Now and then: How Trump’s response to LA riots has changed from 2020 Black Lives Matter and Antifa
President Donald Trump quickly reacted to fledgling riots in Los Angeles County over the weekend by activating the National Guard, a response that drew comparisons to the summer of 2020, when widespread violence and destruction arose from Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots. Trump’s decision to federalize 4,100 National Guard soldiers and deploy hundreds of Marines came in the face of forceful objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is now suing Trump over the move. Trump’s deputies, however, say the National Guard was a necessary step to quash riots lest they reach the scale of the ones that occurred across the country in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump’s decision would prevent a scenario like the one in Minnesota that year, when Democratic Gov. Tim Walz waited two days to call upon the National Guard to address unrest in his state. “That’s one of the reasons why these National Guard soldiers have been federalized, so they can use their special skill set to keep peace,” Noem said in a recent television interview. “We’re not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen, and if you remember, it all happened in Tim Walz’s state, in Minneapolis… and Governor Tim Walz made very bad decisions.” DAVID MARCUS: TWO WAYS TRUMP 2.0 QUELLED THE WOULD-BE LA RIOTS Walz tried to get Trump to “bail him out” after the governor “let his city burn for days on end,” Noem said. Walz activated the National Guard in Minnesota on May 28, after looting and arson had already cropped up in the state in response to Floyd’s death. Within hours of Walz announcing he had mobilized National Guard soldiers, rioters set ablaze Minneapolis’ Third Precinct police station. Although Walz ended up activating Minnesota’s entire National Guard, his hesitancy prompted Trump to threaten on May 29 to federalize the soldiers “to get the job done right.” ‘STATE OF REBELLION’: EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON NEWSOM CHALLENGE TO TRUMP DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD By May 30, Minnesota’s National Guard announced that the governor had fully mobilized it, marking the “largest domestic deployment” in its history. During these riots, Trump was far more deferential to governors, several of whom saw their cities ravaged by rioting, looting, arson, violence and death. The Democratic governors struggled at times to balance a law-and-order posture with their sympathy for those frustrated by police brutality. The National Guard is a military force based in each state, and governors and presidents have shared authority over it. Governors typically have purview over their respective National Guard units, but presidents can call them into federal service in certain scenarios. On June 3, 2020, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., pressured the Trump administration in a New York Times op-ed to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the president to federalize the National Guard. The prospect was so controversial at the time that the newspaper retracted the op-ed, citing fierce blowback from its readers. JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRATS’ RABID ANTI-ICE RESISTANCE IN LA AGAINST TRUMP COULD BACKFIRE By June 4, governors in 32 states and Washington, D.C., activated a total of more than 32,000 National Guard soldiers as the chaos transpired across the country. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar echoed Noem’s remarks in a statement online on Monday, saying Trump moved so quickly because he did not want the same level of violence and damage as in 2020. Trump and Noem “will not allow violent radicals to intimidate and shut down law enforcement in LA,” Edgar said. “This isn’t the Summer of 2020 2.0. I thank the brave men and women of the National Guard defending federal buildings so that immigration officials can keep us safe.”
White House mocks Newsom address, accuses governor of hiring Harris’, Biden’s campaign manager
The White House took several jabs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s address to the nation on Tuesday night as his state navigates massive immigration protests in Los Angeles. Newsom, a Democrat, said in the address that “Democracy is under assault” as he sparred with President Donald Trump over the administration’s decision to dispatch thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to address the riots. In response, White House assistant to the president and director of communications Steven Cheung accused Newsom of spending time creating the video rather than serving as governor. Likewise, Cheung took a swipe at the video’s audio, claiming the production quality was akin to Newsom’s leadership. NEWSOM SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED, SLAMS TRUMP FOR ‘TRAUMATIZING OUR COMMUNITIES’ “Gavin NewScum spent all this time–instead of doing his actual job– preparing for a webinar just for the audio to not work,” Cheung said in a post on X late Tuesday evening. “The production quality is just like his leadership quality– sh***y.” Additionally, Cheung suggested that Newsom had brought on former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign manager, who both repeatedly warned during the 2024 campaign cycle that a second Trump term would pose a “threat to democracy.” “NewScum must’ve hired Kamala and Biden’s loser campaign team because he saying this is a ‘threat to democracy,’” Cheung said. A spokesperson for Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Other White House officials also weighed in on Newsom’s address to defend the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. “American voters elected President Donald Trump to carry out his agenda, which includes enforcing the immigration laws passed by their elected representatives,” deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy communications director Alex Pfieffer said in a post on X on Tuesday. “California is trying to subvert democracy.” NEWSOM FILES EMERGENCY MOTION TO ‘IMMEDIATELY BLOCK’ TRUMP’S USE OF MILITARY TO STOP LA RIOTS Newsom said in the address that more than 200 people have been arrested in connection to the protests and labeled Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Los Angeles a “brazen abuse of power.” “This isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles,” Newsom said in the video. “This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also