FBI’s Fulton County warrant sought election records, voter rolls from 2020 election
The search warrant that FBI agents executed Wednesday at an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia, authorized the seizure of election records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election, according to a copy of the warrant reviewed by Fox News. The FBI’s search of the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Union City, Georgia, appears to be the most public indication to date that the bureau could be pursuing an investigation into complaints of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Fulton County is the most populous county in Georgia and includes the capital city of Atlanta. It most notably emerged as ground zero for voter fraud complaints in the wake of the 2020 election, though the claims did not survive court scrutiny. Fox News Digital reported yesterday that FBI agents were seen entering the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center, a new facility that state officials opened in 2023 that was designed to streamline their election processes. JUDGE DISMISSES 2020 ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE AGAINST TRUMP According to a copy of the warrant, FBI personnel in Fulton County were authorized to seize all physical ballots, tabulator tapes, electronic ballot images and voter rolls obtained during the 2020 election from the county’s main election facility. The FBI said in a statement that agents were executing a “court-authorized law enforcement action” at the facility. “Our investigation into this matter is ongoing so there are no details that we can provide at the moment,” they said. News of the search comes years after Fulton County emerged at the center of concerns and complaints about voter fraud in the wake of the 2020 elections, including from President Donald Trump, who lost the state to former President Joe Biden by a razor-thin margin. Despite a machine count and two recounts that confirmed the results, Trump continued to feud for years with Georgia officials and claimed that various instances of fraud had tainted the results. Most recently, Trump reiterated those complaints earlier this month during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He said then that “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did,” though he declined to elaborate. The Justice Department sued Fulton County in December seeking access to ballots related to the 2020 lawsuit, though the FBI’s search appears unrelated. Fulton County is fighting the lawsuit and says the Justice Department has not made a valid argument for accessing the records.
‘Shocking and inappropriate’: Legal experts slam judges’ guide over climate bias claims
A gold-standard guide used by judges nationwide to address subjects they are not particularly versed in is drawing criticism over the latest edition’s inclusion of purported ideological bias focused on its climate section. Critics have said the fourth edition of the Federal Judicial Center’s Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence – which includes a foreword by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan – appears to blur the line between neutrally educating judges and indoctrinating them with left-wing advocates’ prose. The approximately 1,600-page guide was released at the beginning of the year and includes several citations and footnotes to climate change activists and proponents, including climatologist Michael Mann and environmental law expert Jessica Wentz. CLIMATE DEADLINES COLLIDE WITH POLITICS AS DEM-LED STATES CHASE BIG OIL IN COURT BUT SPARE LOCAL REFINERS Wentz is the topline expert at the Climate Judiciary Project at the Environmental Law Institute — an entity currently under federal investigation, as Fox News Digital recently reported. “The Committee on the Judiciary is investigating allegations of improper attempts by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) and its Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) to influence federal judges,” read a statement from House Judiciary Committee members Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Jordan and Issa found evidence of efforts to “influence judges who potentially may be presiding over lawsuits related to alleged climate change claims… [which] appear to have the underlying goal of predisposing federal judges in favor of plaintiffs alleging injuries from the manufacturing, marketing, use, or sale of fossil-fuel products.” SCOOP: WHITE HOUSE BACKS IMPEACHING ‘ROGUE’ JUDGES ACCUSED OF PARTISAN RULINGS A spokesperson for the institute told Fox News Digital at the time that CJP’s curriculum is “fact-based and science-first, grounded in consensus reports and developed with a robust peer review process” and that suggestions otherwise are “without merit.” Wentz, who is also a senior fellow at Columbia’s Sabin Center for Climate Law, is listed as chief author of the section, along with fellow university faculty Radley Horton, on page 1561. She served as a witness for the plaintiffs in Juliana v. U.S., where youth activists accused the U.S. government of violating their constitutional rights by failing to implement their preferred climate change policies. She also signed an amicus brief supporting the Obama administration’s environmental regulations after multiple states filed lawsuits against the EPA in 2016. Nonetheless, legal experts warned of the potential repercussions down the line of having such prominent contributors in what is supposed to be an apolitical anthology. “It is alarming to see how far the Left has gone in its blatant effort to capture