Far-left mayor arrested at ICE facility denies impeding law enforcement, says protest ‘absolutely’ effective
Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested for trespassing while protesting at a federal immigration facility last week, said Monday during a televised gubernatorial debate that his actions were “absolutely” an effective way to protest the president’s immigration clampdown. Baraka has denied he did anything wrong despite federal authorities arresting him for trespassing at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark on Friday. During Monday’s debate among Democrat candidates in New Jersey’s open governor’s race, he doubled down on the assertion he did nothing wrong. “We haven’t interfered with federal law enforcement,” Baraka said early on in the debate when moderators turned their questioning to Friday’s incident at the ICE detention facility in Newark. “We didn’t go down there to protest. We actually went down there to have a press conference. And the Congress has oversight. And they began to exercise their oversight. It was escalated by Homeland Security. They made an arrest because they got a call to do so. And that’s what happened.” WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT AN ICE DETENTION CENTER? Baraka’s arrest occurred during a protest at Delaney Hall attended by three members of Congress, who said they were in attendance to perform their congressionally-mandated oversight duties related to federal detention facilities. The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The arrest came as activists had been calling for access to the facility for days, which is a privately run facility that was revamped as an immigration detention facility this year. “We’re not asking for anything that’s incorrect. We ask them to obey our laws,” Baraka said after the incident. “To obey the policies and rules here in the city and the state of New Jersey, not to run roughshod over the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, the Fourth, the Fifth, the Fourteenth Amendment and everybody on this soil who deserves due process.” NEWARK MAYOR SPEAKS AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM HSI FACILITY During Monday night’s debate, the other gubernatorial candidates were asked if they thought Baraka’s tactics were “effective” the same way he does and whether they would have done things differently. While, for the most part, all the candidates tip-toed around the question, instead choosing to tout their bona fides in supporting immigration and challenging President Donald Trump, some did express support for Baraka. “I’m not saying I would do anything differently,” said Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the four-term Democrat representing the state’s 11th Congressional District. “I don’t think the mayor was trespassing. In talking to my congressional colleagues, he was invited in. They asked him to leave, he left, and then he got arrested.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Ras didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve Fluop, the mayor of Jersey City and another candidate for New Jersey governor, said in direct response to the moderators’ question about whether they agreed with Baraka’s tactics. The rest of the candidates did not directly answer the question before the moderators moved on to the next topic.
Monica Crowley clears Senate confirmation for key State Department ambassadorship
Conservative author, media figure and former Treasury official Monica Crowley was confirmed late Monday to become assistant secretary of state and chief of protocol with the rank of ambassador. Crowley, who was a longtime former Fox News contributor and foreign affairs analyst, previously served in the first Trump administration and received the Alexander Hamilton Award from the Treasury Department during that time. “Monica will be the administration representative for major U.S. hosted events, including America’s 250th birthday in 2026, the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028,” President Donald Trump said in a December statement announcing her nomination. Crowley holds a doctorate in international relations from Columbia University. DNC VICE CHAIR SLAMS TRUMP AS PUNK, WOULD-BE DICTATOR IN FIERY PA TOWN HALL The Arizona native grew up in New Jersey and began her career in former President Richard Nixon’s post-presidency, when she worked as a research assistant. Her book, “Nixon Off the Record,” was published in the wake of that role. She joined Fox News Channel in 1996 – the same year it hit the airwaves – and often appeared with host Sean Hannity on “Hannity” and its predecessor “Hannity & Colmes,” with the late Alan Colmes. WHO IS THE DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING AT ICE DETENTION CENTER? She also starred in one episode of “House of Cards,” where she played herself – and also hosted the syndicated “Monica Crowley Show.” She has received several other awards, including Woman of the Year in 2010 from the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. During Trump’s first term, she backed out of a National Security Council role when allegations of plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation surfaced. Crowley rejected the claims as a “hit job.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The U.S. Travel Association lauded her nomination, saying that she will serve a “pivotal role” in the Trump administration. “The speed with which this decision was made gives us great confidence that … Trump will seek to maximize the opportunities of the decade of sports and events that lies ahead,” said CEO Geoff Freeman. “Landmark moments [she will be involved in planning] will attract millions of travelers to America and showcase the best of our great nation while creating a lasting benefit to our economy.”
