Taiwan envoy urges congressional action, warns of rising China threat after meeting lawmakers
Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S. urged the Senate to ease tax burdens between the two countries and asked Congress to fast-track foreign military sales, following a closed-door lunch Wednesday with the House. Ambassador Alexander Tah-Ray Yui, Taipei’s top representative in Washington, told Fox News Digital that he is encouraged that U.S. leaders recognize the urgent existential threat China poses, but emphasized the need to get weapons into the hands of the Taiwanese military more quickly and to address issues impeding two-way investment. “We appreciate the United States prioritizing Taiwan and helping us strengthen our defense capabilities,” Yui said. “We’re cheering on more military commitments to the states and [a] joint effort to speed up the delivery of the products that we bought.” Yui called on the Senate to advance a stalled double taxation agreement, which has already cleared the House. ROBERT MAGINNIS: 9 SIGNS BEIJING’S TAIWAN INVASION MAY BE IMMINENT “That’s an important incentive for Taiwanese companies to come to the United States and invest – but also vice versa for U.S. companies to go to Taiwan,” he said. “We are the only one of the large trading partners without this treatment, which is worrying for the whole country right now.” By a vote of 423 to 1, the House last Congress passed the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act, legislation that prevents double taxation on cross-border investments. The ambassador also offered a sobering assessment of China’s increasingly belligerent posture in the Taiwan Strait and across the Indo-Pacific. “We are concerned,” Yui said. “The [People’s Liberation] Army and Navy are increasing their activities around Taiwan, harassing our territorial waters and airspace. These provocations are constant.” While emphasizing that “we don’t want war,” he noted that the U.S. and regional partners have begun ramping up their own defenses, recognizing the threat. ‘COMING FOR US’: EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON CCP’S MISSION TO ‘KILL AMERICANS’ AFTER FBI MAKES SHOCKING ARRESTS Rep. August Pfluger, who chairs the influential RSC, told Fox News Digital that the meeting was a show of solidarity with Taiwan’s democratic government and a rebuke of China’s authoritarian policies. “China is an existential threat to Taiwan,” said Pfluger, a Texas Republican. “The difference between mainland China and Taiwan is how they treat human life. Taiwan values openness. China suppresses free speech, targets groups like the Uyghur Muslims – it’s deeply concerning.” The lunch meeting, attended by dozens of House Republicans, comes amid rising tensions in the region – but just as President Donald Trump announced a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the trade war. While Pfluger did not commit to further supplemental aid, he said he supports efforts by both nations to strengthen military readiness, including Taiwan’s move to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP. “It stands to reason that Taiwan increasing their own internal spending on defense, as well as the U.S. recapitalizing our Navy and Air and Space Forces, is vitally important,” he said. Asked what message Congress wants to send to the Taiwanese people, Pfluger was unequivocal: “We stand by them – as an ally, as a trading partner, as a democracy facing tyranny just next door.” The conversation came at a time when U.S. military officials are warning China is readying for battle in the Indo-Pacific in an effort to “dominate” the region. “Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of its broader strategy to dominate that region and then the world,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress this week. He added that such an outcome could put the U.S. economy and its supply chains in a choke hold. “China is undertaking a historic military buildup and actively rehearsing for an invasion of Taiwan,” he said. “These aggressive maneuvers are not routine exercises, they are rehearsals for a forced unification,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added in his own testimony. Taiwan has recently renewed an effort to purge its ranks of Chinese sympathizers, indicting four people on Tuesday suspected of spying for China that had infiltrated the presidential office. Two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting operations in the Pacific demonstrated the country’s “expansionist” aims, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Wednesday. “Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen,” he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to the region from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines to Borneo and the second island chain spreads farther into the Pacific, toward the U.S. territory of Guam.
