Trump rips ‘luxury hotels’ for migrants while American citizens are ‘living from hand to mouth’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday criticized spending taxpayer money to house migrants in “luxury hotels” while others continue to struggle to afford necessities. Trump was traveling back to the United States after a four-day trip to Scotland when he was asked about mass migration to the United Kingdom. A reporter pointed out that many in the U.K. have taken issue with housing migrants in hotels at the expense of taxpayers while their asylum claims are being processed and asked whether Britain needs its own “Alligator Alcatraz.” It was a reference to Florida’s illegal immigrant detention center on a 30-square-mile property in the Everglades’ swamplands. DEMOCRATS FUME OVER NEW PLAN TO HOUSE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN NEW JERSEY, INDIANA MILITARY BASES “They’re putting people in luxury hotels and other people that are working their a—- off are living from hand to mouth. They’re not living the same way,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “I’ve looked at some of the hotels they’re using.” Trump noted that illegal immigrants in some parts of the U.S. have also been housed in hotels. “They put them in like the best hotels anywhere in the world,” he said. “Thousands of dollars a night, and other people are living out in the streets, including our veterans. They can’t get a room. “There are pictures of our veterans staying right by the door where they’re walking in to live, and the veterans are sitting out in the sidewalk in front of a fancy hotel. And the illegals are coming into that hotel and staying for a week,” he added. “That’s no good.” In 2023, Fox News reported that claims that homeless veterans were displaced at hotels in upstate New York were false. FLORIDA STATE LAWMAKER SAYS TRUMP IS BUILDING ‘MODERN-DAY CONCENTRATION CAMPS’ However, that same year in Massachusetts, military families who booked rooms in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the site of the 124th Army-Navy football Game at Gillette Stadium, received cancellation notices from hotels that were being used by the state to house migrants. In June, the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which served as one of the main migrant shelters in the city, closed its doors. The converted site, which has around 1,000 rooms, processed more than 173,000 migrants since its opening in May 2023, the city said. The hotel was linked to gang activity, and the Justice Department in May launched a probe into the Roosevelt, which is owned by the government of Pakistan, and the Stewart Hotel, which was also transformed into a migrant shelter. New York City taxpayers have forked out billions of dollars to pay for housing for more than 232,000 migrants who have arrived in the city since the spring of 2022.
ICE busts several convicted criminals, including child rapist who threatened to kill 11-year-old victim
FIRST ON FOX: Multiple convicted criminals in the country illegally were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement Tuesday, including some convicted of sex crimes against children. Sierra Leone national Mohammed Sesay was convicted a decade ago in Maryland of raping an 11-year-old girl multiple times within five months in 2014 and threatening to kill her if she spoke up about the abuse. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Sesay’s actions were only revealed after an “assault” during a family function when the father of the victim learned of the incident. ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ SNARED: ICE NABS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF HORRIFIC CRIMES “What these innocent children had to endure is horrifying: a criminal illegal alien raping an 11-year-old child 15 different times; a pedophile; innocent children who were struck and injured by an illegal alien driving drunk, sending one child to intensive care. These criminals should have never been in this country in the first place, and these children should have never been victimized,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, this department is putting the safety of Americans first. Thanks to ICE, these monsters are in custody and will be removed from our communities.” Guatemalan national Pablo Tahay-Par was convicted of unlawfully contacting a minor as a sexual offense in Pennsylvania. DHS ARRESTS FIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CONVICTED OF SERIOUS CRIMES, INCLUDING MURDER AND CHILD ABUSE Salvadoran national Alex Ventura was convicted of drunk driving, which resulted in six children being hurt, according to KPRC. The outlet reported that the 2022 crash resulted in a fractured skull to one of the children. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Venezuelan national Jose David Contreras-Sierra also has a long rap sheet in Rockville, Maryland, including “armed robbery, handgun use during a felony, first-degree assault and drug distribution,” according to DHS. In addition, Dominican national Deibe Ramos-Rodriguez was convicted on alien smuggling charges in Texas. Daniel Gutierrez-Leiva of Guatemala was arrested by ICE Baltimore and has a second-degree rape conviction in the Old Line State. ICE ARRESTS ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ILLEGAL ALIENS IN LOS ANGELES WHILE PROTESTERS ADVOCATE FOR CRIMINALS: DHS According to the ICE website, Wilbert Rudlof Wiebe-Thiessen was also arrested by ICE Dallas Tuesday. The Mexican citizen, 34, has been charged with “assaulting a family or household member by impeding their breath or circulation and terroristic threats causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury in Texas.” The announcements come as the agency regularly updates its “Worst of the Worst” arrests as it tries to ramp up deportations and hire more ICE agents, including with a new ad campaign and bonuses meant to entice people to join. The recent Trump-backed One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes funding for 10,000 more agents. Besides the arrest highlights, ICE also maintains an active “Most Wanted” list.