Harvard president claims ‘unfounded retaliation’ amid Trump funding feud
Harvard University President Alan Garber on Monday sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon criticizing the Trump administration’s actions against the school while noting both groups share “common ground” on a number of issues. “We share common ground on a number of critical issues, including the importance of ending antisemitism and other bigotry on campus,” Garber said. “Like you, I believe that Harvard must foster an academic environment that encourages freedom of thought and expression, and that we should embrace a multiplicity of viewpoints rather than focusing our attention on narrow orthodoxies.” However, Harvard’s goals are undermined and threatened “by the federal government’s overreach into the constitutional freedoms of private universities and its continuing disregard of Harvard’s compliance with the law,” Garber said. CALIFORNIA SHERIFF SLAMS ‘MERITLESS’ UCLA STUDENT LAWSUIT AGAINST POLICE WHO DISMANTLED ANTI-ISRAEL ENCAMPMENT “Consistent with the law and with our own values, we continue to pursue needed reforms, doing so in consultation with our stakeholders and always in compliance with the law,” he wrote. “But Harvard will not surrender its core, legally-protected principles out of fear of unfounded retaliation by the federal government.” Garber’s remarks are in response to a scathing letter last week from McMahon telling the university that it will no longer be eligible for federal grants over its handling of antisemitism on campus. “Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right,” she wrote. “Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these ‘students’ come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country – and why is there so much HATE?” ISRAEL’S PRESIDENT RELEASES BLISTERING STATEMENT ON US UNIVERSITY ENCAMPMENTS: ‘RESURGENCE OF ANTISEMITISM’ “These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public?” she added. The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in funding to the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL REVOKE HARVARD’S TAX-EXEMPT STATUS In his letter, Garber listed some of the actions Harvard has taken to address issues on campus, including installing new deans and clarifying the school’s discipline structures and procedures. He noted that Harvard, like many universities, has work to do to foster intellectual diversity on campus. Garber also pushed back on McMahon’s claims that Harvard is a “partisan” institution. “I must refute your claim that Harvard is a partisan institution. It is neither Republican nor Democratic,” he wrote. “It is not an arm of any other political party or movement. Nor will it ever be. Harvard is a place to bring people of all backgrounds together to learn in an inclusive environment where ideas flourish regardless of whether they are deemed ‘conservative,’ ‘liberal,’ or something else, a place where assumptions and claims are tested and challenged, respectfully and thoughtfully, in pursuit of knowledge and truth.”
