Apple expected to roll out texting update that would hit GOP hardest ahead of midterms, fundraisers say
An iPhone update coming in September is raising alarms among Republicans who say it will disproportionately block conservative fundraising and voter outreach efforts, echoing past Big Tech controversies that targeted GOP voters. “It’s no surprise that Big Tech wants to stop Donald Trump and other Republicans from communicating with people, because they’ve tried every other method to interfere already,” Sean Dollman, founding partner of American Made Media Company, the parent company of Launchpad Strategies, which was the exclusive digital firm for Trump 2024, told Fox News Digital. “Big Tech has suppressed him, suspended him, and banned him outright. And now they’re trying to make it so he can’t text anybody either. But MAGA won’t be stopped, and MAGA will always find a way.” Apple is expected to roll out its latest update, iOS 26, in September, which will include an updated text filtration system that siphons text messages from unknown numbers that have no chat history with the recipient to a separate message folder that will not generate an alert to the recipient, leaders from American Made Media Company and Launchpad explained to Fox News Digital of the upcoming update. Text messages from known numbers saved on an individual’s phone are expected to continue alerting recipients and sending the messages to their typical text app. GOOGLE’S GMAIL CENSORSHIP COST GOP CANDIDATES $2B SINCE 2019, REPUBLICANS SAY, CITING NEW STUDY Launchpad Strategies served as the Trump 2024 campaign’s exclusive digital firm handling online advertising and consulting during Trump’s decisive victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris, and continues operating as a “full-service Republican digital agency dedicated to helping campaigns win,” according to its website. Launchpad raised $509 million for the Trump campaign in 2024 and an additional $18 million in funds from 40 other clients during the massive 2024 election year, Fox Digital learned. JASON CHAFFETZ: TEN SNEAKY WAYS THE DEEP STATE STEALS YOUR DATA AND HOW TRUMP CAN HELP YOU STOP IT The update could affect election cycles themselves, as text messages concerning voter registration and campaign rallies are expected to also be punted to this new folder, according to fundraisers. Data from the 2024 election cycle showed Republicans leveraged text campaigns two-to-one compared to Democrats, putting them directly in the line of fire when the expected update takes effect in September — ahead of the midterms hitting a fever pitch as Democrats look to flip the House and Senate from Republican control. The text filtration’s scope is expected to extend far beyond just politics, including potentially siphoning texts concerning real-life issues such as doctor appointments from a number not saved in a person’s phone. The National Republican Senate Committee, which serves as the Senate Republican’s campaigning arm, circulated an internal memo in July sounding the alarm that the iOS update could cost Republicans more than $25 million in revenue, Punchbowl News reported at the time. Apple filtering texts from unknown numbers is not new, with such a program already used within the current iOS 18 systems. The current filtration system is by default not activated until a user toggles a button within the “settings” app. The iOS 26 update is also currently available to the public for beta testing, the outlet Fast Company reported in July. Under the new update, the filtration system will be renamed to “Screen Unknown Senders,” but will use ongoing criteria to kick text messages to another folder, specifically: if the iPhone owner does not have a contact saved in their phone and if the user has never interacted with the unknown phone number trying to contact them, according to Fast Company. The visibility of texts from unknown senders will get a facelift under the new update, with the filtered messages from unknown senders made more easily seen by users with a new filtration button at the top of Apple’s Messages app that will display a blue badge noting how many unread texts an iPhone user has received from unknown numbers, according to the Fast Company report, which sought to quell Republican fundraising concerns over the update. Fox News Digital reached out to Apple for comment Monday. History repeating itself is of top concern to Republican fundraisers, who pointed to a seemingly similar filtration system with Gmail messages that first hit the public’s radar in 2022. Studies at the time found Gmail allowed the vast majority of emails from left-wing politicians to land in a user’s inbox, while more than two-thirds of messages from conservative candidates were marked as spam, according to data from North Carolina State University’s Department of Computer Science