responded to one of Newsom’s posts on X late Tuesday evening after the governor said the Founding Fathers did not “live and die to see this moment,” and urged for peaceful protests. Meanwhile, Miller shared a photo of a shirtless man standing on a vehicle and waving a California flag in front of fumes with the comment: “According to Governor Newsom, this is what the Founders were fighting for.” Trump has gone head-to-head with Newsom over the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests sparked by ICE arrests in the city on Friday. HEGSETH DEFENDS NATIONAL GUARD LA DEPLOYMENTS, SAYS ICE AGENTS MUST BE PROTECTED While Trump has argued the National Guard troops are necessary to prevent destruction in Los Angeles, Newsom said most of the troops “are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders.” Additionally, Newsom argued that the move violates state sovereignty because governors typically oversee National Guard troops. Trump invoked a law to place the troops under federal command in order to bypass Newsom. “This isn’t about public safety,” Newsom said in a post on X on Monday. “It’s about stroking a dangerous President’s ego.”
Newsom under fire from Trump world, but Democrats hope his speech resets his image
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting hammered by President Donald Trump, his allies and others on the right – but his address to the nation will likely boost his deflated image among many fellow Democrats. Newsom, speaking in a prime-time address following days of rioting in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at the Trump administration’s direction, appeared to elevate himself as leader of the anti-Trump movement. California’s two-term governor, who is considered a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination due to his clear national ambitions, once again denounced Trump’s deployment of over 2,000 National Guard troops and some 700 U.S. Marines to the streets of the nation’s second-most populous city. But Newsom’s message wasn’t just for residents of blue-state California. ‘STATE OF REBELLION’ – EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON NEWSOM’S CHALLENGE TO TRUMP DEPLOYING NATIONAL GUARD “This isn’t just about protests here in Los Angeles,” Newsom declared in his address. “This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.” The governor stepped up to the plate with his party aiming to escape the political wilderness following last November’s punishing election setbacks – as Democrats lost control of the White House and Senate and fell short of winning back the House majority – and looking for leaders to push back against Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves. And Newsom, with his address, appeared to signal that he’s one of the party leaders ready to spearhead the fight. NEWSOM SAY LOS ANGELES RIOTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED, SLAMS TRUMP FOR ‘TRAUMATIZING OUR COMMUNITIES’ “He is fighting back, going toe to toe with Trump, and Democrats and the country are noticing,” veteran strategist Maria Cardona, a DNC committee member, told Fox News. Newsom’s address followed days of verbal crossfire between himself and Trump, after the president broke six decades of precedent by federalizing California’s National Guard without the consent of the governor. The governor and California’s attorney genearl are legally pushing back against Trump, with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) taking to social media to spotlight the move. And Newsom personalized the conflict by daring the Trump administration to follow through on a threat by Tom Homan, the president’s muscular border czar, to arrest him. “In a time where there are broad concerns about the failure of Democrats to fully embrace their roles as the vocal opposition party, Gov. Gavin Newsom has found his voice,” longtime political scientist Wayne Lesperance told Fox News. Lesperance, president of New Hampshire-based New England College, noted that Tuesday’s “speech pushing back against the administration’s enhanced immigration tactics and deployment of the National Guard and the Marines for law enforcement purposes has propelled Newsom to the forefront of the opposition to Donald Trump.” Cardona argued that “Newsom has done a terrific job standing up for California in the midst of an unprecedented attack by its own federal government and the President of the United States. He’s done two things extraordinarily well: he has been unequivocal in his condemnation of any violence and in his support of local law-enforcement. And secondly, he has fully supported California’s immigrant communities as they have been the backbone of the state’s economy and they are deserving of respect, decency, humanity, and due process.” Trump doesn’t see it that way. “The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists,” the president charged Wednesday morning on social media. And Trump said that “if our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now.” The president’s comments from the Oval Office on Tuesday and his Wednesday posts on his Truth Social platform were accompanied by a series of blasts at Newsom by top White House aides and other administration officials, and the mocking of the governor for technical glitches in the live feed of his address. While the current crisis in many ways forces Democrats to play defense on Trump’s strongest issues – immigration and border security, and law and order – it gives Newsom a chance to do some damage repair with many Democrats. Newsom angered many on the left in March when he declared it was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. And his invitation to top MAGA leaders, such as Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon, who joined the governor on the initial episodes of his new podcast in a search for common ground following last year’s elections, also damaged Newsom’s image among some Democrats. With some of the potential 2028 Democratic presidential nomination contenders already making moves and visiting some of the crucial early-voting states, Trump’s attacks on the governor may be handing Newsom a political gift. “Ironically, President Trump’s hammering of Newsom may actually help the California governor enhance his position among party faithful and any potential 2028 voter looking for a candidate unafraid to go head-to-head against the administration,” Lesperance noted. “Looking ahead, the question becomes whether or not Newsom can sustain himself in this new role.”
