Satanic group defies Kansas officials, plans ‘black mass’ at state Capitol
A group of self-described Satanists plans to stage a “black mass” inside the Kansas State Capitol, despite recent attempts by the governor and a group of bipartisan lawmakers to block it. The Satanic Grotto, a registered nonprofit that describes itself as an “independent and non-denominational Satanic church,” intends to hold its demonstration at the state Capitol on March 28. According to founder Michael Stewart, the event initially drew little attention, until allegations surfaced that he stole consecrated bread from a local Catholic church for use in the “black mass” ceremony. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, issued an order on March 12 barring The Satanic Grotto from entering the State House for its planned March 28 demonstration. That order was subsequently followed up by a modification of the State House’s building and grounds policies, led by a group of bipartisan state legislators. FAITH LEADERS GATHER AROUND TRUMP TO PRAY IN OVAL OFFICE: ‘INCREDIBLE DAY’ “There are more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols,” Kelly said in an announcement about The Satanic Grotto’s “black mass” event. In Satanist traditions, a “black mass” ceremony sometimes involves the desecration of the consecrated Eucharist, as was recounted online by Monsignor Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 2014. Landry pointed out that, at the time, the New York Satanic Temple’s website described the black mass as a “perversion of the Catholic Mass” and posited that a consecrated host gets “corrupted by sexual fluids” during the ritual. A lawsuit brought by the bishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Joseph Naumann, alleged Stewart admitted on social media to stealing the consecrated Eucharist. The lawsuit also alleged members of The Satanic Grotto sent threatening letters to lawmakers. “The First Amendment does not protect criminal conduct,” Senate President Ty Masterson told the Kansas Reflector this week. “Recent statements from an organization – which pledged to engage in such conduct – necessitated a thoughtful review of policies to ensure the safety of all those visiting our State Capitol.” VANCE VOWS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ‘BIGGEST DEFENDERS OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES,’ CATHOLICS Stewart, in an interview with Fox News Digital, did not deny the accusations that he was the owner of a social media account that admitted to taking the host. Stewart said that while he and his group may have sent rude letters to lawmakers in the past, none of them were threatening. An evidentiary hearing in the case took place Thursday, and it was ultimately dismissed after Stewart denied the allegations, he said. Stewart promised to proceed with his demonstration at the Capitol on March 28, despite orders attempting to block it, even if it leads to his arrest. He expects to be joined by two or three other members of The Satanic Grotto but has urged unaffiliated supporters looking to confront public officials or law enforcement to stay back. “It’s come up a lot lately that we’re going to storm the Capitol. And because [critics] see that one of our specific laws of the grotto speaks to violence, that we’re a violent organization. Neither one of those things are true,” Stewart said. “We’re going to the Capitol non-violently. This is not going to be January 6th. This is going to be a 1960s civil rights act. We’re not going to be literally slinging fecal matter on the walls.” DYLAN MULVANEY SAYS ‘RELIGION AND FAITH USED AGAINST’ RANS COMMUNITY, HOPES PEOPLE WILL FEEL ASHAMED Stewart said that the idea of the “black mass” demonstration in Topeka stemmed from the group wanting “to build a church that matches how Kansans define Satanism.” “Part of that is activism,” Stewart said. “We started following different groups and counterprotests, and inevitably they all ended up at the Capitol, one way or another.” However, Stewart noted, the groups making use of their First Amendment rights by protesting at the Capitol were mostly all Christian groups “holding pictures of mutilated babies inside of our Capitol, holding prayers, holding praise and worship sessions, very openly, very boldly, consistently.” “I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anybody else do anything. And it just occurred to me, I was like, ‘Man, these guys are the only ones taking advantage of their rights.’” Kelly’s office declined to comment on the situation when reached for comment, pointing Fox News Digital to a March 12 statement about the event.