that was previously reported by Fox News Digital. The Gmail filtration system resulted in a $2 billion loss for Republican candidates between 2019 and 2022, Fox News Digital reported in April 2022, citing research from the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senate Committee. “Big Tech has been silencing conservative voices and actively working against Republicans for multiple cycles. Google’s e-mail suppression – which affects the GOP’s fundraising and GOTV efforts – is another egregious example. Silicon Valley oligarchs are suppressing free political speech,” then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, then-NRSC Chairman Senator Rick Scott and then-NRCC Chairman Congressman Tom Emmer said in a joint statement back in 2022, Fox News Digital reported at the time. GOOGLE’S GMAIL FAVORS LEFT-WING CANDIDATES, SENDS FAR MORE EMAILS FROM CONSERVATIVES TO SPAM: STUDY The research found that between 2019 and 2020, conservative candidates raised $737 million on Republican fundraising platform WinRed from Gmail. The data found that just 32% of fundraising emails actually reached recipients, with Republicans estimating they missed out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle alone. The update comes as the Democratic Party is in turmoil following the 2024 race, which saw former President Joe Biden drop out of the election cycle with just more than 100 days to go before passing the proverbial mantle to Harris before the loss to Trump. The party has since attempted to find its political footing after an exodus of the
NAACP accuses Texas of ‘racially motivated’ redistricting move in new lawsuit
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is suing Texas over its redistricting plan that would eliminate five Democratic congressional seats. The NAACP filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, arguing the new congressional map “was enacted with an impermissible and controlling discriminatory purpose on the basis of race.” It names Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson as plaintiffs. “It’s quite obvious that Texas’s effort to redistrict mid-decade, before next year’s midterm elections, is racially motivated. The state’s intent here is to reduce the members of Congress who represent Black communities, and that, in and of itself, is unconstitutional,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement Tuesday. Meanwhile, the NAACP said it is also encouraging blue states to enact their own redistricting plans in an effort to offset the effects of the new Texas map. NEWSOM SIGNS CALIFORNIA CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING BILLS, COUNTERING TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXAS “At this time, the NAACP is urging California, New York, and all other states to act immediately by redistricting and passing new, lawful, and constitutional electoral maps,” the group wrote Tuesday. “We must counter Texas’ unconstitutional move and ensure that if all else fails, Black Americans still have a voice in Congress.” Texas passed its new map on Saturday, pulling off the political victory despite weeks of Democrats breaking quorum, which included fleeing the state to avoid a redistricting vote. ABBOTT SCORES BIG WIN IN REDISTRICTING BATTLE AS TEXAS DEMOCRATS’ BLOCKADE COLLAPSES The Republican-controlled state Senate passed the redistricting map on Friday, just two days after clearing the GOP-held House by an 88-52 vote. The move has kicked off a redistricting battle nationwide, however. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Democrats passed their own new map on Thursday, which creates five new districts that lean Democratic, jeopardizing the seats of Republicans. That map will first face a Nov. 4 statewide vote before being adopted, however. That special election is expected to cost taxpayers some $230 million. Newsom’s office has responded to criticism around the cost by arguing, “There’s no price tag for democracy.” Fox News’ Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
Transgender policies put Virginia Dems on defense as GOP contenders back families: ‘Somebody has to stand up’
