Ryan Routh’s SUV looked ‘lived in,’ filled with passports, phones and notes, FBI special agent testifies
An FBI evidence specialist testified Monday that Ryan Routh’s black Nissan Xterra was cluttered with clothing, tools and handwritten notes — and appeared as though someone had been living in it — when she searched it the day after his arrest. FBI Special Agent Cindy Barrois, an Evidence Response Team leader in the Miami Field Office, said the Xterra’s back seats were folded down with what looked like a mattress. “It appeared the vehicle was lived in,” she said. In court Monday, she displayed six cellphones collected from the SUV, Routh’s expired Hawaii driver’s license, a valid U.S. passport and handwritten notes — including a list with “pipe,” “C-clamp,” “blanket,” “pillow,” “tape,” “paint,” “green poncho” and phone numbers. Another note listed flight options to Mexico and Colombia under the name “Bryan Wilson.” A separate Bank of Hawaii paper read, “Make tourniquet.” PROSECUTION PRESSES FORWARD AS RYAN ROUTH TRIAL RESUMES ON DAY 6 Routh is on trial representing himself for federal charges filed against him for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump exactly one year ago on Sept. 15, 2024. Barrois testified in court Monday the vehicle was “not organized,” and included food, tools, gloves, a disposable tablecloth and a .45-caliber cartridge casing in the glove box. Photos shown to jurors included the passport in the driver’s area, multiple phones and where they were found, and a close-up of the .45 casing. She also pointed to alleged stickers on the Xterra that appeared to have been blacked out with spray paint, showing drip marks. Items presented in court from the SUV included a red Harbor Freight flashlight, an Akaso camera battery, a black metal rod like those used in chain-link fences, multiple pairs of work gloves, a black mask, poncho and zip tie in a Ziploc and a large quantity of orange earplugs. Prosecutors also walked jurors through receipts they say place Routh in Palm Beach County, Florida, for weeks: cash overnight-parking slips from a Marathon gas station in South Bay, Florida, dated Aug. 14 (eight nights), Aug. 21 (six nights), Aug. 29 (six nights), Sept. 5 (six nights) and Sept. 12 (four nights), plus local receipts from Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and McDonald’s. Jurors also saw two unopened cans of Vienna sausages and a 56-ounce SunnyD bottle allegedly found in the car, along with a SunnyD receipt. Barrois said North Carolina and Ohio license plates were recovered under the driver’s seat; a North Carolina registration in the glove box listed Routh’s daughter, Sara Ellen Routh. RYAN ROUTH TRIAL: JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE Routh, representing himself, asked whether some items “could have been in there for years” and why one photo showed the .45-caliber casing in the glove box and another did not. For the first time in the trial, the prosecution came up after Routh’s cross-examination to “re-direct” the witness with further questioning. Routh also said there were dress clothes in the SUV and referenced a note that read, “If you need this car moved text,” listing numbers for “Sarah” and “Oran.” Later, FBI Evidence Analysis Request Coordinator Erin Farais testified about items removed from the SKS rifle. She said a fingerprint was found on tape from the gun but did not identify whose it was. When Routh asked whether removing tape affected scope accuracy testing, Judge Aileen Cannon told jurors, “This case isn’t about how accurate the gun shoots.” RYAN ROUTH TRIAL OPENS WITH BIZARRE JURY QUESTIONS AND WITNESS DRAMA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Court staff told media that trial exhibits will be made public only after the proceedings conclude. Routh also told the judge he hadn’t decided whether to call his son, Oran, to the witness stand. Judge Cannon noted “a lot of work” had gone into arranging his transport. Prosecutors said additional FBI forensic witnesses — including a firearms/toolmark examiner — were slated to follow.
