‘Presidential incapacity’: Senate Republican seeks paper trail of Biden’s autopen use
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address “a mentally incapacitated president.” Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen. In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in “deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.” TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL “In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,” he wrote. Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage. SENATE HEARING ON WHO WAS ‘REALLY RUNNING’ BIDEN WHITE HOUSE KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1. “With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,” Schmitt wrote. “It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.” Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office. EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week. A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had “minimal interaction with President Biden” in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle. She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval. However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for “handling the flow of documents to and from the President” and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be “affixed to certain categories of documents.” “We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,” Tanden said. “We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.” She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen. “I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,” she said. “I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.” Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16. “It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,” he wrote. Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
World leaders flock to meet with Trump at NATO Summit
President Donald Trump took part in a flurry of greetings with world leaders eager to get face time with the U.S. president during his brief stint at the NATO Summit. Upon arriving, the president was welcomed by Dutch royals — King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima, and their daughter Crown Princess Amalia. He became the first president to stay at the king’s palace, Huis ten Bosch Palace. “I had breakfast with the king and queen this morning — beautiful people,” Trump said. “I slept beautifully.” TRUMP SAYS US WOULD STRIKE AGAIN IF IRAN REBUILDS NUCLEAR PROGRAM He participated in photo ops with world leaders from across the political spectrum — friend and foe alike — and received fawning praise from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who likened him to the father of the alliance. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language,” Rutte said in defense of Trump’s expletive-laden criticism of Israel and Iran for threatening the ceasefire he negotiated. The president was riding high amid warming relations with the alliance he previously threatened to pull out of. After months of combativeness with Europe over defense spending and liberal policies, Trump praised the alliance for agreeing to his demand to raise its defense spending target to 5% of GDP. “Believe it or not, allies have increased spending by $700 billion,” Trump said in a news conference. “This week, the NATO allies committed to dramatically increase their defense spending to that 5% of GDP, something that no one really thought possible.” TRUMP JOINS NATO SUMMIT WITH GLOWING PRAISE AS ALLIES ADOPT NEW SPENDING Even Spain — the only nation not to agree to commit 5% to defense — got a relatively mild drubbing from the president. “I like Spain. I have so many people from Spain. It’s a great place, and they’re great people. But Spain is … the only country out of all of the countries that refuses to pay. And, you know, so they want a little bit of a free ride,” he said. It was certainly a different tone from Vice President JD Vance’s address at the Munich Security Conference. “The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia. It’s not China. It’s not any other external actor,” Vance said at the time. “What I worry about is the threat from within the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”
Ella Emhoff feels ‘trauma’ returning to NYC polling station where she voted for Harris
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, shared with her Instagram followers on Tuesday that she felt “a little trauma” while on her way to vote in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. Emhoff revealed that she was voting in the same polling station where she had cast her ballot for her stepmother, who ultimately suffered a crushing defeat in Nov. 2024. “You know, I’m feeling a little trauma walking to the same polling station that I did to vote for Kamala. And you know, I’m just feeling a lot of hope,” Emhoff said in a video posted to her Instagram story that has since expired. REPUBLICANS USE MAMDANI BOMBSHELL VICTORY OVER CUOMO AS AMMUNITION TO BLAST DEMOCRATS AS EXTREMISTS In the second part of the video, Emhoff sported an “I Voted” sticker and said she was “feeling a huge mix of emotions,” adding that it was “spectacular seeing New York come together in this way and rally behind Zohran.” Emhoff was among several celebrity guests — including “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon and actor Kal Penn — at Zohran Mamdani’s watch party. ERIC ADAMS WARNS ZOHRAN MAMDANI IS A ‘SNAKE OIL SALESMAN’ AFTER DEM SOCIALIST’S NYC MAYORAL PRIMARY WIN While the results of the primary are unofficial, Mamdani claimed victory, and the other frontrunner in the race, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, conceded. Emhoff endorsed Mamdani in May in a video apparently filmed at Brooklyn Steel, a music venue in New York City, where Mamdani was holding an event. “I’m passing the phone to the next mayor of New York City, who’s going to make New York happier, healthier and more affordable,” Emhoff says in the video, which was a play on the “passing the phone” social media trend. In the past month, Emhoff promoted Mamdani on her social media. In one post, she made a list of “big reminders,” including urging New Yorkers not to rank Cuomo and to vote for Mamdani instead. Mamdani has faced heavy criticism from Republicans who see him as being a radical and from those who have accused him of being an antisemite. His proposals, such as implementing free public transit, creating a network of city-owned grocery stores and instituting free universal childcare for children from ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., criticized Mamdani, saying that “a radical, Defund-the-Police, Communist, raging antisemite will most likely win the New York City Democrat mayoral primary.” The New York City Board of Elections is set to release the official primary results on July 1, according to Fox 5.
