ICE sit-in ‘photo op’ by Maryland Dems blasted by DHS chief Noem
The Department of Homeland Security is bashing Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and other Democrats for attempting to “squeeze” out headlines by demanding to enter and staging a sit-in at an ICE facility in Baltimore on Monday. Van Hollen has been making headlines for much of this year due to his outspoken support for suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is a Salvadoran illegal immigrant currently on trial for human trafficking charges. Van Hollen and several other House and Senate Democrats from Maryland showed up in Baltimore at the Fallon Federal Building on Monday but were denied entry into an ICE detainment facility in the building. The group of lawmakers also included Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and four members of Maryland’s House delegation: Reps. Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth and Kweisi Mfume. In a video captured by the Baltimore Sun, Mfume can be heard telling a federal employee, “We expect, quite frankly, that we will be allowed entrance.” DEMOCRATIC PARTY TENSIONS SEEP INTO BIPARTISAN GROUP AS GOVERNORS RESISTING TRUMP’S AGENDA RECONSIDER DUES After being denied access to the facility, the group held a press conference outside the building in which Mfume said, “We had to stand outside, bang on the door, and ultimately sit in front of the door.” After the incident, Olszewski posted on his X, “My Maryland colleagues and I were DENIED ENTRY to the Baltimore ICE detention center—despite following all legal requirements.” He claimed that “Congress has a legal right to inspect ICE facilities,” adding that “amid reports of inhumane conditions, this refusal is alarming.” In response, DHS released a statement saying, “Congressman, if you need a photo op with the violent criminal illegal aliens you are protecting—schedule a TOUR.” DEMS’ SANCTUARY POLICIES SHIELD ‘GANGBANGERS,’ HARM LATINO FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, SAYS HISPANIC GOP LAWMAKER The agency said that requests to visit detention facilities “should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions.” The statement said that a week “is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority” and that “any request to shorten that time must be approved” by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The agency released another statement asking: “How much publicity can sanctuary politicians squeeze out of one terrorist and suspected human trafficker?” The statement explained that visits to facilities have to be approved by the secretary due to a “surge in assaults, disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves.” ICE ARRESTS OVER 200 ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDERS IN HOUSTON AREA IN PAST 6 MONTHS For her part, Noem posted pictures of several illegal immigrant criminals in Maryland she claimed are charged with heinous crimes such as rape, possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of a minor and conspiracy to commit murder. “These are the monsters that @ChrisVanHollen is protecting over Americans victims,” said Noem. In response, Van Hollen’s office directed Fox News Digital to a statement he made on social media in which he said, “Noem lies almost as much as her boss.” Van Hollen said he supports ICE targeting “the worst of the worst” but he claimed that “ICE’s OWN data shows that 72% of people held by ICE have no criminal records and 84% pose NO threat.” He also said that the delegation had requested a visit, while adding “but we didn’t need to—they’re required by LAW to let us conduct oversight.” “This is BS, plain and simple,” said Van Hollen. TRUMP DOJ SUES NEW YORK CITY OVER LONG-STANDING SANCTUARY IMMIGRATION POLICIES According to a DHS statement last week, 70% of U.S. ICE arrests have been of illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes. This comes as the agency is facing intense criticism for its enforcement of immigration laws and officers are dealing with an 830% increase in assaults. Olszewski’s office also directed Fox News Digital to a statement the congressman made on X, in which he said the delegation was “not looking for a ‘tour,’ nor your permission to do our jobs.” “This is oversight. Congress has the legal authority to enter ICE facilities — with or without notice. But to be clear: we gave the week’s notice you claim to need. Why move goalposts? What are you hiding? This isn’t about any one person, it’s about due process — for everyone,” he said. Ivey’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital dated July 21 in which the delegation informed Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons of their intent to visit the Baltimore facility. The letter did not appear to be making any request. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., were also included in the letter. The congressman also shared a letter he and Elfreth sent to Noem on July 23 in which the two requested the immediate release of Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a Honduran immigrant and pastor they claimed was wrongfully arrested by ICE. Ivey told Fox News Digital that Noem “doesn’t explain why kids are being arrested at a baseball camp in New York or going to JV Volleyball practice in Massachusetts and a Christian pastor from Maryland’s Eastern Shore is being swept up by ICE. But Trump’s DOJ is dropping murder charges in New York against high level MS-13 gang leaders and deporting them before Justice is done.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of Sen. Alsobrooks as well as the offices of Reps. Elfreth and Mfume for comment, but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
Medvedev warns Trump’s new deadline to end Russia-Ukraine conflict is a ‘step towards war’