Trump exploits loopholes to keep Alina Habba in US attorney role, triggering court clash
President Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops to keep his loyal allies in top prosecutor roles in blue states, including his former personal attorney Alina Habba in New Jersey, where a court battle now casts doubt over who is running the U.S. attorney’s office. Trump has attempted to circumvent the Senate confirmation process to maintain Habba’s authority, as well as the authority of his appointees in California and New York. Habba’s appointment, however, has been complicated by a legal challenge from a criminal defendant in her district. Habba said in a statement to Fox News Digital she is unfazed by the development. “I am confident we will win any and all attempts to thwart the well-established Article II Powers of the Executive Branch and the President of the United States,” Habba said. NEWARK MAYOR SUES INTERIM US ATTORNEY FOR FALSE ARREST, MALICIOUS PROSECUTION Habba’s appointment appeared set to end last week when federal judges in New Jersey voted to replace her instead of extending her temporary term under federal vacancy laws. The judges picked veteran prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace to succeed Habba, who lacks a prosecutorial background. But the Trump administration attempted to outmaneuver the judges by firing Grace and switching Habba from interim to “acting” U.S. attorney. The move has caused confusion about who is leading the office, according to the attorney of criminal defendant Julien Giraud. Giraud is facing run-of-the-mill drug and gun charges in Habba’s district, but his attorney, Thomas Mirigliano, said Habba’s “irregular” designation and re-designation as U.S. attorney is unlawful and grounds for dismissing his client’s case. DOJ SWIFTLY FIRES ALINA HABBA’S COURT-APPOINTED REPLACEMENT FOR US ATTORNEY IN NEW JERSEY “Facing an imminent criminal trial proceeding under questionable legal authority, Giraud Jr., hereby seeks dismissal of the indictment or, alternatively, injunctive relief barring Ms. Habba, or any Assistant United States Attorney acting under her purported authority, from exercising further prosecutorial powers in this matter,” Mirigliano wrote in court papers. Court proceedings across the District of New Jersey were also brought to a standstill because of the lingering questions about Habba’s authority, the New York Times reported Monday. A federal judge in Pennsylvania is overseeing Giraud’s new motion because of the New Jersey federal court’s conflict of interest in the matter. To appoint Habba as acting U.S. attorney, Trump also had to withdraw her nomination as permanent U.S. attorney. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, New Jersey’s Democratic senators, had blocked her path to confirmation through the Senate’s blue slip tradition. Booker said in a statement that he too thought Habba had unlawfully reassumed the role as top prosecutor in his state. “This Administration may not like the law, but they are not above it,” Booker said. Similar situations cropped up in New York and California but have not invited the same level of scrutiny as Habba’s has at this stage. WHITE HOUSE HITS BACK AT DEM MAYOR SUING US ATTORNEY AFTER ICE ARREST: ‘DESPERATE ATTEMPT’ Bill Essayli, the temporary U.S. attorney in the Central District of California, was transitioned Tuesday from interim to acting U.S. attorney at the end of his 120-day tenure. Essayli is a Trump-aligned prosecutor who made national headlines after he brought a series of high-profile charges against anti-ICE activists protesting in Los Angeles last month, but critics have observed that his office has since moved to dismiss some of those cases or reduce the charges. The chief judge in Essayli’s district, Dolly Gee, an Obama appointee, declined to take action on permanently approving Essayli after his 120-day interim period. The Trump administration’s legal maneuvers to keep him in his job have positioned him to serve as the district’s lead prosecutor for at least an additional 210 days, the designated term for an acting U.S. attorney. In the Northern District of New York, John Sarcone was also transitioned from interim to acting U.S. attorney. Matt Finn contributed to this report.
