Media bashes Trump admin messaging for pinning shutdown on Dems, White House fires back
EXCLUSIVE: The White House responded to various reports that President Donald Trump’s administration is breaking federal law by including commentary that blames Senate Democrats for the government shutdown in out-of-office emails and letters furloughing federal employees. A number of reports suggested that including partisan messaging in official emails and communication channels could be a violation of the Anti-Lobbying Act, which prevents federal funding from being used in lobbying efforts. “The Trump administration is committed to sharing the truth with the American people, and it’s simply a fact that the Democrats shut down the government,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Democrats opposed the clean CR that they supported just 6 months ago and 13 times under the Biden administration because they want free healthcare for illegal aliens.” WHITE HOUSE PREPARES FOR ‘IMMINENT’ FEDERAL LAYOFFS AFTER DEMOCRATS FORCE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “And now, the Democrats are upset the administration is sharing the truth — they are desperately trying to lie to the American people because they know their shutdown is hurting families and workers around the country,” Jackson added. “Unfortunately for the Democrats, facts are facts.” Atop the Department of Justice website, a red banner reads: “Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated.” Fox News Digital obtained a DOJ memo which was sent to all employees of the agency outlining the plan for furloughing federal employees in the event of a shutdown, stating DOJ “has contingency plans in place for executing an orderly shutdown of activities that would be affected by any lapse in appropriations forced by Congressional Democrats.” JOHNSON SAYS SCHUMER HANDED TRUMP ‘KEYS TO THE KINGDOM’ WITH GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DECISION “Unfortunately, Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands,” the memo continues. “A funding lapse will result in certain Department activities ceasing due to a lack of appropriated funding, and designated pre-notified employees will be furloughed subject to certain laws and regulations.” On visiting the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) website, a pop-up appears on the center page that reads: “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need.” Reports also suggested that the administration may be in violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law that prevents tax dollars from being spent in a partisan or politically biased manner, as a result of the messaging. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Legal expert Andrew Cherkasy, co-founder of Golden Law, Inc. and former Air Force JAG, told Fox News Digital that “the Hatch Act does not apply to the President or Vice President. It does apply to most other federal employees.” “The law is intended to prohibit government officials from using their official authority to interfere with, or affect elections,” Cherkasky explained. “The President of the United States and his agents under his authority have an unquestionable constitutional right to speak directly to the American people about what is happening in their government and who is responsible for it.” The Hatch Act, which was signed into law in 1939, is enforced by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and is also designed to keep federal employees from influencing or interfering with elections while working in any official capacity. BLAME GAME: GOP SPOTLIGHTS ‘SCHUMER SHUTDOWN’ WHILE DEMS LASH OUT AT REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS “For years, unelected bureaucrats and left-leaning agencies openly leaked, editorialized, and interfered in policy debates without consequence,” Cherkasky told Fox. “The Hatch Act does not prohibit the President from holding democrats accountable for shutting down the government.” The Biden administration also partook in messaging that pushed certain legislation. Biden’s Office of Management and Budget issued a statement regarding the Right to IVF Act last June, stating: “When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, it paved the way for Republican elected officials’ extreme, out-of-touch agenda, which has eroded access to reproductive healthcare for families across the country.” The Obama administration issued similar messaging in 2013 specifically blaming Republicans for a government shutdown threat, saying “House Republicans are pushing the Government toward shutdown.” The federal government entered a partial shutdown at midnight Wednesday morning after a bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21 failed in the Senate. Senate Democrats pushed for Obamacare subsidies that were set to expire to be included in the legislation and reportedly felt sidelined in negotiations surrounding government funding. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate, the spending bill requires 60 votes to pass in the Senate, meaning some Democrat senators will need to break ranks with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to prevent the bill from failing.
