GOP senators say they’re open to Trump deploying National Guard in their states’ blue cities
Senate Republicans are behind President Donald Trump’s desire to send the National Guard to Democrat-led cities and states with high crime rates, and some are even open to sending troops to blue cities in their own states to clean up the streets. “Blue cities like Memphis need all the help they can get to combat violent crime,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital in a statement. Trump’s desire to replicate his crime-fighting efforts in Washington, D.C., where he federalized the local police and sent in the National Guard to patrol the streets and Metro stations, led him to signal plans to send troops to Chicago and Baltimore, two blue cities in blue states with high rates of crime. DC STATEHOOD DEBATE INTENSIFIES AS TRUMP FLEXES AUTHORITY OVER LOCAL POLICE The likely move has riled up Democratic senators from Illinois and Maryland, who accused the president of playing “political theater” in D.C. and making an attempt to “play dictator” with the U.S. military. Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., charged that Trump’s National Guard threat was “nothing more than a power grab to distract from his disastrous policies,” while Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Trump’s threats to invade our cities are not the answer – and are sad attempts to distract from his failures to actually put forward solutions to these and other issues facing our communities, like the rising cost of living.” “Instead of politicizing our great City of Baltimore, which Trump knows nothing about, he should just button it up while federal, state, and local law enforcement do their important work,” he said. CAPITOL HILL PREPARES FOR HIGH-STAKES BATTLE OVER TRUMP CRIME PACKAGE, DC POLICE AUTHORITY Republicans, however, have largely backed Trump’s decision to bring in the National Guard to the district and have considered extending his federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department — or allowing him to bypass Congress altogether to maintain his grip on the local police — after the 30-day window expires. Some welcome the idea of troops coming to crack down on crime in their cities with open arms. Memphis, for example, is ruby-red Tennessee’s largest city and has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. Similar to Baltimore and Chicago, it is led by a Democratic mayor. Blackburn told Fox News Digital that she’d welcome Trump to send troops to the city. REPUBLICANS READY TO SUPPORT TRUMP’S MOVE TO SKIRT CONGRESS IN DC CRIME CRACKDOWN “I support the Trump administration’s efforts to restore law and order in lawless cities across America, and I’ll continue to work with the president, Attorney General [Pam] Bondi, and FBI Director [Kash] Patel to do whatever it takes to make cities like Memphis safe again,” she said. And in St. Louis, another major city that consistently cracks the top 10 of violent and overall crime data pools, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., recently worked with Patel to secure funding for a surge of FBI agents dubbed as “one of the largest per capita infusions of full-time agents and intel personnel in the nation.” Schmitt signaled an openness to troops coming to St. Louis and charged that “for too long, local leaders in blue cities have been more focused on the rights of criminals than victims, and it’s allowed crime to run rampant.” “American families want and deserve to feel safe in their communities, and I’m glad to see President Trump doing what it takes to enforce the rule of law and increase public safety,” Schmitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “His efforts in D.C. have been hugely successful, and I have no doubt other cities could benefit from increased law enforcement presence.”
