NationalWatch

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that California’s first-of-its-kind law requiring gun owners to undergo background checks to purchase ammunition is unconstitutional, declaring that it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

In a 2-1 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court judge’s permanent injunction blocking the state from enforcing the law.

Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said the law “meaningfully constrains” the right to keep and bear arms and that the state failed to prove the law was consistent with the country’s historical tradition of firearm regulation as required under a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.

“By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,” Ikuta wrote.

CALIFORNIA JUDGE BLACKS GUN CONTROL LAW REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR AMMO PURCHASES

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said the ruling was a “slap in the face” to efforts by officials in the Golden State to enact firearm restrictions to curb gun violence.

“Strong gun laws save lives – and today’s decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians voted to require background checks on ammunition and their voices should matter.”

The office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said “our families, schools, and neighborhoods deserve nothing less than the most basic protection against preventable gun violence, and we are looking into our legal options.”

California voters approved a ballot measure in 2016 requiring gun owners to undergo initial background checks to purchase ammunition, as well as buy four-year ammunition permits.

Lawmakers later amended the measure to require background checks for each ammunition purchase.

California officials said they received 191 reports last year of “armed and prohibited individuals” who were blocked through background checks from purchasing ammunition.

The state can ask an 11-judge appeals court panel or the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.

The plaintiffs included Kim Rhode, who has won three Olympic gold medals in shooting events, and the California Rifle & Pistol Association.

The gun group’s president and general counsel said in a joint statement that the decision was a victory against “overreaching government gun control,” while Rhode described it as “a big win for all gun owners in California.”

The injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego. An appeals court panel placed the injunction on hold while California’s appeal played out.

California argued that several old firearms restrictions supported background checks, including colonial-era rules requiring licenses to produce gunpowder, the disarmament around 1776 of people who refused to take “loyalty oaths” and late-19th century rules requiring government approval to carry concealed weapons.

‘EXCESSIVE’ STATE TAXES ON GUNS, AMMUNITION SALES ARE TARGET OF NEW GOP CRACKDOWN EFFORT

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Circuit Judge Jay Bybee, who dissented from Thursday’s decision, accused the majority of ignoring Supreme Court guidance by effectively declaring any limits on ammunition sales unlawful, given the unlikelihood a state could point to identical historical analogues.

The law “is not the kind of heavy-handed regulation that meaningfully constrains the right to keep and bear arms,” Bybee wrote.

All three judges on Thursday’s panel were appointed by Republican presidents, although appointees of Democratic presidents hold a majority in the 9th Circuit.

Ikuta and Bybee were appointed by former President George W. Bush, while Circuit Judge Bridget Bade, who joined Thursday’s majority, was appointed by President Donald Trump.

Reuters contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump signed into law his roughly $9 billion rescissions package to scale back already approved federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting Thursday, after both chambers of Congress approved the legislation earlier in the month, sources familiar to the matter have confirmed. 

The signing marks another legislative victory for the Trump administration just two weeks after the president signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy measure, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.” 

The rescissions package pulls back nearly $8 billion in funding Congress already approved for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a previously independent agency that provided impoverished countries aid and offered development assistance. 

However, USAID has faced layoffs and has been absorbed into the State Department amid concerns from the Trump administration that the organization did not advance U.S. core interests. 

‘LONG OVERDUE’: SENATE REPUBLICANS SLAM THROUGH TRUMP’S CLAWBACK PACKAGE WITH CUTS TO FOREIGN AID, NPR

The rescissions package also pulls more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that provides federal funding for NPR and PBS.

The total $9 billion cut is a fraction of a percent of the entire national debt, which currently sits at about $36.7 trillion as of Wednesday.

The House previously approved its version of the rescissions package in June, and voted on the final version of the measure early Friday after the Senate narrowly approved the measure by a 51–48 margin early on the morning od July 17. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted alongside Democrats to oppose the package. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that the measure aligned with other priorities to eradicate waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government and is a step in the right direction. 

“I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending,” Thune said in a speech ahead of the vote. “And now it’s time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget. It’s a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.”

