Immigrants needed for ‘redistricting purposes,’ House Dem admits in viral clip: ‘Quiet part out loud’
A resurfaced video clip appears to show Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., claiming she needs more immigrants in her district “just for redistricting purposes,” causing significant concern and outrage from conservatives online. The video, from a 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee briefing, shows long-time Democrat Clarke suggesting that the local Haitian community in Brooklyn could “absorb a significant number of these migrants.” “When I hear my colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room in the inn, I’m saying, you know, I need more people in my district, just for redistricting purposes and those members could clearly fit here,” said Clarke. In response, Kyle Becker, an author and political commentator, commented on X, “House Rep. Yvette Clarke just said the quiet part out-loud. Democrats are as anti-American as it gets.” ERIC ADAMS RESPONDS TO TOM HOMAN PLEDGE TO ‘FLOOD THE ZONE’ WITH ICE AGENTS AFTER CBP SHOOTING “It is madness that American citizens are footing the bill for foreigners to come here, use our social services, our education services, our infrastructure, and then retire at our expense,” Becker went on. “All because the anti-American Democratic Party wants a few extra seats in Congress. Enough!” Popular conservative account “End Wokeness” also commented on the video, saying, “This is how you hijack democracy.” “Dems have been saying the quiet part out loud for years,” commented conservative influencer David Freeman. “This is why the imported MILLIONS. They want to have a one party country,” he added. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN BLASTS ICE AS A ‘PARAMILITARY FORCE’ New York City, which is heavily Democratic, has earned significant criticism in the past for moving to allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Earlier this year, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, blocked such a law that had been passed by the New York City Council in 2021 and would have allowed nearly a million noncitizens to vote in elections, including for mayor and city council. In response to the resurfaced clip, some renewed calls for the legislature to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility — “SAVE” — Act, which was introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, earlier this year. The bill would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Additionally, the bill stipulates that states must remove noncitizens from their official lists of eligible voters as well as impose criminal penalties for registering an applicant to vote in a federal election who fails to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. CHILLING VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWS ILLEGAL MIGRANT DRAGGING SCREAMING SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM BACK TO CAPTIVITY The bill has passed the House but has yet to be taken up by the Senate. Fox News Digital reached out to Clarke’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill
Senate Republicans and Democrats advanced the first set of spending bills through the upper chamber, despite signals from Democrats that they may block the government funding process. In the days and weeks leading up to the vote, Senate Democrats warned that Republicans’ passage of highly partisan bills, like President Donald Trump’s $9 billion clawback package, had eaten away at the trust that girds the appropriations process. DEMS SEEK RETALIATION OVER GOP CUTS AS THUNE CALLS FOR ‘COOPERATION’ ON FUNDING VOTE Still, after meeting behind closed-doors Tuesday afternoon, Democrats ultimately provided enough votes to advance the bill, which would fund military construction and the VA. The vote allows for lawmakers to make amendments and debate the bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the meeting that Democrats were still gunning for a bipartisan spending deal, effectively opening the door for his conference to back the spending bill package for now. “We’re working together to get one,” Schumer said. “But the bottom line is, Republicans are making it much harder. Rescissions, impoundment, pocket rescissions directly undoes this.” The bill advanced on a 90 to 8 vote, with Schumer and the majority of Senate Democrats joining every Republican to open debate on the bill. Democrats were largely frustrated with the passage of Trump’s rescissions package last week, which slashed funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting, arguing that doing so dissolved trust between the parties when it came to crafting spending bills. CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN They argued that reaching an agreement on a funding bill, only to see their priorities later stripped out through rescissions, shattered confidence in their Republican colleagues to stick to their word. “There’s no doubt,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a high-ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital. “I mean, someone does one thing one day and undoes it the next day, that obviously creates issues with trust.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., opted to call his counterparts’ bluff, and put the bill on the floor. Failure to advance the the legislation could have signaled a rocky road ahead for funding the government and beating the Sept. 