David Hogg faces challenge to DNC role as party tensions escalate
A Native American attorney is challenging David Hogg’s vice chair position at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) amid intra-party tensions ignited by the 25-year-old activist’s $20 million investment through his political action group to primary older incumbent Democrats. “While we are confident that the DNC Officer election was conducted fairly, transparently, and in alignment with the rules that were approved by the DNC Membership in advance of the election, the Party provides an opportunity for any candidate or member to raise concerns for further discussion,” a DNC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The DNC Credentials Committee will meet virtually on April 12 to consider longtime Democratic Party activist Kalyn Free’s challenge, a decision made before the fallout of Hogg’s plan to primary incumbents, according to a source familiar. Free submitted a complaint following the DNC’s Feb. 1 officer elections, in which Hogg, Malcolm Kenyatta and Artie Blanco secured the vice chair positions. Free alleged in the complaint that the DNC “discriminated against three women of color candidates,” during officer elections earlier this year. The news was first reported by Semafor. DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN FROM PARTY LEADERSHIP Hogg claimed his vice chair position with 214.5 votes, while Kenyetta had 298. According to the network pool producer at the leadership election, 205 votes were needed to win. Free secured 96. Jeanna Repass had 112, and Shasti Conrad had just 91.5 votes. DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR IGNITES CIVIL WAR, TARGETING ‘ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL’ INCUMBENTS IN PRIMARIES A source familiar shut down Free’s allegation, emphasizing to Fox News Digital that the election results weren’t even close. But Free accused the DNC of a “fatally flawed election that violated the DNC Charter” in her complaint and requested “two new vice chair elections,” according to Semafor. “By aggregating votes across ballots and failing to distinguish between gender categories in a meaningful way, the DNC’s process violated its own Charter and Bylaws, undermining both fairness and gender diversity,” Free wrote. While Free’s complaint was filed before Hogg made headlines this month for his brutal plan to primary incumbent Democrats in deep blue districts, the fallout is the latest blow to the young Democratic leader. Hogg pledged to donate $20 million through his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve, to primary-challenge some older Democrats in blue districts. DNC chair Ken Martin affirmed last week that the DNC will stay neutral in intra-party primaries, giving Hogg the ultimatum to either rescind his vice chair position or forego his political influence via his PAC. “No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,” Martin said last week, adding, “If you want to challenge incumbents, you’re more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the DNC, because our job is to be neutral arbiters. We can’t be both the referee and also the player at the same time.” Following Hogg’s primary fallout, Martin announced new investments for the state parties and a strengthened neutrality pledge for DNC officials. The proposal, which would require DNC officials to pledge neutrality in primaries, is expected to be voted on by the party’s Rules and Bylaws committee next month. If the panel approves the proposal, the full DNC membership would take a final vote during the party’s annual summer meeting in August. Hogg replied to the news on social media later that day, accusing the DNC of “trying to change the rules because I’m not currently breaking them. As we’re seeing law firms, tech companies, and so many others bowing to Trump, we all must use whatever position of power we have to fight back. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.” “This moment requires us to have the strongest opposition party possible to stop Trump from destroying people’s retirement savings, disappearing people, plunging our economy into oblivion—and to provide a real alternative to the Republican Party for voters that we simply do not have right now,” Hogg added. The move by Hogg comes as Democrats disagree about how to respond to President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in the White House. During an interview with CNN last week, longtime Democratic strategist James Carville ripped Hogg for challenging those within his own party when he could be investing those same funds to “take on a Republican.” “The most insane thing I ever heard is the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee is spending $20 million running against other Democrats. Aren’t we supposed to run against Republicans?” Carville asked. Hogg and Free did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The ‘F-word’: Schumer says Trump’s first 100 days can be distilled to single utterance
