NationalWatch

Newly declassified documents have stated that former President Barack Obama was present for key meetings with his top intelligence and national security officials that led to critical steps in the opening of the Trump–Russia investigation.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have declassified new documents related to the origins of the original Trump–Russia probe at the FBI — known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Trump has accused Obama of being the “ringleader” of the Russiagate narrative — an allegation vehemently denied by the former president.

PATEL FOUND THOUSANDS OF SENSITIVE TRUMP–RUSSIA PROBE DOCS INSIDE ‘BURN BAGS’ IN SECRET ROOM AT FBI

“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a July statement. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.” 

“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Obama’s spokesman continued. “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.” 

OBAMA DENIES TRUMP’S ‘BIZARRE ALLEGATIONS’ THAT HE WAS RUSSIAGATE ‘RINGLEADER’ IN RARE STATEMENT

He added: “These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”

Here’s a look at the known key meetings the former president attended and was reportedly made aware of: 

Aug. 3, 2016

On Aug. 3, 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan reportedly briefed then-President Obama on intelligence that then-Democratic nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton allegedly was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch and then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper also were reportedly present for the briefing.

Brennan’s notes from that briefing were declassified in 2020 by John Ratcliffe, who, at the time, was serving as director of National Intelligence. Ratcliffe is now the director of the CIA. 

Fox News Digital, at the time, exclusively reported on those notes.

SOROS’ ALLEGED TIES TO RUSSIAGATE EXPOSED IN DECLASSIFIED ANNEX OF DURHAM REPORT

“We’re getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED),” Brennan notes read. “CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.” 

The notes state “on 28 of July.” In the margin, Brennan writes “POTUS,” but that section of the notes is redacted.

“Any evidence of collaboration between Trump campaign + Russia,” the notes read.

The remainder of the notes are redacted, except in the margins, which reads:  “JC,” “Denis,” and “Susan.”

The notes don’t spell out the full names but “JC” could be referring to then-FBI Director James Comey or former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. “Susan” could refer to National Security Adviser Susan Rice. And “Denis” could possibly refer to then-Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough.

The meeting came just days after the FBI, July 31, 2016, opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether candidate Trump and members of his campaign were colluding or coordinating with Russia to influence the 2016 campaign. It was opened by then-Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Peter Strzok.

Days after that briefing, the CIA properly forwarded that information through a Counterintelligence Operational Lead (CIOL) to Comey and Strzok, with the subject line: “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained and reported on the CIOL in October 2020, which stated: “The following information is provided for the exclusive use of your bureau for background investigative action or lead purposes as appropriate.”

FLASHBACK:DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA

“Per FBI verbal request, CIA provides the below examples of information the CROSSFIRE HURRICANE fusion cell has gleaned to date,” the memo continued. “An exchange (REDACTED) discussing US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s approval of a plan concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian hackers hampering US elections as a means of distracting the public from her use of a private email server.”

But days before the Aug. 3, 2016, briefing, and before the July 31, 2016, opening of the Crossfire Hurricane probe, foreign sources allegedly connected to left-wing billionaire George Soros were emailing about the FBI opening a probe into the salacious Trump–Russia narrative. 

That information came from emails dated July 25, 2016, to July 27, 2016, contained in the newly declassified appendix of Special Counsel John Durham’s report.

The appendix reveals that the foreign sources were allegedly tied to George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.

The appendix said that Russian government actors in 2016 reportedly hacked emails from the Open Society Foundations, formerly known as the Soros Foundation.

“Two of the apparently hacked emails appear to have originated from the Open Society Foundations,” the appendix states, noting that the purported author of these emails was Leonard Benardo, who was the regional director for Eurasia at the Open Society Foundations.

“During the first stage of the campaign, due to lack of direct evidence, it was decided to disseminate the necessary information through the FBI-affiliated…technical structures… in particular, the Crowdstrike and ThreatConnect companies, from where the information would then be disseminated through leading U.S. publications,” Benardo reportedly wrote in an email, per the appendix. 

FBI’S CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP-RUSSIA ACTIONS PREDICTED WITH ‘ALARMING SPECIFICITY’ BY FOREIGN ACTORS: SOURCES

“The media analysis on the DNC hacking appears solid …. Julie (Clinton Campaign Advisor) says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump. Now it is good for a post-convention bounce,” Benardo allegedly wrote, per the appendix. “Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.”

Another email reportedly from Benardo on July 27, 2016, states: “HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton) approved Julie’s idea about Trump and Russian hackers hampering U.S. elections.”

“This should distract people from her own missing email, especially if the affair goes to the Olympic level,” Benardo reportedly continued, per the annex. “The point is making the Russian play a U.S. domestic issue. Say something like a critical infrastructure threat for the election to feel manic since both POTUS and VPOTUS have acknowledge the fact IC would speed up searching for evidence that is regrettably still unavailable.” 

Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s Trump–Russia investigation, was opened just several days later, on July 31, 2016. And Brennan briefed Obama just days after that.

It is unclear if the Benardo emails were part of the Aug. 3, 2016, briefing.

Nov. 10, 2016

Then-President Obama invited then-President-elect Donald Trump to the White House just two days after the 2016 presidential election.

During that meeting, Obama warned Trump against hiring Michael Flynn to serve as his White House national security adviser. 

Flynn, a critic of the Obama administration, had been fired as head of military intelligence by Obama in 2014.

Trump tapped Flynn for the post anyway, but Flynn resigned less than a month into his tenure after reports that he had misled then-Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak.

FBI OFFICIAL ON MUELLER TEAM SAID FLYNN PROSECUTION HAD ‘GET TRUMP’ ATTITUDE, COLLUSION PROBE WAS ‘NOT THERE’

Flynn ended up being a key figure in the early days of Russiagate.

As part of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements in his FBI interview regarding his talks with Kislyak. Flynn was charged with lying to federal investigators about whether he had talked to Kislyak about limiting the Russian government’s response to Obama’s sanctions for election meddling.

His plea deal involved his full cooperation with investigators in the special counsel’s office.

But FBI agents did not actually believe that Flynn intentionally lied about his talks with Kislyak.

FLASHBACK: ‘OBAMAGATE’: TRUMP IMPLIES OBAMA LINK IN FLYNN INVESTIGATION 

In 2020, the Justice Department dropped its case against Flynn, shortly after internal memos were released that raised serious questions about the nature of the investigation that led to the guilty plea for lying to the FBI. 

Those documents showed how agents discussed their motivations for interviewing him in the Russia probe — questioning whether they wanted to “get him to lie” so he’d be fired or prosecuted, or get him to admit wrongdoing. Flynn allies howled over the revelations, arguing that he was essentially set up in a perjury trap.

Declassified notes showed agents considered various options in the run-up to their fateful January 2017 interview with Flynn, including getting Flynn “to admit to breaking the Logan Act” when he spoke to Kislyak during the presidential transition period.

DOJ DROPS CASE AGAINST MICHAEL FLYNN, IN WAKE OF INTERNAL MEMO RELEASE 

“What is our goal?” one of the notes read. “Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”

Another note read, “If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ + have them decide.” 

The memo appeared to weigh the pros and cons of pursuing those different paths, while cautioning: “If we’re seen as playing games, WH (White House) will be furious.”

Flynn’s communications with Kislyak in December 2016 had been picked up in wiretapped discussions, apparently unbeknownst to him. The FBI agents in January 2017 questioned him on the communications and later used his answers to form the basis for the false-statement charge and his guilty plea.

Flynn had moved to withdraw his guilty plea for lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, citing “bad faith” by the government. That court filing came just days after the Justice Department reversed course to recommend up to six months of prison time in his case, alleging he was not fully cooperating or accepting responsibility for his actions.

FLYNN-KISLYAK CALL TRANSCRIPTS RELEASED, REVEALING FATEFUL TALKS OVER RUSSIA SANCTIONS

The case had been plodding through the court system with no resolution ever since his original plea, even amid speculation about whether Trump himself could extend a pardon.

Trump, in May 2020, said Flynn was a target of the Obama administration and called the investigation into his former national security adviser treasonous.

