Federal agent says Chicago’s ‘ICE-free zones’ endanger operations, embolden protesters
As Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signs an executive order establishing “ICE-free zones,” a federal special agent working on deportations said these types of measures are causing real complications and hampering ICE’s ability to crack down on criminal illegal immigrants. The special agent, who works deportations in New England, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies banning ICE agents from using police departments or other city areas for staging often forces agents to be exposed, having to prepare for missions in public areas. The agent explained that if ICE does not have a nearby office and is barred from using city grounds, “that means you’re stuck with, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to a supermarket. I’m going to go to some office park if I can find one, maybe a park while I don my vest and all that, and I’m getting briefed.” On Monday, Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order prohibiting the use of city parking lots and garages for civil immigration enforcement staging areas, processing locations or operations bases. PRITZKER SUES TRUMP TO BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD ACTION IN ILLINOIS Johnson touted the order as establishing “ICE-free zones.” Speaking at a press conference for the signing on Monday, he said the order also enables “unwilling private businesses” to refuse ICE agents’ use of their property to stage for operations. He said the order is “aimed at reining in this out-of-control administration.” “If the federal government violates this executive order, we will take them to court,” Johnson said, urging Trump to leave Chicago “the freak alone.” In a statement posted on X, Johnson accused ICE agents of “detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents.” “With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy,” Johnson wrote. CHICAGO MAYOR VOWS CITY POLICE ‘WILL NOT EVER COOPERATE WITH ICE’ The White House responded by issuing a blistering statement in which it called the order “a disgusting betrayal of every law-abiding citizen.” The White House called the order a “sick policy” that “coddles criminal illegal alien killers, rapists, and gangbangers who prey on innocent Americans.” “Shielding the most depraved, violent criminal illegal aliens from justice is not only an insult to every Chicagoan, it’s also a dangerous intensification of Democrats’ lunatic ‘sanctuary’ agenda where criminal illegals come before American citizens,” said the White House statement. According to the agent, Chicago is not the only sanctuary city that bars ICE from using municipal property to stage immigration enforcement operations. “What does that leave you with in an urban environment? You’re going to go to a supermarket. Who’s at a supermarket? Everyone and their grandmother,” the agent said. FIRST ON FOX: DHS CHIEF SLAMS ‘VIOLENT ANARCHISTS,’ PLEDGES FULL SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL AGENTS The agent explained that preparing for missions in public spaces presents an operational risk because it allows anti-ICE activists to track and publicize their movements. “They can see us getting together and they put it on Facebook immediately because there’s different Facebook pages that we know they put us on,” said the agent. The agent also expressed concern over sanctuary policies keeping police departments from being able to assist if protesters get violent. “Being in a sanctuary city, in the event this gets violent, or they get handsy or somebody gets hurt, either a government person or a protester. What are the local police going to do? Are they going to let us deal with it? I don’t know,” said the agent.
Police union calls on Jay Jones to quit after claim more dead cops would mean fewer shootings
Jay Jones, Virginia’s embattled Democratic attorney general candidate, once allegedly suggested that if more police officers were killed, they would shoot fewer people, a former colleague in the state legislature said. Republican Del. Carrie Coyner told Virginia Scope on Monday that during a 2020 conversation about qualified immunity, she told Jones that without the legal protection, police officers would get killed, the New York Post reported. “Well, maybe if a few of them died, that they would move on, not shooting people, not killing people,” Jones responded, according to Coyner. LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES Jones was already under fire after Coyner previously revealed 2022 text exchanges in which he suggested he would shoot then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert over Adolf Hitler. He also said Gilbert and his wife should have to watch his “fascist” children die. At one point, Jones wrote, “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, Hitler, and Pol Pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head.” The Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia sent a letter to Jones on Monday, calling for him to bow out of the Attorney General race immediately, while also condemning his actions. “The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is aware of the recent text message scandal involving you, the Democrat candidate for Attorney General. While this incident may have occurred in 2022, this conduct has no place in our society or democracy, especially from