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and dozens of his bicameral colleagues addressed reporters on the Capitol steps Wednesday, blasting President Donald Trump’s first 100 days. Schumer, flanked by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and others, said Trump failed the nation predominantly via his tariff agenda and purportedly cozying up with “dictators.” “Donald Trump’s first 100 days can be defined by one big F-word: failure,” Schumer said. “Failure on the economy, failure on lowering costs, failure on tariffs, failure on foreign policy, failure on preserving democracy, failure on helping middle-class families.” HOUSTON ROCKETS OWNER AMONG TRIO OF TRUMP AMBASSADOR NOMINEES CONFIRMED BY SENATE “Today’s new economic news showed that Donald Trump is running the American economy the way he ran his family business into the ground,” claimed Schumer, who grew up in Brooklyn, where Trump’s father’s real estate empire was based. Schumer claimed Trump turned nations against the U.S. and drove them into China’s arms, saying former economic allies now see China as a better partner in that regard. The Democratic leader later called Trump a “would-be dictator” and claimed he wants to be “king” of America. “[W]e Democrats … around the country will fight him at every turn,” Schumer said. GRAHAM MOCKS DEMOCRATS AS DEA CHIEF CONFIRMS MS-13 GANG TATTOOS Later, Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., rose to the podium to cries of “preach-preach-preach” from fellow Democrats. Warnock is the pastor at Martin Luther King Jr.’s church in Atlanta. “We are witnessing an all-out assault on our Constitution, an all-out assault on our norms and our values, an assault on the pocketbooks of ordinary people,” Warnock said. “But, in a real sense, an assault on the spirit of the American people. They are trying to convince us that our neighbors are our enemies. We should know better than that by now, and we do.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Clark also lambasted the GOP, claiming congressional Republicans are “choosing their careers … over that of their constituents.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Senate GOP leadership for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: Mom’s fight with school over teen daughter’s gender transition gets boost from parents group
EXCLUSIVE: The American Parents Coalition (APC) is weighing in on a lawsuit against a Florida middle school accused of secretly socially transitioning a 13-year-old girl behind her family’s back. The group, which advocates for the rights of parents and families across the country, filed a brief in support of the Littlejohn family with the 11th Circuit Court on Wednesday. APC is arguing that so-called social transitioning is a type of medical treatment and that “parents have a substantive due process right to be informed about the treatments a school administers to their minor child and to refuse those treatments.” The girl’s parents, January and Jeffrey Littlejohn, filed the suit against the school board of Leon County, Florida. In an interview earlier this year, January Littlejohn, who was one of President Donald Trump’s guests at his address to a joint session of Congress, shared how the school’s actions had an extreme, “destructive” effect on her daughter and entire family. Littlejohn said that despite the school’s behavior, her daughter has worked through her gender confusion. But she said the school’s actions created a “huge wedge between us and our daughter” that “took many years to repair.” TRUMP GUEST WHOSE DAUGHTER WAS TRANSITIONED BEHIND HER BACK SPEAKS OUT She explained that the school “took it upon themselves to intervene and socially transition my child” when the girl and her friends became fixated on their gender identity. Though some consider social transitioning virtually harmless, Littlejohn explained that it “goes way beyond name and pronouns.” “They sit the child down, and, in our case, it was behind closed doors with three adults that consisted of the school counselor, the assistant principal and a social worker I had never met, and they did an official ‘gender support plan,’” she explained. In this session, Littlejohn said, the school staff asked her daughter what bathroom and locker rooms she wanted to use, which sex she wanted to room with during overnight trips and whether she wanted her parents to be notified. PARENTS TELL SCOTUS: LGBTQ STORYBOOKS IN CLASSROOMS CLASH WITH OUR FAITH “They put the burden on her as to whether or not my parental rights would be honored by deciding she was the sole decision-maker as to whether or not my husband and I would be notified of the meeting,” she explained. Littlejohn said that when she made inquiries about the session to the school, she was told “they could not give me any information about that meeting” and “that my daughter was now protected by a nondiscrimination law.” Despite this, a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court ruled 2-1 against the Littlejohns, saying the incident did not violate the parents’ due process rights. COLORADO’S ‘TOTALITARIAN’ TRANSGENDERISM BILL SPARKS CONCERNS FROM PARENTS After this ruling, the Littlejohns appealed to have their case heard by the entire 11th Circuit Court. The American Parents Coalition joined in support of the Littlejohns’ lawsuit Wednesday. In its brief, APC states that the Leon County School Board “violated the requirements of substantive due process when it started a minor child on the road to gender transition without the knowledge and consent