Sen. Rand Paul favors the prospect of abolishing the Federal Reserve
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., explained to Fox News Digital during an interview on Tuesday that he would support abolishing the Federal Reserve System, with the key proviso that the country stop engaging in deficit spending, and instead, run a balanced budget. But the fiscal hawk and son of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, a famous Federal Reserve critic, says he does not anticipate that will happen. “I see the opposite,” he said, indicating that many in the GOP who previously cared “about deficits under Biden, seem to care less about deficits under Trump.” SEN RAND PAUL: THERE ARE $186 BILLION REASONS WHY WE MUST AUDIT THE FED “I frankly think if Congress weren’t running deficits you could do without a Fed,” he said. Though he added that there would need to be a “clearinghouse” system, indicating that with the Fed out of the picture, the market would need to be allowed to “fill that space” over time. Paul believes that the free market — supply and demand — should dictate interest rates. “Interest rates are a universal price,” he explained, opining that they are likely “the most prolific price in all of the economy.” TRUMP IS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE FED IS MANAGED MORE THAN ABOUT FIRING POWELL, SAYS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF The last time the Federal Open Market Committee decided to decrease the target range for the federal funds rate was back in December, and President Donald Trump has been stridently calling for the Fed to move on rate cuts. But Paul compared rate-cut demands to insisting that meat is too expensive, and Trump should lower its price — the senator pointed out that most people would view such a call as “nonsensical” as it pertains to consumer goods, “but for some reason even conservatives sort of lose their mind when it comes to interest rates,” he said. The senator noted that he thinks “really what we want is a Federal Reserve that’s less involved with manipulating interest rates.” FEDS HAVE COMPLETELY TAKEN THEIR ‘EYE OFF THE PRIZE,’ ECONOMIST SAYS Paul, who opined that there is likely “no more powerful and secretive organization in all of government,” is pushing a bill to audit the Fed. The proposed legislation, which is also backed by some of Paul’s GOP colleagues, calls for the Comptroller General of the U.S. to audit the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve banks. He is also pushing a measure, which has been cosponsored by left-wing Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., titled the “End the Fed’s Big Bank Bailout Act,” which includes language stipulating, “No Federal Reserve Bank may pay earnings on balances maintained at a Federal Reserve Bank by or on behalf of a depository institution.”
Mamdani hints he feared customs hassle en route from Uganda vacation: ‘Sad reality’
During his first press conference since the mass shooting in New York City, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policies while saying he was prepared for problems with customs returning back to the U.S. from his African vacation. Speaking with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, two days after a deadly mass shooting killed four, including a police officer, Mamdani addressed questions about his wedding trip to his birthplace in Uganda. Mamdani said he “flew commercial economy both ways, and I did not have issues getting through customs, though I was prepared for the potential of those issues.” “That is a sad reality of living in our president’s United States,” Mamdani added. ZOHRAN MAMDANI DODGES QUESTIONS ON MASS SHOOTING AFTER RETURNING FROM AFRICA VACATION According to Mamdani, after returning to New York City from Uganda, he traveled directly to visit the family of 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was slain in the mass shooting. He said he had called the family in advance to “ask if that was something that I could do.” “They welcomed me into their home. They refused to let me leave until I had breakfast with them,” he said, adding, “They are an embodiment of so much of what makes this city the one that we love.” Mamdani said he visited with the family for close to an hour. He highlighted how Islam and one of the other victims of the shooting, security guard Aland Etienne, were both immigrants. “It is not lost upon me that both Officer Islam and Aland Etienne were immigrants who came to the city in the hopes of a better life, immigrants whose own sacrifices made it possible for their own family members to have better lives,” he said. MAMDANI PAYS TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS OF NYC SHOOTING On Monday, a lone gunman, later identified as Shane Tamura, walked into a midtown Manhattan office building and opened fire, killing four people before turning the gun on himself. The four people killed in the shooting were identified as NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, security guard Aland Etienne and Julia Hyman, an associate at Rudin Management. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but the gunman reportedly had a grievance with the NFL, blaming football for his apparent issues with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a side effect from repeated hits to the head. Mamdani was on vacation for his wedding at the time of the shooting. After the tragedy, his previous criticisms of the NYPD and 2020 calls to defund the police came under renewed scrutiny. He also came under scrutiny for a more recent pledge to “disband” a special NYPD force known as the Strategic Response Group, which is responsible for riots, civil disorder and shootings. The press conference on Wednesday was the first opportunity for reporters to question Mamdani on these controversial statements. YANKEES HOLD MOMENT OF SILENCE BEFORE FIRST PITCH AGAINST RAYS IN HONOR OF FALLEN NYPD OFFICER In response to a question about a 2020 post mocking a police officer for having a breakdown in his car, Mamdani said, “To be very clear, as I have been over the course of this campaign. I am not defunding the police. I’m not running to defund the police.” He said the post “is out of step with the way in which I not only view police officers, the immense work that they do in this city, but also the seriousness with which we need to treat that work and the difficulties that come with that work.” During the press conference, Mamdani also addressed threats that he has received since becoming a mayoral candidate. “My life is sadly not the one that it was. There are far more threats,” he said. “And with that comes precautions that I wish I didn’t have to take. Though they are also precautions that I am immensely grateful for, especially in the example of the NYPD detail that I have here in New York City.”