“They’re human scum,” Trump said. “It’s treason.”

Dec. 9, 2016

Current Director of National Intelligence Gabbard recently declassified documents claiming that the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to allegedly create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election, despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise.

Documents revealed that in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community consistently assessed that Russia was “probably not trying…to influence the election by using cyber means.”

One instance was Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. 

Then-Director of National Intelligence Clapper’s talking points stated: “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.”

OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW

Fox News Digital obtained a declassified copy of the Presidential Daily Brief, which was prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, with reporting from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, State Department and open sources, for Obama, dated Dec. 8, 2016.

“We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure,” the Presidential Daily Brief stated. “Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.”

But the brief stated that it was “highly unlikely” the effort “would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.”

“Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,” it stated. 

The brief noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed that any Russian activities “probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.” 

The brief stated that cyber criminals “tried to steal data and to interrupt election processes by targeting election infrastructure, but these actions did not achieve a notable disruptive effect.”

Fox News Digital obtained declassified, but redacted, communications from the FBI on the Presidential Daily Brief, stating that it “should not go forward until the FBI” had shared its “concerns.”

Those communications revealed that the FBI allegedly drafted a “dissent” to the original Presidential Daily Brief. 

FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES

The communications revealed that the brief was expected to be published Dec. 9, 2016, the following day, but later communications revealed that Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “based on some new guidance,” decided to “push back publication” of the Presidential Daily Brief. 

“It will not run tomorrow and is not likely to run until next week,” wrote the deputy director of the Presidential Daily Brief at Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose name is redacted. 

The following day, Dec. 9, 2016, a meeting convened in the White House Situation Room, with the subject line starting: “Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on a Sensitive Topic (REDACTED.)”

The meeting included top officials in the National Security Council, Clapper, Brennan, Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, Lynch, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to discuss Russia.

The declassified meeting record, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that principals “agreed to recommend sanctioning of certain members of the Russian military intelligence and foreign intelligence chains of command responsible for cyber operations as a response to cyber activity that attempted to influence or interfere with U.S. elections, if such activity meets the requirements” from an executive order that demanded the blocking of property belonging to people engaged in cyber activities.

EX-OBAMA INTEL BOSS WANTED ANTI-TRUMP DOSSIER INCLUDED IN ‘ATYPICAL’ 2016 ASSESSMENT DESPITE PUSHBACK

After the meeting, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Clapper’s executive assistant reportedly emailed intelligence community leaders tasking them to create a new intelligence community assessment “per the president’s request,” that detailed the “tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”

“ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS,” the record states.

Later, Obama officials allegedly “leaked false statements to media outlets” claiming that “Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.”

By Jan. 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, “directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.” 

Jan. 5, 2017

Then-President Obama held an Oval Office meeting Jan. 5, 2017, with then-FBI Director James Comey, then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-Vice President Joe Biden.

During that meeting, Comey reportedly suggested to Obama that the National Security Council might not want to pass “sensitive information related to Russia” to then-incoming National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

On Jan. 20, 2017, the day Trump was first inaugurated, Rice sent herself an email documenting the Jan. 5, 2017, Oval Office meeting. That email was declassified by former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell in 2020.

During that meeting, Comey provided guidance on how law enforcement needed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race.

Comey reportedly told Obama he was proceeding with the Trump–Russia probe “by the book,” and went on to discuss concerns about Flynn’s known conversation with Kilsyak.

DECLASSIFIED SUSAN RICE EMAIL SHOWS COMEY SUGGESTED ‘SENSITIVE’ INFO ON RUSSIA NOT BE SHARED WITH FLYNN

Rice, in her email to self, wrote: “From a national security perspective, Comey said he does have some concerns that incoming NSA Flynn is speaking frequently with Russian Ambassador (Sergey) Kislyak. Comey said that could be an issue as it relates to sharing sensitive information. President Obama asked if Comey was saying that the NSC should not pass sensitive information related to Russia to Flynn.”

Rice then wrote, “Comey replied, ‘potentially.’ He added that he has no indication thus far that Flynn has passed classified information to Kislyak, but he noted that ‘the level of communication is unusual.’”

When the email was declassified in 2020, a representative for Rice told Fox News Digital that “no discussion of law enforcement matters or investigations took place, despite accusations to the contrary.” 

The spokeswoman also insisted the Obama administration did not change the way it briefed Flynn, saying Rice briefed Flynn for more than 12 hours on four separate occasions during the transition.

“Ambassador Rice did not alter the way she briefed Michael Flynn on Russia as a result of Director Comey’s response,” Rice representative Erin Pelton said.

“President Obama began the conversation by stressing his continued commitment to ensuring that every aspect of this issue is handled by the intelligence and law enforcement communities ‘by the book,'” Rice emailed to herself. “The president stressed that he is not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective. He reiterated that our law enforcement team needs to proceed as it normally would by the book.”

The email also appeared to reflect Obama’s guidance on sharing sensitive information with both the Russians and the incoming Trump administration.

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Rice wrote that Obama said, “He wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia.”

Rice wrote: “The president asked Comey to inform him if anything changes in the next few weeks that should affect how we share classified information with the incoming team. Comey said he would.”

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who posted his resignation letter on social media used the term “pregnant people” and capped off his missive by including “he/his/him” pronouns after his name.

“I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business,” Dr. Demetre Daskalakis wrote in the lengthy post on X.

Daskalakis accused President Donald Trump’s administration of attempting “to erase transgender populations.”

RFK JR WARNS CDC ‘IN TROUBLE,’ PROMISES FIXES AS DIRECTOR REFUSES TO STEP DOWN

“For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision,” he wrote.

The inclusion of pronouns and the term “pregnant people” caught people’s attention.

“This resignation is a huge win for the Trump administration and the American people. We don’t need anyone who can’t understand basic biology working at the CDC,” noted Jeremy Redfern, communications director for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

FDA LIMITS NEW COVID VACCINE BOOSTERS TO HIGH-RISK AMERICANS ONLY

Karol Markowicz tweeted, “No one who uses ‘pregnant people’ should work at the CDC. This isn’t hard.” 

Responding to Markowicz’s post, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, “Example of how ‘trusting the science’ really means following the political science and perpetuating the prevailing narrative…” He added, “Embracing evidence-based medicine should be the bare minimum for working at the CDC…”

Daskalakis suggested that the Department of Health and Human Services is on a “dangerous” path.

CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITS

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“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health,” he wrote.

“I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States,” Daskalakis concluded at the end of his message.

Fox News Digital reached out to HHS for comment on Thursday.

FIRST ON FOX: Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem slammed a group of former and current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees who wrote a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of the agency as she outlined her vision for FEMA’s role in the U.S. 

More than 190 former and current FEMA employees joined an open letter on Monday “in response to the Trump administration’s dismantling cuts and devastating attacks on FEMA programs and missions.” On Wednesday morning, the agency’s current employees who signed on to the letter were placed on administrative leave.

“I am not surprised that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform; including many who worked under the Biden Administration to turn FEMA into the bureaucratic nightmare it is today,” Noem told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “I refuse to accept that FEMA red tape should stand between an American citizen suffering and the aid they desperately need.”

DHS JUGGLES ‘MASS DEPORTATION’ PUSH WITH HELENE RELIEF, ADDS $124M AFTER BIDEN BACKLASH

“That’s why I am working so hard to eliminate FEMA as it exists today, and streamline this bloated organization into a tool that actually benefits Americans in crisis,” Noem added.

President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the disaster agency since his presidential campaign, told reporters in June that FEMA “has not worked out well.”

“It’s extremely expensive and, again, when you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind, in a state, that’s what you have governors for,” Trump added. “They’re supposed to fix those problems, and it’s much more local and they’ll develop a system, and it will be a great system.”

KRISTI NOEM: DC RESIDENTS ARE REMEMBERING WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO ‘BE FREE’ AMID TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN

The basis of the letter, which was published by nonprofit Stand Up for Science, focuses on Hurricane Katrina and relays concerns that unpreparedness played a large role in the aftermath that shook the gulf and devastated New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Signees argue that Noem and the agency’s leaders “hinder the swift execution of [FEMA’s] mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management.” 

