Category: Fox News

New GOP proposal unshackles victims of sanctuary policies to demand accountability: ‘Reset our system’

EXCLUSIVE: Victims of sanctuary policies could soon be able to sue the state, county and local governments that enacted them, according to a new proposal by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. The Sanctuary City Accountability Act (SCAA) would allow Americans nationwide to sue over the policies that limit the ability of local law enforcement to comply with federal immigration laws. Specifically, the bill would permit victims and their immediate families to take legal action over crimes that impacted them as a direct result of the policies. “For years, sanctuary cities have openly defied federal law and endangered the American people by not only shielding illegals from the consequences of their crimes, but also ensuring they are allowed to remain free to victimize even more innocent Americans,” Issa told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s time to reset our system and put the law on the side of American citizens, not criminal illegals. ‘BRING IT ON’: SHERIFF PUSHES BACK AFTER BLUE STATE LEADERS SUE TO STOP IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT The legislation is expected to go through the House Judiciary Committee, of which Issa is a senior member. “Any individual who is a national of the United States may bring a civil action in an appropriate district court of the United States against a sanctuary jurisdiction in which an alien was located if that alien commits a crime against that individual, or an immediate family member of that individual, in the sanctuary jurisdiction, or in any other jurisdiction to which the alien later relocates, for such injunctive relief or compensatory damages as may be appropriate,” the bill’s text states. In the legislation, sanctuary policies are considered ones that limit Immigration and Customs Enforcement “detainer compliance” and not allowing ICE “access to interview incarcerated aliens.” RED STATE HUNTS TREN DE ARAGUA TERRORISTS AS JUDGES LIGHT ‘CREDIBILITY ON FIRE’ FIGHTING DEPORTATIONS: SENATOR CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE  It is also meant to build on the proposed Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act, which would make it federal law to allow local authorities to work with the federal government on illegal immigration issues. The proposal comes as San Diego County, which Issa represents parts of, failed to scrap its “super sanctuary” policy established in December during a vote earlier this month. “This is deeply disappointing,” Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond said in a statement about the failed repeal vote. “This was not about politics. This was about ensuring that criminals—rapists, child abusers, burglars, and violent offenders—are removed from our communities. Instead, fear and misinformation won the day, leaving law-abiding residents at greater risk.” LAKEN RILEY ACT UNLEASHES FEDS TO HUNT VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS IN FLORIDA: LAWMAKER Desmond and Supervisor Joel Anderson voted to get rid of the policy that was put in place by the board’s Democratic majority in December, Democratic Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe argued that repealing it would then give a role outside the scope of the county’s purview. The vote for the repeal was 2-1-1, meaning that nobody reached the necessary majority, as there was also a vacancy on the five-person board. “Even in the very wording of policy L-2, it doesn’t protect criminals. What it was about is ensuring that this county stays in its lane and protects our region and that the federal government stays in its lane,” Montgomery Steppe said before voting “no.” Her Democratic colleague, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, abstained. Recent legislative policy changes have been prompted by crimes committed by illegal immigrants, including the Laken Riley Act, which prompts the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants facing charges or conviction for a range of crimes, including burglary, assault and “any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person.” The bill passed with some bipartisan support. 

Schumer says ‘oligarchs’ keep him up at night, despite his own ties to billionaires

