Establishment-backed Democrat wins high-profile congressional primary in Arizona
The daughter of late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona has taken a big step toward succeeding her father in Congress. Former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic Party primary in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press. The younger Grijalva topped four other candidates in the heavily blue district, which stretches from Tucson to Yuma and includes almost the entire length of the state’s southern border with Mexico. The 54-year-old Grijalva enjoyed the backing of some of the state’s top Democrats, including Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, state Attorney General Kris Mayes and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. REP. RAUL GRIJALVA OF ARIZONA DEAD AT AGE 77 Grijalva was also supported by two top progressive champions, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who both backed Zohran Mamdani in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer and progressive activist who was hoping to follow in Mamdani’s footsteps by pulling off a stunning, come-from-behind victory in a high-profile Democratic Party congressional primary, came up short. DAVID HOGG-BACKED CANDIDATE EYES UPSET IN KEY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY Foxx, who went viral as a teenager for confronting then-Republican Sen. Jeff Flake over the issue of reproductive rights, enjoyed the support of gun-control crusader David Hogg, who recently stepped down from his position as a Democratic National Committee vice chair after upsetting party leaders with his efforts backing primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue districts. Hogg, who campaigned with Foxx over the weekend across the district, predicted she would “make history in Southwest Arizona.” And Hogg compared Foxx’s surging poll numbers in the final days of the primary campaign to that of Mamdani, the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state lawmaker who topped former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to win the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City. Similar to the New York City mayoral primary, the contest in southern Arizona has been viewed by many political pundits as a barometer of where the Democratic Party is headed as it deals with longstanding divisions between its establishment and outsider and progressive and moderate wings, as well as generational divides. Former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez was also contending for the nomination. He’s well known in Arizona for helping to save the life of former Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords during a 2011 shooting in Tucson, when he was serving as an intern to the congresswoman. Indigenous activist and scholar Jose Malvido Jr. and former healthcare executive Patrick Harris Sr. were also running for the Democratic nomination in the majority-Hispanic district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a nearly two-to-one margin. More than $2 million was dished out to run ads in the Democratic primary, with some of the money coming from outside groups. Adelita Grijalva will now be considered the frontrunner in the Sept. 23 special election to serve the final 15 months of the elder Grijalva’s term. He died in March from complications related to cancer treatment.
Democratic socialist mayoral nominee creates growing headache for vulnerable New York Democrats
New York Democrats suddenly have more problems than the back end of the New York Yankees starting rotation. But the Yankees have the opportunity to fix some of their issues before the July 31 trade deadline. However, there’s no trade deadline in politics. And some conservative and moderate Democrats wish there was a waiver wire. Especially for Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zorhan Mamdani. MAMDANI’S FAILURE TO WALK BACK THESE POSITIONS COULD CAUSE RECKONING IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: ‘FIVE-ALARM WARNING’ The nomination of the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist is cleaving the party. Democrats are still searching for a unified message after the election. And the nomination of Mamdani highlights those splits. Many major Democrats have yet to endorse him. And far-left sects of Democrats could primary incumbent House Democrats – including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. – unless they back Mamdani. Republicans are reveling in the Democrats divides. “If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York City, it’s going to put a lot of seats in play in New York,” predicted Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. Lawler represents a battleground district just north of the City. Democrats need to defeat Lawler – and probably Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y. on Long Island – if they’re to have a chance to flip the House. Once again, the potential path to a Democratic House majority plows right through the Empire State. Victories by Lawler, LaLota and former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., are one of the reasons Republicans flipped the House – but barely – in 2022. Now Mamdani’s socialism is threatening to drive a schism as wide as Broadway through the Democratic Party. His primary victory is echoing in other swing districts now held by Democrats. And Mamdani’s nomination presents Republicans with a plum opportunity to alter the trajectory of House races near the Big Apple. That’s why Lawler is basking in the nomination of Mamdani. And Democrats who represent swing districts, like Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., are outspoken about Mamdani and trying to build a firewall between him and their candidacies for re-election in 2026. There’s fear Mamdani could jerk the party to the left. “He’s not even a Democrat,” bemoaned Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., about Mamdani. “He provided an opportunity for the GOP to brand our party.” SENATE REPUBLICANS ADVANCE $9B SPENDING CUT BILL DESPITE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION And Republicans are doing just that. “He’s a legit communist,” proclaimed Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “I think candidates like Mamdani could continue to push them further left.” “It would be a gift to the Republican Party,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., about Mamdani. “Every person had a kid in class growing up who ate paste. I think the potential new mayor of New York is going to be that kid and Democrats don’t know what to do.” In college, Mamdani supported an anti-Israel boycott. And during the pandemic, Mamdani pushed the seizure of luxury condos by the government to house the homeless. Republicans hope Mamdani molds the perceptions of voters. “I’m just going to let him speak,” declared Kennedy about Mamdani. “I mean you never interfere with your opponent when he’s kicking his own ass.” But some Democrats are skeptical that Mamdani’s success echoes elsewhere as we barrel toward the midterms. “What happens in New York is not what’s going to happen in Vermont or Colorado or Texas. That’s going to be a local race,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. Mamdani is suggesting Democratic unity. “The conversations I’ve had with (New York) Governor (Kathy) Hochul (D) and (House Minority Leader Hakeem) Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Sen. (Chuck) Schumer, D-N.Y.), have been productive,” said Mamdani. But Hochul has yet to endorse Mamdani. The same with Jeffries and Schumer. Jeffries plans to huddle with Mamdani on Friday. Schumer says he spoke by phone Monday night with Mamdani and will visit with him “in New York.” However, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., just endorsed Mamdani. “We will come together and we, as good Democrats, we will work out our differences,” said Espaillat. But Mike Lawler believes top New York Democrats will eventually back Mamdani. He says they’ll have no choice. REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS “They’re all petrified that if they don’t get on board with the radical socialist who is now the titular head of their party that they’re going to face primaries,” said Lawler. Mamdani allies are threatening primary challenges against five New York House Democrats – including Jeffries. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is a big supporter of Mamdani and is bringing him to Washington to meet with other Democrats. “I think a lot of people just need to get to know folks before they issue an endorsement. I hope that this conversation can be constructive to bring the party together and rally behind our nominee,” said Ocasio-Cortez about the breakfast meeting. But Republicans continued to have a field day associating Mamdani with other Democrats. Especially drawing together Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez. “Who you dine with says a lot about you as an individual. I think it’s two peas in a pod. Two socialists who want to change America for the worse,” said Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo. “It reinforces how far left Democrats have gone and the radical elements of the party are taking over in the Democratic Party,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich. But some Democrats – who aren’t from New York – are more than happy to visit with Mamdani. “What Mamdani has shown us, a lot of the ways in which we talk about the cost of living. And it’s the same thing that (President) Donald Trump talked about,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said he had “vast disagreements” with Mamdani and called him a “socialist.” But Moskowitz said Mamdani’s success offered something Democrats should ponder. “He’s had a very good online campaign. So, I’m going to go and listen,” said Moskowitz. “Every district is different. Some of
Senate GOP blows through 2nd hurdle of the night, teeing up Trump’s clawback bill for hourslong debate
Senate Republicans again coalesced behind President Donald Trump’s multibillion-dollar spending clawback package and propelled the legislation through its final procedural hurdle, again with the aid of Vice President JD Vance. Lawmakers will now go back and forth through 10 hours of debate on the bill, where Senate Democrats are expected to bleed time and slam the legislation for its cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funding. SENATE GOP AGREE TO STRIP CUTS TO HIV, AIDS PREVENTION PROGRAM FROM TRUMP’S CLAWBACK BILL Trump’s smaller, $9 billion package passed with nearly all Senate Republicans, while all Senate Democrats voted against it. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were the only Republicans to vote against the bill. Once debate has wrapped up on the bill, lawmakers will go through another vote-a-rama, where an unlimited number of amendments can be offered for the bill by either side of the aisle. Democrats will likely try to sideline or derail the package, while the GOP is expected to offer an amendment that would spare about $400 million in international HIV and AIDS funding from the chopping block. SENATE GOP BRACES FOR TEST VOTE ON TRUMP’S $9.4B CLAWBACK PACKAGE The carveout for the Bush-era President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was agreed to ahead of the vote and is backed by the White House. Trimming funding from the program rattled some Senate Republicans, who publicly and privately warned they may not support the bill unless a fix was found. However, slashing the funding cut from the package could prove a tricky sell to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has called on Senate Republicans to not change the bill. ‘GUT CHECK TIME’: DISSENT AMONG SENATE GOP RANKS THREATENS TO REDUCE TRUMP’S SPENDING CUT DEMAND He’s been joined by fiscal hawks in the House Freedom Caucus, too, who have demanded that the Senate GOP stay the course on the rescissions package and warned that they would have serious issues if changes were made, stopping short of declaring a full-on rebellion against the bill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., hoped that his colleagues in the lower chamber would play ball and pass the bill ahead of a looming Friday deadline. “There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue,” he said ahead of the vote. “So, that’s reflected in the substitute, and we hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate that the House will accept that one small modification.”