Federal judge allows IRS to share illegal alien data with DHS in court win for Trump
A federal judge on Monday denied an injunction request to prevent the Department of Homeland Security and Internal Revenue Service from partnering to permit U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) to access taxpayer information to locate illegal immigrants subject to deportation. The order by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich came amid a lawsuit by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and other immigrant-rights groups against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Plaintiffs Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, and Inclusive Action for the City bring this action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from sharing personal tax information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. Before the Court is the plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Dkt. 28. For the reasons that follow, the Court will deny the motion.” “At its core, this case presents a narrow legal issue: Does the Memorandum of Understanding between the IRS and DHS violate the Internal Revenue Code? It does not,” the order continued. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE Nonprofits Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, representing immigrant workers in the Chicago area, brought the lawsuit against Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, the IRS, and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Melanie Krause, seeking to block the disclosure of personal information of taxpayers and other confidential tax records to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. An earlier memorandum of understanding between DHS and the IRS outlines a process to ensure that sensitive taxpayer data information is protected while allowing law enforcement to pursue criminal violations, a senior Treasury Department official said at the time the deal was reached in April. The deal allows DHS to ask the IRS to confirm the home addresses of illegal immigrants suspected of violating deportation orders. The IRS can share data to aid criminal investigations but is prohibited from sharing information related to civil matters, such as facilitating deportations. The Treasury Department is committed to protecting the privacy of law-abiding taxpayers, but a criminal exception obligates the agency to assist law enforcement, the official told Fox News Digital at the time. Fox News Digital has reached out to the IRS, DHS and the legal team for the groups involved in the lawsuit. The deal would allow ICE to submit the names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS, who could then cross-check those immigrants’ tax records and provide the immigration agency with current address information. “The Court agrees that requesting and receiving information for civil enforcement purposes would constitute a cognizable injury, but none of the organizations have established that such an injury is imminent,” Friedrich wrote. “As the plaintiffs acknowledge, the Memorandum only allows sharing information for criminal investigations.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As the Memorandum provides, its purpose is to establish procedures enabling “requests for addresses of persons subject to criminal investigation,” the order said. The agreement comes as President Donald Trump has continued to ramp up the deportation effort he promised on the campaign trail.
Pentagon ceases gender transition treatments as it moves to boot trans troops
The Pentagon is immediately halting all gender transition treatments for transgender troops as it moves to remove them from the military, according to a new memo. “I am directing you to take the necessary steps to immediately implement this guidance,” Stephen Ferrara, the acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, wrote in a memo dated May 9. Now the Pentagon will only cover mental health and counseling for gender dysphoria. All other gender dysphoria-related treatments will be referred to the private sector. All scheduled and planned transgender surgeries will be canceled, but cross-sex hormone therapy for service members that began prior to the memo may be continued until they separate to prevent health complications. Last week, transgender troops were given between 30 and 60 days to leave or risk being removed “involuntarily.” PETE HEGSETH DIRECTS MILITARY ACADEMIES THAT ALL FUTURE ADMISSIONS WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON MERIT Active-duty service members have until June 6, one month after the court’s ruling, to leave the military. Reservists have until July 7. The development follows a Supreme Court order that allowed a previously blocked ban on transgender military service to move forward. The Supreme Court’s decision effectively paused a lower court’s injunction, clearing the way for the Defense Department to implement the policy. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the ruling allows the department to resume policies focused on “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added in that memo that those diagnosed with or showing symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria may choose to leave voluntarily. If they do not, they may face mandatory separation. PETE HEGSETH SAYS WEST POINT PROFESSOR WHO RESIGNED OVER TRUMP ADMIN EDUCATION OVERHAUL ‘WILL NOT BE MISSED’ The Supreme Court did not rule on the underlying legal arguments but allowed President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order barring transgender individuals from military service to take effect. A lower court had temporarily blocked the policy, but Trump administration officials argued that delaying its implementation could harm operational readiness. Officials defending the policy have said it supports the military’s need for unit cohesion, readiness, discipline and cost efficiency. Trump’s executive order also directed the Pentagon to revise its medical standards to emphasize combat preparedness and eliminate the use of gender identity-based pronouns within the department. The blanket ban on transgender individuals serving in the military had previously been lifted under President Barack Obama in 2014. The latest policy shift comes as Pentagon leadership under Hegseth moves to dismantle most diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Last month, he stated that 99.9% of DEI-related policies had been removed. He also announced changes to fitness standards to ensure male and female troops are held to the same requirements for combat readiness.
