Tim Walz leading Dem effort to turn bipartisan group against President Trump: report
Progressive governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is leading a Democratic effort to turn one of the country’s most influential bipartisan groups against President Donald Trump, according to a report by a mainstream media outlet. Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic. The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people “familiar with the governors’ thinking” shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month. The two governors will not renew their membership in the organization out of frustration with its inaction against perceived violations of states’ rights by the Trump administration. TRUMP FOE BOASBERG ORDERS DOJ TO DETAIL STATUS OF CECOT MIGRANTS SENT TO VENEZUELA The concerns raised included the Office of Management and Budget briefly pausing disbursements of federal funds in January, the clash with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes and Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard to respond to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. The outlet reported three other unnamed sources saying that Walz and Kelly are not alone and that the offices of other Democratic governors are similarly frustrated with the NGA. One of the unnamed sources said “when you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that. Right now, they are not doing that,” the outlet reported. The source also claimed “there have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years.” MESSAGING WAR OVER TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ HEATS UP BETWEEN DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS The NGA has existed as a forum for bipartisan collaboration among governors since 1908. The organization lists all 50 governors as well as leaders of five U.S. territories as members. Eric Wohlschlegel, NGA communications director, told Fox News Digital the group “exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities.” Amid the Walz-led controversy, Wohlschlegel said NGA’s “mission hasn’t changed.” “Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus,” he said. “So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don’t agree, we simply don’t issue one. That’s how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener, a principle we won’t compromise.” DNC CHAIR SAYS ‘WE WANT EVERYONE’ IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY INCLUDING ‘LEFTISTS’ LIKE MAMDANI A source familiar with the situation blamed the controversy on “Democratic infighting, unspoken campaign jockeying and a few anonymous voices looking to reshape a nonpartisan institution into a political one.” That source pointed out that, despite all the noise about controversy, the NGA’s summer meeting in Colorado Springs this weekend is expected to have “record turnout” with 13 Republican and seven Democratic leaders attending. They also noted that “no governors are on the record expressing discontent with the NGA. No allegations of misconduct, governance failure or mismanagement have been raised.” “What’s behind the noise?” the source added. “There’s an internal power struggle currently and no consensus among Democrats right now on how to lead, how to message or how to govern in a divided environment. “Several Democratic governors are vying for national attention, testing messages for future campaigns rather than collaborating on consensus governance,” the source added. “The NGA’s bipartisan model is working exactly as it’s supposed to. DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S AUTOPSY REPORT OF 2024 ELECTION WILL AVOID ASKING IF HARRIS SHOULD HAVE RUN “When a party can’t agree with itself, it becomes easy to take shots at bipartisan institutions that don’t serve short-term political goals.” Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the outgoing NGA chair, and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the incoming chair, for comment on the Walz mutiny. Though not addressing the controversy directly, Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis, told Fox News Digital the governor “has been honored” to lead the NGA and to “work across the aisle with governors on education, permitting reform, standing up to federal efforts to strip away gubernatorial authority around the National Guard and elevating the priorities of states.” He added that “during this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors’ opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government.” Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Stitt, who will become NGA chair this weekend, told Fox News Digital “people seem to forget NGA is a bipartisan organization, not a political one.” “Coming to bipartisan consensus is difficult, but governors from across the political spectrum are addressing the real challenges facing Americans every day,” Cave said. She said that Stitt “looks forward to leading this organization and finding more areas of collaboration in the coming year.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Walz and Kelly but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
Illegal alien from Senegal charged with assaulting federal officers in alleged scissor attack at NYC facility
An illegal alien from Senegal was charged with assaulting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and other detainees with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the charges against Bass Ndiaye in a statement released Thursday. According to the statement, Ndiaye was arrested July 17 and taken to a federal immigration building in New York City for processing. While awaiting processing, Ndiaye allegedly grabbed a pair of scissors and attempted to stab ICE officers and about a dozen other detainees. He was quickly disarmed and subdued by ICE officials. ICE PLACES DETAINER ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT FACING CHARGES FOR ALLEGEDLY KILLING TEEN: ‘EVIL CRIMES’ The statement said Ndiaye is in the country as a result of the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies. He was arrested at the southern border by federal authorities in October 2023 but was released into the interior. He is now facing one count of assaulting an officer of the U.S. using a deadly or dangerous weapon. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton. This comes as ICE officers are facing an over 800% increase in assaults compared to the previous year, according to the DHS. NONCITIZEN ILLEGALLY VOTED IN SWING STATE’S 2024 ELECTION, AUTHORITIES SAY “This criminal illegal alien who [was] released into the country under President Biden will face justice for his violent crimes,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Our ICE law enforcement are facing an 830% increase in assaults against them. “DHS Secretary [Kristi] Noem stands with the brave men and women of law enforcement as they risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens and protect Americans.” The agency has blamed Democrats and the mainstream media for the increase in assaults on ICE officers, saying their “lies and fake stories” continue to stir hate and violence. HOUSE TO VOTE ON CENSURING DEM REP CHARGED IN ICE FACILITY INCIDENT The agency pointed to congressional Democrats it said were caught “doxxing and even physically assaulting” officials working for ICE. McLaughlin has previously harshly condemned politicians who have been critical of ICE’s operations, saying that ICE officials are “risking their lives every day to keep our communities safe from the worst of the worst criminals.”