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the hosts of “The View” on Tuesday morning that “oligarchs” running the United States keep him up at night, despite his ties to the billionaire Soros family.  “I wake up at 3 in the morning sometimes so worried about the future of this country under these oligarchs,” Schumer said on “The View.”   Mega-donor George Soros donated millions to Schumer’s Senate Majority PAC during the 2024 election, and Schumer maintains a well-documented relationship with the billionaire’s son, Alex Soros.  Campaign finance reports revealed Democracy PAC II, primarily funded by Soros, gave $2.5 million to Senate Majority PAC in 2024, Fox News confirmed. Democracy PAC II gave $3.5 million in calendar year 2022, and $2.5 million in calendar year 2021, for a combined $6 million, records show.  SUNNY HOSTIN SCOLDS SCHUMER THAT HE ‘CAVED’ ON SHUTDOWN FIGHT A 2023 Fox News Digital review of Alex’s Instagram found dozens of pictures with top Democrats in the House and the Senate between 2018 and 2022, including at least nine meetings with Schumer. SOROS, OTHER LEFT-WING BILLIONAIRES POUR TENS OF MILLIONS INTO SCHUMER PAC IN BID FOR DEMS TO HOLD THE SENATE “Good to see majority leader [Schumer] earlier this week! Energized to elect at least two more Democratic senators so we can secure voting rights and a woman’s right to chose!” Soros posted on his Instagram in July 2022 along with a picture of the pair. In a December 2021 Instagram post, Alex called Schumer his “good friend” and said he had a “great meeting” with him at the Capitol. A few months earlier, Alex took a selfie with Schumer wearing a bicycle helmet and said it was “good to see our senate majority leader [Schumer] the other day, biking and in good shape, and so focused on [voting rights] legislation.” A Fox News Digital review of visitor logs found Alex visited the White House six times from October 2021 to December 2022, during former President Joe Biden’s administration. A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital that two of the visits were with Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff.  Alex’s social media presence has consistently showcased his relationship with leading Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and candidates from the most contested down-ballot races of 2024, such as Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.  Biden awarded George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in January, which Alex accepted in his honor.  “His inspiring generosity reminds us all of our capacity and our obligation to stand up to the abuse of power and to be guardians of democracy and all people yearning to be free,” Biden said during the ceremony.  GEORGE SOROS’ SON BECOMES KINGMAKER WITH TOP DEMS AS HE MAKES MULTIPLE BIDEN WH VISITS, MEETS WITH LAWMAKERS “A travesty that Biden is giving Soros the Medal of Freedom,” Elon Musk, who has been at the center of Democrats’ accusations of rising oligarchy, posted on X in response to Soros accepting the nation’s highest civilian honor.  MoveOn.org, a group that has accepted millions from Soros and his Open Society Policy Center in recent years, led the “Congress Works for Us, Not Musk” initiative that shut down town halls and Republican offices across the country.  National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), a national organization on the forefront of the pro-Palestine Columbia University protests, accepted fiscal sponsorship from the Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation (WESPAC). Fox News Digital reported last year that WESPAC received a six-figure donation from a nonprofit funded by Soros’ network. The Democratic Party also leaned on wealthy surrogates on the campaign trail in 2024. Former Vice President Kamala Harris hosted events with celebrities, including Beyoncé, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen and Mark Cuban.  FEC filings show the Harris campaign made two $500,000 payments to Oprah Winfrey’s production company on Oct. 15, a month after Winfrey appeared with Harris at a town hall event and weeks before Oprah was on stage with Harris at a Philadelphia rally before election day. ‘$1 BILLION DISASTER’: HERE’S WHAT FEC FILINGS SHOW ABOUT HARRIS CAMPAIGN’S 3-MONTH SPENDING SPREE Despite the Democrats’ own recorded ties to billionaire donors, the term “oligarchy” has been used by Democrats to describe President Donald Trump‘s second term.  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has drawn thousands of supporters to his “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies across the country, with stops in Michigan and Wisconsin this past weekend. The events are billed as an opportunity to “discuss how we take on the greed of the billionaire class and create a government that works for all and not just the few.” Democrats were outraged by Trump inviting billionaires like Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg to his inauguration, and Biden used the term “oligarchy” in his farewell address to the nation.  “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” Biden told Americans on Jan. 13.  Schumer defended his leadership on “The View” following his decision to vote for a Republican spending bill to avert a government shutdown and subsequently canceling stops on his book tour over “security concerns.” “We are fighting them tooth and nail in every way we can, but you’ve got to fight them smart and if you led yourself into a shutdown, which, by the way, Musk, DOGE, Vought, they wanted a shutdown. They said they wanted a shutdown, and they thought we’d play into their hands,” Schumer continued to “The View” on Tuesday.  Schumer said “MAGA right-wing Republicans,” including Musk and Director of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought, wanted to shut down the government to deliver “tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.” “The MAGA right-wing Republicans dream of decimating the government. You know why they do it? They want tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. They want to destroy government, give it all to the wealthy and get rid of any regulations they might

GOP lawmakers praise Trump call with Putin after Biden ‘refused to even pick up the phone’