House staffer victim of armed carjacking in popular Washington neighborhood
A senior staffer for California Rep. Sara Jacobs’ office was the victim of an armed carjacking in a popular Washington, D.C., neighborhood on Friday afternoon, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report. Metro Police announced on Sunday two arrests in the armed carjacking that occurred on Friday afternoon in a Harris Teeter parking lot in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood. In addition to the victim’s personal items, the senior staffer’s government-issued iPhone, MacBook, ID and Capitol parking pass were identified as missing in the police report obtained by Fox News Digital. Jacobs’ office did not provide comment but confirmed the devices were immediately wiped. On Friday, around 12:08 p.m., the suspects approached the victim as they exited their car, demanding the victim’s car keys, according to Metro Police. When the staffer refused, one of the suspects brandished a handgun and obtained the keys before the suspects fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle, police said. FAMILY OF MOM MURDERED IN RITZY DC SUBURB DECADES AGO GETS JUSTICE AS PERP NOBODY EXPECTED PLEADS GUILTY Officers recovered the victim’s car and a firearm on Saturday, and then arrested two suspects. According to police, a 15-year-old juvenile male of Washington was charged with armed carjacking, and a 14-year-old juvenile male of Maryland was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and unauthorized use of a vehicle. WOMAN ARRESTED FOR DRIVING INTO FESTIVAL CROWD HOURS AFTER EXPLOSION ROCKED SAME EVENT As of Sunday, police are still searching for two outstanding suspects whose photos were captured during the incident by surveillance cameras. Navy Yard is a popular Washington neighborhood located south of the U.S. Capitol and home to the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. While the neighborhood has transformed over the past decade into an urban hub for congressional staffers and young professionals, it has also been the subject of criticism for its crime. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was walking to the Navy Yard Metro Station for a transit safety event last month when he learned a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) police officer had just been stabbed in the face. The WMATA confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital and said the suspect stabbed the officer “with a sharp metal object” after they did not pay their fare at the station. President Donald Trump vowed to clean up Washington while speaking at his “Make America Great Again” rallies on the 2024 campaign trail. Since returning to office this January, Trump has committed to creating a “crime-free capital.” “We’re cleaning up our city. We’re cleaning up this great capital,” the president said. “And we’re not going to have crime, and we’re not going to stand for crime,” Trump said at the Department of Justice earlier this year. The Jacobs staffer did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Andrew Margolis contributed to this report.
‘Activist’ judges keep trying to curb Trump’s agenda – here’s how he could push back
President Donald Trump and his allies have railed against federal judges for blocking key executive orders in his second term, accusing so-called “activist” judges of overstepping their authority and blocking him from delivering on some of his top policy priorities. Some of Trump’s most sweeping executive orders and actions have been blocked or paused by federal courts to allow for a full hearing on the merits. But the system of checks and balances also means these rulings can be reviewed – either through appeals to the Supreme Court or by Congress, which has the power to pass laws or expand certain executive branch authorities. It’s all part of an expressly designed system of government that affords each branch, including the presidency, plenty of options for review. The Framers “made clear that no one in our system of government was meant to be king– the president included – and not just in name only,” U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell of the District of Columbia said in a ruling earlier this year. But that’s not to say Trump is without options. Here’s how he could seek to push back against the wave of court actions. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT Since taking office, Trump’s executive orders have been challenged by hundreds of lawsuits in federal court, though not all have been successful, and some remain in the earlier stages of review. Plaintiffs have sought to block the dismantling of certain federal agencies, to restore board heads and inspectors general fired by Trump, and to restrict the access of Elon Musk’s government efficiency agency, DOGE, among other things. But like the groups filing the lawsuits, the Trump administration also has the ability to appeal any lower court decisions it views as unfavorable or going beyond the scope of the federal court. In the interim, it can seek an emergency stay to restore the executive order until the case can be heard on its merits. The Supreme Court has agreed to do so in several major cases. It sided with Trump in removing two federal board members he had fired earlier this year, and which a lower court had reversed. Last week, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court order that paused Trump’s ban on transgender military members from taking effect – allowing his order and related policies to proceed, at least for now. BOASBERG GRILLS DOJ OVER REMARKS FROM TRUMP AND NOEM, FLOATS MOVING MIGRANTS TO GITMO IN ACTION-PACKED HEARING The Trump administration can seek more lasting change by working with the Republican majorities in both houses of Congress to codify its biggest policy priorities, shielding the level of review currently afforded to the courts in the absence of any legislation. According to the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register, a president’s executive order can be revoked or modified only by the president or via the legislative branch, if the president was acting on authority that had been granted by Congress. Plaintiffs in federal court have alleged that Trump’s recent executive actions are beyond the scope of what has been authorized by Congress – and, in the absence of clearly written laws, federal judges do have broad authority to interpret the lawfulness of the executive’s actions. Critics of the courts have pushed for Congress to curtail this power – either by stripping the funding for federal courts, impeaching judges or eliminating judicial seats, among other things. “When federal judges take off their judicial robes and climb into the political arena and throw political punches, they should expect powerful political counterpunches from the Article III project,” Mike Davis, the founder and president of the Article III Project, or A3P, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And when the federal judiciary loses its legitimacy, it loses everything,” Davis said. But these steps are highly controversial, and it’s unclear if they could garner the broad support needed from both the House and Senate. HERE’S WHY DOZENS OF LAWSUITS SEEKING TO QUASH TRUMP’S EARLY ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT ARE FAILING Options available to the White House are more limited by the Constitution. The president can appoint federal judges, but he cannot fire them. The executive branch is also responsible for enforcing court rulings and may either slow-roll or de-prioritize decisions the president disagrees with. Meanwhile, Trump allies have also sought to push back on the power of the courts in other, more unorthodox ways. The America First Legal Foundation, a pro-Trump legal group founded by White House aide Stephen Miller in between Trump’s first and second terms, filed a lawsuit against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in his capacity as the official head of the U.S. Judicial Conference, and Robert J. Conrad, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, earlier this month. The lawsuit accuses both parties of performing certain regulatory actions that go beyond the scope of the “core functions” of the judiciary – and which they argue should put them under the thumb of the executive branch. “An American president is not a king – not even an ‘elected’ one – and his power to remove federal officers and honest civil servants like plaintiff is not absolute,” Howell said in a case involving the reinstatement of two fired federal board members earlier this year.
Trump official targeted in Biden-era ‘disinformation’ dossier still under wraps days after Rubio revelation
The Trump administration has not revealed which administration official was targeted by the Biden administration’s State Department in a “disinformation” dossier compiling previous social media posts that identified them as “purveyors of disinformation.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed at the most recent Trump administration Cabinet meeting April 30 that an unidentified Trump administration official who was present had been the subject of a State Department dossier detailing alleged promotion of social media “disinformation.” Rubio, the State Department and the White House have not yet identified which official the Biden administration targeted. Fox News Digital has reached out repeatedly to the White House regarding the identity of the official, including on Monday, but did not receive replies. When asked for an update on the identity of the Trump official, the State Department directed Fox News Digital to Rubio’s April 30 remark, detailing that, “We are going to be turning over these dossiers to the individuals, and they’ll decide whether they want to disclose it or not.” RUBIO REVEALS OBSCURE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICE KEPT ‘DISINFORMATION’ DOSSIER ON TRUMP OFFICIAL