Hillary Clinton sounded alarm on Biden’s political viability ‘by 2024,’ Klain told House investigators
Ex-President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain told House investigators that Hillary Clinton approached him with concerns about the octogenarian leader’s political viability “by 2024,” Fox News Digital has learned. Klain spoke with staff on the House Oversight Committee for over five hours on Thursday, as Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., continues to probe whether top Biden aides concealed signs of mental decline in the ex-president. A source familiar with his voluntary interview told Fox News Digital that Klain believed Biden was mentally sharp enough to serve as president, and was not too old to run. But the ex-secretary of state and former Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan both “approached Ron Klain stating they believed Joe Biden was not politically viable” months before he dropped his re-election bid in July 2024, the source said. COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’ Sullivan told Klain that Biden “was less effective in 2024 compared to 2022,” the source said. It’s not immediately clear if Biden’s mental acuity was the reasoning for their doubts, nor if they made the case to Klain together or separately. But it’s a significant indictment coming from top national Democrats of Biden in general, long before concerns about his fitness for office within the party were made public knowledge. Adrienne Watson, a representative for Sullivan, denied the account in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Jake did not have a conversation with Ron about Joe Biden running for president before the debate,” Watson said. Sullivan had been a top aide to both Biden and Clinton, having served as the latter’s senior policy advisor during her 2016 campaign. Klain, who served as White House chief of staff for the first half of Biden’s term, conceded that the then-president was less energetic and more forgetful, though he defended his “acuity to govern,” the source said. “Mr. Klain stated that President Biden often confused names and proper nouns, and it got worse over time,” the source said. Fox News Digital was told that Klain also said there was no reason to doubt President Donald Trump’s own mental fitness. Klain said nothing to reporters when going in or out of the committee room Thursday. He’s the sixth former Biden administration aide to appear for Comer’s probe. And despite the interview being largely staff-led, Comer did make an appearance for the early half of the sit-down, and Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., were both briefly there as well. Both Biggs and Khanna called Klain “credible” from what they saw inside the room. “I think he is telling what he knows accurately,” Biggs told Fox News Digital. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP On the other side of the aisle, Khanna told reporters, “He answered every single question. He was fully cooperative.” Three other former Biden White House aides who previously appeared – Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, and ex-White House doctor Kevin O’Connor – all appeared under subpoena and pleaded the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions. Longtime Biden aide Ashley Williams and ex-staff secretary Neera Tanden, like Klain, came for voluntary transcribed interviews. Jeff Zients, who served as Biden’s chief of staff for the final two years, was also asked to sit for a transcribed interview, a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital. A source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking previously called Republicans’ probe “dangerous” and “an attempt to smear and embarrass.” “And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,” that source said. Fox News Digital also reached out to Klain’s attorney as well as a contact for comment for Clinton but did not hear back by press time.
