Trump DHS hits 16 straight months with 0 releases at the border
FIRST ON FOX – President Donald Trump’s administration marked 16 consecutive months of making zero releases at the U.S.-Mexican border on Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the unprecedented record in a statement to Fox News Digital. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the streak proves that President Donald Trump’s policies “are working.” “Catch and release is over, consequences are back, and illegal crossings have fallen to historic lows. President Trump made a promise to the American people that he would make America safe again, and he has done just that by giving us the most secure border in American history,” Mullin said. “Border security starts with knowing who and what is entering our country – and controlling it on behalf of the American people,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “That means people who cross illegally are apprehended, detained and removed – not released into the United States. Our agents are enforcing that standard every day.” TRUMP HITS DRAMATIC MILESTONE IN MASSIVE DEPARTURE FROM BIDEN BORDER PLAN: ‘WHAT A DIFFERENCE’ U.S. Border Patrol said it apprehended 8,870 people along the Southwest border in August, which is 5% lower than July. The August apprehension numbers were 94% lower than the average month under former President Joe Biden. DHS also says it made zero parole releases in August, compared to the Border Patrol releasing over 10,000 in August 2024 under Biden. Other law enforcement numbers at the border remain strong as well, with fiscal year drug seizures up 73% compared to the same fiscal period under Biden in 2024. Drug seizures are also up 61% compared to the average of the past four years. CBP OFFICERS SEIZE $67 MILLION IN ILLEGAL DRUGS AT SAN DIEGO BORDER PORTS, DHS SAYS The rise in drug seizures comes largely from cocaine and precursor chemicals. Cocaine seizures increased 28% in August to 6,724 pounds, while CBP and ICE seized over 120,000 pounds of precursor chemicals in the same month. The August numbers come the same month the Trump administration began construction of a section of a border wall in Arizona despite objections from a Native American tribe. MULLIN TELLS CONGRESS PRIMARY BORDER WALL WILL BE DONE BY JUNE 2027, SECONDARY WALL BY SUMMER 2028 The wall is part of a $46 billion effort to shore up the southern border with 30-foot steel bollard walls, vehicle barriers and technology designed to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. However, the Tohono O’odham Nation sued the administration earlier this year, saying the construction will damage land sacred to the tribe. A federal judge rejected the argument, siding with the government and noting that the border wall would be built on a 60-foot-wide buffer zone of federally owned land called the Roosevelt Reservation. “Defendants have not yet articulated plans to construct outside the Roosevelt Reservation,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., wrote in his opinion. Fox News’ Peter D’Abrosca and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dem House speaker torched for invoking 9/11 to attack key Trump policy: ‘Totally wrong’
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., fired back at the Pennsylvania House speaker, a Democrat, after she suggested the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration could invite 9/11-like violence. “She used her time to actually denounce securing our border and saying that, somehow, the efforts to keep our country safe could lead to another attack,” Mackenzie told Fox News Digital. “She’s totally wrong. She’s answering to the far-left radicals and globalists. I would actually call on Joanna McClinton to apologize for what she said at that event,” he added. McClinton’s criticism highlights a challenge Democrats face as they search for vulnerabilities in Trump’s immigration agenda: attacking the administration’s aggressive enforcement tactics even as illegal border crossings have fallen sharply. DEM REP SETH MOULTON SAYS PARTY HAS NO IMMIGRATION PLAN, IS ONLY ‘OPPOSITION TO TRUMP’ Speaking at a panel discussion on the 250th anniversary of American independence, McClinton said she feared the threat of retaliation for Trump’s “brutality.” “When we think of just the brutality of this federal government for almost two years, it’s been heartless. It’s been too silent on the other side of the aisle. They are treating people with no respect or dignity — people who came here to do better. It’s horrible. So, when we think about where we are in 2026 and that it’s been 25 years, thank God we have not had another attack,” McClinton said. “Thank God we haven’t seen another plane go down in Pennsylvania. But we also have to recognize that our policies are impacting our perception around the world,” McClinton added. McClinton first became speaker in the Pennsylvania House in 2023 and first joined the chamber in 2015. Before her time in politics, she worked as a public defender. McClinton has voiced similar criticisms of immigration enforcement before, framing Trump’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a