Rubio said during the April 30 Cabinet meeting that a little-known, now-defunct office within the State Department called the Global Engagement Center (GEC) had compiled disinformation dossiers on Americans across the country as part of an effort to “censor” free speech, including an individual who has since joined the Trump administration. “We had an office in the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans,” Rubio said during the meeting. “And, by the way, I’m not going to say who it is. I’ll leave it up to them. There’s at least one person at this table today who had a dossier in that building of social media posts to identify them as purveyors of disinformation. We have these dossiers. We are going to be turning those over to these individuals.” Vice President JD Vance interjected, asking, “Was it me or Elon (Musk)? We can follow up when the media is gone,” which drew laughter from the Cabinet. RUBIO OVERHAULING ‘BLOATED’ STATE DEPARTMENT IN SWEEPING REFORM “But just think about that. The Department of State of the United States had set up an office to monitor the social media posts and commentary of American citizens, to identify them as vectors of disinformation,” Rubio continued. “When we know that the best way to combat disinformation is freedom of speech and transparency.” Though Rubio did not identify which Trump official the Biden administration kept a dossier on, Elon Musk has previously railed against the Global Engagement Center. “The worst offender in US government censorship & media manipulation is an obscure agency called GEC,” Musk posted to X in January 2023. That was more than a year before Musk endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential race and became a fixture of the administration in his temporary role with the Department of Government Efficiency. “They are a threat to our democracy,” Musk added. RUBIO ANNOUNCES CLOSURE OF STATE DEPARTMENT EFFORT THAT ‘WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD ALREADY’ Former President Barack Obama established the Global Engagement Center in 2016 through an executive order aimed at coordinating counterterrorism messaging to foreign nations before it expanded its scope to also include countering foreign propaganda and disinformation, State Department documents show. Conservatives have slammed the office as a political weapon to silence free speech, including Rubio in an April op-ed when he cited a 2020 GEC report claiming that a “Russian disinformation apparatus” was behind public speculation that the coronavirus was an “engineered bioweapon” or was created by “research conducted at the Wuhan institute.” In the years following the pandemic, the Department of Energy under the Biden administration and former FBI Director Christopher Wray said evidence indicated that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak, while the Trump administration’s CIA reported earlier in 2025 that a lab leak was the likely origin of the virus. TWITTER BOSS ELON MUSK ACCUSES GOVERNMENT AGENCY OF BEING ‘WORST OFFENDER IN US GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP’ In 2024, lawmakers did not approve new funding for the office in the National Defense Authorization Act, and it was scheduled to terminate on Dec. 23, 2024. The Biden administration, however, shuffled staffers and rebranded the office. It became the Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Hub just days before Trump’s inauguration, the New York Post reported in January. Rubio announced in April that the office would officially shutter. “I am announcing the closure of the State Department’s Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI), formerly known as the Global Engagement Center (GEC),” Rubio said in an April 16 statement announcing the office’s closure. “Under the previous administration, this office, which cost taxpayers more than $50 million per year, spent millions of dollars to actively silence and censor the voices of Americans they were supposed to be serving,” he wrote. “This is antithetical to the very principles we should be upholding and inconceivable it was taking place in America. That ends today.” WHITE HOUSE PROPOSAL AXES UN, NATO FUNDS AND HALVES STATE DEPARTMENT BUDGET Rubio has railed against the office in previous interviews and op-eds, including authoring an opinion piece for the Federalist in April touting that he was dismantling the “censorship-industrial complex” that had gripped agencies such as the State Department. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Over the past half-decade, bodies like GEC, crafted by our own governing ruling class, nearly destroyed America’s long free speech history,” he wrote in the op-ed. “The enemies of speech had new lingo to justify their authoritarian impulse. It was “disinformation,” allegedly pushed by nefarious foreign governments, that was the No. 1 threat to ‘our democracy.’ To protect ‘our democracy,’ this ‘disinformation’ had to be identified and stamped out.”
