NationalWatch

Jurors in the federal trial of Ryan Routh — accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in 2024 — heard new evidence Tuesday from FBI digital and DNA specialists, including alleged text messages blasting Trump and lab results tying Routh’s DNA to key items.

Routh’s witness list also narrowed. Before jurors entered, Routh, who is representing himself in the trial, told the court, “As far as I’m concerned, we’re going to exclude my son,” confirming he will not call Oran Routh, who is in separate federal custody, as a witness. Judge Aileen Cannon noted he could not revisit that decision later.

Judge Cannon cut off both prosecutors and Routh multiple times Tuesday, at one point asking, “How much longer is this going to take?” She also reminded Routh to stop interrupting. When he complained, “I don’t have hot water and can’t shower … I won’t shower for a month,” Cannon told him there were “proper administrative procedures … not piecemeal, as you have grown accustomed to.”

TRUMP TRIAL CONTINUES WITH MORE FBI TESTIMONY AFTER RIFLE CALLED ‘PREPARED TO FIRE’

FBI Digital forensic examiner Jerry Llanes testified Tuesday for U.S. prosecutors that a Samsung phone recovered from Routh’s black Nissan Xterra had WhatsApp messages that included a Feb. 3, 2024, exchange with a contact saved as “Chinese hero to fight.”

“I know it’s very different… I think Kennedy was killed from a hill… Certainly not an easy task. If I can help, just let me know what to do,” Routh wrote.

In another chain with someone listed as “Ben,” Routh texted: “What do you think of Trump?” 

Ben replied: “Not a fan.” 

“I hate him,” Routh responded. “Shan’t get elected again.”

And in a WhatsApp thread with “Captain Talk Recruiting,” Routh said: “I think Trump will be a big problem for Ukraine … For sure, what an idiot. He needs to go away. He cancelled the [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] for Iran. What an idiot. I hate him.”

FLASHLIGHT, RIFLE, BACKPACKS: PROSECUTORS OUTLINE RYAN ROUTH’S ALLEGED SNIPER SETUP

From another device, Llanes described images showing flight searches from Miami to Mexico and Bogotá, Colombia, and a photo that “appears to be a rifle tied to a tree.”

FBI DNA examiner Kara Gregor additionally testified that Routh’s DNA was strongly linked to the rifle grip, a reddish-brown bag, a zip tie, a bungee cord and a glove. On the rifle, she said the DNA evidence was “250 centillion times more likely if the contributors were Routh and two unknown individuals than if the contributors were three unknown individuals.”

JURY SEATED IN TRIAL OF MAN ACCUSED OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

Routh challenged her on cross-examination with sarcasm: “Did you test a Colt .45 case? A golf tee? A blue flashlight? How about a Sunny D?” 

Gregor responded that many of those items were not tested, or she could not recall.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The trial, moving quickly due to Routh’s quick cross examinations, continues Wednesday with more forensic experts expected. U.S. prosecutors are expected to wrap up presenting their case by Friday and Routh will bring his witnesses to the stand next week.

Democrats will hold onto the legislative seat once held by Melissa Hortman, the former Democratic Minnesota House speaker who, along with her husband, was killed at their home in June in what prosecutors describe as a political assassination.

Democratic Party nominee Xp Lee defeated Republican nominee Ruth Bittner in a special election Tuesday in a suburban Minneapolis state House district, according to the Associated Press. 

Lee’s victory in the blue-leaning district will once again deadlock the Minnesota House, with Democrats and Republicans each holding 67 seats in the chamber. And it will restore a power-sharing deal between the two parties hammered out after the Democrats lost their majority in the 2024 elections.

MINNESOTA GOV. WALZ LAUNCHES BID FOR THIRD TERM: ‘I’M STAYING IN THE FIGHT’

The special election was held a week after the assassination of conservative firebrand, commentator, and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk rocked the nation and thrust Hortman’s murder back into the spotlight.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION

Prosecutors charge that alleged gunman Vance Boelter impersonated a police officer as he carried out what they call the “political assassinations” of Hortman and her husband, Mark. Boelter is also charged with shooting and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their nearby home.

Lee, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family fled the Vietnam War, told the AP ahead of the election that continuing Hortman’s legacy was a major motivator in his campaign.

TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS

“I wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t for the murder of Melissa Hortman. So, I am very conscious of political and gun violence. So, I want to help our community heal,” Lee said.

Bittner, a real estate agent, told public radio in Minnesota that Hortman “was a very unique individual. We will not be trying to replace her.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Minnesota was further rocked by violence late last month, when two young school children were killed and 21 people injured in a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Social Security Administration is pushing back against Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., after she accused the agency of removing key data and covering up dysfunction.

In a Sept. 16, 2025 letter and data report shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano claimed Warren’s analysis was inaccurate. 

He said the agency is more transparent and performing better under the Trump administration than it did under the prior administration. The documents reflect SSA’s position and have not been independently verified.

“SSA currently reports nearly three times the number of data elements on the performance webpage under the Trump Administration (30) than it did under the Biden Administration (11),” Bisignano wrote.

EXCLUSIVE: MEDICAID DIRECTS STATES TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENROLLEES WITH MONTHLY CHECKS

“These facts conclusively demonstrate that you are wrong in alleging a lack of transparency.”

He also pushed back on Warren’s charge of a cover-up, saying SSA has made improvements in customer service, including “shorter wait times on the phones and in offices, as well as reduced backlogs.” Bisignano said 81 percent of performance measures are better than before, with the rest about the same.

According to SSA’s data, average phone wait times dropped from 29 minutes in 2024 to 16 minutes in 2025, with August down to just 9 minutes.

SOCIAL SECURITY STRONGER UNDER TRUMP, CRITICS PUSHING ‘FALSE’ NARRATIVE, COMMISSIONER SAYS

Pending disability determinations fell from nearly 1.2 million in August 2024 to about 907,000 a year later. Disability claim processing sped up from 231 days to 217 days. SSA reports retirement and survivor claims were processed on time 87% of the time in August 2025.

Bisignano wrote that the agency’s goal is to become a “digital-first” operation that runs efficiently and serves people whether they call, visit an office or use the website. He said constant monitoring of key performance indicators is part of that effort.

He also urged Warren to work with SSA instead of spreading what he called “fearmongering and reckless lies that Social Security is going away.”

“The time has come to stop weaponizing Social Security,” he wrote. “The American people do not want a Social Security War Room. They want their leaders to protect and preserve Social Security, just as President Trump has promised.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The office of Senator Elizabeth Warren did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The House of Representatives passed a pair of bills aimed at cracking down on crime in Washington, D.C., late on Tuesday afternoon, with dozens of Democrats voting against each one.