tool that has gone too far. DEMOCRAT COMPARES ICE TO ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISTS’ AS 111 HOUSE DEMS DEMAND TEXAS DETENTION CENTER CLOSE “On our 250th birthday we’re seeing the worst horrors unfold in our beloved nation!!! Completely horrified by ICE agents so brutally hunting down, harming people every day – and now using deadly force!!!! God have mercy,” McClinton wrote in a post to X, referring to deadly encounters between ICE and protesters earlier this year. Since Trump returned to office, illegal border crossings have sunk to historic lows. Since the end of 2024, encounters have gone from 144,000 in December 2024 to just 33,800 in July — a reduction of 76.5%. Mackenzie believes Democrats like McClinton are ignoring that record. “What she should be doing is making sure that we’re protecting and defending American citizens in our country at every single turn,” Mackenzie said. SHAPIRO VS TRUMP-BACKED GARRITY SET FOR HIGH-STAKES PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR SHOWDOWN In addition to demanding an apology from McClinton, Mackenzie also called on other Democrats, like his own congressional opponent, to condemn her thinking. “My opponent in the congressional race, Bob Brooks, should condemn that kind of rhetoric. We need to make sure that we are always pushing back on these types of things that are really inappropriate and being said by Democrat leaders who are trying to push their radical agenda instead of doing what is right for our country,” Mackenzie said. McClinton’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump’s beef import scheme wreaks havoc on fed-up red state cattle ranchers
As the Trump administration desperately tries to cut costs for Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections, one critical demographic to U.S. food supplies is becoming increasingly fed up. President Donald Trump in August announced that the U.S. would import 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef trim, well over half a billion pounds, from nations around the world, leaving some cattle ranchers in red states typically aligned with the president’s agenda uneasy heading into a high-stakes election for Republicans. “These markets have been very volatile the last month,” Greg Gunthorp, a farm-to-table cattle farmer in northeast Indiana, told Fox News Digital. “The ranchers have lost a lot of equity. The markets are down substantially.” ‘WHY WOULD HE DO THIS TO US?’: TRUMP’S FOREIGN BEEF PUSH IS HURTING HIS BASE, REPUBLICANS WARN Gunthorp said the current uncertainty makes it difficult to decide whether to retain heifers for breeding or sell them as feeder cattle. Complicating matters is the fact that cattle herds in the U.S. have already thinned to their lowest level in 75 years, which could spell disaster for ranchers and consumers. Part of that shortage stems from a prolonged drought that has decimated some of the Midwest herd populations. Additionally, spiking diesel costs stemming from the war in Iran means cattle ranchers are already operating on thinner margins and being forced to raise their prices. Jaclyn Wilson, a cattle rancher in western Nebraska, told Fox News Digital that how much of the 300,000 metric tons is actually imported, another unanswered question, is critical to assessing the impact that the Trump administration’s move will have on the industry. TRUMP WANTS CHEAPER BEEF. REPUBLICANS IN KEY RACES WARN HIS PLAN GOES TOO FAR “The only thing that really concerns me and continues to concern me, is that the market volatility is definitely there,” she said. “It seems like any time that we have significant prices in the beef industry and our administration says something, we do see that market fluctuate and that can be devastating for producers that are selling calves right now or even yearling,” Wilson continued. Wilson said she sold some yearling steers just after the announcement was made, and got $175 less per head than she would have normally. “And that’s pretty significant for a producer,” she said. Another common theme shared by ranchers who spoke with Fox News Digital is that they want the government to incentivize producing cattle, or at least stay out of the market and let cattle ranchers do it on their own. BROOKE ROLLINS, MONICA CROWLEY: AMERICA’S FAMILY FARMS HAVE KEPT US STRONG FOR 250 YEARS “You can relieve a price temporarily today, but they’re not going to put cattle back in Mississippi pastures,” said Mississippi cattle rancher Mary Jo Perry. “And that’s the problem, is that we have a cattle shortage. So, something needs to be done to encourage farmers and incentivize them, enable them to retain heifers.” Perry, who runs a grass-fed, farm-to-table beef operation, said the White House‘s policy proposal hasn’t affected her business. She sells beef to health-conscious customers who want to know that their food is high quality and that their beef was raised without feeding on corn or soy. Wilson would just as much prefer the government to stay out the business altogether. “I think that’s what’s so discouraging for me as a cattle producer is that I’m trying to do what my family has done for generations, and