GOP rep weighs bolting California for Texas seat as dueling redistricting wars upend 2026 map: report
GOP Rep. Darrell Issa is reportedly considering a run for Congress in Texas next year rather than his current district in California as major redistricting in California and Texas continues to change the political landscape for the midterm elections. Issa could head to Texas to run in the state’s 32nd Congressional District currently represented by Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson after Texas split her district in the controversial GOP-friendly redistricting effort. The redistricting incited California to redraw its districts in favor of Democrats, which made the path forward more difficult for Issa, Punchbowl News reported on Monday. Issa was significantly affected by California’s newly redrawn maps that voters approved last month. The change transformed the landscape from a district where Trump won by 15 points to new boundaries where former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by 3 points, according to the Cook Political Report. A source told Fox News Digital Issa did not “go looking” for the opportunity but that friends in Texas encouraged him to run, and he is “working through it.” GOP LAWMAKER FLIPS SCRIPT ON NEWSOM, BASS BY DEFINING ANTI-ICE RIOTS WITH 1 WORD Further complicating the situation is the fact that redistricting in both California and Texas is facing legal challenges. And it is unclear whether they will be in effect for next year’s critical midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. The Supreme Court is expected to decide on Texas’ redistricting in the next few days after a panel of federal judges blocked the state from using its redrawn congressional map, calling it “racially gerrymandered,” a ruling which Republicans across the country have blasted as a “double standard.” CALIFORNIA VOTERS PASS CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PROPOSITION IN VICTORY FOR NEWSOM, DEMOCRATS In California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom successfully backed a ballot measure to erase the new seats Republicans were likely to pick up in Texas, Trump’s Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit challenging the redistricting, arguing that race was “used as a proxy” in California to justify creating districts favorable to Democrats. The move by Republicans in Texas to attempt to add more GOP seats has created a political firestorm across the country as lawmakers in other states have pledged to make counteracting moves as Republicans try to defend a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives, where Democrats need a pickup of just three seats to win back control. Lawmakers in Indiana, North Carolina, Missouri, Maryland, Utah and Virginia are exploring or moving forward with plans to change their maps. “We must keep the Majority at all costs,” Trump wrote recently. Fox News Digital’s Ashley Oliver and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
DHS demands Letitia James take action over New York’s refusal to honor ICE detainers
The Department of Homeland Security is calling on New York Attorney General Letita James to take action against New York City over its handling of illegal immigrants. “New York City’s failure to honor ICE detainers has resulted in the release of 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since January 20. There are another 7,000 still in the custody of a New York jurisdiction with an active detainer,” DHS wrote on X. “We are calling on NY Attorney General Letitia James to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring our ICE arrest detainers. It’s common sense.” In response to a request for comment, James’ office referred Fox News Digital to a letter that the state attorney general sent to Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons in September. The letter from James was sent in response to a Sept. 10 message from Lyons. First, she stated that the New York Attorney General’s Office does not receive detainer requests “as we rarely take custody of individuals.” ICE OFFICERS IN ILLINOIS TARGETED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO USED ‘VEHICLES AS WEAPONS,’ OFFICIALS SAY She said “detainer requests are sent to a variety of entities within the State of New York, many of them local police department and local jails, each of which may have applicable laws and policies with respect to whether, to what degree, and under what circumstances to respond to federal detainer requests.” “This creates a range of lawful practices that we cannot address in our capacity as the attorney general,” James’ letter reads. On Monday, Lyons sent a fresh letter to James. In the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, he included details about criminals in New York’s custody and examples of instances in which ICE was able to capture illegal immigrants accused of criminal activity. “These are people who are not only in the country illegally but who have committed additional crimes, including heinous crimes like murder, rape, possession of child pornography, armed robbery, and many others. Virtually all Americans agree that people like this should be swiftly removed from the United States when they leave New York’s custody and not be returned to our streets to wreak havoc on law-abiding citizens,” Lyons wrote. RIOTERS ARRESTED AFTER ATTACKING ICE VEHICLES IN NEW YORK CITY; OFFICIALS SAY GROUP ORGANIZED ON SOCIAL MEDIA One of the men mentioned in Lyons’ letter was Steven Daniel Henriquez Galicia, who was arrested by local authorities for attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. ICE later nabbed him in the Bronx, New York, and he remains in federal custody pending the outcome of immigration proceedings. Vyacheslav Danilovich Kim, who was also featured in Lyons’ letter, was arrested by New York State Police for “use of a child less than 17 years of age in a sexual performance; rape in the second degree; disseminate indecent materials to minors; and patronizing a person for prostitution in the second degree of a person less than 15 years of age.” Lyons said Kim was convicted in February 2013 and was sentenced to time served as well as five years’ probation. He also alleged that “Albany County and New York Probation refused to assist ICE in locating and/or arresting Kim.” However, ICE was able to arrest him in September 2024 as he was leaving an appointment with his probation officer. He was deported, according to the letter. Another man mentioned in the letter was Anderson Smith Satuye-Martinez, an accused Crips gang member. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) noted that Satuye-Martinez had a conviction for assault. He was arrested in August for criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance. Despite having an active ICE detainer, Satuye-Martinez was released. However, ICE arrested him in September. He remains in federal custody. US ATTORNEY NARROWLY ESCAPES KNIFE ATTACK BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, BLAMES NEW YORK’S SANCTUARY POLICIES “Attorney General James and her fellow New York Sanctuary politicians are releasing murderers, terrorists, and sexual predators back into our neighborhoods and putting American lives at risk,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We are calling on Letitia James to stop this dangerous derangement and commit to honoring the ICE arrest detainers of the more than 7,000 criminal illegal aliens in New York’s custody. It is common sense,” she added. “Criminal illegal aliens should not be released back onto our streets to terrorize more innocent Americans.” McLaughlin also directed her ire at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, writing in a post on X, “Under [Gov. Hochul] New York has refused to honor [ICE] detainers and RELEASED back onto New York’s streets 6,947 criminal illegal aliens since January 20.” McLaughlin said that the crimes committed by the nearly 7,000 illegal immigrants include 29 homicides, 2,509 assaults, 207 sexual predatory offenses, 199 burglaries, 305 robberies, 392 dangerous drug offenses and 300 weapons offenses. There are currently 7,113 illegal immigrants with active retainers in custody in New York, according to DHS. The individuals who are locked up are accused of committing 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drug offenses, 152 weapons offenses and 260 sexually predatory offenses. ICE has faced challenges in New York City as it engages in a crackdown on illegal immigrants in Chinatown. The operation has sparked protests in the area for over a month. On Saturday, police confirmed officers made multiple arrests during a protest in Lower Manhattan. The NYPD told Fox News Digital that upon arriving at the scene, officers found agitators blocking the street and its exits at different locations. Video footage showed rioters pushing large potted plants in front of ICE vehicles, throwing trash at officers and screaming obscenities. They were also spotted hurling trash cans and recycling bins and pushing barricades against officers. Many were arrested after failing to comply with police demands that they disperse. Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.
Experts dispute Nigerian government’s claims amid congressional probe of escalating attacks on Christians
House appropriators and foreign affairs leaders convened a rare joint briefing Tuesday as part of a broader congressional investigation into what lawmakers and experts describe as escalating and targeted violence against Christians in Nigeria. The session — led by House Appropriations Vice Chair and National Security Subcommittee Chairman Mario Díaz-Balart, R-Fla. — is feeding into a comprehensive report ordered by President Trump on recent massacres of Nigerian Christians and potential policy steps the U.S. could take to pressure Abuja to respond. Trump directed Congress, led by Reps. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., and Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., to probe Christian persecution in Nigeria and produce a report for the White House to review. He has floated the idea of taking direct military action against Islamists who kill. Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, told lawmakers that “religious freedom [is] under siege,” citing the abduction of more than 300 children and attacks in which “radical Muslims kill entire Christian villages [and] burn churches.” She said violations are “rampant,” “violent,” and disproportionately affect Christians, who she argued are targeted “at a 2.2 to 1 rate” compared with Muslims. ARMED ATTACKERS IN NIGERIA KIDNAP 25 GIRLS FROM BOARDING SCHOOL Hartzler said Nigeria has taken some initial corrective steps — including reassigning about 100,000 police officers from VIP protection details — but warned the country is entering a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” She recommended targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials “who have demonstrated complicity,” visa restrictions, blocking U.S.-based assets, and conditioning foreign and humanitarian aid on measurable accountability. She also urged Congress to direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a review of past U.S. assistance and said Abuja should retake villages seized from Christian farming communities so widows and children can return home. Dr. Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations offered the sharpest challenge to the Nigerian government’s claim that the violence is not religiously motivated. He said the idea Boko Haram and other militant groups target Christians and Muslims equally is a “myth,” arguing the groups “act for one reason and one reason only: religion.” Any higher Muslim casualty count, he said, reflects geography, not equal targeting. ‘GENOCIDE CAN’T BE IGNORED’: GOP LAWMAKER BACKS TRUMP’S THREAT OF MILITARY ACTION IN NIGERIA Obadare described Boko Haram as fundamentally opposed to democracy and said the Nigerian military is “too corrupt and incompetent” to dismantle jihadist networks without strong external pressure. He urged the U.S. to press the Nigerian government to disband armed groups enforcing Islamic law, confront corruption inside the security forces, and demonstrate genuine intent to curb religious violence. He added that Washington should insist Nigerian officials respond immediately to early warnings of impending attacks. Sean Nelson of Alliance Defending Freedom International added that Nigeria is “the deadliest country in the world for Christians,” claiming more Christians are killed there than in all other countries combined and at a rate “five times” higher than Muslims when adjusted for population. He said extremists also target Muslims who refuse to embrace their extreme ideology, which he argued further undercuts Abuja’s narrative that the crisis is driven mainly by criminality or local disputes. With a population of more than 230 million, Nigeria’s vibrant and often turbulent cities and villages are home to people of strikingly diverse backgrounds. The nation’s roughly 120 million-strong Muslim population dominates the north, while some 90 million Christians are centered in the southern half of the country. Nelson urged tighter U.S. oversight of assistance to Nigeria, including routing some aid through faith-based organizations to avoid corruption. He called for greater transparency in how Abuja handles mass kidnappings and ransom payments and said sustained U.S. and