President Donald Trump’s new deadline for Russia to end the conflict with Ukraine is an additional “step towards war,” according to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, cautioned that Trump’s announcement Monday that Russia must end the conflict with Ukraine in 10 to 12 days would not end well for the U.S. “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” Medvedev said in a post on X on Monday. “Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!” TRUMP MEETS WITH UK PRIME MINISTER STARMER ON HEELS OF EU TRADE DEAL While Trump announced on July 14 that he would sign off on “severe tariffs” against Russia if Moscow failed to agree to a peace deal within 50 days, Trump said Monday that waiting that period of time was futile amid stalled negotiations. “I’m going to make a new deadline, of about 10 — 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump told reporters from Scotland. “There’s no reason for waiting. It was 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we just don’t see any progress being made.” Trump’s remarks come as his frustration with Putin has grown in recent weeks amid no progress toward peace between Russia and Ukraine, and just a day after Russia launched more than 300 drones, four cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles into Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. TRUMP ‘DISAPPOINTED’ IN PUTIN, SAYS HE’LL REDUCE 50-DAY DEADLINE Trump called out Putin for providing lip service during their discussions while not taking proactive steps to end the war. As a result, Trump said he’s grown “disappointed” in the Russian leader and that he’s “not so interested in talking anymore” with Putin. “He talks — we have such nice conversations, such respectful and nice conversation. And then, people die the following night,” Trump said Monday. Following Trump’s announcement about whittling down the deadline for a peace deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his “clear stance and expressed determination” to resolve the conflict. “I thank President Trump for his focus on saving lives and stopping this horrible war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday. “Ukraine remains committed to peace and will work tirelessly with the U.S. to make both our countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous.” ZELENSKYY POINTEDLY THANKS TRUMP, AMERICA FOR UKRAINE SUPPORT MONTHS AFTER VANCE’S JAB ABOUT LACK OF GRATITUDE Zelenskyy previously came under scrutiny from Vice President JD Vance in February during an Oval Office meeting for not voicing more gratitude for U.S. support for Kyiv as it battles Moscow. Although Trump has historically boasted about having a solid relationship with Putin, he has publicly voiced increased frustration with Putin in recent weeks as the war rages on between Russia and Ukraine. “We get a lot of bulls— thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting on July 8. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.
Secret Service debuts ‘Golf Force One’ armored vehicle to protect Trump while he plays his favorite sport
Move over, Air Force One — a new armored vehicle outfitted for presidential protection is in town, this one specifically for golf outings. The vehicle specifically designed for ballistic protection, dubbed “Golf Force One,” seemingly made its public debut during a round of golf between President Donald Trump and his son, Eric, at the Trump golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, over the weekend. The White House confirmed “Golf Force One” is “part of the presidential fleet of specialty vehicles,” but did not share any further details. It comes 10 months after an assassination attempt on Trump while he was playing golf at his Florida course. According to the General Services Administration, a Polaris UTV can be outfitted by Chicago company Scaletta Armor with an “add-on armor kit to Polaris XP 1000 Ranger UTV with protection scalable to mission.” The kit costs around $190,000. EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND, HOME OF TRUMP GOLF COURSE Trump was in Scotland for a meeting with United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer. During the golf outing, Trump was seen cruising around in a regular golf cart, with the armored vehicle following a fleet of carts carrying Secret Service agents. The president is known to enjoy driving his own cart, but the UTV was likely on hand in case of an emergency requiring additional protection in such a wide-open space. During the last Trump assassination attempt — on Sept. 15, 2024 at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida — a Secret Service agent conducting a sweep saw a man hiding in the brush along the fence line of the sixth hole. TRUMP SHOWS OFF GOLF SKILLS AT TURNBERRY RESORT DURING SCOTLAND VISIT, CITES GARY PLAYER’S PRIOR PRAISE “The agent observed the barrel of a rifle aimed directly at him,” a Justice Department press release suggested. “As the agent began backing away, he saw the rifle barrel move, and the agent fired at [Ryan Wesley] Routh.” That came after last July when shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at the president during a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, killing an attendee behind Trump. In 2020, Iran posted a digitized video of a drone targeting Trump on a golf course in a “vengeance” strike over the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. “Golf Force One” joins a fleet of armored vehicles that includes the Beast, the 10-ton mobile fortress equipped with walls eight inches thick and layered, five-inch windows of reinforced glass that can stop high-caliber rounds. It’s capable of distributing tear gas, grenades, and pump-action shotguns.
