O’Rourke, Soros-linked groups face call for DOJ probe over alleged funding of Texas Dem walkout
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants the Justice Department to investigate groups tied to Beto O’Rourke and George Soros for allegedly funding Texas Democrats’ exodus from the state. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to open an investigation into whether O’Rourke’s Powered by People political action committee (PAC) and the Soros-linked Texas Majority PAC have acted “in violation of federal public corruption and election laws” for raising funds to help Texas state Democrats leave the state during the redistricting special session. “I write today to encourage an investigation of the entities funding this charade,” Cornyn wrote in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital. “News reports make clear that PACs tied to Beto O’Rourke and megadonors such as George Soros are supporting the legislators, along with other campaign entities.” GEORGE SOROS, BETO O’ROURKE BEHIND FUNDING FOR DEMS FLEEING TEXAS OVER GOP CONGRESSIONAL MAP The Texas Democrats fled the state in an effort to kill a special session called by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redraw maps in the Lone Star State. The lawmakers fled in a bid to prevent a quorum to prevent legislation from moving forward. Cornyn previously called on FBI Director Kash Patel to help find the legislators. His latest letter comes on the heels of reports from the Texas Tribune that O’Rourke’s PAC has played a major role in financially supporting the roughly 50 Democrats who departed for New York and Illinois, paying for airfare, lodging and helping with the $500-per-day fines the lawmakers face for skipping the legislative session. The Soros-aligned PAC is also reportedly working with national fundraising groups to secure additional funding for the legislators. Fox News Digital reached out to both organizations for comment. TRUMP’S EARLIEST SUPPORTER ANNOUNCES BID FOR ALABAMA SENATE SEAT However, the Texas state Senate advanced the new maps on Tuesday night and the missing House Democrats are reportedly planning to return to the state. Now, the Texas state House must vote on the redistricting changes for them to become law. The special session is slated to end next Tuesday, though Abbott has said he would call another in the face of the Democrats’ opposition tactics. Cornyn charged that if legislators took money and gifts in exchange for using their official position to prevent a quorum call, then they may have committed honest services fraud or Hobbs Act Extortion. And by crossing state lines, he noted, the lawmakers could be in violation of the federal Travel Act, “if they did so with the intent to break either federal or state laws.” He said that “at a minimum, it appears likely that Texas state bribery and corruption laws may have been broken” by both the legislators who accepted benefits and the groups linked to O’Rourke and Soros “who provided these corrupt funds.” And O’Rourke’s group may have violated federal campaign finance laws for spending money in prohibited ways, Cornyn noted, like “expenditures being made for individuals’ personal use, which would include food, lodging, and travel unrelated to electioneering activities.” “I therefore request that you also work with the [Federal Election Commission] to examine both the sources of funding for the special interest groups and PACs funding the House members’ dereliction of duty and how those funds have been spent to ensure compliance with all federal laws and regulations,” he wrote. LONE STAR STATE RIVALS FOR US SENATE COMPETE TO WRANGLE RUNAWAY DEMOCRATS Cornyn’s request also follows a similar demand made by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The pair is locked in an already bloody primary battle to capture the Republican nomination for Senate in the Lone Star State. Paxton on Tuesday requested that a Texas district judge jail O’Rourke over allegations that he violated a court order issued last week that prohibited fundraising meant to back the efforts by Texas Democratic lawmakers to blow up the redistricting effort. Cornyn noted that the lawmakers’ flight not only blocked the redistricting effort, but also harmed legislation that would provide aid to victims of the recent devastating Texas floods. “The special session will end in a matter of days, at which point, assistance to flood victims and other needed measures will go unaddressed,” Cornyn said. “The absconding House members’ dereliction of duty is truly shameful.”