Noem told Fox News Digital that these criticisms are remnants of the Biden administration’s wasteful spending, and that the agency “has a history of failing Americans in real emergencies for decades.”

SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY SAYS HE WAS ‘NAIVE’ IN HOW HE LOOKED AT BIDEN AS PRESIDENT, CALLS HIM INEFFECTIVE

“The Biden administration spent hundreds of millions of dollars resettling illegal aliens in our country on American taxpayers’ dime, while FEMA still hasn’t even finished payouts from Hurricane Katrina,” Noem explained to Fox. “We don’t want to just fix a broken system, we want to build something better.” 

“As our successes in Texas make clear, the Trump administration has created a deployable disaster force that cuts through the bureaucratic noise, and delivers real results in record time,” Noem added. 

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR PRAISES FEMA UNDER TRUMP, SAYS ITS A ‘CREDIT TO HIS ADMINISTRATION’

Despite the partisan back-and-forth, some Democrats have recognized the positive direction the disaster agency is heading under Noem and Trump’s leadership. 

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear told “At Our Table” podcast host Jaime Harrison earlier this month that “Trump’s FEMA on the ground has done a good job in Kentucky” and that the federal government’s handling of the agency is “actually a credit to [Trump’s] administration.”

While the immediate future of FEMA and how Congress may go about funding the agency remains unclear, Noem is optimistic that much of the wasteful spending that came from previous leadership will be put to rest.

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“These [FEMA] career bureaucrats had Support Service contracts for everything they do, from finance to management support to staffing reviews,” a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “They hardly did anything themselves.”

“Instead, they hid their egregious misuse of taxpayer funds under the veneer of ’emergency management,'” the DOGE office explained to Fox. “No wonder they have the time to write letters to the Hill – they certainly weren’t spending their time working.”

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 Air Force decided to extend military funeral honors to deceased Senior Airman Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a police officer during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

The decision came after Air Force leadership during the Biden administration previously denied the request in February 2021, shortly after Babbitt was killed. The decision also comes on the heels of a wrongful death settlement reached in July, which resulted in the government paying the Babbitt family nearly $5 million.

“On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashli Babbitt,” stated an Aug. 15 letter from the undersecretary of the Air Force, sent to Babbitt’s husband, Aaron, according to the family’s legal representatives. “After reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.”

TRUMP SALUTES SGT. MICHAEL VERARDO, WOUNDED AFGHANISTAN VETERAN WHO INSPIRED INDEPENDENCE FUND’S TRACKCHAIRS

“After reviewing the circumstances of SrA Babbitt’s death, the Air Force has offered Military Funeral Honors to SrA Babbitt’s family,” an Air Force spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

Babbitt was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol police officer as she was attempting to forcibly gain access to the Capitol chambers during the events of Jan. 6. Roughly three months later the Department of Justice announced it would not be pursuing criminal charges against the officer who shot Babbitt.

Both praise and criticism followed the news that the Air Force would be granting Babbitt her military honors, previously denied under Biden.

VETERAN BURNS AMERICAN FLAG OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE AFTER TRUMP SIGNED JAILTIME ORDER

“There is no better example of how a leader is supposed to act, than right here in this letter,” said retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a longtime Trump confidant who spent a short stint as the president’s national security advisor after a long tenure in the military and time leading the Defense Intelligence Agency, in response to the undersecretary’s letter restoring Babbitt’s honors.

“May Ashli Babbitt now Rest In Peace and her family gain some measure of solace for the wonderful person she was and the light of truth she brought to each of us,” Flynn concluded.

Meanwhile, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who was part of the GOP-maligned Jan. 6 Congressional Committee that investigated the Capitol riot, slammed the move to restore Babbitt’s honors.  

“[Ashli] Babbit dishonored her service by committing insurrection against her country. While her death is absolutely tragic and I wish it hadn’t happened, the Air Force giving her honors is in itself a dishonor,” Kinzinger said in response to the news. 

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A former Capitol Police officer, Aquilino Gonell, who described Jan. 6 as one of the worst days of his life, suggested the move was a slap in the face to people who got hurt as a result of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

“Not to officers, like Brian Sicknick, who served in the Air National Guard, but the member of the mob who stormed the Capitol and put herself and other’s lives in danger,” the former Capitol Police officer said of the restored honors. “Wtf.”

Former President Barack Obama warned of “dangerous trends” emerging from the Trump administration, saying its policies “put the liberties of all Americans at risk.”

On X, Obama cited an interview with Ezra Klein of The New York Times and a journalist on “The Ezra Klein Show,” during which they discussed President Donald Trump’s threat to send National Guard troops into New York and Chicago, the former president’s hometown.

“This interview, which is also available as a podcast, provides a useful overview of some of the dangerous trends we’ve been seeing in recent months regarding federalization and militarization of state and local police functions,” Obama wrote on X.

CHICAGO RESTAURANT OWNER SLAMS CITY LEADERSHIP OVER CRIME: ‘WE WANT LAW AND ORDER’

“The erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil put the liberties of all Americans at risk and should concern Democrats and Republicans alike,” he added.

Trump has suggested launching a federal crackdown to combat crime in Chicago, similar to what is happening in Washington, D.C.

“Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social, referring to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “Twenty people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help. Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!! President DJT.”

ILLINOIS DEMOCRAT LEADERS BLAST TRUMP PUSH TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO

Threats to send in the National Guard to help combat crime in blue cities have elicited outrage from Democrats.

Earlier in the week, Trump criticized Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson over the city’s crime rate. The governor has said he will resist any federal intervention.

“I say, ‘Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here,”‘ Pritzker told reporters this week.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…

-Trump pick for UN aviation office has long history donating to Dems, Nikki Haley

-CDC official includes pronouns and the phrase ‘pregnant people’ in resignation letter

-FBI director calls Minneapolis school shooting ‘barbaric’ domestic terrorism with anti-religious motives

What did Obama know about the Trump–Russia probe? And when did he know it?

Newly declassified documents have stated that former President Barack Obama was present for key meetings with his top intelligence and national security officials that led to critical steps in the opening of the Trump–Russia investigation.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe have declassified new documents related to the origins of the original Trump–Russia probe at the FBI — known inside the bureau as “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Trump has accused Obama of being the “ringleader” of the Russiagate narrative — an allegation vehemently denied by the former president.

“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a July statement. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”…READ MORE.

White House

BLOATED BUREAUCRACY: Noem hits back at FEMA critics, reveals vision for disaster relief agency

‘CONFIDENT’: Blue states deflect blame in Trump probe after illegal immigrant trucker crash kills three in Florida

POLICY PUSH: Vance rolls into another key swing state as Trump’s ‘traveling salesman’ to promote key proposal

World Stage

BEIJING BACKDOOR: U.S. agencies distance themselves from Chinese-founded PDF software

Capitol Hill

ARCTIC SHOWDOWN: Challenger primed to face GOP’s longtime Senate dissenter as Trump brings new focus to Alaska

PILOT PERIL: Navy accused of neglecting brain injuries among pilots in new House probe

Across America 

CITY IN CHAOS: Chicago restaurant owner slams Democrat leaders for not prosecuting violence, says residents are “tired of the crime” 

PRIVACY BATTLE: University of Idaho victims’ families ask judge to permanently block crime scene images

DEFYING ICE: Winsome Earle-Sears rebukes Spanberger plan to undo Virginia’s ICE pact: ‘This is not hard’

AMERICAN NIGHTMARE: Myrtle Beach girlfriend showed up at hospital after allegedly setting beau up for murder, mom says

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

There is no reason for Americans to live in fear as President Donald Trump floats mobilizing National Guard troops to other cities to address crime like he has in Washington, the White House insists. 

While Illinois leaders, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have made it clear they aren’t interested in receiving National Guard troops in Chicago, the White House said it would welcome requests from Republican and Democratic leaders for additional law enforcement support to reduce crime in American cities. 