Republican lawmakers hailed President Donald Trump after a nearly two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a peace deal in Ukraine, drawing contrasts between his efforts and those of former President Joe Biden.  “I’m encouraged by President Trump’s willingness to engage in diplomacy to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia — especially after Biden refused to even pick up the phone to try,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said of the call. The House Foreign Affairs Committee, in reaction to the discussion, wrote, “President Trump got Vladimir Putin to agree that a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is necessary,” and that “Iran cannot be in a position to destroy Israel.” “This is called THE ART OF THE DEAL!” the committee wrote. UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY REPLACES TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL AHEAD OF TRUMP-PUTIN CALL Trump spoke with Putin over the phone earlier Tuesday “about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war,” according to a readout of the meeting shared by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “This conflict should never have started and should have been ended long ago with sincere and good faith peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace,” it continued. “These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.” Democrats, however, remained skeptical about whether Russia would honor a peace deal. “Imagine a robber breaking into your home twice—each time blaming you for the break-in. Would you trust them to stop?” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. said. “Vladimir Putin has never kept a promise or honored a deal. Any deal must be fair & enforceable.” TRUMP ‘HOPES’ PUTIN AGREES TO CEASEFIRE AS MOSCOW SIGNALS NO TRUCE YET Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said that “from these readouts, it’s clear that Russia remains the obstacle to peace in Europe.” “I’m glad to see a halt on infrastructure strikes, but many of Putin’s ‘requests’ like a ban on arms or intel sharing make clear what he is after—a neutered Ukraine that cannot defend itself,” Coons wrote. National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes, in a statement shared with Fox News Digital in response to the Democratic lawmakers, said that under Trump, a deal is even closer to being reached. “Just two weeks ago, both Ukraine and Russia were miles apart on a ceasefire agreement, and we are now closer to a deal thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” Hughes said. “The goal remains the same: stop the killing and find a peaceful resolution to this conflict.”  Trump, in a Truth Social post following the call, described the meeting as “very good and productive.” “Many elements of a Contract for Peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy would like to see it end,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of Humanity, get the job done!” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for a response to Perry’s criticism but did not immediately hear back.

Dem gov says MD, with $3B deficit, has been doing DOGE ‘before anyone knew what [it] was’

Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, whose tenure predates the second Trump administration by two years, claimed he had begun engaging in DOGE-type governance soon after Republican Gov. Larry Hogan Jr. departed in 2023. Moore, a purported 2028 presidential contender who has sought to stifle such talk and instead focus on a potential second term, spoke to news outlet Semafor about potential parallels between his work and that of the Trump administration. Editor Ben Smith asked Moore about addressing “fiscal burden[s]” within the Annapolis bureaucracy in a manner similar to the federal DOGE, while also discussing solutions to Maryland’s $3 billion budget deficit—an issue where Republicans and Democrats each blame the other. “I come from the business world. And I do believe that in this moment we have to think about what type of [public] workforce is necessary and required,” Moore said, adding that when he took office, there were 10,000 vacancies in Annapolis, and many “basic functions” weren’t getting done. MD GOV DEFENDS $190K TRUMP-CENTRIC IRISH CONSULTANT CONTRACT AS POTUS MOVES IN NEXT DOOR Moore said that while some politicians may want to immediately hire 10,000 people, he saw it as an opportunity to “right-size” the government and eliminate waste. “One of the first hires I made was a chief performance officer. We’ve been doing DOGE in Maryland long before anyone knew what that word was,” Moore said. In previous comments to Fox News Digital, the Moore administration stated its intent to collaborate with Trump and the White House when possible, but emphasized its commitment to protecting Marylanders—particularly in light of how DOGE’s federal workforce cuts will disproportionately impact the Old Line State. Moore had hired an Irish consulting mega-firm to be Annapolis’ eyes and ears on the White House just 35 miles westward. “Where there is common ground to be found, he will find it,” a spokesman for Moore said in response to claims the Irish contract foreshadowed a confrontational relationship with their new neighbors. Moore told Smith that Maryland is so inextricably tied to the federal government that “when the country catches a cold, the DMV [DC-MD-VA] catches pneumonia.” LAWMAKERS FROM STATE WITH MOST FEDERAL WORKERS PER CAPITA WARN AGAINST TRUMP BUYOUT BID Moore added that his 2025 budget is smaller than his 2024 budget, and has recently taken issue with Hogan’s reported contention that he left his successor a surplus that has been squandered into a $3 billion deficit. Hogan said in a recent social media post he left Moore a $5 billion surplus and hoped it would not go to waste.  Moore has claimed some of that “surplus” was miscategorized as leftover COVID-19 funds which are not structural in nature. Hogan also produced a set of budget recommendations at the end of his term for the new administration to take on, which Democrats in Annapolis saw as pitches for future “priority items” they instead deemed fiscally reckless. In that regard, a Moore spokesman told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the Democrat remains focused on DOGE-ing Annapolis even amid the $3 billion deficit. “While it’s clear the governor inherited an economic flatline, he is committed to growing Maryland’s economy by reducing waste, investing in working Marylanders, industries of the future, and businesses across the state,” the spokesman said. “The governor’s new government modernization initiative will cut real waste, and save taxpayers money—something Governor Moore believes DOGE and even other states can learn from.” Maryland House Minority Leader Jason Buckel, R-Cumberland, disagreed. “It’s not very credible to claim that we’ve been cutting the size and scope of Maryland government and rooting out fraud and waste when you look at our budget chock-full of new hires and increased spending, balanced only by massive tax increases proposed by Governor Moore and Democrats in Annapolis,” said Buckel.  Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey, R-Chestertown, told Fox News Digital that Marylanders are “still waiting” for Moore’s stated efforts to cut waste, fraud and abuse à la DOGE. “There are claims of saving $50 million, but so far, there’s been no data to prove his performance cabinet has made government more efficient or saved taxpayers money,” Hershey said. “Governor Moore appears unwilling to make tough decisions and stand up to rein in state spending. His thinly veiled assurance to not support the new business-to-business service tax went over like a lead balloon.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Hershey claimed Moore did not consider a statewide hiring freeze to help with the deficit, but instead added more bureaucrats while risking future furloughs. “His administrative departments have been plagued with atrocious audits since taking office—hundreds of millions have been mismanaged and misspent. We are still waiting to see the necessary course corrections,” Hershey added. Meanwhile, Moore predicts that Maryland will see that $50 million in savings through FY-2026 via “government modernization” and reinvestment of resources toward top state priorities. A Moore spokesman suggested that previous Republican leadership was responsible for Maryland’s reported economic underperformance, citing a 3% growth rate for the state between 2017 and 2022—compared to the national average of 11%. Fox News Digital reached out to DOGE leaders in Congress and the White House for comment. White House spokesperson Liz Huston responded to Moore’s claim Tuesday: “President Trump led the charge to make government more efficient, and all state leaders should want to end waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

Republican state AGs back Trump on Tren de Aragua flights; judges ‘basically supporting’ terrorists

FIRST ON FOX: A group of Republican state attorneys general is filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday afternoon, urging the circuit court to reverse a judge’s order blocking Trump from deporting alleged Tren de Aragua gang members, with one AG saying “the judges are basically supporting foreign terrorist organizations over the public safety of the American citizen.” The supporting court documents, led by South Carolina and Virginia Attorneys General Alan Wilson and Jason Miyares, respectively, are concerned that the judge’s order – issued by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg – will contribute to crimes committed by violent illegal immigrants in their states.  “When a judge unilaterally steps in and does a temporary restraining order on a nationwide injunction, basically that prohibits the president from performing the one function that the states really can’t do themselves, that undermines our ability to better protect our citizens,” Wilson told Fox News Digital. RED STATE HUNTS TREN DE ARAGUA TERRORISTS AS JUDGES LIGHT ‘CREDIBILITY ON FIRE’ FIGHTING DEPORTATIONS: SENATOR “In this particular case, the judges are coloring way outside the law lines of their authority,” Wilson said in an interview Tuesday. “They are inhibiting the ability of federal law enforcement to support the initiatives of state law enforcement.” “The judges are basically supporting foreign terrorist organizations over the public safety of the American citizen,” he added. Miyares said Trump acted “fully within his constitutional and statutory authority” when he did not ground airplanes deporting alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador as Boasberg requested. Trump’s Department of Justice cited the Alien Enemies Act, which gives him the ability to deport any illegal immigrant without a court process, and filed an emergency petition in the D.C. appellate court, urging it to “halt this massive, unauthorized imposition” on the president’s “authority to remove people that Defendants had determined to be members of TdA.” “TdA is a violent transnational criminal organization responsible for heinous crimes across the United States,” Miyares said. “The law is clear, and so is our position.” TRUMP INVOKES WARTIME ALIEN ENEMIES ACT OF 1798 TO TARGET VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT STREET GANGS In the supporting brief of Trump’s appeal, Wilson said there’s an incident in Charleston where several Tren de Aragua gang members were arrested. Last August, during a visit to the southern border in El Paso, Texas, Wilson said he met with DEA agents, Texas public safety officers and Border Patrol, who showed a heat map of the country. At that time, there were no known Tren de Aragua members in South Carolina. However, as Wilson points out in the brief, by early February, several gang members were arrested in the state. “Just six or seven months ago, they weren’t here, but now they are,” Wilson said. “Trump did a great job, and this administration did a great job of plugging the hole in the boat when they shut down the border, but all the water is still in the boat, and we’re trying to bail it out, and the judges are trying to prevent us from doing that,” Wilson said. The Trump administration has designated Tren De Aragua a Foreign Terrorist Organization.  The Republican attorneys general who signed the amicus brief represent Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Utah. 