of the child’s parents.” ‘LET US BE THE PARENTS’: SUPREME COURT SHOULD LET PARENTS OPT KIDS OUT OF LGBTQ SCHOOL LESSONS, LAWYER ARGUES The brief argues that, regardless of debates about the safety and efficacy of gender transition treatments, “this much is clear: social transitioning is the first step in a process to treat a psychiatric diagnosis of gender dysphoria that then leads to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries.” The group said that “even for proponents of this care, this first step can’t be taken lightly.” Yet, in the Littlejohns’ case, “the local school board decided that the parents should not be informed and need not consent before their middle-school age child is socially transitioned.” “There’s no doubt that social transitioning is a medical treatment,” the group argues. “Parents should be involved in the medical process from this very first step — they should walk with their children through the challenges of growing up.” Alleigh Marré, executive director of APC, explained the decision to join the Littlejohns’ suit, telling Fox News Digital her group is determined to “support parents and families and ensure nothing stands between parents and their child.” FLORIDA AG LAUNCHES OFFICE OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, LENDING LEGAL FIREPOWER TO DEFEND PARENTS’ ‘GOD-GIVEN RIGHT’ “No parent should ever be kept in the dark about their child,” said Marré. “When the school took steps to socially transition the Littlejohns’ daughter without their knowledge or consent, it wasn’t a misstep, it was a deliberate attempt to cut parents out of critical decisions while pushing gender ideology onto a child. “This blatant flouting of parental rights and authority simply cannot be accepted or normalized.” Leon County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Republican lawmakers seek to strip District of Columbia of its sanctuary city policies
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are launching an effort that would require the nation’s capital to abandon its sanctuary city policies. Sanctuary cities are local jurisdictions that restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, including refusing to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests. As a result, the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act would eliminate sanctuary city laws in the District of Columbia and bar Washington, D.C., from implementing any policy that allows it to circumvent complying with Homeland Security and ICE on detainer requests for illegal immigrants. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATENS THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING “Unconscionable that our nation’s capital would facilitate illegality and thwart federal law enforcement efforts,” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., who introduced the measure in the Senate Wednesday, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Trump’s efforts to enforce immigration laws should not be undermined by local leadership anywhere in the United States, let alone Washington, D.C.” Washington has a series of sanctuary city policies. For example, the D.C. City Council adopted a measure in 2020 that restricts D.C. officials from learning the immigration status of individuals in custody, and bars the jurisdiction from transferring individuals to federal immigration agencies. Other jurisdictions with sanctuary city policies include Chicago, New York City, Boston and Los Angeles, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration in April from restricting federal funds for sanctuary cities, claiming it violates the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the spending clause, in addition to the Fifth and 10th Amendments. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., introduced the legislation in the House in March. “Sanctuary policies have devastating real-life consequences,” Higgins said in a Wednesday statement. “As our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., should be the safest, most ‘America First’ city in the United States, and Congress has the constitutional authority to end the city’s sanctuary status.” YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION The legislation aligns with initiatives from the White House to crack down on sanctuary cities. On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the Justice Department and Homeland Security establish a list of all sanctuary cities failing to follow federal immigration laws. Per the executive order, cities will receive notification and have the opportunity to drop the sanctuary status. Failure to do so could cause them to risk losing federal funding, according to the executive order. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The order also instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “pursue all legal remedies” to encourage sanctuary cities into compliance with federal law, according to a Monday White House fact sheet shared with Fox News Digital. “It’s quite simple: obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday. “The American public don’t want illegal alien criminals in their communities. They made that quite clear on Nov. 5, and this administration is determined to enforce our nation’s immigration laws.”
