legislation that serve to bypass the role of judges and punish people or entities. The Constitution prohibits bills of attainder because they infringe on the function of the courts. Muller told Fox News Digital he believed the bill of attainder argument was a “nonstarter.” “People have tried to argue that certain things that Congress does, singling out or targeting individuals, could rise to a bill of attainder,” Muller said. “This has gotten some traction in lower courts. It has never really gotten traction in the courts of appeal because it is far afield from the original meaning of the Constitution on this topic.”
Lawmaker unveils ‘ERIC ADAMS Act’ threatening criminal penalties for sanctuary city mayors
FIRST ON FOX: A House lawmaker is making a push to hold mayors of sanctuary cities responsible for illegal immigrants committing murder within their jurisdictions. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is introducing the Establishing Responsibility for Illegals’ Crimes and Adding Deterrence and Accountability for Mayors’ Sanctuary Cities Act, or the ERIC ADAMS Act, on Friday. If passed, the bill would open sanctuary city mayors to criminal liability if illegal immigrants living there were found guilty of murder. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ It’s named after New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is up for re-election this November. Carter, meanwhile, is running to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in the November 2026 midterms. The bill’s introduction comes days after the Trump administration moved to sue the Big Apple for its sanctuary policies, one of multiple such lawsuits President Donald Trump’s officials are pursuing against Democrat-run cities and states. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP Under the terms of Carter’s legislation, a sanctuary city mayor could be found guilty of “criminal negligence resulting in manslaughter” if an undocumented person committed murder there and if “the mayor knowingly adopted, maintained, or failed to repeal a sanctuary policy that materially restricted cooperation with Federal immigration enforcement, and such policy directly and foreseeably contributed to the failure to detain or remove” the person before the crime was committed, according to bill text obtained by Fox News Digital. It would carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison, as well as certain fines. Enforcement would be left to the attorney general, the bill text said. “Laken Riley and countless other loved ones could still be alive today if our immigration laws were respected by mayors of sanctuary cities,” Carter told Fox News Digital, referencing a nursing student killed by an illegal immigrant in early 2024 in Georgia. “As far as I’m concerned, they have blood on their hands and should be held personally accountable for creating a lawless environment that allows criminal illegal aliens to commit murder.” Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ campaign and the New York City Mayor’s Office for comment but did not hear back.
Crackdown on illegal immigrants voting in DC elections launched by Senate GOP
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Republicans, led by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, are gearing up to wield their federal oversight powers to force Washington, D.C., to demand an end to what they call the capital’s dangerous experiment of allowing illegal immigrants and noncitizens to vote in local elections. The development follows reports that roughly 400 noncitizens voted in the 2024 general election, with about 100 participating in the primary. Federal law supremacy prohibits state or local jurisdictions from allowing illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections, since a measure by then-Rep. C.W. Young, R-Fla., called the IIRAIRA passed in 1996. However, state and municipal leaders have the ability to allow illegal immigrants to vote in lower-tier elections, and Washington, D.C., is one of several that has. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS Congress, meanwhile, has unique constitutionally-explicit leverage over the governance of the District on any matter, including local affairs and the overturning of council-passed laws. Britt’s bill would prohibit noncitizens from voting in District elections and repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 – which the City Council passed that authorized noncitizen voting in municipal elections. “This isn’t just about local school boards or fixing potholes. This is about the direction of our nation’s capital,” Britt said. ELECTION INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING BY NONCITIZENS AND DOUBLE VOTERS IN MULTIPLE STATES “In the city representing the strongest democracy in the world, the D.C. City Council chose to flagrantly violate one of democracy’s core principles. This is a slap in the face to every American citizen, whether they live in DC or not, who should be the only voters deciding who represents them in every election and at every level of government. “I am hopeful we gain bipartisan support in the Senate for this commonsense bill–it is our duty to protect the votes of hardworking American citizens and those who came to our country legally and took the time and effort to go through the naturalization process. Ultimately, this is about strengthening the integrity of our elections.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Noncitizen voters spoke to the Washington Post after the last election, including a woman named Ana Lemus who came to the U.S. more than a decade ago from El Salvador. Her daughter, who was 4 years old at the time, said she is voting to help address “wealth inequality and police brutality” among other concerns. In the House, Rep. August Pflueger, R-Texas, is championing companion legislation. While Britt’s bill so far only has Republican co-sponsors, Pflueger’s effort has garnered about 50 Democratic supporters. In addition to Washington, select communities in Maryland, New York and Vermont – plus California in certain school board races – allow illegal immigrant voting. The first city to allow it was Takoma Park, Maryland, back in 1992. Current Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., helped spearhead that “Share The Vote” effort in the community, which abuts the nation’s capital to its northeast.
