Liberal law professor breaks with Obama judge over Trump lawyer crackdown: ‘I refuse to teach’ it
Legal minds across the political spectrum are admonishing an Obama-appointed federal judge for suggesting that bar associations should look into sanctioning lawyers working for the president or the Justice Department, with one liberal constitutional law professor refusing to teach his students that such a move is acceptable. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams formally referred Trump attorney Alejandro Brito to the Florida Bar in an opinion released Monday and ordered the ruling sent to authorities considering existing disciplinary complaints involving Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. The disciplinary actions stem from Williams’s ruling in a case involving a settlement that shielded Trump, members of his family and affiliated businesses from certain federal tax audits and claims. Bar associations have the ability to suspend the law licenses of individuals practicing law in their jurisdictions, giving them significant power over the ability of lawyers — including powerful DOJ officials — to do their work. “The court would also have litigants believe that, in such a circumstance, it is not only appropriate to dismiss the case but also to sanction and deprive litigants and their counsel of their reputation, license, or money,” constitutional law professor Christian Lee Gonzalez-Rivera, who identifies as a liberal, told Fox News Digital. “As a law professor, attorney and former judicial law clerk, I refuse to teach the former or accept the latter.” OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES TRUMP ADMIN IN LATEST COURTROOM SHOWDOWN, REFERS ATTORNEY FOR BAR REVIEW The existing complaint against Blanche alleges that he mishandled evidence linked to the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, used the DOJ to attack Trump’s personal enemies and failed to properly represent the interests of the United States during the negotiations that led to the creation of the now-defunct $1.8 billion weaponization compensation fund. Woodward, meanwhile, faces a bar complaint alleging that his approval of the creation of the weaponization fund constituted a conflict of interest as he had previously represented Jan. 6 defendants and Trump associates who could potentially benefit from it. Gonzalez-Rivera, who teaches law at a Catholic university in Florida, said that the judge’s order “effectively sanctions the bringing of debatable, if losing, arguments in high-stakes first impression cases,” arguing that it would have been ridiculous if judges recommended professional punishments for lawyers who were on the losing sides of other high-profile, historical court cases. LEGAL WAR ON TRUMP’S AGENDA GAINS FIREPOWER AS FEDERAL LAWYERS DEFECT TO DEMOCRATS Jeffrey Clark, a former DOJ official now serving as the vice president of litigation at a right-wing watchdog group, cautioned that Williams’s order — if allowed to become the norm — could seriously damage the legal profession by empowering a small number of bar association insiders. “This nonsense has to end. The State and local bars are not the superior officers of or the equivalent of a school-marmish national Principal’s Office that sits in supervision of two highest-ranking leaders of the Justice Department,” he wrote on Monday. “If this trend continues, no future Republican lawyer is going to agree to enter the U.S. Justice Department to carry out the President’s law enforcement orders as the Constitution intended,” Clark continued. “Power will instead be monopolized and moved only to the Left … The Framers would be shocked to learn that the real boss of Executive Branch legal power is not the singular President of the United States, but instead committees of insular coastal elite lawyers purporting to wield the meta-power of legal ethics.” MIKE DAVIS: WHY SENATE MUST IGNORE OBAMA JUDGE’S ATTACK ON AG NOMINEE TODD BLANCHE Clark has also faced disciplinary proceedings in Washington, D.C., where a disciplinary board recommended he be disbarred over his role in a proposed DOJ letter to Georgia officials after the 2020 election — allegations he has denied and cast as politically motivated. “DOJ has the power to put an end to this nonsense by issuing regulations preempting state/local bar weaponization,” he added. While Williams ordered the clerk to forward her opinion to disciplinary authorities reviewing existing complaints involving Blanche and Woodward, she formally referred Brito to the Florida Bar after finding that he advanced the case in “bad faith.” Williams said Trump’s lawsuit surrounding his tax immunity settlement was used to give judicial legitimacy to a legally baseless settlement; she flagged conflict concerns involving Blanche and Woodward’s prior clients and ordered the opinion sent to their bars, while formally referring Brito to the Florida Bar because he signed the complaint that launched the case. “I find it absurd that federal judges continue to attack DOJ lawyers, to include and especially Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, with roots in nothing more than the political viewpoints of those supposed unbiased judges,” Jay Town, the former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, told Fox News Digital. Williams was appointed to the bench in 2011 by President Barack Obama. She previously issued a ruling against “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention center operated by the state of Florida to house illegal immigrants awaiting deportation, but was overruled by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. “On the bright side, this and the likely more orders like this one we may see out of other district courts nationwide … may nevertheless present higher courts — perhaps our highest one, too — with a chance to revisit judge-made doctrines like justiciability, which increasingly show their ability to be weaponized not only from outside but also from within the judiciary itself,” Gonzalez-Rivera told Fox News Digital. Conservative lawyer Mike Davis has called on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to overrule Williams’s ruling in this case. “The federal Judge in Florida clearly strategically timed her referral of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the New York Bar to come just before his confirmation hearing to be elevated to the Attorney General’s Office,” Clark told Fox News Digital. “This is flatly unconscionable non-judicial conduct.”
