More than a dozen states sue Department of Transportation over EV charging station funds
A group of blue states joined forces Wednesday to sue the Trump administration after it halted a program that federally funded electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The District of Columbia joined 16 states — including California, Colorado and Washington — in a suit over the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)’s efforts to halt Congress’ $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program to expand electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 mandated that federal agencies pause disbursement of all funds appropriated under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, including NEVI program funding. The Federal Highway Administration notified states in February that it was revoking previous state plan approvals and withholding or withdrawing NEVI program funds. KAROLINE LEAVITT CONDEMNS ‘DANGEROUS ATTACKS ON TESLA: ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ The lawsuit claims the FHWA is acting unlawfully, devastating the ability of states to build the charging infrastructure needed to make EVs accessible to more consumers, combat climate change and pollution and support the states’ green economies. It asks the court to declare Trump’s directives unlawful, vacate the actions and permanently stop the administration from withholding the funds. TESLA VEHICLES, CHARGING STATIONS TARGETED AS PROTESTERS DENOUNCE DOGE, ELON MUSK In addition to the $300 million and $71 million in funding California and Washington stand to lose, respectively, the blue states previously adopted zero-emission vehicle standards that require a percentage of vehicles sold in the states to release zero emissions. Washington’s laws further require all new passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles sold in the state to be zero emissions by 2035. California’s State Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan anticipated that California would need hundreds of thousands of additional EV charging ports to support passenger cars and trucks and “incrementally more” charging ports for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to meet climate goals, according to a news release from the state. SUSPECTED TESLA ARSONISTS HIT WITH FEDERAL CHARGES IN ACTS OF ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: AG “When America retreats, China wins,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in the release. “President Trump’s illegal action withholding funds for electric vehicle infrastructure is yet another Trump gift to China — ceding American innovation and killing thousands of jobs. Instead of hawking Teslas on the White House lawn, President Trump could actually help Elon — and the nation — by following the law and releasing this bipartisan funding.” The lawsuit comes as Democratic politicians, late-night hosts and political commentators have been touting Tesla’s plummeting stock and acts of vandalism against its vehicles, dealerships and charging stations. The criminal acts have been linked by the FBI to nationwide protests against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). California, Colorado and Washington are leading the suit, joined by attorneys general from Arizona, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Horse Sense: House Republicans work to pass ‘big, beautiful bill’
We’re in the interlude between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness coming up in Baltimore. But House Republicans aren’t skipping out on trying to finish the big, beautiful bill. And if this were a horse race, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would dare the pony players to bet against House Republicans when it comes to wrapping things up. “Stop doubting us. We’re going to get this job done,” said Johnson about the plan to renew tax cuts and slash spending. REPUBLICANS SQUABBLE OVER TRUMP SPENDING PLAN AS FISCAL YEAR 2026 LOOMS: ‘STAY UNTIL WE PASS IT’ House Republicans aren’t exactly maidens here. But the morning line might suggest House Republicans are due to lose in this sweepstakes. Like the Triple Crown, there are three steps to this legislative tournament. And Republicans are now on to the final leg of a legislative trifecta. It was a photo finish in February when House Republicans barely adopted the framework for the tax cut and spending reduction measure. The House GOP leadership appeared to make the vote a late scratch – with Members fleeing the Capitol, only to have them recalled to the House chamber moments later. The Republican leadership brass shored up support for the plan and the House passed it. It was a repeat in April when House Republicans tried to align with the Senate on their version of the blueprint. Republicans managed to lug the framework across the finish line by a nose, 216-214. Flip one vote and that would have produced a tie. A tie vote would have sent the big, beautiful bill out to a big, beautiful pasture. House Republicans were only in the money on the Senate framework after conservatives secured some commitments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., that senators would make substantial spending cuts. But when it comes to actually finishing this version of the bill, House Republicans are barely a furlong into the race. A debate rages about what Republicans should address in the bill. Passage hinges on what’s in or out. “Everybody’s going to have to give, including, the SALT provision,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., referring to a potential deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. “There’s a happy medium that will have to be met to get the cuts.” Moderate Republicans from high tax states like New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey will demand the deduction in order to secure their votes for the entire plan. Norman noted that “each individual state’s going to have to have some pain” before this goes to the finish line. “We’re going to find the equilibrium point on SALT that no one will be totally delighted with,” said Johnson. “But it’ll solve the equation and we’ll get it done.” USER’S MANUAL TO WALTZ’S NSA EXIT AND ITS REVERBERATIONS ON CAPITOL HILL “We’re in a very good