Bernie Moreno wants Senate to call for Nobel Peace Prize to go to Trump
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, wants President Donald Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The lawmaker is introducing a resolution Wednesday that declares the U.S. Senate “calls on the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award President Donald John Trump the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize,” “urges all peace-loving nations to join in that call” and “expresses its deepest appreciation to President Trump for bringing an end both to the nuclear program of Iran and hostilities related thereto in only 12 days.” President Barack Obama was awarded the prize in 2009, less than one year after taking office. TRUMP NOMINATED FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER IRAN-ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL “Obama won the Nobel, then he killed hundreds of civilians and did nothing to stop Forever Wars,” Moreno declared in a post on X. “Now President Trump did what neocons said couldn’t be done—destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities & securing a ceasefire. It’s time to formally nominate him.” Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., who is running for U.S. Senate, also nominated Trump for the award this week. TRUMP ANNOUNCES HISTORIC IRAN AND ISRAEL CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT TO END ‘12 DAY WAR’ In a nomination letter, the congressman said he was nominating Trump “in recognition of his extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet.” TRUMP SAYS IRAN WON’T BE BUILDING BOMBS ‘FOR A VERY LONG TIME’ “His leadership at this moment exemplifies the very ideals that the Nobel Peace Prize seeks to recognize: the pursuit of peace, the prevention of war, and the advancement of international harmony,” Carter’s letter declared. Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report
Iran, Israel and US agree that Islamic Republic nuclear sites were ‘badly damaged’ despite leaked intel report
President Donald Trump’s historic precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites Saturday hit their targets and “destroyed” and “badly damaged” the facilities’ critical infrastructure — an assessment agreed upon by Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Israel and the United States. “Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei told Al Jazeera. TRUMP SAYS US WOULD STRIKE AGAIN IF IRAN REBUILDS NUCLEAR PROGRAM Israel’s Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said its assessment is that Iran’s nuclear program has been “significantly damaged,” while Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission described the U.S. strikes as “devastating.” “The devastating U.S. strike on Fordo destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable,” Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission said. “We assess that the American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran’s military nuclear program, has set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.” It added: “The achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material.” TRUMP THRASHES CNN AS ‘GUTLESS LOSERS’ FOR COVERAGE OF US STRIKES ON IRAN And as for the United States, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan “Razin” Caine said that initial battle damage assessments indicate that “all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.” “More than 125 U.S. aircraft participated in this mission, including B-2 stealth bombers, multiple flights of fourth and fifth generation fighters, dozens and dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and a full array of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft, as well as hundreds of maintenance and operational professionals,” Caine said in a press briefing. And Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “given the 30,000 pounds of explosions and the capability of those munitions, it was devastation underneath Fordow.” HEGSETH SAYS FBI IS CONDUCTING INVESTIGATION INTO LEAK OF INTEL REPORT ON STRIKE AGAINST IRAN “Any assessment that tells you otherwise is speculating with other motives,” Hegseth said. The agreement on the assessment of damage between the United States, Israel and Iran comes amid a report that cited leaked low-confidence intelligence from one intelligence agency that suggested the U.S. strikes did not destroy Iran’s nuclear sites. A Defense Intelligence Agency source told Fox News that the “low confidence” assessment was based on just “one day’s worth of intelligence reporting.” More intelligence has been gathered in the days since through other sources and methods, according to the source. “This is a preliminary, low-confidence report and will continue to be refined as additional intelligence becomes available,” the Defense Intelligence Agency said. “We are working with the appropriate authorities to investigate the unauthorized disclosure of classified information.” And Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted the report and said that Iran’s nuclear program “today looks nothing like it did just a week ago.” “That story is a false story, and it’s one that really shouldn’t be re-reported because it doesn’t accurately reflect what’s happening,” Rubio said. “Everything underneath that mountain is in bad shape.” Rubio also added that “there is no way Iran comes to the table if somehow nothing had happened.” TRUMP LASHES OUT AT ISRAEL AND IRAN WITH PROFANITY FOR BREAKING CEASE-FIRE “This was complete and total obliteration. They are in bad shape,” Rubio said. “They are way behind today compared to where they were just seven days ago because of what President Trump did.” Even the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi assessed that “very significant damage is expected to have occurred.” “At the Esfahan nuclear site, additional buildings were hit, with the US confirming their use of cruise missiles,” he said, according to prepared remarks for the International Atomic Energy Agency. “Affected buildings include some related to the uranium conversion process,” he said. “Also at this site, entrances to tunnels used for the storage of enriched material appear to have been hit. At the Natanz enrichment site, the Fuel Enrichment Plant was hit, with the U.S. confirming that it used ground-penetrating munitions.” Meanwhile, Trump has been in the Netherlands at the NATO Summit, where he was met with praise from allies on his “decisive” action in Iran. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised Trump as a “man of strength” and a “man of peace” during Wednesday’s summit. “I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran,” Rutte said at the start of his joint remarks with the president. “You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran — I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world.” The president on Wednesday declared that the United States would strike Iran again if the country attempts to rebuild its nuclear program.