The first bill advanced through the House was the DC Criminal Reforms to Immediately Make Everyone Safe Act, or the DC CRIMES Act. 

It passed the House by a 240-179 vote, with all “no” votes coming from Democrats. Just 31 Democrats voted in favor of the bill.

That legislation, led by Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., would reduce the maximum statutory age of a youth offender from 24 to 18, meaning people in their late teens are eligible to be tried as adults.

GOP GOVERNOR NOMINEE PUSHES REDISTRICTING TO OUST STATE’S LONE HOUSE DEM

It would also bar judges in most cases from being able to hand down sentences lower than the stated mandatory minimum for juvenile offenders.

House lawmakers also advanced a bill led by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, that would make juvenile offenders as young as 14 eligible to be tried as adults, if accused of certain violent crimes.

That age limit is currently at 16. The bill covers crimes including murder, first-degree sexual abuse, burglary in the first degree, robbery while armed, or assault with intent to commit any such offense, according to a press release on Gill’s website.

The latter bill passed the House by a 225-203 vote. Even fewer Democrats, just eight, voted with Republicans on the measure.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also voted against the bill.

It comes days after President Donald Trump’s 30-day emergency order federalizing D.C. police expired, with no moves from Congress or the White House to push for an extension.

Trump signaled he could still extend his hold on local law enforcement, though he showed little appetite to do so.

“We have virtually no crime in D.C. right now, and we’re going to keep it that way. It’s our nation’s capital. We’re going to keep it that way or we’re going to federalize it if we have to. But we don’t have to anymore because it’s in such great shape,” the president told reporters on Monday.

Meanwhile, Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order earlier this month instructing local police to cooperate with several federal law enforcement agencies, though Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was notably excluded from the list.

148 DEMOCRATS BACK NONCITIZEN VOTING IN DC AS GOP RAISES ALARM ABOUT FOREIGN AGENTS

Democrats in Congress have responded with fierce opposition to Trump’s crackdown on D.C., including the capital city’s non-voting representative in the House, Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton, D-D.C.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., blasted the legislation that passed on Tuesday in comments to Fox News Digital.

“Those aren’t bills that are serious efforts to address public safety in the Washington, D.C., area,” Jeffries said.

But Republicans have positioned them as necessary remedies to what they view as a lax criminal justice system.

“It is clear to members of the Committee and the public that D.C.’s soft-on-crime policies have failed to keep D.C. residents and visitors safe,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said of Donalds’ bill specifically. “Our capital cannot continue to let criminals freely roam the streets and expect this crime crisis to end.” 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Congress has wide jurisdiction over D.C.’s policies given its status as a federal city, despite the Home Rule Act of 1973 also granting the city the ability to have its own local government.

Bowser, a Democrat, had previously acknowledged that crime in D.C. had gone down since the Trump administration’s involvement.

She is scheduled to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee on Thursday.

This is cobbled together from speaking to multiple sources on both sides of the Capitol.

The House is now aiming to vote Thursday on the “clean” interim spending bill which would fund the government through November 27. But Republicans must first get the bill through the House. Several senior House Republican sources said that they were still talking to the “usual suspects.” Republicans can only lose two votes pass a bill on their own. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) expressed confidence he could hold all of his Democrats together and oppose the bill. Jeffries said that will be the focus of a Democratic Caucus on Thursday.

TRUMP PRESSURES REPUBLICANS TO PASS A CONTINUING RESOLUTION TO AVERT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

It is also still not a done deal that the House would move on Thursday. This could slip to Friday.

There is now the distinct possibility of a weekend session in the Senate, potentially Saturday.

Here’s why:

If the House approves the government funding package, this must go through two rounds of “cloture” to break a filibuster. That needs 60 yeas. It is advantageous to Senate Republicans to have the House approve the bill Thursday. If so, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) can file cloture to set up a test vote on Saturday. By rule, the Senate cannot take that test vote without an “intervening day.”

SCOOP: GOP RAMPS UP SHUTDOWN FIGHT, TARGETS 25 VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS IN NEW AD BLITZ 

To wit:

Let’s say the House theoretically approves the bill on Thursday. Thune gets the bill on Thursday and files cloture to cut off debate and break a filibuster. Friday is the “intervening day.” That tees up a procedural vote just to get onto the bill (needing 60 yeas) on Saturday in the Senate.

But if the House votes (and passes) the CR on Friday, none of this can happen until Sunday.

There’s the rub:

Multiple Senate Republicans want to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral in Arizona on Sunday.

So, a Saturday scenario is much better for the GOP.

Why not wait until Monday, you may ask?

GOP LAWMAKERS CLASH OVER STRATEGY TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS 

Well, the Senate is scheduled to be out for Rosh Hashanah next week. Same with the House. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Monday and runs through nightfall Wednesday. So the Senate could punt and deal with next Thursday. However, the Senate also needs to take another procedural vote down the road if it could ever get 60 yeas (more on that in a moment) to finish the bill. So it may be helpful to do this sooner rather than later.

That said, one senior Senate GOP source suggested to Fox that the Senate could remain in session through Rosh Hashanah to deal with the procedural steps. That could be interpreted as a direct sleight to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the highest-ranking Jewish figure in American political history.

Keep in mind, the government is funded through 11:59:59 pm et on September 30. So they have time. But the period is collapsed because of the scheduled recess next week.

Regardless, the Senate needs 60 yeas to break a filibuster. Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate. 52 if Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) opposes an interim spending bill.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This is why Republicans are trying to blame a potential shutdown on the Democrats. And Democrats are saying they need something (likely a renewal of Obamacare subsidies) in exchange for their votes.

And there will likely be a lot more drama between now and the end of the month.

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was swiftly fact-checked by conservatives on social media for claiming he “never called Republicans ‘Nazis’” as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle traded barbs on heightened political rhetoric following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

“That is completely false. I have never called Republicans ‘Nazis,’” Pritzker said Monday while fielding questions from the media during a press conference where the Democratic state leader accused President Donald Trump of “actively fanning the flames of division” following Kirk’s Wednesday murder. 

Pritzker, who has condemned Kirk’s shocking assassination as “horrifying,” came under fire earlier in September when he claimed the “president’s rhetoric often foments” political violence. 

Now, the Democratic governor is facing impeachment efforts from state Republicans for rhetoric they claim has incited violence, and for his claims linking Nazi Germany to the GOP. 

MAHER SAYS COMPARING TRUMP TO HITLER MUST END, WARNS IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR KILLERS TO JUSTIFY ASSASSINATIONS

Conservatives on social media unleashed on Pritzker for claiming he has “never called Republicans ‘Nazis,’” pointing to his February State of the State address. 