somebody else is dictating it right now, she said. “I’m not given those opportunities to make that choice, and that’s what’s really disappointing.” NEBRASKA RANCHERS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER FROM HISTORIC WILDFIRES AS DROUGHT WORSENS CRISIS “We talk about herd rebuilding, and that’s something this administration is also talked about — which I agree, we do need to rebuild our cowherd — but keep the government out of it,” she said. “Let it naturally happen. Mother Nature, of course, is the biggest component of that.” Fox News Digital spoke with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins at the GOP Midterm Convention in Dallas last week about the cattle ranching conundrum. The secretary said she’s spoken with “hundreds and hundreds” of cattle ranchers to explain Trump’s thinking in importing beef. “So, hearing from those ranchers directly was really important,” Rollins said. “But what we did — and we’ve already done a whole lot of pro-rancher stuff a year ago — battling for private property rights, taking out the weaponization that the left had put in against our ranchers [and] working to take their land away … so all of that was already in motion.” TRUMP ADMIN SCRAPS ‘WEAPONIZED’ WILDLIFE RULE THAT BECAME ‘BURDEN’ ON AMERICAN FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES: BURGUM “But what that decision, as frustrated as our ranchers were, what that decision allowed was really an opportunity for us at USDA and also work across the cabinet — which this Cabinet is very unusual in that way — to put together the most pro-rancher agenda in American history,” she continued. “Until President Trump took office, America’s ranchers were treated as a problem with policy geared toward their eventual extinction. The consequences were devastating: a war on beef, a cattle herd at a 75-year low, and the loss of tens of thousands of family operations,” said Rollins told Fox News Digital. “President Trump promised to put the American ranchers first, and the Ranchers First Initiative delivers on that promise. We are investing real dollars to rebuild the Great American Beef Herd, giving producers the risk management tools they need, cutting the red tape that has squeezed small and independent operators, and demanding transparency in a marketplace that has been consolidated and foreign-owned for far too long. President Trump will make certain the men and women who raise our cattle can hand their operations to the next generation, and that American families can put safe, high-quality, American-raised beef on the table.” On Sept. 4, 2026, Trump signed two executive orders related to cattle ranchers and beef production. One, “Supporting America’s Ranchers,” is aimed
El-Sayed grilled on Piker, Israel and socialist ties after Mike Rogers skips Senate debate
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed faced roughly an hour of pointed questions Tuesday over his ties to controversial streamer Hasan Piker, his views on Israel, campaign money and his socialist ties after his Republican rival Mike Rogers declined to participate in a scheduled debate in Detroit Tuesday night. El-Sayed offered one of his most explicit condemnations yet of Piker’s controversial rhetoric, declined to give a yes-or-no answer when pressed on U.S. recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and pushed back on questions about his relationship with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) during the wide-ranging conversation with the moderator. Rogers did not attend Tuesday’s event after declining the station’s invitation earlier in the day, leaving El-Sayed to field questions from moderator Roop Raj, viewers and members of the studio audience. FOX 2 said both campaigns were invited on Aug. 5, the day after Michigan’s primary, and that El-Sayed quickly accepted, while Rogers did not formally decline until the morning of the Tuesday debate due to objections over Raj serving as the moderator, arguing he was biased. EL-SAYED’S LIBERAL AGENDA CLASHES WITH MUSLIM VOTERS WHO BACK HIM ANYWAY: ‘MALE VERSION’ OF ILHAN OMAR On Tuesday evening, Raj pressed El-Sayed on whether he could “completely, 100%” disavow offensive comments Piker had made. The question came just two days after El-Sayed resisted questioning about Piker during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “Absolutely,” El-Sayed responded to Raj about disavowing Piker’s controversial comments, before specifically addressing the streamer’s recent remarks about Jewish Americans. “When Hasan made these comments about Jewish Americans and Jewish Michiganders, I disavowed them entirely,” El-Sayed said. EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS El-Sayed went further Tuesday when Raj continued pressing him, saying there were “many, many things” Piker has said that he disagreed with and specifically pointing to the streamer’s comments about 9/11 and Jewish Americans. Still, El-Sayed defended his decision to engage with Piker, arguing that speaking with someone does not amount to endorsing all of that person’s views and saying he wanted to offer Piker’s millions of followers “a pathway back into