Republican candidates for statewide office in Virginia are siding with parents who are upset over school transgender bathroom polices, while their Democratic rivals stay largely silent. Fox News Digital reached out to the 2025 candidates for Virginia governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general to ask about their views on transgender students’ access to bathrooms. Candidates in the Democratic Party either failed to respond to Fox News Digital’s repeated inquiries about the matter, or avoided speaking directly about it, despite the issue garnering national headlines this month. “Biological differences matter,” GOP Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears told Fox News Digital when reached for comment about the controversial issue. “It is not political. It’s common sense, and somebody has to stand up and speak for parents.” VIRGINIA LEADERS REBUKE RACIST SIGN TARGETING GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE WINSOME EARLE-SEARS: ‘REPULSIVE’ The inquiries came after five Virginia school districts were designated “high-risk” by the Department of Education earlier this month over their decision to continue letting students use facilities based on their gender identity. They also followed this month’s suspension of two high school-aged males who were accused of sexual harassment after they complained about a transgender-identifying biological female using their locker room. “As a mom of three daughters in Virginia public schools, a former federal law enforcement officer, and a candidate for governor, Abigail’s priority is ensuring that all of Virginia’s kids are safe and supported,” said a representative for former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is running for governor against Earle-Sears, when reached for comment about the issue. VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR ON WHY HER STATE IS AT RISK OF LOSING FEDERAL FUNDING OVER TRANSGENDER BATHROOMS “While Abigail’s opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, stokes division and backs the Trump administration’s threats to strip funding from Virginia schools, as Virginia’s next governor, Abigail will work to protect public school funding, address the Commonwealth’s chronic teacher shortage, and contend with our last-in-the-nation math recovery ranking,” the spokesperson continued. Spanberger’s spokesperson also slammed Earle-Sears’ “decades-long record of trying to defund Virginia’s public schools” and argued that she has “offered no plan to increase student achievement.” “Abigail will continue to focus on preparing students for success and bringing Virginia parents to the table,” the spokesperson concluded in their response. “What’s [the] deadline to get you something on the Trump admin threatening to pull funding from those five Northern Virginia school divisions?” The other Democrats running for the state’s top office, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is running to be lieutenant governor, and Jay Jones, an attorney running to replace Jason Miyares as Virginia’s attorney general, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s repeated requests for comment on the topic. In 2021, Democratic candidate for governor Terry McAuliffe said during a debate that parents should not be telling schools what to teach their children, a statement that many claimed was a contributing factor to his loss to GOP Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “It should be noted that this is a common sense issue. This is an 80/20 issue. At least 80% of people think that this is just a matter of common sense,” said Josh Hetzler, the attorney representing the families of the two Virginia boys who were disciplined for complaining about a biological female using their locker room. “For time immemorial, we’ve had boys and boys locker rooms and girls and girls locker rooms.” Meanwhile, Earle-Sears’ running mate, GOP candidate for lieutenant governor John Reid, was also quick to respond to the issue. “Students shouldn’t be punished for speaking up about fairness and safety in their own locker room,” Reid responded when asked about the boy’s suspension. “This is what happens when unchecked ideology overrides common sense—kids get silenced instead of protected.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Additionally, incumbent GOP Attorney General Jason Miyares called out the Virginia school district which disciplined the two boys, for “weaponizing Title IX to punish male students expressing discomfort at being forced to share a locker room with a female student.” His opponent, attorney Jay Jones, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the matter. As a result of the Department of Education’s designation of five Northern Virginia school districts as “high risk,” their funding will now be subject to “reimbursement status,” meaning the districts will now have to pay all expenses “up front” and then subsequently request reimbursements from the federal government. “States and school districts cannot openly violate federal law while simultaneously receiving federal funding with no additional scrutiny,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
Family member of infants burned alive by cartel thanks Trump for crackdown: ‘Hopeful for the first time’