Mike Waltz, Tim Tebow launch effort to combat online child exploitation: ‘It’s happening in their backyard’
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow on Thursday unveiled a renewed international effort to combat online child exploitation, bringing together government officials, law enforcement leaders and anti-human trafficking advocates like Tebow’s foundation to strengthen cooperation against predators operating across borders. Following the event, Waltz and Tebow answered questions exclusively from Fox News Digital, with Tebow warning parents that the threat isn’t confined to distant countries or dark corners of the internet. “It’s happening in their backyard,” Tebow told Fox News Digital when asked what would shock American parents most about child exploitation today. NEW MEXICO SEEKS MASSIVE PENALTY FROM META AFTER JURY FOUND TECH GIANT LIABLE FOR ENDANGERING CHILDREN The event put a spotlight on how the U.S. is teaming up with countries around the world to rescue exploited children, crack down on human trafficking networks and prosecute child predators. Officials also pointed to recent international operations, new funding from Congress and a U.S.-led U.N. resolution targeting online sextortion. “The United States is leading the charge to combat child exploitation in partnership with civil society groups like the Tim Tebow Foundation,” Waltz said during the event. “Child exploitation criminals operate across borders, so a global response is critical. We need to work together to protect our children from predators.” Tebow said the danger facing children online is something parents should think about every day. “If it’s unprotected, it’s similar to dropping them off at a playground knowing that pedophiles are circling that playground,” he told Fox News Digital. “You would never do it.” FAMILY STOPPED ALLEGED CHILD KIDNAPPER AS POLICE SAY STAFFING SHORTAGE DELAYED RESPONSE UP TO 40 MINUTES He urged parents to take advantage of online safety tools and remain engaged with their children’s digital activity, saying predators are constantly searching for opportunities to exploit young victims. “There are so many predators online that are looking for a vulnerability and an access to a boy or girl so that they can exploit, so that they can lure, so they can groom, so that they can sextort,” Tebow said. “I really believe it’s one of the worst evils in the world.” During the event, Tebow stressed that child exploitation requires international cooperation. “Child exploitation requires a response as global as the threat itself,” he said. “Right now, children around the world are being harmed, and we cannot look away. No child should be invisible, and no predator should be able to hide.” ICE NABS ILLEGAL ALIENS CONVICTED OF CHILD SEX CRIMES AND METH TRAFFICKING IN NATIONWIDE ENFORCEMENT SWEEP Asked by Fox News Digital whether some countries are refusing to cooperate with U.S. investigations, Waltz said the larger challenge is that many nations lack the legal tools and investigative resources needed to pursue child exploitation cases. “I don’t know that there’s countries refusing to cooperate,” Waltz said. “But what I can tell you, there’s countries all over the world [where] they don’t have the laws on the books that make these things a crime. They don’t have the extradition treaties. They don’t have the prosecutors or the investigators that know how to handle the electronic evidence in the right way.” He added that U.S. agencies and United Nations partners are working to help countries strengthen those capabilities through training and international cooperation. Waltz also argued that migration and human trafficking remain closely linked, saying vulnerable girls are often exploited by criminal organizations during migration routes. Tebow added that investigators around the world continue to face enormous challenges identifying victims because offenders deliberately work to avoid detection. “When we also talk about this, there are so many places that are underfunded, under-equipped, and it does take some training and understanding of what is happening online so we can best use victim identification,” Tebow said. “Those victim identification specialists really are specialists. They’re incredible at what they’re doing because those that are performing this evil, they’re not trying to get caught.” “So it takes really special people to be able to understand, to find them and then bring them to justice. More importantly, bring that kid into freedom.” The collaboration between the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Tim Tebow Foundation and international law enforcement partners is intended to strengthen cross-border efforts to combat child exploitation through expanded cooperation, technology and coordinated investigations.