No millionaire tax hike in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
House Republicans have seemingly dropped plans for a new millionaire’s tax hike to pay for other priorities in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” The Ways & Means Committee, the House’s tax-writing panel, released nearly 400 pages of legislation on Monday, setting the stage for permanently extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as well as a host of other new Trump tax priorities. That includes no taxes on tipped and overtime wages, both of which are accomplished via new tax deductions. For Trump’s promise to cut taxes on seniors’ Social Security, the legislation temporarily increases the standard tax deduction that seniors are allowed to take, affecting the end of last year through the beginning of 2029. It would also raise the debt limit by $4 trillion – something Trump specifically asked Republican lawmakers to deal with before the U.S. runs out of cash to pay its debts sometime this summer, risking a national credit default. Notably absent from the sweeping piece of legislation is a proposal floated last week that would have established a new tax bracket for people making $2.5 million per year or more, taxing them at 39.6% – which was the top tax rate before TCJA lowered it to 37%. Conservative groups like Americans for Prosperity and the Heritage Foundation fiercely fought any notion of a tax increase on the wealthy. It was also publicly opposed by a number of leading Republican figures like former Speaker Newt Gingrich and ex-Vice President Mike Pence, along with Pence’s interest group, Advancing American Freedom. Several House GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital last week they could not support a millionaire’s tax hike. But Republicans find other cost-savings in the legislation, including stripping tax-exempt status from “terrorist-supporting organizations” and using artificial intelligence (AI) software to identify and root out improper Medicare payments. The bill would also dramatically reduce tax breaks for professional sports team owners, a measure known as amortization, which allows those owners to write off a portion of their purchase price. This story is breaking and will be updated…
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump Hails China ‘Opening Up’ to Competition
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… -American hostage Edan Alexander released by Hamas after more than 580 days in captivity -Trump defends Qatar jumbo jet offer as troubled Boeing fails to deliver new Air Force One fleet –Southern border apprehensions plunge more than 90% from year ago in April, CBP says China has agreed to “open itself up to American business” following trade negotiations between Washington, D.C., and Beijing on Saturday, according to President Donald Trump. The arrangement was arguably the most significant development stemming from the trade negotiations, Trump told reporters Monday at the White House. Plans have yet to be finalized and “papered,” but Trump said that China is on board with the agreement. “The biggest thing to me is the opening up,” Trump told reporters Monday during an announcement regarding an executive order on drug prices in the U.S. “It would be, I think it would be fantastic for our businesses if we could go in and compete and compete with China. It would be a lot of jobs for China.”…READ MORE CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Trump Middle East tour tests ties with Netanyahu ‘PUNK’: DNC vice chair slams Trump as ‘punk,’ ‘would-be dictator’ in fiery Pa. town hall THE PRINCIPLE IS SIMPLE’: President Trump takes on ‘Big Pharma’ by signing executive order to lower drug prices TRUMP TOOLS: Legal expert reveals why centuries-old law is crucial for Trump admin in immigration fight MIDDLE EAST TRIP: Trump’s 17th week back in office to focus on Middle East trip, admin leaders ironing out China trade talks POLITICAL PAYOFF?: Trump China tariff truce ignites stock markets – will it also pump up president’s poll numbers? LEO’S ADVICE: Pope Leo dishes advice to journalists, mentions AI challenge in first news conference AYATOLLAH’S SHADOW: Fourth round of US-Iran talks ends as Trump set to embark on historic Mideast tour ‘FAILED EXPERIMENT’: UK to tighten immigration rules over voter frustration with high immigration numbers CONSULATE CLOSURE: Poland orders Russian consulate in Krakow closed after blaming Kremlin for 2024 arson BALLS AND STRIKES: Senate parliamentarian: Who is the unelected official getting a say on Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill?’ ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’: GOP senator unleashes bill with severe consequences for harming police ‘ILLEGAL CONDUCT’: GOP senators accuse Biden ATF of promoting agents who engaged in ‘illegal’ scheme to inflate salaries CASH PAYMENT: Trump’s $1,000 self-deportation plan draws mixed reaction from House GOP TRUMP CARD: House GOP unveils Medicaid work requirements in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ ‘FLYING GRIFT’: House Democrat calls for ‘immediate’ ethics probe of Qatari plane gift to Trump DEM BORDER PLAN: Dem’s immigration reform plan adds Border Patrol agents, offers select migrants pathway to citizenship ‘GRAVY TRAIN IS OVER’: Homeland Security subpoenas California for possible cash benefits to illegals CAMPUS CRACKDOWN: Swing state outlaws college protest encampments amid nationwide campus crackdown on anti-Israel agitators Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.