Former Republican governor of key swing state mulls bid to flip Senate seat

EXCLUSIVE: NEWFIELDS, N.H. — Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says he’s holding a dialogue with national Republican leaders about potentially running next year in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Sununu, who enjoys a large national profile thanks to his regular appearances the past few years on the cable news networks and Sunday talk shows, said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital that he aims to make a decision regarding a 2026 campaign in the “next few weeks.” The former governor, who for a couple of years was a vocal Republican critic of President Donald Trump, said, “I have no doubt I’d have the president’s support,” if he decides to make a bid for the Senate. WHY THIS LONGTIME DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ISN’T RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION NEXT YEAR And Sununu, who was elected and re-elected to four straight two-year terms as governor of the key New England swing state, touted that “I have no doubt I can win.” The 78-year-old Shaheen, the first woman in the nation’s history to win election as governor and as a U.S. senator, announced this week that she would retire at the end of next year rather than seek a fourth six-year term in the Senate. ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 Even before Shaheen’s announcement, her seat in swing state New Hampshire was considered one of the GOP’s top pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterms – along with Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters is also retiring, and Georgia, where Republicans consider first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff vulnerable – as Republicans hope to expand their current 53-47 majority. Sununu’s comments in recent interviews are a switch from last year, when he repeatedly said he wouldn’t seek to run for the Senate in 2026. In a November interview with Fox News Digital, the then-governor reiterated what he had first said in a July interview. SUNUNU OPENS UP ABOUT WHAT’S NEXT AFTER HE FINISHES HIS TERM AS GOVERNOR “Definitely ruling out running for the Senate in 2026. Yeah, definitely not on my dance card,” Sununu said in an interview along the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association winter meeting in Florida. The 50-year-old Sununu, who when he was first elected in 2016 was the nation’s youngest governor, was asked again about a 2026 Senate run in a Fox News Digital interview in early January, in his last full day in office. “I’m not planning on running for anything right now. I’m really not, at least for the next two, four, six years,” he said. “Who knows what happens down the road? But it would be way down the road and nothing, nothing I’m planning on, nothing my family would tolerate either short term.” But Sununu, in his interview on Tuesday, shared that “some folks in New Hampshire, some folks in Washington, have asked me to really take a few weeks and think about it at this point.” “The door’s open,” he said, before adding, “It’s not open a lot, to be honest.  Among those he’s talking with is Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who’s the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is the Senate GOP’s campaign arm. “Tim is a great friend. We’ve talked a lot, not just about me running, but other opportunities.” And he described his talks as “an ongoing discussion.” Sources tell Fox News that Sununu’s headed to the nation’s capital in the coming days for a dinner with Scott and other Senate Republicans. Sununu four years ago expressed interest in running for the Senate against his predecessor as governor, Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan, who was up for re-election in 2022. And the popular governor was heavily courted by national Republicans to take on Hassan. But on Nov. 9, 2021, Sununu announced that he would instead run for a fourth term as governor, upsetting many Republicans in the nation’s capital. TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER REVEALS DEMOCRATS CHANCES OF WINNING BACK THE SENATE MAJORITY And he heavily criticized the Senate. “When you look at what their (senators’) job is and what a governor’s job is … it’s not even close. I can’t tell you how many senators told me, ‘You’re just going to have to wait around a couple of years to get anything done.’ Can you imagine me sitting around a couple of years?” Sununu said at the time. “They debate and talk and nothing gets done. … That’s not the world I live in.” Asked if he has changed his mind, Sununu on Tuesday responded, “Not really, no….I think Washington has been really stagnated. Hasn’t done a whole lot, doesn’t deliver.” But with Trump back in the White House, Sununu pointed to a “fundamental change in the past two months,” and that now Congress is “talking about things that I care very passionately about.” Those things include a balanced budget and government efficiency. “Whether you like them or not, you got to give credit to Trump, to DOGE, to folks driving this conversation, this narrative. We have $36 trillion in debt. It’s a very real number. You owe it. I owe it. Your viewers owe that money, not the government. We’re going to have a car crash in the next couple of years with Social Security going bankrupt, Medicare going bankrupt, more debt on the books. So, there has to be a plan and a strategy out of this, and the administration is really leading that effort,” Sununu argued. He said “that gives me hope that…maybe there is an opportunity to have a leadership role in something that is very critical and vital to the country, something I believe very passionately in, and something we’ve been very successful with here in New Hampshire.” Following Trump’s first term in the White House and in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters aiming to upend congressional certification of former President Biden’s 2020 election victory, Sununu became a leading vocal

