GOP governor greenlights state troopers to join ICE in immigration crackdown
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon signed an agreement last week with ICE, enabling local law enforcement in select counties to work alongside federal agents in tracking and detaining illegal immigrants. Limited members of the Wyoming Highway Patrol in five counties – all of which encompass major interstates – will be able to assist ICE with enforcement during the execution of their day-to-day work and at the direction of and under the oversight of the federal law enforcement agency, according to a statement from Gordon’s office. The agreement marks only the second such pact made directly between a state and ICE. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the first to sign a similar “memorandum of agreement,” while several individual counties around the country have also approved methods of cooperation with ICE. SENATE BILL LOOKS TO BOX OUT FUTURE PRESIDENTS WHO MAY TRY TO SKIRT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT LAWS “Wyoming has been firm in our commitment to helping secure the border, and this is another step in that process,” Gordon said in a statement. “Our nation’s security depends upon effective immigration enforcement, and I am proud that our Wyoming Highway Patrol continues to support this effort and is now formalizing their commitment to this work through our agreement with ICE.” Wyoming Highway Patrol, under ICE oversight, will be able to take action and develop evidence against people who violate federal immigration law. A January executive order from President Donald Trump allows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to forge such agreements with state and local authorities. Wyoming Highway Patrol Administrator Col. Tim Cameron cited Wyoming’s unique position of hosting several cross-country highways. “Our troopers are uniquely positioned to support immigration enforcement through our daily operations along Wyoming’s interstates – key corridors for cross-country travel that are sometimes exploited for unlawful activity,” Cameron said in a statement. SENATE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH CRACKDOWN ON DC PERMITTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO VOTE IN ELECTIONS The nation’s longest interstate, the Boston-Seattle I-90, runs 200 miles through the upper corner of the state, New Jersey-San Francisco I-80 runs 400 miles across the bottom of Wyoming, and I-25 notably runs from near the southern border in New Mexico to I-90 in Buffalo. The select troopers will hail from Laramie County, which includes the capital, Cheyenne; Carbon County, which includes Rawlins; and Sweetwater County, which includes Rock Springs, Green River and a very long remote stretch of I-80. Select patrol officers in Campbell and Natrona counties will also be participating, as I-25 bisects both along the Nebraska border and into the city of Casper. “[This] agreement enhances our ability to identify individuals in violation of federal immigration law and take appropriate action under ICE’s direction,” Cameron added. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “This partnership strengthens public safety, expands our access to federal resources and intelligence, and reinforces the strong working relationships we maintain with local law enforcement.” Wyoming taxpayers will not be fronting any additional costs for the partnership, as officers will receive free training from the feds. Robert Guadian, a top official at ICE’s Denver Field office, praised Gordon for the agreement, calling it a “force multiplier” in immigration enforcement operations. Wyoming had previously independently dispatched troopers to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety at the southern border during the heat of the Biden administration’s open border crisis.