Senate GOP threatens to ‘grind it out’ through August as Trump nominees face Democratic delays
The U.S. Senate is barreling through a number of President Trump’s nominees: Picks for the federal bench, assistant Cabinet secretaries, ambassadors. Republicans complain that Democrats are bleeding out the summertime clock, trying to stall the Senate from confirming many of the president’s picks. PROTESTERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA DELIVERING COFFIN TO GOP CONGRESSMAN’S FRONT DOOR IN MOCK FUNERAL PROCESSION “We’ve seen an unprecedented level of obstruction and delay in blocking from Democrats. And as a consequence of that, we’ve had to kind of grind through. And that’s what we’re going to keep doing,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Thune blasted Democrats for deploying clock-draining “tactics designed to block and obstruct, the president and his agenda.” He noted that the Senate has never failed to confirm any of an executive’s nominees on a fast track. That includes “en bloc” – where the Senate quickly green-lights a swath of nominees all at once. By unanimous consent. That’s where the majority checks with all 100 senators on both sides and makes sure everyone is okay with advancing a nominee or nominees on the floor. However, one objection can tank the entire enterprise. Then there’s “voice vote.” That’s where all senators in favor holler “aye” and those opposed shout “nay.” The nominee is confirmed if the “ayes” are the loudest. EPSTEIN FILES DIVIDE HOUSE REPUBLICANS IN GROWING ‘SUMMER OF DISCONTENT’ Each of these parliamentary methods are valid ways to “vote” in the Senate. They’re a lot faster than a roll call vote – which could drag on for 30 or 40 minutes. And if everyone agrees to do things quickly, there’s no need to burn through parliamentary hurdles which sometimes consume days. The most valuable commodity in the Senate is floor time. And the rules of the Senate often favor the minority party to chew up the minutes and hours to elongate the process and confound the majority. Senate Republicans were determined to rifle through the core of Trump’s Cabinet and top nominees in January, February and March. In fact, the Senate confirmed the bulk of Mr. Trump’s main nominees days ahead of the mark set by former President Biden in early 2021. But Democrats have slowed down the GOP and the president on other nominees for months now. That’s why Thune says the Senate will “grind it out here and Democrats are going to be here whether they like it or not.” The South Dakota Republican added that this was “bad practice” on behalf of the Democrats. And that “what goes around comes around” in the Senate the next time Democrats occupy the White House and the GOP sits in the Senate minority. Senate Republicans discussed parliamentary options to make long-term changes to rules and precedents to speedily confirm nominees. GOP senators also discussed the possibility of “recess appointments” to install some of Trump’s picks – without Senate confirmation. “He’s being sabotaged from the deep state from within,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., on Fox Business. “I hate to do this to the Senate staff. But we ought to start voting overnight. Just grind the clock, try and grind them down.” But then Johnson offered this suggestion: “We ought to be talking about taking a full recess. Not having the pro forma session so that President Trump, if he has to, can do recess appointments,” offered Johnson. He’s not the only one. “No August recess until the Senate clears the confirmation backlog, with 144 nominees now pending —No more ‘pro forma’ sessions, which allow the Senate to take a ‘recess’ without triggering President Trump’s recess-appointment authority,” said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, also joined in the chorus. “The Senate has 3 choices. 1) fully recess & allow POTUS to recess appoint. 2) NOT recess & do its job. 3) recess & do fake sessions to prevent recess appointments. Only 1 & 2 are acceptable,” declared Roy on social media. So what is a “recess appointment?” And what are these “pro forma” and “fake sessions” that Lee and Roy are talking about? In the 18th Century, the Founders didn’t want to hamstring a president in case vacancies in cabinet or other administration positions became open during a Congressional “recess.” The Senate must be in session to confirm presidential nominees. And in the 18th Century, Congress was often adjourned or in recess for months at a time. The Founders viewed recess appointments as “human resources grout,” – temporarily filling a position in case the Senate was out. Here’s how a recess appointment works: both the House and Senate must be adjourned for a period of 10 days. The Constitution requires the House and Senate to have the blessing of the other body to adjourn. And both bodies must vote to adjourn. Right now, the Republican House is scheduled to convene every three days – just gaveling in and gaveling out after a few seconds – to comply with the Constitution. So there is no way that the House could ever vote to adjourn. Moreover, the House could probably not pass an adjournment resolution anyway. The same with the Senate. A recess appointment, which lawmakers should technically bill as an “adjournment appointment,” is only valid if both bodies have “adjourned” for more than 10 days. Former President Obama tested whether Congress was truly in session for more than three days. He made a couple of recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and National Labor Relations Board in 2012 during an abbreviated Senate recess. But the 2014 Supreme Court ruled in NLRB v. Canning that the administration couldn’t decide if the Senate was in session. Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution gives both bodies of Congress the right to “determine the Rules of its Proceedings.” In short, the High Court held that if the Senate says it’s out of session, it’s out of session. Thus, those recess appointments aren’t valid. On Truth Social, Trump implored Senate Republicans to “cancel August recess and long weekends to confirm nominees.” The Senate may stay in session