Thailand, Cambodia reach ceasefire deal to end conflict that displaced 260K, Trump says
Thailand and Cambodia reached a ceasefire deal “through trade,” President Donald Trump announced Monday, ending a burgeoning conflict that displaced 260,000 people. The declaration from Trump comes after he said over the weekend that he had spoken to the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand, urging a ceasefire, adding the U.S. would not get back to the “trading table” with the southeast Asian countries until fighting stops. The fighting began Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes that have killed at least 35 people and displaced more than 260,000 people on both sides. “Numerous people were killed and I was dealing with two countries that we get along with very well, very different countries from certain standpoints. They’ve been fighting for 500 years intermittently. And, we solved that war … we solved it through trade,” Trump told reporters during his trip to Scotland. MULTIPLE PEOPLE KILLED IN MASS SHOOTING INCIDENT AT BANGKOK MARKET: POLICE “I said, ‘I don’t want to trade with anybody that’s killing each other.’ So we just got that one solved. And I’m going to call the two prime ministers who I got along with very, very well and speak to them right after this meeting and congratulate them. But it was an honor to be involved in that. That was going to be a very nasty war. Those wars have been very, very nasty,” Trump also said. “By ending this War, we have saved thousands of lives. I have instructed my Trade Team to restart negotiations on Trade. I have now ended many Wars in just six months — I am proud to be the President of PEACE!” Trump added in a post on Truth Social. As part of the ceasefire deal, military commanders from both sides will begin to hold talks Tuesday to defuse tensions while Cambodia will host a border committee meeting on Aug. 4, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. He added that the foreign and defense ministers of Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand have also been instructed to “develop a detailed mechanism” to implement and monitor the ceasefire to ensure sustained peace. TRUMP CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE BETWEEN CAMBODIA AND THAILAND AMID ESCALATING VIOLENCE It is “time to start rebuilding trust, confidence and cooperation going forward between Thailand and Cambodia,” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said during a press conference in Malaysia alongside Thai Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X that the U.S. “applauds the ceasefire declaration between Cambodia and Thailand announced today in Kuala Lumpur.” “President Trump made this happen. Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!” added White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Fox News’ Brie Stimson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bad Brand: Democrats plunge to new lows in another national poll
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin isn’t sugar-coating his party’s problems. “We do have a brand problem,” the DNC chair said in a recent Fox News Digital interview. And in what’s starting to sound like a broken record, the Democratic Party hit another historic low in a national poll this past weekend. Only a third of those questioned in a Wall Street Journal survey said they held a favorable view of the party, with 63% holding an unfavorable opinion of the Democrats. WHAT THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL That’s the highest unfavorable rating for the party in a Wall Street Journal poll dating back 35 years. While the favorable ratings for President Donald Trump (45%-52%) and the Republican Party (43%-54%) in the poll were nothing to brag about, they weren’t as deeply underwater as the Democrats’ favorability. “The Democratic brand is so bad that they don’t have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party,” said longtime Democrat pollster John Anzalone, who conducts Wall Street Journal polling along with veteran Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio. POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS SINK TO NEW LOWS The Wall Street Journal survey, which was conducted July 16-20, is the latest this month to indicate the plunge in Democratic Party polling. Just 28% of Americans viewed the party favorably, according to a CNN poll conducted July 10-13. That’s the lowest mark for Democrats in the entire history of CNN polling, going back over 30 years. And just 19% of voters questioned in a Quinnipiac University national poll in the field July 10-14 gave Democrats in Congress a thumbs up on how they’re handling their duties, with 72% disapproving. That’s an all-time low since Quinnipiac University first began asking congressional approval questions in their surveys 16 years ago. The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last year’s elections. Not only did the party lose control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, but Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base. Since Trump’s return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial second-term agenda. Their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but at Democrats they feel aren’t vocal enough in their opposition to Trump. RNC CHAIR SAYS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ KEY TO GOP’S MESSAGING EFFORT HEADED INTO MIDTERMS That has fueled a plunge in the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several surveys this year. “When you hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction to go, and that’s up, and that’s what we’re doing,” Martin said last week in his Fox News