Kamala Harris office silent when questioned if fact-checker reviewed new book before publication
Former Vice President Kamala Harris‘ memoir recapping her experiences on the 2024 campaign trail includes a handful of inaccuracies that opened the doors to questions about whether the former Democrat Party leader hired a fact-checker to review her personal retelling of the unprecedented election year. Harris is currently facing blowback from Biden allies for her portrayal of the 46th president, including taking shots at his “recklessness” for launching a re-election effort as an octogenarian who had been in public office for more than 50 years, and claiming the Biden White House turned its backs on providing her coverage when negative press plagued headlines. Outside of Biden staffers taking issue with the former VP’s personal anecdotes of the book, Harris also included a handful of inaccuracies in the memoir’s copy and has made questionable claims from the book tour, a Fox News Digital review found. Fox News Digital asked Harris’ office if a fact-checker was hired to review the memoir or Harris’ comments while on her international book tour and did not receive a response. HARRIS WAS STUNNED OVER BIDEN’S BOTCHED DEBATE RESPONSE ABOUT FALLEN SERVICE MEMBERS IN AFGHANISTAN Harris inaccurately claimed only U.S. Marines were killed during the Biden–Harris administration’s botched and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, omitting mention that one soldier and one Navy corpsman were among the 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing at the Kabul Airport’s Abbey Gate. Harris’ inaccuracies were included in a section of her book focused on then-President Biden failing to accurately debate President Donald Trump on his military leadership during his failed 2024 debate against Trump. “He’s got so much material on this—Trump calling our fallen soldiers ‘suckers and losers,’” Harris wrote of what ran through her head when Biden was asked about his role as commander in chief. “He managed to get off that line but had stepped on it earlier by saying no one had died in wars overseas on his watch, seeming to forget the thirteen marines who died in the bomb blast at the airport during the evacuation of Afghanistan. I’d been on Air Force Two when it happened, and we had to change our flight plan to get back to DC in the face of that tragedy. How could he overlook that day?” she wrote, expressing her surprise over the response, but misidentifying those who were all killed as members of the Marines Corps. The Biden administration repeatedly came under fire for its handling of the Afghan withdrawal. The botched withdrawal, which included leaving military equipment worth millions of dollars in the hands of the Taliban, was viewed as preamble for adversaries such as Russia to invade Ukraine, as the U.S. looked weak on the international stage, critics raged at the time. The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan upon the U.S.’ withdrawal. HARRIS LITERALLY THREW ‘JOE BIDEN WON’ TALKING POINTS ON TABLE AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘ARE YOU KIDDING ME?’ In Harris’ afterword of the book, she took issue with the individuals Trump granted clemency upon his return to the Oval Office, including those involved with the breach of the U.S. Capitol of Jan. 6, 2021, “numerous tax cheats” and Ross Ulbricht, who Harris identified simply as a “fentanyl dealer.” “The Justice Department is going after Trump’s enemies list, while Trump supporters have been pardoned and released: January 6 rioters who attacked police, the fentanyl dealer Ross Ulbricht, numerous tax cheats,” Harris wrote. Ulbricht, however, was never charged or convicted of fentanyl-specific crimes. Ulbricht was the founder of the now-defunct darknet drug market previously called Silk Road, which is viewed as the first modern version of the dark web. He was arrested in 2013 at the age of 29 and found guilty in 2015 of distributing narcotics (via conspiracy), distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and continuing criminal enterprise. Fentanyl is a wildly powerful synthetic opioid that has gripped the nation and caused an increase in overdose deaths. Fentanyl overdose deaths did not dramatically rise until 2013, when Ulbricht was arrested, and followed previous national addiction trends to prescription opioids and heroin between the late 1990s and 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Ulbricht, who identifies as a political libertarian, was sentenced to life without parole, with his friends and family advocating for his release during the more than 11 years he spent behind bars. Trump answered the call to pardon him Jan. 21. “I just called the mother of Ross William (Ulbricht) to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” Trump wrote in a social media post after his inauguration. “The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Following