SENATE MARCHES TOWARD PASSING TRUMP’S $9B CLAWBACK BILL AFTER DRAMATIC LATE-NIGHT VOTES

Meanwhile, Democrats have said that the cuts to foreign aid are a win for China and Russia, and that the package puts national security at risk. Additionally, Democrats argue Republicans’ employment of rescissions sets a dangerous precedent that could jeopardize a host of programs down the line. 

“If Republicans slash more American aid, it will create a dangerous vacuum that the Chinese Communist Party will continue to eagerly fill,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said July 15 on the Senate floor.

TRUMP’S $9 BILLION CLAWBACK PASSES FIRST SENATE TEST, WHILE MORE HURDLES AWAIT

“They are using pocket rescissions to poison the bipartisan appropriations process, to break the law to steal funds that Congress appropriated, and they’re doing it at a party-line vote,” Schumer said. “Worse, they’re letting Donald Trump decide for himself which programs to defund, and that puts everything at risk – healthcare, education, food assistance, public health. Everything – everything – becomes at risk. That is what happens if a package like this is allowed to become law.” 

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Although Trump previously attempted to advance a rescissions package in 2018 that also targeted foreign aid and public broadcasting funds during his first term, it failed to gain support in the Senate after Collins and then-Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., voted against it. 

The last time Congress approved a rescissions package was in 1999. 

Fox News’ Alex Miller contributed to this report. 

Progressive governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is leading a Democratic effort to turn one of the country’s most influential bipartisan groups against President Donald Trump, according to a report by a mainstream media outlet.

Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic.

The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people “familiar with the governors’ thinking” shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month. 

The two governors will not renew their membership in the organization out of frustration with its inaction against perceived violations of states’ rights by the Trump administration. 

TRUMP FOE BOASBERG ORDERS DOJ TO DETAIL STATUS OF CECOT MIGRANTS SENT TO VENEZUELA

The concerns raised included the Office of Management and Budget briefly pausing disbursements of federal funds in January, the clash with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes and Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard to respond to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.  

The outlet reported three other unnamed sources saying that Walz and Kelly are not alone and that the offices of other Democratic governors are similarly frustrated with the NGA.

One of the unnamed sources said “when you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that. Right now, they are not doing that,” the outlet reported.

The source also claimed “there have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years.”

MESSAGING WAR OVER TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ HEATS UP BETWEEN DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS

The NGA has existed as a forum for bipartisan collaboration among governors since 1908. The organization lists all 50 governors as well as leaders of five U.S. territories as members.

Eric Wohlschlegel, NGA communications director, told Fox News Digital the group “exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities.”

Amid the Walz-led controversy, Wohlschlegel said NGA’s “mission hasn’t changed.”

“Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus,” he said. “So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don’t agree, we simply don’t issue one. That’s how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener, a principle we won’t compromise.”

DNC CHAIR SAYS ‘WE WANT EVERYONE’ IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY INCLUDING ‘LEFTISTS’ LIKE MAMDANI

A source familiar with the situation blamed the controversy on “Democratic infighting, unspoken campaign jockeying and a few anonymous voices looking to reshape a nonpartisan institution into a political one.”

That source pointed out that, despite all the noise about controversy, the NGA’s summer meeting in Colorado Springs this weekend is expected to have “record turnout” with 13 Republican and seven Democratic leaders attending.

They also noted that “no governors are on the record expressing discontent with the NGA. No allegations of misconduct, governance failure or mismanagement have been raised.”

“What’s behind the noise?” the source added. “There’s an internal power struggle currently and no consensus among Democrats right now on how to lead, how to message or how to govern in a divided environment.

“Several Democratic governors are vying for national attention, testing messages for future campaigns rather than collaborating on consensus governance,” the source added. “The NGA’s bipartisan model is working exactly as it’s supposed to.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S AUTOPSY REPORT OF 2024 ELECTION WILL AVOID ASKING IF HARRIS SHOULD HAVE RUN

“When a party can’t agree with itself, it becomes easy to take shots at bipartisan institutions that don’t serve short-term political goals.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the outgoing NGA chair, and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the incoming chair, for comment on the Walz mutiny.