GOP bill seeks to ban and deport visa holders who support Hamas amid wave of antisemitic violence in America
FIRST ON FOX: New legislation would broadly ban any visa holders who support Hamas or other designated terror groups from remaining in the U.S. The Terrorist Inadmissibility Codification Act, led by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, expands current law under the Immigration and Nationality Act to ban any members of Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda, ISIS and Palestine Islamic Jihad from entering or remaining in the U.S. – in addition to anyone who endorses or espouses the activity of these groups. “There is no place in America for foreign adversaries or terrorist sympathizers. As our nation faces a disturbing rise in antisemitic and illegal alien terror attacks, along with increasing pro-Hamas sentiment on our college campuses,” Pfluger said in a statement. “We must take action to ensure our borders are secure from those wishing harm against Americans.” The bill comes after a wave of antisemitic attacks in light of Israel’s offensive campaign in Gaza that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. TRUMP ADMIN CRACKS DOWN ON ANTISEMITISM AS DOJ OFFICIAL EXPOSES ‘VIOLENT RHETORIC’ OF RADICAL PROTESTERS The Trump administration has started revoking student visas of those who engage in pro-Gaza protest activity. The State Department paused new student visa interviews late last month while it restructures the vetting process. The Immigration and Nationality Act already bars individuals who engage in terrorist activity, are members of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or who provide material support to such groups. However, much of this is interpreted on a case-by-case basis, often requiring evidentiary thresholds such as proof of direct involvement or financial or material aid. It is subject to the whims of administrative designations. SUSPECT CHARGED WITH MURDERING ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFF COULD FACE DEATH PENALTY The Terrorist Inadmissibility Codification Act seeks to broaden these standards by codifying that mere endorsement or espousal of terrorist groups’ ideology could be grounds for inadmissibility or deportation. This could signal a shift from conduct-based immigration enforcement to speech- or association-based scrutiny: even those who are not formal members of foreign terrorist organizations could have their speech scrutinized for support of such groups. An attack in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1 on a group gathered to raise awareness about hostages gathered in Gaza was the latest in a string of violence believed to be antisemitic in nature. The suspect, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, told police he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” and is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at demonstrators. In May, a young Washington, D.C., couple was killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum by a suspect who shouted “free Palestine” following the shooting.
New study exposes green energy org’s ties to CCP interests while undermining US
FIRST ON FOX: A national security-focused nonprofit organization has released a comprehensive report detailing the workings of a well-funded nominally U.S.-based organization that it says is undermining American energy, pushing left-wing green initiatives and ultimately advancing Chinese interests. The report, published by State Armor, outlines the money trail of Energy Foundation China (EFC), registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is technically headquartered in San Francisco but with employees mostly based in Beijing. “Energy Foundation China used to be known as the Energy Foundation before it spun off most of its U.S.-based operations in 2019 into a separate organization called the U.S. Energy Foundation,” the report explains. “While still formally organized as the Energy Foundation, since 2019, the organization has used the alias ‘Energy Foundation China’ or ‘EF China’ to differentiate from the now-separate U.S. Energy Foundation. The group was founded by Hal Harvey, a climate activist and entrepreneur with deep ties to numerous left-wing organizations and to China.” State Armor found that EFC has “spent millions each year to bankroll climate advocates who promote phasing out fossil fuels and implementing green energy alternatives like the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the latter of which was the target of a 2018 Congressional inquiry into whether it should register as a foreign agent based on its Chinese funding.” FORMER TOP HOCHUL AIDE’S UNEARTHED FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO CCP RAISES ALARM BELLS The Rocky Mountain Institute produced one of the most prominent studies used by many Democrats to justify cutting down on gas stoves and was cited by President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy. Earlier this year, multiple committees joined to begin an investigation into EFC, and requested files from EFC President Zi Chou about financial resources given to American organizations after Fox News Digital reporting on the group funneling millions of dollars to fund climate initiatives and environmental groups in the U.S. The report details how EFC “led a U.S. state-level legislative drive” against Bayer, the leading Western fertilizer company, that pushed for lawsuits against the company over a potentially carcinogenic pesticide with the aim of driving the company out of the U.S. and in turn forcing reliance on Chinese suppliers. The report goes on to outline how the organization has “provided millions” to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) to support “a clean energy future” and how ICCT was an “active supporter” of climate initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act targeting increased battery electric trucking infrastructure. Fox News Digital reported in 2023 that The Energy Foundation sent $480,000 to the Washington, D.C.