House Republicans aim to turn Democratic civil war into midterm weapon
NEW CITY, N.Y. – The battle for the House majority will be won or lost in congressional districts like New York-17, NY-3, and NY-4, three crucial swing seats in suburban New York City. And as Republicans work to hold onto their razor-thin House majority in this autumn’s midterm elections, they view the ongoing battle between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party as political ammunition as they portray Democrats as radicals. “Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight,” Republican Rep. Mike Lawler argued in a Fox News Digital interview. Lawler, a two-term lawmaker who represents NY-17, which covers much of New York City’s northern suburbs, spoke soon after three far-left Democrats backed by socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated more moderate, establishment-backed rivals in showdowns that drew outsized national attention. MEET THE FAR-LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Two of primary winners were aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and two of the defeated candidates were congressional incumbents. “My district is impacted significantly by what happens in New York City. Many of my constituents work in the city, they’re cops, firefighters, nurses, teachers,” Lawler said. He charged that “these radical socialists are taking over the Democratic Party, not just for Congress, but the state legislature. And as I said last year, Zohran Mamdani would become the face of the Democratic Party and its leader, and that is precisely what he is doing.” Lawler’s Democratic challenger in the midterms is not backed by either the DSA or two other far-left groups, the Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party. DEMOCRATIC PARTY CIVIL WAR HITS DEBATE STAGE IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY SHOWDOWN But Lawler, pointing to Democratic nominee Cait Conley’s stance on key issues, argued, “The fact is that she agrees with them from a policy standpoint, even if she doesn’t couch herself in the same title of socialist.” “My opponent would be a rubber stamp for the radical socialists who are coming, and she wouldn’t have the ability to stand up to these people and push back, and the fact is the Democrats have gone further and further and further to the left with no end in sight,” he charged. But Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that any GOP push to paint Democrats as far left radicals are “desperate attacks.” “The midterms will ultimately be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans – which House Republicans have failed spectacularly to do. In the purple, majority making districts, ” DelBene argued in a statement to Fox News Digital. She charged that “Republicans already know they’ve lost the American people, and that’s why they are resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues, but just baseless spin that falls flat with voters who are eager to reject Republicans.” Conley, a West Point graduate and military combat veteran who was awarded three Bronze Stars during six deployments to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, pushed back on Lawler’s criticism. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB “Voters are sick of political insiders, politicians, political operatives who care more about their next reelection than they do solving the actual problems with the time they are given to represent their people,” Conley told Fox News Digital, indicating Lawler, a political strategist before serving as a state lawmaker and then winning election to Congress. Conley emphasized that “we need new leaders, not people who are part of the political insider network.” The race in NY-17 is among two to three dozen across the country that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority. So are the showdowns in NY-3 and NY-4, which are located in New York City‘s eastern suburbs on Long Island. “I think it will definitely affect us in Nassau County since we’re a border county,” Jeanine Driscoll, the GOP nominee in NY-4 told Fox News Digital, as she referred to the far-left Democratic victories in neighboring New York City. “Bringing in three ultra left wing people who are proclaiming themselves to be socialists, really communists, is going to wake people up.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Driscoll, the receiver of taxes in the town of Hempstead, America’s largest township by population, is challenging Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who flipped the district two years ago. Just to the north, in NY-3, Republican nominee Mike LePetri is facing off against veteran Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who narrowly topped LePetri in 2024. “Frankly, the people of Long Island and northeast Queens are scared. They’re concerned about the future of America if you have the Democrat Party take over the House of Representatives,” LePetri told Fox News Digital. Gillen and Suozzi are among a group of moderate House Democrats who earlier this year launched the “Promise to America,” a centrist political pledge that rejects socialism, supports secure borders, and promotes fiscal responsibility and economic growth. “I call myself a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat. Someone who believes in the traditional values,” Suozzi said in a recent “Fox and Friends” interview. Suozzi emphasized, “We’re for capitalism, not socialism. We’re for safety, not lawlessness. We’re proud of America. Not ashamed of America. And we need to be promoting those things.” “There are people in the Democratic Party that are left of center that don’t agree with the far left. And we just need to do a better job organizing because you’ll see big rallies for people who are extremists, far right, far left, but if I show up and say ‘hey lets work together to solve the problems that we face in our country,’ you’re not going to get a big rally for that,” Suozzi said. But LePetri charged that Suozzi “is two faced. He says one thing, but votes exactly with his conference.” And Driscoll, speaking of Gillam, argued, “they
Trump’s housing chief paints a grim picture for homeownership in one major American city