A woman whose sister, nieces and nephews were gunned down and burned alive by the Juarez cartel is now speaking out in support of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on cartel violence, saying she is “very hopeful for the first time in a long time.” Speaking with Fox News Digital, Adriana Jones, president of American Families Against Cartel Terrorism, shared the story of how her sister, Maria “Rhonita” LeBaron, and nieces and nephews, Howie, 12, Krystal, 10, and 8-month-old twins Titus and Tiana, were killed by Mexican cartel members in November 2019. Jones said the family had been driving to Phoenix and was just 70 miles south of Mexico’s border with Arizona. “Gunmen opened fire on their vehicle, killing everybody in it, and then lit it on fire when they were gunned down. So, they were burned, most likely still alive,” she explained. “There were two other vehicles that had been driving along that same route, family members, that two other mothers were murdered along with two more children, and there were seven surviving children, all gunned down, all American citizens, all right there along the border.” ‘LIVING LABORATORY’: TRUMP ADMIN URGED TO LOOK TO SOUTH AMERICA FOR LESSONS ON FIGHTING MIGRANT GANGS Since then, Jones said her family has been “fighting for justice in every way we can.” Through her advocacy, she said she has found that her family’s tragedy is “not a one-off” and that “all along the border you see this kind of stuff happening every single day,” whether it involves cartel violence, human trafficking or deadly fentanyl trafficking. “No American family should ever have to suffer the way that my family has suffered,” she said. “I held their bodies. I watched what the cartels did to them. I know how evil they are.” “American families are dying every single day because of cartel violence,” she added. “America really needs to know what’s happening.” Until recently, however, Jones said that it felt like fighting “a brick wall.” “There was almost zero movement,” she said. “No matter how much we pushed, no matter how much we traveled, no matter how many doors we knocked on, and finally, in these last few months, you’ve just seen a lot of movement on this issue. People are finally waking up, truly understanding.” After the Trump Department of Justice announced that Sinaloa Cartel boss and former Juarez boss Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada pleaded guilty Monday to leading a criminal enterprise and racketeering, Jones said she finally felt a glimmer of hope in her fight for American families at the border. Jones thanked Trump, Attorney General Pam Bondi and the “entire Trump administration” for holding the cartels accountable. “I wasn’t expecting actually to be as emotional as I was and to be impacted when I watched it live. And I’m going to be honest with you, I felt very, very hopeful for the first time in a long time,” she explained. DOJ CHARGES FIVE ALLEGED MEXICAN CARTEL LEADERS, TOUTS ‘EXTRAORDINARY POLICEWORK’ THAT LED TO INDICTMENTS “Listening to that press conference and just seeing the work that has been done under this administration, I’m honestly so hopeful,” she went on. “I truly believe that cartels can and should be eradicated.” Tearing up, Jones noted, “It was a very, very emotional day for me.” Though the Trump administration has taken heavy criticism for its crackdown on illegal immigration, Jones said, “I feel like the current administration is the first time we’ve seen any real movement on this issue.” “Understanding just how big it is and how many American lives are affected every day, I’m truly hopeful for the first time in a long time that we can actually make a difference and we can actually get those numbers to start trending down and just save American families.” Despite this, Jones said there is still much that needs to be done to put an end to cartel violence against American families. She noted that though the Trump administration has designated eight cartels and criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” the cartel that killed her family, the Juarez Cartel, and its subgroup known as “La Linea,” have not yet been labeled terrorist groups. TRUMP APPROVES MILITARY ACTION AGAINST LATIN AMERICAN CARTELS CLASSIFIED AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS “It is disheartening,” she admitted. “We actually have a judgment in U.S. courts against these cartels that were naming them terrorists in that judgment. So, it seemed like a very easy step to just include them on that list.” “They shot my 12-year-old nephew point-blank, they burned eight-month-old twins. These are terrorists, and they definitely need to be on that list,” she said, adding, “I’m going to keep on knocking on doors until I get those answers.” Jones urged other American families who have been victims of cartel violence to join in her efforts. “Each victim has their own story. Every family has their own heartache. And so, to use that heartache to actually make a difference to help is what we’re looking to do,” she explained. “The world needs to hear your stories. America needs your stories.”