Top Republican points finger at Walz’s trans agenda after Catholic school shooting
EXCLUSIVE: The highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress is accusing his state’s Democratic governor of focusing on the wrong issues in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school. “Tim Walz and the people around him, they’re not trying to solve this. They’re just exacerbating the problem, and they’ve been exacerbating it over the last several years,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. “So yes, I do put this squarely in their lap, and if we’re going to get this fixed, then I think Tim Walz and Democrats in my state really need to sit down and have a thoughtful discussion about how we deal with this mental health issue that they have encouraged.” A 23-year-old opened fire on a Mass being held at the Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday, which was being attended by students at its affiliated school. MINNEAPOLIS CHURCH SHOOTER ROBIN WESTMAN’S FORMER CLASSMATE SAYS SHE KNEW SOMETHING ‘WAS OFF’ Authorities said two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed. Fifteen other children between the ages of 6 and 15, and three adults, were injured. The shooter was identified as Robin Westman, whose name was originally Robert Westman. Federal officials, including Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, said Westman claimed to be transgender. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey publicly urged people to not use the shooting “as an opportunity to villainize our trans community.” But Emmer criticized Democrats, both in his state and in Congress, for renewing their push for gun control in the wake of the shooting. “It starts at the top,” he said. “If a gun wasn’t going to be available, clearly based on what this young man, what little we know of it right now, he would have found another way to commit a heinous act like this,” Emmer said. “That wasn’t going to stop him, and that’s not what caused the problem. What caused the problems is all the transgender confusion that Tim Walz and his Democrat colleagues are causing.” “I wish our governor, rather than calling us a transgender sanctuary state, why doesn’t he say we’re a sanctuary state for all people of all faith, and we’re going to protect them all?” He was referring to laws signed by Walz that made the state a “refuge” for transgender people. Walz touted his policies earlier this week at the DNC’s summer meeting: “Minnesota ranks the highest per-capita for being a safe haven for transgender individuals.” But Emmer said the shooter “clearly had some mental health issues.” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told ABC News that the shooter “harbored a whole lot of hate towards a wide variety of people and groups of people” while also showing an “obsession” for mass shooters. The New York Post reported that Westman’s manifesto showed the 23-year-old struggled with having a trans identity. “I regret being trans,” the shooter reportedly said before the attack. “I wish I was a girl. I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today. I also can’t afford that.” WHO IS ROBIN WESTMAN, SUSPECT IN ANNUNCIATION CATHOLIC SCHOOL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS? The shooter also reportedly expressed hatred for Jews and complained that media outlets “only talk about brown people dying, and I don’t care about them.” Walz, for his part, has not commented on the shooter’s identity. Recent statements from the governor expressed thanks to law enforcement and condolences to those affected. “Students deserve to start the school year full of hope and excitement. No child in America should go to school apprehensive of danger, of losing a classmate, of gunshots during prayer,” Walz said on X on Thursday afternoon. Fox News Digital reached out to the governor’s office for a response to Emmer but did not hear back.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers ask judge for gag order against Trump officials
Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday to prohibit top Trump officials from making remarks about their client that could bias the jury against him. His defense team said that administration officials have repeatedly accused Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national facing human smuggling charges, of being a criminal gang member and made other negative claims about him that pose a “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding.” The attorneys pointed to numerous recent instances, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem calling Abrego Garcia an “MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.” FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION, EXTENDING COURT FIGHT “She also called Mr. Abrego a ‘monster,’” the attorneys wrote. This is the second time Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have asked the judge to rein in statements from the administration. Judge Waverly Crenshaw previously responded by reminding the government to follow all typical rules and procedures for prosecutions, which include barring prosecutors from making prejudicial statements outside of court. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys asked Crenshaw, an Obama appointee, to bar Department of Homeland Security officials, Department of Justice officials and anyone else involved with the case from making such statements. Abrego Garcia was erroneously deported by the Trump administration to a prison in El Salvador in March. The government claimed for nearly two months in combative hearings and court papers that it could not return him, despite an order from the Supreme Court to attempt to do so. The Salvadoran migrant entered the country illegally more than a decade ago, but an immigration judge previously barred the government from sending him back to El Salvador, citing his fears of persecution if he were sent there. Abrego Garcia was however eligible to be deported to other countries. ABREGO GARCIA REMAINS IN US FOR NOW AS JUDGE TAKES CASE UNDER ADVISEMENT In a surprise move in June, the DOJ returned Abrego Garcia to the United States and brought an indictment against him for two counts of conspiring to transport illegal immigrants within the country. He was released from jail last week while he awaits trial, but immigration authorities promptly re-detained him in Maryland, fulfilling fears previously expressed in court by Abrego Garcia and his lawyers. In a separate civil case in Maryland, a judge has barred the government from deporting Abrego Garcia until at least October. It is unlikely that the DOJ would need to prove its criminal case against Abrego Garcia if he is deported. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have said that since he was released, the Trump administration’s attacks on their client outside of court have only worsened. His defense team noted how Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, appeared on television on Fox News this week and called Abrego Garcia “a gang member, terrorist, wife beater, pedophile, human trafficker [and] alien smuggler.” Abrego Garcia was accused by his wife in 2020 of beating her. He is not facing human trafficking charges, and he has denied all the allegations against him. “The substance of these statements, like the countless other statements highlighted in prior briefs before this Court, clearly violates [prosecutorial rules] and prejudices Mr. Abrego’s right to a fair trial,” the attorneys wrote. They asked that if Crenshaw did not want to put restrictions on Trump officials’ speech, then the judge should, in the alternative, require the government to explain how it has complied with prosecution rules.