Supreme Court weighs religious liberty dispute over public funding for Catholic charter school
The Supreme Court offered clear divisions Wednesday in a religious liberty case involving public education and whether religious charter schools can receive taxpayer funding. At issue is whether providing public money to a faith-based educational institution violates the First Amendment’s separation of church and state mandate. In more than two hours of wide-ranging oral arguments, the high court appeared divided along ideological lines, with a majority prepared to allow St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma City to become the first such religious charter school in the country. LIBERAL SUPREME COURT JUSTICES GRILL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION IN LANDMARK SCHOOL CHOICE CASE The appeal comes amid a renewed pitch in some Republican-led states to bring a greater religious presence to public education. The conservative high court in recent years has, in select cases, allowed taxpayer funds to be spent on religious organizations to provide “non-sectarian services” like adoption or food banks. In the courtroom public session, the justices debated what limits on curriculum supervision and control would be placed on the religious charter school, if its contract with the state was allowed to move forward. “Our [prior] cases have made very clear,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “You can’t treat religious people and religious institutions and religious speech as second class in the United States. And when you have a program that’s open to all comers except religion, no, we can’t do that. We can do everything else. That seems like rank discrimination against religion. And that’s the concern.” BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE KEEPS BLOCKING TURMP ADMIN FROM NIXING FUNDING FOR LAWYERS FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN “All the religious school is saying is don’t exclude us on account of our religion,” Kavanaugh added. But others on the bench worried about government entanglement in approving some religious charter schools, and not others, potentially favoring one faith over another. “What you’re saying is the free exercise clause trumps the essence of the establishment clause,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor told the attorney for the state’s charter school board. “The essence of the establishment clause was, ‘We’re not going to pay religious leaders to teach their religion.’” The Constitution’s First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Justice Amy Coney Barrett was not on the bench and is recused in the case. She offered no public explanation of why. If the court divides 4-4, the ruling below holds, with the charter school losing its appeal. The vote of Chief Justice John Roberts may be key. He asked tough questions of both sides. At one point, Roberts noted of the current dispute: “This does strike me as a much more comprehensive involvement,” by the state than prior cases dealing with “fairly discrete” public money going to religious groups, such as tax breaks and private school tuition credits. In an unusual split within the Oklahoma government, the state’s governor, head of public education, and the statewide charter school board are all backing St. Isidore. But Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued to block the approval of the school’s state charter, calling it an “unlawful sponsorship” of a sectarian institution, and “a serious threat to the religious liberty of all four-million Oklahomans.” He has the backing of some GOP state lawmakers and parents’ groups, who argue that funding parochial charter schools would drain resources from public education – especially in rural areas already struggling with limited funding. When it signed a contract with the state charter school board in 2023, St. Isidore – formed as a nonprofit corporation by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa – agreed it would be free and open to all students “as a traditional public school,” and would comply with local, state and federal education laws. But in its application to the charter board, it also indicated, “the School fully embraces the teachings” of the Catholic Church and participates “in the evangelizing mission of the church.” Shortly after Oklahoma’s highest court ruled against it, the school said it remained “steadfast in our belief that St. Isidore would have and could still be a valuable asset to students, regardless of socioeconomic, race or faith backgrounds.” The Trump administration is supporting the school. Some Catholic sources note the namesake seventh-century archbishop and scholar is now known as the patron saint of the internet, given the title by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Much of the high court oral arguments turned on whether St. Isidore – a K-12 online school – is public or private in nature. The distinction is important, since charter schools in Oklahoma are considered public, free and openly accessible to all. That is true in the 46 states – plus the District of Columbia – where charter schools operate. The Supreme Court has previously said states may require public schools be secular, but also cannot prevent private religious institutions from public benefits and contracts. The issue now is whether those precedents apply to charter schools. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said charter schools are “a creation and creature of the state.” Justice Elena Kagan said contracts signed by schools like St. Isidore have basic requirements to meet state classroom standards, with state oversight. “I’ve just got to think that there are religions that are going to have no problems dealing with all the various curricular requirements and religions that are going to have very severe problems dealing with all the curricular requirement,” she said. “I’m suggesting to you is this notion that the state can do this while still maintaining all its various curricular requirements. I mean, either that sort of fantasy land, given the state of religious belief and religious practice in this world or if it’s not, it’s only because what’s going to result is treating, shall we call them majoritarian, religions very differently from minority religions,” said Kagan. But Justice Clarence Thomas noted: “The argument that St. Isidore and the board are making is that it’s a private entity that is participating in a state [charter] program.