Trump’s housing chief is taking aim at New York City’s housing agenda, arguing the policies championed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani would worsen affordability rather than solve it by discouraging private investment. “Socialist progressive policies never work,” Turner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “To try to implement those policies in one of our greatest cities in the world — you will see people leaving New York in droves. Businesses and families can’t afford it.” Turner’s comments come as Mamdani has made housing affordability a centerpiece of his administration, backing policies like rent freezes for stabilized apartments and higher taxes on corporations and wealthy residents to fund affordable housing. He also wants local government to play a larger role in addressing New York City’s housing shortage. NEW YORK CITY IS ABOUT TO TEST MAMDANI’S PROGRESSIVE ECONOMIC VISION, HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW As America’s largest city and one of its most expensive housing markets, New York has become a focal point in the national debate over how to address affordability. Turner’s criticism reflects the Trump administration’s broader affordability strategy, which, in contrast to Mamdani, emphasizes reducing regulations, expanding the nation’s housing supply and encouraging private-sector investment rather than increasing government’s role in the market. The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary told Fox News Digital that states such as Florida and Texas are “ahead of the game” on addressing the affordability crisis because they have prioritized homebuilding and reducing regulatory barriers that drive up costs. He argued New York should follow a similar approach, saying affordability improves when governments make it easier for builders to construct new homes rather than expand their role in the housing market. “That’s what we’re doing now is easing the regulatory environment, bringing the cost down, raising the supply so builders can build and homeowners can buy,” Turner said. ‘AMERICAN HOUSES ARE FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE’: TRUMP HOUSING CHIEF INSISTS IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN WILL LOWER COSTS Turner contrasted that approach with the policies championed by Mamdani in the nation’s largest city, arguing his approach discourages the investment needed to increase housing supply. “The policies that he’s putting forth are not encouraging, they’re discouraging,” Turner said. “People want to go a place where they can get the government out of the way. The government is not the answer. The private sector is the answer. Family is the answer. Church and faith is the answer.” Turner predicted that Mamdani’s governing philosophy would ultimately fail. “Mamdani and his policies are the complete opposite of that,” Turner said. “So no, they’re not gonna work, period.” Mamdani has argued his proposals are necessary to address New York City’s housing affordability crisis, contending that stronger tenant protections and expanded public investment would help ease rising costs for working families. Mamdani’s office did not respond to Fox New Digital’s request for comment.
SEE IT: Massive NYC homeless encampment fuels backlash against Mamdani
A sprawling homeless encampment stretching roughly 12 blocks along Manhattan’s West Side is alarming people who live, work and visit nearby, with several telling Fox News Digital that the city is not doing enough to address the tents, trash and reported illegal activity. “I think it’s embarrassing,” said Joan G., a woman who did not want to reveal her last name told Fox News Digital near the encampment. A nearby construction-site security guard who identified himself only as “Joe the Dog Man” also criticized the city’s response. “I just don’t think enough is being done,” he said. HOUSING FIRST IS A DISASTER. I SAW SACRAMENTO’S HOMELESS CHAOS FIRSTHAND Mamdani initially paused encampment sweeps after taking office, fulfilling an early campaign promise, but later introduced a revised removal policy that gives homeless-services teams seven days to conduct outreach before an encampment can be dismantled. “They gotta clean them up, they gotta keep on top of them,” Joe said. “This seven-day stuff, or whatever it is now, is really not working.” City outreach workers visited the encampment this week and were seen primarily collecting trash while many tents remained in place. Joe told Fox News Digital he believed that police should be given greater authority to enforce the city’s rules. “I think we need to enforce and give the police the right to do their job,” he said. The encampments near the Intrepid Museum have drawn complaints about blocked sidewalks, trash and illegal activity. “It’s terrible,” Joe said. “Drugs, prostitution and everything else in between.” SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER MAMDANI’S FAR-LEFT SUPPORTERS TURN ON HIM OVER HOMELESS SHELTER: ‘OOPS’ Some people at the encampment appeared to be drawing power from utility poles, prompting an NYPD response Tuesday. “The NYPD has not been given the green light to clean this encampment up, but we are ready to do so,” an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The New York Post reported that sex workers were bringing customers to tents and nearby bathrooms, citing interviews with people in the area. Fox News Digital has not independently verified that claim. The encampment runs from 34th Street to 46th Street along 11th Avenue. The encampment’s proximity to the Intrepid Museum and Javits Center has also raised concerns about its effect on tourism. Karen, a visitor from Belgium, said she was disappointed by what she viewed as the government’s failure to support homeless people. “It’s sad that they’re not getting the support they promised them,” Karen said. “I don’t know how it works here in America, but yeah, like when a politician promises to help people, they should help everyone.” Mamdani made expanding housing assistance and changing the city’s treatment of homeless New Yorkers central parts of his mayoral campaign. The socialist mayor promised to expand the city’s housing voucher program but later appealed a court order requiring its expansion. His administration said the appeal was necessary to pursue an expansion that would be financially sustainable over the medium and long term. “Shame on us. We have so much wealth in this city,” Joan said of the conditions and the city’s failure to house people living on the street. SEATTLE CLEANED UP FOR THE WORLD CUP BUT ONLY WHILE THE WORLD WAS WATCHING, COMMENTATOR SAYS “I’m okay with paying more,” she continued. “Taxpayer dollars help people who don’t have a place to stay — give them shelter, give them food, help them get trained, get a job, whatever.” Mamdani said earlier this week that the encampments would be cleared, although he did not give a specific timetable. Mamdani’s office did not respond to a request for comment. “Make this a better place for everyone, make it a better place for tourists,” Joan said. “This is not a great look for us,” she continued. “Great city. We can do better.”