Hegseth authorizes voluntary departure of military dependents from across Middle East amid rising tensions
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. military dependents from locations across the Middle East, a major move as tensions spike across the region. A U.S. defense official told Fox News on Wednesday: “The safety and security of our service members and their families remains our highest priority and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is monitoring the developing tension in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has authorized the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations across the CENTCOM AOR.” The authorization affects U.S. bases throughout the CENTCOM area of responsibility, which includes key flashpoints like Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. While the Department of Defense (DOD) has not cited a specific threat, the move comes as Iran-backed militias increase activity and regional instability grows. HERE’S HOW MANY US SERVICE MEMBERS ARE SPENDING THE HOLIDAYS AWAY FROM HOME DEPLOYED OVERSEAS “CENTCOM is working in close coordination with our Department of State counterparts, as well as our Allies and partners in the region to maintain a constant state of readiness to support any number of missions around the world at any time,” the official added. US FORCES TARGET HOUTHI WEAPONS STORAGE FACILITIES IN YEMEN OVER THE WEEKEND: CENTCOM While voluntary departures aren’t rare, they typically kick in when a security environment worsens. U.S. doctrine, such as JP 3‑68, explicitly provides for the voluntary departure of command-sponsored dependents at government expense whenever threats rise. “Voluntary departure of command‑sponsored military dependents, nonessential DOD civilian employees and their families, families of essential DOD civilian employees, and DOD dependents schools’ staff and faculty to an announced safe haven is encouraged and authorized at government expense, with return also at government expense,” reads JP 3-68. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to an additional request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Leavitt balks at reporters’ LA riot coverage, ‘disingenuous attack’ in briefing: ‘What a stupid question’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt balked at a handful of questions posed by the media during Wednesday’s press briefing regarding the anti-ICE riots that have spiraled in Los Angeles, including remarking that one prompt was “stupid” before quickly moving on. “Quick question, so if there were peaceful protests on Saturday for the military parade, President Trump would allow that,” one reporter asked Leavitt on Wednesday afternoon. “Of course, the president supports peaceful protest. What a stupid question,” Leavitt shot back before taking another question from another reporter. The press briefing comes after riots broke out in Los Angeles on Friday in response to federal law enforcement officials converging on the city to conduct immigration raids. ANTI-ICE RIOTS FORCE HUD OFFICES TO CLOSE WEEKS AFTER ‘SQUAD’ DEM, MAXINE WATERS SAID TRUMP WOULD CLOSE THEM Reporters peppered Leavitt with a handful of questions regarding planned upcoming deportation efforts nationwide, and how the administration plans to handle any potential future riots in response to ICE raids, as well as another question on the riots that Leavitt quickly dismissed as a “disingenuous attack.” “Everything that we’ve seen so far with the president’s response to the LA protests, there is criticism that seems to suggest that the president responded the way he did because it was a deliberate, calculated attempt to sort of shift focus away from his feud with Musk. How would you respond to that idea?” another reporter asked. “That the president responded to the LA riots, condemning the violence … That’s an incredibly disingenuous attack,” Leavitt responded. ‘DELUSIONAL’ HILLARY CLINTON SAVAGELY MOCKED FOR LA RIOTS RESPONSE: ‘ONLY LEFTISTS DISABLE COMMENTS’ Leavitt continued in her response that Trump saw footage first-hand of rioters targeting federal law enforcement officials such as ICE, before making the decision to activate the National Guard over the weekend. “The president saw images of Border Patrol and ICE agents being hit with rocks and Molotov cocktails. He saw vehicles being burned to the ground with illegal aliens flying foreign flags. And that’s what prompted the president to have this response that has clearly worked,” she continued. Riots broke out in the city after local leaders such as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom denounced the raids in public statements while offering words of support for illegal aliens in the state. Trump announced Saturday that he was deploying 2,000 National Guard members to help quell the violence, bypassing the governor, who typically activates the National Guard. The move sparked Newsom to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration for efforts to allegedly “federalize the California National Guard,” while Democrats across the nation have attempted to pin blame for the violence on Trump’s activation of the National Guard while characterizing the anti-ICE riots as “peaceful” demonstrations. SEN KENNEDY TELLS DEMOCRATS TO ‘POP A ZOLOFT’ OVER TRUMP’S HANDLING OF LOS ANGELES ANTI-ICE RIOTS “And I would add, the governor and the mayor need to actually do more. I know Gavin Newsom