Fox News Poll: The GOP is seen as more likely to have a clear plan for the country
With the 2026 midterm elections more than a year away, a new Fox News survey finds that while the Republican Party has lost some ground to the Democratic Party on handling key issues, voters are more likely to think the GOP has a clear plan for dealing with the country’s problems. The survey, released Thursday, finds that by a 10-point margin, more voters think the Republicans have a clear plan for the U.S. than the Democrats: 43% vs. 33%. Still, majorities feel neither the GOP (54%) or the Democrats (64%) have a plan. This is about where sentiment was three years ago, the last time the question was asked. FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP FACING HEADWINDS AT SIX-MONTH MARK Far more Republicans (79%) than Democrats (51%) are confident their party has a clear plan, and that’s what hurts the Democrats. While at least two-thirds of independents feel neither party has a plan, more trust the GOP (30% vs. 25%). At the same time, the survey shows some significant erosion in the GOP’s handling of key issues compared to the last time Fox asked in 2023, including in areas where they are traditionally preferred. Voters view the Republican Party as better able to handle national security (by 14 points), immigration (+6R), and government spending (+5R) while the Democratic Party is favored on climate change (by 23 points), health care (+19D), social security (+17D), education (+15D), and energy policies (+6D). The parties are rated about equally on inflation (+1D), gun policy (even), the economy (+1R), and foreign policy (+3R). Compared to 2023, support for the GOP is down on immigration by 4 points, national security by 6, government spending by 6, foreign policy by 9, and the economy by 14. Plus, the Republicans’ 12-point advantage on inflation has disappeared, as Democrats have a 1-point edge today. While the Democrats have largely maintained support on their best issues, it’s noteworthy they saw a 12-point increase on education, as voters have been split on who would better handle the issue for the last few years. FOX NEWS POLL: APPROVAL OF SCOTUS AT 5-YEAR HIGH, REBOUNDING FROM RECORD LOW IN 2024 These shifts can mostly be attributed to self-identified Democrats solidifying their preference for their own party’s handling of the issues, as well as independents lessening their support for Republicans or switching to Democrats. Self-identified Republicans continue to express high levels of support for their party on the issues. “Independents and even some Democrats had soured on President Biden and the Democratic Congress by 2023 and 2024, but they have shifted to the left a bit in 2025 in response to the policies of President Trump and the Republicans,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. “An appreciable part of this is performance related. Without obvious economic and foreign policy victories, independents and soft Democrats could drift to the left, which could scramble the electoral dynamic heading into 2026.” Overall, views of both major political parties are underwater. By 2 points, the Republican Party has a slightly better favorable rating (44% favorable) than the Democratic Party (42%), but more than half view both parties negatively (56% and 57% unfavorable, respectively). That’s relatively unchanged since April. Positive views of the Republican Party have shown steady growth since October 2019, while the Democratic Party has been on a downward trajectory, reaching a record low in April (41% favorable). The Republican Party enjoys more support among their party faithful (83% have a favorable view) than the Democratic Party (78% favorable). Seven in 10 independents have a negative view of both. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Conducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.
Homeless people can be removed from streets by cities, states in new Trump executive order
As part of his effort to “Make America Safe Again,” President Donald Trump signed an executive order to allow cities and states to remove homeless people off the streets and into treatment centers. Trump signed the order, “Ending Vagrancy and Restoring,” Thursday afternoon. The order states that the “number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during the last year of the Biden administration — 274,224 — was the highest ever recorded.” It directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to “reverse judicial precedents and end consent decrees” stopping or limiting cities and states from removing homeless individuals from the streets and moving them to treatment centers. SANTA MONICA BUSINESS OWNER OFFERING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO GET HOMELESS OUT OF CALIFORNIA Though it is unclear how much money will be allocated to the effort, Trump’s order redirects federal funds to ensure that removed homeless individuals are sent to rehabilitation, treatment and other facilities. Additionally, the order requires Bondi to partner with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to prioritize federal grants to cities and states that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders,” according to USA Today. The order also stipulates that discretionary grants for substance-use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery programs “do not fund drug injection sites or illicit drug use.” DEMOCRATIC BILL WOULD BLOCK FEDS FROM CLEARING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS ON PUBLIC LAND Homelessness increased in the U.S. by 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to Housing and Urban Development’s annual homelessness assessment report released in January. Trump has previously vowed to clean up American cities, especially the nation’s capital of Washington. TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDER PRAISES TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER HELPING HOMELESS VETS: THEY NEED OUR HELP Speaking in March, Trump said, “We’re going to have a crime-free capital. When people come here, they’re not going to be mugged or shot or raped. They’re going to have a crime-free capital again. It’s going to be cleaner and better and safer than it ever was. And it’s not going to take us too long.”