Trump’s $9 billion clawback passes first Senate test, while more hurdles await
President Donald Trump’s clawback of billions in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting narrowly passed through its first hurdle in the Senate, but it still faces a rocky road ahead with dissent among the Senate GOP ranks. Senate GOP leaders hoped that an agreement to carve out $400 million in global HIV and AIDS prevention funding will get some of the holdouts on board. However, doing so shrank the expected cuts from $9.4 billion to $9 billion. But a trio of Senate Republicans joined with all Senate Democrats to vote against advancing the bill from the Senate Appropriations Committee, which required Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote. Trump’s rescissions package would yank bank congressionally approved funding for foreign aid programs and public broadcasting. But some Senate Republicans have sounded the alarm and want changes made to the bill before it reaches the finish line. SENATE GOP BRACES FOR TEST VOTE ON TRUMP’S $9.4B CLAWBACK PACKAGE The bill that advanced out of committee Tuesday includes just shy of $8 billion in cuts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS. Republicans’ successful test vote comes after huddling with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who worked to shore up support and apply pressure from the White House to get the ball rolling on the bill. “We’re fine with adjustments,” Vought said. “This is still a great package, $9 billion, [it’s] substantially the same package, and the Senate has to work its will.” ‘GUT CHECK TIME’: DISSENT AMONG SENATE GOP RANKS THREATENS TO REDUCE TRUMP’S SPENDING CUT DEMAND While concerns were still raised about other aspects of the spending cuts package during the closed-door meeting, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., believed that carving out the cuts to Bush-era President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) helped ease concerns among lawmakers. But the changes didn’t sway all Senate Republicans. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, bluntly said “no” when asked if the PEPFAR carveout helped gain her support and argued, “I’d like to do some legislating.” “What a crazy thing, what a crazy thing,” she said. “What have we been doing around here? We did a reconciliation bill. We’re doing a rescissions bill. We’re doing nominations. Nominations are important, but let’s, like, legislate.” And Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she liked the changes but ultimately decided to vote against advancing the bill through its first hurdle. She argued in a statement that the bill had a “big problem – nobody really knows what program reductions are in it.” “That isn’t because we haven’t had time to review the bill,” Collins said. “Instead, the problem is that OMB has never provided the details that would normally be part of this process.” Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also joined in to vote against the bill. Fox News Digital reached out to his office for a statement on his decision to vote against the package. TRUMP’S PLAN TO SLASH ‘WOKE’ FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDS CLEARS HOUSE AS SENATE BATTLE LOOMS It now moves to yet another procedural vote, which, if successful, will open up 10 hours of total debate time on the bill and eventually set the stage for a vote-a-rama, where lawmakers on either side of the aisle can offer an unlimited number of amendments to the package. But, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., made clear that he would prefer the Senate not make any changes to the bill. However, that request already fell on deaf ears — as it did during the budget reconciliation process that unfolded in the upper chamber last month. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Those demands already have fiscal hawks in the House grumbling, but like the budget reconciliation process before it, an amended rescissions package will likely glide through the House GOP and onto Trump’s desk.