Trump says his Aug 1 tariff deadline ‘will not be extended’ – here are the countries that might not make it
President Donald Trump warned that his August 1 deadline for making a trade deal with the U.S. “stands strong” on Wednesday, threatening several key nations with a big tariff hike. “The August first deadline is the August first deadline — it stands strong, and will not be extended. A big day for America!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, using all-caps. Here are the major countries that still need to negotiate deals with the U.S. Trump sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening a 35% tariff if a deal isn’t struck, but negotiations appear to have stalled. TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT DETAILS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S PLAN TO TACKLE CHINA’S ECONOMIC IMBALANCES “We haven’t really had a lot of luck with Canada. I think Canada could be one where they’ll just pay tariffs. It’s not really a negotiation,” Trump said of the negotiations with our neighbor to the north on Friday. Carney himself said on Monday that negotiations have reached an “intense phase.” “It’s a complex negotiation. You see with the various trade deals that have been agreed to by other jurisdictions — the European Union yesterday, Japan before that, Indonesia, United Kingdom — that there are many elements to these negotiations. We’re engaged in them. But the assurance for Canadian businesses, for Canadians, is we will only sign a deal that’s a good deal, the right deal for Canada,” he told reporters Monday. TRUMP HEADS TO SCOTLAND TO TALK GOLF, POLITICS AND TRADE According to the US Trade Representative (USTR), Canada is America’s third-largest importer, totaling $412.7 billion in 2024. The U.S. exported $349.4 billion to Canada in the same year. Trump sent a similar letter to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum earlier this month, this one threatening a 30% tariff. No deal has been struck as of Wednesday, however, and neither party has been vocal about where negotiations stand. Mexico is America’s top source of imports, totaling $506 billion in 2024, according to the USTR. Meanwhile, the U.S. exported $334 billion to the country over the same year. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent negotiated with Chinese officials in Sweden this week and said Tuesday that the talks were “very constructive.” He emphasized to reporters that no final agreement was made, however. Unlike most countries, China is facing an August 12 deadline rather than August 1, giving them somewhat more breathing room for negotiations. “Nothing is agreed until we speak with President Trump,” Bessent told reporters. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News on Monday that the deadline for China could be extended even further than August 12, though that decision will be up to Trump. Trump warned South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in a July 7 letter that the country would face a 25% blanket tariff if a deal isn’t reached by August 1. US IS IN A ‘SUPER PLACE,’ SAYS COMMERCE SECRETARY ON CHINA TRADE TALKS Lee’s office said late last week that it was preparing a proposal. Lutnick met with three top Korean officials in Washington this week, though no news has come out of the meeting. Taiwan has yet to reach a trade deal with the Trump administration, but Taipei has a delegation in Washington hoping to reach one before August 1, Reuters reported Wednesday. The self-governed island is facing a 32% tariff if it does not secure a deal. “All the relevant talks are still ongoing,” one source familiar with the talks told Reuters, with another saying negotiators were still in the U.S. “We hope these negotiations will accomplish four objectives: safeguarding national interests, protecting industrial interests, ensuring public health, and securing food safety. These objectives serve dual purposes: promoting balanced bilateral trade between Taiwan and the U.S., and enhancing cooperation in diverse areas like technology and national security,” Taiwan’s cabinet said in a statement. Trump appears to have slammed the door shut early on India, announcing on Truth Social that the country will face a 25% tariff across the board beginning August 1. “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country. Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to stop the killing in Ukraine — all things not good!” Trump wrote. ‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS “India will therefore be paying a tariff of 25%, plus a penalty for the above, starting on August first. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAGA!” he added. Trump threatened a massive 50% blanket tariff on Brazilian goods in a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier in July. Trump credited the higher rate to Brazil’s prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who many compared to Trump himself. The U.S. president said Bolsonaro was the victim of a “witch hunt.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lula’s regime has requested that the U.S. exempt certain industries from the tariffs, but a deal before August 1 appears unlikely.