our politics.” Meanwhile, El-Sayed declined to give a yes-or-no answer when pressed on whether the United States should continue recognizing Israel as a Jewish state, instead saying he believes “in equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination for Palestinians and Jewish Israelis alike.” “People ask this question about the right of the state that actually exists to exist, but I never get asked about the right of the state that does not exist to exist,” he continued. “I don’t get asked about whether or not the state that exists has a right to use our tax dollars to do heinous things. I don’t get asked about whether or not the kids in Detroit have a right to their tax dollars, so I just think the premise of the question is built around trying to ask people to agree to the current status quo that we have seen become a deeply unstable, deeply violent equilibrium.” ABDUL EL-SAYED PROTESTED AGAINST ‘EX-TERRORISTS’ WHO CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY, UNEARTHED REPORT REVEALS At another tense point, El-Sayed accused Rogers of trying to turn the race into a “culture war” focused on El-Sayed’s ethnicity and Muslim faith. The accusation came as El-Sayed bypassed a direct answer on whether he would return campaign contributions from individuals affiliated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Fox News Digital previously reported that El-Sayed’s campaign received more than $115,000 from at least 41 individuals who worked for, previously worked for or held leadership roles with CAIR, which has faced longstanding controversy over alleged ties to Hamas and was named as an unindicted co-conspirator by federal prosecutors in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case. CAIR has also been designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates and formally designated or labeled as such in Florida and Texas. MICHIGAN SENATE HOPEFUL CALLS AIPAC DONATIONS ‘LEGALIZED BRIBERY,’ REMAINS SILENT ON OTHER DONATIONS El-Sayed defended the organization as a civil rights group and accused Rogers of trying to make the election “about the color of my skin or how I pray.” The exchange came after El-Sayed repeatedly criticized Rogers over his own campaign funding, accusing the Republican of being beholden to corporations. El-Sayed also questioned Rogers earlier in the event over his attendance at American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) fundraisers while discussing Israel. “I believe in an America that is big enough for all of us: Mike Rogers, Donald Trump, JD Vance,” El-Sayed said Tuesday night. “They believe that some people are more American than others. They think that if you pray a different way, your family comes from a different place, that somehow there’s an asterisk on your American identity.” Raj, the moderator, followed up, noting that, “JD Vance is the father of the children to an Indian American,” and adding that the “second lady is an Indian woman who came to this country.” EL-SAYED’S HASAN PIKER PROBLEM FOLLOWS HIM TO DEM CONVENTION AS JEWISH VOTERS BREAK RANKS “I think there is diversity amongst that party,” he said. El-Sayed also pushed back Tuesday night when he was questioned about his relationship with the DSA and whether he shares significant values with the group. “I’m not a part of the organization,” El-Sayed responded before defending his view of capitalism and arguing that corporate consolidation, rather than government regulation, poses the greater threat to free markets. “We don’t live in capitalism. We live in corporatism,” he continued. “You don’t have to be a socialist to believe that people deserve health care. You don’t have to be a socialist to believe that we need good roads.” El-Sayed has repeatedly rejected the socialist label and described himself as a capitalist. The DSA did not endorse his Senate campaign, though prominent democratic socialists have supported, or have been affiliated with his candidacy. CBS News reported last month that El-Sayed said he was not part of DSA but believed the group’s supporters should
Texas Senate candidate Talarico said US was ‘backsliding’ on democracy in resurfaced clip
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico said in a resurfaced 2024 interview that the United States was “backsliding” on democracy and suggested Americans should look to countries in Western Europe for “inspiration.” Talarico made the remarks during a June 2, 2024, appearance on “The Weekend Show” with Anthony Davis on the MeidasTouch Network, well before becoming the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas. “We haven’t lived up to the promise of democracy,” Talarico said. “And of course, some countries are farther along than others, and sadly, here in America, where that experiment started, we are backsliding.” “And that troubles me greatly,” he continued. “But all of us still have so much more work to do to create a true democracy.” TALARICO MAKES STUNNING CLAIM ABOUT WHY HE THINKS TEXAS ELECTIONS AREN’T ‘FREE AND FAIR’ Talarico added that Americans should look to other countries, “especially in Western Europe,” for inspiration about “how to continue with this experiment and ultimately reach that goal of a true democracy, of a beloved community.” The clip drew fresh attention on social media this week, including from Elon Musk, who responded with a single word: “No.” Asked about the resurfaced remarks, Talarico’s campaign defended the candidate’s comments. “James agrees with the majority of Texans that America is the greatest country in the world, Texas is the greatest state in the union, and we should always fight for a more perfect union,” JT Ennis, a spokesperson for the Talarico campaign, told Fox News Digital. Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, entered the national spotlight earlier this year after defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination. He is facing Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election. SHOCK POLL: TALARICO TIES PAXTON IN TEXAS SENATE RACE, THREATENING GOP STRONGHOLD Republicans have repeatedly highlighted Talarico’s past remarks during the campaign, including his statements that he thinks of himself as a Christian who “hates Christianity,” that “God is nonbinary” and that there are six biological sexes. Talarico’s campaign previously responded to criticism of the Christianity remark by saying he is a devout Christian who is criticizing what he views as the misuse of Christianity to justify hate, violence and greed. In July, the conservative political action committee Lone Star Liberty criticized Talarico as an “America-laster” after the Democratic Senate nominee called the American flag a “complicated symbol.” Talarico’s campaign responded at the time that he believes the flag represents “freedom, opportunity and hope.” Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
7 Republicans rebel against Trump, vote with Dems to rein in Iran war powers
A handful of House Republicans rebuked President Donald Trump’s operation in Iran on Tuesday, joining Democrats to pass a resolution aimed at reining in the commander in chief’s war powers. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., introduced the war powers resolution that was backed by 14 of his fellow House Democrats, including Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo, and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. But it was Republicans who helped put the legislation over the edge. Seven House Republicans joined all 213 voting Democrats to pass the measure in a 220 to 204 vote late on Tuesday night. Opponents of the bill were 203 House Republicans and Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who caucuses with the GOP. “I’ve been consistent on that since the war powers provision expired after 60 days of engagement,” Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning ahead of the vote. REP TOM BARRETT: IT’S UP TO CONGRESS TO PREVENT ANOTHER ENDLESS AMERICAN WAR Barrett was among the group who voted to rein in Trump’s war powers, along with Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa. Republicans who voted to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran have long argued that it’s on Congress to declare war, not the White House. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 generally allows a president to engage U.S. forces in hostilities for up to 60 days without congressional authorization, with an additional 30-day withdrawal period under certain circumstances. Supporters of the resolution argue that the period has already expired. The Trump administration has argued the president is acting within his constitutional authority as commander in chief and has defended the continued military operation against Iran, saying the resolution would improperly restrict the president’s ability to protect U.S. forces and national security interests. The war in Iran has become a political lightning rod in the current midterm election season, dividing Republicans and providing political fodder for Democrats who have accused Trump of getting into another “forever war.” The conflict has also been blamed by some lawmakers and analysts for higher prices at the gas pump, which is expected to be a top issue for voters. FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS OPPOSE THE IRAN WAR, SEE PROLONGED COMMITMENT It also pushed Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a well-known critic of Trump’s foreign entanglements, to try to force a vote on impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. But the vast majority of Republicans still stand by the president and insist he is well within his authority. “The president has done a good job managing all this,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. “We need to stand with the president right now and with the Iranian people. And the president’s done what he promised the American people, that he wasn’t going to let them have a nuclear weapon.” REPUBLICANS BREAK WITH TRUMP TO REBUKE IRAN WAR — BUT IT WON’T CHANGE POLICY The Senate passed a similar resolution in June of this year, also with several Republicans defecting against Trump. But even if an identical bill passes both chambers, Trump has indicated he opposes such legislation, meaning it would likely face a presidential veto if it gets to his desk.