Pritzker did not explicitly call Republicans “Nazis,” but compared the newly minted Trump administration to the rise of Nazi Germany. 

“The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems. If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this: It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic,” Pritzker said in February. 

“Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance,” Pritzker added. “Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the ‘tragic spirit of despair’ overcome us when our country needs us the most.” 

Republicans and conservatives in the state took to X to compare his previous comments on Republicans and Nazi Germany to his press conference remarks. 

FOLLOWING KIRK’S ASSASSINATION, LAWMAKERS REACT TO LETHAL POLITICAL CLIMATE: ‘VIOLENT WORDS PRECEDE VIOLENT ACTIONS’

“Governor Pritzker claims he’s never called Republicans Nazis, but his own words suggest otherwise,” the Illinois House Republicans posted to X Monday, accompanied by videos comparing the governor’s remarks. 

“Pritzker Today: I’ve never called Republican’s Nazi’s Pritzker in February: ‘Pritzker Compares Trump Administration’s Approach to Nazi Germany During State Budget Address,’” the Illinois Republican Party similarly posted to X. 

Critics slammed the governor as “pathological” and a “liar,” saying that his public remarks are forever achieved on the internet. 

Others on X pointed to Pritzker’s remarks from April during a speech in New Hampshire promoting mass mobilization against Republicans while declaring they “cannot know a moment of peace.”

DONALD TRUMP JR. WARNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE IS ‘NOT GOING BOTH WAYS’ AS HE MOURNS CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption — but I am now,” he said, Fox News Digital reported at the time. 

“These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box. They must feel in their bones … that we will relegate their portraits to the museum halls reserved for tyrants and traitors.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office Tuesday morning regarding the criticisms from Republicans over the comparison and the recent impeachment efforts in the state but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Pritzker is facing renewed impeachment efforts from state Republicans following the assassination of Kirk. Conservatives nationwide have argued that leftists deriding conservatives as “fascists,” “Nazis” and serving as threats to democracy led to the violence that claimed Kirk’s life.

Illinois Republican state Rep. Chris Miller filed articles of impeachment against Pritzker earlier in September, claiming the governor “has engaged in conduct which, under the totality of the circumstances, constitutes inciting violence which is incompatible with the duties of his office.”

Illinois Republican state Rep. Adam Niemerg filed an impeachment resolution against the governor Monday while invoking the assassination of Kirk. 

JB PRITZKER CONDEMNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE AFTER CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH, SAYS TRUMP’S RHETORIC ‘OFTEN FOMENTS IT’

“Pritzker’s remarks are providing legitimacy to radicals who are committing these heinous crimes against people like Charlie Kirk,” Niemerg said in a statement, Capitol News Illinois reported. “If it were one isolated incident — it would be one thing but there is a pattern here.”

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is the only governor in the state’s history to be impeached and removed from office in 2009, following federal corruption charges. Impeachment efforts in the state require involvement from both the General Assembly and state Senate to move forward — making the effort unlikely as both chambers are controlled by Democrats in the deep blue state. 

Pritzker continued in his Monday press conference remarks that Trump has encouraged American division, while calling for political rhetoric across the board to be toned down. 

“This should come from the top, but with each crisis in the last few years, we can’t rely on President Trump to tamp down the anger and the passion in the aftermath of political violence,” he said Monday. “Instead, he actively fans the flames of division as he did on Friday, regularly advocates violence for political retribution, and in more than one case, declares that we are at war, not with a foreign adversary, but with each other. I don’t believe any of that.”   

Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while attending an event at Utah Valley University Wednesday. A single shot rang out and struck Kirk in the neck while he sat under a tent on campus and spoke with students. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kirk was a conservative movement powerhouse, championing faith and family policies to young adults, most notably on college campuses. 

He leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two children, ages one and three. Kirk’s funeral is planned for Sunday in Arizona, with Trump and other administration leaders expected to attend. 

Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii clashed with FBI Director Kash Patel during a heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, questioning agency firing and counterterrorism priorities and even calling the bureau’s physical fitness requirements “harsh” for applicants.

In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Patel said, “Americans expect their FBI agents to be capable, resilient and ready to protect them.

“That’s why, under my watch, every field office is receiving more trained agents, more boots on the ground and a renewed commitment to getting out from behind the desks and back onto the streets where they’re needed most. We’re rebuilding a bureau that earns the public’s confidence by being present, prepared and physically ready to do the job.”

The most viral clash came when Hirono pressed Patel on fitness standards.

‘MOST TRANSPARENT’ FBI EVER: PATEL UPDATES SENATE ON KIRK ASSASSINATION PROBE

“One question I had is that you are now requiring applicants to be able to do a certain kind of pull-ups, which a lot of women cannot because of physiological differences. Are you requiring these kinds of pull-ups?” Hirono asked.

Patel didn’t budge.

“We are requiring everybody to pass the 1811 standards at BFTC. If you want to chase down a bad guy, excuse me, and put him in handcuffs, you had better be able to do a pull-up.”

Hirono replied, “There are concerns about whether or not being able to do these kinds of harsh pull-ups is really required of FBI agents.”

KASH PATEL’S FBI LEADERSHIP UNDER SCRUTINY AHEAD OF SENATE JUDICIARY OVERSIGHT HEARING

Patel interjected, “Doing one pull-up is not harsh, and there are always medical exemptions to that.”

According to the FBI recruitment website, “Starting in November 2025, pull-ups will be a required event for all candidates.” For male recruits, 2-3 pull-ups are now a required minimum alongside the traditional Physical Fitness Test (PFT). For female candidates, one pull-up is the required minimum. 

Any additional pull-ups count to a recruit’s overall PFT score, with the maximum points received for 20 or more pull-ups capped at 10.

The White House’s official X account, @RapidResponse47, shared the exchange in a now-viral clip on X.

Beyond fitness standards, Hirono accused Patel of being loyal to Trump rather than the FBI.

“Your most significant qualification … was your 100% loyalty to President Trump. And I fear that continues to be the motivating factor in your position as FBI director.”

Patel rejected that claim. 

“That is an entire falsehood. You can delete my 16 years of government service to multiple administrations all you want. … There was no loyalty then. There’s no loyalty now to anything but the Constitution.”

Patel also used the hearing to share the bureau’s wins under his leadership. He pointed to 409 cyber arrests this year and 169 convictions, a 42% increase from the same time last year.