Puerto Rico no longer safe bet for illegal migrants as Trump crackdown expands to US territory
Puerto Rico, which for years was seen as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, is now facing increased attention under the Trump administration, and an immigration expert tells Fox News Digital the U.S. island territory has long been a favored jurisdiction for evading immigration restrictions. More than 200 people have been arrested since deportation operations in Puerto Rico ramped up on Jan. 26, 149 of which have been citizens of the Dominican Republic, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration data provided to the Associated Press. Local migrants are “panicking,” Jose Rodriguez, the president of the Dominican Committee of Human Rights, told the AP. “They’re afraid to go out; they’re afraid to take their children to school.” Illegal migrants have lived in Puerto Rico “for decades,” according to the report, which added that many had been staying in the U.S. territory “without fear of arrest” while many have been allowed to open bank accounts, obtain driver’s licenses and even open their own businesses. But Heritage Foundation Border Security and Immigration Center director Lora Ries tells Fox that’s long been a problem with island territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. TRUMP POLICY ON BORDER JUMPERS EMPOWERS USE OF ‘MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES,’ BORDER AGENT TELLS FOX “These localities allow them to open bank accounts, give driver’s licenses, allow them to open businesses, it’s just facilitating and prolonging this illegal immigration,” Ries said. “And then, of course, the immigrants, the aliens, if they are put into removal proceedings by ICE, then they use that as a shield, a defense, saying, ‘You can’t deport me because I’ve been here so many years, and I have a business here, and I have these financial ties.’” The recent raids have “shattered the perception” that the island territory is a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, causing many to live in fear about their own fate. Ries said that despite the perception of safety, illegal migrants in any U.S. territory face the same potential consequences as those on the mainland United States. “They always skip over personal responsibility. They knew they broke the law. They knew they were continuing to break the law. They knew that they could be arrested and removed and detained for breaking the law … don’t try to shift responsibility to the U.S. government and then play victim,” Ries said. Ries noted that U.S. territories, including those in the Pacific such as Guam, are often jumping-off points for illegal migrants, who first enter there and then find easier travel to the mainland United States. Meanwhile, others start a life that they try to later use as a “shield” from immigration authorities. INFLUX OF ILLEGAL CHINESE MIGRANTS THREATENS US TERRITORY; ISLAND MUST SHOW ‘STRENGTH OF THE NATION’ A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the AP that the agency has focused its efforts in Puerto Rico on those with a criminal record or those who have received a final court ruling to leave the country. Nevertheless, the AP report said there has been a surge in support for Puerto Rico’s illegal immigrant population, noting that volunteers have been working to provide meals to families too afraid to leave their house, while government officials from multiple jurisdictions have moved to limit cooperation with federal authorities. Ries argued the situation is no different from those that have played out in many areas of the U.S., where so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions have severely limited cooperation with federal authorities and prioritized illegal migrants over their native citizens. TRUMP PUTTING TROOPS ON BORDER WAS GAME CHANGER, SAN DIEGO SECTOR CHIEF SAYS: ‘FORCE MULTIPLIER’ “It’s the same thing,” Ries said. “It’s local officials not cooperating with federal agents, or local officials dedicating very limited resources and time and attention to illegal aliens rather than their own constituents. They need to do a better job representing their citizens to giving their resources to citizens.” ICE did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Greene calls for yanking FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines: ‘Causing permanent harm and deaths’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared that U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for COVID-19 vaccines should be yanked, asserting that the jabs “are causing permanent harm and deaths.” “FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines needs to be pulled and they need taken off the childhood vaccine schedule ASAP,” she said Thursday in a post on X. “I’ve been saying this ever since they were created and my personal Twitter account was permanently banned for my outspoken stance against the vaccines until Elon Musk bought Twitter, changed it to X, and restored my account along with thousands of people who were censored and silenced.” The child and adolescent immunization schedule on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website includes COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children 6 months old and above. FIVE YEARS AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS: THE 5 MOST BIZARRE ‘STOP-THE-SPREAD’ MOMENTS Greene contends that the jabs should never have been approved in the first place. “COVID-19 vaccines should have never received approval and they’ve known the entire time how bad the side effects are and deaths caused by them. It’s time to do the right thing. Stop the COVID-19 vaccines,” she declared in her post. PUBLIC WAS MISLED BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ABOUT COVID ORIGINS, NY TIMES COLUMNIST ARGUES But the CDC notes, “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19. There is currently no FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than age 6 months. CDC recommends that people stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination.” “Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have rarely been observed following receipt of COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States,” the CDC indicates. “Evidence from multiple monitoring systems support a causal association for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) and myocarditis and pericarditis. Cases have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech); however, cases have also been observed in females and after other doses.” LINGERING LUNG DISORDERS 5 YEARS POST-COVID: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Thomas Massie has also expressed the view that the FDA should nix approval for the COVID-19 vaccines. “FDA should immediately revoke approval of these shots,” he tweeted last month.