Digital interview. Martin said “people have bought into this idea that Donald Trump and the Republicans best represent their interests for the future.” And that’s reflected in the Wall Street Journal poll. Even though Trump’s overall approval ratings and his numbers specifically on how he’s handling the economy are in negative territory, the survey indicates voters still trust Republicans over Democrats on the economy by 10 points. But there is a silver lining in the poll for Democrats. By a 46%-43% margin, voters questioned in the survey said they would back a Democrat for Congress over a Republican. Democrats are aiming to win back the House and Senate majorities in next year’s midterm elections. In Wall Street Journal polling eight years ago, Democrats held an eight-point advantage, a year ahead of a blue wave that swept the party back into power as they grabbed the House majority in the 2018 midterms during the first Trump administration.
Trump admin issues new guidance to protect religious expression across federal workforce
FIRST ON FOX: Federal agencies are now required to protect religious expression in the workplace, according to a new government-wide memo obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday—marking one of the most sweeping moves in decades to defend faith and freedoms in the civil service. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Monday sent guidance to federal agencies across the Trump administration, detailing the new requirements, which ensure federal workers can display Bibles, crucifixes, or mezuzahs on their desks; pray in groups while off-duty; invite colleagues to church; and speak about their religious beliefs, even to the public, without fear of reprisal. TRUMP GATHERS CEOS FOR UNPRECEDENTED FAITH, ECONOMY MEETING TO RENEW US ‘SPIRITUALLY AND FINANCIALLY’ The memo, titled “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,” was sent to agencies by OPM Director Scott Kupor on Monday, and obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. “Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” OPM Director Scott Kupor told Fox News Digital. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths.” Kupor added: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.” In the memo, Kupor details that the federal workforce “should be a welcoming place for Federal employees who practice a religious faith.” “Allowing religious discrimination in the Federal workplace violates the law. It also threatens to adversely impact recruitment and retention of highly-qualified employees of faith,” the memo states. “The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution robustly protects expressions of religious faith by all Americans—including Federal employees.” Kupor noted that freedom of religious expression is also protected by federal statutes, which “prohibit the federal government from discriminating in employment based on religion or religious expression.” “This memorandum provides guidance to agencies on robustly protecting and enforcing each Federal employee’s right to engage in religious expression in the Federal workplace consistent with the U.S. Constitution, Title VII, and other applicable sources of law,” Kupor wrote in the memo. “Agencies should allow personal religious expression by Federal employees to the greatest extent possible unless such expression would impose an undue hardship on business operations. And they should review and (if necessary) revise their internal policies to ensure that they appropriately protect religious expression.” TRUMP TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor details examples of religious expressions that are permissible—including employees keeping Bibles on their desk and reading it during breaks; keeping rosary beads or tefillin on their desks, and using those items to pray during breaks. Kupor notes that agencies “may restrict all posters, but an agency may not single out religious posters, such as those of a crucifix, a Bible verse, or a Star of David, for harsher treatment.” “An employee may wear a cross, as well as clothing displaying a religious message,” Kupor wrote. Kupor also detailed appropriate conversations between federal employees about religion. “During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs. However, if the non-adherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request,” Kupor wrote. “An employee may invite another to worship at her church despite being belonging to a different faith.” INSIDE THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S WHITE HOUSE FAITH OFFICE Kupor added: “On a bulletin board meant for personal announcements, a supervisor may post a hand-written note inviting each of his employees to attend an Easter service at his church.” As for expressions directed at members of the public, Kupor gave an example that “a park ranger leading a tour through a national park may join her tour group in prayer,” and “a doctor at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital may pray over his patient for her recovery.” The OPM memo comes following President Trump’s executive orders on eradicating anti-Christian bias and establishing a Religious Liberty Commission. The memo also builds on OPM’s guidance from earlier this month on reasonable accommodations for religious purposes. Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office in February. The office empowers faith-based entities, community organizations and houses of worship “to better serve families and communities,” according to the White House. The office is housed under the Domestic Policy Council and consults with experts in the faith community on policy changes to “better align with American values.”