international pressure is essential because “without transparency and outside pressure, nothing changes.” Díaz-Balart criticized the Biden administration for reversing the Trump administration’s designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” in 2021, arguing the change has had “clearly deadly consequences.” Lawmakers on the Appropriations, Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees signaled additional oversight actions in the months ahead as they prepare the Trump-directed report to Congress. Hartzler noted that Nigeria has recently begun taking several steps that could signal a shift toward confronting the crisis more directly. She pointed to President Bola Tinubu’s decision to pull about 100,000 police officers from VIP bodyguard assignments and redistribute them across the country, calling it “a promising start after years of neglect.” She said the move reflects growing recognition inside Nigeria’s political leadership that the violence has reached an intolerable level. She also highlighted comments last week from Nigeria’s speaker of the House, who acknowledged the country is facing a “coordinated and deeply troubling period of escalated violence.” Hartzler said that acknowledgment — coupled with a push from the Nigerian House majority leader for more intensive legislative oversight — suggests the government may finally be admitting the scale and severity of the attacks. Even with these developments, Hartzler warned the measures are far from sufficient. She emphasized that the Nigerian government must show clear intent to “quell injustice,” act quickly when early warning signs of attacks appear, and commit to transparency and accountability if the recent steps are going to amount to meaningful progress. The Nigerian Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dem free-for-all engulfs NJ as 13 contenders scramble for Sherrill’s House seat ahead of critical 2026 fight
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s win in New Jersey’s gubernatorial race has triggered a crowded special election to fill her U.S. House seat, with 13 Democrats contending for the nomination to face the lone Republican candidate in the race. The staggering 13-candidate Democratic field in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District could set the tone for Democrats’ messaging priorities as the country heads into a midterm election year that could determine if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate in 2026 amid President Donald Trump’s second-term. Monday marked the filing deadline for candidates vying to replace Sherrill, where candidates were required to secure at least 500 signatures to make the special election ballot. Outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy, D-N.J., issued the writ of election on Friday, Nov. 21, after Sherrill formally resigned from office on Thursday, Nov. 20. The special primary election is set for Feb. 5, 2026, and the special general election will be held on April 16, 2026. FORMER OBAMA STAFFER, EX-CONGRESSMAN AMONG CANDIDATES IN CROWDED DEMOCRAT PRIMARY FOR MIKIE SHERRILL’S SEAT The election comes as Democrats secured gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia and passed Proposition 50 in California this year, allowing the state to move forward with a new congressional map that is expected to add up to five Democratic-leaning districts. FORMER HOUSE DEMOCRAT TARGETS TRUMP IN BID FOR POLITICAL COMEBACK Murphy has already endorsed Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, touting his commitment to affordability and protecting “freedoms” in the fight against Trump. As the Essex County commissioner-at-large, Gill represents 22 towns in Essex County, and according to his campaign website, is committed to “taking on tough fights and delivering results that make our communities stronger, safer, and fairer.” While Gill has secured a coveted endorsement from the outgoing governor, Democratic voters in New Jersey’s 11th will have 12 more candidates to choose from in February. Progressive star Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also thrown his hat in the ring to endorse the national political director of his 2020 presidential campaign, Analilia Mejia. “As oligarchs and corporate interests continue to capture our government, we need true progressives to take our country back for working people. Analilia’s experience and deep dedication to working families make her the best choice for this seat. I’m proud to endorse her,” Sanders said last month. Mejia served in the Department of Labor under President Joe Biden and is currently the co-executive director of Popular Democracy, a progressive grassroots advocacy group demanding “transformational change for Black, brown, and low-income communities.” Another high-profile candidate with his own high-profile endorsement, former Rep. Tom Malinowski is running to return to Congress after losing his re-election for New Jersey’s 7th District in 2022. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., has endorsed Malinowski, touting his experience fighting the Trump administration. Malinowski served as President Barack Obama’s assistant secretary of state for democracy and human rights and was a senior director on President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council. Outgoing Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is also in the running for New Jersey’s 11th. The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association has endorsed Way, spotlighting her commitment to “expanding opportunity and delivering results.” Way has also served as New Jersey’s secretary of state and was the first Black person and first secretary of New Jersey to lead the National Association of Secretaries of State as president. SHERRILL PULLS OUT ALL STOPS WITH OBAMA ENDORSEMENT, STAR-STUDDED NEW JERSEY CAMPAIGN PUSH AS RACE TIGHTENS Meanwhile, Chatham Councilman Justin Strickland, a U.S. Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient and former Pentagon official, is also competing for the Democratic nomination. Strickland has centered his campaign on affordability — the winning issue in the past two election cycles. “Our campaign revolves around one simple principle: ensuring everybody has the economic liberty to fulfill the American Dream,” Strickland said on his campaign website. Another Democratic candidate, Anna Lee Williams, is an activist who, according to her campaign website, has spent the past decade in the “nonprofit and private sectors bringing people together around causes that matter to them.” Democratic candidate Jeff Grayzel is a local leader who currently serves as a committeeman for Morris Township, as chairman of the police commission and on the Board of Health. He is the former mayor of Morris Township who is “committed to solving everyday problems facing residents, such as keeping taxes stable, controlling over-development, improving our infrastructure, and addressing our deteriorating environment,” according to his campaign website. U.S. veteran and former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher said he is “running for Congress because Donald Trump and a failed Congress are putting our people and our country at risk,” citing rising costs, healthcare and leadership on the world stage. Per his campaign website, Beecher is currently a major in the U.S. Army Reserves, and his congressional run marks his political debut. Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, who is also competing for the Democratic nomination, said he is running because New Jersey deserves “another fighter who’s ready on day one, with a record of results and a focus on what really matters to us here” and “because it’s clear that Washington needs leaders who believe in the idea of public service and are willing to put country over party.” Another Democratic candidate, Cammie Croft, helped the Obama administration pass the Affordable Care Act, touting her commitment to “advancing humane, bipartisan immigration reforms, to building a clean energy nonprofit that helps families lower their energy bills.” Her priorities in Congress are “lowering costs for families, ending corruption, and building a stronger, fairer economy that works for everyone,” according to Croft’s campaign website. Marc Chaaban, a former congressional staffer for Sherrill, is seeking to replace his former boss in the office he once served. Reflecting the sentiment of his fellow Gen Z activists and politicos, the 25-year-old said “too many Democrats in Washington are asleep at the wheel” and the moment “demands a different kind of politics.” His commitments include rejecting Trump’s agenda, banning members of Congress from stock trading, prohibiting corporate PAC money in elections and investigating the “Trump-Epstein cover-up.”
Virginia GOP Chair steps down after crushing 2025 loss — vows to rally party against Democrats’ ‘power grab’
Virginia’s Republican Party (RPV) chair was praised Tuesday, as he announced his resignation after a short but electorally tumultuous tenure, promising a renewed personal focus on fighting Democrats’ redistricting “power grab.” RPV Chairman Mark Peake, who is also a state senator representing Lynchburg, Bedford and Forest, will have held the role for about eight months – taking the reins in April after previous chairman, Col. Rich Anderson [Ret.], resigned to accept President Donald Trump’s nomination as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Peake’s resignation comes after the GOP suffered crippling election losses in November, including a total flip of statewide offices and the loss of about a dozen House of Delegates seats. Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears lost in her quest to succeed outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin, while Attorney General Jason Miyares was ousted by scandal-plagued Norfolk Democrat Jay Jones. More than a dozen Republican delegates in both swing districts like Del. Geary Higgins of Lovettsville and friendlier districts like Del. Chris Obenshain of Blacksburg also lost reelection. In a lengthy letter to Virginia Republican leaders obtained by Fox News Digital, Peake wrote that he made his decision after much “reflection, prayer and conversations with my family.” WINSOME SEARS BLASTS VIRGINIA DEMS’ SURPRISE REDISTRICTING SESSION AS A ‘STUNT’ TO PULL HER OFF THE TRAIL “While my time as chairman will soon come to an end, my work on behalf of Virginians will not. I will continue serving in the State Senate, where I remain committed to standing firmly against radical Democratic policies and fighting for a brighter future for every corner of the commonwealth,” Peake said. Peake suggested his resignation from leading the party and simultaneously serving in Richmond would allow him to focus completely on combating Virginia Democrats’ full-scale attempts to shift the commonwealth far to the left. His decision was praised by the Senate’s top Republican, Sen. Ryan McDougle of Hanover, who told Fox News Digital that Peake stood up to lead the party when “no one else would.” “I’m proud of the work he’s done this past year to protect your paycheck and keep Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” McDougle said Tuesday. “I’m glad to have him on my team in the Senate as we keep fighting to put more money in your pocket and reduce costs for Virginia families.” Peake noted the October 31 resolution — heralded by Senate Leader L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, which may redraw congressional maps and potentially leave just Rep. Morgan Griffith in the far southwest as Virginia’s only Republican in Washington – saying it will “destroy our constitutional process.” “The Democrats are intent on setting a state-wide referendum for April 2026, which will include 45 days of early voting. As a state senator, I will be fully engrossed in our legislative session, which lasts from January to March,” he said. RAMASWAMY ENDORSES WINSOME EARLE-SEARS FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR, RALLY PLANNED NEXT WEEK IN SWING SUBURB During session, RPV must have a leader who can fully focus on his role at the state party level, versus someone like himself who would have to keep one eye on the party and its 2026 elections – where all state senators, state delegates, congressmen and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., are up — and one eye on elected Democrats and their “power grab,” Peake wrote to GOP officials. He thanked Youngkin, Earle-Sears and Miyares for their partnership as they prepare to leave office. Peake also credited McDougle and state House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Cumberland Gap, for their work together, as he looks to pivot back to working alongside them in Richmond. Turning to the state of the commonwealth, Peake remarked that while it feels like the “cold, dark depths of winter” in more ways than one, he is confident RPV and the elected Republicans it supports will continue to fight for “values embodied in the Republican Creed, which can lead us to a victorious spring.” “Our ideas are strong, our voters are energized, and our mission – to secure a freer, safer, more prosperous Virginia – endures. I believe that the foundations of our party remain strong, and that this organization is filled with passionate individuals who have proven their loyalty to our commonwealth and to the conservative movement,” he said. Fox News Digital reached out to Kilgore as well as Lucas for comment.