an elected official who is running to be the top prosecutor in Virginia,” the FOP wrote. “The men and women of the Virginia Fraternal Order unequivocally condemn these violent text messages sent by you about a political opponent and his family.” The FOP said it supports everyone’s right to “respectful and peaceful discussions” with politicians, though “calling for any type of violence is unacceptable.” “We have seen what this type of rhetoric has caused in other parts of the country. The men and women of law enforcement work tirelessly to combat the violence you wished on a fellow Virginian and his family,” the FOP added. “Therefore, the members of the Virginia Fraternal Order of Police believe that you, Jay Jones, are unfit for the office of Attorney General of Virginia. It is time you hold yourself accountable for these actions and withdraw from the Attorney General race immediately.” Jones is also facing calls from Republicans to drop out of the attorney general race. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Coyner said Jones, a Democrat, is unfit for office. “My position is very clear. It is never acceptable to think that killing people is a justifiable method to achieve policy changes. Period. Anyone that advocates for killing someone for disagreeing with them is not qualified to serve,” Coyner said. YOUNGKIN PRESSES DEMS TO PUSH JAY JONES OFF VIRGINIA AG TICKET AFTER ‘BEYOND DISQUALIFYING’ MESSAGES SURFACE Jones denied the new allegations. “I did not say this. I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period. Every single day, police officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. As Attorney General, I will work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to support their work,” Jones told Virginia Scope. Fox News Digital has reached out to Coyner and Jones. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Jones should abandon his campaign in light of the messages, saying they were “beyond disqualifying.” “This violent, disgusting rhetoric targeted at an elected official and his children is beyond disqualifying,” Youngkin wrote in an X post Saturday. “Jay Jones said that ‘Gilbert gets two bullets to the head’ and then hoped his children would die. Read those words again.” Meanwhile, no high-level Democrats have come out against Jones.
Democrats stand by Virginia AG hopeful who fantasized about killing GOP lawmaker
Top Democrats are refusing to abandon Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones despite a report revealing that he wished death on a Republican colleague. Days after a bombshell National Review report exposed text messages in which Jones fantasized about shooting a Republican colleague in the head and harm coming to his children in 2022, Fox News Digital reached out to top Democrats who endorsed Jones and inquired whether their endorsements stand. Dem. Sen. Cory Booker, who endorsed Jones in June, has not rescinded his endorsement of Jones and his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The offices of three Democratic House members who have endorsed Jones, Reps. Eugene Vindman, Robert Scott, and Suhas Subramanyam, also did not respond to a request for comment on whether their endorsements still stand. LIBERAL MSNBC PANELIST CALLS FOR VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE TO DROP OUT OVER VIOLENT TEXT MESSAGES Vindman’s Republican opponent, Tara Durant, criticized him over his silence in a press release Monday, saying, “At a time when political violence is becoming all too real, Virginians deserve leaders who will lower the temperature and call out dangerous rhetoric — not turn a blind eye when it’s politically convenient.” On Sunday, after the National Review report, Vindman reaffirmed his support for Jones in a post on X. Virginia’s two Democratic senators, Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have not officially endorsed Jones but also have not explicitly called for him to exit the race. Warner, according to Virginia Mercury, called the Jones texts “appalling” and “inconsistent with the person I’ve known.” Kaine told Fox News Digital in a statement that Jones’ future is in the hands of voters. “There is nothing that can justify these indefensible words and they are contrary to all I’ve known about Jay Jones for decades,” Kaine said. “With hundreds of thousands of Virginians already having voted, it’s up to Virginians to decide.” Warner’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Spanberger, running for governor in one of the most closely watched races in the country, condemned Jones’ messages but stopped short of calling on him to withdraw from the race. YOUNGKIN SAYS DEMOCRAT AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES MUST ‘STEP AWAY IN DISGRACE’ OVER TEXTS ABOUT FORMER GOP LEADER “I made clear to Jay that he must fully take responsibility for his words,” a Spanberger statement said. “As a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth — I will always condemn violent language in our politics.” Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s campaign on Monday evening but did not immediately receive a response. The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming its support for Jones, calling for all Virginians to “line up behind” him. “We are lined up, ten toes down, ready to organize, mobilize and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket,” the statement read. “Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows.” VIRGINIA AG CANDIDATE JAY JONES CONVICTED OF RECKLESS DRIVING, CALLS IT ‘MISTAKE’ The offices of the two top Democrats in Congress, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Jones should stay in the race. A variety of liberal advocacy groups have endorsed Jones as well, including Everytown for Gun Safety, who donated $200,000 to Jones earlier this year and endorsed him. The gun control group did not respond Monday when asked if they would rescind the endorsement. Republicans across the country, citing the connection between violent rhetoric from the left and political violence resulting in two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump and the murder of Charlie Kirk, have been vocal in calling for Jones to drop out of the race. “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the race immediately and the people of Virginia must continue to have a great attorney general in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my complete and total endorsement,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. Meanwhile, Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears sharply criticized Jones over the weekend, saying that his recently published 2022 text messages raise serious questions about his fitness for office. Jones has apologized for the texts, calling the remarks “embarrassing and shameful,” and said he had reached out personally to Gilbert and his family. Fox News Digital reached out to the Jones campaign for comment on plans to stay in the race but did not immediately hear back. Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
Schumer’s shutdown holds as Senate Dems block GOP bid to reopen government
A weekend away from Washington did little to soften Senate Democrats’ resolve as they again blocked Republicans’ effort to reopen the government, ensuring the shutdown will last at least a week. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most of his caucus are adamant that unless a deal is struck on expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, commonly known as ObamaCare subsidies, they will not provide the votes needed to fund the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Democrats to cross the aisle and support the GOP’s bill, which would reopen the government until Nov. 21. SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON However, only Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, have broken with their caucus to end the shutdown. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., remains the lone Republican to buck his party. Senate Democrats have remained steadfast in their demand that a deal must be reached to extend expiring ObamaCare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year. They argue that unless Congress acts, Americans who rely on the tax credits will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket. Both Senate leaders are encouraging talks among rank-and-file members to find a solution, but neither side can agree on when exactly the subsidies should be dealt with. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS 3RD DAY AS SENATE STALEMATE OVER OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES DRAGS ON When asked what the appetite for tackling the expiring subsidies was within the Senate GOP, Thune said it was “a mixed bag.” “But like I said, you know, there may be a path forward,” he said. “I think a lot of it would come down to what the White House lands on that, but certainly not without reforms. And we all know the program is broken, it needs to be fixed, so that would be certainly a starting place.” Schumer wants an additional bulwark added to a deal: President Donald Trump has to sign off on it, given that there may be resistance among House Republicans to extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. “Look, the bottom line on that is we need the president to be involved. [House Speaker Mike] Johnson and a whole lot of his caucus don’t like the ACA, don’t want to do the extensions,” he said. “A lot of Republican senators in the Senate do, but they’re not enough. Good is not enough.” DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “You need Johnson and you need Trump to get it done,” he continued. “So that’s the bottom line.” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “we’re talking to the Democrats.” When asked if he would work to make a deal with them on ObamaCare subsidies to reopen the government, he said, “Yeah.” “I’d like to see a deal made for great healthcare,” Trump said. “I want to see great healthcare, I’m a Republican, but I want to see healthcare much more so than the Democrats.” Schumer fired back in a statement that Trump’s “claim isn’t true — but if he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.” And Fetterman, who has routinely voted against shutting the government down regardless of which party controlled the Senate, recognized that without Trump’s greenlight, a deal would go nowhere. He gave the example of a bipartisan border deal negotiated between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate in 2023 that was sidelined under orders from Trump. “It got tanked. Trump tanked that, and he wasn’t the president, and he didn’t have to sign that thing,” Fetterman said. “So what I’m saying, where’s the leverage? Because ultimately, doesn’t he have to sign off on any of it anyway?”