Manchin says he wanted GOP to win Senate to stop Democrats’ quest for ‘raw political power’
Former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., wanted Republicans to win the Senate last year in order to prevent Democrats’ pursuit of “raw political power.” In his new book, “Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense,” set to be released on Tuesday and obtained by Fox News Digital, the former West Virginia Democrat-turned-Independent ripped into his ex-political party, tore into former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., while lauding the relationship that he had with President Donald Trump. Manchin made waves when he and former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who also left the Democratic Party to become an Independent, bucked Schumer and voted against the move to nuke the Senate filibuster in 2022. SCHUMER SILENT AS VAN HOLLEN BLASTS ‘SPINELESS’ NY DEMOCRATS OVER MAMDANI SNUB He recalled that vote in his book and the pressure he felt from Schumer and Senate Democrats to fall in line on that and other key votes during Biden’s presidency. Manchin accused Schumer of wanting a vote he “could broadcast to the radical left to prove his loyalty” and said the then-Senate majority leader didn’t actually believe that getting rid of the filibuster was the right thing to do, but rather to fulfill his “only priority” of maintaining control of the Senate. “Because of what I knew — and what I had seen firsthand — I wanted Republicans to win the Senate majority in 2024,” Manchin wrote. “I believed it was the only hope for preserving the Senate as an institution. I truly believed that, if in power, Republicans would uphold the filibuster, the last guardrail preventing total partisan rule.” DEMOCRATS FRET RETURN OF JOE BIDEN, KAMALA HARRIS TO SPOTLIGHT AS PARTY TRIES TO ‘TURN THE PAGE’: REPORT “Schumer and the Democrats had already shown their hand — eliminating the filibuster would have been their first order of business,” he continued. “They had no interest in protecting the Senate’s role as the deliberative body. They only cared about raw political power.” The quest to end the filibuster is also why Manchin wouldn’t endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris in her run against Trump. “She knew this was the Holy Grail and the only hope we have to preserve any bipartisanship and maintain our democracy,” Manchin said. He also outlined an early fight he had with Biden where, when Democrats were trying to ram through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in the early months of his presidency in an evenly-divided Senate, Manchin rejected it. Biden ripped into Manchin for standing in the way of an early victory. EX-NBC NEWS HOST CHUCK TODD LAMENTS DEMOCRATIC PARTY A ‘COLLECTION OF PEOPLE THAT DON’T LIKE TRUMP’ “As the drama began, I got a call from the president, and was he hot,” Manchin wrote. “‘If you kill this f— bill, I will never speak to you again,’ he promised. Anyone who knows Joe Biden — and I have known him for a very long time —knows he’s got a very bad temper. He calls it his ‘Irish.’ I call it unfortunate. But if he was going there, so was I.” “‘Your actions are reckless,’ I spat back. ‘You’re sending a f— check to everyone. And if you missed anyone, it was only by mistake.’” The legislation ultimately passed after a compromise was reached, but Manchin noted that he later regretted “capitulating on the American Rescue Plan.” He also described having a far better relationship with Trump, who he considered a fellow “outsider,” than Obama, and noted that Obama reached out to him twice during his entire presidency: once after he won re-election to the Senate in 2012 and again in 2015 to persuade him from voting against his nuclear deal with Iran. “From the start, President Trump had an open line of communication with me. I spoke to him more in the first two years of his presidency than I did to President Obama during all eight years of his time in office,” Manchin said. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Schumer, Obama and Biden for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Senate Republicans push major rule change to fast-track Trump nominees in batches this week
Senate Republicans are still not done with their effort to alter Senate procedure to expedite the confirmation of blocs of President Trump’s non-cabinet and judicial nominees all at once. But if all goes according to plan, Senate Republicans should be able to confirm the nominees in question by the end of the week. GOP TRIGGERS NUCLEAR OPTION IN SENATE TO BREAK DEM BLOCKADE OF TRUMP NOMINEES The Senate votes tonight to adopt the new “executive” resolution which Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) engineered to make it easier to approve batches of lower-level nominees in one fell swoop. Thune will likely “file cloture” (which is the method to cut off debate in the Senate) on the actual bloc of 48 nominees which he hopes to confirm as a slate later today. SENATE GOP HURTLES TOWARD NUCLEAR OPTION AFTER DEAL WITH DEMS FALLS APART By rule, there must be a day before the Senate can vote to break a filibuster on the slate of nominees. That will ripen for a vote on Wednesday with Tuesday serving as the “intervening day.” So Wednesday is the day to watch. That bloc of nominees will NOT score the 60 votes necessary to break a filibuster. TRUMP NOMINEES PILE UP AS GOP WEIGHS RULE SHIFT ONCE FLOATED BY DEMOCRATS But Thune will switch his vote to be on the prevailing side (in this case, the noes), and order a re-vote. Senate rules allow a senator on the “winning” side of an issue to call for a new vote. Thune will then make a point of order that the precedent of the Senate should be a simple majority to break a filibuster on a bloc of lower-level nominees like these. The chair will rule against Thune. But that’s what Thune wants. He will then appeal the ruling of the chair that is in fact a simple majority to break a filibuster on a batch of nominees like that. If the Senate then secures a simple majority to overrule the chair, Thune will have established a new precedent for this type of slate for nominees. Thune will then ask that the Senate re-vote the failed vote to break a filibuster. That is Thune’s right since he changed his vote earlier. But rather than 60 votes to break a filibuster, it will only take a simple majority. That is the new “precedent” for breaking a filibuster for low-level nominees. After the Senate burns off its “post cloture” time on Thursday, the Senate will finally vote to confirm this batch of 48 nominees.