DC launches ‘We the People’ campaign while National Guard patrols streets, picks up trash
National Guard troops deployed under President Donald Trump’s sweeping federal takeover of the capital were spotted this week picking up trash bags in Lafayette Park, the National Mall and the Tidal Basin. About 110 soldiers have been assigned to cleanup duty as part of a White House-directed “Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” according to reporting from FOX 5 DC. The unusual optics highlight Washington’s image problem. Trump ordered roughly 800 Guard members into the city under a crime emergency plan, though only a fraction actually patrol with police. The rest are handling logistics or community projects, like hauling away litter under the supervision of the National Park Service. At the same time, city tourism leaders are rolling out new ads to sell a different picture. TRUMP’S WEEK SHAPED BY CRIME AGENDA, POTENTIAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO Destination DC, the city’s official marketing arm, reported a record 27.2 million visitors in 2024, who spent $11.4 billion, generated $2.3 billion in tax revenue and supported 111,500 jobs in the capital. To build on the momentum, the group is pushing a “We the People DC” ad campaign that profiles 20 locals who “live, work and thrive” in the city. “Following the federal executive order… DDC acted quickly to counter the narrative and separate rhetoric from reality,” the organization said in its release. International visitation is expected to drop 5.1% in 2025 — better than the national forecast but troubling since overseas tourists stay longer and spend up to four times as much as domestic ones, the group said. Tourism officials are banking on America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 to draw millions more. TRUMP’S USE OF NATIONAL GUARD IN DC IS A MODEL FOR SAVING AMERICA’S CITIES By then: The National Archives will finish a $40 million renovation. A new immersive museum will open under the Lincoln Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial will add a modern exhibit hall. The National Air and Space Museum will reopen its final galleries. The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and a new 14-gate concourse at Dulles Airport are also set to open in 2026, with convention business projected to generate nearly 700,000 hotel room nights that year. President Trump promised to “make [Washington] safe; make it smart; make it beautiful,” vowing to “restore the city back to the gleaming capital that everybody wants it to be.” That backdrop makes the city’s PR campaign — and the optics of Guard troops hauling litter — part of a broader political battle over whose vision of the nation’s capital will prevail. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Judge tells Cuomo to stop using taxpayer money to ‘resurrect his public image’ in legal case
On Tuesday, a judge rejected former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attempt to prolong a taxpayer-funded legal battle with a woman who accused him of sexual assault, saying the New York City mayoral candidate was trying to litigate in an effort to repair his tarnished reputation. “Cuomo has not advanced any viable argument for why the taxpayers of this state should continue to foot the bill for his continued use of civil litigation discovery devices to further his efforts to resurrect his public image,” state Supreme Court Justice Denise Hartman wrote in a decision posted online Monday. Hartman’s decision came a month after the state agreed to pay $450,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Brittany Commisso, an ex-aide who said he sexually harassed and groped her while he was in office. HOCHUL AIDE ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT WAS FOCUS OF PRIOR BEHAVIOR PROBE: REPORT An investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James determined that the Democrat had sexually harassed at least 11 women. Cuomo resigned in disgrace because of the allegations. Cuomo, a Democrat, asked the judge not to discontinue the lawsuit without releasing text messages he said refute her allegations, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi told Fox News Digital. In her ruling, Hartman allowed Commisso to drop the lawsuit and denied Cuomo’s motion on the texts. “Brittany Commisso’s allegations are false and for four years she hid her contemporaneous text messages that obliterated her claims,” Azzopardi said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “She is desperate to keep the texts from public scrutiny, which is why she suddenly settled her case for a fraction of her initial multimillion dollar demand soon after she was forced to produce them in her meritless lawsuit.” CUOMO ATTACKED DURING DEBATE BY FELLOW DEMS FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT COVID NURSING HOME SCANDAL “Governor Cuomo will continue to fight for the release of all the evidence because it shows he didn’t sexually harass anyone and further discredits the AG’s political report. Release the evidence and let the public decide,” he added. Commisso previously testified that Cuomo grabbed her buttocks while they took a selfie in the executive mansion in 2019 and that in 2020 he reached under her blouse and grabbed her breast. She revealed her identity for the first time in a joint interview with “CBS This Morning” and the Albany Times Union, just days after she became the first of Cuomo’s accusers to file a criminal complaint against him. Cuomo is running for mayor of New York City as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Zohran Mamdani by more than 12 percentage points. Fox News Digital’s Jessica Chasmar as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘Thrilled to be here’: Army Secretary says Guard troops eager for DC crime fight