Patel found thousands of sensitive Trump–Russia probe docs inside ‘burn bags’ in secret room at FBI
EXCLUSIVE: FBI Director Kash Patel found a trove of sensitive documents related to the origins of the Trump–Russia probe buried in multiple “burn bags” in a secret room inside the bureau, sources told Fox News Digital. Sources told Fox News Digital that the “burn bag” system is used to destroy documents designated as classified or higher. Sources told Fox News Digital that multiple burn bags were found and filled with thousands of documents. FBI’S CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP-RUSSIA ACTIONS PREDICTED WITH ‘ALARMING SPECIFICITY’ BY FOREIGN ACTORS: SOURCES Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the documents FBI officials found in a burn bag was the classified annex to former special counsel John Durham’s final report, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed. The declassification of the classified annex is being done in close coordination between CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Attorney General Pam Bondi and acting National Security Agency Director William Hartman. The declassified annex will be transmitted to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who ultimately will release the document to the public. Sources exclusively briefed Fox News Digital on some of the contents of the classified annex — including that the U.S. intelligence community had credible foreign sources indicating that the FBI would play a role in spreading the alleged Trump–Russia collusion narrative — before the bureau ever launched its controversial Crossfire Hurricane probe. A source familiar with the contents of the classified annex told Fox News Digital that while it may not have been exactly clear in the moment what the intelligence collection meant, with the benefit of hindsight, it predicted the FBI’s next move “with alarming specificity.” “Ultimately, the release of the classified annex will lend more credibility to the assertion that there was a coordinated plan inside the U.S. government to help the Clinton campaign stir up controversy connecting Trump to Russia,” the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters that have not yet been made public, told Fox News Digital. “Mere days after this intelligence was collected, the FBI launched Crossfire Hurricane,” the source said. “It’s really hard to see how Brennan, Clapper and Comey are going to be able to explain this away.” Sources told Fox News Digital that Patel and his team discovered a previously undisclosed sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) in the FBI headquarters. Fox News Digital reached out to previous FBI Directors Christopher Wray and James Comey for comment and has not yet received any responses. Patel, in a June interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, revealed that he found a room full of documents and computer hard drives “that no one had ever seen or heard of.” “Just think about this,” Patel told Rogan. “Me, as director of the FBI, the former ‘Russiagate guy,’ when I first got to the bureau, found a room that Comey and others hid from the world in the Hoover Building, full of documents and computer hard drives that no one had ever seen or heard of. Locked the key and hid access and just said, ‘No one’s ever gonna find this place.’” Patel and his staff have been working through the documents, some of which are related to sensitive investigations, including the FBI’s original Trump–Russia probe, known inside the bureau as Crossfire Hurricane. It is unclear what the latest documents cover specifically, but sources told Fox News Digital that the most recent discovery was pursuant to an investigative request from Grassley. Patel has turned the documents over to Grassley. EXCLUSIVE: BRENNAN DIRECTED PUBLICATION OF ‘IMPLAUSIBLE’ REPORTS CLAIMING PUTIN PREFERRED TRUMP IN 2016, HOUSE FOUND Grassley has been requesting information related to Durham’s probe. Durham was appointed after then-special counsel Robert Mueller completed his yearslong investigation into the origins of the Trump–Russia probe — including intelligence community malfeasance during and in the aftermath of the 2016 election. Sources told Fox News Digital that Grassley’s team is now reviewing the underlying information as part of its investigative work. As for the other records, Patel’s staff is working to turn them over to Congress pursuant to investigative requests by committees of jurisdiction. EXCLUSIVE: FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES Patel has been instrumental in unraveling the alleged Russia collusion narrative. He previously served as the chief investigator in the congressional probe into alleged Trump–Russia collusion — uncovering suspected government surveillance abuse that led to the appointment of two special counsels: one who determined there was no such collusion, Mueller, and another who determined the entire premise of the FBI’s original investigation was bogus, Durham. Patel served as senior counsel and a national security adviser on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) for then-Chair Rep. Devin Nunes. While Mueller investigated, the HPSCI opened its own investigation into alleged Trump–Russia collusion. In July 2016, during the election cycle, the FBI launched an investigation into whether the Trump campaign was colluding with Russia to influence the outcome of the election. That investigation, inside the bureau, was known as Crossfire Hurricane. By January 2017, Comey had notified Trump of a dossier, known as the Steele dossier, that contained salacious and unverified allegations about Trump’s purported coordination with the Russian government, a key document prompting the opening of the probe. EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA OFFICIALS ADMITTED THEY HAD NO ‘EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE’ OF TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION: HOUSE INTEL TRANSCRIPTS The dossier was authored by Christopher Steele, an ex-British intelligence officer, and commissioned by Fusion GPS. Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign hired Fusion GPS during the 2016 election cycle. It was eventually determined that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee funded the dossier through the law firm Perkins Coie. Trump fired Comey in May 2017. Days later, Mueller was appointed as special counsel to take over the Crossfire Hurricane probe and investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election cycle. While Mueller investigated, the HPSCI opened its own investigation into alleged Trump–Russia collusion. Patel, as chief investigator for Nunes, by February 2018 had discovered widespread government surveillance abuse, including alleged