White House pushes for $58M security increase in wake of Kirk assassination
The White House is seeking additional security funds from Congress for the executive and judicial branches as it navigates the aftermath of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Fox News Digital has learned. The White House has requested an additional $58 million in security funding for the executive and judicial branches from Congress, a spokesperson for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget confirmed Monday to Fox News Digital. The additional security funds would be added to a continuing resolution, the spokesperson said. A temporary spending bill will need to pass by the end of the month to keep the government open or else the government could face a shutdown Sept. 30 when funds expire. SECRET SERVICE UNDER PRESSURE: WHAT KIRK’S ASSASSINATION MEANS FOR TRUMP’S SECURITY Punchbowl News was the first to report the security funding request. Additional details on the funds were not immediately available. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Kirk, 31, was killed after he was shot in the neck during a stop on his American Comeback Tour Wednesday at Utah Valley University. The assassination comes roughly a year after two attempts to take President Donald Trump’s life. In July 2024, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump from a rooftop during a campaign rally. One of the eight bullets shot sliced Trump’s ear. The gunman also shot and killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, and injured two others. Likewise, Ryan Routh was apprehended and charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024. Routh is currently on trial after being charged with attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, among other things. CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION ROCKS CAPITOL HILL, HEIGHTENS LAWMAKERS’ SECURITY FEARS Nicholas John Roske, 29, pleaded guilty in April to attempting to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022, according to the Justice Department. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secret Service is ushering in a series of changes in response to the assassination attempts against the president and already is operating at an incredibly heightened state as a result, according to former agents. “The Secret Service now has to play at a level of enhanced security that they’ve never dreamed of before. I think (Secret Service Director Sean Curran) is doing a good job in leading that effort,” Tim Miller, who served as a Secret Service agent during Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton’s administrations, told Fox News Digital Thursday. “But here’s the bad news for the Secret Service: They don’t have time. This threat is now. Can you imagine — they already shot our president once. Can you imagine if they’re able to kill him?” SCRUTINY INTENSIFIES OVER SECURITY LAPSES SURROUNDING THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOOTING Immediate changes to the agency following the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt included expanding the use of drones for surveillance purposes and introducing greater counter-drone technology to mitigate kinetic attacks, former Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe told lawmakers in December 2024. The Secret Service extended its condolences to the Kirk family but declined to comment on any specific changes to Trump’s security detail following Kirk’s death. “The safety and security of our protectees is the U.S. Secret Service’s top priority,” a Secret Service spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “President Trump receives the highest levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and the agency adjusts our protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats. Out of concern for operational security, we cannot discuss the means and methods used for our protective operations.”