Trump revokes Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection, spokesperson says
A spokesperson for Kamala Harris confirmed to Fox News on Friday that the former vice president’s Secret Service protection has been revoked by President Donald Trump. The spokesperson added that there was no reason given as to why it was removed. A senior White House official told Fox News Digital that vice presidents usually have a Secret Service detail for only six months after departing office. A source briefed on the matter also told Fox News that the decision to revoke Harris’ Secret Service protection was made yesterday and that is when the Secret Service was notified. KAMALA HARRIS FUNDRAISING EVENTS HAVE BEEN A FLOP TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR DNC: REPORT Former President Joe Biden signed an executive memorandum before leaving office which extended Harris’ protection for an additional year after the normal six months that former vice presidents received in the past. On Thursday, Trump rescinded that memorandum and Harris’ Secret Service protection officially ends on Sept. 1. KAMALA HARRIS’ BOOK PROMOTION PUSH SKEWERED ONLINE AS ‘NATIONWIDE COMEDY TOUR’ The move comes as Harris is set to kick off a tour for her upcoming book “107 Days” in late September. The tour is scheduled to visit major American cities in its opening days, including New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The Secret Service says on its website that after former presidents leave office, they get security details for themselves and their spouses for life, “unless they decline protection.” Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff had his Secret Service protection removed in July, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Obama slams Trump’s use of National Guard to help cities fight crime as ‘dangerous trend’
Former President Barack Obama warned of “dangerous trends” emerging from the Trump administration, saying its policies “put the liberties of all Americans at risk.” On X, Obama cited an interview with Ezra Klein of The New York Times and a journalist on “The Ezra Klein Show,” during which they discussed President Donald Trump’s threat to send National Guard troops into New York and Chicago, the former president’s hometown. “This interview, which is also available as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions,” Obama wrote on X. CHICAGO RESTAURANT OWNER SLAMS CITY LEADERSHIP OVER CRIME: ‘WE WANT LAW AND ORDER’ “The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil put the liberties of all Americans at risk and should concern Democrats and Republicans alike,” he added. Trump has suggested launching a federal crackdown to combat crime in Chicago, similar to what is happening in Washington, D.C. “Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social, referring to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “Twenty people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!! President DJT.” ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO Threats to send in the National Guard to help combat crime in blue cities have elicited outrage from Democrats. Earlier in the week, Trump criticized Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city’s crime rate. The governor has said he will resist any federal intervention. “I say, ‘Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,”‘ Pritzker told reporters this week. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Documents reveal Obama’s role in Trump–Russia probe
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 pick for UN aviation office has long history donating to Dems, Nikki Haley -CDC official includes pronouns and the phrase ‘pregnant people’ in resignation letter -FBI director calls Minneapolis school shooting ‘barbaric’ domestic terrorism with anti-religious motives Newly declassified documents have stated that former President Barack Obama was present for key meetings with his top intelligence and national security officials that led to critical steps in the opening of the Trump–Russia investigation. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have declassified new documents related to the origins of the original Trump–Russia probe at the FBI — known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.” Trump has accused Obama of being the “ringleader” of the Russiagate narrative — an allegation vehemently denied by the former president. “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a July statement. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”…READ MORE. BLOATED BUREAUCRACY: Noem hits back at FEMA critics, reveals vision for disaster relief agency ‘CONFIDENT’: Blue states deflect blame in Trump probe after illegal immigrant trucker crash kills three in Florida POLICY PUSH: Vance rolls into another key swing state as Trump’s ‘traveling salesman’ to promote key proposal BEIJING BACKDOOR: U.S. agencies distance themselves from Chinese-founded PDF software ARCTIC SHOWDOWN: Challenger primed to face GOP’s longtime Senate dissenter as Trump brings new focus to Alaska PILOT PERIL: Navy accused of neglecting brain injuries among pilots in new House probe CITY IN CHAOS: Chicago restaurant owner slams Democrat leaders for not prosecuting violence, says residents are “tired of the crime” PRIVACY BATTLE: University of Idaho victims’ families ask judge to permanently block crime scene images DEFYING ICE: Winsome Earle-Sears rebukes Spanberger plan to undo Virginia’s ICE pact: ‘This is not hard’ AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: Myrtle Beach girlfriend showed up at hospital after allegedly setting beau up for murder, mom says Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
White House slams Pritzker, blue cities as crime fight escalates: ‘Decline is a choice’
There is no reason for Americans to live in fear as President Donald Trump floats mobilizing National Guard troops to other cities to address crime like he has in Washington, the White House insists. While Illinois leaders, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have made it clear they aren’t interested in receiving National Guard troops in Chicago, the White House said it would welcome requests from Republican and Democratic leaders for additional law enforcement support to reduce crime in American cities. “This is our message to Americans in Democrat-run cities nationwide: decline is a choice,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “You don’t have to live in constant fear of being robbed, raped or murdered. Your leaders are lying to you, and they have been failing you for decades. WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES PRITZKER, ILLINOIS DEMS OF WHINING WHILE CHICAGO CRIME RAGES “Governor Pritzker should spend less time demonizing the police, more time trying to recruit more police and more time trying to call the president of the United States to get crime in his city under control,” Leavitt said. “The president wants to allow law enforcement, whether it’s state, local, federal, to do their jobs, to arrest criminals, to put them behind bars and to remove public safety threats from American communities. He’ll continue to do that.” Pritzker, a Democrat who hasn’t ruled out running for president in 2028, has pushed back against the possibility of National Guard troops arriving in Chicago to address crime and said Monday the move would be “unconstitutional” and “un-American.” “Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points,” Pritzker said. “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.” GOV. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP TRYING TO ‘MANUFACTURE A CRISIS’ AS ADMIN PLANS NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement Friday that crime is down in Chicago and said the city in the past year has reduced homicides by more than 30%, robberies by 35% and shootings by almost 40%. But the White House has continued to point to local reports that Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city for the past 13 years, as of the most recent 2024 data. “For 13 consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city,” Leavitt said Thursday. “This is JB Pritzker’s legacy, by the way.” CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’ “He should put politics aside,” Leavitt said. “He should pick up the phone and call this president, who would be more than happy to do right by law-abiding American residents in the city of Chicago. And we hope that he will.” Chicago does not have the most murders per capita and isn’t listed in the top five cities for murder per capita in compilations of 2024 FBI data. Trump disclosed plans Aug. 11 to mobilize troops from the D.C. National Guard and to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department to address crime in the nation’s capital. Since then, Trump has indicated he might dispatch National Guard troops to other cities in the U.S., including Chicago. “We go in, we will solve Chicago within one week, maybe less,” Trump told reporters Monday morning. “But within one week we’ll have no crime in Chicago, like no crime in D.C.”
