Trump boasts he ‘stopped about five wars’ while opening new Scotland golf course, vows to work with Netanyahu
President Donald Trump touted his foreign policy achievements while visiting his newest Scottish golf course on Tuesday, a day after appearing to break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance on food supply to Gaza. The president appeared before reporters at Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen, Scotland, where he and his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, opened a new golf course on Tuesday. “I look forward to playing it today. We’ll play it very quickly. And then I go back to D.C., and we put out fires all over the world,” Trump said before cutting the ribbon opening the new course in the village of Balmedie on Scotland’s northern coast. “We did one yesterday. You know, we stopped the war, but we stopped about five wars,” Trump said. “So that’s much more important than playing golf. As much as I like, it’s much more important.” “It’s going to be a special year, and it’s going to be a special decade. And we’re going to make all of our countries strong and great and really wonderful again,” Trump added. “And that’s happening, and it’s happening very fast.” EX-ISRAELI OFFICIAL OFFERS BOLD 2-PRONGED STRATEGY AS ‘THE ONLY WAY’ TO FREE HOSTAGES FROM HAMAS Amid U.S. pressure, Thailand and Cambodia reached a ceasefire agreement. The Trump administration has also claimed responsibility for stopping a nuclear escalation between India and Pakistan, averting conflict between Serbia and Kosovo and diffusing violence between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Earlier this year, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen agreed to a ceasefire following U.S.-U.K. strikes. In late June, Trump ordered U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and infrastructure, which he claimed ended the Israel-Iran conflict in just 12 days, preventing greater loss of life. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Israel pulled their negotiators from ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, last week. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas did not appear to be “coordinated or acting in good faith” to reach an agreement to return the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel or to “create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.” As the opening ceremony closed Tuesday, a reporter shouted a question at Trump, asking what the president would say next to Netanyahu. “We’re working together to try to get things straightened out for the world,” Trump said. Trump on Monday held a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at another of his golf courses, Trump Turnberry in Girvan, Scotland. When reporters asked if he agreed with Netanyahu’s recent remarks about concerns of mass starvation in Gaza being overstated, he replied, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.” Trump has also insisted the U.S. did not receive enough credit for the aid already provided to Gaza, which Hamas terrorists control. The president is capping a five-day foreign trip designed around promoting his family’s luxury properties and playing golf. TRUMP PRAISES STARMER ON TURNING AROUND MIGRANT BOATS: ‘FANTASTIC THING’ Trump used his trip to meet with Starmer and reach a trade framework for tariffs between the U.S. and the European Union’s 27 member countries – though scores of key details remain to be hammered out. “We just signed a very big deal, as you know, with the European Union, but also with the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom was a week before, and it’s a very big deal and a great deal for the country. And it’s a great deal for everybody,” Trump said Tuesday. Trump had invited Starmer, who famously does not golf, aboard Air Force One so that the prime minister could get a private tour of his Aberdeen properties before Tuesday’s ceremonial opening. Billing itself the “Greatest 36 Holes in Golf,” the Trump International Golf Links, Scotland, was designed by Eric Trump. The course is hosting a PGA Seniors Championship event later this week, after Trump leaves. “These are very hard to build, and you won’t see them built anymore. You’ll probably never see another course built in the dunes, not dunes like this,” Trump said of the course on Tuesday. The new golf course will be the third owned by the Trump Organization in Scotland. Trump bought Turnberry in 2014 and owns another course near Aberdeen that opened in 2012. Trump honored Sarah Malone, the Executive Vice President of Trump International Golf Links Scotland, during Tuesday’s opening ceremony. Eric Trump said Malone “has truly become a member of our family” after 16 years overseeing the properties. The president’s late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland’s north and immigrated to New York. She died in 2000 at age 88. “We love Scotland. You know, my mother was born here and she loved it. She would come back here religiously once a year during the summers with my sister Marianne, and sometimes my sister Elizabeth. But they would come here religiously,” Trump said Tuesday. “Stornoway. That’s serious Scotland, by the way.” The president also thanked his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who was on the new course with him Tuesday, for the work she did leading the Republican Party during the 2024 presidential election. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump’s assets are in a trust, and his sons are running the family business while he is in the White House. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
China may gain greater control of Panama Canal after BlackRock deal misses deadline
China may soon gain greater influence over the Panama Canal following the collapse of a proposed deal between U.S.-based BlackRock and Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison, which had initially sparked tensions with Beijing. The original agreement would have transferred control of dozens of international ports — including two in Panama — to a consortium involving BlackRock. The deal was reportedly welcomed by former President Donald Trump, who voiced support for reducing Chinese influence over the canal and even floated the idea of the U.S. “taking back” the strategic waterway. However, Beijing pushed back. China advocated for state-owned shipping giant Cosco to be included in the transaction, signaling its desire for a direct stake, not just an indirect one through the Hong Kong-based Hutchison, in the canal’s operations. Amid mounting pressure from China and the threat of an anti-monopoly investigation, CK Hutchison announced Monday that the exclusive negotiation window with BlackRock had expired. However, the company also signaled its openness to reconfiguring the deal. CHINA, HONG KONG THREATEN TO THWART SALE OF PANAMA CANAL PORTS TO AMERICA’S BLACKROCK It said it would “remain open to discussions with a view to inviting a major strategic investor from the [People’s Republic of China] to join as a significant member of the consortium.” According to the company, changes in deal structure and participant makeup are necessary to gain approval from “all relevant authorities.” The original $23 billion deal involved transferring ownership of 43 ports across 23 countries — including the two critical Panamanian ports located at either end of the canal in Balboa and Cristobal. CK Hutchison has operated both since 1997. The firm is owned by the family of Hong Kong’s wealthiest man, Li Ka-shing. China’s growing footprint in Latin American infrastructure has long raised bipartisan alarms in Washington. However, Trump stands out as the first modern U.S. president to suggest reclaiming the Panama Canal, which the U.S. completed in 1914 and handed over to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed in 1977 during the Carter administration. CHINA’S BILLION-DOLLAR FOOTPRINT NEAR FLORIDA COAST POSES US NATIONAL SECURITY RISK, EXPERT WARNS “China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China — we gave it to Panama — and we’re taking it back,” Trump recently declared. One analyst believes China may ultimately be excluded from the Panama port holdings while gaining control of most other assets in the larger deal. “China will insist this be the quid pro quo: that the other global ports have Cosco participation. And obviously, Cosco is already a major global port holder,” said Dane Chamorro, head of Global Risk Analysis at consulting firm Control Risks, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “From a U.S. perspective, they might say, ‘Okay, great—we got Hutchison, or China (since they tend to refer to them interchangeably), out of the two Panama ports.’ But in the long run, that may result in even more ports globally ending up in the hands of a Chinese state-owned entity.” If that happens, Cosco — through this broader consolidation — would become “far and away the dominant port owner and operator globally,” Chamorro said. “That aligns with the fact that China is the world’s largest trading economy, the largest manufacturing economy, and the largest shipbuilder.” Chamorro also noted that U.S. companies do not operate on the same global scale in the port industry as Chinese, Hong Kong or Singaporean firms. The failed Hutchison-BlackRock deal underscores the precarious position of Hong Kong businesses under growing pressure from Beijing to prioritize national loyalty — even when it threatens ties with Western partners. Meanwhile, Panama insists it retains full sovereignty over the canal itself and maintains that Hutchison’s operation of the port facilities does not grant China any influence over canal operations.
