Mahmoud Khalil blames ‘anti-Palestinian racism’ for arrest in first statement since ICE detainment
The Columbia University activist, arrested by federal immigration authorities and facing possible deportation over his alleged support for Hamas, has released a statement from inside the detention facility where he is being held. Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old green card holder who is married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on March 8. In a letter released by his attorneys on Tuesday, Khalil characterized his arrest as “indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.” He also blamed Columbia’s administration, including former university President Minouche Shafik, who was criticized for failing to adequately respond to allegations of antisemitic behavior from activists on campus before she ultimately stepped down. “My unjust detention is indicative of the anti-Palestinian racism that both the Biden and Trump administrations have demonstrated over the past 16 months as the U.S. has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention,” Khalil wrote. “For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand U.S. laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans, and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted.” ‘SAFER WITHOUT HIM’: COLUMBIA STUDENT CLAIMS CLASSMATE ARRESTED BY ICE ‘HATES AMERICA’ Khalil, who played a major role in the anti-Israel protests at Columbia, is fighting against his deportation in the courts. Not long after he was arrested, a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting him. In one of the first legal victories for Khalil, a judge on Wednesday ordered his deportation case be heard in New Jersey, not Louisiana, where he is being held. The judge cited a law that required the case be held in the same jurisdiction where Khalil’s attorneys first filed a lawsuit to challenge his detention. The Trump administration previously said there was a bedbug infestation at the detention facility in New Jersey, near Khalil’s arrest, leading them to have to ship him to Louisiana. RUBIO DEFENDS DEPORTATIONS OF HAMAS SUPPORTERS AFTER COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ACTIVIST ARREST “While I await legal decisions that hold the futures of my wife and child in the balance, those who enabled my targeting remain comfortably at Columbia University,” Khalil wrote in his letter. “Presidents Shafik, Armstrong, and Dean Yarhi-Milo laid the groundwork for the U.S. government to target me by arbitrarily disciplining pro-Palestinian students and allowing viral doxing campaigns – based on racism and disinformation – to go unchecked.” Khalil said his arrest was both a direct affront to his First Amendment rights and a broader attempt by the Trump administration to “suppress dissent.” He wrote that “in the weeks ahead” students, activists and elected officials “must unite to defend the right to protest for Palestine.” “I have always believed that my duty is not only to liberate myself from the oppressor, but also to liberate my oppressors from their hatred and fear.”
Chicago police solve only 6% of non-fatal shootings, review finds, as mayor faces mounting criticism
Chicago authorities have made arrests of suspects in only 6% of the Windy City’s 19,000 non-fatal shootings in the past seven years, according to a deep dive conducted by the Chicago Sun-Times. Only 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with shootings since 2018, the paper reported. Neighborhoods on the South Side appeared to have the highest proportion of arrest-less cases, with Pullman and Burnside recording zero arrests for 64 and 38 shootings, respectively. Ashburn, on the West Side, was barely better with five arrests made out of 93 reported incidents. A similar trend was recorded for Roseland, where only 35 of the 584 recorded shootings there saw an arrest made. Only O’Hare – which is generally comprised of the namesake airport – and Edison Park far on the North Side recorded zero total shootings. PROPOSED CHICAGO RESOURCE CUTS COULD LAND CITY IN COURT, OFFICIALS WARN The locales with the highest proportion of arrests were Norwood Park on the North Side at 29% and Beverly on the South Side with 33%. For context, the “Loop” – Chicago’s downtown – saw 16% of its 85 cases solved. One man who was working as a rideshare driver when he was carjacked and shot in 2021 still has not seen police make any arrests, according to published reports. “I get that they’re understaffed, but at the same time, where’s my justice?” said Tom Wagner, who has a scar on his abdomen where he was shot in the gallbladder, liver and colon. Wagner reportedly called police over a 10-month period and got no response, before he was told in February that they were dropping his investigation, according to the Sun-Times. Crime experts told the paper that the lack of arrests may be worsening chronic violence, as criminals face little deterrent against lawless behavior. The paper’s study found that CPD has a smaller proportion of officers working as detectives than in other major cities, with one exception being Philadelphia. Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Brandon Johnson for comment but did not receive a response. DEMOCRAT MAYOR NOT WELCOME AT FUNERAL FOR SLAIN CHICAGO OFFICER Last year, Johnson publicly blamed his recent predecessors – Democrats Lori Lightfoot, Rahm Emanuel and Richard M. Daley, the son of famous Mayor Richard J. Daley. The last Republican to hold the mayor’s office was William Thompson from 1927-1931. “The city was run into the ground and everybody knows that,” Johnson said at the time. “They jacked up the finances, got bad deals, and so now we’re left with the chaos and the mess that was created by other people. But today is a testament that if we continue to work together at every single level of government, it’s going to take all of us and the community to continue to hold these individuals accountable but to make sure we’re making critical investments in the people of Chicago, the homicides and shootings will continue to fall.” Johnson was recently lambasted by Congress over Chicago’s crime wave and allegations his administration doesn’t properly cooperate with ICE. Johnson appeared to deny some allegations from Republicans on the panel in regard to Chicago’s “sanctuary city status.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., cited a reported 6% positive-approval rate for Johnson, saying it “speaks volumes” of how the city is deteriorating crime-wise. Johnson responded that LaHood could help his state’s largest city by supporting “continue[d] invest[ment] in these programs that continue to drive violence down in the city of Chicago.” The Chicago Police Department did not respond to an inquiry about the Sun-Times report. Neither did rumored 2028 Democratic presidential contender Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker previously rejected some of the labels given to the Windy City over its crime epidemic, claiming at a 2024 rally that Republican-led states are statistically worse: “Although there is a perception by some that violence in Chicago is the worst in any city anywhere, actually if you look at all the data, you’ll see that it’s red states that have the worst violent crimes and murder rates. Not blue states,” he said.
‘State of the art’ air traffic control system will be unveiled in the ‘next couple days,’ Duffy says
A brand-new “state of the art” air traffic control system will be unveiled by the Trump administration in the “next couple days,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told “Fox & Friends” Wednesday. President Donald Trump will get the “first sneak peek” before the system is presented to Congress as part of a funding request, according to Duffy. “We’re going to have an announcement in the next couple days. We are going to have a brand new system. Again, our system is 25, 30 years old. We use copper wires, floppy disks. I mean… it’s atrocious, the system we use,” Duffy said. “It’s safe, but we’re seeing the cracks of age. So we’re going to build a brand new state of the art system.” “We’re going to go from copper lines to fiber lines. Our radar, some of the newest models that we have date back to like 1982. We’re going to have brand new radar, brand new terminals for air traffic controllers, we’re going to have sensors on runways,” Duffy continued. “So they don’t have to stand in the tower and look out with binoculars. And oftentimes the controller’s views are impeded. On their screens they’ll be able to see where airplanes are at, on the tarmac. So again, top technology that’s going to be deployed.” DUFFY PROPOSES BIG PLANS TO UPGRADE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS, USE AI TO FIND ‘HOT SPOTS’ Duffy said the key to upgrading the nation’s air traffic control system is “speed.” “It’s not that we don’t know that we’ve had a problem with air traffic control, but it takes too long. And then technology changes, money changes, administrations change. So we have to do this really fast. And so the Congress has to give us all the money up front,” he told “Fox & Friends.” NTSB PROBE OF CHICAGO MIDWAY NEAR MISS REVEALS SUN GLARE AS POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTING FACTOR “We have some SpaceX engineers that are helping us and others, to help us deploy — again this fantastic system,” he also said. “And so we’re going to roll our plan out. Again, I’m talking to the president this week. Give him the first sneak peek, and then we’re going to roll it out to Congress and hopefully get the money quick.” Duffy previously said upgrading the system could take up to four years to complete.