Venezuelan migrants, progressive group sue Trump admin after Noem nixes Biden-era ‘protected status’
A Venezuelan civic group and several migrants sued federal immigration agencies this week, alleging the Trump administration unlawfully ended Biden-imposed “Temporary Protected Status” for Venezuelans. The Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, a progressive group called Democracy Forward, and three migrants filed suit in Boston federal court against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services challenging what they called President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s “sudden and unlawful termination” of temporary protected statuses. In a statement, Democracy Forward said the plaintiffs objected to an alleged April mass email from DHS to TPS migrants stating: “It is time for you to leave the United States.” The plaintiffs suggested the recipients of the blunt missive have the legal right to remain in the U.S. given their work-permitting and other related documentation they may have applied for. FEDERAL JUDGE FINDS ‘RACIAL AND DISCRIMINATORY ANIMUS’ IN TRUMP MOVE TO CANCEL TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS They further argued that TPS revocation requires case-by-case determinations and wrongly disrupts lives and occupations and risks becoming subject to deportation. “As a community-based organization, we have seen firsthand the direct harm this sudden policy inflicts on people who arrived lawfully, complied with every DHS requirement, including the CBP One process, and worked hard to build stable lives for their families,” Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts official Carlina Velázquez and Carlos Martín Medina said in a joint statement obtained by Fox News Digital. Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman added that the “sudden policy shift” exhibits the “Trump-Vance administration’s assault on immigrants who have followed the rules.” “Let me be clear: none of this is about immigration, it’s about cruelty and the targeting of people in vulnerable circumstances,” Perryman claimed. “Our clients used the CBP One app because DHS required it. To now strip them of their rights and threaten them with deportation is a gross violation of the law and public trust.” FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS TRUMP TPS POLICY, ACCUSES DHS OF MAKING MIGRANTS ‘ATONE FOR THEIR RACE’ Migrants fleeing Venezuela – effectively a dictatorship since the late Hugo Chávez’s 1999 election – were granted special protection by former President Joe Biden in 2021 due to humanitarian concerns. Biden then extended TPS in 2023, qualifying about 350,000 more Venezuelan migrants to arrive after the original timeframe imposed. After Trump took office, Noem revoked the 2023 TPS extension, which set the ball rolling on the eventual cancellation of protected status for Venezuelan migrants. In April, Obama-appointed Judge Edward Milton Chen issued an injunction blocking Noem’s move to end TPS. The Supreme Court overruled Chen in a brief, unsigned order in May, allowing Noem’s timeline to resume. While unsigned, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson noted her dissent. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP But Chen then followed up in June with a narrow ruling noting that preexisting work permits and the like should not be canceled retroactively. A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel in Pasadena, California, last heard arguments during a July appeal by the Trump administration during which one judge reportedly called the president’s comments “arguably racist.” In comments to Fox News Digital, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the lawsuit is “a desperate attempt to keep half a million poorly vetted illegal aliens in this country and undermine President Trump’s constitutional authority to enforce America’s immigration laws.” “The Biden administration abused its parole authority to create an industrial-scale catch-and-release scheme, and the Trump administration is correcting that,” she added. “This lawsuit is an insult to the tens of millions of Americans who gave this president a mandate to restore safety and common sense to our immigration system.”
House Democrat presses DOJ on Ghislaine Maxwell prison transfer, meeting with top official
The ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee penned a letter to the Department of Justice demanding information about Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent prison transfer and meeting with a top Trump administration official. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the recent transfer of Maxwell – a convicted sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and alleged accomplice – out of a maximum security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, gives “the strong appearance” that the Trump administration “is attempting to cover up the full extent of the relationship between President Trump and Mr. Epstein.” In the letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III, Raskin said Maxwell’s new home at a minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, provides “greater freedom for inmates.” He argued that such an “extraordinary transfer” would typically be “categorically off limits to sex offenders.” GHISLAINE MAXWELL PRISON TRANSFER CALLED ‘HIGHLY UNUSUAL’ BY FORMER FEDERAL PRISON OFFICIAL “These actions raise substantial concerns that the administration may now be attempting to tamper with a crucial witness, conceal President Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offenders, and coax Ms. Maxwell into providing false or misleading testimony in order to protect the President,” Raskin wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Fox News Digital. “The transfer also appears to violate both DOJ and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policies.” The letter asked for a cache of documents related to why Maxwell was transferred from Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee to Federal Prison Campe (FPC) Bryan. Raskin is also seeking a transcript and recording of Maxwell’s recent, hours-long meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Tallahassee prison. “These meetings were highly unusual for several reasons. Mr. Blanche, who until ten months ago served as Donald Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer, met with Ms. Maxwell and her attorney with no line prosecutors present. The meeting took place just days after DOJ leadership fired one of the chief career prosecutors on the Epstein matter,” Raskin wrote, referencing the Justice Department’s firing of Maurene Comey from the Southern District of New York. Comey – the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey – most recently worked on the prosecution