had a big address to the nation last night. … We haven’t seen action. California has been a mess for years because of the incompetence of Gavin Newsom. So, the president was responding to that only,” Leavitt continued. MUSK SAYS HE REGRETS SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS TARGETING TRUMP: ‘THEY WENT TOO FAR’ The riots unfolded in Los Angeles the day after Trump and former Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk traded public barbs over the “big beautiful bill,” which is sweeping legislation that aims to fund Trump’s agenda. Musk attempted to rally lawmakers to “kill the bill” on Tuesday, arguing it was an “outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.” The pair’s relationship appeared to be shattered as they traded repeated public barbs. Musk, however, posted to X on Wednesday that he regretted “some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
American Bar Association blasts Bondi’s decision to block it from judicial nominations: ‘Deeply disturbing’
The American Bar Association asked the Department of Justice on Tuesday to reconsider its historic decision to shut the organization out of the judicial nomination process and insisted it rates potential judges fairly. ABA President William Bay wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi that he was “surprised and disappointed” by her decision, which Bondi revealed in a letter two weeks ago. “It is deeply disturbing that the Justice Department has decided to restrict access to judicial nominees without justification or basis,” Bay wrote. Bondi accused the ABA, which comprises hundreds of thousands of lawyers and other legal professionals, of favoring Democratic administrations’ nominees and refusing to “fix the bias in its ratings.” JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS ABA IT WILL NOT LONGER COMPLY WITH RATINGS FOR JUDICIAL NOMINEES The ABA has for seven decades been involved in rating presidents’ nominees to serve as judges in the district and appellate courts and the Supreme Court. An ABA committee rates potential judges as “well qualified,” “qualified” or “not qualified” based on their experience level, legal writings, and dozens of interviews with the candidates’ colleagues and peers. Bay noted the ABA rated all three of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees as “well qualified” and that it has given “well qualified” or “qualified” ratings to at least 97% of rated nominees for the last two decades. The ABA has also received nonpublic information about nominees, including their bar records, through DOJ waivers. Bondi said the department will no longer provide those. TRUMP NOMINATES FORMER DEFENSE ATTORNEY EMIL BOVE FOR FEDERAL APPEALS COURT VACANCY Bay’s remarks were the latest development in a protracted legal fight that Trump and Republicans have waged against the ABA and big law over allegations they are plagued by bias. The ABA has on occasion promoted liberal initiatives, including abortion access, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the LGBTQ agenda. Bay said the rating committee is walled off from the rest of the organization. “The Standing Committee’s work is insulated from all other activities of the ABA to ensure its independence and impartiality,” Bay wrote. Presidents nominate federal judges, and the Senate votes on them. The judges, once confirmed, serve lifetime appointments. Presidents and the Senate have for decades included the ABA in the nomination process, but Trump and President George W. Bush declined to give the ABA a first look at potential nominees before announcing them. Former President Joe Biden continued Trump’s practice but clarified that he valued the ABA’s ratings and only gave it post-nomination access to nominee information to save time. SEVEN TIMES FEDERAL JUDGES RULED AGAINST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THIS WEEK A DOJ spokesman said in response to Bay’s letter: “It’s clear that the American Bar Association has lost its way and no longer treats all nominees in a fair and impartial manner.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who leads the Senate panel tasked with vetting potential judges, said in response to Bondi’s decision that it was “hardly surprising” and that the legal organization has “consistently taken partisan stances on political issues.” Grassley noted the ABA could still weigh in on nominees independently of the administration. “The Judiciary Committee will still accept letters from the ABA, the same as we do for all outside organizations, but it doesn’t make sense for this administration to be giving favored access to an organization that’s consistently shown political bias,” Grassley said. Grassley’s Democratic counterpart, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, said in a statement online that the ABA’s ratings process was objective. “The Trump Administration is clearly just trying to cover for unqualified and extreme nominees,” Durbin said. Among those once rated as “not qualified” by the ABA was DOJ chief of staff Chad Mizelle’s wife, Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who serves as a federal judge in Florida. The rating was due to her lack of experience, as the ABA’s criteria for federal judges includes 12 years of experience practicing law. The ABA had mixed reviews for Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991, ultimately giving him its mid-level “qualified” rating.