“This is our message to Americans in Democrat-run cities nationwide: decline is a choice,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. “You don’t have to live in constant fear of being robbed, raped or murdered. Your leaders are lying to you — and they have been failing you for decades.”

WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES PRITZKER, ILLINOIS DEMS OF WHINING WHILE CHICAGO CRIME RAGES

“Governor Pritzker should spend less time demonizing the police, more time trying to recruit more police, and more time trying to call the president of the United States to get crime in his city under control,” Leavitt said. “The president wants to allow law enforcement, whether it’s state, local, federal, to do their jobs, to arrest criminals, to put them behind bars, and to remove public safety threats from American communities, he’ll continue to do that.” 

Pritzker, a Democrat who hasn’t ruled out running for president in 2028, has pushed back against the possibility of National Guard troops arriving in Chicago to address crime, and said Monday that the move would be “unconstitutional” and “un-American.” 

“Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points,” Pritzker said. “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.” 

GOV. PRITZKER SAYS TRUMP TRYING TO ‘MANUFACTURE A CRISIS’ AS ADMIN PLANS NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO CHICAGO

Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a Friday statement that crime is down in Chicago, and said the city in the past year has reduced homicides by more than 30%, robberies by 35% and shootings by almost 40%.

But the White House has continued to point to local reports that Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city for the past 13 years, as of the most recent 2024 data.

“For 13 consecutive years, Chicago has had the most murders of any U.S. city,” Leavitt said Thursday. “This is JB Pritzker’s legacy, by the way.” 

CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT PLAN ‘UNCOORDINATED, UNCALLED-FOR AND UNSOUND’

“He should put politics aside,” Leavitt said. “He should pick up the phone and call this president, who would be more than happy to do right by law-abiding American residents in the city of Chicago. And we hope that he will.” 

Chicago does not have the most murders per capita, and isn’t listed in the top five cities for murder per capita in compilations of 2024 FBI data. 

Trump disclosed plans Aug. 11 to mobilize troops from the D.C. National Guard and to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department to address crime in the nation’s capital. Since then, Trump has indicated that he might dispatch National Guard troops to other cities in the U.S., including Chicago. 

“We go in, we will solve Chicago within one week, maybe less,” Trump told reporters Monday morning. “But within one week we’ll have no crime in Chicago, like no crime in D.C.”

Bipartisan anger is brewing over the drama that unfolded at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with the top members of the Senate’s healthcare panel forming a united front in the midst of the turmoil.

Senate Healthcare, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., and the panel’s ranking member, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., both dove head first into the issues stemming from the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez, which spurred a string of departures from the agency.

RFK JR. WARNS CDC ‘IN TROUBLE,’ PROMISES FIXES AS DIRECTOR REFUSES TO STEP DOWN

Monarez was abruptly fired from her position by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), less than a month after being confirmed by the Senate. Her removal, which her lawyers rejected, appeared to stem from disagreements over vaccines with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, a vaccine skeptic.

Cassidy was the deciding vote during Kennedy’s confirmation hearing earlier this year.

Monarez has since refused to leave the post, with her lawyers arguing that she had neither resigned nor been fired, and had not received notification from the president of her removal.

CDC DIRECTOR SUSAN MONAREZ REFUSES TO BE FIRED AS OTHER OFFICIALS CALL IT QUITS

Following news of her ousting, a string of top officials at the CDC announced their resignations, too, including National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Daniel Jernigan, Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Demetre Daskalakis, and Director of Public Health Data, Science, Technology Jennifer Layden.

In response to their resignations, Cassidy demanded that the federal government’s vaccine advisory panel, which was filled with Kennedy’s handpicked replacements after he recently booted the original panel members, postpone its scheduled meeting in September.

His demand is the second time this year that Cassidy called on the panel to halt its meeting, a move that directly bucks Kennedy’s and President Donald Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda. 

TRUMP’S CDC PICK CONFIRMED—BUT HER PRO-VACCINE STANCE MAY CLASH WITH RFK JR.’S AGENDA

Cassidy argued Thursday that there were “serious allegations made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September [Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] meeting.”

“These decisions directly impact children’s health and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted,” Cassidy said. “If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership.”

Daskalakis posted his reason for resigning on X, where he charged that he was “unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.”

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Meanwhile, Sanders demanded a congressional investigation be opened into the Trump administration’s decision to fire Monarez.

“We need leaders at the CDC and HHS who are committed to improving public health and have the courage to stand up for science, not officials who have a history of spreading bogus conspiracy theories and disinformation,” Sanders said Thursday.

HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this story.  

EXCLUSIVE: Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is primed to announce a 2028 run for U.S. Senate against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the Republican legislator who repeatedly has clashed with President Donald Trump, according to several sources familiar with the situation or close to the governor.   

“He’s not going to quit his term,” a top source close to Dunleavy who used to work with him in Juneau, Alaska, told Fox News Digital of the governor’s long-term plans — as the next Senate race in the Last Frontier falls in 2026 with incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. 

The last governor to resign to run for higher office — 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — “never recovered,” the source said. 

Dunleavy “cares deeply about and wants Alaska to succeed,” the source said, adding the governor recently quipped that he can’t understand why people would want to “live with all this concrete” in Washington and not in the verdant Arctic as one reason the Pennsylvania-born Republican likes to otherwise avoid the East Coast.

‘HOMELAND WOULD’VE BEEN STOLEN’: AK NATIVES SOUND OFF ON BIDEN ENERGY BANS AS TRUMP OFFICIALS TOUR TUNDRA

“But he knows that (being in Washington) is the only way to get things done,” the source said, adding that Dunleavy was the second governor to endorse Trump in 2016, and that a top member of the White House staff said he visits more than any other governor despite a 3,500-mile trek.

“He’s not about an ego and pushing himself in front of the cameras. He gets stuff done … He’s not like, ‘please put me on this committee’ or ‘I have to attend this ball’. He doesn’t like those types of things,” the source added.

“Trump has talked to him before about running and wants him to run.”

Dunleavy was notably present at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, when Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Aug. 15. 

Despite being a red state, it is an “uphill climb” to get elected governor as a Republican, another source close to the situation told Fox News Digital Wednesday.

Former Gov. Jay Hammond was the last Republican to win reelection there, in 1978. Another Republican, Sean Parnell, who rose to the job after Palin’s 2009 departure, did not technically win reelection during the 2010 cycle that kept him in office.

“A lot of people have mentioned this (race) to him and … I think it is a very viable option for him,” the source said. 

“Obviously there are a lot of frustrations with Senator Murkowski,” he said, adding that the disparity in Trump’s relationship between the two Alaskans is “no secret.”

“Governor Dunleavy has been not only a successful governor, but a pretty strong ally for him. So it’s only natural that he’d be hearing that from Alaskans — but also from folks in the broader MAGA movement.”

ALASKA CAN BE CURE FOR NATION’S ILLS WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN, GOVERNOR SAYS

Dunleavy, like Murkowski, also has been successful in the state’s ranked-choice voting system — which critics claim has inordinately helped Democrats. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, notably won the seat of the late Republican Rep. Don Young, who helmed the at-large district for decades.

Murkowski also “never faced a challenger like him” who has broad support outside conservative circles, the second source noted.

The governor is very close with Native communities on the North Slope and beyond, where residents in far-flung communities have praised him for his focus on Alaska’s energy development potential and allocation of resources for issues like rural education and infrastructure.

A top Alaska political analyst and pollster agreed.

“Conservatives would welcome an opportunity to unseat Murkowski,” he said in a Thursday interview.

“The fact that (Trump) and Murkowski have had such a strained relationship and Dunleavy and the president having a good relationship is really what has led us to this point in the conversation,” he said.

One area that all parties agreed on is the importance of the Native vote in Alaska elections — particularly those featuring Murkowski or Dunleavy. While the Native electorate leans left, they also cross party lines to support both such candidates — setting up what the pollster described as an interesting showdown.

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“What would happen in a matchup like this is they would feel conflicted and you would see some of them probably back Dunleavy and some of them back Murkowski … the ones that are primarily involved in the oil and gas and resources business, they view Murkowski as strong on those issues as well as Dunleavy and so they would they would feel conflicted about who to support.”