Bipartisan fury at CDC: Senators demand probe, reject vaccine guidance as illegitimate
Bipartisan anger is brewing over the drama that unfolded at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with the top members of the Senate’s healthcare panel forming a united front in the midst of the turmoil. Senate Healthcare, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., and the panel’s ranking member, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., dove head first into the issues stemming from the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, which spurred a string of departures from the agency. RFK JR. WARNS CDC ‘IN TROUBLE,’ PROMISES FIXES AS DIRECTOR REFUSES TO STEP DOWN Monarez was abruptly fired from her position by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), less than a month after being confirmed by the Senate. Her removal, which her lawyers rejected, appeared to stem from disagreements over vaccines with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skeptic. Cassidy was the deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing earlier this year. Monarez has since refused to leave the post, with her lawyers arguing that she had neither resigned nor been fired and had not received notification from the president of her removal. CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITS Following news of her ouster, a string of top officials at the CDC announced their resignations, too, including National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Daniel Jernigan, Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis and Director of Public Health Data, Science, Technology Jennifer Layden. In response to their resignations, Cassidy demanded that the federal government’s vaccine advisory panel, which was filled with Kennedy’s handpicked replacements after he recently booted the original panel members, postpone its scheduled meeting in September. His demand marks the second time this year that Cassidy called on the panel to halt its meeting, a move that directly bucks Kennedy’s and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. TRUMP’S CDC PICK CONFIRMED—BUT HER PRO-VACCINE STANCE MAY CLASH WITH RFK JR.’S AGENDA Cassidy argued Thursday that there were “serious allegations made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] meeting.” “These decisions directly impact children’s health, and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted,” Cassidy said. “If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.” Daskalakis posted his reason for resigning on X, where he charged that he was “unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.” Meanwhile, Sanders demanded a congressional investigation be opened into the Trump administration’s decision to fire Monarez. “We need leaders at the CDC and HHS who are committed to improving public health and have the courage to stand up for science, not officials who have a history of spreading bogus conspiracy theories and disinformation,” Sanders said Thursday. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.
Unearthed letter exposes how Minnesota Catholic leaders warned Walz on school safety
In a resurfaced letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the head of the Minnesota Catholic Conference expressed that Catholic and other nonpublic schools were in “urgent and critical need” of security improvements, saying, “Our schools are under attack.” The plea went unheeded, and two years later, the concerns raised by Catholic leaders materialized when a gunman opened fire on students of a Minneapolis Catholic school while they were attending Mass, leaving two dead and 17 injured. The letter was first reported on by the Daily Wire and was sent by Minnesota Catholic Conference Executive Director Jason Adkins and Tim Benz, president of the private school advocacy group MINNDEPENDENT. The letter was sent on April 14, 2023, and is still publicly available on the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s website. “We are writing on behalf of our respective organizations regarding the urgent and critical need in Minnesota to make sure our schools are secure and safe considering the most recent, and continuing attacks, on our schools in this country and in our state,” the leaders wrote. In the letter, the leaders pointed to the mass shooting at Covenant Christian School in Nashville, which had occurred just a week before the letter was sent, saying, “The latest school shooting at a nonpublic Christian school in Tennessee sadly confirms what we already know – our schools are under attack.” SHOOTING AT MINNEAPOLIS CATHOLIC CHURCH LEAVES 2 CHILDREN DEAD, 17 INJURED “In Minnesota, nonpublic schools, particularly our Jewish and Muslim schools, have experienced increased levels of threats, all of which we must take very seriously,” the