He also said FBI reassignments were part of a “surge of resources” to combat violent crime. On accusations of reassignments, Patel said, “They never left their primary job. It is a surge of resources in law enforcement working with the interagency to combat violent crime and reduce crime in historical proportions.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The FBI and the office of Sen. Mazie Hirono did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania on Tuesday strongly condemned all political violence and called for unity and moral clarity following last week’s assassination of conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

And Shapiro, who survived a firebomb attack against himself and his family at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in April, also accused President Donald Trump of cherry-picking which violent acts he’s condemning in the wake of the murder of Kirk at a college campus event at Utah Valley University.

“Violence in all forms is unacceptable,” Shapiro said during an address to the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh. “Political violence is particularly dangerous. Not only does it seek to injure, maim or kill – it seeks to intimidate, terrorize and silence.”

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION

The Pennsylvania governor in his speech pointed to other high-profile violent political attacks in recent years, including last year’s attempted assassination of Trump, and this year’s murder of the former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband.

SUSPECT IN KIRK ASSASSINATION FACES FORMAL CHARGES

Trump, in an Oval Office address hours after Kirk was killed, blamed “the radical left.”

In interviews Friday on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” and Saturday on NBC News, the president took aim at “a radical left group of lunatics.”

And Trump told reporters on Sunday, “When you look at the problems, the problem is on the left. It’s not on the right.”

But Shapiro chided Trump, without directly mentioning the president’s name.

“During moments like this, I believe we have a responsibility to be clear and unequivocal in calling out all forms of political violence and making clear it is all wrong. That shouldn’t be hard to do,” the governor said.

And Shapiro lamented, “Unfortunately, some from the dark corners of the internet all the way to the Oval Office want to cherry-pick which instances of political violence they want to condemn.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

The governor argued: “Doing that only further divides us, and it makes it harder to heal. There are some who will hear that selective condemnation and take it as a permission slip to commit more violence. So long as it suits their narrative or only targets the other side.”

The Department of Homeland Security ramped up its Chicagoland operations Tuesday, as ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz was met by resources from Border Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino’s Operation At-Large utilized in Los Angeles in August. 

“Well, Chicago, we’ve arrived,” Bovino said in captioning a video taken from vehicles rolling northbound on the Barack Obama Expressway (I-55) toward the Windy City.

“Operation At-Large is here to continue the mission we started in Los Angeles—to make the city safer by targeting and arresting criminal illegal aliens,” Bovino wrote.

“We are already going hard this morning!!! Many arrests,” he told Fox News.

CHICAGO-AREA MAYOR, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE BRAGS ABOUT LENGTHS HE’S GONE TO FLUMMOX ICE

Border Patrol sources told Fox News that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also arrived in the Land of Lincoln, overseeing a morning operation in the exurb of Elgin, Illinois. 

A tactical team served a felony arrest warrant for illegal re-entry in one case, with sources saying that a roadblock led to the feds making an “explosive” entry into a home.

Noem posted a video showing a man being led out of a house in predawn hours, captioned by a reminder of a situation involving an ICE agent being dragged and severely injured by a vehicle driven by a criminal illegal immigrant who resisted arrest.

“President Trump has been clear: If politicians will not put the safety of their citizens first, this administration will,” she said.

“I was on the ground in Chicago today to make clear we are not backing down,” she said. “Just this morning, DHS took violent offenders off the streets with arrests for assault, DUI, and felony stalking. Our work is only beginning.”

ARCHITECT OF LA ICE RAIDS REPORTEDLY ARRIVES IN CHICAGO AS FOCUS SHIFTS TO WINDY CITY, AGENT’S HISTORY

ICE also arrested a violent gang member found guilty of murder charges after a maximum security prison outside Chicago declined to honor a federal detainer.

Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, Illinois, released Aldo Salazar Bahena in line with Illinois sanctuary policies, and it took three days for ICE to find and arrest him themselves.

Salazar Bahena had been locked up for about 20 years but was released despite a 2016 order of removal signed by an immigration judge from the Justice Department.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The convict came to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1998 but never took action to become a citizen and instead retained Mexican citizenship.

Salazar was jailed in connection with the 2005 murder of Fernando Diaz, Jr., who was accused of making disparaging comments about Salazar Bahena’s “Larazo” gang.

He was convicted in Kane County, Illinois, in 2016 and lost legal permanent status, leading to the judge ordering his removal.

FBI Director Kash Patel sparred with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tuesday, escalating to the point where Patel labeled Schiff a “political buffoon.” 

The exchange occurred as Schiff pressed Patel for details on why the late financier Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a minimum security prison after U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Maxwell in Florida. The visit came after the Trump administration announced it would not unseal investigation materials concerning Epstein. 

As a result, Schiff asked Patel to clarify what prompted Maxwell’s transfer, and who made the decision to move her and why. When Patel said the Bureau of Prisons signed off on the move, Schiff cast doubt that it moved Maxwell independently and without any outside input, given the timeliness of Blanche’s meeting with Maxwell. 

“You want the American people to believe that?” Schiff said. “Do you think they’re stupid?”

“No, I think the American people believe the truth. That I’m not in the weeds on the everyday movements of inmates,” Patel said before members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “What I am doing is protecting this country, providing historic reform, and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you and we have callously proven you to be a liar in Russiagate, in January 6. You are the biggest fraud to ever the United States Senate. You are a disgrace to this institution and an utter coward.” 

“I’m not surprised,” Schiff said. 

“I’m not surprised,” Patel said. “You continue to lie from your perch and put on a show so you can go raise money for your charade. You are a political buffoon at best.” 

Maxwell has been convicted on charges including sex trafficking of a minor and is serving a 20-year sentence.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold a field hearing in Charlotte, North Carolina, this month following the fatal stabbing of a young woman on the city’s light rail that sparked heated debate about criminal justice reform.

The remote hearing is scheduled for the morning of Sept. 29, Fox News Digital has learned, and will highlight recent criminal activity in Charlotte.

News of the hearing comes after Iryna Zarutska’s murder on Aug. 22 captured national attention. Chilling surveillance footage showed a suspect who was sitting behind Zarutska stand up and strike her with a pocket knife several times. Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was on her way home from work at the time of the incident, died on the train from her injuries, authorities said.

CHARLOTTE’S ‘PRO-CRIME’ POLICIES UNDER FIRE AS CAREER CRIMINAL CHARGED WITH KILLING COMMUTER: EXPERT

The Department of Justice charged the suspect, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., in federal court. Brown had prior arrests dating back more than a decade and once served time for a robbery. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Brown will be prosecuted for murder and said “soft-on-crime policies” caused Zarutska’s death.

“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” Bondi said. “I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder.”

All House Judiciary Committee members are able to attend the hearing. The panel’s subcommittee on oversight will lead it.

The hearing was scheduled prior to another shocking crime event — the assassination of prolific conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which took place at Utah Valley University last week.