Cornyn takes swing at James, Schiff with new LETITIA Act targeting ‘crooked politicians’
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to crack down on public officials who use their position to grow their wealth. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is set to introduce legislation that would create stiffer penalties for public officials who commit federal bank fraud, tax fraud, or loan or mortgage fraud. Cornyn’s bill comes on the heels of two such instances where top officials and lawmakers were hit with allegations of mortgage fraud. FEDERAL HOUSING OFFICIAL SUBMITTED SCHIFF CRIMINAL REFERRAL TO DOJ OVER MORTGAGE DOCUMENTS Indeed, Cornyn’s Law Enforcement Tools to Interdict Troubling Investments in Abodes (LETITIA) Act is named for New York Attorney General Letitia James. The Justice Department earlier this year opened an investigation into James, who successfully won a civil case last year against President Donald Trump and his Trump Organization over allegations of faulty business practices, for alleged mortgage fraud. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO NY AG LETITIA JAMES Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte alleged in a letter that James could have engaged in mortgage fraud by making false or misleading statements on property records, like a loan application that said her property in Virginia is her primary residence, a building record stating her multifamily Brooklyn property incorrectly has five residences instead of four, and a mortgage application that falsely stated James was her father’s spouse. “This legislation would empower President Trump to hold crooked politicians like New York’s Letitia James accountable for defrauding their constituents, violating their oath of office, and breaking the law, and I’m proud to lead my Republican colleagues in introducing it,” Cornyn said in a statement. Fox News Digital reached out to James for comment but did not immediately hear back. TAXPAYERS COULD BE FORCED TO FUND TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES’ LEGAL DEFENSE IF DEM BUDGET ITEM PASSES Cornyn’s bill also comes after his colleague Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was similarly hit with allegations of mortgage fraud. In another letter to the Justice Department, Pulte charged that Schiff falsified bank documents and property records by listing homes in Maryland and California as his primary residence out of an effort to allegedly get more favorable loans. Marisol Samayoa, a spokesperson for Schiff, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that both Trump and Pulte’s “false allegations are a transparent attempt to punish a perceived political foe who is committed to holding Trump to account.” “The facts here are simple: Senator Schiff and his wife accurately represented to their lenders that they would occupy and use the Maryland house they purchased in 2003 as a ‘principal residence,’ rather than a vacation home or an investment property,” she said. “He also disclosed to his lenders – repeatedly – that he maintained another home in his district in California, where he lived when not in Washington, and which was also a principal residence, not a vacation home or an investment property.” “This was done in consultation with relevant House counsel. As was proper, he claimed only a single homestead tax exemption (from California) worth approximately $70 in annual savings,” she continued. The bill, which is so far co-sponsored by six Senate Republicans, would increase federal statutory maximum sentences and fines for public officials who abuse their offices and violate the public trust to commit bank fraud, loan or mortgage fraud, or tax fraud. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It would create new mandatory minimum sentences, including one year for bank fraud, one year for loan or mortgage fraud, and six months for tax fraud. And if a public official engages in a repeated pattern of offenses, minimum sentences increase to five years for bank or loan fraud and two years for tax fraud.
Trump confirms 2 nuclear submarines are ‘in the region’ to counter Russia
President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that nuclear submarines he ordered to counter Russia are now “in the region” ahead of U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit. Before boarding Air Force One in Allentown, Pa., to return to Washington, D.C., Trump was asked if the nuclear submarines had already been deployed to “face Russia.” Trump said on TRUTH Social on Friday that he ordered two nuclear submarines “to be positioned in the appropriate regions” in response to what he considered “highly provocative statements” from former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev about potential war with the U.S. “I’ve already put out a statement and the answer is they are in the region, yeah, where they have to be,” Trump told reporters at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Sunday. Trump said that Witkoff is expected to travel to Russia on “Wednesday or Thursday.” Russian state media reported Monday that Witkoff would arrive on Wednesday. The visit comes ahead of the Friday deadline Trump set for Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine or face additional sanctions and tariffs. Trump also has warned about potential secondary tariffs for the purchasers of Russian energy. TRUMP BRUSHES BACK RUSSIA’S MEDVEDEV AFTER ‘WAR’ WARNING: ‘WATCH HIS WORDS’ “Well, there’ll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions. You know, they’re wily characters, and they’re pretty good at avoiding sanctions,” Trump told reporters in front of Marine One. “So we’ll see what happens.” Asked about Witkoff’s