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown. “Democrats have indicated that they’re so upset over a rescissions bill last week, which, by the way, cut one tenth of 1% of all federal spending, that somehow they could use that to shut down the appropriations process and therefore shut down the government,” Thune said. “We think that would be a big mistake, and hopefully they will think better of it and work with us, and we’re trying to give them what they’ve been asking for, [which] is a bipartisan appropriations process,” he continued. Prior to the vote, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, urged passage of the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that when she and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel, took the helm of the committee, they “committed to working together” on spending bills. She noted that when Democrats controlled the chamber, lawmakers didn’t get the same opportunity to consider spending bills, but acknowledged that it was still a “challenging legislative environment.” “This is a fundamental responsibility of Congress, and I want to express my gratitude to Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Thune, for giving us the opportunity to bring the first of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills to the Senate floor,” she said. ‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS But, passage of the first bill, and the ensuing amendment process leading to a final vote, does not guarantee that the appropriations process will go smoothly before the deadline hits in the next couple of months. Congress has not passed spending bills through a process called regular order since the late 1990s and has typically relied on short government funding extensions, known as continuing resolutions, and year-end, colossal spending packages, known as omnibuses, to keep the lights on in Washington. Disagreements over funding levels between the Senate and House, coupled with lingering questions about whether Schumer will continue to play ball with Republicans, could tee up another showdown around the September deadline. Schumer said that he would have a confab with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the top Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Murray, “to discuss the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate in the weeks ahead.” “With so much hard work ahead, the government funding deadline only less than 25 legislative days away, Republicans should be focused on working with us to deliver for American families,” he said. Sen. John Fetterman, who earlier this year voted with Republicans and a handful of his Democratic colleagues to thwart a partial government shutdown, had a stern message for Senate Democrats that may want to obstruct the government funding process. “I will never, ever vote to shut our government down,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told Fox News Digital. “That’s a core responsibility. And now we may not like a lot of these changes to things, and I don’t, but I’m saying that’s the way that democracy works.” “And now shutting the government down, how could you do that and plunge our country into chaos,” he continued.
‘Worst of the worst’ arrested in nationwide criminal illegal-alien crackdown: DHS
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement Tuesday highlighting some of the “worst of the worst” offenders who have been arrested in the agency’s nationwide crackdown on criminal illegal aliens. According to the statement, 70% of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s arrests have been of illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes. This comes as the agency is facing intense criticism for its enforcement of immigration laws and officers are dealing with an 830% increase in assaults. Some Democrats have accused ICE of targeting innocent, everyday immigrants. In the midst of anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles in June, Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., accused President Donald Trump and the administration of targeting anyone they consider “undesirable.” She also pushed a theory that the president will target U.S. citizens the same way he has deported criminal migrants. “Trump, Homan, Miller and this whole regime has waged a campaign of terror against our neighbors, against our families, our loved ones, as they advance their fascist agenda and try to cast immigrants as a public enemy,” Ramirez said. ERIC ADAMS RESPONDS TO TOM HOMAN PLEDGE TO ‘FLOOD THE ZONE’ WITH ICE AGENTS AFTER CBP SHOOTING While the agency has said it will not back down from arresting any immigrants who are in the country illegally, the new DHS statement says that the vast majority of those arrested thus far have criminal charges or convictions. The illegals highlighted in the DHS statement include criminals charged with hit-and-run, aggravated assault, felony menacing, grand theft and drug possession. Olinda Micaela Gonzalez-Ortiz, a 21-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested by ICE Baltimore and has a criminal history, including a conviction for hit-and-run in Salisbury, Maryland. Another, Federico Fong-Nunez, a 53-year-old Mexican illegal arrested by ICE Denver in Boulder, has 21 criminal convictions, including burglary, aggravated assault, and felony menacing. ICE TORCHES ‘DEAFENING’ SILENCE FROM MAMDANI ON CBP OFFICER SHOOTING Jhon Jervis Chavez-De La Rosa, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, has a criminal history including a conviction of assault causing bodily injury. He was arrested by ICE in Houston. Two others, Luis Alberto Leonardo Cortes-Rivera, a 34-year-old from