Bass, Newsom more interested in ‘sheltering’ illegal immigrants than rebuilding from fires: Stephen Miller
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass could have used their efforts to safeguard illegal immigrants to rebuild areas of Los Angeles that were devastated by wildfires earlier this year, according to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. “For the amount of effort Bass and Newscum have put into sheltering criminal illegal aliens they could have fully rebuilt the Palisades by now with time and money to spare,” Miller said in a post on X on Sunday. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES Bass and Newsom attracted the ire of President Donald Trump in January after massive wildfires ravaged Los Angeles in January. Specifically, Trump accused Bass of “gross incompetence” and said Newsom should resign due to his state’s response to the natural disaster. Altogether, Los Angeles suffered roughly $28.0 billion and $53.8 billion in property damage due to the fires, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s Institute for Applied Economics. Meanwhile, Trump and the California leaders have continued to spar – particularly after Trump chose to deploy and federalize thousands of National Guard troops along with hundreds of Marines in response to riots in LA that broke out in June, following Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in the city. TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATENS THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING In response, Newsom blasted the Trump administration for federalizing the National Guard, labeling the move an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” The Los Angeles City Council voted in November to establish Los Angeles as a sanctuary city, barring city resources and personnel from assisting with federal immigration enforcement like ICE. YOUNGKIN TO DRAFT SANCTUARY CITY BAN, MAKING STATE FUNDING CONTINGENT ON ICE COOPERATION Miller also took aim at Bass in a separate post on X on Sunday, in response to an interview she conducted with the New Yorker, where she said that “no city should have to go through an unjustified federal seizure of power.” “According to the Mayor of Los Angeles, her city is not part of the federal union, and she is free to import and subsidize infinity illegals,” Miller said. Spokespeople for Newsom and Bass did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Trump ally Mike Collins launch key battleground state bid to flip Democrat-held Senate seat
Republican Rep. Mike Collins on Monday announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Georgia, in a crucial race for the GOP as the party aims to expand its Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections. Collins is aiming to challenge Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running for re-election in the key southeastern battleground state that President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s election. And Republicans view Ossoff as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat incumbent on the ballot in 2026. “Jon Ossoff does not represent Georgia’s values and has attacked our state’s best interests at every opportunity. He’s voted to raise taxes on Georgia families, supercharge inflation, open our Southern Border, and allow men to play women’s sports,” Collins argued in a statement as he launched his campaign. Collins highlighted that “this is Georgia’s moment. This is the people’s time to take back control of this Senate seat, deliver on President Trump’s America First agenda, and kick Jon Ossoff to the curb—and together, that’s exactly what we will do next November.” FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP ALLY TO LAUNCH SENATE CAMPAIGN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND The announcement by Collins came as no surprise. Fox News Digital learned on Friday that the congressman would launch his Senate campaign early this week. Collins, a businessman who founded a trucking company, is in his second term representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes a large swath of urban, suburban, and rural areas between Atlanta and Augusta. The conservative lawmaker, who’s the son of the late Republican Rep. Mac Collins of Georgia, has been moving closer to launching a Senate campaign for weeks. TRUMP TEAM ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE SENATE NOMINATION RACE “Tires kicked. Fueling up,” Collis wrote Monday in a social media post that was accompanied by a video where he showcased his ties to President Donald Trump. “Congressman Mike Collins, he loves this state,” Trump said in a clip in the video. And Collins’ launch video, which he posted on social media on Monday morning, also includes a clip of the president praising the congressman, as well as visuals of Collins and Trump standing together. Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey took aim at Collins, charging he “is a MAGA extremist who wants to raise the retirement age, voted against full Social Security benefits for first responders, propped up dangerous antisemetic rhetoric, and supports a federal abortion ban with no exceptions.” Bailey added in a statement that “this already messy primary will expose just how out of step Collins is with Georgia voters as Republicans duke it out to prove who is more in line with Trump’s toxic agenda, deep Medicaid cuts, and economic chaos.” Collins was an early backer of the president, supporting him as Trump first ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 cycle. In the 2024 presidential campaign, when Trump won back the White House, Collins traveled on behalf of Trump to the crucial early-voting primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. He also appeared at multiple Trump rallies during the 2024 cycle and opened three Trump campaign offices in Georgia. POPULAR GOP GOVERNOR PASSES ON SENATE BID IN 2026 And Collins, not facing a difficult re-election in his solidly red House seat, campaigned in ten congressional districts across the country to help elect Trump-aligned candidates as the GOP defended its razor-thin majority in the chamber. Collins at the beginning of this year reintroduced the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that undocumented immigrants charged with burglary or theft be detained. It’s named after a Georgia nursing student killed by a man who had illegally entered the U.S. The case grabbed national attention. The bill, which quickly passed the Republican-controlled House and Senate, became the first legislation signed into law by Trump as he started his second tour of duty in the White House. A Republican source said that Collins has a “great relationship” with the president and his political team. And a Georgia-based Republican consultant told Fox News that “the lane that Mike is going to run in is the America First fighter who’s been with President Trump.” Trump, who is the ultimate kingmaker in GOP politics and whose endorsements in Republican primaries are extremely powerful, has yet to weigh in on whom he may back in Georgia’s burgeoning Senate race. National Republicans were hoping to recruit popular two-term GOP Gov. Brian Kemp to take on Ossoff. But Kemp, who is term-limited, announced earlier this year that he would pass on a 2026 Senate run. Republican Rep. Buddy Carter, who for a decade has represented a district in coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign in the spring. Carter is also courting a Trump endorsement in the GOP primary. Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King was also running for the Republican nomination, but ended his bid on Thursday. Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who is the son of former longtime University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, is also considering a Senate bid. The younger Dooley is close with Kemp, who’s a longtime friend. Sources in Trump’s political orbit and Republican sources in Georgia confirmed to Fox News on Friday that there was an agreement between the president’s political operation and Kemp’s political team that they would work together to find a candidate that they could all unify behind to take on Ossoff in the Senate race. Those sources also confirmed that Kemp and Trump met a couple of weeks ago to discuss the Senate race in Georgia. But when the governor floated Dooley’s name, a source close to the president’s political team said “they were told to stand down.” And when Kemp and his team did move forward with Dooley, it upset Trump’s advisers, who, according to sources, were “already pretty annoyed” that Kemp had passed earlier this year on taking on Ossoff in the Senate race. “We had a deal to work together,” a top political source in the Trump orbit told Fox News
GOP lawmakers clash over strategy to avert government shutdown crisis
An intra-GOP battle is already brewing over how to avert a government shutdown before the next fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. House and Senate lawmakers will need to strike a deal on funding the federal government by then – and while that deadline is still weeks away, Congress’ August recess means that they have just 14 legislative days with both chambers in session to come to an agreement. That will be no easy feat, considering both House and Senate Republicans are working with three-seat majorities. Meanwhile, there’s already divisions being sown over the viability of a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 (FY2025) government funding levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR). 148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS Some fiscal conservatives in the House have suggested they could get behind a full-year CR, an idea that mainstream Republicans and defense hawks have balked at. “I think we ought to start planning for a full-year CR,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told reporters last week. “A funding freeze in a setting of 2.7% inflation actually is a real cut in the size of the scope of government.” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the conservative group, told Fox News Digital, “I would be open to that.” He added, however, “But really, a CR is kind of a surrender.” Others, like Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said, “I never like CRs, but we’ll see how it plays out.” But one House GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity argued it could have dangerous effects on military funding. “It’s absolutely ridiculous,” the lawmaker said. “That destroys our defense. I mean, if it’s a CR encompassing everything, that’s…contrary to everything they’ve ever said before. But when has that stopped the Freedom Caucus?” The idea of extending the previous year’s government funding levels has traditionally been anathema to Republicans, particularly in the House, where lawmakers have tried for several years to pass 12 individual, single-subject spending bills. It’s not something that’s been accomplished in years, however. And with Republicans having spent months working on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” policy bill, GOP lawmakers have acknowledged they’ve been left with precious little time. Many of those lawmakers suggested some sort of short-term CR could be likely to give appropriators more time to reach a deal while avoiding a temporary shutdown. “I mean, we seem to be having trouble getting the appropriations bills moved through, and so we’re going to have to do something,” Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital. “And I think if we’re doing a CR that keeps funding levels close to where they are now, a lot of members of the conference would support that.” THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMP One source close to the House Appropriations Committee told Fox News Digital they believe a short-term CR is a likely scenario, but did not mention the prospects of a year. “I don’t know that we’re there yet, but if that’s the option available, we certainly can’t afford any type of government shutdown – especially under full control by Republicans,” another member, Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital. Meanwhile, a small group of conservatives is warning they’re dedicated to opposing any form of CR. “I’m not voting for a September 30th CR. That is totally unacceptable,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X last week. “I’m giving everyone adequate notice.” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., pointed out FY2025 levels were set under the Biden administration. “Why would we want to do the Biden policies and budget?” Biggs asked. And many Senate Republicans scoffed at the idea of doing another government funding extension, let alone a year-long CR. Most want to actually give the appropriations process a shot rather than continue the status quo of last-minute government funding. “I have no interest in a year-long CR,” Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital. “I think Congress needs to actually take the responsibility for looking at spending. I don’t think having a CR, which is basically a continuation of a Biden era, is appropriate.” Rounds and other appropriators want to see the process through, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the late 1990s. But time is running thin for lawmakers, given that the House is already on recess and the upper chamber may stick around for a portion of August. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, argued that the appropriations process, which has been largely sidelined for years because of CRs, could still work, but warned that it could be undermined by another government funding extension or more rescissions packages from the White House. “We’re going to have an opportunity to be on the floor with an appropriations bill before we go on break for August,” she said. “So I refuse to say appropriations is ‘pretty broken.’” So far, the Senate Appropriations Committee has finished work on six funding bills, and moved through a key hurdle for the House’s funding bill for military construction and the VA last week. The House of Representatives has passed two of 12 individual appropriations bills, though the two already make up roughly half the discretionary funding Congress must lay out. Other Republicans similarly do not want to see another funding extension, and would rather focus on passing Trump’s roughly $1.7 trillion budget that he submitted to lawmakers earlier this year. “Hopefully we don’t have to go get to a CR, but if we get to a CR, what I don’t want is, I don’t want some blowout spending bill, which is what we have done since I’ve been here,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fl., told Fox News Digital. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., also preferred to tackle Trump’s budget, but believed that lawmakers were already “late to the ball.” “I would like to go through a regular order where we consider all 12 of these buckets within the appropriations bill, all 2,400 line items, piece by piece
How Trump’s ‘no shrinking violets’ DOJ is digging in on Schiff’s mortgage dealings as legal peril looms