Trump’s ‘next-generation’ missile defense plan gains momentum as US faces foreign threats
House Republicans have formed their own Golden Dome Caucus as President Donald Trump continues to push for a nationwide missile defense system. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colo., and Rep. Dale Strong, R-Ala., launched the caucus to be an “educational clearinghouse” as the policy effort for the dome kicks off. “Golden Dome will only be successful if we meet President Trump’s timeline,” Crank said in a statement Tuesday. “This means that is imperative that we, members and stakeholders, are well informed and working together to revolutionize missile defense of our great nation.” TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM REVIVES REAGAN’S NUCLEAR SHIELD DREAM According to a news release, it will work with the Senate Golden Dome Caucus founded last month by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. “President Trump has artfully highlighted the critical need for a next-generation missile defense shield to protect the U.S. against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other aerial attacks. With nuclear-capable adversaries across the globe, we can’t afford for this vision to not become a reality,” Strong said. “North Alabama has played a role in every former and current U.S. missile defense program and stands ready once again to meet this urgent need.” Trump signed an executive order in January ordering the project but formally announced the effort in May, which was partly inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome. TRUMP UNVEILS ‘GOLDEN DOME’ MISSILE SHIELD, BLINDSIDES KEY SENATORS “Within the last four decades, our adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons than ever before, including ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with either conventional or nuclear warheads,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement May 20. “Golden Dome is designed to leverage some past investments but will also use next-generation technology to defend against the evolving and complex threat landscape,” President Ronald Reagan proposed a similar program, known as the Strategic Defense Imitative, in 1983. The dome has a starting projected cost of $175 billion, and $25 billion is allocated through the proposed reconciliation bill in Congress, but some estimates show a higher figure. “This is very important for the success and even survival of our country. It’s an evil world out there,” Trump said during an Oval Office event about the Golden Dome in May. TRUMP, HEGSETH ANNOUNCE ‘GOLDEN DOME,’ A ‘GAME CHANGER’ TO PROTECT AMERICAN HOMELAND Fox News Digital previously reported that Russia, China and North Korea mocked the Golden Dome pitch from Trump. “The project will heighten the risk of turning space into a war zone and creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said last month.
Republicans target vulnerable Senate Democrat over Los Angeles rioting
FIRST ON FOX: The rioting in Los Angeles has quickly made its way onto the campaign trail. Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia, who a month ago launched a Senate campaign in the 2026 race against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, on Wednesday went up with a new ad targeting the senator over the unrest in the nation’s second-most populous city. Aiming to extinguish escalating protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at his administration’s direction, President Donald Trump sent in National Guard troops and even mobilized Marines. The unrest and the moves by Trump have dominated national headlines for days. “Rule of law is on the line,” are the words seen over visuals of the rioting in the streets of Los Angeles in the campaign spot. “Are we a nation of anarchy or law and order?” THE POLITICS OF TRUMP’S MOVE TO QUELL ANTI-ICE UNREST IN LOS ANGELES The ad then argues, “A nation on the brink and Jon Ossoff is MIA” before charging that “Jon Ossoff is for they/them.” The spot’s claim that Ossoff “is MIA” is a reference to what Carter’s team says is a lack of a response or a statement, to date, by Ossoff over the unrest in Los Angeles. Ossoff’s Senate office says he is currently on leave – for a very good reason. The office told Fox News that the senator and his wife “welcomed a baby daughter 12 days ago and he is out on paternity leave.” CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ANTI-ICE PROTESTS IN LOS ANGELES The charge in the ad that “Ossoff is for they/them” is a reference to the senator’s continued use of pronouns on his social media page on X, formerly Twitter. Republicans have regularly criticized the use of pronouns as part of their battle against what they see as “wokeness” in the U.S. The spot is the third by Carter – who has represented coastal Georgia in the House for over a decade – to target Ossoff, who is considered the most vulnerable Democratic senator running for re-election in next year’s midterms. Carter’s campaign told Fox News that it’s spending six figures to run the digital spot statewide in Georgia. MARINES BEING DEPLOYED TO LOS ANGELES AMID RIOTS AS CALIFORNIA MOVES TO SUE TRUMP OVER RESPONSE Ossoff, who was first elected to the Senate in a January 2021 runoff election, is also being targeted in a new ad by the America One PAC, which is aligned with GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. “Who’s side is Jon Ossoff on?” asks the narrator in the commercial. “Ossoff voted with Biden and Kamala to open our borders. Now he’s fighting to keep illegal aliens on Medicaid.” The narrator ends the ad by claiming that “Ossoff’s on their side, not yours.” Cotton, a rising star in the GOP and in the Republican Senate leadership, is increasing his efforts to help his party increase its current 53-47 majority in the chamber in next year’s elections. “This is just the beginning of what we’re planning to do to help Senate Republicans not only hold, but strengthen our majority in 2026,” a source in the senator’s political orbit told Fox News.