Trump presidential library to be built in Miami after Florida gifts waterfront site
Florida officials on Tuesday paved the way for President Donald Trump’s presidential library to be built in a prime location in downtown Miami next to the city’s iconic Freedom Tower. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted to gift a 2.63-acre parcel on Biscayne Boulevard to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation on condition that construction must begin within five years, which would be about a year after the president completes his second term. Trump’s son Eric, who is the president and one of three trustees at the foundation, hailed the announcement. OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER DEPOSITS JUST $1M INTO $470M RESERVE FUND AIMED TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS “No monument can fully capture the scale of my father’s legacy, but this library will stand as a tribute to the leader who reshaped history and restored America’s strength,” Eric Trump said in a statement. No architectural plans have been released, but Eric Trump said it would not look like former President Barack Obama’s presidential center, which is slowly rising in Chicago. “Consistent with our family’s DNA, this will be one of the most beautiful buildings ever built, an icon on the Miami skyline — rest assured, it will not look like President Obama’s ‘prison-like structure,’” Eric Trump wrote on X, referring to the Obama Center’s 235-foot-tall concrete museum at the site. At 19.3 acres, the Obama Presidential Center sits on a site more than seven times larger than Trump’s. The Miami site is currently used as an employee parking lot for Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus and is adjacent to the historic Freedom Tower, which served as a resource center for hundreds of thousands of Cubans who fled communism in the 1960s and 1970s and sought asylum in the United States. The 100-year-old structure is considered a symbol of the city’s vibrant immigrant heritage. The site is surrounded by luxury high-rise apartment buildings and has waterfront views, facing directly at the Kaseya Center, home to the NBA’s Miami Heat, as well as Dodge Island, where many of the world’s largest cruise liners dock. OBAMA LIBRARY, BEGUN WITH LOFTY DEI GOALS, NOW PLAGUED BY $40M RACIALLY CHARGED SUIT, BALLOONING COSTS The parcel was appraised at more than $66 million, according to media reports, but it could sell for at least $360 million, The New York Times reported, citing a real estate consultant. Presidential libraries are part of a system administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which preserves documents, records and other historical materials of U.S. presidents after they leave office. According to the NARA website, the records of the Trump administration will remain in the capital region, which likely means the Miami site will function more like a museum and exhibit center akin to the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. Fox News Digital has sought clarification from the Trump Presidential Library Foundation. The site selection comes just months after Trump carried Miami-Dade County by 13 points, the first Republican to carry it since 1988. DeSantis formally presented the plan and publicly backed it, stating ahead of the vote that Florida “would be honored” to house Trump’s presidential library and arguing it would provide a “greater benefit to the public” and “increase economic development activities.” Under the state constitution, the gifting of certain state properties requires approval by a collective decision-making body comprised of the attorney general, the chief financial officer and the commissioner of agriculture as well as the governor. Locations associated with Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and Florida International University in suburban Miami had previously been floated as potential library sites. DeSantis signed a bill this year preempting local governments from blocking development of a presidential library, aiming to overrule potential opposition in liberal-leaning counties or municipalities. The Trump Presidential Library Foundation’s other trustees are Tiffany Trump’s husband Michael Boulos and Trump attorney James Kiley. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Campus rifle arrest of repeat offender draws sharp rebuke of Dems from GOP lawmaker
After a repeat offender was discovered on a college campus with a rifle, Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., slammed Democratic leaders in Colorado for “devastating law enforcement morale” by what he described as siding with illegals and criminals above police and federal officials. Ephraim Debisa, a 21-year-old reported refugee from Tanzania, was arrested again last week for unlawful possession of a weapon on school grounds and trespassing after being previously arrested for suspicion of attempting to commit second-degree murder, first-degree assault and engaging in a riot, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. The statement said that Debisa was also facing charges of felony menacing and first-degree burglary from earlier in the year. Just a few weeks earlier, the sheriff’s office released a warning to the public that it was having to release Debisa, who the office called a “potential danger to the community,” because he did not meet the competency requirements to stand trial under a new Colorado law passed under Democratic leadership in 2024. VENEZUELAN SUSPECT ‘SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN IN THE UNITED STATES,’ POLICE CHIEF SAYS AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING In the statement, Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams criticized Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis and the Democrat-controlled state legislature, saying they “created a crisis” and “have continued to weaken the criminal justice system by handcuffing law enforcement, prosecutors and judges for the sake of criminals.” “I pray this individual doesn’t hurt another innocent victim but the public deserves to know of his past violent actions so they can protect themselves accordingly,” said Reams. “God help this State,” he added. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Evans, whose district includes portions of Weld County, said that as a former police officer, he knows that cases like these take an “emotional and mental health toll on the cops.” “This is just devastating to public safety in Colorado, and it’s devastating to law enforcement morale, because you go, and you arrest a repeat violent offender who then gets released, and then you got to go catch him again two weeks later when he’s armed with a gun, and you know that you’re going to put your life on the line to go get an unstable individual armed with the firearm again,” Evans said, adding, “And he’s probably just going to get released — this is devastating to law enforcement morale as well.” ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AFTER FAILED SANCTUARY ATTEMPT AT COLORADO PROBATION OFFICE He explained that “one of the largest indicators of PTSD in law enforcement is: do they feel like they’re being backed by their agencies and by the government?” “When the government of Colorado, the governor, is signing laws that re-releases violent individuals back into the community, cops don’t feel like anyone’s got their back,” he said. “For the last five years plus, we have seen the left double down on their anti-law enforcement rhetoric, going back to the riots of 2020,” he went on. “They are at an ideological point where they struggle to be able to actually back law enforcement and condemn political violence when it’s against conservative figures.” In response, Polis told Fox News Digital, “I’ll work with anyone to reduce crime and don’t just pay it lip service.” “We are getting real results: double-digit reductions in crime in auto theft, property crime, and violent crime. We are doing this by getting tough on crime, increasing criminal penalties for crimes like auto theft, and investing in our police,” he said. Polis also said that the Trump administration “is withholding a major amount of Colorado’s federal public safety funding, including funds for emergency management and response, which I hope draws outrage from Rep. Evans.” COLORADO DEPUTIES VIOLATED NEW STATE LAW WHEN SHARING INFORMATION WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS “Evans and Republicans are blocking public safety funding — and now he wants to distract people from issues he owns in Congress: kicking people off healthcare, increasing the federal deficit, the administration’s withholding of public safety money, and now, the … shutdown of the federal government,” he said. In a letter that Polis’ office sent to Evans and other Colorado Republicans, Reps. Lauren Boebert and Jeff Crank, the governor noted that the new law passed with bipartisan, veto-proof majorities, but acknowledged it has had “unintended consequences.” He wrote that he is “actively working with and supporting district attorneys, law enforcement, the Colorado Department of Human Services, and legislators” to find a solution, and that he is “always willing to look at making changes where necessary, such as fixing or repealing” the law. “The reality is, Colorado has seen reductions in crime, including in auto theft, property crime, and violent crime,” Polis wrote, while adding, “But we need to do more.” DEMS’ SANCTUARY POLICIES SHIELD ‘GANGBANGERS,’ HARM LATINO FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, SAYS HISPANIC GOP LAWMAKER Yet, according to Evans, law enforcement in Colorado is feeling the effects of Democrats “soft on crime” policies and the community is reeling from the impacts. “Myself and some of the other members from Colorado weighed in on this, calling on the governor to fix a lot of these laws that he has personally signed over the last few years that have made Colorado the second most dangerous state in the country,” he explained. “Denver is a top ten most dangerous major city in the country, and it goes back to all of these laws,” said Evans. “There is, unfortunately, a lot of anti-law enforcement sentiment just nationally against law enforcement. In Colorado, the Democrats have doubled down on that.”
Lawmaker warns government shutdown chaos potentially leading to big waste in the military, impacting readiness
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican member of the House of Representatives is sounding the alarm over the consequences that a government shutdown could have on the military. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., sent a letter to the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday describing concerns raised to him about servicemen and women who are nearing the completion of temporary duty assignments, which are typically orders focused on specific, time-limited tasks, training or support roles. Due to the shutdown, they are being forced back to their home units before completing their assigned tasks. Mast, a veteran himself who lost both his legs while in the service, said that the news is concerning if it is indeed true, as just the costs associated with a service member’s per diem while on temporary duty assignment can range from $178 per day, to more than $1,000 per day for others. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BEGINS AS HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM HEAPS PRESSURE ON DEMS “It is an irresponsible waste of taxpayer dollars and a disservice to our troops and overall readiness,” Mast wrote in the letter. “Talk about lighting money on fire,” the congressman added in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Not only is this Democrat shutdown wasting taxpayer dollars, it’s wasting the time of our servicemembers.” The government shuttered at midnight Tuesday, after Republicans and Democrats failed to come to a consensus on a federal appropriations package needed to keep the government open and funded. REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’ Both sides are pointing the finger at each other for causing the shutdown, which is the first in seven years following a shutdown in 2018 that lasted for 35 days. Democratic Party leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has accused Republicans of forcing the shutdown because they are unwilling to “protect Americans’ healthcare” via an extension of Obamacare subsidies that Democrats are demanding. Most Republicans oppose the extension, citing concerns the extension would lead to a massive increase in taxpayer-funded healthcare for immigrants who enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, top Republicans are blasting Schumer for playing politics, arguing he is seeking political cover from the far-left corner of his party amid speculation he could face a progressive challenger, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., when he comes back up for re-election. “There is one reason and one reason alone that Chuck Schumer is leading the Democrats off this cliff. He is trying to get political cover from the far-left corner of his base. He’s afraid of a challenge for his Senate seat by AOC or someone like that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed in a Wednesday interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria.”