Washington Democrat claims majority of recent DHS arrestees posed ‘no threat to public safety’
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., claimed Tuesday that “for the first time this summer,” the majority of people arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “pose absolutely no threat to public safety.” Speaking during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on immigration enforcement, Jayapal argued the Trump administration has increasingly focused its immigration enforcement on immigrants without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges rather than those with criminal records. “For the first time this summer, the majority of people that DHS arrested were people who pose absolutely no threat to public safety, and the number of people with criminal convictions who are arrested by ICE actually decreased — decreased, not increased,” Jayapal said. HOMAN CONFIRMS ‘CRIMINAL’ INVESTIGATION INVOLVING ILHAN OMAR, SAYS HE KNOWS ‘THINGS ARE GOING ON’ She argued the administration’s enforcement priorities are making communities “less safe.” “That’s because when DHS expends all of its energy to go after parents, longtime friends, neighbors, when [Homeland Security Investigations] agents who are supposed to investigate serious crime and human trafficking are instead being moved to street sweeps and riding along with local police for random traffic stops, we are less safe, not more safe.” Jayapal’s comments echoed claims her office made in a Sept. 1 press release, which said ICE data showed “the majority of people they arrest have zero criminal charges or convictions” and that arrests of immigrants without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges had increased 770%. Independent analyses of ICE data have likewise found that while overall ICE arrests reached record highs during the summer, the share of people arrested without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges also increased. Her remarks come as the Trump administration has touted record immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. ILLEGAL CONVICTED OF ASSAULTING HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS THOUGHT HE WAS FREE — THEN DHS DROPPED THE HAMMER Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, according to DHS, marking the highest monthly total on record. “The hard-working men and women of DHS continue to break records as they defend the homeland and protect the American people,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement. Mullin added, “For the third straight month, ICE set a new record for the highest number of illegal aliens arrested in a single month, nearly 51,000. This is promises made and promises kept in action. Under President Trump’s leadership, ICE is working around the clock every day to arrest and deport illegal aliens from American communities.” DHS also highlighted August arrests of illegal immigrants convicted of crimes including murder, child pornography and sexual assault of a minor. MORE THAN 100 HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS WITH VIOLENT OFFENSE AND SEX CRIME CONVICTIONS DEPORTED: DHS According to DHS, more than 3 million illegal immigrants have left the United States since Trump returned to office. A spokesperson for DHS and Jayapal could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Republican upsets party-backed rival to challenge first openly trans member of Congress
Delaware Republicans nominated political scientist Joseph “Dr. Joe” Arminio for the state’s lone U.S. House seat Tuesday, bypassing both the state GOP’s endorsed candidate and its 2024 nominee to send Arminio into a November match-up against Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del. Arminio defeated Rev. Earl Cooper, the Delaware Republican Party’s endorsed candidate, and John Whalen, the party’s 2024 nominee, for the seat and a chance to defeat McBride in the Nov. 3 general election. McBride won Delaware’s at-large House seat in 2024, becoming the first openly transgender person elected to Congress after defeating Whalen by roughly 16 percentage points in the general election. RAUCOUS PRIMARY SEASON REACHES FINAL ACT IN DEEP-BLUE STRONGHOLD, KICKSTARTING SPRINT TO NOVEMBER McBride is seeking a second term in a seat Republicans have not won since 2008. Arminio, a Wilmington native, is a political scientist, author and educator who holds a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he focused on national defense policy and international relations, according to WHYY. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Johns Hopkins University and has taught at American University and Lincoln University. Tuesday’s race was not Arminio’s first congressional campaign, though it was his first in Delaware. He previously sought the Republican nomination in Maryland’s 1st Congressional District in 2008, receiving about 1.6% of the vote in a four-way primary won by Andy Harris, according to WHYY, a public media organization based in Philadelphia. DEMOCRAT REBELS DEFY JEFFRIES TO HAND GOP CRITICAL WIN JUST BEFORE MIDTERMS Arminio campaigned on economic issues, arguing that excessive public and private debt has squeezed American families. He identified inflation and the cost of groceries, gasoline and housing among the biggest economic challenges facing Delaware. “The Republican country for that matter is in dire peril,” he told WHYY in an interview. “The economy’s in very bad shape. We’re suffering from crushing private and public debt. So your typical family is having a hard time making ends meet. The young cannot afford to buy a home. They’re having difficulty in their relationships, getting married. It’s very, very serious.” Arminio will now try to break Democrats’ long-running hold on Delaware’s lone House seat, which the party has controlled since John Carney took over after former U.S. Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del, retired and left office when he did not seek reelection in 2010, instead deciding to run for the U.S. Senate.