message to Moscow and if there’s anything the Russians can do to avoid sanctions, Trump said Sunday, “Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed.” “A tremendous number of Russian soldiers have been killed. And likewise Ukraine, a lower number, but still thousands and thousands of people. And now we’re adding towns where they’re being hit by missiles. So it’s a lot of people being killed in that ridiculous war,” Trump said. “We stopped a lot of countries from war, India and Pakistan, we stopped a lot of countries. And we’re going to get that one stopped too. Somehow. We’re going to get that one stopped. That’s a really horrible war.” “This should be the easiest to stop, and it’s not,” Trump added. Before ordering the deployment of nuclear submarines last week, Trump had warned Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, to “watch his words.” Medvedev had complained that Trump had shortened the Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deadline from 50 days to just 10 to 12 days, saying that the “ultimatum” was threat toward war “not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country.” Despite Trump cautioning that Medvedev was entering “dangerous territory,” the Russian official doubled down and referenced Russia’s “Dead Hand” – the Cold War-era automated nuclear retaliation system developed by the Soviet Union. The U.S. and Russia hold the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. Top Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly downplayed the U.S. deployment of nuclear submarines Monday. He told reporters that “American submarines are already on combat duty – that’s a constant process” and the Russians “don’t believe this is a case of any sort of escalation,” according to the Russian-language news website Meduza. Asked about Medvedev’s remarks, Peskov said members of the leadership in any country have different views but stressed Putin definitively decides Russian foreign policy. “We approach any statements related to nuclear issues with great caution,” Peskov added at the press conference, according to The Moscow Times. “Russia is firmly committed to nuclear non-proliferation, and we believe that all parties should exercise the utmost restraint when it comes to nuclear rhetoric.” TRUMP ANNOUNCES 25% TARIFF ON INDIA, SLAMMING ‘OBNOXIOUS’ TRADE BARRIERS, RUSSIA MILITARY AND ENERGY BUYS Meanwhile, Beijing and Moscow have deepened their ties in recent years, with China providing an economic lifeline to Russia in the face of Western sanctions over the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia and China have started mock combat drills and other war games in the Sea of Japan, The Telegraph reported. Citing a statement from the Chinese Defense Ministry, the newspaper said the three-day exercise involves four Chinese vessels, including the guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, and entails “submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine, air defense and anti-missile operations, and maritime combat,” as well as naval patrols in “relevant waters of the Pacific.” At a press conference announcing details of the annual drills last week, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said the Joint Sea 2025 exercise would be held in the air and seas near the Russian port city of Vladivostok, positioned across the sea from Japan’s west coast. Last year, the drill was held off southern China in the South China Sea. “This is an arrangement within the annual cooperation plan between the Chinese and Russian militaries. It is not targeted at any third party, nor is it related to the current international and regional situation,” Zhang said. China and Russia also signed a “no-limits” economic partnership shortly after the war in Ukraine began. Zhang criticized ongoing drills that the U.S. Air Force is conducting with Japan and other partners in the western Pacific. Resolute Force Pacific is the largest contingency-response exercise ever conducted by the Air Force in the region, according to the U.S. military. The U.S. Air Force has said their exercise will train its forces to maintain readiness and execute missions under stress to demonstrate their ability to defend the United States and partner nations in the Pacific. “The U.S. has been blindly flexing muscles in the Asia-Pacific region and attempting to use military drills as a pretext to gang up, intimidate and pressure other countries, and undermine peace and stability in the region,” Zhang told reporters. Japan’s Defense Ministry said in an annual report earlier this month that China’s growing military cooperation with Russia poses serious security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump’s full-court press against ‘Orwellian’ European censorship intensifies amid US efforts to unleash AI
The Trump administration has been on a monthslong campaign railing against what it says are draconian censorship regulations in Europe that have not only stifled free speech, but have also served as another roadblock amid the artificial intelligence evolution. “In Europe, thousands are being convicted for the crime of criticizing their own governments,” the State Department recently posted to X, accompanied by a graphic slamming Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA). “This Orwellian message won’t fool the United States. Censorship is not freedom.” The EU adopted the DSA in 2022 to regulate online platforms such as social networks, content-sharing platforms and app stores, and is intended to “prevent illegal and harmful activities online and the spread of disinformation.” The law has since faced opposition from the Trump administration amid its free speech promotion on the global