The difference between the two, he reiterated, is that Dunleavy’s other base is firmly on the conservative right, while Murkowski’s is in the center where she also draws support from moderate Democrats.

Murkowski, daughter of another Alaska Republican governor, Frank Murkowski, notably also mounted a strong enough bid to win a write-in campaign in 2010 after being knocked off the GOP ticket by Tea Party candidate Joe Miller.

All of those who spoke to Fox News Digital agreed the race would be a very close one to watch.

Alaska also uniquely swears-in its governors in December — a month earlier than the presidency, Congress and most other state leaders.

Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Dunleavy as well as a contact listed for Murkowski’s campaign and her Senate office and the White House for comment.

A Florida crash that killed three people sparked an ultimatum from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over states’ commercial driver licensing rules. But two out of the three states named by the secretary say they’re in compliance.

Duffy’s push came after an illegal immigrant from India, Harjinder Singh, allegedly struck and killed three people in a tractor-trailer while making an illegal U-turn on a Florida turnpike on Aug. 12. Singh’s current commercial driver’s license was issued in California; he previously had one in Washington state, and Duffy said there was a traffic stop in New Mexico where his rig was not taken “out of service.” 

Duffy is giving the states 30 days to follow the law, or risk losing federal funding through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.

“We are not going to tolerate states that don’t comply with the rules that come from this department,” Duffy said at a press conference on Tuesday. 

BLUE STATE INVESTIGATES HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER GOT LICENSE BEFORE DEADLY FLORIDA CRASH

Following the crash earlier this month, federal investigators said Singh failed English proficiency and road sign tests.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office maintains that they were following federal law when Singh’s license was doled out and placed the blame on the Trump administration.

“This is rich. The Trump administration approved the federal work permit for the man who killed 3 people — and now they’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught. Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big a joke as the Trump Administration itself. SAD!” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

EXPERT REVEALS HOW ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER MAY HAVE GOTTEN COMMERCIAL LICENSE BEFORE FATAL FLORIDA CRASH

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously disputed Newsom’s timeline that says he was given a work permit under Trump.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021,” McLaughlin said on Aug. 18 in response to Newsom’s press office’s X account.

Michael Coleman, spokesman for Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, of New Mexico, said they are “confident” that a “full review of these incidents” will show that the state is following the law.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER ACCUSED OF KILLING THREE PEOPLE FAILED ENGLISH, ROAD SIGN TESTS: DOT

“New Mexico’s top priority is the safety of its residents and visitors, and we are confident that our state laws for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) are fully compliant with federal regulations,” he said, adding that the state requires an English test to make sure drivers know road signs.

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“We are aware of recent claims regarding the enforcement of these regulations and are actively seeking more information from the relevant federal and state partners. Initial reports suggest that these claims relate to a small number of roadside incidents over a three-month period. It’s important to note that these incidents may have involved out-of-state drivers due to the cross-country nature of our trucking industry,” he continued.

The Washington Department of Licensing said last week that an investigation is underway into how Singh was able to obtain a commercial driver’s license in the state. Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office for comment on Wednesday regarding Duffy’s announcement.

“This is about keeping people safe on the road. Your families, your kids, your spouses, your loved ones, your friends,” Duffy said. “We all use the roadway, and we need to make sure that those who are driving big rigs — semis — can understand the road signs, that they’ve been well-trained.”

The nominee President Donald Trump tapped to serve as ambassador to a United Nations office charged with overseeing global aviation standards has a checkered tax history and background donating to Democrats and political opponents of the president, a Fox News Digital review of the nominee’s public records found. 

The White House and Trump allies, however, have doubled down in support of the nominee, saying he will assist the administration in “ushering in the Golden Age of aviation.” 

Jeffrey Anderson was tapped to lead the International Civil Aviation Organization in July, when the White House published a list of nominations to fill various roles, from the International Civil Aviation Organization ambassadorship to director of the Mint to membership with the National Labor Relations Board. Anderson is a U.S. Navy veteran who worked as a commercial airline captain for more than 34 years, retiring from that role earlier in 2025, according to his LinkedIn. 

The International Civil Aviation Organization is a U.N. office based in Montreal that is charged with overseeing international aviation standards, including issues related to safety, navigation and environmental protection. The role had sat vacant for the past three years, when the former ambassador, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, stepped down in 2022. 

Sullenberger gained widespread applause in 2009, when the US Airways pilot landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River after a bird strike disabled both engines — an event known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

TRUMP TAPS SEAN DUFFY TO SERVE AS INTERIM NASA CHIEF

Anderson is a former Delta Air Lines pilot whose nomination drew ire from the Air Line Pilots Association, a union that represents nearly 80,000 pilots across the U.S. and Canada, arguing his “only” qualification was supporting an effort to raise the mandatory pilot retirement age. 

The union opposes increasing the mandatory retirement from 65 years of age to 67, arguing it “would leave the United States as an outlier in the global aviation space and create chaos on pilot labor, and international and domestic flight operations,” the group’s statement in July read.

Fox News Digital took a look back at Anderson’s political campaign contributions and found he donated to a handful of Democratic candidates often hostile to Trump and his policies. 

He also made a handful of small dollar donations to Republican Nikki Haley during the 2024 campaign cycle, when the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. ran against Trump, whom she slammed as “unhinged” while on the campaign trail before dropping out of the race and endorsing Trump as the GOP nominee for president. 

TRUMP NOMINATES SEASONED MILITARY LEADERS TO HEAD VITAL GLOBAL COMMANDS

Anderson contributed at least $200 to Haley during the month of February 2024, when Haley and Trump were the only GOP candidates left in the primary race, according to four small dollar donations recorded by the Federal Election Commission. 

The former pilot also donated to Shawn Harris, the former Democratic opponent who tried to unseat Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the 2024 cycle. The $100 donation was made in September 2024 through ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s massive fundraising arm, and earmarked for the Democratic candidate who ultimately failed to oust Greene. 

Harris’ campaign included slamming Trump and characterizing him as a politician who acts as a “king” and threatens democracy. 

Anderson’s political donations to Democrats stretch back years, including in 2017 when he donated to Democrats, such as former House candidate Dan Ward in Virginia and former Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon — both of whom received $250 contributions from Anderson that year, according to election records. 

Both Democrats had slammed Trump and his policies across his first administration, including DeFazio declaring after the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the Capitol that: “Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy, national security and the safety of all Americans. He must be removed from office immediately.” 

The former Delta pilot has also landed in hot water over unpaid taxes, Fox News Digital found. IRS records show Anderson and his wife had over $426,000 in unpaid federal taxes across seven years from 2013 to 2019, raising concerns that his financial responsibility. The taxes were related to a “small business,” according to the forms. 

“Jeffrey Anderson isn’t a Trump Republican at all; he’s a liberal sleeper who slipped through the cracks of PPO (Presidential Personnel Office),” a former Trump official told Fox Digital of Anderson’s political donations and tax history. 

When approached for comment on the previous donations and tax issues, Anderson told Fox News Digital that at “the very least, some of your information is factually incorrect or tendered well out of context.” Anderson did not respond when asked for additional details on what was “factually incorrect.”

“At the very least, some of your information is factually incorrect or tendered well out of context. I am fully supportive of President Trump and his America First agenda. I have been fully vetted by the White House and appreciate the approval of the President, House Aviation Chair Troy Nehls and House T&I Chair Sam Graves, among others. I look forward to advancing American interests as the next Permanent Representative to ICAO,” he wrote in a direct message on LinkedIn to Fox Digital in August, while adding that Trump is seeking to “move effectively forward in a space negligently left vacant by Biden.”

When asked about Anderson’s tax history and donations to Democrats and Trump opponents, a White House official told Fox Digital: “Jeffrey Alderson is highly qualified to serve as America’s ambassador to the ICAO, and he is a great choice to represent the President’s America First foreign policy agenda in the international aviation community.”

Fox News Digital additionally reached out to the State Department, which helps manage the vetting of potential ambassador nominees, for comment and was directed the White House’s statement. 