place as it relates to not just the SALT deduction,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., “The people like the ones I represent in Staten Island and Brooklyn desperately need this relief because our mayor and our governor keep hammering us over the head with high taxes.” There are also items President Trump insists that lawmakers tuck into the bill. “No tax on tips. No tax on overtime,” echoed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. But the toughest decisions of all center around changes – or cuts – to entitlement programs. Republicans have bandied around the idea that they could save up to $550 billion from waste and fraud in Medicaid over a decade. But there’s evidence that figure is markedly lower. Republicans disagree. “Some of the information we’ve uncovered would indicate that (the improper payments figure) is much higher,” said Johnson. “We’re going to try to eliminate that. And I think we owe that to the taxpayers.” But Democrats aren’t buying that. “They’re lying to the American people,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Democrats argue Republicans might cook the books to cover the cost of the tax breaks and shore up possible holes in the deficit. “They’re going to make up whatever numbers they want,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking Democrat on Energy and Commerce Committee. “They know they can’t reach these numbers.” One item expected in the bill: a major hike in the debt ceiling. “When is X date?” asked Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing. The “X date” refers to when the federal government exhausts its ability to cover its obligations. “As an outfielder running for a fly ball, we are on the warning track. When you’re on the warning track, it means the wall is not that far away,” replied Bessent. Or, coming up the side rail. But Bessent added that the government “will not default.” REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHERE WE STAND WITH TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ Lawmakers grilled cabinet members about trimming departments at hearings this week. Such was the case when Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins appeared before a Senate panel. “You are taking a meat cleaver approach. There’s that old adage. Measure twice. Cut once. You guys have been cutting without measuring,” charged Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. “I’ve not cut anything yet,” responded Collins. The Secretary added that there was a “goal” to restructure his department and cut significant numbers of jobs. “Do you want to reach your goal or not?” asked Hassan. “The goal is not a fact,” replied Collins. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also found herself testifying about efforts to shrink her department before another Senate panel. She conceded that slimming government is hard. “Have we done it perfectly? No. Any type of scale change and big effort to basically realign an entire government agency is difficult,” said Rollins. Democrats warn that Republicans will rue the day when they approve deep cuts. “Each Republican who votes for reconciliation and bad budgets will be left holding that hot potato,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,” D-N.Y. One senior House conservative told
Stay in your lane: Florida AG fires next volley against judge halting state immigration law
FIRST ON FOX: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier fired back Wednesday at an Obama-appointed Miami federal judge who attempted to halt enforcement of a state immigration law. Uthmeier told Fox News Digital he submitted a motion to the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit to stay a motion to halt Florida’s illegal immigration law. “As the late Justice Scalia once said, ‘If securing its territory in this fashion is not within the power of [Florida], we should cease referring to it as a sovereign state,’” Uthmeier said. “My office will fight this judge’s order to the top if we must and continue being the Trump administration’s best partner in the mission to remove every illegal alien and protect our state and nation’s sovereignty.” Uthmeier had originally told Judge Kathleen Williams he could not tell his law enforcement officers not to enforce the state’s new law making it a misdemeanor for illegal immigrants to enter Florida to avoid the feds. FLA AG TO REBUFF JUDGE WHO ORDERED HALT TO STATE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT: THE COURT HAS OVERSTEPPED Williams ruled the law violated the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, while Uthmeier countered he couldn’t order the Florida Highway Patrol to stop any enforcement because it wasn’t party to the order. “Florida cops don’t need my permission to do their jobs. And the judge can’t order law enforcement officers to stand down when they aren’t even parties to the case,” Uthmeier told Fox News Digital exclusively Wednesday. “This is Law 101. She doesn’t have jurisdiction. We hope the appellate court will fix the problems the lower court created and reaffirm that, as ‘the least dangerous branch,’ district court judges must stay in their constitutional lane.” FLORIDA AG LAUNCHES OFFICE OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, LENDING LEGAL FIREPOWER TO DFEEND PARENTS’ ‘GOD-GIVEN RIGHT’ In his filing, Uthmeier argued Florida did “nothing more … [but] to aid the United States in curbing illegal immigration within the state’s borders” and didn’t take any actions that would violate the Constitution. “SB 4-C (the law) criminalizes the entry into Florida of those who have illegally entered the United States. That law tracks federal law to a tee.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Florida law defines an ‘unauthorized alien’ as ‘a person who is unlawfully present in the United States according to the terms of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.’ “I do not believe an AG should be held in contempt for respecting the rule of law and appropriate separation of powers. The ACLU is dead set on obstructing President Donald Trump’s efforts to detain and deport illegals, and we are going to fight back. We will vigorously defend our laws and advance President Trump’s agenda on illegal immigration.”