Trump challenges AOC and Jasmine Crockett to intelligence test after calling them ‘very low IQ’
President Donald Trump lobbed a signature zinger on Tuesday as he paused to speak with reporters before boarding Marine One en route to an artificial intelligence summit. “[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], look, I think she’s very nice, but she’s very low IQ, and we really don’t need low IQ,” Trump said, smiling as cameras rolled. He added, “Between her and Crockett, we’re going to give them both an IQ test to see who comes out best.” TRUMP DARES AOC TO TRY TO IMPEACH HIM: ‘MAKE MY DAY’ Trump went on to share his own credentials: “I took my test. I took a real test at Walter Reed Medical Center, and I aced it. I got every one of all those questions right,” he told the waiting press. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has ramped up her criticism of President Trump recently, calling him a “rapist” in a post on X following a DOJ update related to Jeffrey Epstein. She appeared to be referencing the 2023 civil trial leveled against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll. A jury found Trump liable of sexual assault, but not of rape. Critics said she defamed the president with the remark. Back in May, Crockett said “you’re terrified of smart, bold Black women telling the truth and holding you accountable” after President Trump called her a “low IQ person” on Meet the Press. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Whether Ocasio‑Cortez or Crockett will take the bait and accept the IQ test challenge remains to be seen. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Democrat DA in hot seat after retail theft surges in major American cities
Progressive Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is being slammed by his GOP opponent, Maud Maron, for policies she said give criminals a “get out of jail free card,” contributing to a massive surge in shoplifting and organized crime in America’s largest city. This comes after retail industry leaders testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday on the dramatic rise in organized retail theft in recent years. According to the most recent data from the National Retail Federation, retailers reported a 93% increase in the average number of shoplifting incidents per year in 2023 compared to 2019, and a 90% increase in dollar loss due to shoplifting during the same period. The study further said that retailers surveyed saw a 26% increase in shoplifting incidents on average from 2022 to 2023. NRF’s report said shoplifting has become a problem retailers across the country face on a “daily basis.” ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’: JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC ‘MASS EXODUS’ IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER The report stated that those surveyed experienced an average of 177 shoplifting incidents per day in 2023; however, this number increased to over 1,000, depending on the retail sector. The report listed New York as the second city most impacted by organized retail crime in 2024. Maron, a former Democrat public defender, now running for Manhattan district attorney as a Republican, told Fox News Digital that the “surge in shoplifting” is “not surprising.” “Shoplifters, lawbreakers, got the message: You can do this, and you will not go to jail,” said Maron, adding, “The get-out-of-jail-free card that Alvin Bragg has been issuing for the last three and a half years is not subtle.” “Five years ago, 10 years ago, if you used to go into a store and dump a bunch of retail goods into your bag and then walk out right past the security guard and right past the cashiers, you would be arrested. And if you did it more than once, you wind up going to jail,” she said. “Now maybe someone will call the police; maybe someone won’t. Maybe the police will arrest you; maybe they won’t. Because everybody knows at the end of the line, the prosecutor is not going to prosecute the case.” WATCH: FORMER DEM OUSTED FROM PARTY OVER ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ TAKES ON MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG Maron claimed that when Bragg took office in January 2022, he published a day one memo that “explained that there were just whole categories of crime that he was not going to prosecute.” “Alvin Bragg ran as a George Soros-backed progressive prosecutor, and his implementing progressive criminal justice policies means that he tries to keep as few people in jail as possible. He tries to prosecute as few people as possible, and he tries to prosecute the lowest possible charge that he can get away with doing,” she went on. “You can see there are no consequences. I will not get in trouble if I go into that store and take all of the clothes off of a shelf and walk out with them in broad daylight without even hiding my face. I can do it and get away with it. That’s why we see a surge.” “Actions either have consequences or they don’t. And in Alvin Bragg’s New York, stealing doesn’t have a consequence,” she claimed. In response, Richard Fife, a spokesperson for Bragg’s campaign, contested Maron’s take on the report, saying that “while there is much more to do, in the last two years, NYPD stats report that burglary is down 11%, robbery is down 8%, grand larceny is down 11%, and murder is down 35%.” NYC SOFT-ON-CRIME DA ALVIN BRAGG ADMITS TO GETTING ‘A KNOT’ IN STOMACH WHEN FAMILY TAKES SUBWAY: REPORT “Perennial candidate Maud Maron, who recently lost her campaign for the School Board, is once again distorting and misleading to hide her lack of qualifications,” said Fife. He said that “when experienced prosecutor Alvin Bragg took office as Manhattan DA in January 2022, NYC—like nearly every city—was still reeling from the COVID national crime spike.” “Alvin brought together business owners, law enforcement, and community-based organizations to stop the rise in shoplifting and targeted repeat offenders, prosecuted organized crime rings that resell stolen goods, and improved coordination with local businesses and the NYPD,” he claimed. For her part, Maron shot back that “if Alvin Bragg were half as good at prosecuting retail theft as he is at cherry-picking statistics, New Yorkers wouldn’t have to ask security to unlock a $6 stick of deodorant just to get through the day.” DEMOCRAT ACCUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OF NOT BEING ‘SERIOUS ABOUT COMBATING CRIME’ “Bragg can point to handpicked NYPD numbers all he wants, but New Yorkers live the reality: more closed storefronts, more brazen shoplifting, and more fear for working people just trying to commute or run errands,” she added. “You don’t need a spreadsheet to know Alvin Bragg’s criminal-coddling Day One Memo turned every store owner into a sitting duck for the criminals he’s emboldened. You just need to walk into a pharmacy or talk to a bodega owner.”