Though not addressing the controversy directly, Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis, told Fox News Digital the governor “has been honored” to lead the NGA and to “work across the aisle with governors on education, permitting reform, standing up to federal efforts to strip away gubernatorial authority around the National Guard and elevating the priorities of states.”

He added that “during this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors’ opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government.” 

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Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Stitt, who will become NGA chair this weekend, told Fox News Digital “people seem to forget NGA is a bipartisan organization, not a political one.”

“Coming to bipartisan consensus is difficult, but governors from across the political spectrum are addressing the real challenges facing Americans every day,” Cave said. 

She said that Stitt “looks forward to leading this organization and finding more areas of collaboration in the coming year.” 

Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Walz and Kelly but did not receive responses by the time of publication. 

A heckler launched into a profanity-laced tirade Thursday, slamming Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ immigration policies during a news conference in Bradenton, interrupting the governor while he was paying tribute to pro wrestling legend and state resident Hulk Hogan, who died earlier in the day.

The man, positioned near the back of the room, was caught on camera jumping up from his seat and pointing aggressively at DeSantis while shouting, “Alligator Alcatraz — is that your f—ing legacy?”

Authorities moved in as DeSantis abruptly stopped speaking and raised his voice at the man.

PRO WRESTLING ICON HULK HOGAN DEAD AT 71

“Hey, stop, stop! Stop! Get out of here! Get outta here!” the Republican governor said, gesturing toward the disruption.

The unidentified heckler continued yelling as he was removed by authorities. The outburst came just three minutes into DeSantis’ remarks.

At the time, DeSantis had been sharing a personal memory of watching Hogan’s iconic showdown against André the Giant at WrestleMania III. 

“I remember WrestleMania III. He was up …,” DeSantis started, before the heckler interjected with the jab about Alligator Alcatraz.

DeSantis recently made headlines for pledging $245 million to Alligator Alcatraz, an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades.

TRUMP TAUNTS NEWSOM TO VISIT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ AND ‘LEARN SOMETHING’ ABOUT IMMIGRATION

Before the incident, DeSantis opened the press event with unscripted remarks about the 71-year-old Hogan’s shocking death earlier in the day in Clearwater. 

“I was sad to see the news that Hulk Hogan passed away today. He was a major icon for anybody in Gen X,” DeSantis said.

Hogan, who was born in Georgia and whose real name was Terry Bollea, grew up in the Tampa Bay area and called Florida home for most of his life.

“You know, back then, when they would do these big events like WrestleMania, you could go to it … they didn’t even have pay-per-view. … It was closed-circuit,” DeSantis recalled.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the governor’s office for further comment.

Former Rep. George Santos posted a theatrical farewell on social media Thursday night, just hours before he was to begin serving a federal prison sentence for fraud and identity theft.

“Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,” Santos wrote on X.

“From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days. To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press.”

The former New York congressman is expected to report to federal custody Friday to begin serving an 87-month sentence, just over seven years, after pleading guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Santos was assessed the maximum sentence in April by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert. He was also ordered to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000 in fraud proceeds.

CALIFORNIA TAX EXPERT ADMITS ROLE IN ILLEGAL ALIEN’S MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD SCHEME

His guilty plea followed a sweeping investigation into campaign finance fraud, donor identity theft and false COVID-era unemployment claims.

“This prosecution speaks to the truth that my office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption,” said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham, who called the sentence “judgment day” for Santos and justice for his victims. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said Santos “traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle.”

MENENDEZ TO REPORT TO PRISON FOR 11-YEAR TERM FOR CORRUPTION

Prosecutors shared how Santos and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, doctored donor reports to qualify for national Republican party funding. They fabricated contributions from Santos’ family and falsely reported a $500,000 loan from Santos, though he had under $8,000 in his accounts.

He also stole credit card information from donors, including “victims he knew were elderly persons suffering from cognitive impairment or decline” and made unauthorized charges to fund both campaign and personal expenses, according to the DOJ. Santos also used a fake political fundraising company to solicit tens of thousands of dollars which he spent on “designer clothing.”

During the pandemic, Santos fraudulently claimed over $24,000 in unemployment benefits while employed at an investment firm. He also submitted false congressional financial disclosures to the House.