Top DHS official calls citizenship test ‘too soft,’ urges major overhaul of naturalization process
EXCLUSIVE: New Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow is wasting no time shaking up the path to American citizenship. Just weeks into the job, he’s calling for a major overhaul of the U.S. naturalization test — blasting the current version as too soft and out of step with what Congress envisioned. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Edlow said the civics and English exam, which forms the backbone of the naturalization process, fails to reflect the knowledge and assimilation he believes should be required to become an American. “The test needs to reflect the letter and the spirit of what Congress intended,” Edlow said. “It’s important for people to understand English, our history, our government… and the way the test is written and executed right now doesn’t meet that bar.” DOJ DIRECTS US ATTORNEYS TO SEEK TO REVOKE CITIZENSHIP OF NATURALIZED AMERICANS OVER CRIME Under the current format, naturalization applicants must correctly answer six out of 10 civics questions randomly selected from a list of 100, covering topics like the Constitution, U.S. history, geography and civic responsibilities. They must also read one sentence aloud and write one simple sentence correctly in English. Edlow says that’s not enough. He wants the test to probe deeper — presenting a broader cross-section of U.S. principles — and for English skills to be evaluated throughout the entire naturalization interview, not just in isolated reading and writing exercises. “I want adjudicators to really be listening and talking throughout the interview,” he said. “Switch up some of the wording… and see if the individuals are still able to comprehend the questions. That’s a better gauge of readiness.” Edlow said the test must preserve the integrity of the process and reflect assimilation expectations. He also pointed to a recent executive order declaring English the national language, calling language fluency “an imperative part” of the American dream. The director also took aim at long-standing flaws in the H-1B visa system, which permits U.S. companies to hire high-skilled foreign workers in specialty fields. KEY IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL VOWS TO END ‘BACKDOOR HIRING PRACTICES’ IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES “Companies are going for the highest-skilled workers but paying them at the lowest wage level,” he said. “That’s undercutting U.S. graduates, especially in STEM fields.” He cited cases when third-party contracting firms helped employers lay off American workers — sometimes even requiring them to train their own foreign replacements — as evidence of a program being exploited to suppress wages. Vice President JD Vance has echoed a similar sentiment. In July, he called out Microsoft for laying off around 9,000 American workers while applying for 4,700 H1-B visas. “I don’t want companies to fire 9,000 American workers and then to go and say, ‘We can’t find workers here in America.’ That’s a bulls— story.” The visa program has emerged as a political flashpoint within the GOP, creating a rift between MAGA populists and pro-business conservatives. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said he’d “go to war” in support of the H1-B visa program and branded its Republican opponents “hateful, unrepentant racists.” To tighten oversight of the program, Edlow said USCIS will work with the Department of Labor to expand worksite enforcement and ensure that wages and job functions match what’s on paper. “We want to make sure those brought over are truly commensurate with the roles they’re filling — and not part of a cost-cutting scheme,” he added. On the issue of welfare-related immigration policy, Edlow said USCIS is preparing to revisit the public charge rule — a legal standard that bars green cards for applicants likely to become reliant on public assistance. The rule has existed in some form for over a century but was more strictly interpreted during the Trump administration to include certain non-cash benefits like Medicaid or housing aid. The Biden administration returned to guidance that did not take non-cash benefits into account. Edlow said changes would take time. “It’s something we’ve got to study and get right,” he said. “We need to look at the means-tested benefits being offered and ensure our adjudicators know what to look for to determine if someone would be a burden on U.S. taxpayers.” Beyond policy changes, Edlow flagged the growing USCIS case backlog as a top operational threat — one he says now carries national security implications. “Backlogs that continue to grow are nothing short of a national security threat to this country,” he said, blaming the Biden administration for shifting agency resources away from legal immigration priorities in response to record-breaking illegal border crossings. While he pledged to reduce adjudication times, Edlow warned that shortcuts won’t be part of the strategy. “There may be short-term pain,” he said. “But we will decrease the backlog at a steady clip while protecting the integrity and security of the system.”