leaders added. “The tragedy from last week at Covenant School must never happen in Minnesota or in our country again.” The leaders expressed serious concern that the 72,000 students enrolled in independent, Catholic, Jewish, Christian and Muslim schools in Minnesota could be in danger due to nonpublic schools being excluded from the $50 million Building and Cyber Security Grant Program and the state’s Safe Schools Program, which provides emergency response training, security upgrades, mental health services and other security measures. The leaders said they were especially concerned given “the most recent, and continuing attacks, on our schools in this country and in our state.” “We need to ensure that all of schools have the resources to respond to and prevent these attacks from happening to our schools,” the leaders wrote. “An attack on any school, whether it is a public, nonpublic, charter or another school site, cannot be tolerated or allowed to happen in Minnesota,” the leaders added. “We want to make sure Minnesota is doing everything it can to ensure that all our students are safe and secure. We ask you include $50 million in the final Education Finance bill and allow nonpublic schools to apply for funding.” MINNESOTA HOSPITAL STAFFER JOINED SHOOTING VICTIM IN CT SCANNER ‘SO SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH IT ALONE’ A spokesperson for the Minnesota Catholic Conference confirmed the letter’s authenticity to Fox News Digital. Though declining to comment further, the spokesperson confirmed the requests made in the letter were never granted. The spokesperson additionally pointed to additional requests the conference and Minnesota Catholic bishops had made in 2022 to Walz for Catholic and other nonpublic schools to be included in the state’s school safety programs. In a June 2022 video, St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda called on Walz to convene a special session of the state legislature to pass a bill granting permanent funding streams to all schools, including nonpublic schools, for security enhancements, violence prevention and mental health programs, according to Fox 9. According to a recent policy document by the Minnesota Department of Education outlining the Building and Cyber Security Grant Program, the program is still only available to cooperative units, school districts or charter schools, excluding nonpublic schools. Additionally, according to a statute outlining the Safe Schools Program available on the Minnesota legislature’s website, the funding available to each school corresponds to its tax levy, indicating private schools are not eligible for the funding. Walz’s office, however, told Fox News Digital that “private schools do indeed receive state funding” and that “they are also eligible for school safety center resources, including trainings.” ‘IT’S DEMONIC’: WOMAN WHO KNEW MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTER AS CHILD SPEAKS OUT AFTER TRAGEDY Walz’s spokesperson said “the governor cares deeply about the safety of students and has signed into law millions in funding for school safety.” The spokesperson further said Walz “meets with the Catholic Conference on a regular basis” and that the governor’s office is “committed to working with anyone who is willing to work with us to stop gun violence and keep our students safe.” On Tuesday, a 23-year-old born by the name Robert Westman, who later changed his name to Robin Westman, opened fire at a Mass being held at the Annunciation Catholic Church on Wednesday, which was attended by students from the attached school. The attack left two children dead and 17 injured, 14 of whom were children. FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooter who opened fire in a “barbaric” attack on a Catholic school Mass in Minneapolis left multiple anti-religious references in his manifesto and on his firearms. MINNEAPOLIS SHOOTING VICTIMS WERE 8 AND 10 YEARS OLD Patel provided the update in a post on X, saying, “As we continue to investigate yesterday’s barbaric attack from Robert [Robin] Westman, the male subject, our teams have gathered information and evidence demonstrating this was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology. “Subject left multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references both in his manifesto and written on his firearms,” Patel said. “Subject expressed hatred and violence toward Jewish people, writing ‘Israel must fall,’ ‘Free Palestine,’ and using explicit language related to the Holocaust.” The Minnesota legislature is currently considering a school safety law, the SHIELD bill, that would increase state funding for school security systems. As the bill stands, nonpublic schools would not be eligible for the additional security funding afforded if the bill was passed into law.