WATCH: House Dems dodge questions on socialist agenda that threatens to abolish key institutions
Prominent House Democrats appeared caught off guard when asked about the newly announced plan by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that calls to destroy the current America’s political system — eliminating the Senate, president and Supreme Court. “I don’t support that,” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said when asked about the new agenda. “I haven’t read the proposal.” The revision to the DSA platform, “Workers Deserve More” plans to abolish the Senate entirely and replace the president and Supreme Court with an executive branch and judiciary elected by and subordinate to Congress. BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., one of the most progressive Democrats in Congress, dodged answering questions on the new socialist agenda from Fox News Digital. “I’m not a member of the DSA, so I can’t comment on any documents that they put out,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said. The political commitments of the program are split into three sections, with the last section calling “for a unicameral, proportional legislature (abolishing the Senate) and a parliamentary system (abolishing the presidency), among other goals.” The platform additionally calls for the complete abolishment of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pardoning all immigrants, including those who have committed crimes, and defunding the Department of War. DSA CO-CHAIR PUSHES BACK ON SOVIET UNION COMPARISONS, WANTS PRISONS TO BE ‘LESS NECESSARY’ The organization has publicly advocated for ICE to be abolished since 2018 and its current platform calls for a slew of other extreme immigration reforms, including an “immediate end to all deportations,” “extending full voting rights to people with criminal convictions and noncitizens” and easing restrictions on immigration control for migration between countries. The far-left plan comes as the socialist agenda is proving to be making its way into the mainstream Democratic party as several DSA members and self-proclaimed socialists have been beating out more moderate Democrats in many of this year’s primary elections. Aguilar told Fox News Digital that he was “not at all” worried about the wave of far-left, socialist candidates complicating the Democratic party’s agenda. “I look forward to working with all our colleagues who run as Democrats,” Aguilar said. DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ERUPT OVER 2028 ENDORSEMENT AS AOC SPECULATION GROWS: ‘DANGEROUS PATH’ In a statement published Friday in Democratic Left, the DSA’s official magazine, the organization laid out the formal requirements for these socialist candidates to receive an endorsement from DSA. ” Workers Deserve More will have a formal role in DSA’s national candidate endorsement process. Candidates will “be expected to accept and promote DSA’s program, and align their own campaign platforms with its contents to the best of their ability,” according to the resolution calling for a new Workers Deserve More .” The endorsement requirement means the platform is more than a policy wish list as candidates seeking a DSA endorsement are expected to campaign in line with its agenda, even as House Democrats like Omar, Khanna and Aguilar tell Fox News Digital they had either not read the proposal or declined to comment on it.