National security experts raise concerns after Microsoft program exposed as possible avenue for Chinese spying
A new ProPublica report accused Microsoft of allowing China-based engineers to assist with Pentagon cloud systems with inadequate guardrails in an effort to scale up its government contracting business, raising espionage concerns from national security experts. The report cited current and former employees and government contractors who worked on a cloud computing program deployed by Microsoft in 2016 that would allow the tech giant to sell its cloud services to the government, known as a “digital escort” framework. The security measure, meant to meet federal contracting regulations, was effectively a program that included a “digital escort” chaperone for global cybersecurity officials, such as those based in China, so they can work on agency computing systems. CHINA IS EXPLOITING OUR GOVERNMENT’S TECH WEAKNESS. WE NEED A RAPID REBOOT Defense Department guidelines require that people handling sensitive data be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. According to sources who spoke to ProPublica, including some who had intimate familiarity with the hiring process for the $18-per-hour “digital escort” position, the tech employees being hired to do the supervising lacked the adequate tech expertise to prevent a rogue Chinese employee from hacking the system or turning over classified information to the CCP. The sources elaborated that the escorts, often former military personnel, were hired for their security clearances more than their technical abilities and often lacked the skills to evaluate code being used by the engineers they were supervising. In China, people are governed by sweeping laws compelling government cooperation with data collection efforts. “If ProPublica’s report turns out to be true, Microsoft has created a national embarrassment that endangers our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Heads should roll, those responsible should go to prison and Congress should hold extensive investigations to uncover the full extent of potential compromise,” 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. “Microsoft or any vendor providing China with access to Pentagon secrets verges on treasonous behavior and should be treated as such.” “This is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse and arming the chickens with sticks in case the fox gets mad,” Michael Sobolik, a Hudson Institute foreign policy senior fellow, added. “It beggars belief.” CHINA TARGETS US MILITARY MEMBERS IN OVERSEAS SPY OPERATIONS, FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS Microsoft uses its escort system to handle sensitive government information that falls below “classified,” which includes “data that involves the protection of life and financial ruin,” ProPublica reported. At the Defense Department, the data is categorized as “Impact Level” four and five, which ProPublica reported includes materials directly supporting military operations. A Microsoft spokesperson defended the company’s “digital escort” model, saying all personnel and contractors with privileged access must pass federally approved background checks. “For some technical requests, Microsoft engages our team of global subject matter experts to provide support through authorized U.S. personnel, consistent with U.S. government requirements and processes,” the spokesperson added. “In these instances, global support personnel have no direct access to customer data or customer systems.” The Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) public information office was initially unaware of the program when ProPublica began asking questions about it, but it eventually followed up to point out that “digital escorts” are used “in select unclassified environments” at the Defense Department for “advanced problem diagnosis and resolution from industry subject matter experts.” Fox News Digital reached out to the DISA and DOD but did not immediately receive a response. In 2023, Chinese hackers infiltrated Microsoft’s cloud servers and stole data belonging to senior U.S. government officials, including data and emails from the commerce secretary, the U.S. ambassador to China and others involved in national security work. Hackers were able to access tens of thousands of emails from the Defense Department. A postmortem from the federal Cyber Safety Review Board, which has since been disbanded, cited Microsoft security failures that allowed hackers to infiltrate the cloud. However, the after-incident report did not include any links to the “digital escort” program, according to ProPublica. Microsoft said in response to the recent ProPublica report that it considers “anyone” with access to sensitive government systems, no matter their location or role, a potential risk. “We establish layers of mitigation at the platform level with security and monitoring controls to detect and prevent threats. This includes approval workflows for system changes and automated code reviews to quickly detect and prevent the introduction of vulnerabilities,” a company spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The spokesperson added that Microsoft adheres to the federal security requirements outlined by the Defense Department and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which was established in 2011 to address the risks associated with moving from entirely government-controlled servers, to cloud-based computing. “This production system support model is approved and regularly audited by the U.S. government,” the spokesperson concluded. Still, if the ProPublica allegations are true, Lucci says the federal government should cease its work with Microsoft. “If these [ProPublica] allegations are credible, the federal government should never again rely on Microsoft to protect the data that keeps our men and women in uniform safe, especially given Microsoft’s extensive record of being compromised by the CCP,” Lucci said Monday. “Our military cannot operate in security and secrecy if a vendor repeatedly and intentionally invites the enemy into the camp.”