Democratic congressman hurls profanity-laced message at Stephen Miller
A Democratic lawmaker hurled profanity at White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Wednesday, going on to imply that Miller is a Nazi. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., made the statement on social media in response to some of Miller’s commentary on New York City. Miller was discussing democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York City’s mayoral election, saying unchecked immigration was a major contributor to the city’s leftward slide in recent years. “NYC is the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration,” Miller wrote. Pocan chimed in: “Racist ****. Go back to 1930’s Germany.” WHAT MAMDANI IS PLEDGING TO DO IF HE BECOMES NEW YORK CITY’S NEXT MAYOR Pocan weighed in on Mamdani’s win multiple times, lashing out at another user who claimed the democratic nominee, who is Muslim, supports “Sharia Law.” “I love watching MAGA nut jobs spinning total bull**** to overcome blatant racism and xenophobia,” Pocan responded to the post. “People want progressive populism that focuses on making their lives better, not redistribution of wealth from working people to the wealthiest. Trumpism is on the decline.” Republicans have capitalized on Mamdani’s victory as evidence of the extremism of the current Democratic Party. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was among the first to make the connection. “The new face of the Democrat Party just dropped, and it’s straight out of a socialist nightmare,” they wrote in an email. Aiming to tie House Democrats to Mamdani, NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued that “every vulnerable House Democrat will own him, and every Democrat running in a primary will fear him.” Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a top ally of President Donald Trump who is seriously considering a run for Empire State governor next year, also pounced. Stefanik claimed that “a radical, Defund-the-Police, Communist, raging Antisemite will most likely win the New York City Democrat Mayoral primary.” Vice President JD Vance also weighed in, writing, “Congratulations to the new leader of the Democratic Party” in a post on Blue Sky, a social media platform frequented by progressives. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Texas the latest state with a law banning foreign adversaries from buying real estate
Texas has become the latest state to cement a ban on land and property purchases by individuals or entities from adversarial nations. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 into law over the weekend, prohibiting countries identified as security threats in the intelligence community’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, from acquiring “real property” in the state. The countries include China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, and the bill identified “real property” as agricultural land, commercial or industrial properties, residential properties and land used for mining or water use. Amid heightened global tensions, there has been an increased appetite for protecting foreign asset acquisitions in the United States. However, these efforts have been criticized by some for being overly broad, arbitrary and potentially discriminatory. ISRAEL’S DRONE STRIKES IN IRAN SHOW WHY US MUST HALT CHINA’S LAND GRAB: EXPERTS In response to Abbott’s signing of S.B. 17, the nonprofit Asian Americans Advancing Justice said it was “outraged” at the legislation that the group said “creates an overly broad net that places innocent foreign nationals at risk of racial profiling.” A similar defense was made by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs after she vetoed a bill seeking to stop Chinese land and property purchases in the state, noting the bill lacked “clear implementation criteria,” which opened the door for “arbitrary enforcement.” Hobbs, following backlash over her veto, subsequently described the bill as “a watered-down, weak-on-China bill,” noting it allowed the communist country to purchase land near military bases for up to three years at a time, and followed up this month with her own version of the bill. Texas’s bill exempts U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Individuals legally residing in the United States wishing to purchase a primary residence are also exempt, as well as leaseholders of less than a year. The Texas attorney general is authorized through the new legislation to investigate potential violations of the new law, which would be a felony. The law will go into effect on September 1. DEM GOVERNOR RIPPED AS ‘TOTAL DISGRACE’ AFTER VETOING BILL LIMITING CHINESE LAND OWNERSHIP NEAR MILITARY BASES Proponents of measures like the one in Texas have cited efforts by countries like China to purchase land and property