HHS brings back hundreds of staff following force reduction in latest rehiring move
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is rehiring more than 450 previously fired employees belonging to multiple divisions within the agency’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to an HHS official familiar with the matter. The rehired workers come from four different operational divisions within the CDC. These divisions include the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP), the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), the Immediate Office of the Director (IOD) and the CDC’s Global Health Center (GHC). The move to bring these employees back follows the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to reorganize HHS and its sub-agencies during its first few months, which reports said included as many as 10,000 layoffs at various health agencies. It also follows multiple actions by the Trump administration following those layoffs to rehire some of the HHS staffers who were initially let go, such as those within the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Institutes of Health. HHS SAYS IT WILL CUT WORKFORCE BY 10K, SAVING $1.8B ANNUALLY “Personnel that should not have been cut, were cut,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CBS News in April. “We’re reinstating them. And that was always the plan. Part of the — at DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we’re going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we’ll make mistakes.” NCHHSTP will see the greatest number of its workers rehired out of the four divisions, with 214 returning. This HHS division consists of several smaller groups, including CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, which media reports said was cut in half by the Trump administration. NCEH will see the next greatest number of returned employees, with 158 coming back. Similar to NCHHSTP, NCEH consists of multiple groups, including one titled the “Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice,” which the Trump administration initially eliminated altogether as part of its reforms. HOW A DOGE REVIEW CAN ACTUALLY IMPROVE THE PROGRAMS THAT FIGHT HIV/AIDS IOD will see the third most returning with 71 and CDC’s Global Health Center will see the least employees return out of the four divisions with 24 rehired workers. HHS is just one of several agencies that have rehired employees following reductions in force spurred by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the State Department, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have all taken actions to rehire employees that were initially fired as a result of the reduction in force, per the Washington Post. “Under Secretary Kennedy’s leadership, the nation’s critical public health functions remain intact and effective. The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services—whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “HHS is streamlining operations without compromising mission-critical work. Enhancing the health and well-being of all Americans remains our top priority.”