TRUMP ADMIN PULLS JARED ISAACMAN’S NOMINATION FOR NASA ADMINISTRATOR, REPLACEMENT TO BE ANNOUNCED ‘SOON’

The former pilot himself also floated a run for political office more than a decade ago in Georgia as a Democrat, according to a local Georgia news report that called him “prospective Democratic Congressional candidate Jeff Anderson.” In an opinion piece published that same year, titled “The sinking Democratic Party in Georgia is bad news for everyone,” Anderson was described as a “a 2010 Independent candidate for the U.S. House in Georgia’s 11th District.” 

While old social media posts on X show Anderson celebrated former President Biden’s 2012 DNC speech at the time as “wonderful American message: major concepts, not petty; Democratic, but not commercially political.” While other tweets targeted the NRA and celebrated how Anderson “politely but firmly faced” NRA representatives and gun manufacturers on “sensible policy ideals” back in 2023, according to a review of the X account @JeffAndersonPAI that ceased activity back in 2014.  

In addition to the White House defending Anderson’s nomination, Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls, who serves as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, told Fox Digital that Anderson will help usher in “the Golden Age of aviation” under the Trump administration. 

FIRST ON FOX: RETIRED AIR FORCE COLONEL WHO PILOTED LAST FLIGHT OUT OF AFGHANISTAN REVEALS NEW MISSION

“As Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, I have complete confidence in Jeffrey Anderson to serve as ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” Nehls said in comment to Fox Digital in August. “Mr. Anderson served as a naval aviator and has more than three decades of experience as a pilot for Delta. He is, without a doubt, qualified to represent the United States of America at ICAO, where his first-hand experience with the aviation industry will play a crucial role in advancing President Trump’s mission of ushering in the Golden Age of aviation.”

A board member of a pilots group called Experienced Pilots Advancing Aviation Safety, added that he fully backs Anderson’s nomination, citing his honesty and credentials as an airline captain. The Experienced Pilots Advancing Aviation Safety, which endorsed Anderson’s nomination, also advocates raising the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots, arguing experienced pilots lead to safer skies and can mentor the next generation instead of “forced retirements of America’s most experienced aviators,” according to its website. 

“I feel 100% confident in Captain Anderson’s honesty and professional credentials. Having flown aircraft around the world in international operations for the past 40 years in the Marine Corps and Delta Airlines, and my working with and in association with ICAO and IATA, I feel Jeff would be a perfect fit for this position as it seems the president of the United States does also,” the board member told Fox Digital in emailed comment earlier in August. 

International aviation rules currently prohibit airline pilots older than 65 from flying. Global airline groups such as the International Air Transport Association has called on the ICAO to consider raising the international pilot retirement age to 67. The UN General Assembly will convene on Sept. 23, with the ICAO expected to consider the proposal, Reuters reported on Thursday. 

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Anderson’s nomination was sent to the Senate in July, and was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. The nomination is currently awaiting final confirmation proceedings. 

Vice President JD Vance is heading to a another crucial battleground state on Thursday, as part of his ongoing promotion of the sweeping GOP-crafted domestic policy package that narrowly passed through the Republican-controlled Congress earlier this summer.

But Vance’s stop at a steel-fabricating facility in Wisconsin comes as his boss, President Donald Trump, is urging Republicans to rebrand their efforts to sell the massive tax cuts and spending measure, which polls indicate isn’t popular with Americans.

The vice president will speak at a steel fabrication facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin. And he’ll also sit down for an interview with Fox News’ Will Cain, with much of what Vance says running at 4pm ET on “The Will Cain Show.”

He has promoted the measure, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” over the past month during stops in his home state of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. All four states will hold crucial contests in the 2026 midterm elections, when the GOP aims to hold its House and Senate majorities.

VANCE TOUTS TAX CUTS IN TRUMP’S BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL DURING STOP IN CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND

“President Trump is the chief messenger for the ‘Working Class Family Tax Cuts’ and Vance is his traveling salesman,” a longtime Trump adviser told Fox News on Thursday.

Vance’s efforts are part of a larger sales campaign so far this summer by Republicans to promote the package, which Trump signed into law at the White House on July 4.

FIRST ON FOX: MAJOR GOP-ALIGNED GROUP SPOTLIGHTS TAX CUTS IN REPUBLICANS SWEEPING MEASURE

Trump for months has touted his “Big Beautiful Bill,” but at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday seemed to acknowledge the difficult sales job he and his party face.

“I’m not going to use the term ‘great, big, beautiful’ – that was good for getting it approved, but it’s not good for explaining to people what it’s really about,” Trump said.

And he described the package as a “major tax cut for workers.”

The measure is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. 

It includes extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts – which were set to expire later this year – and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. 

The shift in branding that Trump noted this week has already been reflected in Vance’s description of the measure.

MESSAGING WAR OVER BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL HEATS UP

At his earlier stops on his tour, he called the package the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” But last week, in Georgia, the vice president referred to the measure repeatedly as the “Working Families Tax Cut.”

“We believe that if you’re busting your rear end every single day, the government ought to make it easier for you and not harder for you,” the vice president said at his Georgia stop, as he touted the tax cuts in the measure.

The package also provides billions for border security and codifies the president’s sweeping and controversial immigration crackdown.

And the new law also restructures Medicaid — the almost 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. 

The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s tax cuts. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulations, including work requirements for many of those seeking Medicaid coverage.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the new law could result in roughly 10 million people losing health coverage, and $3.4 trillion added to the nation’s already massive federal deficit.

Democrats for months have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. They charge it will gut Medicaid, forcing rural hospitals and nursing homes to close their doors. 

“Rural hospitals were already on the brink of collapse thanks to Donald Trump, but now he has put the last nail in the coffin for rural hospitals with his billionaire budget bill,” Democratic National Committee  (DNC) chair Ken Martin claimed.

But Vance and Republicans have pushed back.

The vice president last week argued the CBO’s estimates were “absolutely atrocious” and that the health care changes in the law were focused on “kicking illegal aliens the hell out of this country so that we can preserve health care for the American families who need it.”

While playing defense as they respond to Democrats’ attacks on the social safety net changes, Republicans are also on offense, targeting Democrats for voting against tax cuts.

“Republicans took action with President Trump to make America more affordable again, passing a Working Families Tax Cut, saving families thousands a year. Plus, no tax on tips and a tax cut on Social Security, benefiting workers and seniors,” the narrator said in ads last month from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

And spots this summer from One Nation, a public policy organization aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, spotlighted that “America is back, thanks to President Trump and Leader John Thune’s Working Family tax cuts. Not tax on tips or overtime. Real relief for every American up early and home late.”

Democratic lawmakers who face rough re-elections next year are being targeted by Republicans for voting against the tax cuts. And the NRCC said on Thursday that new internal polling in battleground states “gives Republicans a decisive messaging advantage.”

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Democrats dispute the GOP messaging.

“There is nothing in this bill that’s going to help hard-working Americans. Let’s be very clear, this is a giveaway to the richest people in our country,” Martin argued last month, in a Fox News Digital interview.

“We welcome the debate, because this is the debate that’s going to actually help us as a Democratic Party, build our coalition again and win elections,”

A local Chicago resident blasted Democrat leaders in the city as President Donald Trump considers federal intervention to clean up rampant crime that has plagued the windy city.

Sam Sanchez, owner of the local restaurant and late-night club Moe’s Cantina, Third Coast Hospitality Group, and a member of the Illinois Restaurant Association, told Fox he has “been a Democrat for so many years,” and that “this is not what Chicago used to be.”

“The city is not safe,” Sanchez told Fox News Digital in an interview. “For the mayor and the governor to go on TV and use us as statistics, as numbers, I mean, we’re human beings, we’re talking about real time.” 

DC ARRESTS SURPASS 1,000 AS TRUMP-BACKED CRACKDOWN ENTERS 12TH HOMICIDE-FREE DAY

“What’s happening right now, real time, the mom who lost a five-year-old child doesn’t care how many murders were done ten years ago, what we care about right now,” Sanchez added.