CHARLOTTE TRAIN MURDER FRONT AND CENTER IN CRUCIAL 2026 SENATE BATTLE: ‘SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES’

The field hearing marks the latest instance of the committee visiting Democrat-led cities to highlight grim crime rates and prosecutorial failures. The committee visited Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s jurisdiction in April 2023, a week after Bragg brought criminal charges against then-former President Donald Trump. The committee held a similar hearing in Chicago later that year.

Lawmakers at the hearings have examined prosecutorial policies, such as cashless bail, and highlighted recidivism and stories from victims and their families.

Charging and trying defendants in Charlotte comes under the purview of Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer B. Merriweather III, an appointee of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., confirmed the hearing in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying Zarutska’s death was a “culmination of years of failed liberal policies that put criminals ahead of victims.”

“This was entirely preventable, and we owe it to the people to fix it before another innocent life is lost,” Van Drew said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Merriweather’s office for comment.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been permanently sidelined from prosecuting President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia after she lost an appeal at the state’s highest court. 

The Georgia Court of Appeals in December ruled that Willis and her office could not continue to prosecute the case, citing an “appearance of impropriety” stemming from her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Willis appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court in January, but on Tuesday the high court declined in a 4-3 decision to take up the case. One judge didn’t participate and another was disqualified.

MAURENE COMEY SUES DOJ FOR ‘UNLAWFUL’ FIRING, DEMANDS REINSTATEMENT

Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney in the Georgia case, welcomed the decision. 

“Willis’ misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious and she deserved nothing less than disqualification,” Sadow said in a statement. “This proper decision should bring an end to the wrongful political, lawfare persecutions of the president.”

Jeff Clarke, a former Justice Department official who is one of 19 defendants indicted under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, said the case now moves to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, which will choose a replacement.

“Praise the Lord for progress in this case. It never should have been brought in the first place,” he said.

Willis said she disagreed with the decision but would make the case file and evidence available to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council for use in the litigation.

“While I disagree with the decision of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court’s divided decision not to review it, I respect the legal process and the courts,” Willis said, per Fox Atlanta. 

VANCE, BONDI, PATEL TO HUDDLE AT VP RESIDENCE FOR MEETING AMID EPSTEIN FALLOUT

The council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, said Tuesday he will begin searching for a new prosecutor to replace Willis but didn’t know how long that might take. He said once a new prosecutor is appointed it will be “up to him or her what to do with the case.”

That person could continue on the track Willis had taken, pursue only some charges, or dismiss the case altogether. Finding a prosecutor willing to handle it could be difficult, given its complexity and the resources required.

Even if a new prosecutor tries to follow Willis’ path, it seems unlikely Trump could be prosecuted now that he is the sitting president. But 14 other defendants still face charges.

Willis’ indictment accused Trump of pressuring officials to overturn the 2020 vote in Georgia, organizing “fake electors” and harassing election workers.

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others in August 2023, and Trump surrendered at the Fulton County Jail on Aug. 24. That’s when the now-famous mugshot was taken — the first ever for a U.S. president.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

During the Georgia case, it came to light that Willis was in a romantic relationship with Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to help lead the case.

The pair eventually acknowledged the relationship but argued it had no impact on the prosecution. Wade later resigned, but the controversy persisted and the Court of Appeals ruled Willis and her entire office had to be disqualified due to the appearance of impropriety.

Ashleigh Merchant, who exposed Willis’ romantic relationship with Wade as defense attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, said: “We hope this will finally close this chapter.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Attacks on conservative activists on college campuses have made waves for years, and are resurfacing following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

On Feb. 21, 2019, at the University of California, Berkeley, an individual tabling for TPUSA to recruit students for a new chapter was punched, resulting in a black eye, Business Insider reported.

“Yesterday, UCPD sent out a notice and request for information related to a reprehensible incident that occurred on Sproul Plaza earlier this week. According to the police, an unknown, unidentified assailant attacked a Berkeley student engaged in political advocacy,” the university said in a statement at the time.

ANTI-TRUMP VOICES PRAISE CHARLIE KIRK’S LEGACY AFTER ASSASSINATION, SAY HE WAS DOING POLITICS ‘THE RIGHT WAY’

The University of Texas at Dallas TPUSA’s chapter president, Paige Neumann, was assaulted while tabling at the school. 

On video, the individual can be seen striking Neumann with a metal bike lock.

“The attacker (pictured below) struck Paige in the head with a metal bike lock, hitting her with enough force to shatter her phone. Grace’s phone was also destroyed,” TPUSA posted at the time.

VIDEO SHOWS MOMENTS BEFORE ASSASSINATION OF TURNING POINT USA FOUNDER CHARLIE KIRK

In April, left-wing protesters caused chaos at a TPUSA “Prove Me Wrong” event with Brandon Tatum at University of California, Davis, in which protesters assaulted staff and tore apart equipment, Kirk wrote at the time.

“While our people were under attack, police stood aside and did nothing,” he stated. “Our team is understandably shaken up, but they assure me they will not back down.”

The university said the event was ultimately able to go on despite the havoc created.

CHARLIE KIRK PAINTED AS ‘CONTROVERSIAL,’ ‘PROVOCATIVE’ IN MEDIA’S ASSASSINATION COVERAGE

“The UC Davis Police Department took one report of an assault,” the university said in a statement. “No one requested medical aid. The event with the guest speaker took place on schedule and was completed without further incident. The university protected the free speech rights of the campus community throughout the event.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Kirk’s assassination sent off shock waves in the political world, as there is currently a manhunt underway for the suspect who shot him in the neck. 

Vigils were held around the country on Wednesday night, as President Donald Trump plans to award Kirk a posthumous Medal of Freedom. He leaves behind his wife, Erika Kirk, and two young children. A large celebration of life service is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, which the president is planning to attend.

FIRST ON FOX: Barstool Sports founder and owner Dave Portnoy said that Barstool would determine whether they would fire an employee who slandered Charlie Kirk on a “case by case” basis, but did not rule out the possibility during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. 

Portnoy, who has been outspoken about Charlie Kirk’s assassination on social media, spoke with Fox at his third annual Pizza Fest event in New York City, making it clear Barstool has fired employees amid controversy before. 

“We did have someone in a Philly bar who said what I would say are insensitive comments, and we fired them right away,” Portnoy told Fox. “People are going to express whatever they want, it’s a free country.”

VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE SALUTES CHARLIE KIRK WHILE GUEST-HOSTING HIS SHOW

“Those expressions can have repercussions,” Portnoy added. 

The founder of the Barstool was quick to condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, posting to X that “it doesn’t matter what your opinion is of Charlie or his politics. If you don’t view this as one of the darkest days in American history, then you are part of the problem.”