Judge who blocked key Trump executive order has long history of left-wing activism, Dem donations
FIRST ON FOX: A federal judge who blocked President Donald Trump from implementing an executive order banning transgender troops from serving in the military has a long history of activism in the Democratic Party, including volunteering for Joe Biden and donating tens of thousands to Democrat campaigns. U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes, a Biden appointee who is the first openly gay federal judge in D.C., acknowledged in her Senate questionnaire during her confirmation process that she volunteered for Biden’s 2020 campaign “providing limited legal assistance regarding potential election law issues.” Reyes, who assumed office in February 2023, has been donating to Democratic causes to the tune of more than $38,000 since 2008, sending money to liberal efforts such as ActBlue, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossof’s campaign, and maxed out contributions to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, FEC records show. Additionally, Reyes has been a frequent contributor to Defeat By Tweet, a Democratic-aligned super PAC that supports the Justice Fund, which Influence Watch describes as a group that “raises money for liberal groups in swing states each time President Donald Trump makes a post to his controversial Twitter account.” CHECKS AND BALANCES: TRUMP, SUPPORTERS SEEK TO PUSH BACK AGAINST ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES Defeat By Tweet’s website is currently shuttered but says it is “transferring” its resources to Black Church PAC, a group aligned with defunding the police that received at least $150,000 from the Kamala Harris presidential campaign. Reyes, who was born in Uruguay before her family immigrated to the United States when she was in kindergarten, has been active in representing illegal immigrants in her previous capacity as a lawyer. During a speech accepting the 2017 Woman’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia’s Woman Lawyer of the Year award, Reyes said she was “privileged” to represent asylum seekers and thanked lawyers at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stating it was an honor “fighting for the rights of refugees in the United States.” NEW BILL THREATENS TO CRIPPLE ‘JUDICIAL TYRANNY’ FROM DERAILING TRUMP’S AGENDA AT EVERY TURN Reyes said in the same speech that she deferred law school for a year to work for the Feminist Majority Foundation, a group that describes itself as a “cutting edge organization dedicated to women’s equality, reproductive health, and non-violence.” Reyes said in her Senate questionnaire that she served on the board for the group from “2014-present” although she is not currently listed on the organization’s website. The Feminist Majority Foundation has previously called abortion a “necessity” and opposed in a January press release the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which blocks men from playing in women’s sports. The questionnaire also acknowledges that she was a panelist in a 2021 discussion called “Did You Really Just Say That? Recognizing and Managing Microaggressions.” The discussion was hosted by Centerforce, which touts a DEI series that includes several conferences aimed at “address[ing] the obstacles posed by the backlash against DEI initiatives and the consequences of Affirmative Action repeal.” Despite her history of progressive activism, Reyes has sided with Trump in the past, including last April when she berated Biden’s Justice Department after two of its employees failed to appear in court for depositions related to the Republican push to impeach Biden, NBC News reported. Earlier that year, Reyes also called it “an attack on our constitutional democracy” when a former IRS consultant leaked Trump’s tax returns. She also ripped the lawyers of eight inspectors general who were fired by Trump and denied their immediate reinstatement last month, asking, “Why on earth did you not have this figured out with the defendants before coming here?” The lawsuit against the Trump administration is still ongoing. At issue currently is a Jan. 27 executive order signed by Trump requiring the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and to “rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.” Reyes questioned the Trump administration at length over the order, demanding to know whether it was a “transgender ban” and if the government’s position is that being transgender is an “ideology.” Reyes, who previously stated that the idea of only two sexes is not “biologically correct,” issued a preliminary injunction this week barring the Pentagon from enforcing Trump’s order, which asserted “expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.” In her 79-page ruling, Reyes in part cites Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “Hamilton” to justify blocking the ban on transgender troops. “Women were ‘included in the sequel’ when passage of the Nineteenth Amendment granted them the right to vote in 1920,” Reyes wrote in the footnotes, adding, “That right is one of the many that thousands of transgender persons serve to protect.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Stephen Sorace and Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.