stage. The State Department’s X post follows a monthslong campaign of Trump officials lambasting Europe for its strict rules that limit free speech – most notably online and in the world of AI and evolving tech. Fox News Digital spoke with Darren Beattie, acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, who explained that as the Trump administration takes a hatchet to restrictions and censorship – most notably online and left over from the Biden era – Europe has moved to intensify its censorship with laws such as DSA. DETAILS OF TRUMP’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED AI PLAN REVEALED BY WHITE HOUSE AHEAD OF MAJOR SPEECH “As we are rolling back the censorship industry in the United States by actions like what the State Department did, what we did at the State Department killing the (Global Engagement Center), but it’s happening all across the administration,” he said. “What’s happening is Europe, the European Union and the UK are moving to pick up the slack. That is to say, as we’re pushing back the censorship regime domestically, it’s intensifying in Europe.” The Global Engagement Center was an office established within the State Department during the Obama era that was plagued by accusations of censorship while positioning itself as focused on countering foreign propaganda and disinformation. The Trump administration State Department shuttered the office earlier in 2025. Beattie added that the U.S. is not taking a “holier than thou” approach to the issue, noting that censorship loomed large throughout the U.S. under the Biden administration. He pointed to cases such as social media user Douglass Mackey, who was convicted in 2023 of conspiring to suppress voter turnout in 2016 after posting phony voting messages. “We were, under Biden, moving in that direction in a very dangerous way,” he said. “The weaponization of government that occurred under Biden was severe.” President Donald Trump delivered his highly anticipated AI speech at the end of July, unveiling his administration’s plan of action, which included protecting AI systems from bias. The White House Office of Science and Technology policy director Michael Kratsios previewed the plan to the media, which included warning that the U.S. will not go down the same technology path as Europe, citing its strict regulations on the tech. “The action plan calls for freeing American AI innovation from unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, ensuring all Americans reap the benefits of AI technologies and leveraging AI to drive new scientific breakthroughs,” he said. “On deregulation, we cannot afford to go down Europe’s innovation-killing regulatory path. Federal agencies will now review their rules on the books and repeal those that hinder AI development and deployment across industries, from financial services and agriculture to health and transportation.” The AI plan is focused on three pillars, one of which is centered on ensuring bias is not included in U.S. systems. “The second is that we believe that AI systems should be free of ideological bias and not be designed to pursue socially engineered agendas,” AI and crypto czar David Sacks said in a press call July 23. “And so we have a number of proposals there on how to make sure that AI remains truth-seeking and trustworthy.” Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of admin leaders lambasting Europe’s restrictions on AI and free speech, including the EU’s Digital Services Act. FEDERAL AI POWER GRAB COULD END STATE PROTECTIONS FOR KIDS AND WORKERS “The U.S. innovators of all sizes already know what it’s like to deal with onerous international rules,” Vance said at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris in February. “Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the EU’s Digital Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so-called misinformation.” “The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety. It will be won by building – from reliable power plants to the manufacturing facilities that can produce the chips of the future,” he added. Vance traveled to the Munich Security Conference days after his Paris address and delivered another fiery speech chastising Europe for employing “Soviet-style” tactics that chill free speech. JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRATS, CLINTONS AND GLOBALISTS WORK TOGETHER TO CENSOR AMERICANS … FOR ‘DEMOCRACY’ “To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation,’ simply because they don’t like the idea that someone with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” he said in the address. The speech set off criticisms in Europe and the U.S., including CBS host Margaret Brennan suggesting during an interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on “Face the Nation” in February that free speech had been “weaponized” to bring about the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. Rubio launched a fierce defense of Vance while noting his concern that Europe hold the same values as the U.S., such as protecting free speech and democracy. TRUMP PRAISED BY FAITH LEADERS FOR AI LEADERSHIP AS THEY WARN OF TECHNOLOGY’S ‘POTENTIAL PERIL’ “Why would our allies or anybody be
Trump’s global reset of trade relationships will remain in the spotlight this week