Barstool would not be the first company to fire an employee as many across the country have already taken action against staff who mocked Kirk’s assassination. 

NJ DOCTOR RESIGNS AFTER NURSE SAID HE ‘CHEERED’ CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH

The Carolina Panthers fired a communications staffer, Charlie Rock, after he posted on social media appearing to question why people were mourning Charlie Kirk’s death.

MSNBC fired one of the network’s political analysts, Matthew Dowd, who said “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions” and that Kirk “is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups.”

Last Friday, Nasdaq fired an employee for posting on social media with “commentary that condones or celebrates violence.”

CHARLIE KIRK’S ALLEGED ASSASSIN ‘TAKEN OVER’ BY LEFTIST IDEOLOGY WHILE FBI PROBES WIDER PLOT: BONGINO

The federal government has also taken action against employees for public comments surrounding Kirk’s assassination. 

The Pentagon suspended Army Col. Scott Stephens for celebrating Kirk’s death after the officer published insensitive posts on Kirk, with one saying that “we can take comfort in the fact that Charlie was doing what he loved best — spreading hate, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and transphobia on college campuses.”

The Department of Homeland Security placed FEMA data analyst Gavin Sylvia on administrative leave after the employee criticized President Donald Trump for ordering flags at half-mast for Kirk’s assassination, referring to Kirk as “the literal racist homophobe misogynist” on social media.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Amid the firings, Portnoy said “it’s a case-by-case” but implied Barstool would consider it if comments were made that would justify administrative action. 

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

The federal trial of Ryan Routh, accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump as he played golf in September 2024, resumes Tuesday with more FBI forensic experts scheduled to testify.

On Monday, jurors heard FBI Firearms and Toolmarks Examiner Erich Smith, who alleged the rifle found near the sixth hole of Trump International Golf Club was a Chinese-made Norinco SKS. Smith said the weapon was “in working condition” when recovered, test-fired successfully at the FBI lab, and was configured with a round in the chamber and the safety off — meaning it was “prepared to fire.” 

He also testified the rifle’s serial number had been “obliterated in several places” but could be partially restored.

FLASHLIGHT, RIFLE, BACKPACKS: PROSECUTORS OUTLINE RYAN ROUTH’S ALLEGED SNIPER SETUP

Smith showed jurors the 7.62×39 mm full metal jacket rounds loaded in the rifle. 

“Bullets are designed to put holes in things,” he said. “It would have put a hole in something if it had hit the target.”

Routh, representing himself, cross-examined Smith about whether all SKS rifles are semi-automatic, whether test-firings were videotaped and whether the gun could have changed hands at a gun show before he obtained it. 

“So, we’re just supposed to take your word for it?“ Routh asked Smith. 

RYAN ROUTH CHASTISED DURING OPENING STATEMENTS IN FEDERAL TRIAL FOR ‘MAKING A MOCKERY’ OF THE COURT

Smith replied: “That’s what happened.” 

Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon sustained prosecution objections when Routh strayed beyond the scope of testimony. 

The court also heard from FBI biologist Curtis Gaul, who testified about collecting potential DNA samples from the rifle grip, a glove, zip ties and other items found. Routh cross-examined briefly, asking where the glove was found and whether Gaul knew who removed the rifle’s scope.

Cannon cut off questioning several times, urging both prosecutors and Routh to keep examinations moving. 

RYAN ROUTH TRIAL: JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CASE

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Jurors appeared confused during parts of Gaul’s testimony, as prosecutors referenced exhibit numbers without always displaying them. Meanwhile, Routh was seen leaning forward, taking notes and staring intently when fingerprints reportedly matching his own were displayed on a screen.

When court resumes Tuesday morning, prosecutors are expected to call FBI biologist Kara Gregor, followed by additional FBI specialists in digital forensics and supervisory roles as they continue building their case against Routh.

A House Republican says she plans to file a resolution that aims to strip Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., of her committee assignments after the progressive “Squad” member made “disgraceful” remarks about Charlie Kirk following his assassination last week.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Monday posted images of a House resolution on X that calls for Omar’s removal from the Committee on Education and Workforce and the Committee on Budget.

“BREAKING: We’re filing a resolution to strip @Ilhan of her committee assignments after her disgraceful remarks on Charlie Kirk’s assassination,” Mace wrote in the post.

The resolution alleged Omar “smeared” Kirk and “implied he was to blame for his own murder” during an interview with progressive news outlet Zeteo. It further accused Omar of having reposted a video on X that “disparaged the character of Charlie Kirk and those mourning his death.”

CALIFORNIA STATE SEN. SCOTT WEINER LABELS CHARLIE KIRK ‘A VILE BIGOT WHO’ NORMALIZED ‘DEHUMANIZATION’

Mace’s proposed resolution is the latest forceful response from Republicans who have criticized Democrats they view as taking Kirk’s death lightly or dismissing it as a product of his conservative activism. 

The backlash against Omar began following her Zeteo interview, where she criticized Kirk’s past commentary and Republicans’ reaction to the shooting. She accused Republicans of taking her words out of context, however, and she called Kirk’s death “mortifying.”

She told the outlet days after Kirk’s assassination that he “was someone who was willing to debate and downplay the death of George Floyd,” and previously “downplayed slavery and what Black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth shouldn’t exist.”

Omar then agreed with interviewer Mehdi Hasan, who called those who believe Kirk just wanted to have a civil debate a “complete rewriting of history.”

“There are a lot of people who are out there talking about him just wanting to have a civil debate,” Omar said. “There is nothing more effed up, you know, like, than to completely pretend that, you know, his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so.”

HOUSE REPUBLICANS HONOR CHARLIE KIRK WHILE DEM LEADERS SKIP CAPITOL PRAYER VIGIL

Omar also criticized Republican figures who have been going after Democrats for their rhetoric, adding, “These people are full of s—. And it’s important for us to call them out while we feel anger and sadness, and have, you know, empathy, which Charlie said, ‘No, it shouldn’t exist,’ because that’s a newly created word or something.”

“Like, I have empathy for his kids and his wife and what they’re going through,” Omar continued.

Omar has responded to the backlash to her comments in an X post, saying she “disagreed with Charlie Kirk vehemently about his rhetoric” but does not “wish violence on anyone.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Right-wing accounts trying to spin a false story when I condemned his murder multiple times is fitting for their agenda to villainize the left to hide from the fact that Donald Trump gins up hate on a daily basis,” the post read.

Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

A Senate Republican warned Monday that Congress would likely have to change the law following deep Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said during an appearance at the Global Health Innovation Forum at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston that “pressure” would grow over time for lawmakers to make a change to the megabill’s steep cuts to Medicaid.