of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Her other high-profile cases include the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions. The DOJ confirmed criminal investigations into her father – as well as former CIA Director John Brennan – last month. Reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday, a Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the receipt of Raskin’s letter but declined to comment further. REPS. MASSIE, KHANNA SOUND OFF ON WHETHER GHISLAINE MAXWELL SHOULD RECEIVE PARDON, BLAST MIKE JOHNSON In his letter to Bondi and Marshall, Raskin further argued that convicted sex offenders would typically be barred from federal prison camps, which provide “access to the community,” and any transfer would require “multiple levels of review that would ordinarily take months to complete.” He said any approval of a transfer “typically requires new facts or evidence” and even so, “an inmate would then have to join a months-long waitlist for an opening at a camp.” “Ms. Maxwell, however, appears to have short-circuited the entire review process and jumped the queue, receiving a place in Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan within a matter of days,” Raskin wrote. “Neither DOJ nor BOP has provided anything like a satisfactory explanation for providing Ms. Maxwell this uniquely favorable treatment.” The letter – also signed by all Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee – seeks a list of any administration officials who “were aware of, were involved in, or approved” of the transfer. Raskin also demanded information regarding “any possible benefits to Ms. Maxwell, including transfers, changes to conditions of confinement, pardons, commutation, or changes to DOJ positions in ongoing matters.” Raskin acknowledged that Maxwell was recently subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to testify. To Bondi and Marshall, the congressman said “there can be no question that your actions have served to send a clear message to Ms. Maxwell in the lead up to any testimony before Congress and the American public: this Administration can punish or reward her as it sees fit for its own purposes.”
Mamdani pressed on pledge to be Trump’s ‘worst nightmare’ and landlord pushback on rent freeze plan
New York City socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was pressed Tuesday on his pledge to be President Trump’s “worst nightmare” along with his plan to freeze rent, which has been criticized by many landlords in the city. “What I’ve said time and again is I will not take a reflexive approach in refusing to speak to any one person, depending on their politics,” Mamdani told Fox News National Correspondent Brian Llenas at a Tuesday press conference when asked about his previous claim that his administration will be Trump’s “worst nightmare” and if that threat rings hollow given the amount of federal power and funding the president yields. “I am looking to work with anyone so long as it’s to the benefit of New Yorkers,” Mamdani continued. “That’s the distinction between myself and Andrew Cuomo. One of many is that he called Donald Trump not on the question of how can we serve New York City, not on the question of how can we protect this city from these cuts, but rather, how could we work together to subvert the will of Democratic primary voters?” Llenas followed up by asking how voters can be assured Mamdani won’t be reflexive and can work with the White House, given he is currently on a press tour across the city’s five boroughs specifically attacking Trump. MAMDANI’S PAST ‘VISCERAL DISDAIN’ FOR POLICE ‘SCARES A LOT OF NEW YORKERS’ FOR GOOD REASON: NYC CRIME EXPERT “What this tour is reflective of is the fact that Donald Trump is attacking this city,” Mamdani answered. “It’s attacking its people. It’s attacking the very fabric of what we call home. And we’ve spoken about it in a fiscal sense, in terms of what it will mean to steal food from the hungry, what it will mean to throw sick people off of their insurance, what it will mean to make it even more difficult to afford the city. And so, yes, this is a tour against the Trump administration’s attack on New York City voters.” Mamdani added that if Trump “wants to pick up the phone” to work on issues like cheap groceries that he is “willing to work with him on that” but it cannot be a “partnership at the expense of the people in the city.” Mamdani has faced strong criticism, including from New York Apartment Association CEO Kenny Burgos in a recent interview with Fox News Digital, about his plan to “freeze” rent in the city for some New Yorkers. CUOMO FLIPS SCRIPT ON MAMDANI FOR OWNING PROPERTY IN UGANDA DESPITE ITS ANTI-LGBT LAWS: ‘SILENCE IS VIOLENCE’ Mamdani was asked what he would say to those who argue rent freezes keep housing supply lower while denying landlords and builders the necessary funds to build more housing or maintain their properties, a concern echoed by Burgos in his comments to Fox News Digital. “The rent freezes that we’re speaking about, these are rent freezes that have already taken place in New York City,” Mamdani answered. “They happened three times under the previous administration. The issues that we’re having of housing supply, these are long-term issues in New York City, some of which have to do with politics and policy. Some of which also have to do with process.” “And these are critically important for us to confront as the leaders of this city, because what we are seeing is a vacancy rate that is so low that it is suffocating the city’s ability to continue to grow and ensure that we can welcome more people here.” Mamdani continued by saying what he has “heard from landlords” is primary concerns about insurance. “The fact that insurance has doubled in recent years and I see an example in a number of those landlords coming together to create their own insurance entity,” Mamdani said. “I may butcher the name, but Milford Street Captive, which has managed to reduce insurance costs, that’s something that the city can build upon with more significant investment.” “I’ve also heard from these same landlords that an issue they have is not that a tenant cannot afford the 3 or 4 or 5% increase that the Rent Guidelines Board is passing, as per the directive from Eric Adams. It’s that there are some tenants who can’t afford their rent at all,” Mamdani said. Mamdani went on to call for more rent vouchers, saying that there are “so many” New Yorkers living in rent-stabilized housing that can benefit from CityFHEPS. “That could actually increase the amount of money that these landlords take home in rent, but the city hasn’t paid enough,” Mamdani said. “Those previous rent freezes were temporary, were they not?,” Mamdani was pressed by Llenas. “I’ve spoken about a four-year rent freeze,” Mamdani responded before moving on to the next question.