from Mexico, and Rureiro Falkao, a 46-year-old illegal from Honduras, were arrested by ICE in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, respectively. Cortes-Rivera has a criminal history that includes nine criminal convictions, including grand theft, burglary, and tampering with a vehicle. Falkao’s criminal background includes conviction for possession of methamphetamine. ICE has also arrested scores of illegal immigrants either charged with or convicted of child sex offenses. In June, ICE arrested 1,361 illegal immigrants in the Houston area alone, including individuals previously convicted of hijacking an airplane, homicide, sexual assault and more. Of those arrested, 32 were previously convicted of child sex offenses, nine for homicide-related offenses, and 16 believed to be gang or drug cartel members. One person arrested by ICE was convicted of hijacking an airplane headed to Key West, Florida, from Cuba. ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO RAPED, IMPREGNATED HIS OWN DAUGHTER AT GOVERNMENT-RUN SHELTER LEARNS PRISON SENTENCE An ICE Homeland Security Investigations probe in Maryland led to the sentencing of Mark Rice, 38, to 30 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release for having “used his position of authority” to sexually abuse a 2-year-old and produce and distribute child sex abuse material online. In the Tuesday statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commended President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for having “unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst.” “Our brave law enforcement is facing an 830% increase in assaults against them and yet they continue to arrest violent criminals and drug traffickers every single day,” said McLaughlin. “We will not allow sanctuary politicians, activist hacks, or rioters stand in our way of protecting the American people. Our message is clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ramirez’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
ICE chief warns AI technology could lead to safety risks for agents: ‘Fringe organizations’
Far-left organizations could be using artificial intelligence and other technology to reveal the identity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News Digital in an interview. Lyons’ remarks come as Democrats in Congress recently proposed the VISIBLE Act, which would require clear identification of ICE agents and prevent masking of federal immigration authorities in public-facing circumstances. “If legislation passes to try to unmask ICE agents, they are not allowed to wear them, it runs the risk of agitators, different groups, you know, these fringe organizations using reverse technology, AI, to try to dox their families, try to get their identity, their home addresses,” Lyons said of the reaction from agents on the ground. “We’ve heard elected officials say there shouldn’t be any rest for ICE agents or their families. “So they’re definitely concerned about that. They’re also concerned about their own well-being when they go out to effectuate these arrests because now we have to send more officers out into the communities because where we can send four or five to make arrests in the past, now we had to send up to eight or 10 just to protect the four that are making the arrests of one individual.” MASSACHUSETTS BILL WOULD FORCE ICE AGENTS TO UNMASK He added that the safety risk does require more resources when conducting arrests. When ICE was conducting operations in Los Angeles in June, President Donald Trump sent in the California National Guard to the city with the goal of protecting agents and quelling riots. That move was legally challenged by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “The Marines are withdrawing. This is another win for Los Angeles,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass posted to X Monday. ICE agents have faced an 830% increase in assaults since last year, according to DHS. However, proponents of the VISIBLE Act have said it’s nessescary for accountability. “For weeks, Americans have watched federal agents with no visible identification detain people off the streets and instill fear in communities across the country,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, said in a statement July 8. “Reports of individuals impersonating ICE officers have only increased the risk to public and officer safety. The lack of visible identification and uniform standards for immigration enforcement officers has created confusion, stoked fear and undermined public trust in law enforcement.” DHS FIRES BACK AT DEMOCRATS FOR ‘BEYOND THE PALE’ RHETORIC AS ICE AGENTS FACE WAVE OF VIOLENT THREATS “Assault could be anything from resisting arrest where they assault the officers, whether they’re kicking, grabbing officers. It could be something as dramatic as what we saw in Alvarado, Texas, where we had local police ambushed with firearms,” Lyons said. “You saw it during the recent marijuana grow farm raid operation, where we had an individual firing a handgun at ICE officers, rocks thrown at them. It’s everything from verbal assault to physical assault to threats of bodily harm, deadly force. It’s run the whole gamut.” Authorities have charged 12 people in an alleged anti-ICE attack at the Prairieland Detention Center on Independence Day, including ten for alleged attempted murder of federal officers and gun offenses. Reports have indicated that some planning occurred through a Signal group chat, and Lyons noted that this was likely planned by the Dallas area activists for some time. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Well, the FBI is doing a great job investigating it as a whole organized event,” Lyons said. “So, you saw where it was actually organized with social media, where you have organized people in a typical L-shaped ambush where you had escape vehicles. So, without getting too much into what the Department of Justice and the FBI do, there is definitely evidence that this was planned for a while, and it wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment protest. These were agitators focused on assaulting law enforcement officers and assaulting ICE.” In terms of facing these coordinated efforts, the director said it’s a matter of planning and looking at the information available before conducting an operation. ACTING ICE DIRECTOR CALLS MAYOR WU’S NEO-NAZI COMPARISON ‘DISGUSTING’ AMID INCREASE IN AGENT ASSAULTS “What we’re doing is definitely working with all of our federal partners as well as the state partners that do coordinate with us what we use and all the intelligence that we have at our disposal to go ahead and try to find out as much about these groups and as much as about these organizations and these planned events that we can to let our officers and agents know in the field prior to going out,” Lyons said. “So, we wanna make sure that officers are fully aware of what the situations they’re getting into, but we are also making sure that we’re properly staffed when we go out.” In addition, he said recent funding from the “big, beautiful bill” would be to try to bring back personnel that “retired early” under the Biden administration and look at veterans and officials at the local and state levels who “already have the training” to “beef up” staffing at the agency.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: El Salvador’s Bukele Mocks Hunter Biden Threat
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – Trump pulls US out of UN agency over its backing of ‘woke’ social causes – ‘Not going away’: Inside the Epstein drama that’s thrown House GOP into chaos – Louisville agrees to halt sanctuary policy after DOJ threatens lawsuit Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded late Monday to having his country under the threat of invasion from a future “President Hunter Biden.” Bukele, who has emerged as a top ally of President Donald Trump and a partner in the U.S. leader’s mass deportation operations targeting illegal immigrants, appeared to laugh off the threat. “Is Hunter Biden sniffing powdered milk?” Bukele replied on X, where he shared a snippet of Biden’s interview with podcaster Andrew Callaghan… READ MORE. HOUSTON HORROR: Chilling video allegedly shows illegal migrant dragging screaming sex trafficking victim back to captivity LEFTIST BACKGROUND: Anti-ICE attackers revealed to have extensive history of radical protest activities FORENSIC TWIST: Illinois coroner releases new details about woman found dead on illegal immigrant’s property THREAT COUNTDOWN: EU defense chief warns of ‘most dangerous moment’ — coordinated Russian-Chinese aggression by 2027 FREE ON MASSIVE BOND: Chinese citizen admits stealing US trade secrets for next-generation national security tech DIPLOMATIC DIVIDEND: ‘Trump has changed the game’: NATO enters brave new era under pressure from US, Russia ‘SENSELESS LOSS’: American man from Oklahoma ‘brutally executed’ by Syrian-backed jihadis MATTER OF PRIDE: Iran will not give up enrichment, top official confirms in exclusive Fox News interview RED LINE: China prevents dozens of Americans from leaving under shadow ‘exit ban’ AIRING OF GRIEVANCES: 5 bizarre moments from the former first son’s meltdown DEPORTATION DIVIDE: House Republicans warn anti-ICE rhetoric from Democrats is driving violent attacks on agents BIG, BEAUTIFUL FIGHT: Scoop: Democrats launch billboards outside hospitals to target Trump for ‘Gutting Rural Health Care’ IN THE CROSSHAIRS: Trump blasts Massie as ‘the worst Republican Congressman’ and says he’s seeking a challenger to support DEMS IN DISARRAY: AOC slams progressive critics for ‘lying’ about her Iron Dome stance in defense bill fight BUDGET BATTLE LINES: Dems seek retaliation over GOP cuts as Thune calls for ‘cooperation’ on funding vote FAITH UNDER FIRE: GOP lawmakers advocate for US condemnation of persecution against Christians in Muslim-majority nations CIVIL WAR: ‘Not going away’: Inside the Epstein drama that’s thrown House GOP into chaos FLIP FLOP: Trump endorses GOP senator years after asserting ‘I will never endorse this jerk again’ MAYOR BACKS DOWN: Louisville agrees to halt sanctuary policy after DOJ threatens lawsuit CAMPUS CRACKDOWN: Columbia University disciplines 70 students more than a year after violent library takeover JUDGMENT DAY: Newsom to decide on Menendez brothers’ parole by Labor Day weekend TAKE TWO: Cuomo tones down Trump rhetoric after stunning loss to Mamdani in NYC mayor primary ‘DISGUSTING’: NYC councilwoman warns Mamdani victory will drive away key voting bloc: ‘Afraid to live here’ VOTED OUT: Judges vote against extending Alina Habba’s term as US attorney in New Jersey Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Flashback: Biden challenged to take pre-debate drug test in 2024; his son now makes Ambien claim