Canadian politician claims Trump admin’s ’51st state’ rhetoric is an ‘act of war’
A liberal Canadian member of Parliament claimed the Trump administration has committed an “act of war” over President Donald Trump repeatedly referring to Canada as the U.S.’ “51st state” and for leveling tariffs on the nation. “Well, I think Marco Rubio probably needs to be sent back to school because when you say that someone doesn’t have a right to have a country, that’s an act of war. When you rip up, arbitrarily, trade agreements and threaten and say you’re going to break a country, that’s an act of war. And Canadians have responded in kind,” Canadian MP Charlie Angus, who is a member of the country’s liberal New Democratic Party, said Monday during an interview with the MeidasTouch Network. Angus was reacting to a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with reporters during his recent trip to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Rubio was repeatedly asked by the press to weigh in on Trump referring to Canada as the U.S.’ “51st state.” “The president has made his argument as to why he thinks Canada would be better off joining the United States… for economic purposes,” Rubio said on March 14 when asked about Trump’s “51st state” comments, explaining the issue was not addressed during the G7 meeting. “There’s a disagreement between the president’s position and the position of the Canadian government. I don’t think that’s a mystery coming in, and it wasn’t a topic of conversation, because that’s not what this summit was about.” Rubio further explained that the origin of the “51st state” rhetoric was born during a meeting between Trump and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump began using the “51st state” title for Canada in November 2024, following his election win. CANADA ‘RAGE ROOM’ LETS VISITORS SMASH TRUMP, VANCE, MUSK PORTRAITS TO RELEASE TARIFF ANGST Trump was meeting with Trudeau, “and Trudeau basically says that if the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canada, Canada couldn’t survive as a nation-state, at which point the president said, ‘Well, then you should become a state.’ And that’s where this began,” Rubio recounted of the Trump–Trudeau meeting. “He made an argument for why Canada would be better off joining the United States from an economic perspective and the like. He’s made that argument repeatedly, and I think it stands for itself.” Trudeau announced his resignation as the country’s prime minister in January after nine years in the position. Mark Carney was sworn-in as the nation’s next prime minister on March 14 after he was elected the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party earlier in the month. During his interview, Angus said that Canada’s boycott of U.S. products over tariffs leveled on the nation would be “punishing” to the U.S. STEVE MOORE: TARIFFS WILL BRING FREER AND FAIRER TRADE “The boycott that Canada has launched against the United States is punishing. We were told in January a 10% drop in Canadian travel to the United States would cost 140,000 jobs,” he continued. Trump leveled a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum from other nations on March 12, while Canada specifically is set to face a 25% tax on all imported goods beginning April 2. The tariffs have sparked boycotts of U.S. goods. NEW CANADIAN PM BLASTS TRUMP’S 51ST STATE IDEA: ‘CRAZY’ Trump joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, where he railed against how the U.S. has subsidized “Canada by $200 billion a year.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Here’s my problem with Canada,” Trump said on Fox News. “Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year. We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we have a lot of lumber. … We don’t need their energy, we don’t need anything, we certainly don’t want their automobiles… millions of automobiles are sent in, I’d rather have them made in Michigan, I’d rather have them made in South Carolina.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders, AOC, take aim at Trump and Musk, as well as Democrats, at western rallies
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – champions of the left – repeatedly targeted President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk as they kicked off a three-day swing through three electorally important western states. But Sanders, and especially Ocasio-Cortez, also trained some of their fire on the Democratic Party, with the best-known member of the so-called “Squad” of diverse and progressive House members urging her own party to have “the courage to brawl” against Republicans. Trump has been on a tear since returning to the White House two months ago, flexing his political muscles to expand presidential powers as he’s upended longstanding government policy and made major cuts to the federal workforce through a flurry of executive orders and actions. And Sanders and Cortez took to the stage at their first stop in Las Vegas, Nevada, while Trump signed an executive order to begin the longstanding conservative goal of demolishing the Department of Education at a White House ceremony. BERNIE SANDERS SAYS THIS IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S BIGGEST PROBLEM Ocasio-Cortez accused Trump and his GOP allies of “lying to and screwing over working and middle-class Americans so that they can steal our health care, social security and veterans benefits