Hospital questionnaire sparks outrage over newborn sexual orientation question
New parents in New Jersey are receiving shocking documents from a health network — and it is not the hospital bill. A form from Inspira Health went viral as it asks parents about their newborn’s sexual orientation and gender identity. Now, New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-District 39) is introducing legislation to exempt minors from these types of questions. Schepisi — also a mother of two — told Fox News Digital that when she first saw the form being circulated on social media, she was “skeptical” because of the “outrageous” and “nonsensical” nature of the forms. However, her staff were able to confirm that the questionnaire was indeed real and was being distributed to new parents. NYC PARENTS OUTRAGED AFTER TEACHER READS GENDER IDENTITY BOOK TO PRESCHOOL CLASS Inspira Health’s forms are meant to comply with a New Jersey law that requires the collection of data on patients’ race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Schepisi. “The health network, in fairness to them, it was like ‘We don’t necessarily want to be providing these out. And we have received some pushback and backlash from patients.’ But under the new law that was implemented in New Jersey in late June of 2022, the health network had a real belief that in order to be compliant with the law DOH [regulations], that they had to be all encompassing and include this, including for newborn patients,” Schepisi told Fox News Digital. The law requires the collection be done “in a culturally competent and sensitive manner,” which Schepisi said was “subjective.” HIDING KIDS’ ‘GENDER IDENTITY’ FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG Schepisi thinks she will be able to get bipartisan support for her legislation that would create an exemption for minors in the state’s medical records law. “Apparently, as drafted, as guidance was being provided, the interpretation by a lot of people, was that this data must be collected from all demographics without regard to age,” Schepisi told Fox News Digital. This seems to be the case, as Inspira Health told Fox News Digital that the questionnaire is “required by New Jersey law and the State of New Jersey Department of Health.” Inspira Health also said that parents are allowed to decline to provide this information. “Per recent guidance from the New Jersey Department of Health stating that health systems can collect that data in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, Inspira Health will request this information from adults. This update in protocol remains compliant with the law, and we respect patients’ right to decline to respond,” Inspira Health said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Some healthcare workers are also finding the form to be preposterous, according to Schepisi, who said Assemblyman John Azzariti, a medical doctor, called it “absurd.” Azzariti is sponsoring Schepisi’s legislation in the Assembly. Schepisi also said the form was “not fair” to workers engaging with patients who are unhappy about the bizarre questionnaire. The state senator said she has spoken to some Democratic state legislators who were stunned to hear about the forms’ existence. “I did have quite a few conversations over the past week bringing this issue to some of my Democratic colleagues’ attention, and, you know, their response was pretty much the same as a lot of people out in the public, like, ‘We’re doing what?’” Schepisi pointed the finger at New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, saying that initiatives such as the collection of this data for medical records “stemmed directly from the governor’s office.” She also pointed out that the law went from introduction to the governor’s desk in a week and a half, which she said is “unheard of.” In response to a request for comment, the New Jersey Department of Health told Fox News Digital that “the Department stresses that any collection of SOGI data should be done in a clinically appropriate and culturally competent manner, including patient populations for which certain data may not be appropriate, as in the case for newborns. We also recommend that hospitals develop internal policies and procedures based on clinical advice to assist their employees in collecting such data.”
Blue sanctuary state operating as ‘control’ center for vicious migrant gang: acting DEA chief
Lax immigration policies in deep blue Colorado are helping Tren de Aragua, one of the most vicious migrant gangs in America, to use the state as a “command and control” center, according to the acting head of the DEA. A representative for the DEA Rocky Mountain Division confirmed with Fox News statements by DEA Acting Administrator Derek Maltz on local outlet Denver 7, in which Maltz said Colorado is “ground zero for some of the most violent criminals in America,” including Tren de Aragua’s leadership. Tren de Aragua – also known by its acronym “TdA” – is a violent Venezuelan criminal group that has been linked to some of the most egregious crimes in America in recent years, including the murder of nursing student Laken Riley and the capturing of an apartment building in Aurora, Colorado. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department to designate TdA a “foreign terrorist organization.” ‘ON NOTICE’: EX-VENEZUELAN MILITARY OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘FIRST GOOD STEP’ TARGETING BLOODTHIRSTY GANG “Now, we are learning that the command and control for TdA in the entire United States of America is right here in Colorado,” Maltz told the outlet. He said this information was based on new intelligence from the “men and women on the front lines and what we’re seeing.” Maltz said the laws of Democratic-run Colorado have allowed TdA and other criminals to “take advantage of vulnerabilities and weaknesses” to perpetuate their crimes. “Anybody that thinks it’s a good idea to open up the border to adversaries around the world and then not even know who they are coming into our communities, it makes no sense,” he said, adding, “People in this state have allowed illegal violent criminals in here at record levels.” ‘BRING IT ON’: SHERIFF PUSHES BACK AFTER BLUE STATE LEADERS SUE TO STOP IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT Maltz called on state leaders to stop playing politics and instead help take violent criminal immigrants off the streets. “The politics have to stop. This is not a red or blue issue, this is a red, white and blue issue,” he said. “We have to start