White House rebukes ‘egregious’ court order blocking troop deployments amid Portland unrest
The White House blasted a federal judge who temporarily blocked the Trump administration twice from dispatching National Guard troops to Oregon in October, asserting that President Donald Trump has “undisputed authority” to deploy troops to Portland amid ongoing immigration protests there. U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued a ruling late Sunday blocking the Trump administration from sending California National Guard troops to Oregon — or any other state as Trump advances his quest to deploy troops to major U.S. cities to tackle crime and to keep watch on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt discredited Immergut’s ruling Monday and said that the Trump administration was appealing the decision. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND AMID CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE “I think her opinion is untethered in reality and in the law,” Leavitt told reporters at a White House press briefing. “The president is using his authority as commander in chief, U.S. code 12 406, which clearly states that the president has the right to call up the National Guard and in cases where he deems it’s appropriate. … The ICE facility has been really under siege. And, by these anarchists outside, they have been, disrespecting law enforcement. They’ve been inciting violence.” Earlier Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said that Immergut, a Trump appointee, has no authority to bar the president from sending troops to Oregon, and blasted the decision as one of the most “egregious” orders he’s ever seen. “A district court judge has no conceivable authority, whatsoever, to restrict the President and Commander-in-Chief from dispatching members of the US military to defend federal lives and property,” Miller said in a Monday X post. “Today’s judicial ruling is one of the most egregious and thunderous violations of constitutional order we have ever seen — and is yet the latest example of unceasing efforts to nullify the 2024 election by fiat.” “Remember: all of this is about preventing the removal of illegal alien trespassers from the United States at any cost,” Miller said. The Sunday temporary restraining order came just hours after Trump signed off on mobilizing California National Guard troops to Portland, despite Immergut’s initial restraining order Saturday blocking the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to the city. NATIONAL GUARD NOW IN PLACE FOR OREGON AMID ‘CHAOS, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION’: TRUMP “How could bringing in federalized National Guard from California not be in direct contravention to the temporary restraining order I issued yesterday?” Immergut said during a telephone hearing Sunday. “Aren’t defendants simply circumventing my order?” Immergut said later. “Why is this appropriate?” The Trump administration has argued that the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, is necessary to defend ICE officers amid ongoing protests at an ICE facility there. Miller previously railed against Immergut’s first restraining order barring the Trump administration from sending troops to Portland, Oregon, and said Saturday the deployment is “an absolute necessity to defend our personnel, our laws, our government, public order and the Republic itself.” Miller’s posts come amid recent scrutiny for denouncing judges. For example, Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of New York singled out Miller and the “extreme right” for “threatening judges” who rule against Trump after a fire broke out at a South Carolina Circuit Court judge’s property Saturday. Trump’s effort to deploy National Guard troops to U.S. cities comes just after he told military leaders in September that they could be tasked with neutralizing the “enemy within” and that Democratic-led cities where he’s sending troops could serve as “training grounds.” TRUMP VS NEWSOM SHOWDOWN LANDS IN COURT WITH FAMILY TIES TO THE NATION’S HIGHEST BENCH “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military,” Trump said Tuesday to top military leaders in Quantico, Virginia. The effort is controversial, given that the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 puts restrictions on deploying U.S. troops to enforce domestic law. National Guard troops are reserve forces that are mobilized in response to state and federal operations, including natural disasters, and typically are overseen by their respective state governments. However, Trump controversially deployed National Guard troops from states to respond to immigration riots in June, bypassing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to dispatch the troops. Newsom responded to Immegut’s order late Sunday, and said: “We just won in court — again.” “Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” Newsom said in a post on X. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mike Johnson fires back at Hakeem Jeffries’ ‘desperate’ call for televised shutdown debate
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dismissed the top House Democrat’s demand for a primetime debate on the government shutdown. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote to Johnson on Monday morning challenging him to a debate on the House floor “any day this week,” to be broadcast live “to the American people.” Johnson suggested he would not entertain that, however, calling the move a “publicity stunt” to reporters that same morning. DEMOCRATS REFUSE TO BUDGE OVER OBAMACARE FIGHT AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON “When the poll says that about 13% of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that’s what Hakeem Jeffries has done,” Johnson said. “We debated all this on the House floor. As you know, before we passed our bill, he spoke for seven or eight minutes. He had all of his colleagues lined up. They gave it their best shot, and they argued, and they stomped their feet and screamed at us and all that. And still we passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate.” The House speaker was referring to a short-term federal funding bill aimed at keeping the government running through Nov. 21, in order to give congressional negotiators more time to pass fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending priorities. That bill passed the House largely along party lines — with two Republicans opposed and one Democrat in support — but has stalled in the Senate. “The House has done its job. I’m not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for theatrics. I mean, this is a [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.] decision. The ball is in the Senate’s court now,” Johnson said. “We don’t need to waste time on that nonsense. Those debates have been had. I mean, Hakeem is a friend and a colleague. I respect him, but we all know what he’s trying to do there.” The government is in its sixth day of the current shutdown, with Senate Democrats having rejected the GOP-led funding plan four times. FIRST BIPARTISAN SHUTDOWN NEGOTIATIONS SURFACE ON CAPITOL HILL AFTER FUNDING BILL BLOCKED AGAIN Democrats in the House and Senate, infuriated by being sidelined in federal funding talks, have been pushing for an extension of Obamacare subsidies enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhancements would expire by the end of 2025 without congressional action. “Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. The country needs immediate, bipartisan negotiations between the White House and congressional leadership in order to reach an enlightened spending agreement that reopens the government, improves the lives of hardworking American taxpayers and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis,” Jeffries wrote to Johnson on Monday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Unfortunately, Donald Trump and your party decided to shut down the government, because the GOP refuses to provide healthcare to everyday Americans. Further, you have kept House Republicans on vacation instead of working with Democrats to reopen the government.”