the judiciary. Its feeding of trial lawyers’ climate ‘science’ to sitting judges who will decide contentious litigation in this area short-circuits our system of justice,” said Carrie Severino, a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and president of the Judicial Crisis Network. “When they can’t pass their extreme policies into law, they are attempting to use the courts as an end run around the legislative process,” said Severino, whose organization has helped vet judicial nominees, including Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Michael Fragoso of Torridon Law, former chief counsel to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., agreed that there is rank bias throughout the climate section of the anthology. SUPREME COURT MUST FREEZE THE CLIMATE EXTORTION OF OUR ENERGY INDUSTRY “The whole section of the guide is shockingly inappropriate—and if you look at the organizational meeting at the National Academies, intentionally so,” Fragoso said. “But when you dig into it, it only gets worse. The section on attribution ‘science,’ for example, was lifted in large part by a previous article written by the two authors and Michael Burger, who is himself a climate-plaintiff lawyer.” “Given that attribution is at the heart of these lawsuits, it’s shocking that the Judicial Center would let a plaintiff lawyer ‘explain’ it to judges. It’s even worse that it’s hidden in a random footnote,” said Fragoso, who recently analyzed a key energy-related suit in Louisiana. The House Judiciary Committee previously alleged CJP’s efforts appear to have the underlying goal of predisposing federal judges in favor of plaintiffs involved in climate litigation. Mann, a climate change academic in Pennsylvania, authored a book called “The New Climate War,” and the judges’ guide cites the book to claim the energy industry has sought to deceive the public. He resigned from a role at the University of Pennsylvania in 2025 after disparaging social media comments about Charlie Kirk that invoked the Hitler Youth movement, and previously successfully sued conservative commentator Mark Steyn for $1 million over aggressive criticism of his famous “hockey stick graph” that resulted from his study of human influence on global warming over the centuries. When asked about criticisms of her role in crafting the guide, Wentz told Fox News Digital, “no comment.” Mann did not respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
7 Republicans join Dems to block major government funding package as shutdown looms
Senate Democrats stayed true to their threat by blocking a behemoth funding package, but in a surprising turn of events, they were joined by several Senate Republicans to derail the legislation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus made it no secret that they would obstruct the government funding process over the last several days, demanding that Republicans strip the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill from the six-bill package. But the defection of seven GOP lawmakers – Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Mike Lee, R- Utah, Ashley Moody, R-Fla., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. – was an unexpected development on Thursday. Senate Democrats are willing to support the five other bills in the package, however, and have reiterated that bundle would easily pass if given the chance. SENATE REPUBLICANS WEIGH DEM DEMAND TO SPLIT DHS BILL, TURN TO SHORT-TERM EXTENSION TO AVOID SHUTDOWN “Democrats are ready to avert a shutdown,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “We have five bills we all agree on. About 95% of the remaining budget. It is ready to go,” she continued. “We can pass those five bills, no problem. All Leader Thune has to do is tee them up for a vote.” But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sought to call their bluff and barreled forward with the key test vote, which would have opened up several hours of debate and eventually a final vote to send the package to President Donald Trump’s desk. Ahead of the vote, Thune said he hoped that conversations between the White House and Senate Democrats would produce the “the votes that are necessary to get it passed.” Thune threw cold water on Senate Democrats’ several demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) making their way into the current package, too. “That’s not going to happen in this bill, but there are, I mean, there’s a path to consider some of those things and negotiate that out between Republicans, Democrats, House, Senate, White House,” Thune said. “But that’s not gonna happen in this bill.” With the six-bill package, which included major funding bills for the Pentagon and other agencies, now scuttled, Senate Republicans and the White House are looking for a plan B to keep the government open or to at least minimize the damage from a partial shutdown. SCHUMER ROLLS OUT LIST OF ICE DEMANDS AS WHITE HOUSE SAYS DEMS ‘BLOCKED’ DEAL-MAKING SESSION One option gaining momentum among Republicans would be to strip the DHS funding bill from the broader package, advance the smaller, five-bill bundle and then turn to a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), for just Homeland Security. And there are ongoing negotiations among Senate Democrats and the White House on that particular idea. A White House official told Fox News Digital in a statement, “President Trump has been consistent — he wants the government to remain open, and the Administration has been working with both parties to ensure the American people don’t have to endure another shutdown.” “A shutdown would risk disaster response