Last weekend, Chicago saw its unfortunate routine crime cycle, leaving 6 dead and nearly 30 injured as a result of violence, including a 5-year-old boy who was shot in the head.

President Trump indicated he was considering the same type of federal intervention he recently deployed in Washington, D.C., to the city of Chicago at a press conference last Friday, saying the city could be “our next one after [D.C.], and it won’t even be tough.”

PRITZKER RAILS AGAINST ‘UN-AMERICAN’ POSSIBLE NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT BY TRUMP

Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker slammed the president at a presser outside Trump Tower on Tuesday, telling reporters that “what President Trump is doing is unprecedented and unwarranted. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is un-American.”

Sanchez blamed the consistent crime on weak prosecution, telling Fox that the Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity‑Today (SAFE-T) Act signed into law by Pritzker in 2021 has kept dangerous criminals on the streets.

The law allows judges to decide pretrial release based on risk rather than a criminally charged individual’s ability to pay cash bail. It also places limitations on the use of police force and bans chokeholds by officers. 

OPINION: CHICAGO’S CRIME CRISIS IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE — TRUMP MUST STEP IN NOW

The SAFE-T Act also enables incarcerated criminals to reduce their sentence by participating in various programs, drug treatment, or for exhibiting good behavior. 

“The request for detention to keep [criminals incarcerated], they keep ignoring it, they’re released, so, we’re headed in the wrong direction, and we’ve been heading in the wrong direction for years,” Sanchez told Fox. It does have to be curved. If they cannot amend the SAFE-T Act, then it should be removed from the books.”

The White House released a lengthy fact sheet detailing Chicago crimes committed as well as testimony from residents on Monday as President Trump weighs whether to intervene in the city, despite criticism from Democrats and Illinois leaders. 

“We’re tired of the crime,” Sanchez explained. “We want law and order.”

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“If President Trump could help us prosecute these violent repeat offenders, any gun crime should be prosecuted by the federal government.”

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

President Donald Trump is considering holding a Republican National Convention ahead of the midterm elections, he announced Thursday.

Trump did not offer any details about where the convention would take place, or what would happen there, but he touted various statistics that have been beneficial for the Republican Party this year. The GOP is fighting to maintain control of both the House and Senate in 2026.

“The Republican Party is doing really well. Millions of people have joined us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA, GREAT AGAIN. We won every aspect of the Presidential Election and, based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We have raised far more money than the Democrats, and are having a great time fixing all of the Country Destroying mistakes made by the Biden Administration, and watching the USA heal and prosper. The results are incredible, a record pace!!! In that light, I am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms. It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!” he added.

4 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS TO EXPAND THEIR MAJORITY

Historically, midterms have been tough elections for the party controlling the White House, typically losing roughly 25 seats in the House. Trump and the Republicans lost 41 House seats in the 2018 midterms.

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Trump’s talk of a national convention comes amid a war over redistricting across the country.

Texas passed a new congressional map eliminating five Democratic seats earlier this month. Blue states exploded in response, however, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom is working to adopt a map that eliminates five Republican seats in his state.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other Democratic state leaders have also vowed to pick up the redistricting war, further confusing predictions for where 2026 could land.

Trump has also argued that crime will be a major focus in the midterm cycle, a theme he has hit heavily in recent days to drum up support for his controversial “federalization” push in Washington, D.C.

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“The Republicans are the party that wants to stop crime,” Trump said. “We’re against crime.”

“The Democrats like crime,” he continued.

The president touted the success of his efforts in the nation’s capital on Tuesday, telling reporters, “If I were a Democrat — governor or mayor or anybody — I’d call up President Trump and say, ‘President Trump, we need your help. We saw what you’ve done in D.C. in a period of 12 days.'”

“This is 12 days. We haven’t even started. This is going to be so safe. It’ll be the safest place on Earth,” he added.

Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report

EXCLUSIVE: Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears rebuked a plan announced Wednesday by her 2025 gubernatorial opponent Abigail Spanberger to rescind an executive order that gives law enforcement and jailers authority to work with ICE in particular circumstances.

“Well, we know she won’t be able to do that because she’s not going to win,” Earle-Sears quipped in a Wednesday interview.

“The people of Virginia are going to vote for me because [Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s order is] common sense and is keeping them safe. They have been safe since we’ve been in office,” she said.

Earle-Sears said she and Youngkin have overseen a one-third drop in statewide crime, and she dismissed Spanberger’s remarks — first made in a Virginia Mercury interview — as “dangerous ideas” that are “all theory; no practical usage.”

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Youngkin’s order sought to “maximize collaboration” with DHS and “us[e] all available methods to facilitate the arrest and deportation of inadmissible and removable criminal illegal immigrants.”

To that end, Earle-Sears said Spanberger’s pledge ignores major developments in the battle against illegal immigrant gangs and the like.

“The No. 3 MS-13 [was captured] right here in Manassas under her nose in her former neck of the woods,” Earle-Sears said of Salvadoran national Henrry Josue Villatoro-Santos, who is alleged to be a top-ranking member of the transnational gang.

Villatoro-Santos, 24, was arrested in March in Dale City – a middle-class suburb along I-95 between Fredericksburg and Washington – in an operation overseen by the FBI’s Manassas Field Office from the other side of Prince William County.

Spanberger previously represented the area in Congress – in a seat now held by Democrat Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, the twin brother of high-profile Trump impeachment figure Alexander Vindman.

In breaking the news earlier Wednesday, Spanberger said, “I would rescind [Youngkin’s] executive order, yes.”

Spanberger said the Youngkin-Sears effort pulls local law enforcement away from their regular duties and wrongly encourages the state to dabble in federal roles.

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The Democrat called the U.S. immigration system “absolutely broken” and said allowing cops to help “tear families apart [is] a misuse of … resources.”

Earle-Sears said officials in Richmond cannot focus on economic development and other top concerns of Virginians unless those constituents live in a safe environment.

Therefore, she said, separating themselves from DHS is counterproductive and “dangerous” to both the citizenry and the federal agents conducting the immigration operations.

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The Republican nominee emphasized that she, too, is an immigrant — stressing that she came to the U.S. legally — and contrasted her story with that of many illegal immigrants arrested with criminal records, noting that her family came from Jamaica in search of opportunity and a better life.

“These criminal illegal immigrants, they come here for an opportunity to prey on us, and they prey on the very population that they’re a part of,” she said.

“We don’t want that.”

Youngkin also responded to the news, asking rhetorically if November’s “choice could be any more clear.”

“In her very first act as governor, [Abigail Spanberger] promises to turn Virginia into a sanctuary state for dangerous illegal immigrants,” Youngkin said on X. 

“[Earle-Sears] promises to keep dangerous criminals off our streets,” the term-limited governor said.

First lady Melania Trump called for more “pre-emptive intervention” to identify potential school shooters late Wednesday night.

Her call came hours after a shooter opened fire on school children and teachers at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday. The first lady argued that there are often warning signs before mass shooters commit their crimes.

“The tragic mass killing in Minnesota illuminates the need for pre-emptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters. Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions,” Melania wrote.

“To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioral threat assessments across all levels of society—beginning in our homes, extending through school districts and of course, social media platforms. Being aware of these warning signs and acting quickly can save lives and make American communities safer,” she added.

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“My heart is shattered for the families and friends of the victims of today’s senseless and depraved violent act,” she added in a follow-up post. “There is nothing that anyone can say to make your grief go away, but please know that you are not alone. My thoughts, love, and deepest sympathy are with you during this dreadful time.”

The now-deceased shooter of a group of Minneapolis Catholic school students at morning Mass Wednesday has been identified as Robert or Robin Westman, according to law enforcement sources.

Westman was carrying three weapons, according to authorities – a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun.

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Disturbing videos posted by a person using the name Robin Westman were deleted from YouTube after the shooting, showing handwritten pages of a notebook, weapons with messages painted on them, and commentary from whoever filmed them.

The attack took place at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning, but police have not identified any of the victims. They said two children were killed. Authorities said the shooter committed suicide after the act.