‘New sheriff in town’: State finance leader rallies around key Trump victory saving ‘taxpayer dollars’
President Donald Trump’s executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government has returned financial power to the people, OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, told Fox News Digital. Oleka said there’s a “new sheriff in town” and that Trump is “making good” on his promise to eliminate DEI by shifting financial policies “away from the left and back to the center,” empowering state financial officers and building trust with the American people. “We know that when companies focus on business, their business does better. If their business does better, shareholders make more money, their employees have a better quality of life within their business and their consumers get a better product,” Oleka told Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida. Oleka said focusing on financial returns and merit-based incentives over DEI or environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies creates “more money for shareholders, better culture in the office for employees and better products for consumers and customers,” exactly what state financial officers have been asking for. WHITE HOUSE VOWS TO IMPLEMENT ‘SYSTEM OF MERIT’ IN US, DISMANTLE DEI ‘STRANGULATION’ “The American people want every individual to succeed,” Oleka said. “They want people to succeed on their merit, on their ability, on their skill. It’s very important to us as Americans. But what they don’t want is for people to get preferences just because of some political ideology.” He said there are misconceptions about DEI “because people hear diversity, equity and inclusion, and they think, ‘Well, those are good things. I support diversity. I want people to be included, and people should have the resources that they need.’ “To be very clear, when we’re talking about DEI, we’re saying that DEI is trying to provide racial or gender preferences for people based on past grievances. It effectively has nothing to do with merit or looking at somebody’s skill for a job or for an opportunity.” MAJOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER ACCUSED OF HIDING DEI PROGRAMS, INFLUENTIAL SENATOR CALLS THEM OUT Equal opportunity is giving people access to create their own opportunities, to try to be as successful as they can be with their skills, ability and merit, according to Oleka. Oleka explained that DEI is subjective because it prefers “folks based on what you think is important, based on your own politics.” “It’s bad to say, from a company’s perspective, ‘Let’s just hire people based on race, based on gender,’ as opposed to skill and ability,” Oleka said. “It’s bad because it can harm the performance of what that company actually does with their business responsibilities. That matters to our financial officers because they invest in a lot of these companies. It’s their job as fiduciary leaders to make sure that the pensions that they invest, the public funds that they invest by virtue of their positions, are actually done so by companies and with funds where the returns are going to be high. “We can’t guarantee that the returns are going to be as high as they can be if the companies aren’t even focusing on their specific mandate, on their responsibility. Instead, they’re focusing on their politics and trying to force an ideology or social agenda through their businesses. That’s not what business is for.” Oleka said his experience as someone with a Ph.D. in higher education who is also the son of Nigerian immigrants informs his rejection of political ideology or agendas in government-funded programs, including in public education, because these policies don’t improve students’ learning experience or academic performance. “That doesn’t actually contribute to kids’ learning,” Oleka said. “It doesn’t contribute to human flourishing. There really is no reason why people’s taxpayer dollars should be spent on that.” Oleka told Fox News Digital the Orlando conference was critical to reminding state financial officers across the country they are not alone in pushing back against DEI and ESG policies that were promoted by former President Joe Biden’s administration. “It goes back to what I think most Americans believe. Their state government is closer to them than the federal government,” he said. “As a result, state leaders should have more power, as it relates to their finances, than the federal government, and what a state leader should do with that power is give it back to the people.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP By empowering state financial officers to focus on financial returns and fiduciary duty instead of ideology and politics, Oleka said more Americans are incentivized financially. “It’s important that we have that same kind of leadership in the White House at the state level, making good on their promise to bring a Golden Age to America and to each state,” he said.