EXCLUSIVE: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll defended the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to help combat violent crime, insisting soldiers are “thrilled” to support their own communities. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Driscoll said the D.C. Guard was “purpose-built for this type of mission” and praised the 2,000 troops currently deployed — including 800 from D.C. and 1,200 from six other states. While some critics warn of a “slippery slope” toward militarized policing, Driscoll dismissed those concerns as “flawed.” “We are the wealthiest nation in the history of the world, and to have our capital kind of reflect this high-violence lack of standard that I think you would find in most other large cities around the world is kind of tragic,” Driscoll said. “From the individual Guard members I have spoken to, they are thrilled to be on this mission.” The Trump administration has insisted the Guard is acting to support local and federal law enforcement agencies in the mission to crack down on D.C. crime that began Aug. 7. This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced some Guardsmen would be authorized to carry weapons while conducting their mission throughout the city. SOME NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ARE NOW ARMED IN WASHINGTON, DC City leaders have credited the Guard with helping ease pressure on overstretched police forces, though questions remain about the scope of the mission and how long troops will remain on the streets. Civil liberties advocates, meanwhile, argue the deployment risks normalizing the use of military forces in civilian policing. They warn the precedent could expand beyond the capital and create lasting tensions between communities and uniformed troops. “Most of the reporting on the slippery slope logic around this is flawed and misunderstands the actual value that the President and Secretary of Defense are providing to the people of D.C. and our nation right now,” Driscoll said. The White House has suggested the military may soon deploy the Guard to other cities like Chicago and Baltimore. VANCE SAYS NATIONAL GUARD IS ‘BUSTING THEIR A–’ IN WASHINGTON, FLOATS MISSION EXTENSION The Army National Guard has historically been called in during moments of civil unrest or natural disasters, but rarely for long-term crime suppression. The debate over the D.C. mission underscores the Guard’s dual responsibilities — serving both state governors in domestic emergencies and the federal government in national defense. The Biden administration previously relied heavily on the Guard during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, when thousands of troops were mobilized to secure the city. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Driscoll pushed back on concerns the deployment could undermine the Guard’s readiness to deploy abroad if needed. “These are soldiers who live here,” he said. “Their families are here. They see the effects of crime in their own neighborhoods, and they are proud to be part of restoring safety to the nation’s capital.” For Driscoll, the mission reflects what he calls a practical use of the force. “They’re out there contributing every day, and the people of D.C. are safer for it,” he said.
Trump claims ‘we’re against crime. Democrats like crime’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday told reporters that he believes crime will be a major focus in the 2026 midterm elections, a theme he has hit on heavily in recent days to drum up support for his controversial “federalization” push in Washington, D.C. Speaking Tuesday at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump was asked about his push to “federalize” the nation’s capital by invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to deploy hundreds of D.C. National Guard troops throughout the city — an effort he has suggested on more than one occasion should be adopted by some Democrat-led cities, including Chicago. “I think crime is going to be the big thing,” Trump said, in regard to the 2026 midterm elections. The rest of his answer was unambiguous — if hyperbolic and lacking in specifics. “The Republicans are the party that wants to stop crime,” he said. “We’re against crime.” EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-ALIGNED LEGAL GROUP FILES FOIA REQUEST FOR DC CRIME DATA, CITING ALLEGED MANIPULATION “The Democrats like crime,” Trump continued, without providing any further explanation. Trump’s remarks appear to be focused on Chicago and other Democrat-led U.S. cities where Trump has threatened, in recent weeks, to deploy the National Guard to “clean up” the cities. Whether, in fact, he can do so, remains an open question — and one that experts have suggested could invite a litany of issues and legal challenges. “It’s hard to believe what’s been accomplished in 12 days,” Trump told reporters of the last 12 days of his federalization effort. Trump then turned to other issues that he suggested Democrats were weak on, including border security, rights for transgender persons, and “men playing women’s sports,” before veering into examples of specific sports. ‘BRAZENLY UNLAWFUL’: DC OFFICIALS ESCALATE FIGHT WITH TRUMP OVER POLICE TAKEOVER Trump’s remarks come amid his ongoing defense of his “federalization” of D.C., which began 12 days ago and involved temporarily taking control of the city’s police force, and deploying National Guard troops throughout the nation’s capital. The president touted the success of his efforts on Tuesday, telling reporters, “If I were a Democrat — governor or mayor or anybody — I’d call up President Trump and say, ‘President Trump, we need your help. We saw what you’ve done in D.C. in a period of 12 days.’” “This is 12 days. We haven’t even started. This is going to be so safe. It’ll be the safest place on Earth,” he said.