She said she supported other big-ticket items in the bill, like extending provisions from Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the beefing up of Medicaid’s work requirement.

SENATE PASSES TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA

But Collins argued that while there should be an effort to trim the costs of Medicaid and Medicare in the country, the deep, nearly $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid would hurt Americans.

“They don’t go into effect next year, they go into effect the following year,” Collins said. “But a year is not going to make any difference at all, and I’m just very concerned that people who need the care aren’t going to get it.”

Collins warned that once “we start seeing Americans getting sicker as a result of this, having delayed treatment because they no longer have the coverage,” then lawmakers will have to take a better look at the cuts they greenlit in June.

“I don’t see the states having the ability to step up and fill the gap here. I just don’t. Even wealthy states,” she said. “I just don’t see that happening. And as the implications of the bill become better known, I think there’s going to be tremendous pressure on Congress to change the law. But we’re going to need the evidence, the stories, the research that didn’t occur.”

THESE ARE THE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED AGAINST TRUMP’S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK OF FOREIGN AID, NPR FUNDING

She was one of only three Senate Republicans — the others were Sens. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis, of North Carolina — to vote against the colossal package in June. At the time, she cited Medicaid cuts as the key reason behind her decision not to back the bill.

Collins noted that before the bill ever went to the floor for what would become a marathon, 29-hour vote-a-rama before final passage in the upper chamber, she told both Republican leaders in the Senate and officials at the White House that she was a hard “no” unless changes were made to the bill.

She offered leaders and the administration a list of 10 items she took issue with, including cuts that would affect rural hospitals. Maine has 32 rural hospitals, she said, with one having just been closed.

“We have five that are teetering on the brink of closure because they’re already in trouble, because the Medicaid reimbursements are not high enough, and also because of population changes,” she said.

TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ FACES REPUBLICAN FAMILY FEUD AS SENATE REVEALS ITS FINAL TEXT

Collins and other skeptics of the Medicaid cuts, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., did notch a minor victory with the inclusion of a $50 billion rural hospital fund to help offset the broader cuts — and she vowed to pressure Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Mehmet Oz to hustle that funding out the door.

Still, in a state like Maine, which has roughly 31% of the population on Medicaid, she worried that the cuts would see hospitals shoulder more of the costs of care.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“These cuts, I worry, are going to be devastating for states like Maine, for the people who rely on it,” Collins said. “But you know, a lot of those individuals are still going to show up in the hospital emergency room.”

“They won’t have been getting the care that they need to keep them out of the hospital emergency room,” she continued. “They’re going to be coming to you with their problems, and they’re not going to be covered by Medicaid, and the problem with that is it’s going to be uncompensated care for hospitals.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. 

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) chief Randi Weingarten is set to hold a virtual event Tuesday promoting her new book on educators battling “fascist regimes” — an appearance that comes less than a week after the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk, reportedly motivated by anti-fascist ideology.

The virtual event is slated to kick off at 4 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday and is hosted by a group called Emerge, a liberal nonprofit that “recruits, trains, and provides a powerful network to Democratic women who want to run for office,” according to its website. 

The event will focus on Weingarten’s new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers,” and will include Emerge President and CEO A’shanti F. Gholar. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the American Federation of Teachers and Emerge inquiring if the event had been canceled in light of Kirk’s assassination or if Weingarten would address his death, but did not receive replies. Promotions for the event are still active on Emerge’s website. 

Weingarten’s book, which hits bookshelves Tuesday, elaborates on her views battling what she says is fascist ideology and how it works to “undermine democracy, opportunity, and public education as we know it.”

DONALD TRUMP JR. WARNS POLITICAL VIOLENCE IS ‘NOT GOING BOTH WAYS’ AS HE MOURNS CHARLIE KIRK’S DEATH

“Attacks on schools and teachers have long been a hallmark of fascist regimes: Throughout history, as many dictators rose to power they began banning books and controlling curriculum,” the book’s preview reads. “Fascists fear teachers because teachers foster an educated and empowered population that can see past propaganda and scare tactics. Fascists fear teachers because they teach young people how to think for themselves.” 

Media pundits and conservatives have been pointing to the left’s years of claiming conservative figures such as Kirk are “fascists.” 

CONNECTICUT GOP ACCUSES DEMOCRATIC SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN OF CELEBRATING CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER

Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) in 2018, was assassinated Wednesday during a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University when a single shot rang out and struck the conservative political leader in the neck. Officials identified Tyler Robinson as the suspect in the case, detaining him late Thursday after Robinson confessed the violence to his father, investigators said.  

Robinson, 22, is under “special watch” while in custody until he completes a mental health evaluation, authorities reported Sunday. 

Senior investigators told Fox News Digital that officials also are interviewing Robinson’s romantic partner, an unidentified male who is currently transitioning to female, who is cooperating with officials. 

Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told the media Friday that the inscriptions on the casings the suspect brought with him to the attacks were inscribed with anti-fascist messaging such as, “Hey fascist! Catch!” shedding light on the suspect’s motives to kill Kirk as investigators continue combing through his life. 

NEW YORK TEACHER SUSPENDED AFTER CELEBRATING CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION: ‘GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD GARBAGE’

Kirk, 31, leaves behind his wife, Erika, and their two children, ages 1 and 3. His funeral is scheduled for Sept. 21 in Arizona and will be attended by President Donald Trump and other administration leaders. 

The American Federation of Teachers chief condemned “political violence” following the assassination.

“Let’s be clear: violence is never okay,” she posted to X Wednesday. “Political violence is never okay. Gun violence ruins lives. My prayers are with Charlie Kirk, his family and everyone who was present at this horrific event.” 

DAVID MARCUS: DEMOCRATS MUST STOP THEIR DEADLY ANTI-FASCISM COSPLAY

“There is no excuse for political violence against anyone for their beliefs,” she posted to X Sunday. “We must condemn it unequivocally. And I hope this tragedy sparks a serious conversation about the role social media plays in spreading fear, hate & disinformation.” 

Weingarten’s book railing against “fascists” follows her full-court press during the 2024 election cycle against a second Trump administration, warning Democrat votes were the “best defense against tyranny and fascism.”

“The November elections will determine which path we take as a nation. Progress is indeed possible, but so is the eradication of the rights and freedoms we hold dear,” Weingarten said during AFT’s annual convention in Houston, in July 2024. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Historians … who study threats to democracy and how fascists come to power conclude that it is seldom a dramatic event or attack that lets fascism in the door. The violence comes later after they are voted in,” she continued in a speech that was slammed by conservatives as “unhinged.” 