AOC downplays LA riots as mere ‘teens’ throwing rocks, pins blame on Trump
“Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., downplayed the recent riots in Los Angeles, attributing the chaos to unruly teens – not violent anarchists – and blaming former President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown for the unrest. Ocasio-Cortez took to the social media platform Bluesky on Tuesday and said Democrats don’t need to “answer for every teen who throws a rock” and that her party was falling into a Republican trap by trying to explain why parts of the sanctuary city had gone up in flames. She instead blamed President Trump for the chaotic scenes that have resulted in property burned and rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at law enforcement as some agitators waved Mexican flags. CALIFORNIA SHERIFF SAYS NEWSOM ‘ENCOURAGED’ LA RIOTS AS ICE ARRESTS VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIENS The ugly scenes that kicked off on Friday prompted Trump to deploy the National Guard and the U.S. Marines. “It is 100% carrying water for the opposition to participate in this collective delusion that Dems for some reason need to answer for every teen who throws a rock rather than hold the Trump admin accountable for intentionally creating chaos and breaking the law to stoke violence,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “They are in charge.” Rioters have been seen throwing rocks on police cars and at police while one violent individual was caught on video pelting several moving law enforcement vehicles in Paramount, California, as they drove past him. FEDERAL OFFICIALS SLAM DEMOCRATS FOR ‘DANGEROUS’ RHETORIC AS ICE AGENTS FACE VIOLENT MOBS IN LA, NYC He was identified as Elpidio Reyna, and an image of Reyna released by U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli clearly shows he is an adult. He is still at large and the FBI initially offered a $50,000 cash reward for information leading to his arrest. In a second post, Ocasio-Cortez blamed Trump for the unrest, writing that his decision to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out to apprehend illegal migrants triggered the response in Los Angeles. Trump swept to victory in November promising to carry out the largest deportation effort in U.S. history and arrested more than 66,000 people and deported approximately 65,000 in the first 100 days of his second presidency. “Everything was fine until Trump decided to unleash violent raids w/o grounds in elementary schools, shopping areas, & peaceful public spaces. ICE then illegally blocked Members of Congress entry into the facilities they are disappearing people into, escalating the situation,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote, referring to members of Congress recently turning up at a New Jersey ICE detention center unannounced. “Let’s start there,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky, a competitor to X. She did not post her comments to X and instead shared the bluesky posts to her Instagram stories. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday announced that ICE arrested a previously deported illegal immigrant from Mexico after he allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at law enforcement amid rioting in Los Angeles on June 7. He’s been charged with attempted murder. Rioters have also set off fireworks at police officers and vehicles, vandalized property with graffiti, looted businesses and smashed windows of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) headquarters. California Gov. Gavin Newson and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass have also tried to pin the blame on Trump. The president and his allies, meanwhile, maintain that he acted boldly and that the situation would have escalated further had he not done so. “If our troops didn’t go into Los Angeles, it would be burning to the ground right now, just like so much of their housing burned to the ground,” Trump posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning. “The great people of Los Angeles are very lucky that I made the decision to go in and help!!!”
White House rips ‘shameful’ LA riots as Trump steps in where Newsom, Bass failed, Leavitt says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the protest and riots in Los Angeles as “shameful” on Wednesday, blasting California officials for failing to reign in “left-wing radicals.” Leavitt made the comments as soon as she took the podium at a Wednesday press briefing. She emphasized President Donald Trump’s efforts to quash the “mob rule” seen in the city while accusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of failing to serve their constituents. “They didn’t have the courage to do the right thing and protect law-abiding Californians from rioters,” Leavitt said of the officials. “That’s why President Trump deployed the National Guard and mobilized Marines to end the chaos and restore law and order.” “The mob violence is being stomped out. The criminals responsible will be swiftly brought to justice, and the Trump administration’s operations to arrest illegal aliens are continuing unabated,” she added. WATCH: DEM, MEDIA OUTLETS INSIST LA ANTI-ICE RIOTS ARE ‘PEACEFUL’ DESPITE VIOLENCE, INJURED COPS Leavitt went on to field questions from reporters about the “specific criteria” that Trump used to federalize California’s National Guard. CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins argued members of the military would not be able to conduct arrests unless Trump invoked the Insurrection Act. “As you know, the president federalized the national guard under U.S. Code 10,” Leavitt responded. THE POLITICS OF TRUMP’S MOVE TO QUELL ANTI-ICE UNREST IN LOS ANGELES APPEAR TO PUT DEMOCRATS ON DEFENSE Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsman to Los Angeles this week, as well as 700 U.S. Marines. Trump suggested earlier this week that he would be willing to arrest Newsom if his administration obstructs ICE operations amid riots in Los Angeles. “He’s daring Tom Homan to come and arrest him. Should he do it?” Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked. NEWSOM SAY LOS ANGELES RIOTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED, SLAMS TRUMP FOR ‘TRAUMATIZING OUR COMMUNITIES’ “I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump responded. “I think it’s great. Gavin likes the publicity. But I do think it would be a great thing. He’s done a terrible job. I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent. Everybody knows.” Trump has also been vocal about his belief that many of the rioters and protesters in Los Angeles are professional agitators rather than real protesters. “The people that are causing the problem are professional agitators. They’re insurrectionists. They’re bad people. They should be in jail,” Trump said. Newsom swiftly responded to Trump’s comments in a post on social media.