The Department of Justice is likely digging into Sen. Adam Schiff’s mortgage paperwork trail stretching back to a Maryland home purchase from the early 2000s as it weighs whether it has an airtight case to potentially prosecute the longtime political foe of President Donald Trump, according to a Cornell Law School professor. “The one thing they don’t want to do is to bring a case that fails,” William Jacobson told Fox Digital in a Zoom interview, referring to the DOJ potentially investigating Schiff’s alleged mortgage fraud. Jacobson is a clinical professor and the Director of the Securities Law Clinic at Cornell. “Either it fails legally, or it fails in court. They don’t want to lose that case if you’re going against a major political opponent. And that’s part of the calculation that will take place.” Jacobson talked about the ins and outs of the Democratic California senator’s potential legal woes following the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency sending a letter to the DOJ this year claiming that Schiff falsified banking and property documents by listing two homes – on two separate coasts – as his primary residence out of an effort to allegedly get more favorable loans. The DOJ has not yet said whether it would take up the case, but is likely digging into Schiff’s paper trail as it weighs whether to move forward, Jacobson explained. TRUMP ACCUSES ‘SCAM ARTIST’ SCHIFF OF LYING ABOUT MARYLAND HOME TO COMMIT MORTGAGE FRAUD “I would expect that the first thing the Department of Justice is going to do is to gather documents. There will be a paper trail here. There will be many things that are documentable, and not ‘he said, she said,’ as to where Adam Schiff was actually living,” he said. As investigators go through the documents, they will ask questions such as: What was his actual primary residence? What did he sign? Who was present when he signed? Did he have conversations with people about it? The law professor, who founded the popular conservative legal blog Legal Insurrection, said that there will likely be a “significant paper trail” to go through due to the case stretching back more than 20 years and due to companies keeping tight records following the 2008 financial crash. “Mortgage companies preserve all of these things because of the financial crisis and other things. They have to maintain these records. . . . And I would expect that that would be the first thing the Department of Justice would look at is the paper trail and the circumstantial evidence as to where Adam Schiff was, in fact, living,” he continued, remarking that there are “no shrinking violets” at the Trump DOJ. Schiff first fell under scrutiny this year in May, when the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice sounding the alarm that, in “multiple instances,” Schiff allegedly “falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003-2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property.” At the heart of the issue are two properties purchased by Schiff: a home purchased in 2003 in Potomac, Maryland, for $870,000 under a Fannie Mae-backed mortgage agreement for $610,000 at a rate of 5.625% over a term of 30 years, and a 2009 Burbank, Calif., condo. Schiff reaffirmed the Potomac property as his principal residence in mortgage refinancing paperwork in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013, according to the FHFA letter to the DOJ. Over the same time frame, Schiff took a homeowner’s tax exemption on the Burbank condo while also claiming that home as his primary residence for a $7,000 reduction off of the 1% property tax, FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter to the DOJ, citing media reports. In 2023, the letter continued, a spokesperson for Schiff asserted that “Adam’s primary residence is Burbank, California, and will remain so when he wins the Senate seat.” FHFA is an independent federal agency that oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Bank System. TRUMP INVOKES RUSSIA COLLUSION HOAX WHILE CALLING FOR LONGTIME FOE SCHIFF TO FACE JAIL TIME In 2020, Schiff refinanced his mortgage, listing his Maryland home as his secondary residence. Trump publicly slammed Schiff over his mortgages in July on Truth Social, accusing him of fraud and putting the issue back on the public’s radar following 2023 news reports on Schiff’s homes in Maryland and California. “I have always suspected Shifty Adam Schiff was a scam artist,” Trump posted to Truth Social Tuesday. “And now I learn that Fannie Mae’s Financial Crimes Division have concluded that Adam Schiff has engaged in a sustained pattern of possible Mortgage Fraud.” “Adam Schiff said that his primary residence was in MARYLAND to get a cheaper mortgage and rip off America, when he must LIVE in CALIFORNIA because he was a Congressman from CALIFORNIA. I always knew Adam Schiff was a Crook. The FRAUD began with the refinance of his Maryland property on February 6, 2009, and continued through multiple transactions until the Maryland property was correctly designated as a second home on October 13, 2020.” FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER: SCHIFF FLAGGED FOR POTENTIAL MORTGAGE FRAUD BY TRUMP OFFICIAL Schiff has repeatedly denied and brushed off the accusations, including refusing to answer questions from Fox News Digital about his alleged mortgage fraud when confronted in the nation’s capital on July 16. “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason. So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot,” he posted to X in July following Trump’s initial Truth Social attack on Schiff’s mortgages. “This is just Donald Trump’s latest attempt at political retaliation against his perceived enemies. So it is not a surprise, only how weak this false allegation turns out to be. And much as Trump may hope, this smear will