thinking about our citizens first.” Maltz also had some very pointed words for those criticizing or attempting to stand in the way of the federal government’s immigration crackdown. “Why don’t you thank law enforcement instead of being ‘Monday morning quarterbacks’ sitting at home and being critics?” he asked. “Why don’t you ask the politicians in the state of Colorado why they are not uniting, why they are fighting the force of good that’s going after evil?” ‘CLOSING TIME’: WHITE HOUSE, BORDER PATROL TROLL WITH DEPORTATION MEME VIDEO “Wake up, pay attention,” he went on. “Talk to the citizens that can’t go out of their house at night when gunshots are going off, talk to people that are being extorted, talk to people that are being kidnapped and raped, talk to people that are being impacted every day.” Despite the criticism, Maltz said the federal government is “connecting the dots” and taking a “whole of government” approach to finally crack down on TdA and other migrant criminals, regardless of Colorado’s laws. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “I’m proud to report that right now, the cartels, the MS-13, the violent gangs like Tren de Aragua, they’re going to be held accountable, and they’re already being held accountable,” he said. ‘SAFER WITHOUT HIM’: COLUMBIA STUDENT CLAIMS CLASSMATE ARRESTED BY ICE ‘HATES AMERICA’ “I’ve got a warning for the TdA members,” he added, “start running now.” “The team of the DEA, working with their partners from FBI, ATF, HSI, ICE ERO and our state and local counterparts, it’s a team that takes public safety and national security serious and they’ve already proven what they can do,” he said. “So they better go and find another state because they are not welcome here in Colorado.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Colorado’s two Democratic senators, Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper, did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment by the time of publication. MEXICAN IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST WHO HID IN COLORADO CHURCH FOR YEARS TO AVOID DEPORTATION ARRESTED BY ICE Eric Maruyama, a representative for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, responded to Maltz’s statements by telling Fox News Digital that the state “works with the DEA all the time on criminal investigations and to apprehend violent offenders and fugitives whether they are here legally or illegally.” Maruyama instead placed the blame for the crisis on the federal government, saying, “The reality is that Congress and the federal government for years have failed to fix our broken immigration system, secure our border, and create pathways to citizenship for people.” “Gov. Polis is focused on improving public safety and has signed comprehensive laws to crack down on illegal gun crimes, get fentanyl off the streets, and recruit and retain more law enforcement,” he claimed. “When it comes to criminal investigations or prosecutions, Colorado works closely with all federal partners, in accordance with state and federal law, to fight crime and enhance public safety.”
RFK Jr targets companies making baby formula after shortages rocked Biden administration
In a push to protect infants, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new initiative Tuesday to ensure baby formula is safe, nutritious, and free from harmful contaminants. Titled “Operation Stork Speed,” news of the new initiative followed a meeting between Heath and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and several chief executives from baby formula manufacturers. The new, comprehensive review of baby formula in the U.S. follows a shortage in 2022 under former President Joe Biden, after a recall from a major manufacturer over bacterial contaminants and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions forced the military to fly in more formula from other countries. A Pro-Publica report last year also highlighted how, under the previous administration, the U.S. pushed more than half-a-dozen countries to loosen their baby formula regulations. MOST BABY FOODS MAY NOT MEET NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES AND USE ‘MISLEADING CLAIMS,’ STUDY FINDS Operation Stork Speed will commence with several steps. One includes the initiation of a nutrient review, which will be the FDA’s first comprehensive update and review of infant formula nutrients since 1998. Another step includes ramping up testing for heavy metals and other contaminants in baby formula, while other steps revolve around addressing transparency and labeling concerns in the baby formula manufacturing industry. “The FDA is deeply committed to ensuring that moms and other caregivers of infants and young children and other individuals who rely on infant formula for their nutritional needs have confidence that these products are safe, consistently available, and contain the nutrients essential to promote health and well-being during critical stages of development and life,” said acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner. “Whether breastfed, bottle-fed or both, the rising generation must be nourished in a way that promotes health and longevity over the course of their lives.” FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES WILL SOON CHANGE FOR AMERICANS, HHS AND USDA ANNOUNCE Research from Consumer Reports released this week tested 41 types of baby formula for a number of toxic chemicals and found that roughly half of the samples they tested contained potentially harmful levels of contaminants. Abbott Laboratories, which was responsible for the 2022 recall that contributed to a nationwide baby formula shortage, was among one of the companies whose products tested above average for heavy metals. However, the company took issue with the Consumer Report’s methodology, citing the fact that heavy metals exist in the environment and these substances “may be present in trace amounts in food products, including all brands of infant formula and even human breast milk.” In a statement following news of the initiative, Scott Stoffel, a spokesperson for Abbott Laboratories, said the company was looking forward to supporting the efforts of Operation Stork Speed. “We look forward to working with the Secretary, the FDA, and the scientific and medical communities to continue to make infant formulas even closer to breast milk and support the aims of Operation Stork Speed,” Stoffel said. “Each ingredient in our formulas is purposefully chosen for the type of baby we’re feeding and their unique dietary needs.”