Vance reveals ’empowering’ aspects of Trump’s leadership that enables ‘trust’ and squashes ‘turf battles’
EXCLUSIVE: WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said he feels “very empowered” by President Donald Trump, telling Fox News Digital that there is “complete trust across the senior team,” and “good synergies” in “service of a common vision.” Vance sat for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Wednesday in his West Wing office inside the White House. The vice president reflected on his role as vice president, which, notably, is not limited to a specific portfolio, but rather a broad role touching on foreign and domestic policy issues and more. FOX NEWS POLL: THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SECOND TERM “Obviously, the president makes decisions. And what’s so good about the team that we have, both on the economic side, but also on the foreign policy side, is the president gives directives, and each person has their role in fulfilling those directives, and there is complete trust across the senior team,” Vance explained to Fox News Digital. “It’s kind of empowering, because you don’t have to constantly check in — you don’t have to micromanage some of these things.” Vance told Fox News Digital that he spoke to Secretary of State Marco Rubio Tuesday, after not having spoken to him “for four or five days before then.” “It’s kind of nice to just know that you’ve got the secretary of State working on his stuff, the Department of Defense secretary who’s working on his stuff, and I’m, of course, working on my stuff,” Vance said. “And then we all come back; we update the president; we go from there.” But Vance said it is “a very fluid and dynamic situation.” WHITE HOUSE LISTS DOZENS OF ‘HOAXES’ PUSHED BY MEDIA, CRITICS IN TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS “I think that will certainly continue over the next 100 days — over the next four years,” Vance said. “But I think what enables it — what makes it possible — is that people actually trust one another.” Vance told Fox News Digital that the president “has full faith in his team.” “And it just makes it very easy to actually work successfully when you’re not constantly checking in and you’re not constantly, you know, dealing with the bureaucracy,” Vance said. “You can just go and do your job.” Vance told Fox News Digital that he, as vice president, feels “very empowered by the president.” “I was talking to Secretary Rubio about this yesterday, and I think Marco Rubio feels very empowered, and there’s just this sense that the President both likes and trusts his senior team, and so he’s able to govern effectively,” Vance explained. “The president is dealing with a million different things, but it’s a lot more digestible when you can give directives to your team and say, ‘Go and do this.’ And that’s what’s happening on the economic side. It’s what’s happening on the national on the national security side.” “And obviously, because I’m the vice president, I have a more global view of this, but it’s really an amazing thing to see, because there’s just a lot of good synergies that, you know, I don’t know if the president had the first administration — I don’t know if any president has had in prior administrations — where there was such great confidence in the team.” “You read stories about, you know, Kamala Harris’s portfolio, or you read stories about other vice presidents, about, even Dick Cheney’s portfolio, where there was this dynamic of, there were turf battles, and one person was trying to say, ‘This is what I work on, and this is what you work on, and don’t step on my territory,’” Vance explained. “There’s just none of that.” Vance added: “Because our territory is what the president has told us that we have to get done, and we don’t mind sharing that territory if it’s in service of a common vision, which it is.” PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT: HOW TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS STACK UP AGAINST INAUGURATION DAY PLEDGES Meanwhile, when asked for highlights of the first 100 days of the Trump administration, Vance pointed to his first foreign trip in February to France to discuss artificial intelligence. “A lot of people were very excited about American leadership in AI, but then, of course, we gave a speech heard around the world at Munich where I thought — it’s just one of the things you can do with this office is say things that need to be said,” Vance told Fox News Digital. “And I thought it needed to be said that some of our European allies have gone backward on free speech, on religious expression, on border control, and in the same way that President Trump is trying to change that dynamic in the United States of America, I think it would behoove our European friends to do the same.” Another highlight, Vance said, was visiting Eagle Pass, Texas. “That was another highlight, because there was a sense of — and I don’t mean this negatively — almost boredom at Eagle Pass because the Border Patrol agents were showing me photos of these places that were just overwhelmed by illegal immigrants and now — you can’t see anybody.” Vance reflected on “visualizing the drop in just a few short weeks of a 95% reduction in illegal immigration, and the fact that these guys felt like they didn’t have as much to do.” “But if they don’t have that much to do, that means we’re doing the American people’s business,” Vance said. “And just seeing that so crystal clear — a connection between Donald Trump’s policies and the end of the border crisis — just good things for the American people.” “It was a very cool day,” he said. “I also got to ride in a helicopter.”