Trump announces MAHA advocate Casey Means will be new surgeon general nominee
President Donald Trump revealed a new pick for surgeon general on Wednesday, saying he will now nominate Dr. Casey Means for the job. “Casey has impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials, and will work closely with our wonderful Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to ensure a successful implementation of our Agenda in order to reverse the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and ensure Great Health, in the future, for ALL Americans,” Trump said late Wednesday afternoon in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History.” Means, a vocal “Make America Healthy Again” proponent, played a big role in helping shape the administration’s agenda surrounding health, alongside her brother, Calley Means. Calley Means has been tapped by the administration to serve as a special advisor to Secretary Kennedy. FOOD DYES TO BE PHASED OUT BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN LATEST ROUND OF BANS Trump previously announced he would nominate Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor, to be surgeon general. It’s unclear why Nesheiwat’s nomination was pulled. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for more information. Trump added in his post that Secretary Kennedy “looks forward to working with Dr. Janette Nesheiwat in another capacity at HHS.” TRUMP’S SURGEON GENERAL PICK TOUTED AS ‘FIERCE’ MAHA ADVOCATE BEFORE CONFIRMATION HEARING Meanwhile, in a follow-up post on X, Nesheiwat also said she was “looking forward” to continuing to support Trump while working closely with Secretary Kennedy “in a senior policy role.” “My focus continues to be on improving the health and well-being of all Americans, and that mission hasn’t changed,” Nesheiwat concluded in her public social media remarks.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Biden-appointed Judge Orders Refugee Resettlement Resumed
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… –Vance previews US-Iran nuclear talks, says Trump ‘open’ to sitting down with Russians, Chinese in future -Congress moves to address air traffic controller crisis as Newark meltdown sparks alarm -205 arrested in FBI child sex operation, Patel and Bondi announce A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to immediately resettle some 12,000 refugees into the U.S. under a court order that partially blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at halting the refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, issued the order despite the Trump administration saying during a hearing last week that it should only have to process 160 refugees into the country and would likely appeal any order requiring thousands to be admitted. “This Court will not entertain the Government’s result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says,” Whitehead wrote Monday. “The Government is free, of course, to seek further clarification from the Ninth Circuit. But the Government is not free to disobey statutory and constitutional law — and the direct orders of this Court and the Ninth Circuit — while it seeks such clarification.”…READ MORE ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ: Trump pushes to reopen infamous California prison, but Pelosi and Newsom dismiss it as a ‘distraction’ CAMPUS PROBE: University of Washington faces Trump admin antisemitism scrutiny over anti-Israel protests COMPLIANCE NOTED: How many Americans are actually ready for REAL ID? Compliance crosses partisan, geographic bounds SUMMER BUMMER: New travel rules, same confusion: ‘Real ID’ raises questions, concerns among college-aged travelers ‘YOU’LL BE OKAY’: Top TSA official explains what to do if you do not have REAL ID ‘ITS A DISASTER’: Trump offers to help Obama with presidential library troubles ACT OF WAR’: Pakistan calls India’s strikes an ‘act of war’ and claims it shot down Indian fighter jets ‘A LITTLE PATIENCE’: Cardinals gather in St. Peter’s Basilica for final Mass before conclave to choose new pope TEHRAN TORTURE: Family of American hostage tortured in Lebanon wins landmark case against Iran SIGNALS CROSSE: China’s spying in Cuba sparks alarm on Capitol Hill after fresh satellite images show surveillance buildup ‘DURABLE PEACE’: Vance says Russia’s demands are too high, but there’s still a path to resolution of Ukraine war LIKE ‘GOODFELLAS’: Fetterman slams ‘dumb hit piece’ about health, says it felt like being in classic mob movie HAT IN THE RING: Illinois Rep. Krishnamoorthi