Santos was elected in 2022 after flipping New York’s 3rd District for the GOP. His résumé was easily debunked. He falsely claimed academic degrees, Wall Street jobs and family ties to the Holocaust and 9/11. 

He was expelled from Congress in December 2023 after a scathing ethics report, becoming just the sixth member ever removed from the People’s House.

Santos has remained publicly active after his sentencing, selling video messages on Cameo and making social media posts. 

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His tweet concluded, “I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.”

Unless pardoned, Santos is expected to remain incarcerated until at least early 2032. He has reportedly appealed to President Donald Trump for clemency. 

The White House and Santos did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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 admin readies for fight after judges block Abrego Garcia removal for now

– Thailand, Cambodia troops open fire on each other, killing at least 12

– Senate Republicans call on DOJ to appoint special counsel to probe Obama-Russia intel

Trump Privately Signs $9 Billion Clawback Package of Spending Cuts

President Donald Trump signed into law his roughly $9 billion rescissions package to scale back already approved federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting Thursday, after both chambers of Congress approved the legislation earlier in the month, sources familiar to the matter have confirmed. 

The signing marks another legislative victory for the Trump administration just two weeks after the president signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy measure, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill.” 

The rescissions package pulls back nearly $8 billion in funding Congress already approved for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a previously independent agency that provided impoverished countries aid and offered development assistance… READ MORE

White House

‘LAWLESS AND INSANE’: Trump admin readies for fight after judges block Abrego Garcia removal for now

CLASH OVER AUTHORITY: Trump foe Boasberg to grill DOJ over migrant flights in heated hearing

REVERSING COURSE: Trump says he wants Elon Musk to ‘thrive’ after suggesting DOGE could investigate him

POWER STRUGGLE: Trump stands by Alina Habba as DOJ clashes with judges over her replacement

LEGAL SCRUTINY: DOJ forms Russiagate ‘strike force’ to investigate declassified Obama-era evidence

LEGAL SETBACK: Federal appeals court rules against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order

‘I AM RECOVERING’: Pam Bondi cancels appearance at anti-trafficking summit over medical issue

World Stage

ACCOUNTABILITY TEST: Zelenskyy forced to rethink anti-corruption law after public backlash

MAN MACHINE MERGER: China experimenting with brain-computer interfaces in global race for AI dominance: report

BORDER BATTLE ERUPTS: Thailand, Cambodia troops open fire on each other, killing at least 12

BEACH BLAST: Battle over the Black Sea: Russia, Ukraine strike top resort cities

Capitol Hill

EYES IN THE SKIES: Rules keeping drones on leash could loosen with deregulation proposal from Congress

COLLUSION CHAOS: Trump-foe Adam Schiff dismisses Tulsi Gabbard’s declassified Russia collusion intelligence as ‘dishonest’

BEG YOUR PARDON: WATCH: House Republicans zero in on Biden autopen pardons after bombshell report

EPSTEIN SECRETS: Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to see how feds meeting plays out amid subpoena: brother

CREATING OPPORTUNITY: EXCLUSIVE: GOP proposal seeks to end ‘backdoor hiring practices’ at American universities

INTEL DECEPTION: Senate Republicans call on DOJ to appoint special counsel to probe Obama-Russia intel

BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: ‘Shirts and Skins’: How one Republican bridged the gap to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’

NOT WELCOME: House Republican introduces companion bill to end China’s buying of American farmland

‘GOOD LUCK’: House to vote on censuring Dem rep charged in ICE facility incident

KLAIN TO FAME: Ex-Biden chief of staff Ron Klain faces grilling in House GOP’s cover-up probe

ANTI-ANTISEMITISM: Pro-Israel Dem says those who won’t decry Hamas over Oct. 7 attack ‘have no business’ posing as humanitarians

FINDING THE FORCE: ‘Star Wars bar of leftists’: Weingarten, Hunter, Mamdani prove Democrat Party lead by extreme figures

Across America 

‘SEVER’ CONNECTIONS: West Point Bible crest controversy spurs lawsuit from conservative watchdog

THE CHOSEN ONE: RNC Chair Michael Whatley to seek open Republican-held Senate seat in battleground North Carolina: sources

HATE SPEECH SILENCE: Dem governor criticizes Mamdani for not condemning ‘blatantly antisemitic’ rhetoric

WAKE UP CALL: Mamdani’s former Dem colleague rails against his signature campaign promise: ‘Nail in the coffin’

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

As part of his effort to “Make America Safe Again,” President Donald Trump signed an executive order to allow cities and states to remove homeless people off the streets and into treatment centers. 