Fetterman cheers ICE arrests of illegal alien child sex offenders, Luna calls for death penalty
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., expressed support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s apprehension of illegal alien child sex offenders, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., advocated for the individuals to face the death penalty. ICE noted in a Monday press release that it “arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor.” “I don’t support or agree with all of ICE’s tactics or actions. I do fully support moves like these. This makes our nation more secure and all our children safer,” Fetterman said in a post on X. ICE ARRESTS OVER 200 ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDERS IN HOUSTON AREA IN PAST 6 MONTHS Responding to the news about the ICE arrests, Luna said in a post on X, “Skip deportation. Go directly to the death penalty. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.” According to the ICE press release, one of the individuals arrested was “Jose Guadalupe Meza, a 40-year-old, four-time deported criminal alien from Mexico who was arrested June 24 and has been convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. ICE removed Guadalupe Meza to Mexico June 25.” GISELE FETTERMAN ADMITS SHE ‘WOULDN’T BE SUPPORTIVE’ OF HER HUSBAND JOHN RUNNING FOR HIGHER OFFICE The news comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on border and immigration enforcement. Fetterman has previously expressed support for ICE’s work, describing any calls for the abolition of the agency as “inappropriate” as well as “outrageous.” DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECLARES SUPPORT FOR ICE, CONDEMNING ANY CALLS FOR ABOLITION AS ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ “Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director Paul McBride noted, according to the press release.
Mamdani’s past ‘defund the police’ stance resurfaces after deadly Manhattan shooting
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mandani is facing renewed scrutiny for his past stances on policing in the wake of an office building mass shooting in midtown Manhattan that left three civilians dead as well as a police officer. The shooter was neutralized as more information is being learned about the alleged gunman, Shane Tamura of Las Vegas. “I’m heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in Midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts. Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground,” Mamdani posted to X on Monday night. ADAMS, CUOMO TRADE JABS IN INTERVIEWS AS DEMS-TURNED-INDEPENDENTS COURT ANTI-MAMDANI VOTE In the replies, people quickly shared images of a June 8, 2020, post where Mamdani said “No, we want to defund the police” and a Nov. 5, 2020, post where he said “Queer liberation means defund the police.” “We don’t need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD. But your deal with [New York City mayor] uses budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts – defund the police,” he posted on June 28, 2020. In December of the same year, he also called for it to be “dismantled.” “All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of violence,” he wrote. RESURFACED VIDEO SHOWS ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WOULDN’T BE A PRIORITY FOR THE NYPD However, he sang a different tune during a mayoral debate in his primary. “I will not defund the police. I will work with the police because I believe the police have a critical role to play in public service, public safety,” he said. On his campaign website, he calls for the creation of a Department of Public Safety. “Police have a critical role to play. But right now, we’re relying on them to deal with the failures of our social safety net—which prevents them from doing their actual jobs. Through this new city agency and whole-of-government approach, community safety will be prioritized like never before in NYC,” the website states. Other mayoral candidates also condemned the tragedy in Manhattan on Monday night, including incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, himself a former city police officer. AOC-BACKED SOCIALIST MAYORAL CANDIDATE BACKTRACKS AFTER CALLING TO ‘DISMANTLE’ POLICE IN 2020 “I am going to over to the hospital to speak with the families and loved ones involved in this incident,” Adams said in a video. “Horrified by the shooting in Midtown. I’m grateful for the courage of our NYPD and first responders, and my prayers are with the victims and their families,” former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo posted. “Disturbing reports out of Midtown Manhattan—multiple people reportedly shot, including an NYPD officer. Praying for everyone affected. Grateful to our first responders who run toward danger to keep us safe,” Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa wrote. The four-way mayoral race is on Nov. 4. Adams opted to run as an Independent after being the Democratic nominee last cycle, and Cuomo’s decision to remain in the race comes after Mamdani defeated him in the primary in what some considered an upset victory. Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s campaign for comment, but they did not immediately respond
Trump’s reported snub of Taiwan president spurs concerns over deference to China