jumps into crowded Democratic race for Senate INTIMIDATION AND THREATS: Durbin calls on DOJ to investigate anonymous pizza deliveries to judges’ homes ROCK BOTTOM: President Trump’s approval ratings slide, but Democrats’ poll numbers drop to new lows ‘ALARMING’: Antisemitism spiking around the world, ADL finds in its first-ever global report HUNTING PREDATORS: FBI targets 250 suspects in ‘764’ network of online predators manipulating kids into violent, explicit videos DISTURBING DETAILS: Riley Gaines says ‘literal human feces’ thrown in protest of Turning Point USA at University of Washington LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Son of independent U.S. senator mounts Maine gubernatorial bid Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
REAL ID mishaps minimal, airports report; expert warns there’s potential chaos to come
As airports across the country are reporting relatively few issues on the first day of REAL ID enforcement, at least one aviation expert and former pilot tells Fox News Digital he doesn’t expect that kind of peace to last. “From an airport operations perspective, neither [George W. Bush Intercontinental] or [Houston-Hobby] have responded to any issues,” a representative for Houston’s airports authority said Wednesday. The official added that Texas law enforcement began issuing REAL IDs nine years ago and that the Lone Star State is well covered with 90% of its population listed as having a REAL ID. On the other side of the country, an official with the Port Authority, which operates JFK, La Guardia and Newark-Liberty in the New York City area, said there were “no issues” at the latter. IDENTITY OF SECOND DEPORTED MAN WHO JUDGE WANTS RETURNED TO US REVEALED AS TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS ORDER A Fox News producer reporting from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was able to go through security with an escort to get lunch without issue. Officials at Newark Liberty were giving a slip of paper to passengers not yet REAL ID compliant as part of phase 1 of the rollout. Moving down the Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia, an official said they are having a “smooth REAL ID Day.” “Checkpoint lines have been flowing all day and the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has had staff on hand to answer questions and process passengers,” the official said. “PHL (Philadelphia International Airport) also had its customer care team pre-security to greet passengers and answer or direct questions. We saw most passengers ready with passports or the REAL ID state-issued identification as they approached the checkpoints.” At the other end of I-95, Miami International Airport reported normal traffic at checkpoints and underlined that over the past year, the hub has partnered with the TSA to communicate with passengers, including terminal-wide signage, about the REAL ID deadline and alternate forms of identification. REAL ID RENEWS AMERICA’S AGE-OLD DREAD OF THE DMV At Charlotte-Douglas in North Carolina, wait times averaged 10 minutes throughout the day, and an official said its staff had been “well-prepared” for the adjustment. At the busiest airport in the U.S., an official said everything was running smoothly. “I was just downstairs (near the checkpoint). We did not see any adverse impact,” said Herschel Grangent Jr. of Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta. Boston-Logan officials echoed that assessment, adding they also utilized the same advertising strategy as Miami for its REAL ID deadline preparation. “At Logan, our customer service team will have extra staff on hand during the rollout to greet passengers and remind them to have their IDs out before they get into the TSA line,” an official said. However, former commercial and private pilot Ryan Tseko told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview that any lull won’t last for long. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The amount of delays it’s going to put on the system is massive,” said Tseko, who formerly worked for United Express and is now a vice president at Cardone Capital. “I don’t think the public was aware. I think it wasn’t clear,” he said, adding he expects a bottleneck at airports. “A lot of these people are students who now have to drive up to 12 hours back and forth.” He predicted that when issues begin appearing, there will be calls to delay full implementation once again, as has been the norm since the Bush era. Fox News’ Courtney DeGeorge contributed to this report.