Challenger primed to face GOP’s longtime Senate dissenter as Trump brings new focus to Alaska
EXCLUSIVE: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is primed to announce a 2028 run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Republican legislator who repeatedly has clashed with President Donald Trump, according to several sources familiar with the situation or close to the governor. “He’s not going to quit his term,” a top source close to Dunleavy who used to work with him in Juneau, Alaska, told Fox News Digital of the governor’s long-term plans. The next Senate race in the Last Frontier falls in 2026 for incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. The last governor to resign to run for higher office — 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — “never recovered,” the source said. Dunleavy “cares deeply about and wants Alaska to succeed,” the source said, adding the governor recently quipped that he can’t understand why people would want to “live with all this concrete” in Washington and not in the verdant Arctic as one reason the Pennsylvania-born Republican likes to otherwise avoid the East Coast. ‘HOMELAND WOULD’VE BEEN STOLEN’: AK NATIVES SOUND OFF ON BIDEN ENERGY BANS AS TRUMP OFFICIALS TOUR TUNDRA “But he knows that (being in Washington) is the only way to get things done,” the source said, adding that Dunleavy was the second governor to endorse Trump in 2016 and that a top member of the White House staff said he visits more than any other governor despite a 3,500-mile trek. “He’s not about an ego and pushing himself in front of the cameras. He gets stuff done. … He’s not like, ‘Please put me on this committee’ or ‘I have to attend this ball’. He doesn’t like those types of things,” the source added. “Trump has talked to him before about running and wants him to run.” Dunleavy was notably present at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, when Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Aug. 15. Despite being a red state, it is an “uphill climb” to get elected governor as a Republican, another source close to the situation told Fox News Digital Wednesday. Former Gov. Jay Hammond was the last Republican to win re-election there, in 1978. Another Republican, Sean Parnell, who rose to the job after Palin’s 2009 departure, did not technically win re-election during the 2010 cycle that kept him in office. “A lot of people have mentioned this (race) to him and … I think it is a very viable option for him,” the source said. “Obviously there are a lot of frustrations with Sen. Murkowski,” he said, adding that the disparity in Trump’s relationship between the two Alaskans is “no secret.” “Gov. Dunleavy has been not only a successful governor, but a pretty strong ally for him. So, it’s only natural that he’d be hearing that from Alaskans — but also from folks in the broader MAGA movement.” ALASKA CAN BE CURE FOR NATION’S ILLS WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN, GOVERNOR SAYS Dunleavy, like Murkowski, has also been successful in the state’s ranked-choice voting system, which critics claim has inordinately helped Democrats. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, notably won the seat of the late Republican Rep. Don Young, who helmed the at-large district for decades. Murkowski also “never faced a challenger like him,” someone who has broad support outside conservative circles, the second source noted. The governor is close to Native communities on the North Slope and beyond, where residents in far-flung communities have praised him for his focus on Alaska’s energy development potential and allocation of resources for issues like rural education and infrastructure. A top Alaska political analyst and pollster agreed. “Conservatives would welcome an opportunity to unseat Murkowski,” he said in an interview Thursday. “The fact that (Trump) and Murkowski have had such a strained relationship and Dunleavy and the president having a good relationship is really what has led us to this point in the conversation,” he said. One area that all parties agreed on is the importance of the Native vote in Alaska elections, particularly those featuring Murkowski or Dunleavy. While the Native electorate leans left, it also crosses party lines to support both such candidates, setting up what the pollster described as an interesting showdown. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “What would happen in a matchup like this is they would feel conflicted, and you would see some of them probably back Dunleavy and some of them back Murkowski. … The ones that are primarily involved in the oil and gas and resources business, they view Murkowski as strong on those issues as well as Dunleavy. And, so, they would feel conflicted about who to support.” The difference between the two, he reiterated, is that Dunleavy’s other base is firmly on the conservative right, while Murkowski’s is in the center, where she also draws support from moderate Democrats. Murkowski, daughter of another Alaska Republican governor, Frank Murkowski, notably also mounted a strong enough bid to win a write-in campaign in 2010 after being knocked off the GOP ticket by Tea Party candidate Joe Miller. All of those who spoke to Fox News Digital agreed the race would be a close one to watch. Alaska also uniquely swears in its governor in December, a month earlier than the presidency, Congress and most other state leaders. Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Dunleavy, a contact listed for Murkowski’s campaign and her Senate office and the White House for comment.