near major U.S. military bases. However, it is not just land either, it is assets too. China has a strong foothold in the U.S. drone market with many law enforcement agencies using Chinese-made DJI drones. The country has also faced scrutiny for building solar converters in the U.S. that can be tapped for espionage efforts, its increasing footprint in U.S. maritime ports and penetration of other critical infrastructure. Texas’s bill follows a high-profile incident earlier this month when two Chinese nationals were arrested for attempting to smuggle a dangerous biological pathogen into the United States. “Chinese companies purchasing American land, particularly near sensitive strategic and military sites, is not a coincidence. The CCP is blatantly attempting to base espionage efforts, and potentially worse, right in our backyard, and it’s up to states act accordingly,” said Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a conservative group with a mission to develop and enact state-level solutions to global security threats. “Governor Abbott and the Texas legislature are right to ban foreign adversaries from purchasing land in their state. More and more states should follow their lead.” RICKETTS, FETTERMAN TEAM UP FOR CRACKDOWN ON CHINA’S ATTEMPTS TO PURCHASE US FARMLAND Per the Committee of 100, which tracks state and federal bills in the United States that restrict property ownership by foreign entities, 25 states have passed bills that restrict foreign property ownership as of Monday. That is up from 22 states as recently as March, per the committee. Meanwhile, according to the committee’s tracking, 15 bills pertaining to this issue are being considered at the federal level as well. On Monday, Republicans in Congress introduced a bill aimed at increasing oversight of foreign farmland purchases, which would add the U.S. Agriculture Secretary to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). It would also compel the U.S. Department of Agriculture to report to CFIUS any purchase of domestic agricultural land by foreign adversaries who pose risks to national security. State-level bills aimed at increasing scrutiny of foreign land and asset acquisitions from adversaries appear imminent in New Hampshire and North Carolina, if their governors grant them approval.
New York Democrat says mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani ‘too extreme to lead’
A moderate House Democrat from New York is criticizing New York City’s presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. “Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City. His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs,” Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., said in a statement Wednesday. “Beyond that, Mr. Mamdani has called to defund the police and has demonstrated a deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments, which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is skyrocketing. He is the absolute wrong choice for New York.” It’s the first pushback from a Democratic official to Mamdani’s stunning victory in the first round of New York City’s ranked choice voting primary tally. REPUBLICANS USE MAMDANI BOMBSHELL VICTORY OVER CUOMO AS AMMUNITION TO BLAST DEMOCRATS AS EXTREMISTS Mamdani far outpaced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the first round, winning 43.5% of the vote compared to Cuomo’s 36.4%. Cuomo announced he would bow out of the primary but left it an open question whether he would join current New York City Mayor Eric Adams in running as an independent in the race. The former governor, whose own issues include accusations of sexual harassment that derailed his time in Albany, told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo that he is not ruling out running again in November. CUOMO CONCEDES IN NYC DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR MAYOR, CONGRATULATES AOC-ENDORSED MAMDANI Gillen is a Long Island Democrat who unseated former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., in the 2024 elections. She’s been known to break from her own party on issues like law enforcement and illegal immigration during her brief time in Congress so far. Gillen is also breaking from Democratic leaders in her criticism of Mamdani, a 33-year-old self-proclaimed democratic socialist whose platform includes city-owned and operated grocery stores. Both House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in public statements on Wednesday that they had spoken to Mamdani since his victory. “He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity,” Schumer said. Jeffries’ statement said, “Assemblyman Mamdani ran a strong campaign that relentlessly focused on the economy and bringing down the high cost of living in New York City.” Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment on Gillen’s criticism.