Border crossings plummet to historic lows; Trump’s enforcement policies yield big results
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported the lowest number of border crossings in recorded history in June. Nationwide, there were 25,228 CBP encounters, the lowest monthly number the agency has recorded, including a “historical low” of 8,024 apprehensions. Encounters include legal ports of entry, whereas apprehensions are arrests of those coming into the United States illegally. At the southern border alone, there were only 6,072 apprehensions in June, which is “15% lower than the previous March record.” June also brought along the lowest number of apprehensions in a day on June 28 with just 136. ‘TRUMP EFFECT’ TOUTED AS SOUTHERN BORDER NUMBERS STAY LOW, INCLUDING NEW RECORD “From shutting down illegal crossings to seizing fentanyl and enforcing billions in tariffs, CBP is delivering results on every front. Under this administration, we are protecting this country with relentless focus, and the numbers prove it.” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a press release Wednesday. Like May, there were no parole releases, compared with 27,766 in 2024.. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE On drug seizures, the department said there was a 3% uptick from last month in fentanyl seizures, with 742 pounds confiscated. Notably, there was a 102% increase in meth seizures from May, a 19% increase in heroin seizures and a 9% increase in cocaine seizures. According to the press release, CBP has also collected $108.9 billion in “all tariffs, taxes and fees,” specifically noting the tariffs imposed by the president. NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN TEXAS BORDER SHERIFF SAYS ILLEGAL CROSSINGS HAVE SEEN ‘DRAMATIC DECLINE’ AS CA MIGRANT CENTER SHUTS DOWN Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls told Fox News Digital the change has been “peaceful” after a major strain on local resources, like the regional hospital, while crossings were soaring. Earlier Wednesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced there was an 830% increase in assaults on ICE agents from last year. This comes as both border and immigration policies have seen major shifts in recent months since the border crisis under the Biden administration. “This new data reflects the violence against our law enforcement in cities across the country in the last few weeks. Politicians across the country, regardless of political stripe, must condemn this,” Noem posted to X. BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN REVEALS UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS IN TRUMP’S BORDER STRATEGY As for Border Patrol, a gunman was killed and a local police officer was injured in a shooting in McAllen, Texas. ICE also recently faced a riot at the Prarieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, where 12 individuals are facing charges, including some for attempted murder of federal officers. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP While the border is considered much quieter, protests and riots against federal immigration authorities amid mass deportation efforts have continued. Democrats in Congress recently introduced the VISIBLE Act to prevent agents from wearing face coverings in most instances and require visible identification. “When federal immigration agents show up and pull someone off the street in plainclothes with their face obscured and no visible identification, it only escalates tensions and spreads fear while shielding federal agents from basic accountability,” Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said in a statement July 8.