Before Charlie Kirk murder, Utah Gov. Cox pushed effort to ‘disagree better’
After the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox has been thrust into the national spotlight. The Republican has since been front and center as officials investigate suspect Tyler Robinson and other aspects of the case, which also has brought renewed attention to an effort Cox has led to convince Americans to “disagree better.” Like Kirk, who too traveled college campuses inviting liberal students to “prove me wrong,” Cox’s effort to make America “disagree better” has put the governor’s work in a unique light given the tragic events. “Disagree Better” was started by Cox when he was the chair of the National Governors Association from July 2023 to July 2024. CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER THE LATEST IN INCREASING POLITICAL VIOLENCE NATIONWIDE, FROM PA GOVERNOR TO SCOTUS The initiative reflected the National Governors Association’s bipartisan mission of “encouraging healthier dialogue and reducing political polarization,” an association spokesperson told Fox News Digital. When he ran for governor in 2020, Cox made national headlines for appearing with Democratic nominee Professor Christopher Peterson in a joint ad calling on Utahns to “debate issues without degrading each other’s character,” in the latter’s words. “We can disagree without hating each other,” Cox added. When the ad went viral, Cox said he could feel his “faith in the American idea start to rekindle,” according to the Deseret News. Cox joined current National Governors Association Vice Chair Wes Moore of Maryland for a “disagree better” event in 2024 that earned praise from then-President Joe Biden. “I appreciate Governor Cox’s effort to make the mission of the NGA to get those of us who disagree with one another to listen to one another, to treat one another with a sense of dignity and respect,” Biden said at the time. CHARLIE KIRK MURDER SPURS FIRST-IN-THE-NATION STATE POLITICAL VIOLENCE HATE-CRIME LEGISLATION Cox spent much of his term as National Governors Association chair pushing the “Disagree Better” message, and as governor he echoed that mindset in his viral PSA with Peterson. Other figures in the “Disagree Better” independent nonprofit include officials from the American Enterprise Institute, Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, former judges and at least 23 governors from both parties. “We’re working with celebrities, athletes, musicians, public figures, influencers, and political leaders to show what respectful disagreement looks like in action,” a statement on its website said. “What started as one governor’s nonpartisan rallying cry has grown into something much bigger.” After the first assassination attempt on the life of President Donald Trump in July 2024, Cox told Fox News’ Salt Lake City affiliate that the then-GOP nominee had the chance to unify and “save our country,” given the harrowing experience in Butler, Pennsylvania. Cox remarked that he also doesn’t think he’s important enough to force any change in presidential discourse, adding, “that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.” At the time, Cox said Trump had a chance to “unify and save our country” after surviving the attempt on his life. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In a podcast with then-National Governors Association Vice Chair Jared Polis of Colorado, Cox said he never changed his mind, and doesn’t believe others should, when he is subjected to personal attacks or “told ‘you’re a terrible human being.’” “The way you actually influence people and persuade people, and I still believe in persuasion, is by treating them with dignity and respect,” he said. Polis, who is also listed as an officer of Disagree Better — which did not immediately have public contact information — said it is important to be curious and ask questions. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to agree, nor does it mean that either side should feel any pressure to agree. But at the very least, you’ll validate the humanity of those you disagree with,” the Democrat said. In a similar way, Kirk aimed to civilly discuss pressing and at times sensitive political issues with willing students. Videos of his past campus visits show him responding to multiple instances of vitriol or at-times pointed language with a straight face and calm demeanor, echoing Cox’s own advice. Fox News Digital reached out to Cox for further comment. The Disagree Better organization could not be reached.
Trump orders National Guard, FBI to Memphis in new crime crackdown
President Donald Trump signed a memorandum Monday establishing a task force to address crime in Memphis, Tennessee, akin to his initiative cracking down on crime in Washington. “I’m signing a presidential memorandum to establish the Memphis Safe Task Force,” Trump said in the Oval Office Monday. “And it’s very important because of the crime that’s going on, not only in Memphis, in many cities, that we’re going to take care of all of them a step by step, just like we did in D.C.” TRUMP CLAIMS FBI DEPLOYMENT REDUCED MEMPHIS CRIME AS CITY FACES POTENTIAL NATIONAL GUARD INTERVENTION Trump said the effort would include the National Guard, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump said in a Friday interview with “Fox & Friends” that Memphis, Tennessee, is “troubled” and that “we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.” TRUMP EYES FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF BLUE CITY WITH HIGHEST VIOLENT CRIME RATE IN US: ‘DEEPLY TROUBLED’ Trump initially mobilized 800 D.C. National Guard troops to reduce crime in Washington Aug. 11. Additionally, National Guard troops from Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee were dispatched to support the Trump administration’s effort. “It’s very important because of the crime that’s going on, not only in Memphis, in many cities,” Trump said Monday. “The task force will be a replica of our extraordinarily successful efforts here, and you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing.” BLUE CITIES IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS AFTER DC POLICE TAKEOVER National Guard troops are reserve forces that are activated to handle state and federal operations, like natural disasters. State governments typically oversee their respective National Guard forces. However, the federal government oversees the District of Columbia National Guard. Trump said that the request to address crime in Memphis came from Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Meanwhile, Memphis’ Mayor Paul Young, a Democrat, said in a Saturday interview with CNN that he wasn’t “happy” about the upcoming deployment.