in order to pay for their tax cuts for the billionaires and bailouts for their crypto friends.” And Sanders charged that “every day Trump is trying to take power away from Congress. He is trying to take power away from the judiciary.” “We have a message for Mr. Trump and that is, we will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy,” Sanders emphasized.”We’re not going to allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and the other billionaires to wreak havoc on this country.” But the inability of Democrats in Congress, who are out of power in the White House as well as the House and Senate, to stop the majority Republicans is causing tensions within the party amid increasing calls for leaders to come up with a stronger strategy to resist Trump. “This isn’t just about Republicans,” Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd in Arizona. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us. That means each and every one of us choosing and voting for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class…I want you to look at every level of office around and support Democrats who fight, because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans.” The Sanders-Ocasio-Cortez stops are drawing large crowds. The fire marshal in Tempe, Arizona said 11,300 packed the Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University, with thousands in an overflow section outside the arena. The tour, dubbed by Sanders as “Fighting Oligarchy,” continues Friday in Denver and Greeley, Colorado and concludes Saturday with a rally in Tucson, Arizona. It comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, is facing increasing fire from his own party for his support last week for a Republican-crafted federal funding bill that averted a government shutdown. WHAT THIS PROGRESSIVE LEADER TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHUCK SCHUMER Neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Sanders mentioned Schumer during their speeches in Las Vegas or Tempe. And Sanders, an independent who has long caucused with the Democrats and who is part of Schumer’s leadership team in the Senate, declined in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the Tempe rally, to answer whether he agreed with calls for Schumer to step down from his leadership position. “That’s kind of inside the Beltway stuff,” Sanders said. But it was on the minds of some of those attending the rallies. There were chants of “primary Chuck” directed at Ocasio-Cortez at the Las Vegas rally. And in Tempe, Cindy Garman and Pat Robinson, both of Prescott, Arizona, told Fox News that they were “really disappointed” with Schumer’s move. And Amanda Ratloff of Gilbert, Arizona, said Schumer “is not the leader we need right now. We need somebody that will actually fight back and fight for the American people and not just give in to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” Sanders, in his speech, vowed to fight. “We are going to fight Trump and his oligarchy friends,” he emphasized. “From the bottom of my heart I am convinced that they can be defeated.”
Husband of former ‘Squad’ Rep. Cori Bush charged with wire fraud linked to COVID relief funds: DOJ
The husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, has been charged with defrauding the government after allegedly accepting $20,000 in payments from the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, the Justice Department said. Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, falsified details about his purported businesses to obtain loans from the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021, federal prosecutors said Thursday. He was charged with two counts of wire fraud. CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN PAYS $17,500 MORE TO HER HUSBAND, BRINGING HIS TOTAL TO $120K, NEW FILINGS SHOW “Mr. Merritts intends to plead not guilty to the charges,” Merritts’ lawyer, Justin Gelfand of Margulis Gelfand DiRuzzo & Lambson, said in a statement. “As with any indictment, this is only the government’s version of the story. We look forward to litigating this case in federal court in Washington, D.C.” Merritts repeatedly applied for business loans for a company he said he operated while also allegedly misrepresenting his revenue and number of people he employed, authorities said. CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HER HUSBAND FOR PRIVATE SECURITY One July 2020 application for a loan was rejected because it was nearly identical to one he submitted previously, prosecutors said. Merritts was indicted a year after the Justice Department opened an investigation into Bush, a former member of the “Squad,” over campaign payments to her husband. Bush was defeated in a primary last year amid controversy over her criticism of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on its citizens by Hamas terrorists. The so-called “Squad” Bush formerly belonged to is an informal group of progressive lawmakers in Congress that includes representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
Pentagon set to award US Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet contract, sources say