Schumer’s shutdown scheme explained: Dems double down on Obamacare credits as standoff drags on
The government shutdown entered its sixth day on Monday, and Senate Democrats are so firmly planted in their position that unless there is a deal on expiring ObamaCare tax credits, they will not reopen the government. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus have largely remained unflinching in their demand that Republicans and President Donald Trump agree to a deal on the tax credits, which are set to expire by the end of the year. It’s one of several demands they made in their counter-proposal to the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), and appears to be the one that they believe to be the most attainable. Their other demands, repealing the healthcare section of the “big, beautiful bill” and putting guardrails on the rescissions, are a nonstarter for Republicans and the White House. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DRAGS INTO WEEKEND AS SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK GOP PLAN Still, no party that has introduced unrelated demands into a government shutdown fight has walked away with a victory. The last government shutdown in early 2019 saw Trump demand that Democrats provide funding for his border wall, and he walked away empty-handed. Throughout last week, Senate Democrats maintained a posture that they wanted Republicans to come to the negotiating table on the subsidies, which are set to sunset at the end of this year. Conversations among members are ongoing, which both Schumer and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have encouraged. “We want Democrats to talk with Republicans,” Schumer said. “And so it’s a good thing.” ERNST DEMANDS $2T IN FEDERAL CUTS, URGES TRUMP TEAM TO ‘MAKE DC SQUEAL’ AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT But, he countered that Republicans hadn’t offered “anything really new — just the same old stuff.” “And so, nothing new on [ObamaCare], nothing on rescissions,” he said. “And so, look, Democrats want to go back and negotiate again, but they got to negotiate with something, get something in return.” Democrats’ initial push was to make the subsidies — created during the COVID-19 pandemic to ease the cost of healthcare premiums available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — permanent. The subsidies were later enhanced through the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 when Democrats last had a trifecta in Washington. That change removed the income cap on the subsidies. Republicans have said that they are interested in working out something on the tax credits, but that there should be reforms to the program. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN SPARKS GOP PLAN TO PENALIZE LAWMAKERS WITH NEW SALARY TAX “The ObamaCare enhanced, or COVID subsidies, are inflationary, and rates have been going up because that program is fundamentally flawed in ways designed,” Thune said. “That doesn’t mean it can’t be reformed and fixed. It can, but we can’t get to that conversation until we get the government back open.” Lawmakers are set to again vote on Republicans’ CR, and it is again expected to fail for a fifth time Monday, given that no deal was struck over the weekend. Both sides agree that a deal won’t come from the top level, but will have to be borne from negotiations among rank-and-file members. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., has been directly involved in the member-level negotiations and said that Republicans did want to tackle the ObamaCare issue. But, Democrats have to agree to reopen the government first. “It would be nice if Sen. Schumer could say his shutdown is complete, but we suspect that it will take members of his conference to make that decision on his behalf,” Rounds said.