Netanyahu accuses media of echoing ‘Hamas propaganda’ as Gaza war resumes

Peace negotiations will now only take place as Israel continues to pummel Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday amidst a renewed military offensive campaign in Gaza.  “From now on, the negotiations will resume only under fighting,” Netanyahu said in a brief public message. The defiant Israeli prime minister said Hamas had “refused” to engage and return hostages and blamed the media for “echo[ing] Hamas propaganda” amid accusations that he had renewed the fighting for his own political survival.  ISRAEL SHOOTS DOWN HOUTHI BALLISTIC MISSILE AFTER CEASEFIRE COLLAPSES “I hear the commentators reporting lies in the studios, as if the IDF’s recommendation and IDF actions stem from political considerations,” he said.  “They have no shame. They have no red lines. They simply echo Hamas propaganda time and time again.” Netanyahu went on: “We extended the ceasefire for weeks when we did not receive any hostages. We sent delegations to Doha. We sent delegations to Cairo. We made proposals together with the mediators. We accepted the proposal of the American envoy, [Steve] Witkoff. In contrast, Hamas has repeatedly rejected every offer.” Israel’s military launched a large-scale bombing campaign on Tuesday, breaking a ceasefire that had been in place since late January. The offensive mission killed at least 404 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which would make it one of the deadliest days of the war since October 7, 2023, if true.  “I want to assure you: This is just the beginning,” Netanyahu said. CEASEFIRE OVER AS ISRAEL STRIKES GAZA AFTER HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE HOSTAGES, OFFICIALS SAY Meanwhile, Israel said it had intercepted a missile from Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday evening after the U.S.-led offensive strikes on 30 Houthi targets over the weekend.   “The Zionists will pay for their crimes against children, women, and civilians,” Hazam el-Assad, a senior Houthi official, posted on X.  Netanyahu in his statement said that Israel was “changing the face of the Middle East.” “It has been proven in past months – military pressure brings the hostages – we already got many of them home.” The prime minister claimed Hamas was to blame for “every civilian casualty.” “Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists. And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they are the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties.” “Palestinian civilians should avoid any contact with Hamas terrorists, and I call on the people of Gaza, get out of harm’s way. Move to safer areas. Because every civilian casualty is a tragedy, and every civilian casualty is the fault of Hamas.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said in a joint statement their airstrikes had eliminated Essam al-Da’alis, “the most senior figure of authority in the Gaza Strip.” The IDF and ISA also determined with “high probability” that Israeli strikes had eliminated Mahmoud Marzouk Ahmed Abu-Watfa, the Minister of Internal Affairs in charge of Hamas’ Internal Security Forces; Bahajat Hassan Mohammed Abu-Sultan, who served as Head of Hamas’ Internal Security Forces; and Ahmed Amar Abdullah Alhata, who served as Hamas’ Minister of Justice.  The White House backed Israel’s moves to renew the bombing campaign, even as European leaders condemned them.  “Hamas could have released hostages to extend the ceasefire but instead chose refusal and war,” National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Brian Hughest told Fox News Digital.  Netanyahu thanked Trump for his “unwavering support.” “Our alliance with the United States has never been stronger.”  During the two-month ceasefire, 33 hostages were returned to Israel in exchange for nearly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.  Some 59 hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity, though Israel believes around 35 of them are dead. Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Trey Yingst and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Mexican immigration activist who hid in Colorado church for years to avoid deportation arrested by ICE