The Trump administration is reportedly blocking Taiwan’s president from stopping over in New York City, en route to a diplomatic meeting in Central America, following pressure from China. The Financial Times reported Monday that the administration has denied Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te the opportunity to stop over in New York City during a planned trip to Paraguay, Guatemala and Belize — all countries that recognize Taiwan as its own independent country. However, on Monday, the office of the president in Taiwan released a statement indicating that Lai “currently has no plans to go on an overseas visit,” according to Taiwan-state media. A source familiar with the matter at the State Department confirmed that no formal travel plans for President Lai have been announced. TAIWAN ENVOY URGES CONGRESSIONAL ACTION, WARNS OF RISING CHINA THREAT AFTER MEETING LAWMAKERS “In consideration of the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in southern Taiwan following a recent typhoon and regional developments including the United States’ tariffs, the president currently has no plans to go on an overseas visit,” the statement from President Lai said. According to the Financial Times, which spoke with unnamed sources said to be intimately familiar with the alleged trip, Lai’s decision not to travel came after he was informed that he would not be able to stop in New York City on his way to Central America. Lai’s trip was also reportedly supposed to include a stop in Dallas, but it is unclear if the Trump administration was also planning to bar Lai from stopping there as well, according to the Financial Times. PILLSBURY: TRUMP TO HOLD ‘TENSE’ TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. However, a State Department source familiar with the matter indicated that the Trump administration continues to be committed to the government’s long-standing one China policy, rooted in the Taiwan Relations Act, joint diplomatic agreements with China and longstanding pledges crafted by the government in regard to Taiwan and China. Despite being in line with longstanding government policy, the move still garnered criticism from some Asia policy experts and critics of Trump. Lyle Morris, a senior fellow on foreign policy and national security at the Asia Society’s Center for China Analysis, said the “first concrete move” under Trump’s second term regarding Taiwan is “a cause for concern.” “The assumption is this decision was made in the context of ongoing US-China trade negotiations and a possible Trump-Xi meeting,” Morris said on X. “Still, not a good sign for enduring US-Taiwan relations.” “Denying President Lai a transit is a deeply concerning break with bipartisan precedent and sends a reckless signal to Beijing that our partnership with Taiwan is on the negotiating table,” added Democrat Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., in a post on X following the news about President Lai’s alleged travel. “American leadership is now seen as deeply unreliable, with Trump’s fits and starts with Ukraine, NATO allies, and other key partners. I urge President Trump to reverse course and do what presidents of both parties have done and allow a transit, and ask my colleagues in Congress to join me in that call.” News of the Trump administration’s decision to prohibit the Taiwanese president from stopping in New York City comes as the president is reportedly feeling out a potential trip to Beijing himself, alongside major U.S. CEOs. Nothing so far has been set in stone regarding Trump’s trip, however.
Senate confirms Trump pick to lead independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Senate confirmed its first nominee of the week ahead of what is expected to be a jam-packed schedule to ram through as many of President Donald Trump’s picks as possible. David A. Wright, Trump’s pick to lead the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a five-year term, was confirmed in the upper chamber on a 50 to 39 vote on Monday. It’s not Wright’s first time as chair of the commission, having first served in the role beginning in 2020. KEY TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY SENATE DEMS PUTS PRESSURE ON GOP LEADERS Trump had previously tapped Wright during his first term, and again selected him to lead the NRC earlier this year. His new term is set to end in 2030. The NRC is an independent regulatory agency tasked with regulating commercial nuclear power plants, reactor licensing and renewal and other elements related to protecting public health and safety when it comes to nuclear energy. Wright’s confirmation comes on the heels of Trump’s announcement that the U.S. and European Union were entering a trade deal that would see the bloc purchase $750 billion of U.S. energy over the next three years. While the commission is independent from other arms of the government, Senate Democrats have balked at recent attempts to make the regulatory body, in their view, more partisan. ‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order that demanded the agency consider making its safety standards less stringent, shortening the timelines for environmental reviews and a quadrupling of the nation’s nuclear power capacity by 2050: all part of the president’s quest to ensure America’s energy dominance. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., argued that over the last seven years that Wright has been a part of the commission, first as a commissioner beginning in 2018 and then as chair, he would fulfill the president’s wishes. “Achieving this will require experienced and highly qualified Commissioners who are empowered to lead the Agency through a period of high expectations,” she said in a statement. “Well, David Wright meets that mark.” Then Trump fired a Democratic member of the commission last month, and a staffer from the president’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was reportedly detailed from the Department of Energy to the regulatory agency. That prompted Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, to warn of a “hostile takeover” of the commission by the Energy Department. The move hurt what began as bipartisan support for Wright’s nomination — Whitehouse initially backed him but changed his position. GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS “I hoped to see Chairman Wright rise to the occasion, but circumstances right now at the NRC continue to deteriorate,” he said in a statement. “I cannot presently support his renomination.” Still, Wright’s confirmation is a win for both Senate Republicans and the White House after Trump called on the Senate GOP to ram his nominees through blockades set up by Senate Democrats. There are now over 140 pending “civilian” nominations for positions across the gauntlet of federal agencies, ambassadorships and judgeships. The Senate has moved at a blistering clip over the last six months to confirm nominees—they’ve clocked nearly 100 so far — the president has called on Senate Republicans to consider canceling the forthcoming August break to get more done. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., warned that if his colleagues across the aisle continued to slow walk the process in the upper chamber for the slew of remaining “uncontroversial” nominees, or be prepared to stick around Washington. “Or they can rein in their reflexive anti-Trump sentiment and allow some of his rank-and-file nominees to proceed by unanimous consent or voice vote — just as Republicans did when the roles were reversed,” he said. “And I’d remind my colleagues about the dangerous and ugly precedent that they’re setting here. But the choice is theirs. But whether it’s the slow way or the fast way, we’re getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed.”
Bondi DOJ files complaint alleging misconduct by Federal Judge James Boasberg
The Department of Justice has filed an official complaint alleging misconduct by US District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. Fox News has reviewed the complaint which was written by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and addressed to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan. Fox News has learned that the complaint was written and filed at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? “The Department of Justice respectfully submits this complaint alleging misconduct by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for making improper public comments about President Donald J. Trump to the Chief Justice of the United States and other federal judges that have undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary,” says Mr. Mizelle. Judge Boasberg is presiding over a high-profile case involving the deportation of several migrants to El Salvador and has talked about holding DOJ lawyers in contempt because of his assertion that his order to turn airborne planes around was not followed. President Trump has also made critical comments about Judge Boasberg. The complaint details two occasions on which Judge Boasberg made comments the Justice Department alleges undermine the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. “On March 11, 2025, Judge Boasberg attended a session of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which exists to discuss administrative matters like budgets, security, and facilities. While there, Judge Boasberg attempted to improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges by straying from the traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would “disregard rulings of federal courts” and trigger “a constitutional crisis.” Although his comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis, they were even worse because Judge Boasberg had no basis—the Trump Administration has always complied with all court orders. Nor did Judge Boasberg identify any purported violations of court orders to justify his unprecedented predictions.” TRUMP FOE BOASBERG ORDERS DOJ TO DETAIL STATUS OF CECOT MIGRANTS SENT TO VENEZUELA “Within days of those statements, Judge Boasberg began acting on his preconceived belief that the Trump Administration would not follow court orders. First, although he lacked authority to do so, he issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Government from removing violent Tren de Aragua terrorists, which the Supreme Court summarily vacated. “Taken together, Judge Boasberg’s words and deeds violate Canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, and, erode public confidence in judicial neutrality, and warrant a formal investigation.” JUDGE BOASBERG ORDERS RUBIO TO REFER TRUMP OFFICIALS’ SIGNAL MESSAGES TO DOJ TO ENSURE PRESERVATION The DOJ is asking Chief Judge Srinivasan to refer the complaint to a special investigative committee as an inquiry is essential to determine whether Judge Boasberg’s conduct constitutes “conduct prejudicial to the effective and expeditious administration of the business of the courts.” The complaint also asks that Judge Boasberg be taken off the case involving Venezuelan migrants who were deported to El Salvador, “to prevent further erosion of public confidence while the investigation proceeds.” The case in question is J.G.G. v Trump. This is the second time the Bondi DOJ has filed an official complaint against a federal judge. In late February, the DOJ filed a complaint about US District Judge Ana Reyes, concerning what the DOJ calls Judge Reyes’ “misconduct” during the proceedings in Nicolas Talbott et al. v. Donald J. Trump et al., which is a case brought by two LGBTQ groups challenging the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders barring transgender individuals from serving in the US military. News of the complaint comes at a time when the Trump administration has excoriated dozens of so-called “activist” judges who have blocked or paused some of Trump’s sweeping executive orders from taking force in his second White House term. Judge Boasberg in particular found himself at the center of Trump’s ire and attacks on so-called “activist” judges this year, following his March 15 temporary restraining order that sought to block Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Boasberg had ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil, which did not happen. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? His emergency order touched off a complex legal saga that ultimately spawned dozens of federal court challenges across the country – though the one brought before his court on March 15 was the very first – and later prompted the Supreme Court to rule, on two separate occasions, that the hurried removals had violated migrants’ due process protections under the U.S. Constitution. Boasberg, as a result, emerged as the man at the center of the legal fallout. Trump administration officials have repeatedly excoriated Boasberg both for his order and his attempt to determine whether they acted in good faith to comply with his orders, and Trump himself has floated the idea that Boasberg could be impeached earlier this year – prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public warning. The complaint, focused on months-old behavior and allegations surrounding Judge Boasberg— first tapped as a judge by then-President George W. Bush in 2002, comes at a time when he could again have a say in a major class action case brought by lawyers representing the former CECOT migrants. Lawyers for the ACLU and others in the class asked Judge Boasberg earlier this month to reopen discovery in the case, citing allegations from a United Nations report regarding custodial status of migrants at CECOT, and the recent decision to remove the 252 migrants sent from the U.S. to El Salvador to Venezuela under the prisoner exchange. Asked at a status hearing in court last week whether the Justice Department would comply with the court’s orders, DOJ lawyer Tiberius Davis said they would, “if it was a lawful order.” They also said they would likely seek an
Noem exposes the ‘monsters’ Democrat senator is fighting to protect in immigration battle
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., on Monday, after he and other lawmakers tried to inspect a migrant detention facility, accusing the lawmaker of prioritizing the rights of criminal illegal immigrants over Americans. Van Hollen, a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s illegal immigration raids, was part of a Maryland congressional delegation that was denied entry to inspect a Baltimore U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. The lawmakers, which included Van Hollen and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, and U.S. Reps. Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olzewski Jr., Sarah Elfreth and Kweisi Mfume, staged a sit-in upon being denied entry. DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE RETURN OF SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA “President Trump lied to the American people when he said the Trump administration was simply going to focus on the worst of the worst,” Van Hollen said outside the facility. In response to the sit-in, Noem posted the image of four unidentified illegal immigrants arrested for various crimes, including rape, possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of a minor and murder. “These are the monsters that @ChrisVanHollen is protecting over American victims,” she wrote on X. U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D, Md., who was part of Monday’s delegation, said they were denied entry despite following the legal requirements to enter. “Congress has a legal right to inspect ICE facilities,” he wrote on social media. “Amid reports of inhumane conditions, this refusal is alarming. We won’t stop fighting for accountability.” NOEM DISMISSES JEFFRIES’ WARNINGS AS DHS CONSIDERS ARRESTS OF DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS AFTER ICE FACILITY CLASH A post in response by the Department of Homeland Security accused the lawmaker of wanting a “photo op.” “Congressman, if you need a photo op with the violent criminal illegal aliens you are protecting—schedule a TOUR,” the post states. “As for visits to detention facilities, requests should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions—a week is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority. To protect the President’s Article II authority, any request to shorten that time must be approved by the Secretary.” Van Hollen has come under heavy criticism for his advocacy for suspected gang member Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen was the first of several Democratic lawmakers to fly to visit Abrego Garcia after he was deported to a high-security prison in his home country, El Salvador, in March. Abrego Garcia, 29, has been returned to the U.S. and is facing charges in a sealed federal indictment in Tennessee for alleged conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens. Though many Democrats claim Abrego Garcia is an innocent man who was wrongly deported, the administration has pointed to considerable evidence that he is a member of the MS-13 gang. According to court records filed by his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, he also allegedly physically abused her on multiple occasions. “As I have repeatedly said, this is not about the man. It’s about his constitutional rights, and the rights of all,” Van Hollen told Fox News Digital in June about the case. “The administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along.”