Army veteran-turned-MAGA rising star jumps into fiery GOP Senate primary as polls tighten
Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas announced Monday that he’s running for the Senate, jumping into an already bitter battle between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and primary challenger Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. “The U.S. Senate race in Texas must be about more than a petty feud between two men who have spent months trading barbs,” Hunt said in a statement as he launched his campaign. “With my candidacy, this race will finally be about what’s most important — Texas.” Hunt’s entry into the race turns up the heat on an already combustible battle between Cornyn, who’s running in 2026 for a fifth six-year term representing red state Texas in the Senate, and Paxton, the MAGA firebrand who’s an ally of President Donald Trump. Hunt, a West Point graduate who flew Apache helicopters during his Army service and a rising MAGA star who is in his second term representing a safe Republican district in the Houston-area, emphasized in his statement, “My record speaks louder than words. I am the most consistently conservative legislator representing Texas in Congress.” IS CORNYN CLOSING THE GAP WITH PAXTON IN THE GOP’S MOST COMBUSTIBLE 2026 SENATE PRIMARY? Cornyn, who is backed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, trailed Paxton by double digits at the beginning of the summer. TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS LARGE IN 2025 ELECTION SHOWDOWNS But Cornyn has narrowed the polling gap in recent weeks, thanks in part to a massive ad blitz by allies that spotlighted the numerous controversies that have battered Paxton over the past decade. Trump, whose endorsement would make a major impact in the Texas primary battle, has remained neutral to date. Hunt, pointing to his backing of Trump as the then-former president launched his 2024 White House comeback, touted that “I was the first person in the nation to endorse President Trump, and I have remained steadfast in my commitment to the people of Texas.” FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS Hunt had been mulling a Senate run for months and sources confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that the congressman had made his case to Trump’s political team that he’s the only person who could win both a GOP primary and a general election. And an aligned super PAC spent big bucks this summer to increase Hunt’s name recognition across the state of Texas. Paxton adviser Nick Maddux, in a statement to Fox News, said that “Primaries are good for our party and our voters, and Paxton and Hunt both know that Texans deserve better than the failed, anti-Trump record of John Cornyn.” But Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak argued in a statement that “Rep. Wesley Hunt is a legend in his own mind. No one is happier this morning than the national Democrats who are watching Wesley continue his quixotic quest for relevancy, costing tens of millions of dollars that will endanger the Trump agenda from being passed.” Hunt’s entry into the GOP nomination race could prevent the winner of next March’s primary from winning a majority of the vote, which would trigger a runoff election two and a half months later. Democrats are hoping for a Paxton victory in the primary, which they believe would make next year’s general election more competitive. It’s been nearly four decades since a Democrat won a Senate election in Texas. You have to go back to the 1988 re-election victory by then-Sen. Lloyd Bentsen. Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost last November’s Senate election in Texas to conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz by over 8 points, is running for the 2026 Democratic nomination, along with rising star Texas state Rep. James Talarico and former astronaut Terry Virts.
White House mocks ‘slob’ Pritzker after he rejects Trump’s National Guard plan
The White House ridiculed Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., on Monday for rejecting President Donald Trump’s deployment of national guardsmen to Illinois to combat crime. “Chicago is descending into lawlessness and chaos because this slob cares more about boosting his anti-Trump creds on X than he does about making his city safe,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Pritzker should be ashamed of himself,” she said. Pritzker, long considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said he refused to comply with the Trump administration’s “ultimatum” to deploy Illinois National Guard troops, calling it “absolutely outrageous and un-American.” “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion,” Pritzker said. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP ORDERING 400 MEMBERS OF THE TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD TO ILLINOIS, OREGON AND OTHER LOCATIONS After Pritzker refused to deploy his own troops, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott authorized Trump to send 400 Texas National Guard members to Illinois and Oregon. TRUMP ESCALATES FIGHT WITH PRITZKER AS BLOODY CHICAGO WEEKEND SPARKS TROOP WARNING Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard troops to Chicago. Abbott said he deployed Texas troops to “ensure safety for federal officials” in the blue states where protesters have rejected the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) deportation efforts. “You can either fully enforce protection for federal employees or get out of the way and let Texas Guard do it,” Abbott said. Pritzker said the Trump administration never contacted him directly about the