Harris’ book release, the now-free Ulbricht took her claim of identifying him as a “fentanyl dealer” head-on in an X post slamming the characterization. “Hey@KamalaHarris, You called me ‘the fentanyl dealer’ in your new book and attacked President Trump for freeing me after more than *ELEVEN* years in prison. Yet, I wasn’t prosecuted for dealing drugs myself and fentanyl wasn’t part of my charges. The truth has never mattered to you. The goal is just to make me and President Trump look bad at all cost, isn’t it? Don’t be a sore loser, Kamala,” he wrote. KAMALA HARRIS PLAYS UP COZY RELATIONSHIP WITH HILLARY CLINTON AS WEDGE WITH BIDEN WIDENS Harris launched her book tour in September, when she began joining media interviews and stops in cities across the country to celebrate her 107-day campaign, and also repeatedly has claimed it was the “closest election” this century. “It was the closest election in the 21st century. It was one of the top three closest elections in
How James Comey’s indictment could go south for the DOJ
As former FBI Director James Comey stares down a two-count federal indictment alleging he made a false statement to Congress and obstructed justice, the Department of Justice faces an uphill climb in securing a conviction. Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan of the Eastern District of Virginia is under pressure to move the prosecution forward against Comey’s formidable defense team, which has multiple ways to challenge the charges. Halligan, a Trump ally and former insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial experience, is up against the possibility that Comey’s lawyers will file requests to toss the case out. If Comey is unsuccessful and the case goes to trial, Halligan will then face a new hurdle: persuading a jury. Critics say President Donald Trump, Halligan and any others involved in the case could also see external repercussions for rushing to bring what they view as a flimsy, retributive indictment. In terms of pre-trial efforts, several lawyers have speculated that Comey will argue to the court that his two charges should be dismissed on numerous grounds. COMEY INDICTMENT SPARKS FIERCE POLITICAL REACTIONS NATIONWIDE Former U.S. Attorney Barb McQuade of Michigan told Fox News Digital one possibility is that Comey could argue the prosecution was selective. “To prevail on a selective prosecution claim, the defendant must show not only that the prosecution was motivated by an improper purpose, but also that other similarly situated individuals were treated differently,” McQuade said. She said it would be “remarkably easy to demonstrate the first factor,” pointing to Trump’s extraordinary comments on social media openly saying he wanted Comey charged out of vengeance. Comey, one of Trump’s top political nemeses, led the FBI when it opened a controversial investigation into Trump over his 2016 campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia. McQuade said, however, that the second factor would be difficult to prove — that others have not been prosecuted for false statements to Congress — since that “essentially requires a defendant to prove a negative.” COMEY DENIES CHARGES, DECLARES ‘I AM NOT AFRAID’ Jim Trusty, a former DOJ prosecutor who once worked on Trump’s defense team, told Fox News the indictment is still in an early stage, the specific allegations remain unclear and that a “wait and see” approach was best. Trusty said, though, that critics who claim Trump is weaponizing the DOJ against his enemies are misguided. “Lawfare was certainly used as a weapon to go after Trump, but it also protected people, and so you can also look at this as four years of love from the Biden administration kept Comey out of the crosshairs,” Trusty said. Trusty said Comey’s indictment could be perceived as a “tit for tat,” or it could simply be “overdue.” McQuade said that at this early stage, she viewed Comey’s acquittal as the “more likely” way the DOJ would fail, pointing to what she said was “convoluted” language in the indictment. She said it seemed to rely on congressional testimony Comey gave in 2020, when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, referenced a question asked by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, in 2017 about whether Comey authorized a leak to the media. Cruz also slightly misquoted Grassley, she said. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SEEKS TO INDICT FORMER FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO CONGRESS “Because the prosecution must show that Comey knowingly and willfully made a false statement, that messy record may be a fatal flaw,” McQuade said. Former U.S. Attorney John Fishwick of the Western District of Virginia told Fox News Digital that if the court permits Comey to access any records related to the DOJ’s “internal deliberations” about the case, those details could undermine the prosecution and bolster a defense that the case was tainted by political motivations. “The biggest potential fallout for DOJ will be if the judge permits the Comey legal team to get under the hood of the internal deliberations of DOJ to prosecute or not prosecute Comey,” Fishwick told Fox News Digital. “The Comey team wants to argue this prosecution is just about politics and revenge, but they will need as much evidence as possible to buttress this claim as DOJ will counter the grand jury indicted Comey, not DOJ.” Trump’s appointment of Halligan as U.S. attorney was a last-minute move, as the five-year statute of limitations on Comey’s testimony expired on Sept. 30. Trump ousted her predecessor, Erik Siebert, a 15-year veteran of the Virginia office, and brought in Halligan, a willing participant in Trump’s mission to take down his political rivals. While Trump has suggested other indictments are coming down the pike, critics have zeroed in on Comey’s case, calling it weak enough that Trump also risks impeachment over it and that Halligan and any other prosecutors who decide to join the case risk career penalties. No DOJ prosecutors have joined Halligan on the case at this stage. Former DOJ official Harry Litman, host of “Talking Feds” and vocal Trump critic, said “some accountability” would come if Democrats take the House next year, advocating they impeach Trump for what he says is an abuse of power and obstruction of justice. “If we can just get through the midterms and give the House of Representatives the power to subpoena all of these jokers on Capitol Hill, grill them and then impeach Trump again … all of the evidence of the crime that Donald Trump just committed will be laid out for public inspection,” Litman said. He also cited a report that career prosecutors advised Halligan against charging Comey, suggesting she faces the “possibility of serious professional sanctions” because of it.
Republicans erupt over shutdown chaos, accuse Dems of holding government ‘hostage’
Republicans and Democrats are trading barbs on Wednesday morning as the federal government settles into the first day of a shutdown. “Democrats made this choice, Democrats forced this crisis, and Democrats alone will answer to hardworking Americans now paying the price for their reckless agenda,” Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night. The government entered a shutdown just after midnight Wednesday after the Senate failed to advance a short-term federal funding bill called a continuing resolution (CR) hours earlier. The measure did not reach the necessary 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster — falling 55-45 — with just three Democrats joining the GOP on Tuesday night. Certain federal services will temporarily cease to function, and some government workers — including the military and air traffic controllers at airports — must continue to clock in under deferred pay. MAJORITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS WARN DEMS SHOULDN’T BACK GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN OVER THIS KEY ISSUE: POLL Veteran services and military operations will continue to be funded, and Social Security checks will continue to be sent out to Americans, among other essential services. But some federal workers could lose their jobs altogether, as indicated by a memo sent to federal agencies earlier this month by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought. Republicans are now blaming Democrats for plunging the government into a shutdown, while Democrats are accusing Republicans of refusing to negotiate on what’s traditionally a bipartisan exercise. “Virginia is home to tens of thousands of federal workers, contractors and service members who keep our country running. Tonight, they are once again being forced to wonder when they will get their next paycheck — not because they failed to do their jobs, but because lawmakers in Congress failed to do theirs,” Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., whose district includes the D.C. suburbs, said in a Tuesday night statement. “Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans have chosen to hurt Virginia families instead of working across the aisle. It’s past time they come to the table so we can find real solutions, reopen the government, and deliver for the people we serve.” Meanwhile, Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, whose coal country district includes Youngstown, told Fox News Digital, “The current government shutdown is the culmination of months of the same tired and disruptive tactics used by the left against the American people.” “In November 2024, President Trump and the Republicans received an overwhelming mandate to govern. Yet, every time we try to implement the changes demanded by voters, we face fierce resistance — even on straightforward measures like a clean CR, which Congress approved 13 times before,” Rulli said. Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., wrote on X, “FACT: Schumer led a shutdown to hold the government hostage for a $1.5 trillion liberal payout.” GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL His message came in reference to Democrats’ own CR proposal calling for a repeal of healthcare spending cuts made in the GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Their plan would have also restored funding to NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Meanwhile, Democrats have also demanded any CR include Obamacare subsidies, enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic but due to expire this year, in exchange for their votes. “Thousands of hard-working federal employees in Maryland’s 7th Congressional District woke up this morning to learn whether they were furloughed or required to work without pay,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., wrote on X. “This shutdown was entirely avoidable. Democrats in Washington remain ready, willing and able to negotiate a bipartisan agreement to keep the government open and lower healthcare costs for Americans everywhere.” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., similarly said in a statement, “Democrats have been clear for months: we will not support a budget that inflicts a healthcare crisis on the American people in order to fund Trump’s continued destruction of our democracy and out-of-control mass deportations.” First-term Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, countered that “Democrats created this crisis.” “Democrats in the Senate just voted to shut the government down. This will impact food assistance programs, veterans’ care, troops’ pay, TSA agents’ and air traffic controllers’ pay, and so much more. Their reason? They want to restore taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal aliens and prop up liberal news outlets with your $$,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have also heaped blame on one another’s parties, with both expected to make their cases to Americans on Wednesday. The Senate is also expected to vote on the CR again on Wednesday.
Top insurance company in hot seat as blistering new ad campaign exposes ‘radical woke ideology’
FIRST ON FOX: A leading nonprofit dedicated to consumer information is launching a seven-figure ad campaign against what it is calling the “wokest insurance company” in the country. In a letter to the Department of Justice and Treasury Department, Consumers’ Research alleges that Chubb Insurance has “ongoing practices” which go against the Trump administration’s agenda but “very likely the Civil Rights Act and other federal anti-discrimination laws.” “Chubb Insurance is all-in on pushing radical woke ideology. CEO Evan Greenberg openly opposes basic protections for women’s spaces, attacks democratic laws, continues to embrace DEI, and props up groups that expose kids to dangerous transgender activism,” Will Hild, Executive Director of Consumers’ Research, said in a statement exclusively to Fox News Digital. “On climate, Chubb has a history of weaponizing insurance coverage to hurt America’s energy industry, cutting support for coal and natural gas to chase leftist climate fantasies. Woke corporations like Chubb are going to extremes and ordinary Americans are paying the price,” Hild continues. DEMOCRATS TARGET VULNERABLE HOUSE REPUBLICANS AS THEY SLAM TRUMP’S ‘ATTACKS ON FREE SPEECH’ Consumers’ Research is highlighting several past comments from leaders at the insurance company, including Executive Vice President and General Counsel Joseph Wayland saying in a LEADERS Magazine interview in 2021 that “Diversity, equity and inclusion are the foundation of our Chubb culture.” “I am concerned about my country’s America First brand of nationalism and its impact on our image and leadership in both trade and geopolitics in the short and potentially longer term,” Evan Greenberg, CEO and Chairman of Chubb Insurance, wrote in a letter in a 2017 report, according to Carrier Management. HOUSE OVERSIGHT PROBES WHETHER AMERICAN RETIREES’ PENSION FUNDS ARE BEING WEAPONIZED: ‘PROGRESSIVE PLAYBOOK’ Greenberg also criticized Trump’s America First platform in an interview with Carrier Management in 2021 and criticized the president’s trade policies. When it comes to the company’s business practices, NPR reported in 2019 that the insurance company would not underwrite coal facilities anymore. As recently as March 2025, the company put forth strict guidelines in order for it to underwrite in the oil and gas industry. On its website, Chubb said it will not “underwrite the construction and operation of new coal-fired plants or new risks for companies that generate more than 30% of their revenues from coal mining or energy production from coal” and began ending coverage for “existing coal plant risks” that go above the 30% mark as of 2022. “Chubb recognizes the reality of climate change and the substantial impact of human activity on our planet,” Greenberg stated, according