Immigrant shelter whistleblower asking DOJ to investigate ‘disturbing pattern’ at taxpayer-funded hotels
A former immigrant shelter director in Massachusetts is petitioning Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into the “disturbing pattern” of criminal activity, sexual assaults and financial abuse that he says is widespread in the state-run migrant shelter system. Jon Fetherston, a former director of an immigrant shelter in Marlborough, Massachusetts, first blew the whistle about the widespread abuse in the shelter system after he discovered a Haitian migrant named Ronald Joseph, who was living in his shelter, had repeatedly raped and impregnated his 13-year-old daughter. Fetherston previously told Fox News Digital that as soon as Joseph heard he was losing custody of his daughter, he “reached across the table and grabbed me and got angry with me and started cursing and yelling and screaming and swinging at me because he realized what was happening.” However, instead of being arrested immediately, Fetherston was directed to order Joseph a Lyft ride to another shelter in Worcester County. Joseph was not arrested until eight months in February. US ATTORNEY ALINA HABBA ANNOUNCES REP. MCIVER HIT WITH FEDERAL CHARGES OVER NEWARK ICE CLASH Though this case was particularly egregious, Fetherston said that “there is a lot of undocumented violence that goes on” and that rape, domestic violence, sex trafficking, drug dealing and other crimes are so commonplace in the Massachusetts shelter system that many incidents simply fall through the cracks. Fetherston said, “The entire experience has shaken me to my core.” In a letter sent to Bondi this Monday, Fetherston said that this was “not an isolated incident” but despite his raising the alarm, “there has been a deliberate wall of silence. No reforms. No accountability. Just more spin, stonewalling, and bureaucratic excuses.” “This is a crisis—one that requires federal action now,” he said. Fetherston is now asking Bondi to launch a full investigation into criminal activity and sexual violence within Massachusetts-run migrant shelters, widespread fraud and misuse of federal and state funds, the deliberate refusal to coordinate with federal law enforcement agencies and the pattern of retaliation against those reporting abuse, danger or misconduct. REPUBLICAN STATE AGS SEEK ‘GAME PLAN’ FROM FBI, DOJ AMID ‘GROWING WAVE OF ANTISEMITIC DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ The former shelter director-turned-whistleblower said that “these crimes and failures cannot be brushed aside any longer,” because “innocent people—especially children—are being hurt, and the people responsible are being protected by silence and political calculation.” Fetherston placed much of the blame for rampant mismanagement and abuse in the shelter system on Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who has been extremely critical of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Fetherston said that “the impact of the Healey administration’s hotel shelter policy has been devastating for both residents inside the shelters and the local communities surrounding them.” “I personally witnessed traumatic incidents—including assaults, fraud, and serious mental health crises—with minimal intervention from the state,” he said. BLUE STATE GOVERNOR SOUNDS OFF ABOUT ‘DISTURBING’ ICE OPERATIONS ON AFFLUENT LIBERAL ISLANDS “Families were placed in overcrowded, poorly managed facilities with little to no oversight, where safety was constantly compromised,” he explained. “Local communities were never consulted, resulting in growing resentment and fear. Neighborhoods saw increased police calls, strain on emergency services, and the burden of absorbing hundreds of people without additional resources.” He said the Healey administration’s “lack of transparency and refusal to collaborate with municipalities left both residents and local officials in the dark, with serious consequences.” He also claimed he has faced retaliation for speaking out, including “having my safety threatened, being publicly discredited, and physically targeted.” “If you challenge the narrative, you’re silenced,” he said. “That culture of suppression has created a dangerous environment where truth is buried and accountability is nonexistent.” HANDFUL OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS JOIN REPUBLICANS IN SANCTUARY CITY CRACKDOWN Healey’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Healey has previously expressed outrage and called for a full audit of the state’s shelters after it was discovered that a 28-year-old illegal immigrant, Leonardo Andujar Sanchez, was discovered using a shelter to store an AR-15 and nearly $1 million in illegal drugs.