Former President Joe Biden’s campaign dodged answering whether the president planned to take performance-enhancing drugs ahead of his debate against President Donald Trump just over a year ago, instead arguing that Trump and his campaign were spreading “desperate, obviously false lies” about the 46th president potentially taking drugs. About one year after Biden’s ill-fated debate, former first son Hunter Biden claimed in a wild and expansive interview published Monday his dad’s poor debate performance was due to taking Ambien, a sedative-hypnotic typically used to treat insomnia. “I know exactly what happened in that debate,” Hunter Biden said in the interview. “He flew around the world, basically, the mileage that he could have flown around the world, three times. He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s—. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. “He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights,” Hunter added. “And it feeds into every f—ing story that anybody wants to tell.” BIDEN AIDES PUSHED FOR EARLY DEBATE TO SHOW OFF BIDEN’S ‘STRENGTH,’ EXPOSE TRUMP’S ‘WEAKNESS,’ BOOK SAYS On June 26, 2024, the day before the debate, Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign inquiring if Biden had any plans to use performance-enhancing drugs for the debate, but staffers twice avoided a direct answer to the question. At the time, Trump was leading a rising chorus, which included lawmakers, demanding that Biden take a drug test before the showdown. Those advocating a screening suggested Biden may have been motivated by a desire to quell mounting concerns about his mental acuity. “Donald Trump is so scared of being held accountable for his toxic agenda of attacking reproductive freedom and cutting Social Security that he and his allies are resorting to desperate, obviously false lies,” a Biden campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital the evening ahead of that 2024 debate. When asked in a follow-up email for a “yes” or “no” response, the spokesperson said the original statement answered the question. “The accusation from Trump on drugs is a desperate, obviously false lie,” the response said. Ambien is a sedative that slows brain activity to help a person fall asleep and would not act as a performance-enhancing supplement for a public debate. FLASHBACK: THE DEBATE NIGHT AGAINST TRUMP THAT THREW BIDEN’S REELECTION CAMPAIGN INTO A FREE FALL ONE YEAR LATER: HOW JOE BIDEN’S DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE FORCED HIS MEDIA ALLIES TO TURN ON HIM Joe Biden spent days preparing for the debate at Camp David in Maryland with videos of his public gaffes and missteps haunting the campaign in the days leading up to the debate. Trump, meanwhile, led the charge in demanding Biden take a drug test to prove he was not taking performance-enhancing supplements ahead of the highly anticipated event. “DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN??? I WOULD, ALSO, IMMEDIATELY AGREE TO ONE!!!” Trump posted to Truth Social in the lead-up to the debate. Fox News Digital also reached out to the White House and Trump campaign asking if Biden or Trump, respectively, planned to take performance-enhancing drugs ahead of the debate. The Biden White House did not respond at the time, while the Trump campaign responded. “Absolutely not,” then-campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital at the time. “President Trump has naturally elite stamina and doesn’t need performance-enhancing drugs, unlike Joe Biden, who many are saying will be drugged up for the debate like he was at the State of the Union,” Leavitt said at the time. “President Trump has repeatedly asked Joe Biden to participate in drug testing. What does Team Biden have to hide?” BOOK REVEALS BIDEN ADVISORS DECLINED TO HAVE PRESIDENT TAKE A COGNITIVE TEST IN FEBRUARY 2024: REPORT Hunter Biden’s recent explosive interview on “Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan,” released on YouTube, fanned the flames of Biden’s presidency and exit from the 2024 federal election amid ongoing accusations that Biden’s mental acuity had cratered during his Oval Office tenure. Biden entered the re-election cycle already racked by claims and concerns that his mental acuity had slipped, and he was not mentally fit to continue serving as president, which was underscored by special counsel Robert Hur’s report in February 2024 that rejected criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials, saying he was “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Biden also brushed off accusations he was using any performance-enhancing supplements, including mocking Trump’s challenge that he take a drug test in an X post just before the debate showing him drinking a can of water. “I don’t know what they’ve got in these performance enhancers, but I’m feeling pretty jacked up. Try it yourselves, folks. See you in a bit,” the X post said, accompanied by a photo of Biden drinking a can of water that said “Get real, Jack. It’s just water.” The debate was an abject failure for Biden as he stumbled over his responses and appeared to lose his train of thought and slur words at times, opening the floodgates of criticism from longtime Democratic allies who called on Biden to drop out of the race and pass the torch to a younger generation to take on Trump. A handful of former President Barack Obama’s allies and former advisors publicly helped lead the charge in calling on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race earlier in the summer, including David Axelrod, who said Biden was “not winning this race;” George Clooney, who called on the president to quit in a bombshell op-ed; and Jon Favreau, who served as former director of speech writing for Obama. BIDEN CAMP DODGES ANSWERING IF PRESIDENT PLANS TO USE PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS BEFORE DEBATE Hunter Biden unleashed on the Democrats who turned their backs on his dad as he attempted to recover from the debate performance in his expletive-riddled interview Monday. “F‑‑- you. What do you have to do with f‑‑‑ing anything? Why do I have to f‑‑‑ing listen to you? What right do you have to step on a