Neighbors of Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, speak out
WASHINGTON, Utah – Washington County neighbors who knew Tyler Robinson, the suspected assassin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, told Fox News Digital that he was a “sweet,” smart, nice kid. Ray Hardy, a resident of the 22-year-old suspect’s hometown who said his kids went to high school with Robinson, described him as “normal.” “This is not who we are,” Hardy said. “This is not our society. It’s not our community. It is not who we grew up with. I don’t think this is the kid who grew up with us either. Something changed and affected him, almost infected him.” Robinson’s charging documents, which are expected Tuesday, could shed more light on the suspect’s motive. Attorney General Derek Brown told Fox News Digital on Friday that Robinson could face a combination of state and federal charges. CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN’S TRANSGENDER ROOMMATE ‘HATES CONSERVATIVES AND CHRISTIANS,’ RELATIVE SAYS Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, confirmed on Sunday that Kirk’s suspected assassin has a “leftist ideology,” despite his conservative upbringing. CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED SHOOTER NOT COOPERATING WITH AUTHORITIES, UTAH GOV. COX SAYS Robinson has lived in Washington County, Utah, for most of his life, a deep red county where 75% of residents voted to send President Donald Trump back to the White House last year. Robinson’s parents are registered Republicans, but Utah Voter Registration records reveal that Robinson is unaffiliated with a political party and that he did not vote in the past two general elections. A neighbor who lives across the street from the Robinson family said he was always polite and neighborly in their brief interactions. Another Washington County local told Fox News Digital that her brother was friends with him in high school, and he would occasionally come over to her family’s house. She said her brother lost touch with him over the past few years as he started working full-time and Robinson spent more time online. As the community tries to make sense of Robinson’s attack, the Utah governor said Robinson’s digital footprint could have the answers. “It seemed to happen kind of after that, after he had moved back to the southern part of Utah,” Cox said of Robinson’s shifting ideology. “Clearly, there was a lot of gaming going on. Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep. And you saw that on the casings.” Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George, Utah Board of Higher Education confirmed in a statement. He attended Utah State University for less than one semester in 2021, according to Cox, despite receiving a four-year merit scholarship. Cox told reporters on Friday that investigators interviewed a family member who said Robinson “had become more political in recent years.” “The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10, and in that conversation with another family member, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had. The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate,” Cox said. Cox said authorities had discovered ammunition inscribed with anti-fascist messages and video game memes. The governor called social media a “cancer” on Friday while announcing Robinson had been arrested. “I believe that social media has played a direct role in every single assassination and assassination attempt that we have seen over the last five, six years. There is no question in my mind that cancer probably isn’t a strong enough word. What we have done, especially to our kids, it took us a decade to realize how evil these algorithms are,” he said on Sunday. The New York Times reported on Saturday that Robinson messaged in a Discord chat in the hours following Kirk’s assassination, joking that his “doppelgänger” was trying to “get me in trouble.” “He does come from a conservative family, but his ideology was very different than his family,” Cox said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, confirming Fox News Digital reporting that Cox’s roommate in St. George is a “boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female.” Cox said Robinson’s roommate has been cooperating with authorities and had no prior knowledge of the attack. One of Robinson’s relatives told Fox News Digital that his transgender roommate “hates conservatives and Christians.” The Utah governor told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that Robinson is not cooperating and has not confessed to assassinating Kirk. Robinson’s neighbors told Fox News Digital that they never would have expected someone from Washington County to kill Kirk. “Not in a million years,” Diana, a Washington County local, said during a vigil on Sunday night. “It’s like our governor said, he was hoping it was from someone from a different country or some terrorist or something, and I just feel like a 22-year-old kid doesn’t really know. He’s just been brainwashed. He’s listened to lies from different people, and it’s easy to get mixed up.” Diana, who organized prayer boxes for the Robinson and Kirk families during Sunday’s vigil, said it has been a huge shock and loss for the community but that her neighbors have come together to show their support for the Robinson and Kirk families. “This family is an amazing family,” one neighbor said when Fox News Digital asked why she was leaving flowers on the front steps of Robinson’s family home on Saturday. The neighbor, who requested to remain anonymous, said she has known the family for almost a decade and visited the home a few months ago, adding that she only knew Tyler as a child. “It’s unfortunate what happened, but the family needs our support,” the neighbor said. Melissa Tate, a neighbor who spoke to Fox News on Friday, said she was thankful the family made the “unbelievable decision” to help the authorities arrest their son. “I’m very grateful