BLM activist leading resistance to Trump’s DC crime plan repeatedly called for abolishing police
FIRST ON FOX: One of the prominent activists behind the protests against President Trump’s move to federalize Washington, D.C., to combat crime is a Black Lives Matter organizer who has a long history of calling for defunding and abolishing the police and other far-left agenda items. In recent days and on Monday, shortly after Trump’s press conference announcing federal resources being sent to the nation’s capital in accordance with the Constitution, protesters took to the streets opposing the crime crackdown, including Nee Nee Taylor, the executive director of Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Free DC’s co-founder and operations organizer. “Free D.C.,” Taylor told protesters gathered around her on the streets of Washington, D.C., on Monday. “This is our city.” “Take it to the streets. This our D.C. No justice, no peace,” she continued. “If we don’t get no justice, they’re not going to get any peace… The only violence that’s happening in D.C. right now is the violence against our communities that this president is directing.” TOP DEMOCRATS RIPPED ON SOCIAL MEDIA OVER ‘BONKERS’ REACTIONS TO TRUMP’S DC CRIME PLAN: ‘MASSIVE LIAR’ Over the years, Taylor has repeatedly called for police to be defunded and abolished on her X account, formerly known as Twitter, with the username “SpiritOfHarrietTubman.” In 2018, Taylor posted on X, “Let’s [sic] clear I want to abolish the police” “Black Morning! I woke up like this, in my Greatness and also still having to shout to the World that we are FREE! Abolish the enslave Patrols that beat, kill and arrest Black people,” Taylor posted on X in 2021. “Call & demand that all Protesters be release. [sic]” “Ayeee! May all Jails and Prisons be abolish! [sic]” Taylor posted on X in 2021 in response to the anniversary of Chelsea Manning, who was found guilty of espionage before being pardoned by former President Obama, being released from prison. Taylor has specifically called for the defunding of the police department in Washington, D.C., where she is now opposing Trump’s move to send in federal resources. MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR RAGES AT TRUMP’S FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF DC POLICE TO FIGHT CRIME “Wasn’t the conclusion to tow cars and hold club owners responsible for violence? Being reactive and not pro active won’t keep people safe,” Taylor posted on X in 2022. “Defund @DCPoliceDept and invest in resources that keep people safe. #DefundMPD invest in community.” “Access to food is a fundamental human right, yet due to poverty many people aren’t afforded this right,” Harriet’s Wildest Dreams posted on Facebook in 2022. “The state, using police, maintains poverty and therefore hunger. In today’s episode of #PoliticalEducationMondays we discuss why “Defunding Police is Food Justice.” Taylor’s group went on to slam the police in a series of other social media posts, saying it has “always targeted queer and trans folks” and that “police have existed to violently protect property and its owners.” Taylor has also been vocal about abolishing ICE, railing against the Los Angeles ICE raids in a June Facebook post. The June 9 post said the raids were “chaos” and were being “provoked by this administration.” She went on to say law enforcement “doesn’t keep us safe. Not the police, not ICE, not any system built to control us.” Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and Taylor have also both celebrated Assata Shakur, also known as JoAnne Chesimard, who was convicted in the 1973 killing of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster, who left behind a wife and 3-year-old son. “Assata Shakur is a freedom fighter and political activist. A prominent figure in the Black Liberation Movement, Assata sought refuge in Cuba in 1984 after escaping political persecution in the U.S,” the group wrote last year on Facebook with the “HandsOffAssata” hashtag. “She became the first woman on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Denying criminal accusations, she embodies a symbol of resistance against racism and injustice.” In another Facebook post from last week, the group included a graphic with Shakur’s face and a