President Donald Trump’s global reset of trade relationships will remain in the spotlight this week as his administration moves forward with sweeping new taxes on imports. The White House said last week that the new tariff rates, originally slated to take effect Aug. 1, will come into force on Thursday in order to give U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials additional time to prepare to collect the duties. WHERE TRUMP’S TARIFFS STAND NOW AND THE WINDING ROAD THAT LED US HERE In the days leading up to the Aug. 1 deadline, Trump announced trade deals with Japan, the European Union, and South Korea. So far, 11 of the U.S.’s top 15 trading partners have agreed to broad trade deals. Last week, Trump raised import tariffs on goods from Canada to 35%, signaling a widening rift with America’s second-largest trading partner. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously singled out Ottawa during a July 17 press briefing, saying “our neighbors to the north have been pretty difficult to deal with” when asked about the ongoing trade talks. WHITE HOUSE SAYS CANADA HAS BEEN ‘DIFFICULT’ AS TRADE DEADLINE LOOMS Speaking to CBS News on Sunday, Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s lead on U.S. trade relations, said Prime Minister Mark Carney is likely to hold talks with President Trump “over the next number of days.” Meanwhile, the U.S. struck temporary truces with China and Mexico as trade representatives continue negotiations. TRUMP ANNOUNCES TRADE DEAL WITH EUROPEAN UNION So far this year, the U.S. has collected over $150 billion in tariff revenues, according to Treasury data. In July alone, collections exceeded $29 billion, the highest monthly total to date in 2025. Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have previously said the tariffs could generate more than $300 billion in revenue for the federal government. American consumers often end up bearing the cost of tariffs, as U.S. businesses pass along higher prices to offset the economic burden. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
First on Fox: Republican firebrand Nancy Mace launches bid for South Carolina governor
EXCLUSIVE – Rep. Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican with a large national profile, on Monday declared her candidacy for Palmetto State governor. “I’m running to put South Carolina first,” Mace, a three-term House member who represents a coastal congressional district in the state’s Lowcountry, said in a statement shared first with Fox News Digital. Mace, as she launched her campaign, argued that “we can continue doing the things we’ve always done,” as she took aim at what she called “weak leadership” in the state. “Or we can chart a new course – one filled with common sense and bold policies to hold the line for South Carolina,” she emphasized. HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS MEMBER RALPH NORMAN JUMPS INTO SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR’S RACE And Mace went up on a newly launched campaign website with a 10-point agenda that she called “a clear, conservative, common sense roadmap to rebuild South Carolina from the ground up:” Mace followed her announcement with a campaign policy event Monday morning in Charleston at the Citadel, which is South Carolina’s public military college and her alma mater. “This morning I’m making it official,” she told supporters. “I’m running for governor because South Carolina doesn’t need another empty suit.” Mace enters a crowded GOP primary field in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who is the Palmetto State’s longest-serving governor. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell are all seeking the GOP nomination in the reliably red state. They were joined a week ago by Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, who declared his candidacy. SOUTH CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN WILSON LAUNCHES BID FOR GOVERNOR Mace, in a recent interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her launch, said that “we’re starting out front, in the lead, and it’s a two-man race” between her and Wilson. And she pledged that “I will fight to the finish, and I will take out South Carolina’s Attorney General, because he’s turned a blind eye on women and on children and on the state for a lot of reasons. He might force me to do this.” Mace, in a bombshell speech on the U.S. House floor in February, alleged that Wilson ignored evidence of sexual assault against her and other women. In her hour-long speech, Mace accused four men, including her ex-fiance, of sexual crimes and said she was among the victims. Wilson vehemently denied Mace’s accusations, saying at the time “that allegation was never made to me — no one in my office.” Wilson, in a statement to Fox News a week ago, argued that “Nancy Mace is a liar who will do anything to get attention to distract from her liberal voting record. I’ve served our country and dedicated my civilian career to protecting children.” “Her attacks are, again, categorically false and are just a distraction from her liberal agenda,” he added. “South Carolina families need a Governor who will fight for our values, not someone who will compromise them for political gain and social media clicks.” And Wilson’s campaign highlighted that every sheriff in Mace’s congressional district has endorsed his campaign for governor. Mace, who dropped out of high school at age 17, and worked at a Waffle House before eventually becoming the first female graduate of the Citadel’s Corps of Cadets, won election to Congress in 2020. She defeated Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham, to become the state’s first Republican woman elected to the House. Mace, who worked on President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, strongly criticized his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters attempted to upend congressional certification of now-former President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. NANCY MACE ARGUES RUSSIAGATE A ‘POLITICAL HIT JOB’ Trump backed a primary challenger against Mace when she was up for re-election