The Pentagon is set to announce its decision on a next-generation fighter jet contract initially worth more than $20 billion as soon as Friday, despite earlier concerns about budget constraints and shifting priorities, sources briefed on the plan said. The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor with a fighter built to battle alongside drones. CONVICTED PENTAGON LEAKER JACK TEIXEIRA FACES COURT-MARTIAL WHILE ALREADY SERVING 15-YEAR SENTENCE Lockheed and Boeing are competing head-to-head for the winner-take-all engineering and manufacturing development phase contract worth more than $20 billion. An Air Force spokesperson and Boeing and Lockheed representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The winner of the high-stakes contest will receive hundreds of billions of dollars in orders over the contract’s lifetime, underpinning their businesses for decades. NGAD was conceived as a “family of systems” centered around a sixth-generation fighter jet that aims to provide the United States with advanced air dominance capabilities to counter near-peer adversaries like China and Russia. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, which took office in January, the program has moved forward after a period of uncertainty that cast doubt on the future of the next-generation fighter jet. Last year, the program faced potential delays or scaling back due to budget pressures and cost overruns in other Air Force programs. There were also discussions about reconsidering fundamental design elements or shifting resources to unmanned drone programs. The anticipated announcement signals designs that were finalized last year will be chosen for NGAD. Boeing has suffered headwinds for both its commercial and defense businesses. A win would be a shot in the arm for its St. Louis, Missouri, fighter jet production businesses, while a loss would add to Boeing’s woes. Lockheed was recently eliminated from the competition to build the Navy’s next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter. If it loses the NGAD contract, it will likely double down on its F-35 fighter jet program and international sales of its F-16 jets.
Trump demands Supreme Court step in after federal judges block his agenda: ‘These people are Lunatics’
President Donald Trump on Thursday called on the Supreme Court to reverse injunctions placed on his administration’s efforts to carry out mass deportations and other moves to downsize the scope of government. In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump took aim at “Radical Left Judges” for imposing injunctions on some of his most controversial moves, such as deporting Venezuelan gang members. “Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country!” he wrote. “These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings.” WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? A president has to be allowed to act “quickly and decisively,” such as “returning murderers, drug lords, rapists, and other such type criminals back to their Homeland, or to other locations that will allow our Country to be SAFE.” He urged the high court and Chief Justice John Roberts to address the matter. “If Justice Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not fix this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our Country is in very serious trouble!” he wrote. The Trump administration has railed against federal judges for blocking parts of his agenda. On Thursday, a federal judge said that Columbia University doesn’t have to give the House Education and Workforce Committee the information it had requested about student disciplinary actions until after a hearing scheduled for Tuesday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP U.S. District Judge James Boasberg drew the ire of the Trump administration after he blocked it from using a 1798 law to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua, for a period of 14 days. He also ordered any flights in the air to return to U.S. soil immediately. On Thursday, Trump said Boasberg was “doing everything in his power” to usurp the presidency. “He is a local, unknown Judge, a Grandstander, looking for publicity, and it cannot be for any other reason, because his “Rulings” are so ridiculous, and inept,” Trump wrote. “SAVE AMERICA!”
LA Mayor Bass’ former rival reveals why he is opposed to her recall campaign
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is not backing the recall effort against Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, his former opponent. “A mayoral recall right now is not a good idea. This is a time when Los Angeles needs unity, not costly and expensive political distractions,” he posted on X earlier this week. “We must rebuild our communities, get people back into their homes, and open businesses that have been closed or lost. That must be our total focus. There is a time and place for politics, but it is not now.” The effort to remove Karen Bass from office kicked off after intense criticism of her response to the fires that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades, including from Caruso, a Democrat. KRISTIN CROWLEY APPEALS LOS ANGELES MAYOR’S DECISION TO TERMINATE HER AS LAFD CHIEF Bass was in Ghana when the fires began despite a prior weather warning, for which she has since expressed remorse. But she has stopped short of stepping down. She also recently sacked the city’s fire chief, Kristin Crowley, who failed to get her job back after appealing. Caruso, a real estate mogul, ran against Bass in 2022 and lost, and it’s unclear if he plans to run against her again in 2026. His decision not to support the recall caught the attention of former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vice