Trump, Republicans race to redraw Texas congressional map as Democrats threaten legal war
President Donald Trump and Republicans are moving full speed ahead in an extraordinary push to redraw congressional district maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its razor-thin House majority. And Democrats are trying to fight back against the Republicans’ controversial moves. Texas GOP state lawmakers will unveil their proposed new congressional redistricting maps as early as Wednesday, a well-connected Republican source in the Lone Star State confirmed to Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the House is expected to travel to Texas to meet Wednesday evening with Democrats in the state legislature at a meeting in Austin. TEXAS DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS PREPARING TO FLEE RED STATE TO BLUNT GOP CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PUSH House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has accused the Republicans of being “afraid of the voters in 2026 in the midterm elections and they’re trying to cheat to win.” The Republican push in Texas is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of the House, and cushion losses elsewhere in the country, as the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats in midterm elections. TEXAS GOV SAYS DEMS WHO ‘FLED’ STATE OVER ELECTIONS BILL WILL BE ARRESTED UPON RETURN Trump and his political team are aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House, when Democrats stormed back to grab the House majority in the 2018 midterms. “Texas will be the biggest one,” the president told reporters recently, as he predicted the number of GOP-friendly seats that could be added through redistricting in the reliably red state. “Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.” Democrats control just 12 of the state’s 38 congressional districts, with a blue-leaning seat vacant after the death in March of Rep. Sylvester Turner. The GOP idea is to relocate Democratic voters from competitive seats into nearby GOP-leaning districts, and move Republican voters into neighboring districts the Democrats currently control. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both conservative Republicans and Trump allies, said they needed to redistrict because of constitutional concerns raised by the Justice Department over a handful of minority-dominated districts. COURT SIDETRACKS REDISTRICTING FIGHT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE But the move is potentially risky. “There is some risk of making safe Republican seats more competitive, and I think that the incumbents are certainly worried about that,” veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser recently told Fox News. “If you talk to Republican members of Congress, they’re going to be worried about their own seats. They don’t want to be in a seat that’s more competitive.” Steinhauser noted “that’s the tradeoff for Republicans, if you want to grow the majority.” But he added that “the people drawing the maps… they don’t want to make any seat too competitive because that will defeat the purpose.” Redistricting typically takes place at the start of each decade, based on the latest U.S. Census data. Mid-decade redistricting is uncommon—but not without precedent. Democrats are slamming Trump and Texas Republicans for what they describe as a power grab, and vowing to take legal action to prevent any shift in the current congressional maps. And Democrats in blue-dominated states are now trying to fight fire with fire. “Two can play this game,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media recently. The next day, after a meeting, Democrats in California’s congressional delegation said they were on board with an ambitious plan to try and gain at least five seats through redistricting. Democrats currently control 43 of the Golden State’s 52 congressional districts. Jeffries, after his two-day stop in Texas, heads to California for meetings with state Democrats. But it won’t be easy to enact the change, because in California, congressional maps are drawn by an independent commission that is not supposed to let partisanship influence their work. Newsom has suggested that the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature move forward with a mid-decade redrawing of the maps, arguing that it might not be forbidden by the 17-year-old ballot initiative that created the independent commission. The governor also proposed quickly holding a special election to repeal the commission ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Both plans are considered long shots, as they would face plenty of legislative, legal and financial hurdles. Democrats in other heavily populated blue states—including New York, Illinois, and New Jersey, are also considering making changes to their maps, but have redistricting limits enshrined in their state constitutions. Meanwhile, Ohio is required by law to redistrict this year, and a redrawing of the maps in the red-leaning state could provide the GOP with up to three more congressional seats. And Republicans are also mulling mid-decade redistricting that might give the GOP a couple of more House seats in red states such as Florida, Missouri, and Indiana.