University runs damage control amid concerns it hides illegals, upholds reverse discrimination
FIRST ON FOX: After Belmont University in Tennessee was accused of attempting to rebrand its DEI initiatives in an effort to skirt President Donald Trump’s demands to get rid of them, the university denied the allegations, telling Fox News Digital that the school was “in compliance with federal laws.” But, according to an email sent to faculty and staff last week, from Belmont’s Office of the President, the school has decided to tap an “external partner” to ensure its compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders demanding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives be terminated across all institutions of higher education. The review also aims to ensure the university is abiding by all state and federal immigration laws, after evidence was also uncovered that the school was allegedly admitting illegal immigrants and hiding such information from outside entities. “I am reaching out to update you about next steps in response to the concerns raised by elected officials regarding Belmont’s compliance with state and federal immigration laws, as well as executive orders addressing DEI in higher education,” the letter, penned by Belmont University President Greg Jones, stated. “While we make every effort to ensure compliance and continue to maintain our belief that Belmont complies with all applicable laws, we take these concerns seriously. With this in mind, we are bringing in an external partner to initiate an independent compliance review.” WATCH: DEI EFFORTS WERE REBRANDED AT 2 RED-STATE COLLEGES TO SKIRT TRUMP ORDERS, STAFFERS ADMIT The effort to hold Belmont accountable for allegedly maintaining its DEI policies in light of federal directives to terminate them has been spearheaded by Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, who has been receiving information from whistle-blowers at the school. Ogles sounded the alarm earlier this month, after obtaining undercover recordings showing a student services faculty member in Belmont’s “Division of Student Success and Flourishing” admitting the school has maintained its DEI initiatives but “just change[d] on how we talk about it.” “The HUB is hope, unity and belonging. That’s DEI. Let’s be real,” Jozef Lukey, Belmont’s assistant director of student success and flourishing, says in the recording. “We always try to just adapt to what’s happening around us. But that doesn’t mean, like, what we’re focusing on completely stops. We just changed the terminology and the language that we keep moving forward.” In the same recording, Lukey can also be heard admitting that Belmont enrolls illegal immigrants and hides that information from external entities, which Ogles suggested could violate state law against knowingly harboring illegal aliens for profit. FEDERAL JUDGE SLAPS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ON MISSISSIPPI DEI BAN “I want to be clear — I think the world of Belmont. My daughter applied to Belmont. She was accepted at Belmont,” Ogles said in a recorded video updating folks on the ongoing situation at the Christian university based in Nashville. “Nashville is unique — we have Vanderbilt, we have Belmont, we have David Lipscomb, we have Meharry [Medical College], we have TSU — we have all these amazing institutions, to include Belmont, which now has a new medical school, so I want to sing their praises, but I also have to hold them accountable, and this wokeness is in violation of President Trump’s executive order.” Ogles also likened Belmont to Harvard in the video, adding that the school will be “held accountable if they don’t correct course.” Besides the undercover recordings, Ogles has received other whistle-blower documents and information about Belmont’s continuance of its DEI initiatives under Trump. For example, Ogles has cited official documents from Belmont he received, which show that professors must fill out a mandatory form if they wish to revise or propose a new course, which requires a “Diversity Impact Statement” outlining how the course supports “historically underrepresented populations.” Another source, according to Ogles’ office, shared screenshots of an email chain showing Belmont intends to keep its faculty DEI committee for the next academic year. Ogles also received a document outlining Belmont’s faculty hiring procedures for deans, which compels the completion of multiple DEI “assessment[s]” when engaging in “pre-search activities.” The hiring document adds that search committees tasked with seeking out new potential hires must be “diverse across race and gender and preferably include faculty of color.” A litany of other DEI requirements, such as required discussions among search committees about “ways to advertise and attract candidates from a diverse population” and “paying special attention to recruiting minority candidates,” are required as well. The document also instructs search committees to engage in a post-mortem for any positions for which a “diverse candidate” does not apply to “revisit how to best advertise the position to attract qualified, diverse applicants.” The amount of whistle-blower tips that Ogles office has been getting has prompted the congressman to launch a new web page on his congressional website that will provide an easy avenue for people to continue providing his office with inside information about the DEI efforts at Belmont. The website has not launched yet, but is expected to be live soon. When reached for comment, officials at Belmont pointed Fox News Digital to its July 22 email sent to faculty and staff, indicating the expected compliance review.