caption that read, “Black August is a time to honor those who chose freedom, no matter the cost. We carry the stories of those who risked everything for liberation.” Taylor posted several times about Shakur being a “freedom fighter” and downplayed her murder conviction by saying she was stooped for a broken taillight, ignoring her involvement in the shooting. Shakur later escaped prison and fled to Cuba, where former Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro granted her asylum. She is currently still wanted by the FBI. A flyer distributed by the Free DC Project, an organizer along with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams, said that the opposition’s “guiding principles” are: Do not obey in advance. Prioritize joy. Take up space. Be in solidarity, and organize. “Silence is compliance, so we need to get loud, starting tonight and every night of this occupation, go outside at 8:00 PM and bang pots and pans, sing, chant, or make noise for five minutes,” the flyer, posted on Instagram on Monday, explained. Harriet’s Wildest Dreams refers to itself as a group formed out of Black Lives Matter with the intent “to begin the next chapter of our journey as organizers in the movement for Black lives and liberation in DMV (DC, MD, VA).” On the Harriet’s Wildest Dreams website, Taylor is described as “our modern-day Harriet Tubman.” Harriet’s Wildest Dream was also active in 2024 pushing back against the arrest of anti-Israel protesters on college campuses, including George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital in the following years has been rocked by shootings that have left innocent children shot and dead, a trend of juveniles committing carjackings that have turned deadly in some cases, shoplifting crimes and attacks on government employees, summer interns and others, including the fatal shooting of 21-year-old congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, in June. Trump responded on Monday by announcing that he is federalizing the D.C. police department to curb spiraling violence, sparking pushback from Democrats who have claimed crime is down in the nation’s capital. Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this
Texas Dems begin to crack, confirm return to state after fleeing to obstruct GOP redistricting: report
Texas House Democrats have reportedly confirmed they intend to return to their state after fleeing in an attempt to halt legislative proceedings, which included GOP attempts to redraw congressional districts in the state. Multiple sources confirmed to ABC 13 Houston on Tuesday that the absent House Democrats will return to the Lone Star State after feeling like they accomplished their mission of killing the special legislative session called by Republicans to pass redistricting legislation. The special session expires next Tuesday. The outlet reported the exact time of the Democrats’ return to the capital in Austin is not clear. TEXAS GOP SEEKS TO ‘DOMESTICATE’ ROGUE DEMS FOR BREAKING QUORUM THROUGH NATIONWIDE CIVIL ARREST WARRANTS News of the lawmakers’ imminent return to the state comes on the same day that Texas Senate Republicans were able to get the new congressional maps approved. They must now be passed in the House before Republican Gov. Greg Abbott can sign them into law. Earlier this week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows indicated they would adjourn the special legislative session this Friday if Democrats had not returned by then. ABBOTT VOWS INDEFINITE SPECIAL SESSIONS, SAYS FLEEING DEMS COULD FACE ARREST ‘FOR LITERALLY YEARS’ Meanwhile, Abbott has signaled plans to immediately call a second consecutive special session and has teased that he may also add additional agenda items. The strategy by Texas Democrats to leave the state and abdicate their duties in an effort to stall Republican legislative efforts is a strategy they have used before. In 2021, more than 50 Texas Democrats left the state for the nation’s capital in an effort to stall Republican election security legislation following President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. The effort led to Abbott ultimately calling three consecutive special legislative sessions, with the election security bill passing during the second one in August.