Backlash against Sydney Sweeney ‘jeans/genes’ ad gets mocked by WH: Americans are ‘tired of this bulls—’
A top White House official waded into the Sydney Sweeney-American Eagle advertisement controversy late Tuesday, calling left-wing backlash and claims of a “shift toward whiteness” more “cancel culture run amok.” Steven Cheung, President Donald Trump’s communications director, reposted an MSNBC headline claiming Sweeney’s ad promoted racial superiority in the form of genetic “whiteness” – and wrecked it in a caption. “Cancel culture run amok,” Cheung said. “This warped, moronic, and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024. They’re tired of this bulls—.” THE WAR ON HOT WOMEN: WHY THE WOKE MOB HATES SYDNEY SWEENEY While some TikTokers simply noted the ad’s multiple similarities to a 1980 Calvin Klein ad featuring then-child-model Brooke Shields – others lambasted Sweeney’s version as a sinister nod to eugenics; citing how “great genes” and “great jeans” are homophones. TikTokkers, compiled by the New York Post, lambasted the ad as “Nazi propaganda” and “fascist-weird.” Activist Zellie Imani, whose X profile includes the phrase “All Black Everything,” called the ad a “love letter to White nationalism and eugenic fantasies, and Sydney Sweeney knew it.” Those types of responses drew their own incredulous comment from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: “Wow. Now the crazy Left has come out against beautiful women — I’m sure that will poll well,” Cruz said on X. First son Donald Trump Jr. took to Instagram to troll critics as well. Trump Jr. posted an artificially-generated image of his father in the ad instead of Sweeney and paraphrased Owen Wilson’s fashion-designer-character catchphrase from the Ben Stiller film “Zoolander.” SYDNEY SWEENEY FROLICS WITH MYSTERY MAN AS AMERICAN EAGLE DROPS PROVOCATIVE NEW AD “Hanse – Um, Donald is so hot right now,” Trump Jr. quipped. Such signaling from the first family and the White House has also led to feelings that the cultural tide is turning in favor of the right for the first time in decades. Proponents of that view also point to the cancellation of Stephen Colbert and the entire CBS “Late Show” franchise. American Eagle will reportedly be donating proceeds from such jeans to the national Crisis Text Line to support victims of domestic violence. The company defended the ad in a statement last week: CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic – trendsetting denim that leads, never follows,” American Eagle & Aerie president and creative director Jennifer Foyle said. “Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in. With Sydney Sweeney front and center, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.” American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein and family also have friendly ties with the Trumps, as the Wall Street Journal reported they have been Mar-a-Lago members for years and Schottenstein’s son held his wedding at the Palm Beach compound.