funding and more vital resources for the American people,” the official said. But taking that route presents several hurdles and challenges, particularly with the House out until next week. That’s because any modification to the current six-bill package would require the lower chamber to agree to it. The same is true for any CR that the Senate produces for DHS. SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING Schumer pinned the possibility of a shutdown on Thune, arguing that if he just put the five-bill package on the floor, Senate Democrats would support it. “Well, let me tell you first, if funding lapses, it’s all because of Leader Thune,” Schumer said. “It’s on his back.” House Republicans have already signaled their unwillingness to support a modified funding package, and turning to a CR is a simmering taboo that many Republicans in the lower chamber aren’t likely to be happy with. But it’s an option that could be gaining steam with Schumer and the White House, despite Trump administration officials blaming the top Senate Democrat for canning a meeting among rank-and-file Senate Democrats and the administration on Wednesday. Turning to a CR would be an about-face for Senate Democrats, too. Last week they argued that a short-term extension for DHS would amount to a “slush fund” for Trump and the administration to use in their immigration operations with no guardrails.
Federal prosecutors charge man accused of spraying Rep Ilhan Omar at town hall
A federal criminal charge has been filed against the suspect accused of spraying a liquid on Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a town hall event this week. Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, “forcibly assaulted, opposed, impeded, intimidated, and interfered with United States Representative Ilhan Omar,” says a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and obtained by Fox News. The charge was filed by the Justice Department in Minnesota and assigned to Magistrate Judge Dulce J. Foster. Right before the attack, Omar called for the resignation or impeachment of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, following multiple fatal shootings involving federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis. Kazmierczak, who was previously convicted of two DUIs, was charged at the state level with third-degree assault and was booked into the Hennepin County Jail. ILHAN OMAR BLAMES TRUMP’S RHETORIC FOR SURGE IN DEATH THREATS, INCLUDING SPRAY ATTACK The criminal complaint featured an image of the syringe that federal prosecutors said was used by Kazmierczak in the incident. It cited a Minneapolis Police Department officer as saying that a hazmat specialist “field tested the substance from the syringe and determined it was water and apple cider vinegar.” “The substance was sent to a state laboratory for further testing and analysis,” the complaint added. ILHAN OMAR DEMANDS IMPEACEMENT OF NOEM AMID DHS FUNDING BATTLE: ‘WE MUST ABOLISH ICE’ “An MPD Detective Sergeant reviewed body worn camera footage of MPD’s arrest of Kazmierczak. The detective noted that Kazmierczak made a spontaneous utterance to the effect of ‘I squirted vinegar’ at the time he was being arrested,” it continued. The complaint also said that on Wednesday, an FBI special agent interviewed a close associate of Kazmierczak who “stated that several years ago, Kazmierczak was speaking to the person on the phone about Representative Omar and said, ‘Somebody should kill that b—-,’ referring to Representative Omar.” Fox News’ Jessica Sonkin and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Jordanian national arrested after boarding flight in Arizona with invalid ticket, prompting evacuation
Authorities arrested a Jordanian national in Arizona after he boarded a flight with an invalid ticket on Sunday. According to an affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, Qais Ahmad Tillawi is being charged with interference with flight crew members and entering an airport area in violation of security requirements. Tillawi had gained entry to an international Air France flight despite having a canceled ticket and a flagged boarding pass. Police say Tillawi abandoned his rental car at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and threw two jackets into the trash before boarding the plane. The affidavit says Tillawi was acting erratically while on the plane and alarmed the other passengers. Authorities say he refused to take his seat and began pacing the plane, which eventually had to be evacuated. INDIAN NATIONAL ALLEGEDLY STABBED 2 TEENS WITH FORK ON FLIGHT Tillawi had previously been committed to a mental hospital after a prior airport arrest. “While Tillawi was in the boarding area, an Air France passenger reported to an Air France employee that Tillawi was acting suspicious,” the affidavit reads. The plane’s captain ordered Tillawi to leave the plane, but he refused, instead typing a message on his phone that read, “Send the USA marshal.” Phoenix police were called and soon responded to the scene. Tillawi was the last person to leave the plane. The affidavit noted that Tillawi had been detained at the Dubai Airport in 2024 after similar erratic behavior. He was temporarily committed to a mental institution following the incident. TRUMP LAUNCHES PHASE 2 OF GAZA PEACE PLAN — BUT HAMAS DISARMAMENT REMAINS THE REAL TEST Police who interviewed him at the Phoenix airport said he refused to give his name or speak at all, instead using his phone to type messages. Authorities called his brother living in Jordan, who said Tillawi speaks fluent English and had attended Arizona State University.