Chicago-area mayor insists ‘we don’t need’ Guard troops despite repeated anti-ICE clashes
The mayor of a small town outside of Chicago on Tuesday insisted her community doesn’t want National Guard troops deployed to the area after weeks of protesters clashing with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Katrina Thompson, the mayor of Broadview, a village with a population of under 8,000 just west of downtown Chicago, held a press conference Tuesday about the federal presence in the town, emphatically saying, “We don’t want them here.” “We don’t need them,” Thompson later told WLS-TV in an interview. “We can govern ourselves, and we have been doing that until this point.” Thompson’s remarks come after multiple suggestions from President Donald Trump that the Chicago area could benefit from having National Guard troops. Trump even told senior U.S. military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia on Tuesday that the National Guard would be “going into Chicago very soon.” CHICAGO MAYOR SAYS ‘UNSTABLE HUMAN BEING’ TRUMP MUST BE ‘CHECKED’ ON MILITARY USE IN US CITIES The Trump administration has already deployed the National Guard to cities such as Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to address crime and assist with deportations. Thompson claimed protesters had been “peaceful” and mostly lobbed verbal insults at agents in Broadview despite clashes with ICE agents that resulted in multiple people being arrested and charged with assaulting federal officers. “That happens to me all the time, and I don’t go out and throw tear gas on people,” Thompson told the outlet. HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ICE responded to Thompson in a statement on Tuesday, saying the mayor “can either continue to be part of the problem or choose to be part of the solution by directing your police to enforce local ordinances and working with us to remove violent offenders.” “Mayor Thompson is distorting reality, pointing her finger in the wrong direction, while our officers are protecting her community — and others — from real threats, while also facing skyrocketing violence against them, including at the Broadview facility,” ICE said.
War Department pushes back on ‘false’ narrative of internal strategy split
Rejecting reports of a split with the brass, the Department of War says the National Defense Strategy was “seamlessly coordinated” with senior civilian and uniform leaders — and that “any narrative to the contrary is false.” On Monday, The Washington Post reported that multiple senior officers had raised concerns about the forthcoming strategy, pointing to a divide between political leadership. Deputy Secretary of War Steve Feinberg pushed back on Wednesday, in an on-the-record statement to Fox News Digital. “The Department’s National Defense Strategy has been seamlessly coordinated with all senior civilian and military leadership with total collaboration — any narrative to the contrary is false,” Feinberg said. RENAMED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMING ‘SOON,’ TRUMP SAYS A senior War Department official said the strategy was the product of “extensive and intensive” collaboration across the department. The drafting team included a policy lead, a Joint Staff deputy and representatives from the military services who consulted widely with civilian and uniformed offices. Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby and the acting deputy under-secretary for policy, Austin Dahmer, met with leaders from every group. The official called that level of policy-shop engagement “unprecedented.” SUPPORTERS HAIL TRUMP’S PENTAGON REBRAND AS ‘HONEST,’ CRITICS CALL IT RECKLESS Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided feedback directly to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Colby, the official said, and both assured him his input would be reflected in the final draft. The Post report said political appointees in the Pentagon policy office led the drafting and described unusually sharp pushback from some commanders over priorities and tone. The War Department disputes that characterization and says the document was coordinated at the principal level and aligned closely with the National Security Strategy. The pushback comes a day after Hegseth addressed hundreds of commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico. TOP US MILITARY BRASS TO HOLD SECRETIVE MEETING WITH HEGSETH AS TRUMP RAMPS UP RUSSIA CRITICISM In a 45-minute speech, he argued the force needs tougher standards and a tighter focus on warfighting. He has recalled one-star and above officers from around the world to brief in person and has removed several senior general officers as part of a broader overhaul. Hegseth says new directives will restore rigorous physical, grooming and leadership standards and require combat roles to meet one set of physical benchmarks. The Washington Post did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
How Mikie Sherrill’s family made millions after she was elected to Congress