Fox News Poll: Support for deportation depends on who is being targeted
As the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE, continues to crackdown on illegal immigration, about half of voters say the department is too aggressive in its deportation efforts. Furthermore, while support for deportation is high, it depends on who is being targeted. The latest Fox News survey, released Monday, finds 3 in 10 back deporting all illegal immigrants, while 6 in 10 supports only deporting those charged with crimes but would allow others to stay and apply for citizenship. One in 10 favors letting all illegal immigrants remain in the U.S. Since 2015, a majority has generally favored the deportation of illegal immigrants. FOX NEWS POLL: THE GOP IS SEEN AS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A CLEAR PLAN FOR THE COUNTRY Republicans (54%) are about eight times more likely than Democrats (7%) to say all illegal immigrants should be deported, and one-quarter of independents agree (25%). Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats, 6 in 10 independents, and 4 in 10 Republicans agree that at least illegal immigrants charged with crimes should be deported, while others should be offered a path to stay. On the current approach to deportation, however, views are divided. Half, 49%, feel ICE has been too aggressive in its efforts to deport illegal immigrants while a quarter (24%) say it has not been aggressive enough. Nearly 3 in 10 say deportation efforts are about right (27%). Most Democrats think ICE is too aggressive (81%), while Republicans are split between saying its actions are about right (43%) or not aggressive enough (40%). Some 17% of Republicans think ICE has been too aggressive. Independents are more likely to say the agency is too aggressive (49%) than about right (28%) or not aggressive enough (23%). FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP FACING HEADWINDS AT SIX-MONTH MARK When asked what concerns them about illegal immigration, the largest number of voters say that it overburdens government programs (39%). Fewer worry whether it leads to an increase in crime (16%) or terrorism (10%), takes jobs from U.S. citizens (14%), or changes the country’s culture (9%). Concerns about illegal immigration have shifted somewhat compared to 15 years ago. At that time, by a 10-point margin, a greater share were worried about economic issues like overburdening government programs or taking away jobs from citizens (63% in 2010 vs. 53% now), and fewer were concerned about increasing crime (6% in 2010 vs. 16% now). Meanwhile, majorities oppose immigration-related elements included in the new budget legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as 55% are against increasing spending on the border wall and 59% oppose spending more on immigrant detention centers. By a 6-point margin, voters think the Republican Party is better able to handle immigration than the Democratic Party, and President Donald Trump’s best job ratings are on border security (56% approve, 44% disapprove) and immigration (48%, 51%). Fewer voters approve on foreign policy (45%, 54%), the economy (44%, 55%), and inflation and tariffs (36%, 62% for both). Overall, 46% approve of his job performance, while 54% disapprove. One reason Trump does so well on border security is that 1 in 5 Democrats approve of the job he’s doing – their highest rating on any issue tested. The same is true of independents as more than half approve, making border security his best issue. A look at Hispanic voters… On illegal immigration, attitudes among Hispanic voters look similar to those among voters overall: 60% support deporting illegal immigrants charged with crimes while 15% support deporting all those here illegally (23% say let all stay). The majority thinks ICE has been too aggressive (57%) with a quarter (24%) saying about right, and 1 in 5 not aggressive enough (19%). More than half of Hispanic voters like Trump’s performance on border security (54% approve) but dislike it on immigration (60% disapprove). Overall, 42% approve and 58% disapprove. And like voters overall, the biggest concern on illegal immigration among Hispanic voters is overburdening government (35%). Otherwise, concern spreads across other issues such as crime (15%), jobs (14%), culture (14%), and terrorism (11%). CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Conducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher (among Hispanic voters it is ±9 percentage points). In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.