in 2022, but she successfully won re-nomination and re-election. Mace later came to Trump’s defense after the then-former president was indicted for mishandling classified documents. And she endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries, as he topped a large field of rivals, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Trump’s grip over the GOP, thanks to his 2024 victory to win back the White House, is stronger than ever, and his endorsements in GOP nomination races are extremely influential. Asked if she could land the president’s endorsement, Mace told Fox News Digital, “I’ll be working very hard if I get in to earn his support.” And in her campaign launch video, Mace uses a clip of Trump calling her a “fighter” in a speech, and adding that “when she sets her sight on something, she’s tough.” Mace has leaned hard into cultural issues in recent years, including leading the charge to prevent Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first openly transgender member of Congress, from using the women’s restrooms in the House. And Mace, in her campaign launch, vowed to defend what she called “biological reality and stop the radical gender agenda.” “No child is born in the wrong body. No boy belongs in a girls’ locker room. And no teenage girl should lose her scholarship to a boy in a skirt,” she argued. “I’ve already started shutting down this woke ideology at South Carolina schools, and will do significantly more to gut this abusive ideology and ship it out of state.” The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) criticized Mace as she launched her campaign. “Nancy Mace is an extreme, self-serving politician whose entrance into this race will only accelerate the Republican gubernatorial candidates’ race to the right. In Washington, Mace has worked to gut Medicaid and take away health care from millions, and she supports ending Social Security and Medicare as we know it. Now she wants to bring this extreme agenda to South Carolina,” DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe charged in a statement to Fox News.
Abbott threatens to remove House Dems from office following dramatic departure to avoid vote
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to arrest and expel the Texas House Democrats who fled the state to avoid a redistricting vote if they do not return by Monday afternoon. Dozens of Texas’ Democratic state representatives arrived in Chicago Sunday night to stall the vote. Shortly after Abbott released his statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus issued a simple response, writing: “Come and take it.” The statement also described Republicans’ proposed districts, which would potentially secure five new GOP U.S. House seats in next year’s midterm elections, as a “racist mid-decade redistricting scheme.” Abbott criticized the Democrats’ dramatic departure, starting his call for them to return with, “real Texans don’t run from a fight.” TEXAS DEMOCRATS FLEE STATE TO BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING VOTE IN DRAMATIC LEGISLATIVE MOVE “Rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business,” he wrote. At least 100 members of the 150-member Texas House must be present to conduct business, and approximately 50 of the Democrats have left. Abbott said their commitment to voting as elected state officials is a duty and is “not optional.” The Texas House is set to reconvene at 3 p.m. on Monday and Abbott said the “derelict Democrat House members must return” by then or face being removed from their positions by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The Republican AG has already stated that the lawmakers “should be found and arrested no matter where they go.” TRUMP, REPUBLICANS RACE TO REDRAW TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL MAP AS DEMOCRATS THREATEN LEGAL WAR Abbott also said a legislator determined to have “forfeited his or her office due to abandonment” can be removed from office under the Texas Constitution, thereby creating a vacancy, which the governor can “swiftly fill” under Article III, Section 13. Removal from office is not the only threat facing the lawmakers on the run, as Abbott warned that “soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules” is potentially a felony. “Any Democrat who ‘solicits, accepts or agrees to accept’ such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws,” he wrote, citing the Texas Penal Code. He added that anyone who “offers, confers or agrees to confer” money to the fleeing lawmakers could also face charges. Abbott concluded his statement by saying he will “use [his] full extradition authority to demand the return to Texas of any potential out-of-state felons.” The proposal’s current design, which is not final, would tilt traditionally blue cities like Dallas and Houston in favor of Republicans, and would move Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett out of her own district, according to a previous Fox News Digital report. During a news conference in Chicago on Sunday, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu said the lawmakers are “not here to play political games. We’re here to demand an end to this corrupt process.” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker shared his support for the Texas Democrats during the news conference, describing their departure as a “righteous act of courage,” while claiming Republicans want to silence “millions of voices, especially Black and Latino voters.” “Texas Democrats were left with no choice but to leave their home state, block a vote from taking place and protect their constituents,” Pritzker said. The lawmakers have not stated a potential timeline for returning to Texas.