Trump signs $9B rescissions package into law, revoking funding for foreign aid, NPR
President Donald Trump signed into law his roughly $9 billion rescissions package to scale back already approved federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting Thursday, after both chambers of Congress approved the legislation earlier in the month, sources familiar to the matter have confirmed. The signing marks another legislative victory for the Trump administration just two weeks after the president signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy measure, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.” The rescissions package pulls back nearly $8 billion in funding Congress already approved for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a previously independent agency that provided impoverished countries aid and offered development assistance. However, USAID has faced layoffs and has been absorbed into the State Department amid concerns from the Trump administration that the organization did not advance U.S. core interests. ‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS SLAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR The rescissions package also pulls more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that provides federal funding for NPR and PBS. The total $9 billion cut is a fraction of a percent of the entire national debt, which currently sits at about $36.7 trillion as of Wednesday. The House previously approved its version of the rescissions package in June, and voted on the final version of the measure early Friday after the Senate narrowly approved the measure by a 51–48 margin early on the morning od July 17. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted alongside Democrats to oppose the package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that the measure aligned with other priorities to eradicate waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government and is a step in the right direction. “I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending,” Thune said in a speech ahead of the vote. “And now it’s time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget. It’s a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.” SENATE MARCHES TOWARD PASSING TRUMP’S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES Meanwhile, Democrats have said that the cuts to foreign aid are a win for China and Russia, and that the package puts national security at risk. Additionally, Democrats argue Republicans’ employment of rescissions sets a dangerous precedent that could jeopardize a host of programs down the line. “If Republicans slash more American aid, it will create a dangerous vacuum that the Chinese Communist Party will continue to eagerly fill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said July 15 on the Senate floor. TRUMP’S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK PASSES FIRST SENATE TEST, WHILE MORE HURDLES AWAIT “They are using pocket rescissions to poison the bipartisan appropriations process, to break the law to steal funds that Congress appropriated, and they’re doing it at a party-line vote,” Schumer said. “Worse, they’re letting Donald Trump decide for himself which programs to defund, and that puts everything at risk – healthcare, education, food assistance, public health. Everything – everything – becomes at risk. That is what happens if a package like this is allowed to become law.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Although Trump previously attempted to advance a rescissions package in 2018 that also targeted foreign aid and public broadcasting funds during his first term, it failed to gain support in the Senate after Collins and then-Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., voted against it. The last time Congress approved a rescissions package was in 1999. Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Alina Habba defiant after judges vote against her in New Jersey: ‘I don’t cower to pressure’
Alina Habba signaled Thursday that she does not plan to leave her role as the temporary U.S. attorney of New Jersey, announcing she does “not cower” to pressure after federal judges voted against extending her term. Habba, a former personal defense attorney to President Donald Trump, wrote in a statement online that she has been appointed the “acting” U.S. attorney, a shift from her prior job title. “Donald J. Trump is the 47th President. Pam Bondi is the Attorney General. And I am now the Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey,” Habba wrote. “I don’t cower to pressure. I don’t answer to politics. This is a fight for justice. And I’m all in.” A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesman told Fox News Digital that Habba was now serving as the acting U.S. attorney, rather than the “interim” position that she previously held. DOJ SWIFTLY FIRES ALINA HABBA’S COURT-APPOINTED REPLACEMENT The maneuvers by Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to keep Habba as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey are governed by a set of arcane federal vacancy laws. Those same laws also gave the New Jersey district court judges the authority to vote on whether to extend Habba’s 120-day term as interim U.S. attorney or to replace her. In a rare move, they chose to replace her with Habba’s No. 2, Desiree Grace, but Bondi promptly fired Grace, leaving open the question of who would take the role. ALINA HABBA SAYS AMERICA WAS ‘OFF‑TRACK’ FOR A LONG TIME The DOJ has said Habba’s term as “interim” U.S. attorney expires Friday. Fox News Digital learned that Habba resigned before that expiration day and that she was re-appointed as acting U.S. attorney, which has a 210-day term limit. According to the judges’ appointment, Grace would take over come Saturday, but it is unclear if the judges’ vote is valid now given the changes to Habba’s job, and it is possible that the legal confusion could lead to a court fight. Grace, a career prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office since 2016, wrote in a LinkedIn post after she was fired that it “has been the honor of a lifetime to represent the United States and to serve the people of New Jersey” and that she planned to be sworn in on Saturday. WHITE HOUSE HITS BACK AT DEM MAYOR SUING US ATTORNEY AFTER ICE ARREST: ‘DESPERATE ATTEMPT’ “Yesterday the District Judges for the District of New Jersey selected me to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey,” Grace wrote. “It will forever be the greatest honor that they selected me on merit, and I’m prepared to follow that Order and begin to serve in accordance with the law.” Trump has also nominated Habba to serve the full, four-year role as the permanent U.S. attorney, but that position requires Senate approval and Habba has no clear path to confirmation. New Jersey’s two Democratic senators, Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, are currently holding up her nomination through the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, and a person familiar with the matter said the Trump administration has not submitted any material for the Senate to vet Habba’s nomination in any case. Booker said in a statement after Grace’s firing that the Trump administration has violated the law. “The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence,” Booker wrote on social media. “This Administration may not like the law, but they are not above it.”