Beto O’Rourke drops f-bomb as he urges Dems to ‘meet fire with fire’ against GOP redistricting plans in Texas
As Texas Republicans attempt to redraw their congressional districts to widen their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of competitive midterm elections expected in 2026, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, said Democrats should “meet fire with fire.” The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate told former Biden advisor Neera Tanden at the Center for American Progress (CAP) on Tuesday that he supports California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s own attempt at redistricting the blue state to deepen Democrats’ own congressional control. O’Rourke rationalized California’s redistricting because “we already have an authoritarian president.” And while he acknowledged the irony of his party following suit on something Democrats “don’t like Republicans doing,” O’Rourke said, “This is for the very future and fate of the republic. We lose it, you will never, ever get it back.” “Not only do I think [Newsom] should do this, I don’t think he should wait for Texas,” O’Rourke said. “In other words, why the f–k are we responding and reacting to the other side instead of taking the offense on these things?” COURT SHUTS DOWN REDISTRICTING FIGHT IN KEY SWING STATE — HERE’S WHAT IT MEANS O’Rourke criticized the Democratic Party for caring “more about being right” than about “being in power.” He said Democrats, who are grappling with losing control of the White House and Congress in 2024, “have to be ruthlessly focused on winning power.” DEMOCRAT BETO O’ROURKE SAYS HE’LL RUN FOR SENATE IF TEXANS WANT HIM TO If Democrats don’t fight back, O’Rourke said, “a state that was already something less than democracy is about to descend even further.” The GOP-controlled state legislature in Texas began a special session on Monday, and one of the key items on their agenda is the push by Republicans in the red state to redraw the current congressional maps to reduce the number of districts controlled by already marginalized Democrats. It’s part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of the chamber, and cushion losses elsewhere in the country, as the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats. And President Donald Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term, when Democrats grabbed a majority in the House in the 2018 midterms. “Texas will be the biggest one,” the president told reporters last week, as he predicted the number of GOP-friendly seats that could be added through redistricting in the Lone Star State. “Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.” Hours earlier, Trump held a call with Texas’ Republican congressional delegation, and sources confirmed to Fox News that the president told the lawmakers that he was aiming to redraw the maps to create five new winnable seats. Democrats control just 12 of the state’s 38 congressional districts, with a blue-leaning seat vacant after the death in March of Rep. Sylvester Turner. The idea is to relocate Democratic voters from competitive seats into nearby GOP-leaning districts, and move Republican voters into neighboring districts the Democrats currently control. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both conservative Republicans and Trump allies, said they needed to redistrict because of constitutional concerns raised by the Justice Department over a handful of minority-dominated districts. “Coincidentally or not, each of those seats is held by a Democrat who is either Black or Mexican-American,” O’Rourke said Tuesday. “That’s what they’re doing. It’s members of Congress choosing their own voters, literally.” Redistricting typically takes place at the start of each decade, based on the latest U.S. Census data. Mid-decade redistricting is uncommon – but not without precedent. Democrats are slamming Trump and Texas Republicans for what they describe as a power grab, and vowing to take legal action to prevent any shift in the current congressional maps, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said, “Democrats are going to push back aggressively because it’s the right thing to do.” “Two can play this game,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media last week. The next day, after a meeting, Democrats in California’s congressional delegation said they were on board with an ambitious plan to try and gain at least five seats through redistricting. Democrats currently control 43 of the Golden State’s 52 congressional districts. But it won’t be easy to enact the change, because in California, congressional maps are drawn by an independent commission that is not supposed to let partisanship influence their work. Newsom this week suggested that the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature should move forward with a mid-decade redrawing of the maps, arguing that it might not be forbidden by the 17-year-old ballot initiative that created the independent commission. The governor also proposed quickly holding a special election to repeal the commission ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Both plans are considered long shots, as they would face plenty of legislative, legal and financial hurdles.