WATCH: Lawmakers reveal where they stand on congressional term limits after recent health scares
Amid renewed questions of age and health in Congress, lawmakers are split on whether they should implement some form of term limits, capping the number of terms any one person can serve as an elected federal representative. Despite the relative popularity of the idea of term limits, the debate hinges on whether implementing such a policy would inhibit voter choice and make it harder for Capitol Hill to retain institutional expertise. That’s the concern of Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. ‘THIS IS NOT NORMAL’: AOC UNLOADS ON MCCONNELL’S PROLONGED ABSENCE “The voters will decide who they want. We have term limits, and we have age limits and that is the voter. And if they decide they want to elect an 80-year-old or 100-year-old that’s up to the voters,” Sheehy said. Rep. Glen Grothman, R-Wisc., echoed Sheehy’s thinking. “I think the voters — when they’re electing, if they want to elect Grassley, you shouldn’t take that right away from them,” Grothman said, referring to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the oldest serving member of Congress. Grassley is 92 years old. Although Grassley himself remains in good health, concern about other senior members of Congress has reentered the public eye in recent weeks. Most recently, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., 71, unexpectedly died in office last week. Before that, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 84, and Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., 57, prompted public speculation after extended absences due to health reasons. LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71 In light of those recent events, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he believes that lawmakers should recognize their own personal limits but seemed hesitant to agree that one bar should be set for all members. “People ought to know when it’s time to step aside,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said. “I’ve never been a big supporter of legislative term limits. I’ve served two terms in every position I’ve held until this one. I’m in my third term, but I’ve kind of limited myself before because I feel like you should make opportunities for others. And there’s always a trail on the pool of people who are willing to do it,” Warner said. Other lawmakers disagreed, arguing that the oldest members of Congress had shown that most officeholders would strive to extend their stay in power as long as possible. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believes that the necessary path is term limits. “I’d like to see limits on everybody. And the best limit would be term limits and that’s what we should pass,” Cruz said. “I’ve authored a constitutional amendment that would limit all senators to two terms and limit all House members to three terms. An overwhelming majority of Americans support that, and that would solve the problem effectively because you wouldn’t have people staying here forever.” UNLIKELY BIPARTISAN SENATE DUO SEEKS TO PERMANENTLY BAN EX-LAWMAKERS FROM LOBBYING That’s also the position of Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who said the long tenure of some lawmakers likely goes against the original design for the country. “I’ve been in favor of term limits before I came to Congress. I think the last thing that we need are professional politicians up here. I don’t think that the founding fathers ever meant for it to be that way. Too much power invested in one person — absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Marshall said.
Major appeals court declares New Jersey AR-15 ban unconstitutional in landmark Second Amendment ruling
A federal appeals court on Friday struck down New Jersey‘s ban on semiautomatic rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds, prompting the National Rifle Association (NRA) to call the decision a “historic victory” in a case the gun-rights organization has litigated since 2018. In a sweeping en banc ruling, the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that New Jersey’s assault-firearm and large-capacity magazine restrictions violate the Second Amendment. The court expanded a lower court’s ruling by declaring the state’s so-called “assault-firearm” ban unconstitutional as it applied to the full class of semiautomatic rifles, not just the AR-15, and also struck down New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles and its restrictions on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. DOJ SUES DENVER OVER BAN ON ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS’ AS CITY’S DEM MAYOR SAYS IT ‘WILL NOT BE BULLIED’ “This is an NRA case that we’ve been litigating since 2018, so it’s a monumental win,” Justin Davis, managing director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association, told Fox News Digital. The NRA celebrated the decision in a statement, calling it a major victory for gun owners nationwide. “Today marks a historic victory for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and law-abiding Americans,” the organization said. INSIDE TRUMP’S UNPRECEDENTED BATTLE PLAN TO EXPAND SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS THROUGH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT “The Third Circuit has struck down these unconstitutional so-called assault weapons bans and magazine bans in New Jersey, affirming what we’ve always known: the right to keep and bear arms, including commonly-owned rifles and standard-capacity magazines, is fundamental and cannot be infringed by politicians who prioritize control over constitutional freedoms.” “This ruling protects the rights of millions of responsible gun owners in the Garden State and serves as another benchmark in our efforts to dismantle gun control across the country.” Writing for the majority, U.S. Circuit Judge Arianna Freeman, a Biden appointee, said the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen and subsequent cases require governments to show modern firearm restrictions are consistent with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Applying that framework, the court concluded New Jersey failed to meet that burden. LAWYER WHO BEAT HAWAII GUN LAW CALLS STATE’S RELIANCE ON BLACK CODE ‘DISGRACEFUL’ The majority held that New Jersey’s ban on semiautomatic rifles violates the Second Amendment and reversed the district court’s decision upholding the state’s ban on magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. The opinion said New Jersey enacted its “assault-firearms law” in 1990, following a California elementary school shooting. According to the court, the governor at the time described the banned firearms as “guns capable of wholesale destruction” that were “designed to wipe out the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time.” The majority concluded that semiautomatic rifles and magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds are protected by the Second Amendment and that New Jersey failed to demonstrate the restrictions are consistent with America’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Several judges dissented, arguing the banned firearms are unusually dangerous military-style weapons that states have long had authority to regulate and that the decision conflicts with every other federal appeals court to uphold similar state restrictions.
Time enough at last: What’s next after the House passes bill to do away with Daylight Saving Time?