Trump-appointed judge tosses DHS’ lawsuit against Maryland federal bench over court’s deportation policy
A federal judge on Tuesday tossed out an unusual lawsuit the Trump administration brought against all 15 judges of the district court in Maryland over a policy the court has regarding deportation cases. Judge Thomas Cullen, an appointee of President Donald Trump, scolded the administration for the confrontational lawsuit and said he dismissed it because the judges were protected by judicial immunity and because the executive branch lacked standing to bring the claims in the first place. Cullen criticized the administration for suing not just the chief judge of the district court, who issued the court policy in question, but “ostensibly for good measure” all the court’s other judges. TRUMP DHS SUES ENTIRE BENCH OF FEDERAL JUDGES IN MARYLAND DISTRICT COURT OVER AUTOMATIC INJUNCTIONS The policy, known as a standing order, requires court clerks in Maryland to automatically enter administrative pauses that last two business days in cases brought by alleged illegal immigrants who are challenging their detentions or removals. The injunctions have the effect of temporarily barring the Department of Homeland Security from deporting or changing the legal status of an immigrant until a judge has time to review the case. Chief Judge George Russell, who issued the standing order, noted in it that the policy change was necessary to help the court briefly maintain the status quo in deportation cases until a judge could examine them. Russell cited an influx of immigration lawsuits brought in the court, including on weekends and holidays. Government attorneys argued on behalf of the DHS that the order encroached on the department’s authority over immigration policy and that a “sense of frustration and a desire for greater convenience do not give Defendants license to flout the law.” They said that the court does not have authority to automatically interfere with all deportation proceedings brought before it and to briefly put a hold on them. TRUMP DHS SUES ENTIRE BENCH OF FEDERAL JUDGES IN MARYLAND OVER AUTOMATIC INJUNCTIONS Cullen, who is based in the Western District of Virginia, presided over the lawsuit because the Maryland judges recused themselves. Cullen’s 39-page order was laced with harsh words for the Trump administration. The judge said he was unsurprised that “the Executive chose a different, and more confrontational path entirely” than to challenge the policy on a case-by-case basis, which the judge said would have been the appropriate route. The judge said these were not “normal times” and that the administration has made a “concerted effort” to tarnish the reputation of the judiciary branch, an observation that comes as district court judges have routinely hindered the executive branch from carrying out Trump’s top agenda items, including on immigration, tariffs and government cuts. “Although some tension between the coordinate branches of government is a hallmark of our constitutional system, this concerted effort by the Executive to smear and impugn individual judges who rule against it is both unprecedented and unfortunate,” Cullen said. The Trump administration quickly appealed Cullen’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Democrats outraged that alleged gang member could be sent to Uganda
Democrats are expressing outrage that alleged gang member and illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia may be deported to Uganda. In the latest turn in Abrego Garcia’s high-profile immigration case, the alleged MS-13 gang member was arrested by ICE at an immigration check-in at a Baltimore facility on Monday and is now facing possible deportation to Uganda. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, ruled on Monday to temporarily block Abrego Garcia’s deportation, ordering he stay detained in the U.S. pending a hearing. Xinis ordered Abrego Garcia be kept at the same facility he was moved to in Virginia. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who has been leading the charge of Democrats advocating for Abrego Garcia, expressed outrage over his arrest and possible deportation on Monday, saying, “ICE is holding Kilmar Ábrego García and refusing to answer questions from his lawyers — while the Trump Admin continues to spread lies about his case.” NOEM TORCHES ‘ACTIVIST LIBERAL JUDGES’ AFTER ABREGO GARCIA’S RELEASE FROM JAIL: ‘NEW LOW’ “Instead of spewing unproven allegations on social media, they need to put up or shut up IN COURT,” he went on, adding, “Mr. Ábrego García must be allowed to defend himself.” This follows Salvadoran Abrego Garcia being released from federal custody on Friday in Tennessee, where he was being held pending his trial for charges of human smuggling of illegal immigrants in the U.S. Earlier this year, Abrego Garcia was deported by the Trump administration