House Dem gets earful from angry constituents: ‘Show some…backbone’
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., faced down angry constituents and shouting matches that threatened to derail his town hall near the nation’s capitol on Tuesday. Footage from the event shows one constituent from Prince George’s County yelling at the congressman to “fight” and “show some of the backbone and strategic brilliance that Mitch McConnell would have in the minority.” “We want you to show fight, and you are not fighting,” the man shouted, going on to say that federal employees feel abandoned by Democratic lawmakers in the wake of Republicans successfully passing their budget bill earlier in March. “Yeah I agree. I think your point about the vote on the [budget] is right,” Ivey responded before being cut off by another shouting constituent. EPA TERMINATES BIDEN ADMIN’S GREEN GRANTS WORTH $20B, ZELDIN SAYS The woman screamed for several seconds before Ivey attempted to interject: “He just asked me about this. I’m going to answer his question…You will get a turn.” “You’re too calm. You are too calm,” the woman screamed back. “Where is your fight, then? Where is your fight?” JAMES CARVILLE OFFERS LOVE ADVICE TO YOUNG PROGRESSIVES FOLLOWING ‘LOVE IS BLIND’ POLITICAL BLOW-UP Ivey repeats that he will answer the first man’s question, insisting that the woman “can stay here and yell as long as you want.” “No! No! Nooooooooooooooooo!” the woman can be heard screaming. The congressman then continues to speak over her and say that she must get in line to ask a question until she ultimately leaves the venue. The event was emblematic of the frustration that exists at all levels of the Democratic Party as Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ivey himself lashed out at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier in the town hall. “I was deeply disappointed that Senator Schumer voted with the Republicans. You know, you’re on bad ground when you get a personal tweet from Donald Trump thanking you for your vote, right. We don’t want to be there. We don’t want to be there,” Ivey said. DEMOCRATS LASH OUT AT SCHUMER FOR ‘BETRAYAL’ OF SIDING WITH TRUMP “Hakeem [Jeffries] met the moment. Schumer did not. And so I respect Chuck Schumer. I think he’s had a great, long-standing career. He’s done a lot of great things, but I’m afraid that it may be time for the Senate Democrats to pick new leadership as we move forward,” the lawmaker added to applause.
Trump DOJ hammers judge’s ‘digressive micromanagement,’ seeks more time to answer 5 questions
The Justice Department accused a federal judge of “digressive micromanagement” Wednesday in relation to a case involving deportation flights that sent Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador over the weekend. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Justice Department to submit answers to five questions after it insisted Tuesday that the flights did not violate a court order. Boasberg granted an emergency order Saturday to temporarily block the flights from taking place for 14 days while his court considered the legality of using the 1798 wartime-era Alien Enemies Act to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua. “The Court has now spent more time trying to ferret out information about the Government’s flight schedules and relations with foreign countries than it did in investigating the facts before certifying the class action in this case,” read a filing Wednesday that was co-signed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and others. “That observation reflects how upside-down this case has become, as digressive micromanagement has outweighed consideration of the case’s legal issues.” “The distraction of the specific facts surrounding the movements of an airplane has derailed this case long enough and should end until the Circuit Court has had a chance to weigh in. The Government respects this Court and has complied with its request to present the Government’s position on the legality of the Court’s [Temporary Restraining Order] and the Government’s compliance with that TRO,” they wrote. Boasberg on Tuesday ordered the Justice Department to answer five questions, submitting declarations to him under seal by noon on Wednesday: “1) What time did the plane take off from U.S. soil and from where? 2) What time did it leave U.S. airspace? 3) What time did it land in which foreign country (including if it made more than one stop)? 4) What time were individuals subject solely to the Proclamation transferred out of U.S. custody? and 5) How many people were aboard solely on the basis of the Proclamation?” However, the Justice Department said in their filing today that “Defendants are currently evaluating whether to invoke the state secrets privilege as to portions of the information sought by this Court’s order.” “Whether and how to invoke that privilege involves both weighty considerations and specific procedures that are not amenable to the 21-hour turnaround period currently provided by this Court’s order,” it continued. It also said “disclosure of the information sought could implicate the affairs of United States allies and their cooperation with the United States Government in fighting terrorist organizations” and “such disclosure would unquestionably create serious repercussions for the Executive Branch’s ability to conduct foreign affairs.” “What began as a dispute between litigants over the President’s authority to protect the national security and manage the foreign relations of the United States pursuant to both a longstanding Congressional authorization and the President’s core constitutional authorities has devolved into a picayune dispute over the micromanagement of immaterial factfinding,” it declared. In granting the emergency order Saturday, Boasberg sided with the plaintiffs – Democracy Forward and the ACLU – who had argued that the deportations would likely pose imminent and “irreparable” harm to the migrants under the time proposed. Boasberg also ordered the Trump administration on Saturday to immediately halt any planned deportations and to notify their clients that “any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” he said. However, the decision apparently came too late to stop two planes filled with more than 200 migrants who were deported to El Salvador. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in an interview that a plane carrying hundreds of migrants, including more than 130 persons removed under the Alien Enemies Act, had already “left U.S. airspace” by the time the order was handed down. Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch and David Spunt contributed to this report.