Dem lawmaker demands Congress act on securing US border after ‘transparent’ ICE facility visit
Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., reflected on his visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Stewart County, Georgia, last week, emphasizing that he remains optimistic that there is room for congressional achievements on related policies. “It was a very transparent visit,” Davis told Fox News Digital in an interview, noting he also had the opportunity to speak with detainees. “We were able to move around and go to places. I was even able to engage, again, with detainees.” “Probably the best word I would use, which one of the senior administrators used, was ‘busy,’” he added. TEXAS HOSPITALS HIT WITH $122 MILLION BILL FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ CARE IN SINGLE MONTH The North Carolina Democrat emphasized that although there have been rapid changes in border and immigration policies in recent months, the legislative branch needs to step up to make changes. “I believe there are broader steps we need to take in Congress to act. I believe we need to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform. I believe that we, without any doubt, need to secure the border as next steps. The number of unlawful entries indeed have come down, but again, we can’t just stop where we are now. We need to continue to make sure, you know, that we protect the American people,” Davis said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “We have to crack down on the illegal fentanyl that’s making entry into the country,” the lawmaker added. SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN Since Trump took office, migrant encounters at the border have plummeted with just over 7,000 apprehensions in March, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. “We have the most secure border in the history of this nation, and the numbers prove it. President Trump’s policies are saving lives every day,” border czar Tom Homan said at the 100 days White House news conference on Monday. Davis is a second-term congressman who represents parts of eastern North Carolina, in one of the few districts that backed President Donald Trump in November but elected a Democrat to Congress. Last June, Davis and three other Democratic lawmakers called for the Biden administration to ramp up border security. “This order is an overdue step, but our southern border is still not secure,” the group said regarding an executive order at the time. TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES SHOCKINGLY LOW NUMBER OF ILLEGAL ALIENS COMPARED TO BIDEN YEARS: ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ Davis noted that he observed some detainees actively going through the judicial process that could determine their future, which could entail deportation. “I was able to observe a detainee actually going through a judicial review and having a hearing,” Davis said, noting he “also witnessed others that were in private security areas, talking to their attorneys.” “So the takeaway for me is, as we’re seeing more detainees coming through detention centers, it is important that we walk away prioritizing public safety. We cannot compromise on public safety whatsoever. And I believe we can still do it in a way in which we are able to abide by our Constitution.” There’s been an ongoing discussion about due process for those in the country illegally, as many suspected of criminal gang activity through designated terrorist groups like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have been transported to El Salvador.
Fox News Politics: Cruz Calls Out Ivy Leaguer with Tehran Ties
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… –Elon Musk no longer working on DOGE efforts from White House: report -Kamala Harris plans to take on Trump in first major speech since leaving office -Liberal Supreme Court justices grill religious institution in landmark school choice case Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz escalated his war of words with a former Iranian regime official who, as a faculty member at Princeton, was reportedly making Jewish students feel uncomfortable amid global tensions. “I try not to be in the room with people linked to Iranian terrorists who have murdered dozens of dissidents,” Cruz wrote in response to a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, from former Iranian Ambassador to Germany Seyed Hossein Mousavian. “Your books are unreadable, and the only debate you should be having is with DHS agents, at the end of which you should be deported,” Cruz quipped…Read more ‘BACK ON THE TABLE’: Trump admin uses Luigi Mangione case to ‘send a message’ in first 100 days RAMPING UP: Trump to name Haitian gangs foreign terrorist organizations ‘TRUST, CONNECTED VOICE’: New Trump linked consulting firm launches in DC focused on crypto, AI JUDGE STRIKES AGAIN: Biden-appointed federal judge keeps blocking Trump admin from nixing funding for lawyers for migrant children ‘INCREASED THE INTENSITY’: Russian attacks on Ukraine intensify in make-or-break week for peace talks COVER-UP: Iran accused of ‘covering up’ death toll in port explosion amid concerns of uprising TROOPS IN UKRAINE: 600 North Korean troops killed while fighting Ukraine, South Korea says