There are 86,410 seconds in a day. 1,440 minutes. The most daylight in Washington, D.C. emerges in June, stretching 14 hours and 57 minutes. The shortest is near the winter solstice, clocking in at a scant nine hours and 29 minutes. Congress can’t change any of that. But it can alter how we perceive it. Lawmakers routinely fork over to public tax cuts, economic stimulus and the elimination of a cumbersome law or policy. Awarding something to the voters is part of the Congressional DNA. So even though time is finite, lawmakers are again trying to give people something: more daylight. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Sunshine Protection Act this week, 308-117. HOUSE PASSES SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT TO MAKE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT No. Our sun wasn’t in jeopardy of going supernova — although it is about halfway through its 10 billion year lifespan. Lawmakers weren’t safeguarding it. But they wanted you to think they were. The Sunshine Protection Act permanently shifts the U.S. onto Daylight Saving Time. That’s a congressionally contrived temporal statute. In other words, with adoption of the bill, we will never shift back to Standard Time again. No more “springing forward” or “falling back.” We’re on Daylight Saving Time now. And we are here to stay if this becomes law. “Polling shows that two-thirds of Americans want to unlock the clock. My bill is simply a solution to make Daylight Saving Time permanent,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), one of the chief sponsors of the legislation. “Allowing an extra hour of sunlight in the evening gives families more time for outside sports activities and school.” An extra hour of sunlight? Really? In other words, it’s really the same amount of light – or lack thereof – at 7 p.m. under Daylight Saving Time that we could experience at 6 p.m. under Standard Time. But Congress is in the giving business. “Why are we forcing families, businesses, and communities to adjust their schedules every spring and fall? The twice-yearly clock change is a relic of the past that no longer reflects the way Americans live,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) Perhaps it’s an idea whose time has come. The biannual time change is maddening. My mother taught second grade at the same elementary school I attended in rural Ohio. One year, the school custodian got to work early on the Monday morning after the fall time change. He began to reset the clocks in each classroom. He maneuvered from south to north through the building, updating the clocks in the kindergarten. Then onto the first grade. Second grade after that. Third grade. Finally, fourth grade. But as you traversed the school, each clock ran two to three minutes behind the one the custodian set previously. We theorized that he looked at his watch, say around 7:10 a.m. – and proceeded to set each clock to 7:10 – regardless of the actual time. By the time you got to fourth grade, the clocks were nearly 20 minutes behind schedule. As they say, timing is everything. Only an episode involving my mother and grandmother tops the school’s time warp. My mother once called my grandmother to remind her the time change would kick in at 2 a.m. on Sunday. My grandmother was incredulous. “You mean I have to sit up until two o’clock in the morning to change it?” she asked. Establishing a year-around time isn’t something worth losing sleep over. Most just hate the exercise. HOUSE PASSES DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME REFORM AS TRUMP SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR ENDING CLOCK CHANGE “People in Tennessee wanted it gone. It’s ridiculous. In the fall it starts getting dark around 5:00. Kind of depresses me. Really kind of a doggy downer. So I’m kind of digging the fact that we’re going to fix it,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) Only one member spoke out in opposition when the House debated the time-change bill: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) Her grievances focused on why Congress was even considering the legislation when it wasn’t trained on bread-and-butter subjects which could be key in the midterms. “We aren’t voting on bills right now that would reduce the sky-high costs of food, fuel, health care, or addressing the President’s war in Iran. Instead, we’re considering a bill that was deadly and dangerous in the past, in the ‘70s,” said Dean. Dean is referring to an experiment in 1974. Congress voted in late 1973 to park the nation on Daylight Saving Time for two solid years. This would help combat the OPEC oil embargo and fuel shortages. It was a disaster. Kids in Washington, DC headed for school around 8:30 a.m. It’s unclear whether the custodian properly adjusted the clocks. But it was “jet black” in DC, according to one news account from the time. Some kids set off for school with flashlights illuminating their paths. You might not give politics the time of day. But the time of day infuriated Americans in the mid-1970s. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed embraced the year-round time switch in December 1973. But that number plunged to 42 percent by August 1974. Future Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) offered a measure to torpedo the Daylight Saving Time project. It passed. And by fall, everyone was falling back. A House panel examining the issue declared that changing the clocks “must be balanced against a majority of the public’s distaste for the observance of Daylight Saving Time.” In 2022, the Senate unexpectedly approved a year-round Daylight Saving Time bill. But it languished as the House hit the snooze button. Now the House approved an updated version of the legislation. President Trump called switching the clocks “ridiculous.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) even discussed the issue with him this week. “He seems to be very enthusiastic about it. I would put it that way. And I think we’re going to move the bill pretty quickly,” said Kennedy. “Some of my colleagues are opposed to it. They’re entitled with their opinion. But I think