Republican leading House Budget Committee looks ahead after passing Big Beautiful Bill
House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, was praised for the role he played in the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill. However, the congressman says this is the beginning, not the end, of spending reforms. “We will never be able to get a balanced budget or even put our country on a path to a balanced budget and a sustainable fiscal trajectory in one reconciliation bill,” Arrington told Fox News Digital. “We’re too far down the broken road of bad and irresponsible fiscal behavior. We’re too deep in the debt hole for one bill to do it.” Arrington, whom House Speaker Mike Johnson called the “the lead budget hawk in the House,” said he is “obsessed” with tackling deficit spending, which he sees as the biggest threat to America’s future. He believes that addressing the nation’s situation in an effective way means creating the “conditions for growing the economy.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS SHOWCASE THEY ‘TOOK ACTION’ WITH PASSAGE OF TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ “So, the pro-growth policies, the tax cuts, the work incentives, opening up our energy assets and deregulating the energy economy, all of those pro- growth policies will reignite economic growth. And that is the foundation for our country’s fiscal health and just about everything else: our military prowess, our global leadership, our way of life,” Arrington said. The Big Beautiful Bill’s journey to President Donald Trump’s desk was not pretty, as the legislation received criticism from both sides of the aisle and caused tension among Republicans. WHAT’S ACTUALLY IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Elon Musk, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and others argued that it did not take adequate measures to cut government spending. Arrington said he respects Massie and Musk — as well as other critics — but believes that the risk of losing the “good things” in the bill was too high. In the end, the Texas lawmaker sees the tradeoff as “permanent pro-growth tax policy” in exchange for the extra spending in the legislation. “I think there’s a big gap in information — and accurate information. Part of it is you’ve got the Congressional Budget Office putting out these big numbers… two and a half or three trillion dollars in additional deficit that would be added to the national debt over the 10-year budget window as a result of this bill. That is just patently false. It’s completely inaccurate,” Arrington said, adding that they fail to “consider economic growth and the revenue that will flow back into the treasury when you have pro-growth policies.” SCOTT BESSENT: PRESIDENT TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ WILL UNLEASH PARALLEL PROSPERITY Trump signed the bill on his self-imposed July 4 deadline, just one day after the House passed the final version of the $3.3 trillion legislation. Before signing the bill, the president said it would “fuel massive economic growth” and “lift up the hard-working citizens who make this country run.” So, what’s next on the budget chairman’s agenda? Just one thing — or three, as he said to Fox News Digital, “spending cuts, spending cuts and spending cuts.” “We didn’t get into this mess overnight, we won’t get out of it overnight, but we’ll never get out if we don’t start exercising the political will to do what we all say in our campaigns,” Arrington told Fox News Digital. “I think we established a great model for restoring fiscal health, and we just have to continue to repeat it and do it in even more dramatic fashion in the future.”
Senate GOP braces for test vote on Trump’s $9.4B clawback package
Senate Republicans are gearing up to advance a multibillion-dollar clawback package from President Donald Trump, but dissent among the ranks threatens to stymie the process. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., intends to put Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions package, which would scrape back congressionally approved funding for a variety of so-called “woke” programs that fund foreign aid and public broadcasting. ‘GUT CHECK TIME’: DISSENT AMONG SENATE GOP RANKS THREATENS TO REDUCE TRUMP’S SPENDING CUT DEMAND However, a handful of Senate Republicans have raised a fuss over $8.3 billion in cuts from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and over $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS. The bill is expected to have its first test vote on Tuesday, but questions remain about whether Thune has the votes. Senate Republicans are set to meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who became a near-constant presence on the Hill during the budget reconciliation process, in a bid to shore up support among concerned lawmakers. ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’: SCHUMER WARNS OF BITTER FUNDING FIGHT OVER GOP CUTS PLAN Publicly, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., have all expressed reservations about the package, particularly over proposed cuts to the Bush-era President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the public broadcasting fund. Thune can only afford to lose three votes and will receive no help from Senate Democrats in another hyper-partisan process. TRUMP’S PLAN TO SLASH ‘WOKE’ FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDS CLEARS HOUSE AS SENATE BATTLE LOOMS An amendment process coming in the form of another vote-a-rama is expected, but changing the bill could have consequences in the House, where Republicans are warning their colleagues in the upper chamber to stomach the clawbacks as proposed by the White House. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Thune said he and his leadership team have been discussing issues with the package and trying to make possible changes to the legislation before it hits the floor. “I’m fine with it as is, but I think we have colleagues who would like to see some perhaps modest changes made, so we’re trying to find out if there’s a path forward that gets us 51 and stays consistent,” he told reporters.