A well-known immigration activist who hid in a Colorado church for years to avoid deportation has been arrested, a move Denver Mayor Mike Johnston called “Soviet-style persecution” of political dissidents. Jeanette Vizguerra, a mother, Target employee and immigration reform advocate, was taken into custody in Aurora on Monday. Vizguerra was the subject of a deportation order and had multiple stays preventing her removal, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said.  Despite having a final order of deportation stretching back to the Obama administration, some Democrats have claimed that Vizguerra has not had due process.  WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Johnston addressed the arrests on Tuesday.  “This is not immigration enforcement. This is Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents under the guise of immigration enforcement,” he said. “This is not someone with a criminal record. This is the mom of American citizens who works and Target.” “This is not something that makes our community safer in my mind,” he added. “I think it makes our community lawless.” Johnston was one of four sanctuary mayors grilled earlier this month by Congressional lawmakers about their respective city’s sanctuary policies at the fiery hearing. John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director, said he was prohibited from deporting Vizguerra during the Biden administration.  “The Biden administration kept me from deporting Jeanette Vizguerra 4 years ago,” he wrote on X. “She should have been deported in 2009 as well. She hid in a church the first time Trump was President. She is a criminal, hates Trump, and is an open-borders, abolish-ICE advocate. Bye!!!!” Images posted on Vizguerra’s Facebook account depict protests against ICE and calls to abolish the agency. One image posted on Oct. 14, 2019 depicts a Native American scalping President Donald Trump, who is shown on his knees with two arrows piercing his torso.  “This is how you can make America great again,” the caption states.  TRUMP POLICY ON BORDER JUMPERS EMPOWERS USE OF ‘MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES,’ BORDER AGENT TELLS FOX Vizguerra has a long history with immigration authorities. In 2009, she was the subject of an ICE detainer in Denver. That same year, she was convicted of second-degree forged instrument possession and sentenced to 23 days in jail.  In March 2009, after being released by ICE, she was convicted of failure to display proof of insurance, driving without a license and ordered to pay fines. In 2011, a federal immigration judge denied Vizguerra’s application for relief from immigration proceedings, but granted her a voluntary departure. She failed to depart the U.S. per the terms of the order within the 60-day window and instead filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals.  In September 2012, she voluntarily returned to her native Mexico. She was arrested in 2013 by ICE in El Paso, Texas and ordered to be deported.  She was eventually released because she didn’t meet the agency’s priorities for removal under policies at the time.  In 2019, Vizguerra skipped an appointment with an immigration official and sought sanctuary at the First Unitarian Society Church in Denver.  She later clandestinely moved to the First Baptist Church a short distance away, where she became a leader in the sanctuary movement. 

Judicial halt of deportation flights puts US foreign policy at risk, career State Dept official claims