Democrats turn on congressional hopeful after ‘hiding’ LGBTQ+ views from Muslim voters
A Washington state Democrat hoping to unseat a longtime member of Congress is facing a revolt from within her own party, after reportedly saying she left LGBTQ+ rights off her campaign website because she feared alienating Muslim voters. Seattle Red first reported that Democrat organizations were reconsidering their endorsements of Melissa Chaudhry, a progressive Democrat challenging longtime Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., in Washington’s 9th Congressional District, after comments she made during an endorsement interview with The Stranger. When asked why her website did not mention LGBTQ+ issues, Chaudhry replied, “because a lot of Muslims do not feel that way, unfortunately,” according to The Stranger. The comments quickly sparked backlash from Democrat LGBTQ+ activists, with the Washington State Stonewall Democrats urging organizations to reconsider and rescind their endorsements of Chaudhry. DEMOCRATS CAUGHT ON CAMERA COACHING CANDIDATE ON HOW TO BE ‘AUTHENTIC’ IN 2026 MESSAGING “Her comments are disqualifying because they reveal a deliberate choice to hide her positions on LGBTQ+ rights while actively seeking Democratic endorsements,” Washington State Stonewall Democrats chair Andrew Ashiofu told Fox News Digital. “Anyone running as a Democrat should be bold enough to stand with our community. When a candidate chooses concealment instead of clarity, it raises serious concerns about honesty, integrity, and alignment with core Democratic values,” he added. Ashiofu said the organization is urging groups to revisit their endorsements because “transparency and trust are foundational to the Democratic endorsement process.” “When a candidate admits to hiding key civil-rights positions or tailoring their message to avoid acknowledging LGBTQ+ people, that undermines the integrity of every organization that endorsed her in good faith,” he said. “Democratic groups deserve full honesty from candidates, and we believe her comments warrant a reevaluation of any support she has received.” TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CLAIMS SHE NEVER CALLED FOR ‘INTERNMENT CAMPS’ AFTER PARTY LEADERS CONDEMN HER The Washington State Stonewall Democrats specifically called on organizations that have endorsed Chaudhry, including the 11th, 33rd, 37th and 43rd District Democrats, to reconsider their support. Ashiofu also told Fox News Digital that neither Chaudhry nor her campaign has contacted the organization since the controversy became public. “Our position is straightforward: LGBTQ+ rights are not optional within the Democratic Party. They are foundational,” he said. “Candidates seeking Democratic support must be willing to champion our community openly, consistently, and without hesitation,” Ashiofu continued. “When a candidate admits to hiding their stance or misleading voters and endorsing bodies, that is a breach of trust. Democratic organizations should hold candidates to the highest standards of transparency and integrity because our community deserves nothing less.” DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’ The controversy expanded beyond LGBTQ+ issues after The Stranger also reported that Chaudhry said she intended to run as a Democrat before switching to the Green Party if elected to Congress. The outlet also reported that she asked the information not be made public during the endorsement process. That revelation prompted additional concern among local Democrat leaders. According to The Stranger, members of the 33rd District Democrats have discussed changing their bylaws because current rules do not allow an endorsement to be rescinded once it has been awarded. Conservative radio host and Seattle commentator Jason Rantz, who first reported the controversy for Seattle Red, said the dispute underscores competing priorities within the Democratic coalition. “Democrats built their coalition on the promise that every marginalized identity group wins simultaneously, and Melissa Chaudhry just proved the pandering doesn’t always work,” Rantz told Fox News Digital. “When intersectionality forces progressives to rank Muslim voters against LGBTQ activists, somebody gets thrown overboard. Now the same party that preaches inclusion is rewriting its own bylaws to purge one of its own, because in the so-called oppression Olympics, there’s always a loser on the podium.” Chaudhry pushed back on the criticism in a post on X, insisting she has supported LGBTQ+ rights throughout her life. “For the record: I’ve supported full equality for LGBTQ+ people my entire life — not since this campaign started. My entire life,” she wrote. Chaudhry said her only sibling is LGBTQIA+, that she helped found her high school’s Gay Straight Alliance “back when we had to keep the meeting location secret for our own safety,” and that one of her closest friends is “a disabled lesbian woman raising her family against immense stigma.” “This is not a talking point for me. It is the fabric of my life,” she wrote. Chaudhry also accused the media of misrepresenting her remarks, writing, “The media that ignored three years of rape and death threats against a federal candidate is now running with a lie. I’m setting the record straight — in my own voice.” She also has said the atmosphere during the endorsement interview contributed to her remarks, describing the meeting as hostile, according to The Stranger. Smith, who has represented Washington’s 9th Congressional District since 1997, faces multiple challengers in the Democratic primary, including Chaudhry. Chaudhry’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.