presidential pick Nicole Shanahan, a major supporter of the recall. “Don’t people deserve accountability?!” she said in reply to his post on X. “I don’t see this as political division… I see this as LA being the most united I’ve ever seen it around the real cost of mismanagement. The recall team is [100%] bi-partisan.” GWYNETH PALTROW CONFESSES LA FIRES CAUSED HER TO DRINK ‘EVERY NIGHT’ “People want competency in their leadership,” Caruso responded. “But a recall election doesn’t happen overnight. It would run into June’s primary and cost the city millions we don’t have. Let’s be smart about how we move the city forward.” The disagreement led to a mix of opinions on the recall itself. “’Cheaper to keep her’ is that really your argument? Recalling her forthwith will likely be cheaper than keeping her in place (see: recent $200 billion fire that destroyed my family home). Shouldn’t this be up to the voters and not you anyway, Rick?” Tranquility AI co-founder Dave Harvilicz posted. “Disagree Rick. [Karen Bass] poses a clear and present danger to LA. She must go immediately,” Biotech entrepreneur Houman David Hemmati posted. “If you don’t want a recall, persuade her to resign. No other options. Sorry.” LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHES However, some did agree with Caruso that a recall election would be an uphill battle. “The premise of [Caruso]’s decision not to back a recall (which is correct) is precisely BECAUSE it is the best interest of LA not to waste everyone’s time and energy on recall that is destined to fail and further demoralize voters at the worst possible time,” Los Angeles County GOP Central Committee member Elizabeth Barcohana tweeted. To trigger a recall election, a petition would need signatures from 15% of registered voters in the City of Los Angeles. “This recall is nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward,” Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, told Fox News Digital in a statement when the campaign first launched.
LA Mayor Bass’ former rival reveals why he is opposed to her recall campaign
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso is not backing the recall effort against Democratic Mayor Karen Bass, his former opponent. “A mayoral recall right now is not a good idea. This is a time when Los Angeles needs unity, not costly and expensive political distractions,” he posted on X earlier this week. “We must rebuild our communities, get people back into their homes, and open businesses that have been closed or lost. That must be our total focus. There is a time and place for politics, but it is not now.” The effort to remove Karen Bass from office kicked off after intense criticism of her response to the fires that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades, including from Caruso, a Democrat. KRISTIN CROWLEY APPEALS LOS ANGELES MAYOR’S DECISION TO TERMINATE HER AS LAFD CHIEF Bass was in Ghana when the fires began despite a prior weather warning, for which she has since expressed remorse. But she has stopped short of stepping down. She also recently sacked the city’s fire chief, Kristin Crowley, who failed to get her job back after appealing. Caruso, a real estate mogul, ran against Bass in 2022 and lost, and it’s unclear if he plans to run against her again in 2026. His decision not to support the recall caught the attention of former Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vice presidential pick Nicole Shanahan, a major supporter of the recall. “Don’t people deserve accountability?!” she said in reply to his post on X. “I don’t see this as political division… I see this as LA being the most united I’ve ever seen it around the real cost of mismanagement. The recall team is [100%] bi-partisan.” GWYNETH PALTROW CONFESSES LA FIRES CAUSED HER TO DRINK ‘EVERY NIGHT’ “People want competency in their leadership,” Caruso responded. “But a recall election doesn’t happen overnight. It would run into June’s primary and cost the city millions we don’t have. Let’s be smart about how we move the city forward.” The disagreement led to a mix of opinions on the recall itself. “’Cheaper to keep her’ is that really your argument? Recalling her forthwith will likely be cheaper than keeping her in place (see: recent $200 billion fire that destroyed my family home). Shouldn’t this be up to the voters and not you anyway, Rick?” Tranquility AI co-founder Dave Harvilicz posted. “Disagree Rick. [Karen Bass] poses a clear and present danger to LA. She must go immediately,” Biotech entrepreneur Houman David Hemmati posted. “If you don’t want a recall, persuade her to resign. No other options. Sorry.” LOS ANGELES MAYOR KAREN BASS RECALL EFFORT LAUNCHES However, some did agree with Caruso that a recall election would be an uphill battle. “The premise of [Caruso]’s decision not to back a recall (which is correct) is precisely BECAUSE it is the best interest of LA not to waste everyone’s time and energy on recall that is destined to fail and further demoralize voters at the worst possible time,” Los Angeles County GOP Central Committee member Elizabeth Barcohana tweeted. To trigger a recall election, a petition would need signatures from 15% of registered voters in the City of Los Angeles. “This recall is nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward,” Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, told Fox News Digital in a statement when the campaign first launched.