-based International Council on Clean Transportation, which advocates for widespread EV adoption and policies decarbonizing the transportation sector broadly. It also wired grants — one to the University of Maryland and another to the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs — worth a total of $450,000 and earmarked for projects to phase out coal power reliance. BOMBSHELL REPORT SUGGESTS ‘CHINESE SPIES’ INFILTRATING PRESTIGIOUS US UNIVERSITY: ‘WIDESPREAD CAMPAIGN’ Josh Hodges, commissioner of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission and former national security advisor to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and NSC senior director in the first Trump administration, told Fox News Digital that EFC is a “textbook example of the CCP’s asymmetric warfare strategy and drive to deepen its dominance over American companies.” “Communist China is manipulating a supposed philanthropic network to steer the U.S. away from reliable domestic energy sources and into dependence on Chinese supply chains,” Hodges said. “Whether it’s solar panels, mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, or agricultural chemicals, Beijing’s fingerprints are all over the ‘green transition’ being pushed on America.” The report quotes Chinese climate envoy Liu Zhenmin, who suggested that Biden’s green energy policies will remain even under a more skeptical Trump administration and said, “even if the new Trump administration reverses climate change policies, it is unlikely to completely change the green transition actions that have already begun in various parts of the U.S.” “In other words, the CCP’s penetration of the U.S.’ political and industrial systems runs so deep that CCP officials believe that not even a skeptical White House could halt America’s growing dependence upon Chinese technologies,” the report states. ‘COMING FOR US’: EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON CCP’S MISSION TO ‘KILL AMERICANS’ AFTER FBI MAKES SHOCKING ARRESTS Will Hild, executive director of Consumers’ Research, told Fox News Digital that the report “exposes a disturbing truth” that EFC is part of a broader push to undermine American energy independence and “stifle” the Trump energy agenda to benefit the CCP. “EFC is weaponizing woke ideology to pull off this scheme and force American consumers to rely on the Chinese Communist Party for energy sources,” Hild said. “Americans deserve to know the truth about our foreign adversary’s campaign that is poisoning our economy and reshaping our energy future. We applaud organizations like State Armor that are working to expose these grifts against consumers.” In addition to the EFC’s climate activism, the report focuses on how, by “co-opting climate activism and dominating new so-called green supply chains, Beijing converts a domestic weakness into a global strength” while also detailing the ties between EFC and the CCP. For example, EFC’s CEO Zou Ji has served in previous roles at top leadership positions in China’s official National Center for Climate Change Strategy within the National Development and Reform Commission of the State Council. “He was so deeply tied into CCP leadership that he was included as a part of China’s delegation to the 2015 Paris Climate Talks,” the report says. “Zou’s other affiliations include a position at Tsinghua University at a center where his colleagues include a retired senior PLA officer and a former deputy director of an MSS think tank.” Zou is not the only EFC figure with ties to the CCP, the report says, pointing to EFC board member and Washington, D.C.-based attorney Hongjun Zhang, who serves as a member of China’s Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development and was previously a legislative director for the China National People’s Congress. Zhang, according
‘Congress must act’: Nonprofit study exposes green energy org’s ties to CCP interests while undermining US
FIRST ON FOX: A national security-focused nonprofit organization has released a comprehensive report detailing the workings of a well-funded nominally U.S.-based organization that it says is undermining American energy, pushing left-wing green initiatives, and ultimately advancing Chinese interests. The report, published by State Armor, outlines the money trail of Energy Foundation China, registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is technically headquartered in San Francisco but with employees mostly based in Beijing. “Energy Foundation China used to be known as the Energy Foundation before it spun off most of its U.S.-based operations in 2019 into a separate organization called the U.S. Energy Foundation,” the report explains. “While still formally organized as the Energy Foundation, since 2019, the organization has used the alias ‘Energy Foundation China’ or ‘EF China’ to differentiate from the now-separate U.S. Energy Foundation. The group was founded by Hal Harvey, a climate activist and entrepreneur with deep ties to numerous left-wing organizations and to China.” State Armor found that EFC has “spent millions each year to bankroll climate advocates who promote phasing out fossil fuels and implementing green energy alternatives like the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the latter of which was the target of a 2018 Congressional inquiry into whether it should register as a foreign agent based on its Chinese funding.” FORMER TOP HOCHUL AIDE’S UNEARTHED FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO CCP RAISES ALARM BELLS The Rocky Mountain Institute produced one of the most prominent studies used by many