DONE DEAL: Germany poised to get new conservative chancellor Friedrich Merz FIRST ON FOX: US and Uzbekistan reach an agreement for Uzbekistan to accept its nationals TEHRAN TRICKERY: Warning to Trump nuke negotiators about deceptive ‘Iranian version of the Art of the Deal’ DEPORTATION WAVE: Mexico says it accepted 39K deportees from the US, mostly Mexican nationals BETTER AT BUSINESS: ‘Shark Tank’ star insists AOC is a capitalist at heart: ‘The best marketeer in politics’ TAX TIME: Millionaire tax-hike proposal has House Republicans divided LETTER OF THE LAW: Trump’s first 100 days: Pace of executive orders leaves Congress in the dust SECOND THOUGHTS: What to do if you have REAL ID but wish you didn’t ‘CODE TALK TO WHITE GUYS’: Walz on why Harris picked him for veep BORDER BURDEN: Texas hospitals hit with $122 million bill for illegal immigrants’ care in single month SPEAKING UP: Supreme Court to hear arguments on school choice case involving Catholic charter school DYING ‘WITH DIGNITY’: New York Assembly passes bill to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill ‘GETTING DESPERATE’: Violent MS-13 gangbangers getting ‘desperate’ as DHS official credits early Trump action ‘SUPRISED AND SHOCKED’: Federal judge says local law enforcement must stop enforcing new immigration law ‘NOT AFRAID OF YOU’: Anti-Israel Columbia protester detained by ICE is freed after federal judge’s order Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Border Patrol chief’s hearing begins with tiff over Dem’s allegations that spurred Noem letter
The Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider Rodney Scott’s nomination to be commissioner of Customs and Border Protection began with fireworks from the panel’s top Democrat. Scott was lambasted by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon over a controversy involving a person who died in CBP custody in 2010. The criticisms prompted a Tuesday letter from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is like the point guard for everything the U.S. government does at our borders,” Wyden said at the start of the hearing on Wednesday. “A person who holds this job should have deep experience with both customs and with protecting our borders, along with unimpeachable judgment. Today’s hearing is to determine whether Rodney Scott possesses that experience, along with the strength of character to be trusted with one of the most important jobs in the federal government,” he said, claiming Scott “falls short.” BORDER PATROL CHIEF STEPPING DOWN AFTER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO REPLACE HIM The Democrat then delved into details of the detention and death of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, who was allegedly beaten while in CBP custody in 2010 when Scott was a top official in the San Diego office. Wyden claimed Scott’s office “taped over the only video copy” of the man’s death and tampered with evidence, citing court documents. He then referenced a letter he sent to Noem seeking documents on the Rojas incident. That request spurred Noem to write a scathing response to the Oregon Democrat, calling out “the minority’s uninformed account of Mr. Scott’s alleged role in the 2010 investigation of the death of Mr. Anastasio Hernandez Rojas [which] was infuriating and offensive to read.” “This response seeks to correct the record and clarify that Mr. Scott is a dedicated and honorable public servant,” she said, adding, “Your account alludes to the Committee’s erroneous impression that Mr. Scott was present at the unfortunate series of events leading to Mr. Hernandez Rojas’ death, or that Mr. Scott presided over CBP’s investigation into Mr. Hernandez Rojas’ death.” 21 REPUBLICANS, LED BY BOEBERT, MOVE TO CENSURE BIDEN OVER ‘FAILURE’ TO ENFORCE BORDER LAWS “Contrary to what your letter describes, Mr. Scott did not impede any investigation, nor did he take steps to conceal facts from investigators.” “Mr. Scott’s twenty-nine years of service at the U.S. Border Patrol provides him with the hands-on experience to oversee one of the world’s largest – and most important – law enforcement agencies. “President Trump rightfully prioritizes border security and recognizes the need for effective leadership at CBP. Mr. Scott is highly qualified for the job at hand, and the President made an excellent choice in nominating him for this position.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, later offered Scott an opportunity to respond to Wyden. Scott said he was not involved in the detention of Rojas, nor was he in the vicinity when it happened. Asked about a controversial subpoena in the case, he said it was for information gathering and to seek medical records for Rojas since he died in federal custody. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Absolutely not,” Scott later answered when asked if he interfered in that investigation at all. “Secretary… Noem responded to the request and cited official investigations and statutes to note that Mr. Scott’s ministerial work following the death – including authorizing a subpoena to request medical records that were provided to the San Diego police department – was in accordance with his duties, the law and professional standards,” Crapo said in criticizing the allegations.