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The shooter’s relationship to the school is also unknown, and it has not been confirmed whether Westman had any connection to any students or staff.

EXCLUSIVE: From Toledo to Flint, Republicans are targeting two Democratic-held congressional seats in the industrial Midwest that President Donald Trump won last year.

With a razor-thin 219-212 majority in the U.S. House, Republicans are eyeing crossover districts – the 13 congressional districts where Trump won at the top of the ticket, but Democrats held on down-ballot.

Top of mind for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections is Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, held by the longest-serving woman in Congress, Rep. Marcy Kaptur, and Michigan’s 8th Congressional District, represented by freshman Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

Freshman GOP Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia, Trump’s former political director who is now leading candidate recruitment for House Republicans as deputy chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), visited those crossover districts this week.

4 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN 2026 MIDTERMS TO EXPAND THEIR MAJORITY

In a phone interview with Fox News Digital from Toledo, Ohio, while “looking out on the Maumee River,” Jack said Kaptur and McDonald Rivet are out of step with the constituents they represent. 

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“Kaptur has represented Toledo for 42 years, which is longer than some of our candidates have been alive,” Jack said. 

Jack described how Kaptur has seen a “significant decline in her vote percentages.” In 2016, Kaptur won with 68% of the vote. Last year, in 2024, the Democratic congresswoman received just 48% of the vote. 

“I believe that’s because, over the past seven, eight years, voters have become familiar with her posture toward President Trump,” Jack said. “President Trump carried this district with 53%, a clear majority, and yet she still voted twice to subvert the will of her voters, by voting to twice impeach President Trump and remove him from office against the will her own constituents.”

While Kaptur remains in line with the Democratic Party on key issues, like rejecting Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” his marquee legislation – which includes tax cuts, green energy reform and border security – Ohio has shifted red in recent election cycles. 

“This used to be the perennial bellwether swing state,” Jack said. “As we have seen from 2016 through 2024, it has increasingly aligned with President Trump and voted overwhelmingly to send President Trump to the White House three separate times. That accurately reflects the will of the people of this incredible state.”

Candidates for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District include former GOP nominee and four-term state Rep. Derek Merrin, Ohio state Rep. Josh Williams, Air National Guard Lt. Col. Alea Nadeem, and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wayne Kinsel. 

State Senate President Sen. Rob McColley is also considered a potential candidate. Jack met with local party officials, the four declared candidates and the potential candidate in the race while visiting the Buckeye State. 

Jack said Republicans are excited and inspired by these candidates, telling Fox News Digital, “When you look at the districts that are seeking a change in elected office, Ohio’s ninth is one of the first districts that comes to mind.”

In McDonald Rivet’s crossover district, Jack also met with U.S. Navy veteran Amir Hassan, who is the only declared Republican candidate. 

“As voters continue to learn about the Rep. McDonald Rivet’s voting record, I suspect that they’re going to raise questions about why she’s voting against the president, who the district overwhelmingly elected,” Jack said. 

Jack said when he hosted Vice President JD Vance in his hometown of Peachtree City, Georgia, more than a thousand voters showed up in 90-degree heat, drawing a sharp contrast to the fewer than 50 people who were protesting in the swing state. 

And as Democrats campaign against Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” and Medicaid cuts take center stage for Democrats ahead of the midterms, Jack told Fox News Digital, “It’s incumbent upon us to continue to promote, not just the victories of the bill, but the details within it, because it is an encapsulation of everything on which Trump campaigned.”

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When reached for comment, McDonald Rivet’s campaign spokesperson, Tom Grandon, told Fox News Digital that she is “working every day to make life more affordable for working families.”

“She has proven countless times throughout her career that she will work with anyone, regardless of party, to accomplish that, and she has bipartisan bills that will lower key costs, like medicine, taxes, and eggs. However, she will also fight tirelessly against any agenda that prioritizes billionaires over lower costs for working people,” the campaign added. 

Kaptur and the Democratic National Congressional Committee (DCCC) did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump who has been trolling the president through mocking mimicry online, indicated during remarks on Wednesday that he is poised to release a “coin” on his online shop that features Trump-trolling merchandise.

Trump has previously promoted a Trump cryptocurrency meme coin, and Newsom made the comment after recalling talking to Trump “about his crypto grift.”

“I think we’ll add a coin,” he said adding, perhaps a “Trump corruption coin or something.” 

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Newsom has promoted Trump-trolling merchandise for sale in an online store. 

“THE PATRIOT SHOP IS NOW OPEN!!!!” he recently wrote on his personal X account. “MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THIS IS THE GREATEST MERCHANDISE EVER MADE. PLEASE ENJOY, AMERICA!”

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One of the items for sale at the shop is a red MAGA-style cap that reads, “NEWSOM WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!”

The governor has also been leveraging his gubernatorial press office account to troll the president with Trump-style tweets.

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For example, one of the posts declared, “EXCEPT WHAT IS WRITTEN AND BROADCAST IN THE FAKE NEWS, I NOW HAVE THE HIGHEST POLL NUMBERS I’VE EVER HAD, SOME IN THE 60’S AND EVEN 70’S. THANK YOU. MAKE AMERICA GAVIN AGAIN!!! — GCN”

The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a proposed rule to limit the length of time international students can remain in the U.S. for their studies to four years.

If finalized, the proposed rule set to be published on Thursday would limit how long certain visa holders, including foreign students, are allowed to stay in the U.S., according to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security, which said the proposal seeks to curb “visa abuse” and increase the agency’s ability to “properly vet and oversee these individuals.”

The agency said foreign students have “taken advantage of U.S. generosity” and become “forever students” by remaining enrolled in colleges so they could stay in the U.S.

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“For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.

“This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and their history,” the spokesperson continued.

Since 1978, foreign students, or F visa holders, have been allowed to remain in the U.S. for their “duration of status,” which means the time they were enrolled as a full-time student. The proposed rule would allow foreign students and exchange visitors to stay in the country up to the duration of the program they are participating in, although the federal government would not permit it to exceed four years, which is typically less time than it takes to pursue any additional education beyond a bachelor’s degree.

In addition to students, the proposed rule would set the initial admission period for foreign journalists at up to 240 days, although they may seek an extension of up to another 240 days, but no longer than the length of their assignment.

Requiring regular assessments by DHS for foreigners to remain in the U.S. for a longer period would allow the agency to conduct “proper oversight” and reduce the number of people in the country on visas, the press release said.

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Foreign students, notably, typically pay more tuition and receive fewer scholarship opportunities, meaning the proposed rule may have a financial impact on U.S. colleges if it leads to a dip in international enrollment.

“It will certainly act as an additional deterrent to international students choosing to study in the United States, to the detriment of American economies, innovation, and global competitiveness,” Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, said in a statement to POLITICO.

Illinois’ Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said the state “will not stand idly by” if President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to respond to crime in the Windy City.

“Unlike Donald Trump, we keep our promises,” the governor wrote Wednesday on X. “We will not stand idly by if he decides to send the National Guard to intimidate Chicagoans.”

“Action will be met with a response,” he continued.

Pritzker’s comments are just the latest in his recent feud with Trump, as the federal government weighs whether to send troops to Chicago.

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Last week, the governor said there is no crime emergency in Chicago and Trump is “attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”

“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority,” Pritzker said on Saturday. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”

On Monday, Pritzker said the potential federal deployment is “unconstitutional” and “un-American.”

“Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points,” he said. “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, has cited data showing that violent crime has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%. Although, crime is still up compared to 2021, according to statistics posted by Chicago police.

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“The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” Johnson said on Friday. “Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities.”

“When we fight back against tyranny, the people united will always prevail,” the mayor later said.

Other Illinois leaders have also made criticisms of the potential move to send troops to Chicago.

Trump responded to Pritzker and Johnson on Tuesday, writing in a social media post that the governor is “incompetent” and the mayor is “no better.”

“A really DEADLY weekend in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “6 DEAD, 27 HURT IN CRIME SPREES ALLOVER THE CITY. Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP. Mayor Johnson is no better. Make Chicago Great Again!”

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This comes after Trump’s move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to reduce crime. 

Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district.