to the company’s website. “Making the transition to a low-carbon economy involves planning and action by policymakers, investors, businesses and citizens alike. The policy we are implementing today reflects Chubb’s commitment to do our part as a steward of the Earth.” CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST SLAMS CRACKER BARREL; COMPANY LEFT REELING AFTER LOGO REDESIGN On its webpage, Chubb discusses “Advancing Racial Justice,” where the company touts its support of an organization called Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), which openly supported convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. According to that same webpage, the company believes “racial justice and equity is both an individual journey and collective duty.” “We believe in being anti-racist because a rejection of racism alone is insufficient,” the website states. The company also says on that web page that it has curated a series of programs for employees instructing them how to “combat racism.” As for the advertisements themselves, there will be a national television ad in addition to mobile billboards outside their offices in Washington D.C., New York City and New Jersey, as well as Capitol Hill. The campaign will also live on the website WokeChubb.com. “Dear conservatives, Chubb Insurance is for: DEI in Everything They Do, Radical Climate Ideology, Trans Activism,” one ad states. “Chubb Insurance is against: The American First Agenda, U.S. Energy Producers, 2nd Amendment Advocates.” Chubb’s business spans across 54 countries and territories, all 50 states, and employees over 40,000 people worldwide. The company, based out of Zurich with a U.S. headquarters in New York City, did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Federal judge rules public charter school violated church’s First Amendment rights
A federal judge in Idaho ruled that a public charter school violated a church’s First Amendment rights when it canceled a lease that allowed the church to hold Sunday services inside its gymnasium. The decision from Chief U.S. District Court Judge David Nye came in response to a lawsuit centering on a lease agreement between Truth Family Bible Church and Sage International, a charter school with a campus in Middleton, according to Idaho Education News. The website reported that when the lease was canceled last year, Sage International was applying for around $15 million in bonds to finance building upgrades through the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). Attorneys for the state’s bonding authority then flagged the church’s lease as a potential breach of Idaho’s Blaine Amendment, which blocks religious organizations from receiving taxpayer money, it added. Nye reportedly wrote in his ruling that the concern was a “lapse in judgment,” as Truth Family Bible Church would have “only incidentally benefited from the bond-improved facilities,” with no funds being given directly to them. FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN MINNESOTA LAW BARRING RELIGIOUS COLLEGES FROM STATE PROGRAM “IHFA and Sage’s motivations for terminating Truth Family’s lease, whether reasonable or not, were still a violation of Truth Family’s constitutional rights,” Nye also said, according to Idaho Education News. The website said an attorney representing the church argued that using the Blaine Amendment to terminate the lease ran afoul of the First Amendment’s Free Exercise, Establishment and Free Speech clauses. Nye agreed with each of the First Amendment claims, writing in his ruling that the move to cancel the church’s lease “effectively stifled” its religious speech, Idaho Education News reported. “We’re pleased with this outcome,” Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, whose office intervened in the case, told Idaho Education News through a spokesperson. “Government agencies cannot discriminate against religious organizations simply because they’re religious. Truth Family Bible Church deserved the same treatment as any secular group, and we’re glad the court recognized this.” VERMONT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL REINSTATED AFTER BEING BANNED OVER TRANSGENDER ATHLETE CONTROVERSY A spokesperson for IHFA told Idaho Education News that, “We welcome the legal clarity the court’s ruling provides, helping to ensure that this type of issue doesn’t arise in the future.” On its website, Truth Family Bible Church describes itself as a “new church plant in Middleton, Idaho.” “It began as a home Bible Study that met for several years. As we began to grow, the Lord led us to begin talking about planting a new church since most of those in attendance were parts of various churches in Ada County,” the church said. “Our goal is to faithfully minister the Word of God as a light to our community and the world, declaring that Christ is Lord of all.” At the moment, the church is holding its Sunday services at another school’s gym.