Linda McMahon pulls back the curtain on Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education
Despite Democrats protesting President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said returning education to the states is a “nonpartisan issue.” “I’m not getting push back, because if it were just Democrat states or Republican states that were doing well or doing poorly, that would be one thing, but it’s many of the states on both sides of the aisle. That’s why this is really a nonpartisan issue,” McMahon explained in an exclusive interview at the National Governors Association (NGA) summer meeting. The Education Secretary participated in discussions with governors from both parties at the Colorado Springs, Colo., meeting, and her department announced the release of roughly $6.8 billion in previously frozen federal funds for K-12 programs ahead of her panel discussion with the outgoing NGA chair, Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo. “It’s just incredibly important that if we are going to return education to the states, we have to talk to the governors,” McMahon emphasized. “What’s meaningful to them? How can we work together? This is both sides of the aisle because, clearly, education is a nonpartisan issue.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION RELEASES OVER $6B IN FROZEN EDUCATION FUNDS TO THE STATES Trump signed an executive order earlier this year to dismantle the Department of Education, fulfilling one of his key campaign promises during the 2024 presidential election. McMahon explained that returning education to the states “just means giving them back the part that is now provided by the federal government, and they’re anxious for it.” EDUCATION SECRETARY LINDA MCMAHON TOUTS COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S $200M SETTLEMENT ‘TEMPLATE’ In a joint statement on behalf of the NGA, Polis and incoming NGA chair Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Ok., said they were “thankful these bipartisan discussions with Secretary McMahon and other key officials during the NGA Summer Meeting led to the distribution of these education funds,” adding that they are “proud our advocacy helped secure this vital support for states and districts.” The Education Secretary, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), explained to Fox News Digital that participating in events like NGA, having discussions with governors from both parties and visiting as many states as possible is critical to understanding America’s diverse educational landscape. McMahon said she has already visited different types of schools, from charter schools to public schools, to learn the best practices across the country. “Every state does have different needs,” McMahon said. “There’s no one size fits all, but what I hear with every governor and almost every educator coming in, is what we are stressing, which is literacy.” A Department of Education report released earlier this year revealed that American students’ reading skills have continued to decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, and their math skills have barely improved. Despite the dismal report, McMahon said “the future for education is very bright” because the Trump administration has called attention to the “Nation’s Report Card,” which reveals “how the United States doesn’t compare all that favorably with the rest of the world.” “The president is very keen on making sure that those levels rise, so that the United States takes its rightful place as one of the leaders in education in the world,” McMahon explained. And when asked how the Education Secretary would address teachers who are anxious about the dismantling the Department of Education, McMahon said she is focused on ensuring best practices are carried out nationwide, while empowering states to deliver for teachers’ individual needs. “[Teachers] are working with their school boards, they’re working with their principals and superintendents and their governors to have the best policies in their states,” McMahon said. “This is a win for teachers because governors are already talking about that teachers should be paid fairly, that they should be allowed to innovate in the classroom, that they shouldn’t spend their time doing paperwork and regulatory compliance. They should be able to spend that time with the students.” “Let’s let teachers teach. This is all good,” McMahon explained.
Trump takes jab at GOP senator, urging Republicans to ‘vote the exact opposite of’ how she does
President Donald Trump targeted Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a Thursday night Truth Social post, urging Republicans to vote in the opposite of the way that she does. “Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins. Generally speaking, you can’t go wrong. Thank you for your attention to this matter and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the president declared in the post. Fox News Digital reached out to Collins’ office early on Friday morning to request a comment from the senator. TWO REPUBLICANS VOTE AGAINST TRUMP’S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK OF FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDING Last month Collins voted against passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and against passage of a rescissions measure, both of which Trump ultimately signed. Earlier this year she voted against confirming Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense and against confirming Kash Patel to serve as FBI director. SENATE PASSES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA In February 2021, she voted to convict Trump after the House impeached him in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, but that Senate vote, which occurred after Trump had already departed from office, did not reach the threshold necessary for conviction. SUSAN COLLINS VOWS TO OPPOSE TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL AHEAD OF CRITICAL VOTE Collins has served in the Senate since 1997.