Cuomo tones down Trump rhetoric after stunning loss to Mamdani in NYC mayor primary
In the closing weeks ahead of New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary, as he appeared to be cruising toward capturing his party’s nomination, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo focused his campaign’s spotlight on President Donald Trump. But an unexpected loss to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani forced his campaign to make an abrupt change in messaging. “Trump’s coming for New York. Who do you think can stop him?” the narrator in a Cuomo campaign ad said, over images of the June rioting in Los Angeles sparked by Trump’s immigration crackdown. “Trump’s at the city gates. We need someone experienced to slam them shut,” the narrator said, as he suggested that Cuomo was the most experienced candidate to push back against the president’s agenda. The former three-term governor, who resigned amid twin scandals in 2021, pledged, if elected mayor, to protect New York City from what he suggested could be a possible future federal crackdown against immigration protests in the city. And he vowed to mount a national campaign to try and thwart Trump’s agenda. POLL POSITION: MAMDANI’S THE FRONTRUNNER, BUT ISN’T RUNNING AWAY WITH THE NYC MAYORAL RACE But Mamdani’s stunning victory over Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to capture the Democratic Party nomination rocked the race for mayor in the nation’s most populous city. And as Cuomo resets as he runs in the mayoral general election as an independent candidate, references to Trump have plummeted as the former governor stands for interviews. He didn’t mention the president once in his video announcing his general election campaign. Longtime Cuomo adviser and spokesman Rich Azzopardi said “that’s not the case” when asked by Fox News Digital if the former governor was de-emphasizing Trump messaging. “It’s silly. It’s only been eight days since the campaign had a relaunch,” Azzopardi said. And he said that in the local interviews Cuomo has done, “it has been more local and pocketbook issues that have come up.” “I think New Yorkers know that the person best equipped to protect New York from any excesses that may come out of Washington is Andrew Cuomo, because he’s done it before,” Azzopardi added. But Mamdani’s campaign argues that Cuomo is taking a page from their playbook as he shines a spotlight on his proposals to lower the rent, build more housing, and improve public transportation. MAMDANI ON EXTENDED AFRICA TRIP AMID NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN The 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens, who was backed by progressive champions Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, surged to a come-from-behind primary victory, thanks to an energetic campaign that put a major focus on affordability and New York City’s high cost of living. Mamdani made smart use of social media platforms, including TikTok, as he engaged low-propensity voters. He proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. And Mamdani, thanks in part to the efforts of a massive grassroots army of volunteers, rode a wave of support from younger and progressive voters to catapult himself into first place. Cuomo now says he’s committed to making New York a city with “lower rent, safer streets, where buying your first home is once again possible, where child care won’t bankrupt you.” And he’s taken aim at Mamdani for putting out “slick slogans, but no real solutions.” POTUS THE PUNDIT: TRUMP SAYS CUOMO’S GOT A ‘GOOD SHOT’ OF BEATING MAMDANI Cuomo is one of four candidates in the general election who are taking on Mamdani, who, as the Democratic Party nominee, is the front-runner in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly six-to-one margin. Also in the race are Mayor Eric Adams, the embattled incumbent who announced earlier this year that he would seek re-election as an independent candidate, and Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee. And Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor, is also running as an independent. Cuomo, since his primary defeat, has noted that the general election electorate in New York City is much larger than the pool of voters who cast ballots in the Democratic nomination race. “Only 13% of New Yorkers voted in the June primary,” Cuomo said in his general election launch video. And as he now faces a broader and more moderate electorate than that in the Democratic Party primary, Cuomo’s apparent pivot away from Trump and towards issues of affordability appears strategic. Azzopardi, pointing to the campaign re-launch, told Fox News, “It was important to hit the ground running to meet New Yorkers where they are, and that’s what we’re doing.” “The message is a simple one. It’s New Yorkers are generally not hard-core pro-MAGA Trumpers, nor are they socialists. They are in the middle, and the governor is making the case about how he is the person best equipped to bring the first competent administration back to City Hall in 12 years,” Azzopardi said. But veteran Democratic strategist Lauren Hitt, who advised an anti-Cuomo super PAC in the Democratic primary, argued that New York City voters are likely to be skeptical of the former governor’s message. “Cuomo already had his chance to make New York more affordable, and he did just the opposite. So he can try to slap another label on his campaign, but New Yorkers already know they don’t like what he’s selling,” Hitt said.