Texas deployment but that on Sunday, the Department of War warned him to “call up your troops, or we will.” “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety,” Pritzker said. “This is about control.” Pritzker has become a leading voice rejecting Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda, particularly over the past few months as the president threatened to deploy national guardsmen to Chicago. “It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops,” Pritzker said, while urging Abbott, a Trump loyalist, to refuse to coordinate. Pritzker criticized the Trump administration for using the National Guard as “political props” and urged Americans to “speak up and help stop this madness.” “I want to be clear: there is no need for military troops on the ground in the State of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “State, county and local law enforcement have been working together and coordinating to ensure public safety around the Broadview ICE facility, and to protect people’s ability to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.” Anti-ICE protesters have gathered for weeks at the Broadview ICE facility, demanding transparency about the conditions inside the holding center and rejecting the Trump administration’s deportation rollout in Chicago. “I will not call up our National Guard to further Trump’s acts of aggression against our people,” Pritzker said. “In Illinois, we will do everything within our power to look out for our neighbors, uphold the Constitution and defend the rule of law.” Illinois Democrats, including Pritzker, Johnson and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, have railed against Trump since he told his Cabinet in August that he’s “willing to go to Chicago, which is in big trouble.” Pritzker and his fellow Democrats responded by labeling Trump a “wannabe dictator” as the White House for months considered deploying the U.S. National Guard to Chicago. The move is part of the Trump administration’s attempt to crack down on crime nationwide and protect federal officers who are leading deportation efforts in major U.S. cities. A federal judge blocked Trump’s efforts to deploy the U.S. National Guard troops to Oregon on Sunday. Trump deployed the U.S. National Guard to Washington, D.C., in early August to thwart crime in the nation’s capital. Prior to that deployment, Trump deployed the national guardsmen to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests that devolved into riots in June.
Stephen Miller trashes Dem who blamed ‘extreme right’ for fire at South Carolina judge’s home: ‘You are vile’
White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller lambasted Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman of New York after the congressman blamed a fire at a South Carolina Circuit Court judge’s property on the political right. Goldman blamed “the extreme right” for the inferno at the home of Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein, asserting that it was an act of arson. “Trump, @StephenM and MAGA-world have been doxxing and threatening judges who rule against Trump, including Judge Goodstein. Today, someone committed arson on the Judge’s home, severely injuring her husband and son. Will Trump speak out against the extreme right that did this??” Goldman said in a post on X. Miller fired back, excoriating the Democratic lawmaker in a scathing rebuke. STEPHEN MILLER: THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS A ‘DOMESTIC, EXTREMIST ORGANIZATION’ “You are vile. Deeply warped and vile. While the Trump Administration has launched the first-ever government-wide effort to combat and prosecute illegal doxing, sinister threats and political violence you continue to push despicable lies, demented smears, malicious defamation and foment unrest. Despicable,” Miller declared. “Meanwhile, the Democrat AG nominee in Virginia is fantasizing about murdering his opponents and a Biden federal judge is showing radical leniency to a monster who tried to assassinate a Supreme Court Justice. While you post your libelous madness, we will keep focused on delivering public safety and fighting domestic terror,” he concluded. SOUTH CAROLINA AG DEMANDS DEATH PENALTY AGAINST CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED IN COLLEGE STUDENT’S MURDER Goldman shot back at Miller. “Now try answering my question. If you are trying to combat political violence, why don’t you condemn the political violence against a judge who ruled against you and your admin? It’s pretty simple: do you condemn all political violence or only that against your supporters?” the lawmaker wrote. SOUTH CAROLINA COURT MOVES FORWARD EXECUTION OF COP KILLER WHO SAYS MOST LAWS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL The fire took place Saturday, destroying the home that the Post and Courier reported is owned by Judge Diane Schafer Goodstein and her husband, former South Carolina state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein,. Footage of the blaze showed a massive plume of smoke billowing from the home, which was engulfed in flames. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP FITSNews reported that South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge wrote in a message that “Judge Goodstein was walking on the beach when the fire started,” but that “Her husband, Arnie, was in the house with children and perhaps grandchildren. The family had to escape by jumping from a window or balcony. I’m told there were injuries from the fall, such as broken legs.” “Arnie’s injuries may have been the most serious, for he was airlifted to the hospital,” Kittredge communicated, according to the outlet.