Taxpayers could be forced to fund Trump foe Letitia James’ legal defense if Dem budget item passes
Language in a new budget bill up for a vote later Wednesday evening could put New York taxpayers on the hook for state Attorney General Letitia James’ legal fees in a fraud case being brought against her by the Trump administration. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued her proposed $254 billion budget last week, and the state legislature is set to begin voting on it this week. On Wednesday evening, Republicans and Democrats in the legislature will vote on the draft version of the state operations section of the budget. That section, according to a draft copy provided to Fox News Digital by the state Republican Party, includes language that would compel taxpayers to provide the money for a legal defense fund, that, while James is not named in the bill, would theoretically cover the New York attorney general’s legal costs pertaining to fraud allegations brought against her by the Trump administration’s Federal Housing Finance Agency. TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES LEADING CHARGE ON NEW MULTISTATE LAWSUIT OVER HHS CUTS The draft language, compiled by the Democrat-controlled executive branch, Senate majority and Assembly majority, would set aside $10 million for elected officials in the state to use for their legal defense when the case is in direct response to the official’s exercise of their duties. James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, who was obtained for her by the New York State Attorney General’s Office, characterized the Trump administration’s mortgage fraud claims against James as “political retribution” for her decision to go after Donald Trump over allegations he falsified business documents to obtain favorable business positions. NY AG’S OFFICE HIRES ATTORNEY THAT REPPED HUNTER BIDEN TO DEFEND LETITIA JAMES AGAINST FRAUD ACCUSATIONS According to the draft language of the New York operations budget bill, a state official would be permitted to use money from the legal defense fund if the official has previously had interactions with the U.S. government or a U.S. government official in the course of their official duties. There are additional criteria which would also apply to James, particularly when considering her former case brought against Trump that led to the first ever felony conviction of a U.S. president. The sources who provided the operations budget draft language said it should be made publicly available some time Wednesday. ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST LETITIA JAMES CALLS FOR NY STATE COURTS TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ADMIN FRAUD CLAIMS “Donald Trump promised a vicious revenge tour when he ran in 2024, and he’s put Attorney General James at the top of his list, and we’re ready to respond to these attacks,” a spokesperson for James told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. The spokesperson added that James plans to use both private and public state funds to mount her defense. Meanwhile, New York GOP Chair Ed Cox told the New York Post that “this is what corruption looks like.” “Political insiders rigging the system to protect their own, while hardworking families get shortchanged,” Cox accused in a statement to the New York Post. “Tish James used her office to wage partisan lawfare against her political opponents, and now New Yorkers are footing the bill for the consequences.”
Protesters gather outside Pritzker mansion to disrupt Noem presser, only to find she was never actually there
Protesters gathered outside Illinois governor JB Pritzker’s mansion on Wednesday thinking that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was holding a presser around the property. Secretary Noem did hold a press conference in Illinois on Wednesday, but it was more than half a mile away from the governor’s mansion, leaving the protesters “screaming” into the wind. “While we aren’t entirely sure what the protesters were protesting (we aren’t sure they know either), or why they were screaming in front of their governor’s mansion, we stand with every victim of illegal immigrant crime,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. BLUE STATE GOVERNOR VOWS ‘RESISTANCE’ AS TRUMP ADMIN TARGETS SANCTUARY POLICIES “Secretary Noem went to Springfield, Illinois to join Angel families to call for the end of dangerous sanctuary city policies under J.B. Pritzker and bring attention to an at-large illegal alien murderer who has been evading justice for two years for the stabbing of Emma Shafer.” As protesters shouted outside Pritzker’s mansion, Noem’s presser was held at the site where Emma Shafer, 24, was stabbed to death by Grabriel Calixto Pichardo, 25, an illegal migrant who is wanted on three first-degree murder charges and an aggravated domestic battery charge. Pichardo was reportedly dating Shafer at the time of the murder. Noem was also joined by the “Angel families” of Denny McCann and Jimmy Walden, who both lost their lives to illegal migrant crime. DHS UNLEASHES POSSIBLE MONEY-SAVING MEASURE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SELF-DEPORT: ‘SAFEST OPTION’ McCann was crossing the street on foot when he was hit, killed, and dragged down the road by Saul Chavez, an illegal immigrant who was drunk driving. Chavez was arrested and charged with reckless homicide and aggravated DUI, but disappeared for 11 years after being released on bond. He wasn’t apprehended until 2022. Walden was killed when an illegal alien, who had previously been deported twice, crashed into Walden’s motorcycle in Maryland. His father lives in Illinois. ILLINOIS FATHER SLAMS DEM GOVERNOR OVER SANCTUARY POLICIES The purpose of the presser was to spotlight the sanctuary status of the state, and to call on the potential presidential candidate to “abandon these dangerous sanctuary policies.” Pritzker responded to the presser with a statement on Wednesday. “Unlike Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Illinois follows the law,” the Illinois governor explained. The Trump Administration is violating the United States Constitution, denying people due process, and disappearing law-abiding neighbors – including children who are U.S. citizens. Yet, they are taking no real action to promote public safety and deport violent criminals within the clear and defined legal process.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Illinoisans are sending a clear message to Trump’s lackeys that we will not let you mess with us without a resistance,” Pritzker concluded.