Anti-ICE attackers revealed to have extensive history of radical protest activities
Some members of the group charged in the Prairieland Detention Center anti-ICE attack on Independence Day have been arrested in the past for protest activities. Ines Soto, who is part of the group of ten charged with attempted murder of federal officers and firearm offenses, was arrested at a protest in 2016 for allegedly resisting arrest and trying to avoid detention, according to K-HOU 11 at the time. The protest was against a speech by Richard Spencer at Texas A&M University. The outlet My Aggie Nation noted that Soto was 31 in 2016, which corroborates with a KERA News report stating that Soto is now 40 years old and was released on a $10,000 bond. FBI CAPTURES FORMER MARINE CORPS RESERVIST ACCUSED OF SHOOTING AT ICE OFFICERS AT TEXAS DETENTION CENTER Meanwhile, KERA News reported that Savanna Batten partook in the Occupy Wall Street movement through an “Occupy Dallas” protest in 2011, where she was arrested for allegedly not allowing people to come and go from a Chase Bank. The case was ultimately dismissed, as a criminal trespassing charge was scrapped in exchange for 24 community service hours, the outlet reported. Batten also specifically has a history of anti-ICE activism, as she was charged for allegedly blocking a highway in June 2018 near a Dallas ICE facility, and the charge for that was also dismissed in 2019 as part of a program. Fox News Digital reported last week that Benjamin Song, who was captured by the FBI last week, had a known protest background. He was named in a 2023 lawsuit over a counter-protest to the New Columbia Movement at a drag brunch in Fort Worth, Texas. The lawsuit noted Song was tied with a pro-arms leftist group, the Elm Fork John Brown Gun Club. UNEARTHED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS EXPOSE RADICAL VIEWS OF ANTI-ICE SHOOTING SUSPECT CAPTURED BY FBI In addition, he was also arrested in 2020 during a protest in Austin for allegedly assaulting a public servant, according to Fox 4. Song’s social media profiles also indicated that he was extremely vocal online about his stances and activism, and also appeared to use a martial arts studio tied to his mother to film tactical exercises. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Do you want to end mass shootings? Abolish the police,” he posted in June 2022 under the X handle, BubbleBreakBS. Song, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, is accused of firing two AR-15-style rifles at two correctional officers and one Alvarado police officer, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital. MORE DETAILS REVEALED ON SUSPECTS IN INDEPENDENCE DAY ICE ATTACK IN TEXAS “Make no mistake, this was not a peaceful protest,” Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said in a July 8 statement. “This was an ambush on federal and local law enforcement officers. This increasing trend of violence against law enforcement will not be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas. Those who use violence against law enforcement officers will be found and prosecuted using the toughest criminal statutes and penalties available.” A local police officer was shot in the neck by a suspect in the woods, according to the complaint. Another assailant allegedly fired dozens of rounds at unarmed correctional officers who had stepped outside the facility. Cars outside the facility were vandalized with “Ice pig” and “Traitor,” as authorities obtained anti-government literature from those involved, as well as a flag that said “Fight Fascism, Fight Oligarchy.”
Salvadoran president responds to Hunter Biden’s invasion threat: What is he ‘sniffing’?
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded late Monday to having his country under the threat of invasion from a future “President Hunter Biden.” Bukele, who has emerged as a top ally of President Donald Trump and a partner in the U.S. leader’s mass deportation operations targeting illegal immigrants, appeared to laugh off the threat. “Is Hunter Biden sniffing powdered milk?” Bukele replied on X, where he shared a snippet of Biden’s interview with podcaster Andrew Callaghan. “These guys think that we need to run away from all values in order for us to lead,” Biden fumed in the clip, initially speaking about the conservative right. KAINE BREAKS INTO SPANISH AS DEMS FORCE VOTE TARGETING TRUMP-EL SALVADOR ALLIANCE OVER DEPORTATIONS “I say, f— you. How are we getting those people back from f—ing El Salvador?” “Because I’ll tell you what, if I became president… I would pick up the phone and call the f—ing president of El Salvador and say, ‘You either f—ing send [illegal immigrants imprisoned in CECOT penitentiary] back or I’m going to f—ing invade.” Biden then accused Trump and Bukele of a “f—ing crime” and labeled both men “f—ing dictator-thug[s].” The retort called back to Biden’s history of drug use, which notably included a revelation he made to CBS that he would smoke “anything that even remotely resembled crack cocaine,” including “more Parmesan cheese than anyone you know.” Biden’s interview touched on that history, including the incident in which he swore on a federal firearms form that he was not using controlled substances at the time of purchase. BUKELE MOCKS ABREGO GARCIA’S TORTURE CLAIMS WITH PRISON HIGHLIGHT REEL Bukele followed up by sharing news coverage of a three-party prisoner swap between the U.S., El Salvador and Venezuela, to illustrate ongoing cooperation with the U.S.’s current leadership. “Maduro’s regime was satisfied with the exchange agreement; that’s why they accepted it,” Bukele said, adding that Caracas strongman Nicolas Maduro’s regime now “shout[s] and express[es] outrage – but not because they disagree with the deal, rather because they just realized they are left without hostages from the most powerful country in the world.” Bukele had agreed to fly Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. who had been held at CECOT back to Caracas, as the Maduro regime in turn released several Americans being held captive. Venezuela had not initially been accepting of deported illegal immigrant nationals captured by U.S. authorities. Ten U.S. citizens or legal-permanent residents, who had been held by Maduro, were released, according Secretary of State Marco Rubio. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Until today, more Americans were wrongfully held in Venezuela than any other country in the world. It is unacceptable that Venezuelan regime representatives arrested and jailed U.S. nationals under highly questionable circumstances and without proper due process,” Rubio said in a statement. Bukele also highlighted a clip of U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler calling him a “good friend” of the U.S.