Top Dem blasts Trump’s cartel strikes, says admin overstepping war powers
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, blasted the Trump administration’s airstrikes in the Caribbean, arguing that they resemble powers the president would only have during wartime. To conduct any of the strikes — and to continue them — Trump should seek congressional approval, Raskin argued. “Congress has got to assert our institutional prerogative. We have the power to declare war. Not Donald Trump, not JD Vance, not Pete Hegseth, not Tulsi Gabbard,” Raskin said, referring to the country’s top security officials. “Nobody in the administration has the right to declare war. Only Congress has the right to declare war. And we’ve got to take that back.” GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY BEHIND TRUMP’S VENEZUELA STRIKES AS CRITICS QUESTION LEGALITY Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the administration designated several drug cartels operating in the United States — and internationally — as terrorist organizations. In recent months, it has used Navy strikes in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela to eliminate what it has identified as credible terrorist threats in the United States. The administration has conducted over 20 strikes since November. That framing has come under fire in recent weeks as questions have emerged about whether striking boats in international waters violates international law. To Raskin, the strikes have encroached on questions of due process. HEGSETH SAYS MILITARY CONDUCTED ANOTHER STRIKE ON BOAT CARRYING ALLEGED NARCO-TERRORISTS “We don’t allow the military to act as [a] police officer, the prosecutor, the judge, the jury and executioner. And we don’t just give massive death penalties by virtue of some imaginary collective punishment or guilt by association. So, we’ve got to rein the administration in and bring them back to the rule of law in the Constitution,” Raskin said. Some lawmakers, including Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, have pushed back on Raskin’s criticisms by noting the United States has conducted strikes in other countries in the absence of a declaration of war. Under the Obama administration, for instance, the United States carried out thousands of strikes in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and Libya — all without a formal war designation. Congress did, however, pass the Authorization for Use of Military Force in 2001, allowing the Bush administration to “use all necessary and appropriate force” to combat the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. It fell short of a formal war declaration. DEM PRESSURE BUILDS FOR ANSWERS ON TRUMP’S CARIBBEAN STRIKES, COMMANDER’S SUDDEN EXIT Raskin did not readily address why analogous strikes in the Middle East didn’t compare directly to the strikes off the coast of Venezuela or why the terrorist designation fell outside the norm of what past administrations have done. He said he believed a difference in location wasn’t the issue. “[Arguing] if this were a different event that took place in a different place at a different time, it would be lawful. Well, it’s gobbledygook,” Raskin said. The Department of War did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response to Raskin’s criticism.