Democrats to justify cutting down on gas stoves and was cited by President Biden’s Department of Energy. Earlier this year, multiple committees joined to begin an investigation into EFC, and requested files from EFC President Zi Chou about financial resources given to American organizations after Fox News Digital reporting on the group funneling millions of dollars to fund climate initiatives and environmental groups in the U.S. The report details how EFC “led a U.S. state-level legislative drive” against Bayer, the leading Western fertilizer company, that pushed for lawsuits against the company over a potentially carcinogenic pesticide with the aim of driving the company out of the U.S. and in turn forcing reliance on Chinese suppliers. The report goes on to outline how the organization has “provided millions” to the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) to support “a clean energy future” and how ICCT was an “active supporter” of climate initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act targeting increased battery electric trucking infrastructure. Fox News Digital reported in 2023 that The Energy Foundation sent $480,000 to the Washington, D.C.-based International Council on Clean Transportation, which advocates for widespread EV adoption and policies decarbonizing the transportation sector broadly. It also wired grants — one to the University of Maryland and another to the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs — worth a total of $450,000 and earmarked for projects to phase out coal power reliance. BOMBSHELL REPORT SUGGESTS ‘CHINESE SPIES’ INFILTRATING PRESTIGIOUS US UNIVERSITY: ‘WIDESPREAD CAMPAIGN’ Josh Hodges, Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission and former National Security Advisor to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and NSC Senior Director in the first Trump Administration, told Fox News Digital that EFC is a “textbook example of the CCP’s asymmetric warfare strategy and drive to deepen its dominance over American companies.” “Communist China is manipulating a supposed philanthropic network to steer the U.S. away from reliable domestic energy sources and into dependence on Chinese supply chains,” Hodges said. “Whether it’s solar panels, mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries, or agricultural chemicals, Beijing’s fingerprints are all over the ‘green transition’ being pushed on America.” The report quotes Chinese climate envoy Liu Zhenmin who suggested that Biden’s green energy policies will remain even under a more skeptical Trump administration and said, “even if the new Trump administration reverses climate change policies, it is unlikely to completely change the green transition actions that have already begun in various parts of the U.S.” “In other words, the CCP’s penetration of the U.S.’ political and industrial systems runs so deep that CCP officials believe that not even a skeptical White House could halt America’s growing dependence upon Chinese technologies,” the report states. ‘COMING FOR US’: EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON CCP’S MISSION TO ‘KILL AMERICANS’ AFTER FBI MAKES SHOCKING ARRESTS Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research told Fox News Digital that the report “exposes a disturbing truth” that EFC is part of a broader push to undermine American energy independence and “stifle” the Trump energy agenda to benefit the CCP. “EFC is weaponizing woke ideology to pull off this scheme and force American consumers to rely on the Chinese Communist Party for energy sources,” Hild said. “Americans deserve to know the truth about our foreign adversary’s campaign that is poisoning our economy and reshaping our energy future. We applaud organizations like State Armor that are working to expose these grifts against consumers.” In addition to the EFC’s climate activism, the report focuses on how, by “co-opting climate activism and dominating new so-called green supply chains, Beijing converts a domestic weakness into a global strength” while also detailing the ties between EFC and the CCP. For example, EFC’s CEO Zou Ji has served in previous roles at top leadership positions in China’s official National Center for Climate Change Strategy within the National Development and Reform Commission of the State Council. “He was so deeply tied into CCP leadership that he was included as a part of China’s delegation to the 2015 Paris Climate Talks,” the report says. “Zou’s other affiliations include a position at Tsinghua University at a center where his colleagues include a retired senior PLA officer and a former deputy director of an MSS think tank.” Zou is not the only EFC figure with ties to the CCP, the report says, pointing to EFC Board Member and Washington, D.C. based attorney Hongjun Zhang, who serves as a member of China’s Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development and was previously a legislative director for the China National People’s Congress. Zhang, according
GOP congressman takes major step toward gubernatorial announcement