New Jersey gubernatorial hopeful Mikie Sherrill has become one of the Garden State’s richest lawmakers in Congress six years after getting elected to Washington — buoyed by a portfolio of luxe properties, millions in stock and a banker husband who earns more than $2 million per year. Republican Jack Ciattarelli and his allies have pummeled Sherrill (D-NJ) over her finances — accusing her of “flipping stocks and cashing in” since being elected to high office. “In the seven years that she’s been in Congress, she’s tripled her net worth!” Ciattarelli said during their fiery clash at last week’s debate. SHERRILL FIRES BACK AT GOP RIVAL AS QUESTIONS SWIRL OVER HER MILITARY RECORDS: ‘HAND IN THE COOKIE JAR’ “While you were sitting on the House Armed Services Committee, you were trading defense stocks,” he went on. Sherrill has denied that claim, saying she does not own individual stocks — though a mealy-mouthed response to the question about her net worth from “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God has only fanned the flames. A peek at Sherrill’s financial disclosures contradicts some of the attacks Ciattarelli and his allies have made on the campaign trail about her net worth — and suggests her impressive wealth growth comes from a variety of sources. “Mikie does not own or trade individual stocks, and has gone ‘above and beyond’ releasing the exact values of her finances to the dollar,” Sherrill campaign communications director Sean Higgins told The Post. “New Jerseyans have zero insight into Jack Ciattarelli’s net worth, they do know he made $15 million in profits off opioid misinformation and investments linked to the Chinese Communist Party.” The frequently cited $7 million figure stems from a Washington Free Beacon analysis that used the average of a range of values provided in congressional financial disclosures. In 2019, Sherrill’s net worth would’ve been between $730,000 and $4.3 million, per her House financial disclosure records. By 2024, it jumped to between $4.8 million and $14 million. DEM GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE HIT WITH ACCUSATIONS OF NEPOTISM OVER CHILDREN’S ACCEPTANCE INTO NAVAL ACADEMY Additionally, that analysis looked at all her assets, not just stocks. And a key reason why her net worth jumped so sharply in that analysis is that she added a Washington, DC, townhouse, purchased in a tony neighborhood in 2021 for $1.5 million. As Ciattarelli noted, Sherrill was forced to pay a $400 fee in 2021 for STOCK Act violations, after blowing past a 45-day deadline to disclose her husband’s stock trades — something that is not uncommon in Congress. The Garden State Democrat’s net worth is somewhere between $9.4 million and $14.61 million. Quiver Quantitative, which provides estimates for most members of Congress, pegged Sherrill’s fortune at $14.61 million, which would place her just behind Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) $42.19 million net worth as the second-richest Garden State pol in Washington. An August analysis by the New Jersey Globe pegged her and her husband’s net worth at $9.4 million. Most of Sherrill’s fortune stems from her banker husband, Jason Hedberg. Hedberg gets partially compensated through stocks from UBS, which they frequently sell off, according to financial disclosures. He has raked in more than $2.6 million each year since 2021 — topping out at $2.9 million last year. For comparison, Sherrill’s congressional salary is $174,000. Shortly after taking office, Sherrill began offloading individual stocks in favor of exchange-traded funds to mitigate conflict-of-interest concerns. MIKIE SHERRILL STAYS SILENT AS NEW JERSEY POLITICIANS REACT TO CONVICTED COP KILLER’S DEATH She had $4.4 million in her brokerage account, and her husband reportedly had $1.9 million in unvested stocks. The pair also had about $1.5 million between their checking accounts, retirement accounts and life insurance policies. The New Jersey Democrat’s investment portfolio fared 1.9% worse than the S&P 500, according to insider trading watchdog Unusual Whales. Sherrill and her husband also own three homes: a large mansion in wealthy Montclair, a vacation home in Vermont, and the Washington, DC, townhouse. Zillow records indicate that her Montclair home is worth about $3 million, her vacation home is about $780,000, and her DC home, which she once rented to former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), was pegged at $1.6 million. Records indicate those three homes have mortgages on them. At least two of her children went to the tony Montclair Kimberly Academy, which has tuition as high as $53,340 annually. Following pressure from Sherrill’s allies to release more of his tax documentation, the Ciattarelli campaign let media outlets examine 13 years of his tax returns. While his net worth isn’t fully clear, tax records show that he has raked in close to $14.9 million since 2012 and paid at least $4 million in taxes, the New Jersey Monitor reported. Ciattarelli, a former state assemblyman, had made his fortune off two medical publication businesses, one of which he sold in 2017, the same year he made $7.1 million in total income, per the outlet. Tax records showed that his income fluctuated throughout the years, from $600,946 in 2014 to $854,966 in 2018 and $168,433 in 2022, according to the report. Additional reporting by Steven Vago and Isabel Vincent