Mexico to extradite 26 top cartel leaders to US in Trump administration deal
Mexico is handing over 26 top cartel leaders to the United States this week in a deal with the Trump administration. The cartel figures were scheduled to fly to the U.S. on Tuesday. “Today is the latest example of the Trump administration’s historic efforts to dismantle cartels and foreign terrorist organizations,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News Digital. “These 26 men have all played a role in bringing violence and drugs to American shores — under this Department of Justice, they will face severe consequences for their crimes against this country. We are grateful to President Sheinbaum and the Mexican government for their collaboration in this matter.” Abigael González Valencia, a leader of the “Los Cuinis,” cartel, which is aligned with the notorious Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) and Roberto Salazar, who is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy, are among those being handed over to the U.S. US ACCUSES VENEZUELAN REGIME OF NARCO-TERRORISM OVER ALLIANCES WITH TREN DE ARAGUA, SINALOA CARTEL The Trump administration has classified the CJNG as a terrorist organization. Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and Security Ministry confirmed the men were being handed over, saying the deal was made after the U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t seek the death penalty for any of the men. The deal comes amid the Trump administration’s focus on border security and attempt to crack down on Mexican cartels that send drugs across the border. “President Trump’s top priority is protecting the homeland, which is why he took the bold step to designate several cartels and gangs as foreign terrorist organizations,” deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. AMERICANS IN VACATION HOT SPOT MAY SEE MORE MILITARY THAN MARGARITAS THIS SUMMER Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday said the U.S. military would not be entering Mexican territory following reports that Washington could take action to combat the cartels. “We co-operate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,” she said. “It’s off the table, absolutely off the table.” President Donald Trump has also reportedly secretly authorized U.S. military force against cartels in Latin America designated by the U.S. as terrorist organizations, which would allow U.S. forces to engage with them. It also comes ahead of 25% tariffs on Mexican goods coming into the U.S. imposed by Trump. Trump spoke with Sheinbaum, who has been more aggressive than the last president about going after cartels, and told her he would delay 30% tariffs on the country for 90 days for negotiations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mexico also extradited 29 cartel leaders in February, including Rafael Caro Quintero, who prosecutors say was behind the torture and murder of a DEA agent in 1985. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Texas state Senate passes new Republican drawn congressional map as House Dems remain on the lam
The Texas state Senate approved new Republican-drawn maps Tuesday night, which have led House Democrats in Texas to flee the state. While Texas House Democrats remain on the lam in an effort to obstruct legislative proceedings spearheaded by Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps, the Senate was still able to obtain a quorum and pass the maps. They now must be passed in the House, but it is unclear when that will be possible. During the vote, nine Democrats exited the floor in protest, but two remained on the floor, which allowed the Senate to reach a quorum. The vote to pass the new maps eventually gained approval by the Senate following a 19-2 vote. ABBOTT, PAXTON LAUNCH LEGAL BLITZ ON FLEEING DEMOCRATS IN REDISTRICTING SHOWDOWN “This mid-decade redistricting isn’t about fair representation—it’s about politicians picking their voters instead of voters choosing their leaders,” the Senate Democratic Caucus said in a statement, according to The Texas Tribune. “And it doesn’t stop here. If they can gerrymander now, they can and will do it before every election.” Texas Republicans began pushing for new maps after the Trump administration directed state officials that they were in violation of the Voting Rights Act. Civil arrest warrants were issued by the Texas House Republican majority last week in an effort to compel the absent Democrats to return, but they are only enforceable within state lines and do not lead to jail time, since the warrants are not criminal. TEXAS DEMS ALSO SKIPPED TOWN IN 2021 TO AVOID A VOTE, AND SEVERAL CAUGHT COVID-19 IN DC However, Texas Republicans are seeking to utilize “every legal remedy at our disposal to hold these rogue legislators accountable,” Texas GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton said. In addition to blocking Texas Republicans’ redistricting bill, the exodus of Texas Democrats is obstructing crucial legislation from making its way through the legislature, state Sen. Mayes Middleton told Fox News Digital. This includes flood-disaster relief aid, bills to protect women’s spaces, and more.