FIRST ON FOX: An Iowa congressman is taking a major step toward running for governor on Wednesday. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, is launching a finance committee comprised of 47 top donors and business leaders in the Hawkeye State, Fox News Digital is learning first. “I am grateful for the overwhelming support that our campaign has received from Iowans who believe in our mission to take our state to new heights,” Feenstra said in a statement. “Our finance committee will ensure we have the resources necessary for victory. I cannot thank our supporters enough for their support and confidence in our campaign.” WHAT NJ REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE JACK CIATTARELLI TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL Feenstra has not formally announced a campaign for governor, but he’s now taken several steps in the process ahead of the 2026 elections. He revealed last month that he is exploring a run for the role after the current governor, Republican Kim Reynolds, said she was stepping aside after serving two terms in Des Moines. Feenstra also filed a “Feenstra for Governor” organizing committee. It’s not clear when the official kickoff will be, but Feenstra is all but certain to join an increasingly crowded field of candidates for the open seat. Members of the campaign committee include Kurt Croell, the owner of a concrete company who’s donated to both Reynolds and President Donald Trump, and members of the Doll family, who own beer company Doll Distributing. West Des Moines Mayor Russ Trimble is also on the list, as are Nutratech executives Andy and Russ Kosky, among others. Feenstra has represented Iowa’s 4th Congressional District since 2021, and serves key roles in the House as a member of both the Agriculture and Ways & Means Committees. NEW JERSEY PRIMARY EARLY TEST OF TRUMP’S SECOND TERM AS PRESIDENT Other Republicans running to lead the state include state lawmaker Eddie Andrews and Brad Sherman, a former state representative. The GOP primary could turn into a high-profile political clash if Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird enters the race. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, grandson of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is also publicly toying with a bid. On the Democratic side, Iowa auditor Rob Sand is among the declared candidates, as is Julie Stauch, who served as Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign Iowa political director.
Fresh wave of anti-ICE protests threatens uncertainty, volatility before Trump’s massive military parade
Thousands of people amassed in major U.S. cities this week to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration raids in Los Angeles – injecting fresh uncertainty in the nation’s capital and beyond just days before Washington, D.C., hosts a massive, first-of-its-kind military parade. It is unclear what, if any, major demonstrations protesters are planning in coordination with Saturday’s military parade; a $45 million event running through the city’s downtown which will feature hundreds of military vehicles, including armored troop carriers, tanks and Chinook helicopters, winding through the city’s roads and skies in celebration of the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary. It also happens to be Trump’s 79th birthday. However, the show of force and military grandeur takes place at a time when a wave of immigration protests in California – and Trump’s attempts to quash the unrest by deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the state – have changed the national mood from tense to combustible, prompting a new wave of demonstrations and clashes with law enforcement in major cities across the U.S. Combined, the escalating skirmishes have also raised the specter of possible disruption during the patriotic parade, though officials stressed this week that they are closely monitoring the event and security in the surrounding area. TRUMP DOJ TELLS COURT IT WILL SEEK DISMISSAL OF ABREGO GARCIA CASE An immigration protest in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon was notably tame. However, the crowd was massive, drawing hundreds of protesters to the city’s downtown area. Other demonstrations are slated to take place in the Washington, D.C.-area throughout the week, including a planned demonstration in the nearby Columbia Heights neighborhood. U.S. Park Police told reporters this week that they are tracking nine planned protests in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Trump, for his part, attempted to get ahead of any protests that could snarl the planned display of military might, warning that any demonstrators that attempted to disrupt the event “will be met with very heavy force.” “I haven’t even heard about a protest, but [there are] people that hate our country,” he told reporters Tuesday afternoon. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA All the same, major protests continued to crop up this week in other major U.S. cities, and clashes with law enforcement personnel prompted dozens of arrests in New York and in various Texas cities, according to local law enforcement officials. In Washington, D.C., protesters massed peacefully outside the Justice Department headquarters on Monday to protest the administration’s immigration crackdown and ICE raids. Many were also there to demand the release of a prominent labor leader, David Huerta, who was arrested in the Los Angeles protests late last week. Huerta, the president of California’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU) chapter, was hospitalized due to injuries sustained during his arrest, according to the union. Huerta was released Monday evening on bail. He has since been charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer, which carries a maximum penalty of up to six years in federal prison. “We’re sick and tired of the illegal acts of the administration,” Jaime Contreras, the executive vice president of SEIU’s Capital Area District chapter, told Fox News Digital in an interview, pointing to the administration’s arrest of Huerta and also the arrest of “so many innocent immigrants” in the U.S. who have been swept up in ICE raids. “All they want is to provide a better life for their family, which is why your ancestors came to this country,” he said. The group, which included labor and union groups, among other protesters, marched past the Justice Department entrance and the FBI’s headquarters downtown, chanting and holding signs. The demonstrators yelled, “Pam Bondi, shame on