Trump signed the order, “Ending Vagrancy and Restoring,” Thursday afternoon. 

The order states that the “number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during the last year of the Biden administration — 274,224 — was the highest ever recorded.” 

It directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to “reverse judicial precedents and end consent decrees” stopping or limiting cities and states from removing homeless individuals from the streets and moving them to treatment centers. 

SANTA MONICA BUSINESS OWNER OFFERING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO GET HOMELESS OUT OF CALIFORNIA

Though it is unclear how much money will be allocated to the effort, Trump’s order redirects federal funds to ensure that removed homeless individuals are sent to rehabilitation, treatment and other facilities.

Additionally, the order requires Bondi to partner with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to prioritize federal grants to cities and states that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders,” according to USA Today. 

The order also stipulates that discretionary grants for substance-use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery programs “do not fund drug injection sites or illicit drug use.” 

DEMOCRATIC BILL WOULD BLOCK FEDS FROM CLEARING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS ON PUBLIC LAND

Homelessness increased in the U.S. by 18% from 2023 to 2024, according to Housing and Urban Development’s annual homelessness assessment report released in January. 

Trump has previously vowed to clean up American cities, especially the nation’s capital of Washington.

TUNNEL TO TOWERS FOUNDER PRAISES TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER HELPING HOMELESS VETS: THEY NEED OUR HELP

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Speaking in March, Trump said, “We’re going to have a crime-free capital. When people come here, they’re not going to be mugged or shot or raped. They’re going to have a crime-free capital again. It’s going to be cleaner and better and safer than it ever was. And it’s not going to take us too long.” 

Ex-President Joe Biden’s former chief of staff Ron Klain told House investigators that Hillary Clinton approached him with concerns about the octogenarian leader’s political viability “by 2024,” Fox News Digital has learned.

Klain spoke with staff on the House Oversight Committee for over five hours on Thursday, as Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., continues to probe whether top Biden aides concealed signs of mental decline in the ex-president.

A source familiar with his voluntary interview told Fox News Digital that Klain believed Biden was mentally sharp enough to serve as president, and was not too old to run.

But the ex-secretary of state and former Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan both “approached Ron Klain stating they believed Joe Biden was not politically viable” months before he dropped his re-election bid in July 2024, the source said.

COMER DISMISSES BIDEN DOCTOR’S BID FOR PAUSE IN COVER-UP PROBE: ‘THROWING OUT EVERY EXCUSE’

Sullivan told Klain that Biden “was less effective in 2024 compared to 2022,” the source said.

It’s not immediately clear if Biden’s mental acuity was the reasoning for their doubts, nor if they made the case to Klain together or separately.

But it’s a significant indictment coming from top national Democrats of Biden in general, long before concerns about his fitness for office within the party were made public knowledge.

Sullivan had been a top aide to both Biden and Clinton, having served as the latter’s senior policy advisor during her 2016 campaign. 

Klain, who served as White House chief of staff for the first half of Biden’s term, conceded that the then-president was less energetic and more forgetful, though he defended his “acuity to govern,” the source said.

“Mr. Klain stated that President Biden often confused names and proper nouns, and it got worse over time,” the source said.

Fox News Digital was told that Klain also said there was no reason to doubt President Donald Trump’s own mental fitness.

Klain said nothing to reporters when going in or out of the committee room Thursday.

He’s the sixth former Biden administration aide to appear for Comer’s probe.

And despite the interview being largely staff-led, Comer did make an appearance for the early half of the sit-down, and Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., were both briefly there as well.

Both Biggs and Khanna called Klain “credible” from what they saw inside the room.

“I think he is telling what he knows accurately,” Biggs told Fox News Digital.

FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SAYS SHE ‘NEVER HAD A CONCERN’ ABOUT BIDEN’S MENTAL STATE AS HOUSE PROBE HEATS UP

On the other side of the aisle, Khanna told reporters, “He answered every single question. He was fully cooperative.”

Three other former Biden White House aides who previously appeared – Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, and ex-White House doctor Kevin O’Connor – all appeared under subpoena and pleaded the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions.

Longtime Biden aide Ashley Williams and ex-staff secretary Neera Tanden, like Klain, came for voluntary transcribed interviews.

Jeff Zients, who served as Biden’s chief of staff for the final two years, was also asked to sit for a transcribed interview, a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital.

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A source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking previously called Republicans’ probe “dangerous” and “an attempt to smear and embarrass.”

“And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge,” that source said.

When reached for comment, Adrienne Watson, a representative for Sullivan, told Fox News Digital, “Jake did not have a conversation with Ron about Joe Biden running for president before the debate.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to Klain’s attorney as well as a contact for comment for Clinton but did not hear back by press time.

With the 2026 midterm elections more than a year away, a new Fox News survey finds that while the Republican Party has lost some ground to the Democratic Party on handling key issues, voters are more likely to think the GOP has a clear plan for dealing with the country’s problems. 

The survey, released Thursday, finds that by a 10-point margin, more voters think the Republicans have a clear plan for the U.S. than the Democrats: 43% vs. 33%.  Still, majorities feel neither the GOP (54%) or the Democrats (64%) have a plan. This is about where sentiment was three years ago, the last time the question was asked. 

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP FACING HEADWINDS AT SIX-MONTH MARK

Far more Republicans (79%) than Democrats (51%) are confident their party has a clear plan, and that’s what hurts the Democrats. While at least two-thirds of independents feel neither party has a plan, more trust the GOP (30% vs. 25%).

At the same time, the survey shows some significant erosion in the GOP’s handling of key issues compared to the last time Fox asked in 2023, including in areas where they are traditionally preferred. 

Voters view the Republican Party as better able to handle national security (by 14 points), immigration (+6R), and government spending (+5R) while the Democratic Party is favored on climate change (by 23 points), health care (+19D), social security (+17D), education (+15D), and energy policies (+6D).

The parties are rated about equally on inflation (+1D), gun policy (even), the economy (+1R), and foreign policy (+3R).

Compared to 2023, support for the GOP is down on immigration by 4 points, national security by 6, government spending by 6, foreign policy by 9, and the economy by 14. Plus, the Republicans’ 12-point advantage on inflation has disappeared, as Democrats have a 1-point edge today.

While the Democrats have largely maintained support on their best issues, it’s noteworthy they saw a 12-point increase on education, as voters have been split on who would better handle the issue for the last few years.

FOX NEWS POLL: APPROVAL OF SCOTUS AT 5-YEAR HIGH, REBOUNDING FROM RECORD LOW IN 2024

These shifts can mostly be attributed to self-identified Democrats solidifying their preference for their own party’s handling of the issues, as well as independents lessening their support for Republicans or switching to Democrats.

Self-identified Republicans continue to express high levels of support for their party on the issues.

“Independents and even some Democrats had soured on President Biden and the Democratic Congress by 2023 and 2024, but they have shifted to the left a bit in 2025 in response to the policies of President Trump and the Republicans,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. “An appreciable part of this is performance related. Without obvious economic and foreign policy victories, independents and soft Democrats could drift to the left, which could scramble the electoral dynamic heading into 2026.”

Overall, views of both major political parties are underwater. By 2 points, the Republican Party has a slightly better favorable rating (44% favorable) than the Democratic Party (42%), but more than half view both parties negatively (56% and 57% unfavorable, respectively). That’s relatively unchanged since April.  

Positive views of the Republican Party have shown steady growth since October 2019, while the Democratic Party has been on a downward trajectory, reaching a record low in April (41% favorable).

The Republican Party enjoys more support among their party faithful (83% have a favorable view) than the Democratic Party (78% favorable). Seven in 10 independents have a negative view of both.

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.

The Justice Department is suing New York City over its sanctuary policies, as the Trump administration targets jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities as it continues to ramp up deportation raids. 

The lawsuit filed in a New York federal court names New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several other city officials as defendants. 