to his home country of El Salvador, but after Democratic uproar over an alleged lack of due process and a Supreme Court ruling ordering his return, he was eventually returned to the U.S. to stand trial. According to an earlier X post by Van Hollen, the senator met with Abrego Garcia virtually on Sunday to discuss his “long and torturous nightmare” of being deported and standing trial for human smuggling. ‘MARYLAND MAN’ KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA EXPOSED IN POLICE RECORDS AS ‘VIOLENT’ REPEAT WIFE BEATER Van Hollen wrote that “during our conversation, I shared with him that I and many others have been fighting for months to ensure that his constitutional due process rights were respected despite Trump’s efforts to deny them at every turn.” “The courts & public outcry forced Trump to return him to MD, but Trump’s cronies keep lying about his case & are engaged in a malicious abuse of power to try to deport him to Uganda,” wrote Van Hollen, adding, “As I told Kilmar, I won’t stop fighting for justice & due process for all.” Van Hollen was not the only Democrat to express outrage over Abrego Garcia’s arrest. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., also took to X to denounce the Trump administration, which she said, “wrongly sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a horrific El Salvadoran prison.” “Now, just days after he was reunited with his family, they’re trying to deny him his rights and deport him to Uganda. Kilmar—like everyone—deserves a fair hearing to defend himself,” wrote Warren. FLORIDA AG ANNOUNCES PROBE OF SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS THAT GIVE TRUCKING LICENSES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Meanwhile, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a prominent Democratic voice and vocal Trump critic, also drilled into the administration, saying, “Let’s be clear: deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda makes no sense—it’s not his home country.” “Nothing about this process has been fair,” she wrote. “ICE is targeting him with cruelty. This is the weaponization of government, not justice.” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., who joined a rally advocating for Abrego Garcia earlier on Monday, wrote that “Mr. Abrego Garcia must not be sent to some third party country like Uganda.” Ivey wrote that “the people united will continue to seek justice for Kilmar!” DNC CHAIR DEMANDS DEMS STOP ‘BRINGING A PENCIL TO A KNIFE FIGHT’ AT FIERY SUMMER MEETING In response, the Department of Homeland Security posted on its official X account, “Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not and will never be a Maryland Man—he is a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and public safety threat.” DHS called it “insane” that “sanctuary politicians chose to glorify and stand with an MS-13 gang member over the safety of American citizens.” The agency said that Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem “are not going to allow this illegal alien—who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator—to terrorize American citizens any longer.” Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital that, “Democrats have proven that they care more about a criminal illegal alien MS-13 member who beat his wife than they do about the safety and security of the American people.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER DNC SPEAKER SAYS MIGRANT CRIME, CARJACKINGS ‘DON’T MATTER’ TO MANY AMERICANS “The Trump Administration will never apologize for fulfilling our promise to deport criminal illegal aliens,” said Jackson. Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, categorically denied DHS’ allegations, telling Fox News Digital, “None of those things are true, full stop.” “The problem here is that the administration is trying its hardest to litigate this case through the media, as opposed to through courts of law,” said Newman. He said that “in essence” what the Trump administration has done “is to use the highest office in the land to blackmail an innocent man into sacrificing his constitutional rights.” “And we’ve been fighting against that both and winning in court even as the Trump administration insists on polluting the public debate with lies.” In an emailed statement sent to Fox News Digital, Ivey accused Trump of ignoring the law. “When I prosecuted, MS 13 cases, we indicted, tried the case, won the convictions, sentence them to jail time, and did not support them until after they had served jail their sentence,” said Ivey. “That way, we followed the constitution and the law. The Trump administration is ignoring both. They want to deport them without giving them the day in court that the Supreme Court has required. And they want to jail them indefinitely even though they haven’t been convicted of a crime. That’s wrong and I’ll continue