Maurene Comey, a longtime U.S. prosecutor who helped bring criminal cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, sued the Trump administration Monday over her abrupt firing from the Justice Department. 

Comey had served at the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York since 2015 before her ousting earlier this year. She called her termination unlawful, “politically motivated,” and argued it stemmed largely from the fact that her father is former FBI Director James Comey.

In Monday’s lawsuit, Comey’s lawyers said her firing violated “multiple provisions” of the Civil Service Reform Act — a law designed to protect government employees, including career federal prosecutors — as well as the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

“The politically motivated termination of Ms. Comey — ostensibly under ‘Article II of the Constitution’ — upends bedrock principles of our democracy and justice system,” her lawyers argued, describing her removal as both “unlawful and unconstitutional.”

VANCE, BONDI, PATEL TO HUDDLE AT VP RESIDENCE FOR MEETING AMID EPSTEIN FALLOUT

“Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey,” her lawyers argued. “In truth, there is no legitimate explanation. Rather, defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both.”

The lawsuit asks that Comey be reinstated to the Southern District of New York, where lawyers noted her work earned multiple awards, promotions and internal recognition, including a recent performance review calling her work “outstanding.”

It also cites protections afforded to career federal prosecutors, including prior notification and the ability to challenge a removal.

In the years since Comey joined SDNY in 2015, her lawyers said, she had been assigned to prosecute some of the department’s most high-profile cases — including the criminal cases against Epstein, Maxwell, and others. Most recently, in May, she led the prosecution against Sean “Diddy” Combs. 

DEATH PENALTY LOOMS FOR CHARLIE KIRK’S ACCUSED KILLER, BUT LEGAL BAR IS HIGH AS TRUMP, COX MOUNT PRESSURE

Comey had been asked by the U.S. attorney’s office to lead a “major” public corruption case just one day before she was fired, the lawsuit said, underscoring what her lawyers call the abrupt nature of her removal.

She was notified of her termination the next day in an emailed memo. The email did not list a cause or reason for removal, according to the lawsuit, though it made mention of “Article II,” or the powers of the commander-in-chief.  

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton did not answer Comey when she pressed him for information on her firing, the lawsuit alleges. Instead, he told her, “All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else.”

“No other explanation was ever provided to Ms. Comey regarding the reason for her termination,” her lawyers said. “Defendants had no lawful authority to terminate [the] plaintiff from federal service without adhering to the statutory protections afforded to her.” 

They argued that this distinction should be taken to mean that Comey’s termination is “ultra vires,” or beyond the scope of one’s authority — thus “without force or effect.”

“The executive branch cannot use Article II to overrule Congress and remove career civil servants for perceived disloyalty,” they added. “Such an act violates the Constitution’s fundamental Separation of Powers. It also violates the Bill of Rights, depriving Ms. Comey of protection under the First and Fifth Amendments.”

The Justice Department declined to comment on the lawsuit, which names the department, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, OPM, and the Executive Office of the President as defendants, among others. 

It comes amid a years-long, high-profile dispute between President Donald Trump and former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired during his first White House term in 2017, roughly five years into his 10-year tenure. 

JOHN BOLTON’S HOME AND OFFICE RAIDED BY FEDERAL AGENTS

In the years since Comey’s departure, the two have continued to be sharply at odds. Comey has emerged as an outspoken Trump critic, both in public and in his memoir, “A Higher Loyalty.” Comey came into the president’s crosshairs again earlier this year after he posted what was viewed by Trump allies as a cryptic social media post online; he has denied knowledge of its true meaning.

Trump, for his part, has continued to assail Comey and probe his tenure at the FBI. Earlier this year, the FBI confirmed it had launched criminal investigations into Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan for allegedly making false statements to Congress. 

Details of the investigation were not immediately clear, and in the months since the FBI’s July announcement, there has been little information shared with the public about the nature or status of the probes.

The younger Comey was terminated about a week after the investigations were announced — a detail her lawyers highlighted in the lawsuit, which seeks her reinstatement and back pay.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

In a farewell email sent to colleagues, Maurene Comey wrote, “If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain.”

 “Do not let that happen,” she said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., shared a nearly four-and-a-half minute video on social media following the assassination of Charlie Kirk that warned about “a disturbing rise in political violence,” which the senator fears could lead to folks being afraid to participate in public life. He added that “every American” must condemn what happened to Kirk. 

Sanders has long been a staunch opponent of Republicans and conservatives like Kirk, but the progressive senator said Thursday that this disagreement is precisely what democracy and freedom are all about. He added that anyone who thinks violence is an answer is simply a coward. 

“A free and democratic society, which is what America is supposed to be about, depends upon the basic premise that people can speak out, organize and take part in public life without fear,” Sanders said in the video. “Without worrying that they might be killed, injured or humiliated for expressing their political views. In fact, that is the essence of what freedom is about and what democracy is about.”

I’M A DEMOCRAT, AND CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER MUST UNITE ALL AMERICANS AGAINST VIOLENCE

Sanders said he feared that the trend of political violence could create a chilling effect that prevents people from wanting to engage in democracy out of fear of the potential consequences that might ensue.

“Political violence, in fact, is political cowardice. It means that you cannot convince people of the correctness of your ideas, and you have to impose them through force,” Sanders said. “Every American, no matter what one’s political point-of-view may be, must condemn all forms of political violence and all forms of intimidation. We must welcome and respect dissenting points of view. That’s what our Constitution is about, that’s what our Bill of Rights is about, that, in fact, is what freedom is about.”

“The murder of Charlie Kirk is part of a disturbing rise in political violence that threatens to hollow out public life and make people afraid of participating,” Sanders continued. 

After Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, uproar erupted on social media as posts and other records of people celebrating his assassination went viral. However, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have roundly condemned the political violence that took Kirk’s life.

CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION ROCKS CAPITOL HILL, HEIGHTENS LAWMAKERS’ SECURITY FEARS

“This is beyond terrible,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said. “Charlie Kirk was a husband, father, and son. Violence is never the answer. Sydney and I are keeping the Kirk family in our prayers.” 

“I’m deeply disturbed about the threat of violence that has entered our political life, and I pray that we will remember that every person, no matter how vehement our disagreement with them, is a human being and a fellow American deserving of respect and protection,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

In a foreboding post on social media in April, Kirk himself warned about the “assassination culture” spreading on the left.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“Assassination culture is spreading on the left. Forty-eight percent of liberals say it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk. Fifty-five percent said the same about Donald Trump,” Kirk wrote in his post on X, which cited data from a study completed by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI). 

“The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy. Any setback, whether losing an election or losing a court case, justifies a maximally violent response,” he said.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.