Republican Dooley jumps into Georgia’s Senate race while touting support for Trump and taking aim at Ossoff
There’s a new Republican candidate jumping into one of the most crucial Senate races in the 2026 midterm elections. Former longtime football coach Derek Dooley highlighted his outsider credentials, took aim at Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, and showcased his support for President Donald Trump as he declared his candidacy on Monday. “I’m running because our state needs new leadership in Washington D.C., and professional politicians like Jon Ossoff are the problem,” Dooley said in a statement and video as he launched his campaign. Dooley argued that “our state doesn’t have a voice in the U.S. Senate who reflects Georgia values because Ossoff is more concerned with protecting his own political future, opposing everything the Trump administration is working to accomplish, and repeatedly voting with the extreme left.” TRUMP HOUSE ALLY REP. MIKE COLLINS JUMPS INTO BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA’S SENATE RACE And he pledged that if elected to the Senate, “I’ll work with President Trump to implement his agenda, support his Administration, and move our country forward.” POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR PASSES ON SENATE BID IN 2026 The Senate race in Georgia is crucial for Republicans aiming to expand their current 53-47 Senate majority, as they view Ossoff, who is running for re-election in a battleground state that Trump narrowly carried in last year’s presidential contest, as the most vulnerable Democrat on the ballot in next year’s midterms. Dooley, who is the son of the late, legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, was a college football player who later served as a head coach at Louisiana Tech University and the University of Tennessee as well as an assistant coach in the National Football League. While this is his first run for public office, Republican sources confirm to Fox News that he’s expected to have the endorsement of Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia’s popular two-term conservative Republican governor. Dooley becomes the third major Republican candidate currently in Georgia’s Senate race. Two-term Rep. Mike Collins, a businessman who founded a trucking company who represents a large swath of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta, announced his candidacy a week ago. Collins, a Trump ally and supporter in the House, showcased his support for the president in his campaign launch. And Rep. Buddy Carter, who for a decade has represented a district in coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign in the spring. He is also courting the president’s support. Dooley appeared to take a jab at his two rivals for the nomination, saying “I’m not part of the political establishment, and I haven’t spent my life climbing the D.C. political ladder.” He pledged that he’s “running to put Georgia First and bring common sense to D.C. Georgians know biological men shouldn’t be playing in women’s sports, hardworking people should keep more of their money, and opening our borders makes us less safe.” The Collins campaign, in a video posted to social media Monday morning, questioned Dooley’s support for Trump. The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), in a statement, argued that “the latest addition to Georgia’s messy and chaotic GOP primary is a failed football coach who has only ever spoken out to cheerlead Medicaid cuts that hurt Georgians.” “As this primary gets even more crowded and devolves into a proxy war between President Trump and Governor Kemp, Senator Ossoff is fighting for working families in Georgia and will hold his seat in 2026,” DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle added. Dooley is a longtime friend of Kemp, and two of the governor’s top political advisers are helping Dooley with his Senate run. The term-limited Kemp, who was heavily recruited by national Republicans to take on Ossoff but who earlier this year passed on launching his own Senate campaign in 2026, has made it clear in recent days that he would be backing Dooley, sources familiar confirmed to Fox News. Meanwhile, sources in Trump’s political orbit and Republican sources in Georgia confirmed to Fox News that there was an agreement between the president’s political operation and Kemp’s political team that they would work together to find a candidate that they could all unify behind to take on Ossoff in the Senate race. Those sources also confirmed that Kemp and Trump – the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics – met last month to discuss the Senate race in Georgia. TRUMP TEAM ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE SENATE NOMINATION RACE But when the governor floated the name of former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, a source close to the president’s political team said “they were told to stand down, because Trump’s team wasn’t ready to move forward on anybody.” And when Kemp and his team did move forward with Dooley, it upset Trump’s advisers, who, according to sources, were “already pretty annoyed” that Kemp had passed earlier this year on taking on Ossoff in the Senate race. “We had a deal to work together,” a top political source in the Trump orbit told Fox News recently. “Kemp went out on his own – which has frustrated and pissed off Trump orbit.” But a source close to the governor told Fox News that it’s factually not true that they were told to stand down on Dooley. And the source added that Kemp meant what he said that he wants to work with the president and his team and remains that way.