House panel asks Trump’s small business chief to provide info on alleged Biden-era electioneering project
EXCLUSIVE: The House Small Business Committee will ask Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler for Biden-era data it says the previous administration consistently “stonewalled” throughout a probe into alleged swing-state electioneering. Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, and the panel have been pressing the SBA since they first uncovered cooperation between the agency and the state of Michigan under former President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14019: Promoting Access to Voting. The committee prefaced its letter by saying Williams is pleased to hear Loeffler committed to rescinding the formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) forged with the Great Lakes State – but went on to ask for detailed documentation of the SBA’s work before she was confirmed. The committee alleged the former SBA leadership used the MOU to involve themselves in partisan voter registration efforts in target precincts like Saginaw and Detroit, rather than simply aiding voters across the board. LAWMAKERS SLAM SBA ‘STONEWALLING’ OVER MICHIGAN VOTER MEMO AS ELECTIONEERING CLAIMS SURFACE In the heat of the conflict between the Biden SBA and the Small Business Committee, Williams filed what he told Fox News Digital was a “rare” subpoena for information from the SBA. The government watchdog Oversight Project, of the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, also launched a separate lawsuit last year in regard to the alleged electioneering behavior. A year-end report first obtained by Fox News Digital, found Biden’s executive order to be an “improper use of executive authority” and that SBA actions in accordance with it thereby “pose unnecessary risks to the integrity of U.S. elections.” “Either intentionally or negligently, the SBA has failed to refute concerns of this MOU’s partisan nature,” the report added. In that effect, Williams is now asking Loeffler for the travel schedules of Biden-era officials, communications including interoffice instant-messenger among SBA personnel in regard to Biden’s order, and all communications with the state of Michigan. The panel is also asking for an explicitly unredacted copy of implementation plans in regard to the MOU, as well as any evidence “sufficient to show whether the SBA engaged in any activity relating to voter access or voter registration before the MOU’s March 19, 2024 announcement.” HOUSE COMMITTEE DEMANDS BIDEN AGENCY REVEAL STAFF TRAVEL HISTORIES AMID ELECTIONEERING CLAIMS The committee also continues to seek travel schedules and related documents for a dozen SBA staff members, including Isabel Casillas Guzman, Dilawar Syed, Arthur Plews and Jennifer Kim. Representatives for the Biden-era SBA repeatedly denied any “stonewalling.” In a statement on its work with SBA, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she was proud to work with the agency “for this first-in-the-nation effort connecting Michigan’s small business community with the tools and information they need to play an even greater active role in our democracy.” “For nearly two years, the SBA has cooperated with the committee’s inquiry, testifying at multiple hearings, providing the committee staff with briefings, making agency officials available for transcribed interviews, and producing thousands of pages of documents responsive to their inquiry,” a spokesperson said, calling the allegations “baseless.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to committee ranking member Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., for comment on Wednesday’s letter as well. Previously, Velazquez said that until the current controversy, the committee had long “prided itself in bipartisan cooperation to help American entrepreneurs.” “Unfortunately, with [these] subpoenas, Republicans have rejected these principles to pursue a partisan inquiry,” Velazquez said at the time. In December, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the work of the committee and its interim report, saying it rightly exposed “not only the improper use of executive authority but also significant concerns about actions taken by an agency that may jeopardize the integrity of U.S. elections.”