Hegseth backs special ops chief’s ‘combat decisions’ in deadly Caribbean strike ahead of classified briefing
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he stands by the “combat decisions” of a military commander involved in a deadly Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean as lawmakers are gearing up for a classified briefing on the matter later this week. Hegseth’s comment comes after The Washington Post reported Friday that he verbally ordered everyone onboard the alleged drug boat to be killed in the Sept. 2 operation. The Post reported that a second strike was conducted to take out the remaining survivors on the boat. The White House said Monday that Hegseth authorized the second strike, but the head of U.S. Special Operations Command, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered and directed it. At the time of the strike, Bradley was serving as the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, which falls under U.S. Special Operations Command. “Let’s make one thing crystal clear: Admiral Mitch Bradley is an American hero, a true professional, and has my 100% support. I stand by him and the combat decisions he has made — on the September 2 mission and all others since,” Hegseth wrote on X on Monday night. TRUMP SAYS HE BELIEVES HEGSETH ‘100%’ ON VENEZUELAN DRUG BOAT STRIKE DENIAL AMID ALLEGATIONS “America is fortunate to have such men protecting us. When this Department of War says we have the back of our warriors — we mean it,” he added. Bradley is set to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military, according to The Associated Press. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that the Sept. 2 strike was conducted “in self-defense” in international waters “in accordance with the law of armed conflict.” “On Sept. 2, Secretary Hegseth authorized Adm. Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. “Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.” LAWMAKERS SKEPTICAL OF ALLEGED HEGSETH KILL ORDERS IN VENEZUELA — BUT ISSUE STARK WARNING Leavitt also disputed that Hegseth ever gave an initial order to ensure that everyone on board was killed, when asked specifically about Hegseth’s instructions. “I would reject that the secretary of war ever said that,” Leavitt said. “However, the president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists, again, are trafficking illegal drugs toward the United States, he has the authority to kill them.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday said the committees in the upper and lower chambers of Congress will look into what happened. “I don’t think you want to draw any conclusions or deductions until you have all the facts,” he said of the Sept. 2 strike, according to the AP. “We’ll see where they lead.” HEGSETH DEFENDS LETHAL STRIKES AGAINST ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKERS: ‘BIDEN CODDLED TERRORISTS, WE KILL THEM’ Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his panel’s investigation would be “done by the numbers.” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee who has called for the Trump administration to release the video of the strike, said its inquiry would start “with briefings about what actually happened” from the officials involved. “If they’ve done nothing wrong, then that video should exonerate them completely. Why don’t they release it?” he asked. In the House, Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chair of its Armed Services Committee, said he was “satisfied” following a conversation with Hegseth about the attack, but that he also wanted to hear from Bradley. “We’ll all have clarity on Thursday afternoon,” Rogers said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mace campaign staffer quits governor bid team, accusing her of disloyalty to Trump
A campaign consultant to Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announced he had resigned his post Monday, voicing concerns about Mace’s future alignment within the Republican Party. “This is about loyalty,” J. Austin McCubbin wrote in an X post. McCubbin said Mace had positioned herself too close to Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., driving a wedge between hers and President Donald Trump’s visions for the country. TRUMP REACTS TO MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RESIGNATION, SAYS HE ‘REFUSED TO RETURN’ HER ‘BARRAGE OF PHONE CALLS’ “When I talked to Nancy last Wednesday, it became clear she has fully embraced the Rand Paul PAC. She told me she is directing a personal friend to fund a 7-figure check to Rand’s PAC. She distanced herself, and now she’s fully embracing the Rand Paul + Thomas Massie wing for money,” McCubbin alleged. “Nancy Mace is wittingly or unwittingly a proxy for Rand Paul’s 2028 presidential campaign. That’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.” When asked about McCubbin’s resignation, a spokesperson for Mace said his departure had stemmed from disagreements over compensation. “Mr. McCubbin didn’t raise a dime for the campaign or, better yet, never even bothered showing up. When he demanded $10,000 a month for ‘services’ and was told no, he ran straight to X. Good luck with that,” the campaign spokesperson said. REPUBLICANS TRY TO QUASH CONCERNS OF MORE EXITS FOLLOWING MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S SURPRISE RESIGNATION McCubbin’s resignation comes as the Mace campaign navigates a crowded field in the South Carolina’s governor’s race and highlights questions about the GOP’s unity. Massie and Paul represent a small but increasingly vocal fraction of the Republican Party who have clashed with Trump on the country’s spending, foreign engagements and the scale of government. But they’re not the only source of discord in the party. McCubbin’s concerns about Mace’s political position follow on the heels of a shocking resignation announcement from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., — once one of Trump’s most fervent supporters in the House of Representatives. It also closely trails a small-scale rebellion that unlocked consideration of whether to release the DOJ’s files on Jeffrey Epstein against the president’s wishes. Mace was one of those rebels, joining three other Republicans to support the measure alongside all the chamber’s Democrats. Although Mace has repeatedly pledged to support the president’s direction, she has clashed with the president on questions about transparency on Epstein and initially criticized Trump’s rhetoric in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Despite a handful of high-profile disagreements in the past, Mace has voted with the majority of the party on most occasions in this session of Congress, bucking the majority’s trend just 5% of the time. To McCubbin, it