Trump accuses Senate Democrats of using nominee confirmations as leverage for funding deals
President Donald Trump alleged that Senate Democrats are possibly delaying his nominees in exchange for money in a heated post on Truth Social Sunday night. In the post, Trump accused Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of slowing down the confirmations of more than 150 executive nominees. “Democrats, lead[sic] by Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, are slow walking my Nominees, more than 150 of them. They wanted us to pay, originally, two billion dollars for approvals. The Dems are CRAZED LUNATICS!!!” the post read. He implied that Democrats were leveraging the process to extract funding agreements — a tactic his associates have described as “political extortion.” DEMS DIG IN, TRUMP DEMANDS ALL: NOMINEE FIGHT BOILS OVER IN SENATE AS GOP LOOKS FOR A DEAL Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., met with Schumer recently to discuss an offer during ongoing negotiations, but they have not readdressed it directly since choosing to communicate through intermediaries, according to Thune. While Trump has urged the Senate to make quick moves, Democrats continue to block more nominees than normal. “I think they’re desperately in need of change,” Thune said of Senate rules Saturday after negotiations with Schumer and Trump broke down. “I think that the last six months have demonstrated that this process, nominations is broken. And so I expect there will be some good robust conversations about that.” Historically, nominees have been confirmed unanimously or by voice vote quickly, but Senate Dems have been reportedly forcing roll-call votes on many of the current nominees. SENATE GOP EYES RULES REVOLT AS DEMS STONEWALL TRUMP NOMINEES Thune told Fox News Digital that not much headway was being made as “the Dems are dug in on a position that’s just not working.” Senate Republicans want to strike a deal that would send nominees with bipartisan support through committee to lightning-fast votes on the floor, but Schumer has not relented. Trump’s claims come after the Senate left Saturday for a month-long August recess without coming to a deal on advancing dozens of nominees, which prompted him to post on Truth Social that Schumer could “GO TO HELL.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Trump says he now ‘loves’ Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad after learning she’s a registered Republican
President Trump on Sunday reacted positively upon learning actress Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, adding that he now finds her viral American Eagle ad campaign to be “fantastic.” “She’s a registered Republican?” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about his thoughts on her political affiliation. “Oh, now I love her ad.” SYDNEY SWEENEY’S IMAGE IS ‘FORTIFIED BUNKER’ DESPITE AMERICAN EAGLE AD, MAGA-STYLE HAT UPROAR: EXPERT The President added, “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known, but I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.” The “Euphoria” actress’ voter registration has surfaced as she faces backlash for her controversial American Eagle jeans campaign. Since June 2024, she has been registered with the Republican Party of Florida in Monroe County, the New York Post reported, citing public voter records. Earlier this week, American Eagle released their latest campaign with the actress, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” Following the launch, there was a mix of reactions on social media. Some critics said the billboard’s play on “genes” versus “jeans” echoed eugenics-era slogans, though supporters argued it was a lighthearted marketing gimmick. AMERICAN EAGLE FIRES BACK AT CRITICS AFTER SYDNEY SWEENEY CAMPAIGN SPARKS ONLINE BACKLASH Some dubbed the campaign as “tone-deaf” due to the alleged racial undertones, while others have praised the actress for killing “woke” advertising. In a promo video posted to the brand’s Instagram, the 27-year-old walked toward an AE billboard featuring her and the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” Sweeney crossed out “Genes” and replaced it with “Jeans” before walking away. JD VANCE SOUNDS OFF ON SYDNEY SWEENEY AD UPROAR, MOCKS LEFT’S ‘NAZI’ STRATEGY On Friday, Vice President JD Vance had some fun at the expense of the left over its wild response to the American Eagle ad campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney. “My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy,” Vance joked during Friday’s appearance on the “Ruthless” podcast. Fox News Digital’s Janelle Ash and Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.