‘I am afraid’: Another protective order filing against deported ‘Maryland man’ championed by Dems surfaces
FIRST ON FOX: Fox News Digital obtained a second protective order case filed against Kilmar Abrego Garcia from 2020, a year before another protective order that recently surfaced against the suspected MS-13 gang member being held in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia, 29, is a Salvadoran illegal immigrant and suspected MS-13 gang member who was living in Maryland until he was deported to the high-security Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in his home country during the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Though many Democrats hold that Abrego Garcia is an innocent man who was “wrongly deported,” the administration has pointed to considerable evidence that he is a member of the infamous MS-13 gang. In April, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision ordering the Trump administration to arrange Abrego Garcia’s return. DEM SENATOR SAYS ABREGO GARCIA SITUATION ‘NOT GOING TO END WELL’ FOR TRUMP, ARGUES HE’S ‘UNDERMINING’ FREEDOM The court required the “government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” The Trump administration agreed to clear any administrative obstacles keeping Abrego Garcia from returning to the U.S., but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that returning him is “up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us.” This has caused significant outrage among Democrats, several of whom, despite mounting evidence against Abrego Garcia, have flown to El Salvador to advocate for his release. WH SAYS ‘NO DISPUTE’ DEPORTED SUSPECTED GANG MEMBER HAD MS-13 TATTOOS DESPITE PHOTOS TO THE CONTRARY The document, reviewed by Fox News Digital, alleges that his wife accused him of verbal and physical abuse against her and mental abuse against her children. The petition for protection form filed in Maryland by Jennifer Vasquez Sura has boxes checked for “acts of abuse,” including kicking, slapping, shoving, mental injury of a child and detaining against will. On Aug. 11, 2020, Vasquez Sura asked for the petition to be rescinded, saying her family wanted to take part in their son’s birthday, and Abrego Garcia “also agreed to continue counseling and if not [he’s] willing to sign divorce papers.” The original petition form lists their son and Abrego Garcia’s stepchildren needing protection. It says on Aug. 3, 2020, that her “husband took [her] phone around 1:00 a.m., and in the morning he wanted to take my car, but I told him I was going to go out with my kids. He then got angry. I went upstairs to make food for my kids but he turned off the stove.” In addition, the form said Abrego Garcia had threatened her and wrote that she has a recording in which he “told [her] ex-mother-in-law that even if he kills me no one can do anything to him.” VIOLENT MS-13 GANGBANGERS GETTING ‘DESPERATE’; DHS OFFICIAL CREDITS EARLY TRUMP ACTION The form also describes an incident in November 2019 when he grabbed her “by the hair in the car.” In December 2019, he allegedly grabbed her hair in the car and “dragged” her “out of car leaving [her] in the street.” She wrote that he also “broke” her son’s tablet, “broke doors” in the house, pushed her against a wall, broke a phone and a television and damaged the walls that spring. This comes after Fox News Digital reported on written domestic violence allegations filed in court against Abrego Garcia by Vasquez Sura in 2021, but the case was dismissed because she did not make it to a court appearance, CBS News reported. In the filing, written in Vasquez’s handwriting, she alleges Abrego Garcia repeatedly beat her, writing, “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he [has] left me.” Vasquez alleged that Abrego Garcia punched and scratched her eye, leaving her bleeding. He also allegedly threw her laptop on the floor. She wrote that, on another day, Abrego Garcia got angry again, started yelling and ripped her shirt and shorts off before grabbing her arm and leaving marks. In addition to this, according to police and court records shared with Fox News Digital, Abrego Garcia was arrested in Hyattsville, Maryland, in October 2019, at which point he was identified by the Prince George’s County Police Gang Unit as an MS-13 gang member. FEDERAL JUDGE ALLEGES ‘WILLFUL AND BAD FAITH REFUSAL’ TO COMPLY IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION CASE A federal immigration court in Baltimore further determined Abrego Garcia was not eligible for release because he “failed to meet his burden of demonstrating that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others, as the evidence shows that he is a verified member of MS-13.” The court held that “the fact that a ‘past, proven, and reliable source of information’ verified the Respondent’s gang membership, rank, and gang name is sufficient to support that the Respondent is a gang member” and that Abrego Garcia had “failed to present evidence to rebut that assertion.” Several DHS sources have confirmed to Fox News Digital records indicating that Abrego Garcia was previously pulled over by a Tennessee highway patrol trooper while driving an SUV belonging to Jose Ramon Hernandez Reyes, another illegal alien who in 2020 confessed to human smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border. The trooper noticed eight individuals in the car with Abrego Garcia, who said he began driving three days prior from Houston, Texas, to Temple Hills, Maryland, via St. Louis, Missouri, to “perform construction work.” The report on the stop states that the trooper suspected it was a human trafficking incident because there was no luggage in the vehicle. Additionally, the individuals in the car reportedly gave the same address as Abrego Garcia’s home address. DEMOCRAT FAULTS HIS OWN PARTY FOR PICKING WRONG BATTLE WITH CASE OF DEPORTED MS-13 SUSPECT When speaking with the trooper, Abrego Garcia allegedly “pretended to speak less English