EXCLUSIVE: Rep Nancy Mace heads to Clemson in wake of Kirk assassination: ‘We won’t be silenced’
EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., vowed to stand fearlessly with young conservatives in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination — a tragedy that sparked national outrage and led to three Clemson professors being fired after allegedly celebrating his death. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her address Wednesday at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) gathering at Clemson University in South Carolina, Mace said she and other conservative leaders will continue speaking in public to honor the late TPUSA founder’s legacy, noting, “we’re not going to be afraid.” The South Carolina gubernatorial candidate’s public appearance comes less than a month after Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, leaving behind his wife, Erika, and two young children. SHOCK AND RESOLVE: STUDENTS REFLECT ON CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH, FUTURE OF CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT “I want all of our young people across South Carolina and the country to know that we are with them, that we are all Charlie Kirk and that they will be supported — that we aren’t going to allow anyone, or any political violence, to stop this movement or this moment,” Mace said. “We are doing this for Charlie Kirk. We’re doing this for Turning Point. We’re doing this for the millions of Charlie Kirks that are now out there today, who want to carry the torch forward, and we’re not going to be afraid,” she added. “We’re going to continue to do these things in public. We’re going to respect and honor free speech and our faith, and we’re going to do it as publicly and valiantly as we can.” Following Kirk’s killing, Fox Digital reported young conservatives were harassed at on-campus memorials, as professors across the country faced firings over insensitive public posts condoning the activist’s murder. At Clemson alone, three professors were terminated after allegedly celebrating Kirk’s death. Mace said young members of the Clemson College Republicans and the Clemson TPUSA chapter worked together to ensure the public, elected officials and President Donald Trump were aware of the professors’ comments, and were instrumental in booting them from campus. UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON EMPLOYEE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CELEBRATING, DEFENDING KIRK’S DEATH “They made a difference where it mattered, because those who are promoting murder, inciting murder, shouldn’t be teaching our kids. Regardless of your politics or what your beliefs are, you shouldn’t be near students or indoctrinating them,” she said. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of students on every campus across the country who are with you. When we speak up in numbers, we can’t be defeated.” She added her message to parents concerned about leftist indoctrination on college campuses is one of hope. “I have never been more proud and had more confidence in a generation than I do today, because these young men and women have stepped up in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder, and they have stepped up to fill in the gap, and it is an inspiration,” Mace said. ‘FEARLESS’ TOUR TAKES CHARLIE KIRK’S FREE SPEECH MISSION TO COLLEGES NATIONWIDE The university also came under fire in April after Mace revealed Clemson had a health portal form that listed 15 gender identity options, excluding male and female. Though the form was eventually taken down, Mace noted school officials “deflected any and all blame.” “I expect better than that, and even when these professors came forward, we saw a slow response from Clemson,” she said. “Luckily, the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting and did the right thing, so we are going to have to continue to have eyes on and put pressure on Clemson to do the right thing.” Mace said amid the chaos, it is important lawmakers and the courts step in to protect free speech, and continue to honor Kirk’s mission. “The First Amendment is a right established by our founders, and when we need to step in, we should absolutely do that,” she said. “That’s what you saw happen in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. You saw lawmakers step up, come forward, and protect the free speech of students on campuses everywhere.” Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
NATO allies clash after Russian jets breach airspace, testing alliance resolve