Congress weighs $58M security funding as Charlie Kirk vigil planned for tonight amid deadline pressure
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has announced there will be a vigil in Statuary Hall of the Capitol tonight at 6:15 pm et to honor Charlie Kirk. While it is expected to be respectful, Capitol Hill is a tinderbox right now. Democrats and Republicans are still trading barbs at one another. Both sides are accusing the other of contributing to the hyper-toxic rhetoric. There are calls to “lower the temperature.” But remember, Congress is a thermometer — not a thermostat. We could have verbal jousting in and around the solemn ceremony tonight. Members could again unload on another when they filter back into the Capitol tonight. The complex is rife with tension. Members are concerned about personal security and how to safeguard themselves and their families — but there’s no concrete plan on what to do to protect lawmakers. THUNE’S SUITCASE NUKE- AND THE FILIBUSTER’S LATEST BLAST INJURY This brings us to government funding – and why security of lawmakers is a key part of that fight. Government funding expires at 11:59:59pm ET on Sept. 30. The House is scheduled to be out of session next week. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on September 23. So there is limited bandwidth for Congress before a shutdown. There is chatter that the House may try to advance a clean interim spending bill this week (a “CR”), which would run through Nov. 21. The bill would renew all funding from last year at current levels. But it would approve three “new” bills for the entire fiscal year covering agriculture, military construction/VA and the legislative branch. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: MILITARY WHISTLE-BLOWERS TESTIFY TO CONGRESS ABOUT UNEXPLAINED UFO ENCOUNTERS The latter is where there’s a problem. Fox is told that the White House wants an additional $58 million extra for security for the administration and the courts in light of the Kirk murder. They would match that with similar money to secure Congress. But some lawmakers may balk, saying that the matching $58 million is too low – similarly, because there are so many members of Congress and threats are off the charts. Fox is told that Congress will approve whatever security funding is necessary, but lawmakers must first determine what they want. “Figure out what you want and put it in the bill. It’s not something we are going to disagree on,” said one senior House source. That brings us to the Democrats’ quest for a “victory” in this spending round, especially since it is believed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) caved and received nothing in the spring funding round. The big request from Democrats is a renewal of Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of the year. If Congress fails to act, healthcare for tens of millions of Americans will rise sharply. Some Republicans are pushing for an extension of those subsidies, too. But Congressional Republicans are reluctant to attach the Obamacare subsidy renewal to a seven-week interim spending bill. In short, Republicans are waiting for Democrats to say what they want — and Democrats can’t figure that out. But rank-and-file Republicans are also waiting for their leadership to make a play call. One play call could be getting the House to vote on that clean CR, coupled with the three other spending bills, later this week. However, the House has the “three-day rule.” That requires legislation be posted for three days before the House votes. If the House is going to vote before its scheduled recess, then that would be Thursday. And that also means the House must vote to post the bill on Monday. But exactly what the House may post is unclear. Moreover, it’s unclear if the House could even approve a stopgap spending package. It’s about the math. The House currently has 432 members: 219 Republicans and 213 Democrats. That means Republicans can only lose two on their side and pass the bill. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) – and perhaps others – are likely to oppose a Band-Aid spending bill. And Democrats may not vote yes because of all the reasons above. Plus, they are in the minority. They will expect the majority to “figure it out.” Such a scenario could only amplify tensions on Capitol Hill – which are already sky-high because of Kirk. Expect a lot more verbal jeering and disagreements from Congress before this is resolved.