West Point Bible crest controversy spurs Pentagon lawsuit from conservative watchdog
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative judicial and government watchdog group has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense over documents related to a controversy surrounding the U.S. Military Academy at West Point crest on Bibles in the West Point Cadet Chapel. Judicial Watch originally submitted a FOIA request in December 2024 for documents related to the Bibles, after the MacArthur Society, a group for West Point graduates concerned about potential politicization at the military academy, tipped them off to the potential removal of the crest from the Bibles. The original request for the documents said: “Upon information and belief, the West Point Crest has appeared on the cover of the Bibles in the West Point Chapel since 1984, but circa December 2024, the Crest has been removed from the Bibles.” It’s unclear why the crest was removed, prompting Judicial Watch to file the original FOIA request to learn more about the decision, amid concerns that the military academy is seeking to wipe out any affiliation with what the group calls “traditional values.” Mixing religious material with military paraphernalia has come under scrutiny in the past. For example, all four branches of the military yanked approval in 2012 for a military series of Holman Christian Standard Bibles that were sold at military exchanges, due to concerns that the series signaled the Bible was the official religious text of the military services, according to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. The West Point crest has undergone multiple variations, but historically has featured an eagle above the school’s mascot, the Black Knights. A spokesperson for West Point told Fox News Digital that the chapel’s Bibles now feature the name of the military academy. “The bibles purchased for the West Point Cadet Chapel are emblazoned, ‘The United States Miliary Academy, West Point, New York,’” the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The Department of Defense told Fox News Digital it does not comment on pending litigation. WEST POINT DECISION TO CUT ‘DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY’ FROM MISSION STATEMENT UNDER FIRE AGAIN’ Even so, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit for the documents pertaining to the Bibles Tuesday after receiving no response for the requested records. “It appears the Biden administration and its leftist accomplices were determined to sever all connections between West Point and traditional values,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “They added divisive DEI programs to the curriculum and removed ‘Duty, Honor, Country’ from the Military Academy’s mission statement. Now, we learn they removed the West Point crest from Bibles in the West Point Chapel. It’s a wonder they didn’t remove the Bibles.” This isn’t the first time West Point has come under scrutiny from the conservative watchdog. HEGSETH QUIPS ‘99.9%’ OF DEI INITIATIVES ARE GONE FROM THE MILITARY UNDER TRUMP’S WATCH In May, Judicial Watch claimed that West Point engaged in a “cover up” scheme when it altered its mission statement in 2024 from “duty, honor, country” to “Army Values.” According to the watchdog group, the change was part of an effort to advance a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda. Even so, West Point’s mission statement has been changed nine times in the past century, and the words “duty, honor, country” didn’t make it into West Point’s mission statement until 1998. When asked about the mission statement change in May, an Army spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland’s original announcement: “Our absolute focus on developing leaders of character ready to lead our Army’s Soldiers on increasingly lethal battlefields remains unchanged.” West Point is one of several U.S. military academies that trains students to become military officers. TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT ‘PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM’
Trump foe Boasberg to grill DOJ over migrant flights in heated hearing
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg will hear from immigration lawyers and the Trump administration in court on Thursday as he weighs new facts and allegations at the heart of one of the biggest immigration cases of President Donald Trump’s second term — setting the stage for another heated court fight. Boasberg did not immediately signal which motions he would consider during the hearing. However, it comes after Boasberg found himself at the center of Trump’s ire and attacks on so-called “activist” judges this year, following his March 15 temporary restraining order that sought to block Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act — a 1798 wartime immigration law — to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador earlier this year. Boasberg also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil, which did not happen. His emergency order touched off a complex legal saga that ultimately spawned dozens of federal court challenges across the country — though the one brought before his court on March 15 was the very first — and later prompted the Supreme Court to rule, on two separate occasions, that the hurried removals had violated migrants’ due process protections under the U.S. Constitution. Boasberg, as a result, has emerged as the man at the center of the legal fallout. While the order itself has been in a bit of a holding pattern — the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stayed the order two months ago, when they agreed to review the ruling — Thursday’s hearing could revive the bitterly divisive court fight once more. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Boasberg is expected to consider plaintiffs’ motions to reopen limited discovery, citing new evidence — including a recent U.N. report stating that, according to Salvadoran officials, the U.S. holds sole legal responsibility and custody over migrants transferred to CECOT. Other submissions include a whistleblower report from former Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni, who worked on the case shortly before his removal. Trump administration officials have repeatedly excoriated Boasberg as an “activist judge” — a term they have employed for judges who have either paused or blocked Trump’s sweeping policy priorities enacted via executive order. Trump himself floated the idea that Boasberg could be impeached earlier this year— prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public warning. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE Tensions between Boasberg and the Trump administration soared to a fever pitch earlier this year after Boasberg in April said he had found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for failing to return the planes to U.S. soil, in accordance with his emergency order, and said the court had determined that the Trump administration demonstrated a “willful disregard” for his order. The Trump administration appealed the findings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In June, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to provide all noncitizens deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador to be afforded the opportunity to seek habeas relief in court, and challenge their alleged gang status. “Such was the situation into which Frengel Reyes Mota, Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, and scores of other Venezuelan noncitizens say they were plunged on March 15, 2025,” Boasberg said. Thursday’s hearing comes amid a flurry of new reports and allegations filed by plaintiffs in the case in an effort to reopen discovery.
Key immigration proposal vows to end ‘backdoor hiring practices’ in American universities
EXCLUSIVE: A new Republican proposal introduced on Wednesday would scrap the H-1B visa exception for higher education staff. There is currently a 65,000-person cap for the visa, with exceptions for higher education and other select groups, including an extra 20,000 that can be doled out to those with master’s degrees or beyond. The “Colleges for the American People Act of 2025” from Rep. Tom Tiffany would repeal the carveout made in the Immigration and Nationality Act, and have those from other countries seeking to work in higher education go through the normal H-1B visa process. RUBIO OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO HARVARD’S USE OF INTERNATIONAL VISAS, CITING NATIONAL SECURITY “American students spend years earning degrees, only to watch universities hand good-paying jobs to foreign workers on special visas,” Tiffany said in a statement. “The CAP Act ensures our institutions invest in the people they are meant to serve and ends the backdoor hiring practices that undercut American workers.” The proposal would not be retroactive, so current H-1B visa holders at universities could still apply for their extension without going towards the limit. The legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia. TRUMP SUSPENDS FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS The conservative outlet Wisconsin Right Now reported that there are 495 staffers in Wisconsin’s university system who have the visa, which comes with roughly a $43 million annual price tag for salaries. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE For fiscal year 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services got enough petitions for the H-1B visa caps as of last week. The visas continue to be a major point of debate across the political spectrum, as some argue that they boost business capabilities in the United States, especially in the technology sector. Others, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, have blasted them as exploitative. STATE DEPARTMENT NOW SCRUTINIZING ALL VISA HOLDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD “The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” the Vermont senator posted to X in January. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.” As of 2019, there were just under 600,000 H-1B visa holders, according to USCIS data. The Trump administration could make other reforms to the program soon, according to GovTech. Besides H-1B visas, student visas in some cases have also recently come under fire, particularly at Harvard University. The State Department announced on Wednesday that they are looking into whether it can continue to be part of the Exchange Visitor Program due to “national security” concerns.