Trump taunts Democrat leaders with ‘Trump 2028’ hats in Oval Office as shutdown approaches
President Donald Trump shared photos on Truth Social on Tuesday showing red “Trump 2028” hats strategically displayed on the Resolute Desk during an Oval Office meeting with Democrat leaders Monday in hopes of fending off a government shutdown. Trump’s post came late Tuesday, hours before Washington grappled with its first shutdown since 2018-19. “The Trump administration wants a straightforward and clean CR [continuing resolution] to continue funding the government – the exact same proposal that Democrats supported just 6 months ago, 13 times under the Biden Administration,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “But radical Democrats are shutting the government down because they want a nearly $1.5 trillion wish list of demands, including free health care for illegal aliens. The Democrat’s radical agenda was rejected by the American people less than a year ago at the ballot box, now they’re shutting down the government and hold the American people hostage over it.” JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Vice President JD Vance warned, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown” after Monday’s meeting. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at the time the sides “have very large differences.” Late Tuesday, the Senate failed a last-ditch vote on extending funding and barreled toward a shutdown as the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS Trump posted the photos late Tuesday, a few hours before the shutdown was slated to begin. His campaign has sold “Trump 2028” hats since earlier this year. Democrat leaders downplayed the stunt. Schumer said Trump “can avoid a shutdown if he chooses to,” while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., added, “we will not back down” in defending healthcare and spending priorities.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump presided over a 35-day government shutdown in 2018–19, the longest in American history, during his first term in office.
HUD accuses the ‘Radical Left’ of driving government shutdown, vows to ‘support our most vulnerable’
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) accused congressional Democrats on Tuesday of forcing a government shutdown, warning that the “Radical Left” is putting vulnerable families at risk while pledging to keep critical housing services operating. “The Far Left is barreling our country toward a shutdown, which will hurt all Americans,” a HUD spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “At HUD, we are working to keep critical services online and support our most vulnerable. Why is the media more focused on a banner than reporting on the impact of a shutdown on the American people?” HUD is led by Secretary Scott Turner, a former NFL player and member of the Texas legislature. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING PROPOSAL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES WITH SHUTDOWN DEADLINE IN HOURS In a memorandum circulated to all federal agencies late Tuesday, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought confirmed that government funding expires at 11:59 p.m. and instructed departments to execute their plans for an orderly shutdown. “President Trump supports passage of H.R. 5371, but it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 p.m. tonight and force a government shutdown,” Vought wrote. The OMB director said Democrats were blocking the House-passed measure over “insane policy demands,” including $1 trillion in new spending, and warned that the length of the shutdown is “difficult to predict.” Employees were told to report for duty to begin shutdown activities until a new appropriations bill is signed into law. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS HUD’s official website displayed a pop-up message on Tuesday stating, “The Radical Left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people unless they get their $1.5 trillion wish list of demands. The Trump administration wants to keep the government open for the American people.” Reuters also reported on the banner earlier in the day, which prompted pushback from Democrats. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, said, “We should not be putting political messages on government webpages. I have never seen that kind of message. I don’t think that would be acceptable with any other prior administration.” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said, “Unfortunately, it’s become normal under the Trump administration, but it’s a radical departure from American history, and it is the use of public taxpayer funds for overtly political and polemical reasons.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP At midnight, parts of the federal government will shutter after Democrats rejected the Republican-backed seven-week continuing resolution that passed the House of Representatives Sept. 19.