Lawmakers throw out ‘Trojan horse’ activists they say are engaged in American subversion
WASHINGTON, D.C. – CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin and two fellow agitators entered the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing room 2272 today, wearing camera-ready T-shirts supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Communist Party of Cuba, turning themselves into a live demonstration of the “Trojan horses” for foreign influence that lawmakers had gathered to examine. At 2:39 p.m., about 30 minutes into the hearing’s start, after Benjamin carefully photographed their T-shirt slogans appearing on the TV screen behind the witnesses, staffers on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia had had enough, and Capitol Hill police officers escorted Benjamin and her fellow agitators out of the room, as they protested their ejection for staging their trademark CodePink antics. For lawmakers, CodePink’s camera-conscious performance underscored the central point of the hearing: that protest theater, messaging and social-media content can function as parts of foreign influence operations. “It’s really about theatrics,” Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., later told Fox News Digital. “They’re using it not to affect policy, but really to enrich themselves because they use that then to go out on social media, to try to whip other people up, to help donations, to help get volunteers, help get some of those other folks, and to really try to go and disrupt our – not just our sense of government and processing government – but society.” HOUSE PANEL TO PROBE FOREIGN ‘TROJAN HORSES’ AS SINGHAM SCRUTINY WIDENS Singham network takes center stage The hearing, “Trojan Horses: Covert Foreign Malign Influence Operations in America,” focused on the network of nonprofits, media outlets and activist groups that are promoting the interests of foreign governments and pro-communist ideologues, like Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. tech tycoon who lives in Shanghai, supporting the Chinese Communist Party. According to a Fox News Digital investigation, Singham has pumped $278 million into a far-left network of groups that have pushed anti-America, pro-China propaganda, including CodePink, which has received $1.33 million from Singham. Outside the hearing room, Benjamin refused to answer questions from Fox News Digital about the Singham funding, and instead slipped into the hearing room with her fellow activists and positioned themselves behind the witnesses in seats that get maximum TV exposure. Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, spotted Benjamin immediately and, in a tense back-and-forth with her, said “I’m telling Medea Benjamin that she should try to stop shilling for a communist tyranny.” Standing on the committee hearing room floor, Benjamin defended herself as “anti-war,” and denied any direction from the Chinese Communist Party. CUBA BUILT COVERT NETWORK INSIDE AMERICA THROUGH SPIES, ACTIVISTS AND UNIVERSITIES, STATE DEPT ALLEGES During opening remarks, Huizenga took direct aim at actors he said are tied to U.S. adversaries attempting to influence the American public, including Singham, CodePink and Marxist influencer Hasan Piker. “We are here today because America’s adversaries – China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia – are conducting covert influence campaigns to shape American thought and society through lies and censorship. These countries have one shared goal: to weaken the United States of America,” Huizenga “A prominent example of these adversary efforts is Neville Roy Singham, who lives in China and uses his wealth and relationships with the CCP to provide millions of dollars and personnel to extremist groups like CodePink, the People’s Forum, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation to destabilize American society and promote communist ideology,” he continued. Witnesses warn of foreign malign influence A hub for pro-communist organizing in New York City, People’s Forum has received $22.44 million from Singham. The first to testify, Gonzalez said a “red-green” alliance of far-left groups working with Islamist organizations channel money through intermediary organizations and donor funds before directing funds toward U.S.