Minneapolis mayor to visit DC to push for end of ‘unlawful ICE operations’ after Trump’s blunt warning
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is heading to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to push for an end to “unlawful ICE operations,” his office announced. Frey’s trip to the nation’s capital comes as White House border czar Tom Homan vowed Thursday to remain in Minnesota leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there “until the problem is gone.” It’s unclear if Frey will meet with the White House while he is in Washington, but he is expected to address the U.S. Conference of Mayors at 1:45 p.m. ET, before heading back home later Thursday evening. “Mayor Jacob Frey is traveling to Washington, D.C. today to attend the U.S. Conference of Mayors, where he will meet with mayors and federal lawmakers from across the country to advocate for an end to Operation Metro Surge and other unlawful ICE operations,” his office said in a statement. “During the visit, Mayor Frey will also participate in national discussions focused on how cities can work together to keep communities safe while upholding the rule of law,” it added. “Since Operation Metro Surge began in Minnesota, families have been torn apart, small businesses have suffered economic losses, and local law enforcement agencies have experienced increased strain.” BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN VOWS TO STAY IN MINNESOTA ‘UNTIL THE PROBLEM’S GONE’ Frey said in his own statement that, “Minneapolis may be where we’ve seen one of the largest ICE deployments in the country, but it will not be the last if we fail to act.” Homan said Thursday morning that the Trump administration is working on a “drawdown plan” to decrease the presence of federal agents in Minnesota. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said, “Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.’ This is after having had a very good conversation with him.” “Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!” Trump warned. KLOBUCHAR LAUNCHES MINNESOTA GOVERNOR BID AFTER WALZ ENDS RE-ELECTION RUN AMID MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL Frey responded to the president’s comments. “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911,” the mayor asserted in a post on X, making an apparent reference to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The president issued the warning on Wednesday after Frey, who met with Homan on Tuesday, declared in a Tuesday post on X that the city will not enforce federal immigration law. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
House Republicans push election overhaul with voter ID, mail-in ballot changes ahead of midterms
House Republicans are rolling out a massive election overhaul package ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, including new voter ID requirements as well as limitations on how and when votes are cast. The Committee on House Administration is unveiling new legislation on Thursday called the Make Elections Great Again (MEGA) Act, which would impose new federal standards on national elections across the U.S. The sprawling bill includes key portions of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a measure that was led by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, in the House. It comes as the Senate sees a renewed pressure campaign led by Elon Musk and others to take up that legislation. “Americans should be confident their elections are being run with integrity — including commonsense voter ID requirements, clean voter rolls, and citizenship verification,” Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said in a statement. SUPREME COURT SAYS ILLINOIS CONGRESSMAN CAN SUE OVER STATE MAIL-IN VOTING LAWS He said the bill’s guardrails “will improve voter confidence, bolster election integrity, and make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.” Like the SAVE Act, the legislation would include mandatory proof of citizenship when a person registers to vote for the first time. Casting a ballot in federal elections would also require a photo ID. Progressive Democrats and groups like the League of Women Voters have argued that photo ID laws disenfranchise minority voters, while the Heritage Foundation pointed out that it’s shown to be popular across multiple public polls. CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS WIDEN 2026 BATTLEFIELD, ZERO IN ON NEW HOUSE REPUBLICAN TARGETS Steil’s elections bill would also ban ranked-choice voting in federal races, require states to use auditable paper ballots rather than electronic slips, and impose stronger requirements on voter list maintenance to ensure rolls are up to date. New guardrails on mail-in ballots include a ban on universal mail-in ballots — meaning voters would have to specifically request one to receive it — while also requiring mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day to count and banning “ballot harvesting” by third parties aiming to deliver them to poll centers. The new legislation comes ahead of what’s expected to be a difficult midterm election season for Republicans. Historical trends dictate that the first midterms after power changes hands in Washington normally see that party in power suffer losses, but GOP leaders are publicly optimistic that they can reverse that trend. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to ask whether it supports Steil’s bill but did not hear back by press time.