Blue state governor in hot seat after parents harmed by sanctuary policies lash out: ‘Gut punch’
Families who lost loved ones to crimes committed by those in the country illegally took aim at sanctuary policies in Illinois and across the country at a press conference with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Wednesday. Among the speakers was Jim Walden, an Illinois resident who lost his son, Jimmy, several years ago in a motorcycle incident while Jimmy was stationed in Maryland. “My son was serving in the United States Marine Corps in the intel field. He worked for the National Security Agency. Jimmy was 21 years old,” Walden said. TRUMP SAYS MEXICAN PRESIDENT IS AFRAID OF CARTELS AFTER SHE REJECTED HIS OFFER TO SEND US TROOPS TO MEXICO “He was hit and killed by his motorcycle by an illegal that the state of Maryland admitted they knew was illegal five years before he killed my son. And in that five-year period, they had had him in jail five times. He was convicted of domestic violence and put on probation, and he was illegal. He would have been 30 years old yesterday. “For our governor to get on national television and say that he’s gonna stand up and protect these people is a gut punch to anybody that’s lost one,” Walden said of Gov. JB Pritzker. “I just call on Gov. Pritzker to be a true governor and stand by the federal laws and deport every one of them, every one. I don’t care if they’re two or 20 or 80. Send them back. We have a path to citizenship. It’s called the naturalization process.” BLUE STATE REPUBLICAN CALLS ON COUNTY SHERIFFS TO DEFY SANCTUARY LAW, DEM GOVERNOR RUMORED FOR 2028 RUN Noem said she did the press conference there at the “direction of President Trump today to draw attention to the dangerous policies of Illinois and the Illinois governor and what he has perpetuated as far as violence and criminality against his citizens here in this state.” President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order asking DHS and the Department of Justice to treat “sanctuary jurisdictions” as states and localities that could lose federal funding. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “Springfield needs attention specifically because of the victims that have been here, but also because of the laws that come out of this city that impact the entire state that is protecting illegal criminals and not prioritizing American citizens and the citizens of this great state,” the secretary added. She also noted that the location of the event had a special meaning. “But we’re standing here on this block today because this is the block where a young woman was killed just a couple of houses away from here. Emma Shafer was brutally stabbed and murdered by an illegal alien who was released into the United States by the Biden administration,” Noem explained. Pritzker called the event a “publicity stunt” and took aim at the administration’s immigration policies. BLUE CITY MAYOR SAYS ICE ARRESTS OF DANGEROUS CRIMINALS ARE NOT ‘FOCUSED ON MAKING US SAFER’ “Unlike Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, Illinois follows the law,” Pritzker said in a statement about Noem’s visit. “The Trump administration is violating the United States Constitution, denying people due process and disappearing law-abiding neighbors, including children who are U.S. citizens. Yet, they are taking no real action to promote public safety and deport violent criminals within the clear and defined legal process. “Trump-Noem publicity stunts do not make our communities safer or our immigration system smarter. Illinois doesn’t need to abuse power or ignore the Constitution to keep our people safe. Like the millions of Americans asking for sensible, humane immigration reform, I encourage the secretary to spend less time performing for Fox News and more time protecting the homeland.”