Newsom office dismisses crime fears, defends sanctuary policies amid surge in violence: ‘Fake news’
In the wake of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer being shot allegedly by two criminal illegal immigrants earlier this month, experts are calling attention to how sanctuary policies sheltering lawbreakers are directly responsible for rising crime and violence in Democratic-run jurisdictions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, however, pushed back against the notion that sanctuary policies are to blame, with a spokesperson calling it “fake news” and an attempt by the Trump administration to justify “their cruel and militaristic actions.” This comes after two illegal immigrants – Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez and Cristian Aybar Berroa – were arrested in connection with an off-duty CBP officer being shot in the face in a New York City park. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both illegals have long criminal histories and had ICE detainers against them that had been ignored by New York City officials. Last week, the Trump Justice Department announced it is suing New York City over its longstanding sanctuary policies, which DHS said enabled the shooting. The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court, names New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several other city officials as defendants. The lawsuit claims the city has enacted policies with the intent of impeding the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. BASS, NEWSOM MORE INTERESTED IN ‘SHELTERING’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS THAN REBUILDING FROM FIRES: STEPHEN MILLER Joe Borelli, a former New York City Council member, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies have made many of America’s major cities “demonstrably” less safe. “We have had about a decade of this ‘sanctuary city’ experiment in Democratic-run cities, and after all this time, we can now definitively say it’s been a net loss. And that’s being polite,” said Borelli. “In truth, it has drained the coffers of American cities and states and has demonstrably made our neighborhoods less safe, especially those that are home to our legal immigrant communities,” he added. Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that the continued criminality of individuals like the two suspects in New York is “a direct result of the sanctuary policies.” He said the suspects in the New York shooting had a “slew of prior arrests, any one of which could have resulted in their arrest by ICE and deportation from the United States.” “But they didn’t because they occurred largely in sanctuary jurisdictions where ICE didn’t have cooperation from the local authorities,” he explained. NOEM BLAMES ‘SANCTUARY’ POLICIES FOR MIGRANT ACCUSED OF SHOOTING OFF-DUTY CBP OFFICER “The contention that is made is that those policies are necessary in order to protect the immigrant communities, but the only things that sanctuary policies actually protect are criminals,” he said. “States and localities like California, Los Angeles, Denver, Boston, Massachusetts, New York and New York City that do have sanctuary jurisdictions make it much more likely that criminal aliens will be released onto the street to re-offend.” Lora Ries, a border security and immigration expert at the Heritage Foundation, predicted that if the sanctuary policies continue, “there’s going to be more preventable crime and more victims who shouldn’t be victims.” “It has not just been a national security threat, but a personal safety threat,” she said, adding, “and we have already too many examples of preventable crimes because perpetrators shouldn’t have been here. They either snuck across the border the first time, the second time, the third time, committed crimes previously and either weren’t prosecuted or weren’t detained or and or weren’t turned over to ICE.” Ries pointed out that, despite Democratic claims that Trump’s immigration crackdown is unpopular, it is sanctuary policies – that allow criminal illegals to evade ICE – that the public is opposed to. Since 2015, a majority of Americans have generally favored the deportation of illegal immigrants. The latest Fox News survey, released on Monday, found roughly 8 in 10 Democrats, 6 in 10 independents, and 4 in 10 Republicans agree that at least illegal immigrants charged with crimes should be deported, while others should be offered a path to stay. DEMS’ SANCTUARY POLICIES SHIELD ‘GANGBANGERS,’ HARM LATINO FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, SAYS HISPANIC GOP LAWMAKER Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., whose district includes portions of Denver, told Fox News Digital that sanctuary policies have made Colorado the second most dangerous state in the country. “It’s an absolutely horrible impact on public safety. And that horrible impact is tied directly back to sanctuary state policies that handcuff cops and roll out the red carpet for criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua,” he explained. “We’re talking guns and drugs and human trafficking and child abuse,” he continued. “And the predators and the criminals that are perpetuating these violent acts, peddling fentanyl in our community, literally killing Americans and Coloradans by the thousands, these are the people that have been festering in our society under the sanctuary state policies in Colorado.” Evans added that besides inhibiting law enforcement from above, sanctuary policies also “sends a message to other outside groups that it’s okay to go and interfere with and, at times, outright assault law enforcement officers.” Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, placed the blame directly on Democratic politicians for the sanctuary policies. “When sanctuary politicians ignore ICE detainers, they are protecting criminal illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens,” McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. ICE SIT-IN ‘PHOTO OP’ BY MARYLAND DEMS BLASTED BY DHS CHIEF NOEM “Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults of our ICE officers through their repeated vilification and demonization of ICE. From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is beyond the pale.” “These reckless policies have deadly consequences,” she added. However, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office, pushed back. “Their assertions are fake news,” said Crofts-Pelayo, adding, “This is the Trump team’s attempt