Ashley Biden files for divorce from husband, Howard Krein, after 13 years of marriage: reports
Former first daughter Ashley Biden this week filed for divorce from her husband of 13 years, according to reports. The 44-year-old also posted an Instagram story on the same day with the song “Freedom” by Beyonce. In her post, Biden walks through a park giving a thumbs up while the song plays, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported the filing first. MICHELLE OBAMA MOCKS RUMORS THAT HER MARRIAGE IS IN TROUBLE She also posted the quote: “New life, new beginnings means new boundaries. New ways of being that won’t look or sound like they did before” over “Freedom Time” by Lauryn Hill. Biden has been married to plastic surgeon Howard Krein since 2012. The estranged couple were wed in Greenville, Delaware, in a ceremony that combined her Catholic faith and his Jewish roots, according to People magazine. A reception was held at the Biden family’s Wilmington lake house. ASHLEY BIDEN SLAMS REPORTING ABOUT HER DAD’S MENTAL ACUITY AS ‘DISRESPECTFUL AND UNTRUE’ “I kept telling Ash, we’ve got to open up the church and practice walking up and down the aisle so I can handle it,” former President Joe Biden, who was vice president at the time, told People, saying he expected to be emotional at the ceremony. “This is the right guy. And he’s getting a helluva woman,” the former president said at the time. Biden met her husband through her late brother Beau Biden and started dating him in 2010. She mentioned her wedding when she introduced the former president at the Democratic National Convention last year. “At the time, my dad was vice president, but he was also that dad who literally set up the entire reception,” she said. “He was riding around in his John Deere 4-wheeler, fixing the place settings, arranging the plants, and by the way, he was very emotional.” She added, “Before he walked me down the aisle, he turned to me and said he would always be my best friend. All these years later, Dad, you are still my best friend.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital has reached out to a rep for the former president for comment.
DC police chief ripped for ‘mind blowing’ response to basic policing question: ‘Yikes’
Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith is facing backlash and mockery on social media after she appeared to not understand a question from the media about the department’s “chain of command” amid President Donald Trump’s recent federalization of the department. “Can you tell us what the chain of command is now?” a reporter was heard asking Smith during a press conference Tuesday morning. “What does that mean?” the police chief responded. “Well, is it Pam Bondi speaking to the mayor? Is it you? How does this work?” the reporter continued, before Bowser stepped in to explain the department’s chain of command following Trump invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act Monday, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital’s police force. FBI DIRECTOR KASH PATEL BACKS TRUMP’S DC POLICE TAKEOVER: ‘WHEN YOU LET GOOD COPS BE COPS, THEY DELIVER’ The exchange came amid Bowser’s brief press conference Tuesday morning following her meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Our organizational chart, how we do business, how we fund the police, none of that has changed,” Bowser explained, adding that Bondi is working as Trump’s “proxy” under the federalization order and that the pair are in close communication. TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP ‘RIGHTLY’ TOOK OVER DC POLICE, DEMANDS BOWSER, OTHERS TESTIFY ON CRIME “We have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,” she added. The exchange of Smith appearing to not understand the reporter’s question on the department’s “chain of command” sparked mockery and backlash online Tuesday afternoon. “This is who is in charge of the police in D.C…” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok posted of the exchange. “This is why DEI is a disease,” National Co-Chair of the RNC Youth Advisory Council CJ Pearson posted to X in response to the exchange. Smith previously served as the department’s first chief equity officer, where she “led the department’s efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion,” according to her biography. TRUMP’S PLAN TO DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD IN DC SPARKS BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS—BUT SOME WELCOME IT “WTF! The DC Police Chief doesn’t even know what Chain of Command means,” another conservative X account posted in response. “Smith previously served as the Police Department’s “Chief Equity Officer,’” the Trump War Room account posted to X. “MIND BLOWING: D.C. police chief reveals she DOES NOT KNOW what chain of command is. Folks, this is the Washington, D.C. POLICE Chief,” another critic posted. “NEW: Washington DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith doesn’t know what the ‘chain of command’ means. … Yikes,” Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg posted. Fox Digital reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department and Bowser’s office for comment on the exchange and subsequent backlash, but did not immediately receive replies. TRUMP ACTIVATES NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO ADDRESS ‘TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL’ CRIME IN WASHINGTON Trump federalized the D.C. police department following a spate of high-profile attacks and killings in the city in recent weeks, including the fatal shooting of a congressional intern in June, the fatal shooting of a pair of Israeli embassy staffers in May, and a brutal attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer earlier in August. “Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,” he said. “And we’re not going to let it happen anymore. We’re not going to take it.” Trump declared it was “Liberation Day in D.C.,” adding, “We’re going to take our capital back.” “We’re taking it back under the authority vested in me as the president of the United States. I’m officially invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. You know what that is. And placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control. … In addition, I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in Washington, D.C. And they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly,” he said Monday.