Snowstorm could’ve sparked grid catastrophe if Biden climate policies weren’t reversed: Energy Dept
EXCLUSIVE: The electric grid kept the lights on for much of the country hit by the weekend’s massive snowstorm chiefly because the Trump administration broke from Biden-era plans, keeping five major coal-fired power plants online and allowing grid providers to draw in more fossil fuel-based energy in vulnerable areas. The Energy Department made the claims in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, as officials said multiple megawatts of power were made additionally available from otherwise taboo hydrocarbons. Secretary Chris Wright issued several emergency orders over the weekend and through Tuesday that permitted power plants to operate beyond levels set by EPA regulations and considered the ceiling prior to President Donald Trump’s second term, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. LIZ PEEK: TRUMP WHITE HOUSE FIRED UP ABOUT KING COAL’S RETURN TO POWER Five such plants were on track to be closed under the Biden-era push to pivot from fossil fuels to green energy, the official said, adding that the Trump administration was prepared to give energy producers leeway to push more power online to reduce risks of blackouts. The Trump administration saved 17 gigawatts of coal power that were going to be forcibly shut down as well, Fox News has learned. “We told grid providers: if your energy demand reaches a critical level… let us know,” the official said, adding that there is a direct correlation between the power being saved up and what was needed to keep the lights on as states from Alabama to Vermont were hammered with wintry weather and deep freezes. As the storm approached, Wright informed grid operators to be prepared to use more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation nationwide, sourced from anywhere from data centers to big-box stores, bypassing prior environmental regulations by emergency order. That gave a wide buffer against blackouts and hundreds of millions in emergency costs for Americans — as 1 gigawatt is enough to power Wright’s hometown Denver metro area alone. TRUMP ADMIN RELAUNCHES KEY COUNCIL AFTER BIDEN ADMIN SHUTTERED IT: ‘IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE’ “How power sources perform during peak electricity demand reveal their true value,” Energy Department press secretary Ben Dietderich told Fox News Digital. “Across the country, wind and solar generation plummeted while natural gas, coal and oil plants did the majority of the work keeping the lights on during the storm. According to DOE data, the Biden administration’s support for forcibly closing reliable coal and natural gas plants had America on track to see blackouts increase 100 times over by 2030.” “Thankfully, President Trump was elected and has already prevented the forced closure of five coal plants and more than 17 gigawatts of reliable coal power,” Dietderich added. CONGRESS REPEALED THE GREEN NEW DEAL. CAN TRUMP FINISH THE JOB? Dietderich said the Trump administration and Wright continue to be committed to “unleashing” affordable and reliable energy that works — “whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining,” a common administration reference to the unreliability of those forms of green energy when those natural power sources aren’t present. As the storm approached, Wright remarked that the Trump administration “will not stand by and allow the previous administration’s reckless energy subtraction policies and bureaucratic red tape put American lives at risk.” The structure of the department’s emergency preparations is also meant to save American lives, he said. TRUMP MOCKS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL INSURRECTIONISTS’ AS AMERICANS BRACE FOR MASSIVE WINTER STORMS: ‘GLOBAL WARMING?’ In that regard, wind and solar power only accounted for 10% of the energy utilized across the storm’s path. Hydrocarbons and coal, by contrast, provided 68% of the power in those same areas, a power source often maligned on the left. The department noted that in New England — where renewable and green energy sources are often put on the proverbial pedestal — nearly two-thirds of the energy utilized was sourced from hydrocarbon-based or coal-fired power. American coal power itself provided enough electricity for 30 million homes across the storm’s path, the department said. Fox News Digital reached out to President Biden’s representatives for comment.