The United States’ foreign policy could be in jeopardy after a federal judge ordered deportation flights with Venezuelan gang members be returned to the states, a career State Department official argued in a recent court filing.  Michael Kozak, Senior Bureau Official at the State Department, wrote in a declaration filed Monday that, “The foreign policy of the United States would suffer harm if the removal of individuals associated with TdA were prevented,” given the “significant time and energy” already invested by U.S. government officials.  Obama-appointed, D.C.-based Judge James Boasberg issued an order Saturday to immediately halt any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. Boasberg also ordered the Trump administration 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.” TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS NOON DEADLINE TO DISCLOSE DEPORTATION FLIGHT DETAILS AFTER JUDGE’S ORDER The flights also included alleged members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).  Kozak noted the possibility “that foreign interlocutors might change their minds” over accepting certain individuals associated with TdA “or might otherwise seek to leverage this as an ongoing issue.” “These harms could arise even in the short term, as future conversations with foreign interlocutors seeking to resolve foreign policy matters would need to take this issue into account along with other issues, instead of allowing the discussions to fully move on to the other issues,” Kozak wrote.  Kozak did not further expand upon the “harms” that could arise as a result of Boasberg’s order in his declaration. The State Department declined to comment on pending litigation.  JUDGE WHO ORDERED DEPORTATION FLIGHTS OF VENEZUELAN GANG MEMBERS BE RETURNED FACES CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT “TDA is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement. “They rape, maim and murder for sport. TDA is responsible for some of the most heinous crimes that have occurred on US soil in recent years, including the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray. TDA is a direct threat to the national security of the United States.” The Trump administration had attempted to invoke a 1798 law to immediately deport said individuals for 14 days.  Boasberg sided with the plaintiffs, Democracy Forward and the ACLU in granting the emergency order and ruling that the deportations would likely pose imminent and “irreparable” harm.  “Given the exigent circumstances that [the court] has been made aware of this morning, it has determined that an immediate Order is warranted to maintain the status quo until a hearing can be set,” Boasberg wrote.  WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? In a Monday-evening hearing, Boasberg proceeded to ask the Trump administration to submit more information regarding the flights. Both parties are ordered to appear back in court on Friday. In its Monday motion to vacate the order, the Trump Department of Justice argued that not only did the court not have jurisdiction to hear the plaintiffs’ claims, but Trump’s “determination that an ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion’ has occurred” is not subject to judicial review.  “The Constitution simply provides no basis for a court to determine when this AEA trigger has been met, and thus there is no basis for second-guessing the policy judgment by the Executive that such an ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion’ is occurring,” the motion read.  The motion also argued that the administration’s “Proclamation” and its implementation “are perfectly lawful.” “Under his authority to protect the nation, the President determined that TdA represents a significant risk to the United States, that it is intertwined and advancing the interests of a foreign government in a manner antithetical to the interests of the United States, and that its members should be summarily removed from this country as part of that threat,” the motion continued.  Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report. 

White House says it didn’t create a banned word list, leaves language choices up to agencies

The White House does not have a list of banned words that are restricted from use in official documents, and instead charges individual agencies with word choice in government documents, Fox News Digital learned. Media outlets in recent weeks have promoted reports that the Trump administration has banned hundreds of words from official documents, including words such as “diverse” or “LGBTQ” or “unconscious bias.”  An administration official told Fox Digital that the White House does not have a list of banned words. Instead, individual agencies hold discretion over word choice in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.  Trump has signed 92 executive orders since his inauguration in January, including ones that have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the public and private sectors, as well as ones addressing transgender issues, such as banning biological men from playing in women’s sports or banning transgender surgical procedures for children.  WOKE LIBERALS PUSH TO REPLACE ‘MOTHER’ WITH ‘BIRTHING PARENT’ TO APPEASE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY A handful of the executive orders rescinded Biden-era policies, such as ending DEI programs that were woven into the fabric of the federal government during his term.  The New York Times reported that about 250 words were removed from the Trump administration’s lexicon or used with discretion. The list included a handful of words that could defy Trump’s executive orders on trans issues and DEI, including: “they/them,” “breastfeed + people,” “antiracist,” “people + uterus” or “confirmation bias.”  REP. CORI BUSH SCORCHED FOR REFERRING TO WOMEN AS ‘BIRTHING PEOPLE:’ SHE’S REDUCING MOTHERS ‘TO A FUNCTION’ In February, the White House hit back on a report that Food and Drug Administration officials were instructing scientists to stop using words such as “woman,” “disabled” and “elderly” in external documents, as they were on an alleged FDA list of banned words for the administration.  DEMOCRATS REPLACE ‘WOMEN’ WITH ‘BIRTHING PEOPLE’ A White House official told Reuters in February that the majority of words listed as allegedly banned did not need to be removed from external communications and documents, arguing the agency likely misinterpreted Trump’s executive orders on gender ideology.  The White House specifically identified words such as “gender,” “inclusion,” “identity,” “diversity,” “intersex,” “equity,” “equitable,” “transgender” and “trans” as ones that do not need to be prohibited in order to comply with Trump’s executive orders, according to Reuters.  Presidential administrations have a long history of adjusting the language used in their official documents and external communications in an effort to realign the federal government with the administration’s policies and vision for the future.  The Biden administration, for example, used the phrase “birthing people” instead of “mothers” in a 2022 budget proposal before the phrase — and similar ones such as “menstruators” — were used by other federal officials and agencies. The Obama administration favored the phrase “undocumented immigrants” versus “illegal immigrant” in official text and presidential speeches.