-based groups that organize protests and produce political messaging. Gonzalez pointed to Cuba and China’s influence operations as the basis of a “sustained campaign of subversion against the United States.” He described BreakThrough News as a media platform that amplifies demonstrations and promotes narratives aligned with Beijing, while arguing that the network’s causes — including Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, the environment and social justice — provide a constantly changing set of rallying points. BreakThrough BT Media runs BreakThrough News and has received $1.098 million from Singham, according to Fox News Digital’s reporting. The testimony also focused on Singham’s connections in Shanghai. Gonzalez cited research saying Singham shares premises with Maku Cultural Communication, a Chinese communications firm that promotes a favorable image of China, and was photographed attending a Chinese Communist Party strategic communications workshop in 2023. Gonzalez also pointed to connections between Singham-funded organizations and Chinese state-linked academic and media institutions. POWER COUPLE OF CHAOS: HOW A TYCOON AND ACTIVIST BUILT A ‘REVOLUTIONARY BASE’ AT THE HOUSE OF SINGHAM Singham and CodePink have denied that the organization takes direction from the Chinese government. Singham has said he is guided by his own political beliefs, while Benjamin has said CodePink receives no money from the Chinese Communist Party. No criminal charges have been filed against Singham or the organizations in connection with the allegations. Soon after, Sam Lyman, head of research at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, presented the network as one of three overlapping channels of influence: Chinese state media and online campaigns, nonprofits supported by Singham, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a Marxist-Leninist organization that works closely with CodePink, People’s Forum and BreakThrough News. Lyman said Singham-funded groups had echoed Chinese messaging on artificial intelligence, data centers and U.S. technology policy, while the Party for Socialism and Liberation organizers helped mobilize opposition to data-center projects across the country. In the gallery, CodePink’s Benjamin stared at her phone, scrolling through messages. Lyman said his research identified 21 campaigns linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation in 14 states that contributed to data-center moratoriums, a permanent ban and the rejection or cancellation of several projects. He estimated that campaigns in which the Party for Socialism and Liberation played a role had delayed, reduced or blocked proposed AI infrastructure investment across the
Federal judge refers Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner to DOJ for possible criminal investigation
A federal judge referred Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and top deputy Matthew Stiegler to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Tuesday for possible criminal investigation. U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond said evidence uncovered in a murder conviction case could constitute false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Neither man has been charged. PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT DEBATES FUTURE OF IMPEACHMENT TRIAL FOR PHILADELPHIA PROSECUTOR LARRY KRASNER Diamond also disqualified Krasner and Stiegler from the case but declined to disqualify the entire DA’s office. The judge alleged Krasner and Stiegler sought to pressure prosecutors into presenting a false narrative to the court and that Krasner warned of “consequences” if staff alerted the court to an internal conflict. “I have thus reluctantly concluded that Philadelphia’s highest law enforcement official and one of his top assistants may have violated the law,” Diamond wrote. AG BLANCHE UNVEILS FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST 160 DEFENDANTS IN PANDEMIC RELIEF SWEEP The dispute stems from the case of Dennis Johnson, who was convicted in 2009 of killing Kenyatta Smith. The DA’s office said in a 2022 filing that Johnson was entitled to habeas relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel, according to The Associated Press. Prosecutors later raised potential conflicts involving Stiegler and urged that the matter be referred to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. According to the opinion, Krasner opposed that move and repeatedly said someone from his office needed to remain involved to “protect the office.” “I respectfully and vigorously disagree with the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law,” Krasner said in a statement. “I look forward to appealing to the higher court as soon as the law allows. This remains a pending matter, which limits for now my and my office’s ability to respond in the media.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Jennifer Johnson contributed to this story.