Trump DHS sues entire bench of federal judges in Maryland district court over automatic injunctions
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is suing all 15 judges on the Maryland federal bench, arguing the court’s policy of automatically pausing certain immigration cases that come before it is unlawful. Attorneys for the Trump administration argued to the very court they are suing that the policy, imposed through an order the court issued in May, is an “egregious example of judicial overreach.” “A sense of frustration and a desire for greater convenience do not give Defendants license to flout the law,” the attorneys wrote in a filing Tuesday. “Nor does their status within the judicial branch.” The Maryland court’s standing order requires clerks to immediately enter temporary administrative injunctions in cases brought by alleged illegal immigrants who are challenging their detention. US JUDGE BLASTS TRUMP LAWYERS FOR 11TH-HOUR TACTICS IN MS-13 DEPORTATION CASE The automatic injunctions in these cases, known as habeas corpus cases, temporarily bar the DHS from deporting or changing the legal status of the immigrant in question for two business days. In its order, the court said it did this out of scheduling convenience to make sure the “status quo” is preserved when a case is filed. The order cited a higher volume than usual of cases involving detained immigrants who are attempting to prevent the government from keeping them detained or deporting them. “The recent influx of habeas petitions concerning alien detainees purportedly subject to improper and imminent removal from the United States that have been filed after normal court hours and on weekends and holidays has created scheduling difficulties and resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings in that obtaining clear and concrete information about the location and status of the petitioners is elusive,” the court order stated. The Trump administration also asked the court in a follow-up motion that all the judges-turned-defendants recuse themselves from the case and bring in an outside judge to take over or transfer the case to a different court district. JUDGE ON WARPATH PRESSES TRUMP DOJ ON ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION, ANSWERS LEAVE COURTROOM IN STUNNED SILENCE The unusual lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation agenda encounters roadblocks involving individual immigrants using legal avenues afforded to them through U.S. immigration laws to raise challenges and appeals to their deportations. In Maryland, Judge Paula Xinis, who is now one of the named defendants in the new case, ordered the Trump administration to return to the United States a Salvadoran national named Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador in March before he was returned months later to face trafficking charges. The case became the first known instance of the Trump administration erroneously deporting an illegal immigrant before affording him legally-required due process.
Rubio cracks up at Trump’s reaction to NATO leader calling president ‘daddy’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cracked up laughing when President Donald Trump gave his reaction to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calling the commander in chief “daddy” earlier Wednesday. During their bilateral meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump discussed the U.S.’ role in brokering a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, saying both countries were like “two kids in a school yard” who “fight like hell” for a short time before “it’s easier to stop them.” Rutte interjected, “Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language.” Trump had used profanity in front of reporters outside the White House before boarding Marine One on Tuesday, saying about Israel and Iran that they “have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f— they’re doing. ” At a subsequent press conference Wednesday, Rubio broke into hysterics when a reporter from Sky News asked Trump about the remark. TRUMP LASHES OUT AT ISRAEL AND IRAN WITH PROFANITY FOR BREAKING CEASE-FIRE The reporter reminded Trump that Rutte, “who is your friend.… He called you daddy.” “Do you regard your NATO allies as kind of children?” the reporter asked. Trump responded lightheartedly, and Rubio could be seen standing next to him starting to smile and laugh. “No, he likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back, and I’ll hit him hard. Okay?” Trump said jokingly. “He did. He did it. Very affectionate,” Trump added of Rutte. “‘Daddy, You’re my daddy.’” The reporter pressed on with a more serious tone, as Rubio continued to laugh. “Do you regard your NATO allies, though, as kind of like children?” she said. TRUMP THRASHES CNN AS ‘GUTLESS LOSERS’ FOR COVERAGE OF US STRIKES ON IRAN NATO leaders on Wednesday committed that the member states would contribute 5% of GDP annually to defense and security obligations by 2035. “You’re obviously appreciative of that,” the reporter said. “But do you hope that actually they’re going to be able to defend themselves, defend Europe on their own?” “I think they’ll need help a little bit at the beginning, and I think they’ll be able to,” Trump said. “I think they’re going to remember this day and this is a big day for NATO. You know, this was a very big day.” “It’s been sort of an amazing day for a lot of reasons, but also for that,” Trump added, referencing how the greater contributions were decades in the making. Trump claimed it was not possible until he came along. The reporter pressed, “Do you think they can do it without you, though in the future? Can they do more states?” “I mean, you have to ask Mark,” Trump said, concluding the press conference. The president had noted earlier that the only NATO member that did not agree to hike its defense contribution was Spain.