you!” as they gathered outside the entrance to the building. Nearby, employees at the J. Edgar Hoover Building – which since the 1970s has served as the FBI’s national headquarters – could be seen watching the demonstration unfold from the confines of the building’s infamously brutalist-style balconies. TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE “I have one word for you today – enough,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, who spoke at the demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Monday. “Enough of these mass ICE raids that are sweeping up innocent people of every legal status, tearing apart families and our communities.” The Washington, D.C., protest also took place on the same day that the Trump administration’s wider travel ban officially took hold. The ban prohibits nationals from 12 countries from traveling to the U.S. and imposes partial restrictions on nationals from seven additional countries. Some at the demonstration told Fox News Digital they had deep concerns about the chilling effect that the ban could have on migrants in the U.S., including individuals that have already submitted visas from now-banned countries on the list. Ultimately, Contreras told Fox News of the large crowd of protesters, “I think people are angry.” “I think that people are getting sick and tired of being threatened, of the fear factors that are being used against our community,” he said. “So yes, people are afraid— but people are also angry. And angry is a great organizing tool for all.” Beyond Washington, the demonstrations and skirmishes add heat to an already fast-boiling standoff, as both the Trump administration and many protesters have said they have no plans to stand down from the fight. “We’ll be back,” some protesters chanted on Monday. Meanwhile, Trump officials took to social media to condemn the wave of new protests, with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noting that ICE, which falls under her department’s purview, will “continue to enforce the law.” “If you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she vowed.
GOP congressman ‘remains concerned’ over ICE operations in deep blue state
Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., said he has concerns about the ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the Golden State. “I remain concerned about ongoing ICE operations throughout CA and will continue my conversations with the administration—urging them to prioritize the removal of known criminals over the hardworking people who have lived peacefully in the Valley for years,” the congressman said in a post to X on Tuesday morning. In the same thread, the Republican condemned the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. CALIFORNIA LT. GOVERNOR SAYS LOS ANGELES RIOTS ARE ‘GENERATED BY DONALD TRUMP’ “I support the First Amendment right to peacefully protest, but the violence and vandalism happening in Los Angeles is unacceptable and I stand with our law enforcement officers working to protect people and regain control over the situation,” he wrote. The congressman represents a highly competitive district in central California. Cook Political Report currently ranks the 2026 race as “Lean Republican” in his district. CalMatters reported in March that ICE may have been conducting operations in the Central Valley. Tens of thousands of arrests have occurred since Trump took office, as the administration is seeking to execute mass deportations. Meanwhile, southern border crossings have taken a nosedive. RIOTERS SMASH WINDOWS AT LAPD HEADQUARTERS AS ANTI-ICE AGITATORS CLASH WITH AUTHORITIES Immigration and Customs Enforcement is currently facing a goal of 3,000 daily arrests of illegal immigrants, which includes those facing criminal charges and convictions. As for the unrest itself, President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to the area, which has set up a major dispute between him and California leaders. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Tuesday post to X, “Trump doesn’t care about protecting Californians. He’s militarizing our state & provoking chaos.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Illegal aliens invaded America. The government of California aided and abetted that invasion. Violent mobs, incited by California leaders, attacked ICE officers to keep them from removing the invaders,” White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller posted to X on Monday. “California officials refused to send the police to rescue the ice officers, hoping the rioters would succeed in shutting down ICE raids. This is an organized insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States.” CHUCK DEVORE: TRUMP MOVES FAST TO SAVE LA FROM A 1992 REPEAT Valadao and other members of the California Republican delegation signed onto a resolution in the House, led by Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., slamming the riots in Los Angeles. “Peaceful protests are a constitutional right, but vandalism, looting, violence, and other crimes are not. Protecting public safety shouldn’t be controversial, which is why I am leading the California Republican delegation in a resolution to support law and order as we continue to see unrest,” Kim said in a statement on Tuesday. “I hope Governor Newsom can come together with President Trump to stop the riots, lower the temperature, and keep our communities safe.” “Let’s be clear: the riots escalated before the National Guard was sent in and were enabled by California’s soft-on-crime policies – peddled for years by Governor Newsom, Sacramento, and local prosecutors – that have allowed for lawlessness and endangered public safety of hardworking Californians,” the Republican congresswoman continued. Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the White House.
Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ cracks down on Biden’s student loan ‘scheme,’ top Republican says
The chairman of a key Senate panel is claiming victory against former President Joe Biden’s student loan plans as part of President Donald Trump‘s “one big, beautiful bill.” “The Biden administration was attempting to forgive student loans for people who willingly took on the loan and required the taxpayer, including people who never went to college and would never make what the person who took the loan would ever have the hope to make,” Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Fox News Digital. “So we end that transfer of that student loan on the taxpayers, and that’s probably our biggest savings.” Cassidy’s committee released its portion of the Trump agenda bill late on Tuesday. NEW STUDY REVEALS BLUE STATE’S FAST-FOOD MINIMUM WAGE HIKE JEOPARDIZED THOUSANDS OF JOBS A press release for the legislation said it “ends Biden’s student loan schemes that transfer debt onto the 87 percent of Americans who chose to not go to college or already paid off their loans” and “also prevents future Democrat administrations from implementing schemes.” The bill specifically takes aim at Biden’s expansion of Borrower Defense to Repayment regulations and Closed School Discharge regulations, which Republicans have held up as costly policies that shift federal student loan borrowers’ burdens onto other taxpayers. Various versions of Biden’s plans had previously been struck down in court. The bill would also eliminate federal Grad PLUS loans, a program used by graduate-level and professional students to pay for their studies, which can be used for graduate students’ entire cost of attendance. It would instead keep in place a $20,500 annual limit for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans on graduate degrees, capped at $100,000 total, excluding undergraduate loans. For professional degrees, it keeps a $50,000 annual unsubsidized loan limit and a $200,000 total cap. The legislation is also aimed at cracking down on taxpayer funding subsidizing degrees from lower-performing universities. Colleges that see people with undergraduate degrees earn less than the typical high school graduate in their state, or graduate programs where attendees then earn less than the normal bachelor’s recipient, would be blocked from federal student loan programs. “What we’ve got was a situation where people can borrow more money than they can effectively pay back, and that destroys their life, leaving them with a debt burden which keeps them unable to do other things in life. And there’s at least some sense that universities offering these programs know that’s the case. And so we attempt to fix that,” Cassidy said. “So we have provisions that would say that if the degree being acquired does not end up paying more, the person receiving that degree doesn’t get more on average than a person who did not get that degree, then the federal government is not going to lend them money.” To encourage more people to pursue non-collegiate degrees, the bill would also establish a Workforce Pell Grant. Pell Grants are currently aimed at low-income students pursuing bachelor’s degrees and are generally not repaid. “For example, a student gets a commercial driver’s license. They’re going to go out and make $100,000 a year after a couple of years of driving, I am told. And so we want to enable those people to accomplish that,” Cassidy said. Foreign income would be taken into account when evaluating Pell Grants, while farm and small business assets would not, under the GOP bill. Those and several other measures in the legislation would add up to roughly $300 billion in taxpayer savings, Cassidy said. Senate Republicans are currently working through their version of Trump’s massive agenda bill, which passed the House late last month. NEW STUDY REVEALS BLUE STATE’S FAST-FOOD MINIMUM WAGE HIKE JEOPARDIZED THOUSANDS OF JOBS Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to pass a sweeping bill advancing Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. They are also working to use it to bring down the national debt – nearing $37 trillion – with the aim of cutting $1.5 trillion in federal spending. Reconciliation allows the party in power to completely skirt the minority, in this case Democrats, by lowering the Senate’s threshold to advance from 60 votes to 51. The legislation must adhere to a specific set of rules, however, including measures that deal with the budget, taxation, or the national debt. Both the House and Senate must agree to identical versions of the bill before it gets to Trump’s desk for a signature. The House’s version passed 215 to 214, and leaders there have implored the upper chamber to change as little as possible. Cassidy acknowledged there were some changes made but was optimistic about how they’ll be met in the House. “There’s several things, but one thing I think that they’re going to like is that we do fully fund the Pell Grant program. You know, we address the shortfall there. And so I think they’re going to like it,” he said. “It’s going to give low-income students access to career education. We need those kind of career type jobs to make sure that all this manufacturing and construction has a workforce to address it. And so we think it helps the needs of society. We think it helps the needs of the student.” House and Senate GOP leaders had previously set a goal of having a bill on Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. Cassidy declined to comment on whether that was a feasible benchmark but argued that lawmakers should be ready to extend that timeline – and possibly shrink their summer recess – to get the final product. “As far as I’m concerned, the most important thing is to get it right. So if there is a delay, the president said it today – if there is a delay, that’s not that big of a deal. The most important thing is we get it right,” he said.