EXCLUSIVE: Recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace have sharpened divisions inside the alliance over how to respond, exposing both the strength and the limits of collective defense. Secretary General Mark Rutte clashed with Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal last week after Estonia invoked NATO’s Article 4 clause, which triggers consultations when a member feels its security is threatened. According to three European officials granted anonymity to speak freely, Rutte argued that repeated invocations risked diluting the treaty’s force. One source said he even raised his voice at Michal, warning that NATO must be cautious about how often it signals alarm. Rutte argued that if Article 4 were invoked every time Russia violated sovereignty — through drone incursions, fighter jets, cyberattacks and more — it would quickly lose impact, according to the officials. DENMARK CONSIDERS TRIGGERING NATO ARTICLE 4 AFTER DRONES FLY OVER AIRPORTS A NATO spokesperson confirmed Rutte and Michal spoke Friday and said the secretary general “has supported Estonia throughout the process.” Rasmus Ruuda, director of the Government Communication Office of Estonia, told Fox News Digital Rutte “expressed support for Estonia and the Prime Minister thanked NATO for its actions.” “Article 4 is just a signal that we’re taking note of what happened,” said Giedrimas Jeglinskas, a Lithuanian member of parliament and former NATO assistant secretary general. “We can be invoking Article 4 every week, and I think that only weakens us, because we’re unable to truly respond to that aggression that Russia is sort of throwing at us.” The tension comes after a series of provocative moves by Moscow. Last month, missile-carrying Russian MiG-29s flew into Estonian territory, following an earlier breach of Polish airspace by 19 drones and repeated incursions over Romania. In Poland, jets scrambled to intercept the drones, shooting some of them down. It marked the first time since World War II that Polish armed forces mobilized to engage an airborne threat over their homeland. The Russian jets in Estonia were eventually escorted out of its territory by Italian F-35s. Estonia’s Article 4 request followed Poland’s own invocation days earlier, prompting another round of consultations in Brussels. Since its creation in 1949, Article 4 has been triggered only nine times. NATO’s warning to Russia after the Estonian request was blunt: any further breaches would be met with “all means” of defense. Estonia’s defense minister said his nation was prepared to shoot down Russian planes violating airspace “if there is a need.” But Jeglinskas said signaling without consequence risks leaving the alliance trapped. “We’re happy to do Article 4 every other day, but so what? What’s next?” he said. “The real question is what happens when the jets actually enter our airspace.” The debate cuts to a deeper question: what constitutes a “need” to shoot down Russian jets? How can Russia be deterred without stumbling into direct war? “The last thing we want is to have NATO get drawn into a war with Russia,” a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital. “God knows how that ends.” “Almost all wars … they don’t necessarily start with a big bang,” the official went on. “They start with an escalation, and then somebody feels they need to respond to this, and then you just get in a toxic spiral.” ‘PUTIN IS PUSHING THE LIMITS’: EASTERN ALLIES WARN TRUMP NOT TO PULL US TROOPS The United States has promised to defend “every inch” of NATO while pressing Europe to bear more of its own defense burden. Washington’s mixed signals have only complicated matters. Trump administration officials long favored reducing the U.S. troop presence in Europe. But President Donald Trump recently delivered one of the starkest warnings to Moscow, declaring that NATO states should shoot Russian aircraft down if they incur on their territory. Jeglinskas said the statement resonated across the Baltic States. “What was really helpful was that President Trump was very clear,” he said. “That gives us confidence we’re on the right track, and we really appreciate the support.” Still, allies remain divided on whether to escalate. Some warn that Eastern Europe cannot credibly threaten retaliation without an American security guarantee. Others argue that deterrence depends on showing Russia its incursions carry a cost. “If we really want to send a proper message of deterrence to Russia, we need to be prepared to use kinetic force,” Jeglinskas said. “That means neutralizing those jets — shooting them down or finding other ways to impose consequences — so Russia actually feels the cost of its incursions. That hasn’t happened yet, and it leaves us vulnerable.” The airspace disputes now extend beyond fighter jets. European Union members are meeting in Copenhagen this week to discuss shoring up air defenses after a wave of drone sightings. Denmark briefly shut down its airspace following mysterious drone activity, while Lithuania’s Vilnius airport and Norway’s Oslo airport also reported disruptions. Drones have even been spotted over Germany’s northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. “We are not at war, but we are no longer at peace either. We