was her proximity to the far more frequent nonconformists like Massie and Paul that prompted his resignation. “She wouldn’t hear it when I warned her about the political risks and offered alternative solutions,” McCubbin said of her support for Paul. “Anyone who knows me knows that I have nothing personally against Rand or Nancy. This is about loyalty. My loyalty lies with President Trump,” he added. ‘AMERICA FIRST’ ATTORNEY GENERAL DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MCCONNELL — HIS FORMER BOSS — AS KENTUCKY RACE DEFINES GOP FUTURE In response to McCubbin’s statements, the Mace campaign said she stood firmly with the president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Nancy Mace has stood with President Trump since Day ONE. Mr. McCubbin said it himself: ‘Nancy Mace will be the most pro-Trump and America First Governor in the country,’” the campaign spokesperson told FOX Digital. McCubbin, Paul, Massie and the RNC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Trump orders sweeping review of green-card holders after West Virginia shooting
After an Afghan asylee allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guardsmen on Wednesday, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow to commence a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of green-card holders from “countries of concern.” The directive highlights the legal avenues through which a green card — lawful permanent residence granted through an Adjustment of Status application — can be withdrawn, and those through which it cannot. There are several major ways lawful permanent residency can be revoked. Several immigration law firms — including Sedki and Rebecca Black — cite similar orders and descriptions on their sites, and related details appear across various federal webpages, but Fox News Digital did not find any single official source that consolidates them. First, green-card holders can be placed in removal proceedings if they are convicted of certain crimes – including “aggravated felonies” such as murder, some serious sex and drug-trafficking offenses, as well as crimes involving moral turpitude like certain theft, fraud or violent-offense convictions, depending on the sentence and timing. TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO BLOCK ‘DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’ They can also lose their green cards over convictions connected to terrorism or espionage for foreign governments. Green-card holders also cannot vote in federal elections, and convictions connected to attempts to do so can also result in revocation of their residency status. A second basis for withdrawal is evidence that the noncitizen obtained the green card through fraud or misrepresentation. HOMELAND SECURITY TO SCAN MIGRANTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS FOR ANTISEMITISM: ‘NO ROOM FOR TERRORIST SYMPATHIZERS’ Examples include foreign nationals who used identity theft, lied on their applications, or omitted parts of their criminal history or prior contact with U.S. immigration authorities. USCIS may also revisit Adjustment of Status applications for lawful permanent residents who became such through a marriage that ends in divorce within two years. The agency can revoke a green card if it is found the foreign national married a U.S. citizen strictly in order to achieve residency. VETERANS GROUPS URGE TRUMP ADMIN TO CONTINUE AFGHAN ALLY SUPPORT PROGRAM AMID BUDGET CUT CONCERNS Home address issues and questions arising out of where – including in which country – a green-card holder truly resides can also be grounds for revocation. Lawful permanent residents must be just that: people residing permanently in the U.S. with a primary residence stateside. Leaving the country for more than a year without obtaining a reentry permit can lead the feds to consider a green card abandoned. Changes of address within the U.S. must also be reported to USCIS. While most people who would fall under the subsection have since died or would be in their 90s at the least, a Cold War provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) bars any noncitizen who, between March 1933 and May 1945, participated in or ordered persecutions under Germany’s Nazi regime or in German-occupied territories. Relatedly, any immigrant who has been affiliated with communism or any “totalitarian party” in another country, is also banned from holding a green card. One avenue the Trump administration, however, may pursue as it commences a full-scale review of green-card holders from Afghanistan and other “countries of concern” is the final major way residency status may be questioned or revoked: what some firms describe as the public charge rule. FEDERAL JUDGE IN MAJOR BLUE CITY BLOCKS KEY TRUMP MOVE ON REFUGEES: ‘NOT LIMITLESS’ According to various immigration law firms’ websites, such residents relying too heavily on public assistance and government programs may find themselves in removal proceedings if they are “deemed a public charge” under the law – but with a key caveat. Under the INA, simply receiving public benefits does not make a noncitizen deportable. They must have become a public charge within five years of admission “from causes not affirmatively shown to have arisen since entry.” This standard is rarely invoked. Additionally, relevant to Trump’s Afghan example, any noncitizen previously arrested or deported from the U.S., or removed as an “enemy” or at government expense in lieu of deportation, may not hold a green card. ‘HE IS DELIVERING’: TRUMP’S FIRST MONTH FLIPS SCRIPT ON RADICAL BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER POLICIES Sections of the INA finalized in 1995 and 2025 also list other grounds of inadmissibility or deportability. A noncitizen with a communicable disease of “public health significance” can be denied status, as can those with a “mental disorder” posing a threat, or individuals deemed “drug addicts.” Polygamy is also a disqualifying factor. TRUMP’S BORDER GROUND GAME IS OFF TO A FAST START. TO GUARANTEE CHANGE CONGRESS MUST DO 3 THINGS While many of the Afghan refugees reportedly came with little to no documentation at the time of the mass withdrawal from Kabul, the INA also prescribes that foreign nationals who were never qualified to obtain full citizenship for various reasons are also ineligible for lawful permanent residence. The administration could, potentially, investigate whether any of the largely unvetted noncitizens have disqualifying history and enforce that subsection of the INA against them. While former President Joe Biden’s Operation Welcoming Heroes was an official mission, 8 USC Sec 1182(a) 5(d) also lays out how “any alien who is a stowaway is excludable.” That definition would likely be up to legal interpretation, as the current administration signals a no-holds barred audit of current green-card holders. UP TO 1M MIGRANTS WHO USED BIDEN’S CBP ONE APP ORDERED TO DEPORT BY TRUMP ADMIN Federal law states that immigration officers must state the negative determination to the green-card holder, and list the specific provision under the law that their disqualification or rescission falls under. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, DOJ, DHS and officials at USCIS for comment and clarification on any of the major grounds collected for a green card’s withdrawal. In comments to CBS News, Edlow said his agency has followed the president’s order and “halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety
Dems, media credibility in shambles as press fixates on Trump MRI after years downplaying Biden health issues
The White House released President Donald Trump‘s MRI results on Monday amid mounting scrutiny over the president’s health and his age of 79 while serving as commander in chief. Four years ago, however, the media was overwhelmingly silent on the topic of presidential health when the then-oldest sitting president during his term, Joe Biden, led from the Oval Office in a health saga that has continued long after Biden dropped out of the 2024 federal election and exited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Jan. 20. Media outlets and others heightened scrutiny of Trump’s health earlier in 2025 when he was spotted with swollen legs in July while attending the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, as well as other photos stretching back to February showing bruising on his hand. The media has most recently been focused on an MRI scan Trump received during a checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in October, which was described as routine by the administration, with Trump’s physician reporting that Trump is in “exceptional health.” The checkup was Trump’s second in 2025, following an April visit that Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said found Trump “remains in excellent health.” WHITE HOUSE PROVIDES TRUMP HEALTH UPDATE AFTER MRI SCAN CONCERNS SWIRLED The White House railed against left-leaning media outlets’ recent focus on Trump’s health as “garbage narratives,” accusing them of having previously downplayed “Joe Biden’s severe mental health decline” while he was in the Oval Office. “No one believes the failing legacy media’s disingenuous obsession about President Trump’s health because we all just watched them actively cover up Joe Biden’s severe mental health decline for the past four years,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital on Monday. “The facts are clear: President Trump has shared several comprehensive medical updates, in the effort of total transparency, all of which show he is in excellent health. The fake news media pushing garbage narratives about President Trump’s energy levels while they get to publicly question him nearly every single day is why Americans’ trust in the media just hit a new all-time low.” Fox News Digital took a look back at the mainstream media’s coverage of Biden’s health before dropping out of the 2024 presidential race at the 11th hour amid mounting concerns over his mental acuity, and the media’s recent focus on Trump’s health and evaluations. Trump has railed against the media for their focus on his health that he said is cast in a negative light despite the administration releasing details to the public on Trump’s check-ups. Trump, for example, slammed The New York Times in November for publishing a piece focused on him serving in the Oval Office at 79 years old while facing the “realities of aging.” Trump described the article as a “hit piece” that follows years of the media reportedly publishing “purposely negative” articles. Following reporters questioning White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt about details surrounding the MRI in November, Trump told the media on Sunday evening when pressed about the scan that he would release the MRI results to the public amid media scrutiny. The White House released Trump’s MRI results on Monday when Leavitt read the report to the media that found Trump was in normal and good health. “The purpose of this imaging is preventative to identify any issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure the president maintains long-term vitality and function,” Leavitt said. “… Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health.” TRUMP REVEALS HE HAD ‘PERFECT’ MRI DURING RECENT WALTER REED PHYSICAL Left-leaning and mainstream outlets have pressed the White House about Trump’s health for months, a shift that intensified after photos of his swollen legs and a bruised hand surfaced online. While Trump entered his second term as the oldest person ever inaugurated at 78, the questions did not escalate until this summer. The White House attributed the bruising to frequent handshakes and said the swelling stemmed from chronic venous insufficiency — “a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70,” according to Leavitt. The media has previously come into the White House’s line of fire over its heightened focus on Trump’s health after Biden’s presidency, which reached a crescendo in July 2024 when Biden dropped out of his re-election race at the 11th hour amid mounting concern that his mental acuity had slipped. “I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters in April. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room, when it came to the health and the competence of the former president of the United States, Joe Biden.” The Trump administration, as well as conservative critics and liberal journalists, have repeatedly slammed the reported cover-up of Biden’s declining health after a wave of political memoirs recounting the 2024 and Biden presidency, including alleging that Biden staffers were aware of and fretted about the president’s mental decline, but publicly promoted him as physically and mentally fit to serve as president. Biden’s mental acuity had been under conservatives’ microscope since before the 2020 election. Concerns among the mainstream media, however, did not heighten until February 2024, when special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Conservatives railed that the report proved Biden’s mental acuity was, in fact, on a steady decline, pointing to the president’s increasingly mumbled public remarks, a high-profile fall while boarding Air Force One in 2021 and another fall while on a bike ride in Delaware in 2022. Biden has denied that he suffered a cognitive decline while in the White House, including during a May interview on “The View,” when he said new books detailing an alleged mental decline were “wrong.” The media