Dems ‘sacrificed the American people,’ Thune says as government barrels toward midnight shutdown
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., railed against Senate Democrats’ move to block the GOP’s short-term funding extension as Congress gears up for a government shutdown. Democratic lawmakers led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted to block Republicans’ continuing resolution (CR) for a second time just hours ahead of the deadline to fund the government. It’s unlikely that a deal will be struck in the waning hours of fiscal year (FY) 2025, and neither side is ready to blink. Thune said there would be more votes to come on the same bill but noted that if Schumer wanted to talk, he knows where to find him. He also said there are Democrats who “are very unhappy with the situation that they are in.” GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN RISK GROWS AFTER DEMS BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED EXTENSION FOR A 2ND TIME “We didn’t ask Democrats to swallow any new Republican policies. We didn’t add partisan riders,” Thune said. “We simply asked Democrats to extend existing funding levels to allow the Senate to continue the bipartisan appropriations work that we started.” “And Senate Democrats said no,” he continued. “Why? Because far left interest groups and far left Democrat members wanted a showdown with the president. And so, Senate Democrats have sacrificed the American people to Democrats’ partisan interests.” Republicans tried and failed to again advance their CR, which would have extended government funding until Nov. 21 with the main goal of giving lawmakers more time to pass the dozen spending bills needed to fund the government, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the 1990s. HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ GOVERNMENT FUNDING PROPOSAL GOES DOWN IN FLAMES WITH SHUTDOWN DEADLINE IN HOURS Despite an impending shutdown, Thune and Senate Republicans found a bright spot in the failed vote: more Democrats crossed the aisle than the previous test earlier this month. “The cracks in the Democrats are already showing,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. “When we had a vote on our proposal to keep the government open, the clean CR right before the recess, we had one Democrat vote. Tonight we had three.” Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, all crossed the aisle to support the bill. GOP ACCUSES DEMS OF RISKING SHUTDOWN TO RESTORE ‘ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT HEALTHCARE’ Meanwhile, Schumer signaled that he was not ready to budge from his position and instead pointed the finger at the GOP and President Donald Trump for “plunging America into a shutdown, rejecting bipartisan talks, pushing a partisan bill, and risking America’s health care.” Senate Democrats pushed for an extension to expiring Obamacare tax credits, among other things, that Republicans argued were not provisions that should be tacked onto a short-term funding extension. Still, Schumer was resolute that Thune and the GOP needed to come to the negotiating table to solve that issue and craft a bipartisan CR. “We hope they sit down with us and talk. Otherwise, it’s the Republicans who will be driving us straight towards a shutdown tonight, and at midnight,” Schumer said. “And the American people will blame them for bringing the federal government to a halt.”
Yelling match breaks out in Senate hearing with former Biden official over ‘two spirit’ safe spaces
A yelling match between Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and a former Biden administration official broke out in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the need for “two spirit” safe spaces to combat gun violence. Hawley challenged Gregory Jackson Jr., who served as deputy director of the Biden White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention and, more recently, as the head of Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), over the organization’s policies on creating safe spaces for “two spirit” individuals. Hawley was grilling Jackson over a CJAF report published while he led the group, titled “A Policymakers’ Playbook to Reduce Gun Violence Without Policing Communities,” which he said “advocated for defunding the police” and instead investing in “programs that acknowledge the need for safe space initiatives led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, two spirit, trans and gender-nonconforming people.” “What’s two spirit?” Hawley asked. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MULLS RESTRICTING TRANSGENDER PEOPLE FROM BUYING GUNS In response, Jackson said, “Well, I don’t know exactly.” Jackson went on to say, “If you look at the report, the focus is on investing in violence intervention, outreach workers, victims’ services.” “You say that we shouldn’t invest in the police, but we ought to invest in two spirit community programs that acknowledge two spirit individuals. What is that?” Hawley shot back. “I just want to know. I don’t know what that is. I have no idea what that is.” After Hawley repeated the question, Jackson admitted, “I’m not completely aware of the language. I feel like I’m looking at a two-faced individual because you talk about reducing violence but also speak out against violence reduction programs.” “Oh no, sir, you’re looking at somebody who’s reading you your own words, and I’d like to hear an answer,” retorted Hawley. FOLLOWING KIRK’S ASSASSINATION, LAWMAKERS REACT TO LETHAL POLITICAL CLIMATE: ‘VIOLENT WORDS PRECEDE VIOLENT ACTIONS’ “Here’s the answer,” Hawley added. “The answer is you don’t have any solutions. You want to invest in gobbledygook and take away money from police officers who actually keep our community safe, and when you’re called on the record, you deny it. It’s all there in black and white, and your record is there in black and white, and it’s a disgrace.” Raising his voice, Jackson, who was seriously injured in a Washington, D.C., shooting in 2013, answered, “As somebody who’s been shot and nearly killed, I take offense that you would think that the last 13 years were not focused on reducing violence.” Hawley shouted back, “I take offense that you do not answer my questions, that you deny your own words and that you are leading this committee astray. And, frankly, sir, your policies are absurd, they’re absurd.” EXCLUSIVE: UNEARTHED BIDEN NOTE CARDS REVEAL HE HAD BIOS, PHOTO REMINDERS ON HILLARY CLINTON, SCHUMER After this exchange, Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, slammed his gavel, saying, “I don’t think we’re getting any place.” “Oh, I think we’ve gone a long way, senator,” Hawley answered.
White House declares imminent government shutdown after Senate fails to pass funding bill
The White House has officially declared an imminent government shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a GOP-backed spending bill to keep federal agencies funded through Nov. 21. A memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said current federal funding levels “expire at 11:59 p.m. tonight.” “Unfortunately, Democrat senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate due to Democrats’ insane policy demands, which include $1 trillion in new spending,” the memo said. The memo went on to say that President Donald Trump is supportive of the GOP-led funding bill, which is a short-term extension of current federal spending levels called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at keeping the government funded for seven weeks as lawmakers work on a deal for fiscal year (FY) 2026 priorities. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS, WHO DOESN’T AND HOW MUCH IT COSTS “But it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59 p.m. tonight and force a government shutdown. As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown,” the memo said. “It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities.” OMB said a follow-up memo would be issued when a spending bill is passed and signed into law by Trump, resuming full federal operations. The GOP-led CR was tanked in the Senate on Tuesday evening, failing to reach the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster and proceed with debate on the bill. The vote fell 55–45, with three members of the Democratic caucus crossing the aisle and voting with Republicans. One Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted against the measure. Democratic lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., banded together to vote against the GOP’s CR, a move that marked the second time Democrats impeded the legislation’s progress this month. Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans. “All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that’s in front of us,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after the vote failed. “And I hope, I really hope that some of them will join us to reopen the government, resume bipartisan appropriations work, and get back to the business of the American people.” JD VANCE SAYS GOVERNMENT LIKELY ‘HEADED INTO A SHUTDOWN’ AFTER TRUMP MEETS WITH DEMS Thune said there would be more votes on the same bill in the coming days. When asked if Schumer would guarantee that the GOP’s CR wouldn’t get 60 votes, he said, “Look, the bottom line is, as I said, our guarantee is to the American people that we’re going to fight as hard as we can for their health care. Plain and simple.“ The Democrat-led CR would have kept the government open and funded through Oct. 31, while also including a host of priorities that Republicans deemed hyper-partisan. Democrats’ funding plan would have repealed the Medicaid rollbacks made in Republicans’ One Big, Beautiful Bill, while restoring funding for NPR and PBS that was cut by the Trump administration earlier this year. Trump and his administration have wide discretion over what changes occur during a shutdown. However, it’s likely that thousands of government employees get furloughed, while others are made to work without paychecks until funding is re-instituted. A host of federal agencies and services could also be shuttered. Some federal workers could lose their jobs permanently as well, with OMB Director Russ Vought issuing guidance earlier this month warning offices to consider plans for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown. The move comes after the top two Democrats and top two Republicans in the House and Senate all met with Trump at the White House to discuss a path forward on federal funding, but that meeting ended with no deal in sight.