must do much more for our own security,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Düsseldorf. NATO jets scrambled to intercept drones over Poland, but the response underscored a growing mismatch: deploying multi-million dollar fighters to counter small, unmanned aircraft is neither efficient nor sustainable. RUSSIA SHIFTS FROM TALK TO ACTION, TARGETING NATO HOMELAND AMID FEARS OF GLOBAL WAR “NATO remains the most crucial element of our security equation,” Jeglinskas said. “It’s the backbone through which our security is viewed. There’s really no doubt about NATO’s political will and its capability to defend its territory, but warfare is changing — and the question now is, has NATO adapted to the new way of war that is seeping through the borders of Ukraine?” Jeglinskas warned that neither NATO nor the Baltic States have done enough. “The Polish incursion signified that NATO is not fully ready to counter these threats,” he said. “Scrambling jets is a tremendous economic mismatch. If these kinds of attacks become swarms, it’s not sustainable.” To
Johnson accuses Schumer of blocking ‘real discussion’ to keep government open
EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is accusing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of refusing to vote to end the government shutdown in order to kowtow to his left-wing base. Johnson told Fox News Digital in a sit-down interview that Democrats’ refusal to budge on their current position came up in an hour-long call he held with President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon. “[Trump is] very bothered by that, that Chuck Schumer would do this, Democrats would do this, because we haven’t,” the top House Republican said. He noted that Democrats had voted on a similar measure to what Republicans are offering on 13 different occasions under former President Joe Biden. SOCIAL SECURITY, AIRPORTS, FOOD STAMPS: HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED DURING A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN? “And even when the Republicans were in the minority, we did the right thing to keep the government open. And we fully expected that Schumer would do that again, as he always has, but not this time,” Johnson said. “This is a selfish political calculation he’s made, that he’s got to prove to the far left that he’s going to fight Trump or something. So we talked about our frustration with that.” He said Trump appeared “happy” that Republicans remain unified in their federal funding stance but was concerned about the effects of a prolonged shutdown on everyday Americans. REPUBLICANS ERUPT OVER SHUTDOWN CHAOS, ACCUSE DEMS OF HOLDING GOVERNMENT ‘HOSTAGE’ “But the reason we’re happy about that is because we know we’re doing the right thing for the American people,” Johnson said. “And Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are demonstrating that they are willing to inflict this pain upon the people for their own political purposes. And I think that is a tough thing for them to get over.” He said of a meeting between congressional leaders and Trump that occurred on Monday, “I tried my best in the White House, and he just is in no mood to have a real discussion about these issues. So we are where we are.” Senate Democrats have now rejected a GOP-led plan to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21 three times. The measure is called a continuing resolution (CR) and is aimed at buying House and Senate negotiators more time to reach a deal on fiscal year (FY) 2026 federal funding priorities. The CR would keep current federal funding levels roughly flat while adding an extra $88 million in security spending for lawmakers, the White House, and the judicial branch. Democrats, furious at being largely sidelined in funding discussions, have signaled they would not accept any bill that does not also extend Obamacare tax subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those enhanced subsidies are due to expire at the end of this year. But Johnson, who called the Obamacare subsidies an “end-of-year issue,” argued that the bill was a simple extension of federal funding, leaving Republicans with no realistic path for concessions. “If it was not clean and simple, if I had loaded it up with a bunch of Republican partisan priorities, then there would be something for us to negotiate. I could take those things off and offer it again. I sent it over with nothing attached at all,” he said. “It quite literally is just buying us time to finish the appropriations process, which was being done in a bipartisan manner. So I don’t have anything to give, there’s nothing I can give. And Chuck Schumer has made such outrageous counter-demands and proposals that he’s the one that has to come to his senses.” He was referring to Democrats’ counter-proposal for a CR, which would have repealed the Medicaid reforms made in Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill, while restoring funding for NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for a response but did not hear back by press time.