Ecuador complains to Trump admin, alleging ICE agent sought to enter Minneapolis consulate
Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it submitted a “note of protest” to the U.S. government after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent allegedly tried to enter its consulate in Minnesota this week. In a post on X about the “attempted incursion” in Minneapolis on Tuesday, the ministry said, “Immediately, consular officials prevented the ICE officer from entering the consular headquarters, thereby guaranteeing the protection of the Ecuadorians who were at the consular headquarters at that time and activating the emergency protocols issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility,” according to a translation. “In light of the above, the Chancellor of the Republic immediately presented a note of protest to the United States Embassy in Ecuador to ensure that acts of this nature are not repeated in any of the consular offices of Ecuador in the United States,” the Ministry added. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE and the State Department did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW ALEX PRETTI SPITTING AT FEDERAL AGENTS, VIOLENTLY DAMAGE SUV DAYS BEFORE FATAL CBP SHOOTING “I saw the officers going after two people in the street, and then those people went into the consulate, and the officers tried to go in after them,” a witness told Reuters. ICE ENDED MAINE ENFORCEMENT SURGE, GOP SENATOR SAYS, CITING NOEM A video of the alleged attempt shows a man inside the facility rushing to the door, saying, “This is the consulate of Ecuador, you are not allowed to enter.” “Relax, I did not enter. . . . If you touch me, I will grab you,” another voice is then heard saying. The man inside the facility then closes the door. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said the “attempt by ICE agents to force their way into the Ecuadorian Consulate represents yet another outrageous and unacceptable disregard for the rule of law by the Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security.” “Diplomatic facilities are protected for a reason. Any effort by U.S. law enforcement officials to enter another country’s diplomatic facility without permission is not only unlawful, it risks setting a profoundly dangerous precedent that could put American diplomats, servicemembers, and their families abroad at risk,” he added.
Dem LA councilman to stand trial on felony corruption charges, judge rules
A Los Angeles city council member will stand trial on felony public corruption charges after a judge ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to proceed, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Shelly Torrealba ordered Curren Price, a Democrat representing the city’s 9th District, to answer to all 12 felony counts, including embezzlement of government funds, conflict of interest and perjury, following a six-day preliminary hearing. “This is a significant step toward holding L.A. Councilmember Curren Price accountable for years of alleged corruption,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Our Public Integrity Division has been prepared to go to trial since the charges were originally filed. The rules are clear: elected officials cannot enrich themselves at the expense of their constituents, cannot lie on disclosure forms and cannot vote on matters in which they have a conflict of interest,” he added. CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY STEALING MILLIONS IN HOMELESS FUNDS Price’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Prosecutors allege the councilman improperly voted on city projects that financially benefited his wife and failed to disclose those conflicts on required state forms. They also say he embezzled approximately $33,800 in city funds from 2013 to 2017 and used his position in city government to award city lease agreements and more than $2 million in federal COVID-19 grants to the nonprofit Home at Last, a paying tenant of Urban Healthcare Project, where Price served as CEO at the time of the votes. FORMER GAVIN NEWSOM CHIEF OF STAFF CHARGED IN $225K FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME, DOJ SAYS Price has denied any wrongdoing, and his arraignment is scheduled for March 13. LA CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT NURY MARTINEZ FACES CALLS TO RESIGN AFTER RACIST REMARKS EMERGE IN LEAKED AUDIO The city council member was initially charged in 2023 with five felony counts of embezzlement of government funds, two felony counts of conflict of interest and three felony counts of perjury. An amended complaint filed in August 2025 added two more felony conflict of interest counts, alleging that the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and LA Metro paid Price’s wife more than $800,000 while he voted to award the agencies multimillion-dollar contracts. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said if convicted, Price faces a maximum sentence of 11 years and four months, including up to nine years and four months in state prison and up to two years in county jail.