Nearly 200 House Dems vote against hiking criminal penalties for illegal immigrant felons
Nearly 200 House Democrats opposed legislation that will target criminal penalties for illegal immigrants. A bill called the “Stop Illegal Entry Act,” led by Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., is aimed at hiking penalties for both people who enter the U.S. illegally and those who commit felonies after that illegal entry. It passed the House in a 226-197 vote on Thursday, just before lawmakers left Washington for the weekend. All 197 “no” votes were Democrats, while 11 Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the bill. FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE “The Biden Administration let over 10 million illegal immigrants into the country and failed to prosecute those who defied U.S. immigration law. These individuals included people from countries designated as state sponsors of terror, with 400 illegal aliens on the Terrorist Watch List being encountered at the border. We must deter future illegal immigration and give our law enforcement and border patrol officers the tools they need to hold dangerous criminals accountable,” Bice told Fox News Digital. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, criticized the Democrats who voted against the bill. “House Democrats seem to still be taking their marching orders from Joe Biden and his failed Border Czar Kamala Harris. The fact that Democrats voted against commonsense penalties for people entering our nation illegally just goes to show that they’ve learned nothing since November,” Emmer told Fox News Digital. “They are continuing to double down on their pro-illegal alien, anti-American agenda.” As the Minnesota Republican pointed out, border security and illegal immigration proved potent issues for the GOP in the 2024 election. Bice’s bill would mandate a sentence of five years to life in prison for someone who illegally enters the U.S. and is subsequently convicted of a felony. It would also increase the maximum prison sentence for illegal entry from two years to five years, while increasing the maximum term for someone who comes illegally, despite being previously denied entry from two years to 10 years. Among the Democrats who supported the bill is moderate Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., who called the legislation “commonsense” in a statement to the media. 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS “Americans overwhelmingly agree that violent criminals without legal status have no place in our country and should be held accountable to the full extent of our nation’s immigration laws,” Gillen said. “The previous administration’s inaction on the border led to a full-blown crisis that drained taxpayers’ wallets and made our communities less safe.” The remaining 10 Democrats who voted for the bill are: Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Don Davis, D-N.C., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Adam Gray, D-Calif., Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M. Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.
Trump weighs in on blue state governor’s endorsement of ‘Liddle Communist’
President Donald Trump says he was shocked by the key endorsement New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani landed this weekend. Hours after Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York backed Mamdani, Trump took to social media early Monday to give the endorsement a big thumbs down. And the president suggested that federal funding for the nation’s most populous city could be in jeopardy. “Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has Endorsed the ‘”Liddle” Communist,’ Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York. This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from the New York City borough of Queens, rocked the political world in June with his convincing win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party’s mayoral nomination in the nation’s most populous city. TRUMP REVEALS NEW NICKNAME FOR MAMDANI Following Mamdani’s primary victory, Trump immediately criticized him as a “100% Communist Lunatic.” The president has continued to repeatedly deride Mamdani as a communist in the ensuing months, while warning that New York City would become “a communist city” if Mamdani wins November’s mayoral election. “I call him my little communist. He’s my little communist mayor,” Trump said of Mamdani during an extended studio interview Friday on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.” Trump, in his social media post, also hinted at restricting federal funding for New York City if Mamdani wins November’s mayoral election. “How can such a thing happen? Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!” the president said. POLL POSITION: JUST HOW LARGE IS MAMDANI’S LEAD IN THE NYC MAYORAL RACE? Mamdani proposes eliminating fares on 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. But Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and would become New York City’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor if elected, has denied being a communist. Hochul, in her endorsement, wrote that “New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers. That’s @ZohranKMamdani.” The governor’s endorsement, which came nearly three months after Mamdani’s primary victory, is significant. It may help Mamdani secure the backing of other key members of the party’s establishment. And it will likely put more pressure on two other top Democrats in New York State who are still withholding their backing of Mamdani — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the top two Democratic Party leaders in Congress. Mamdani, in a statement, said he was “grateful to the Governor for her support in unifying our party — as well as the work she’s done standing up to President Trump, securing free lunch meals for our kids, and expanding access to childcare.” CUOMO SHAKES UP CAMPAIGN IN BID TO TAKE DOWN MAMDANI Mamdani is the clear frontrunner in the latest public opinion polls in the mayoral race in the Democrat-dominated city. Mamdani holds large double-digit leads over Cuomo and the rest of the field in three surveys released over the past week. Guardian Angels co-founder Curtis Sliwa, who for a second straight election is the Republican mayoral nominee in the Democrat-dominated city, was a distant third in the polls, with embattled incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent after deciding to skip the Democratic primary amid anemic polling, further down in fourth place. Both Sliwa and Adams have repeatedly committed to staying in the race in recent weeks amid multiple reports that Trump’s advisors floated administration roles for both mayoral hopefuls if they dropped out. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP On Sunday, following a new report that Adams would drop out in the coming days, the mayor’s spokesman fired back. “Let me be perfectly clear: Any rumor or tweet suggesting Mayor Adams is stepping down this week is complete bulls—,” spokesman Todd Shapiro wrote in a statement. “These lies are being spread by desperate opponents who can’t match the mayor’s record, his campaign energy, or his support across this city.”