The lawsuit claims the city has enacted policies with the intent of impeding the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. 

LOUISVILLE MAYOR SHIFTS CITY’S IMMIGRATION POLICY AFTER LEGAL THREAT FROM DOJ

“New York City has long been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country’s immigration laws,” the lawsuit states. “Its history as a sanctuary city dates back to 1989, and its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement have only intensified since.”

The Justice Department cited New York’s policy that prohibits its Department of Corrections from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, which requests that federal immigration authorities be notified upon the release of a criminal illegal immigrant from jail. 

The New York Police Department was subject to a similar provision, the lawsuit states. In 2014, the city further resisted cooperation with ICE, including adding an amendment to its sanctuary city policy that immigration detainers would not be honored without a warrant issued by an Article III judge (or magistrate judge) and unless the subject of the detainer had been convicted of a “violent or serious” crime within the past five years or was a possible match on the federal terrorist watch list.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SUES LOS ANGELES OVER SANCTUARY POLICIES THAT ‘IMPEDE’ ICE OPERATIONS

“Sanctuary cities are only sanctuaries for criminals. President Trump promised to Make America Safe Again and deport criminal illegal aliens,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “But sanctuary cities, like NYC, are working in direct opposition to the mandate that President Trump was elected to fulfill and American citizens are paying the price. The Trump Administration will not tolerate local politicians interfering in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

The lawsuit said crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the city have prompted several city leaders to call for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the federal government was left with no choice but to protect New Yorkers. 

“If New York’s leaders won’t step up to protect their citizens, we will,” she wrote on X. 

U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliatakis, R-N.Y., applauded the move, calling sanctuary polices “misguided,” “costly and dangerous.”

“Restoring public safety in our communities starts with New York City cooperating with ICE’s detainer requests. Failing to do so keeps dangerous criminals on our streets,” she wrote on X.

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The lawmaker said she filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that showed more 16,000 crimes were committed by thousands of people who were living in hotels and shelters at taxpayer expense. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Adams and the White House. 

In June, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles over its sanctuary policies. The city has become embroiled in a feud with the Trump administration over its deportation raids and anti-ICE protests. 

A Jewish-American national security group is sounding an alarm about how America and Israel’s enemies may exploit low missile stockpiles after the 12-day war with Iran.  

Defending Israel and the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Iranian counterstrikes cost the U.S. and Israel between $1.48 billion to $1.58 billion, according to an analysis by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), and burned through a large portion of missile interceptor stockpiles. 

Both the U.S. and Israel now face an “urgent need” to replace those stocks and sharply increase production rates. 

The U.S. had roughly 632 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors before June 13, the day Israel began its offensive in Iran. About 540 interceptors remain in its arsenal based on JINSA’s calculations of interceptor deliveries and use, according to the report. 

IRAN SAYS IT CAN STRIKE THE US AND ISRAEL FOR TWO YEARS. DOES IT REALLY HAVE THAT POWER?

In addition, the two Patriot missile interceptor systems responsible for defending Al Udeid, the U.S.’s largest base in the Middle East that’s home to 10,000 soldiers, reportedly used roughly 30 Patriot interceptors against the 14 Iranian ballistic missiles targeting the site June 23, The interceptors cost about $3.7 million each, totaling $111 million.

Iran launched 574 medium-range ballistic missiles toward Israel and the U.S. airbase in Qatar after Tel Aviv and Washington conducted strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites between June 13 and June 24, when the conflict ended in Iran’s counterstrike in Qatar.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, former chief of U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. and its allies needed to do more to invest in nonkinetic interception mechanisms, or systems that can neutralize a threat without explosive force, which would be much cheaper in defending against future attacks. 

“There’s any number of operational test and developmental testing going on with a cheaper bullet than a multibillion-dollar interceptor to shoot down a relatively inexpensive missile or UAS,” he said. “Any electro-magnetic interference capability, a microwave laser EMP, whatever that can screw up, the guidance system or the proportion of that particular system is something that could be cheaper.

“You can have literally hundreds if not thousands of rounds in one interceptor at very low cost.”

While the cost for the U.S. and Israel was high, the cost for Iran was greater — between $1.1 billion and $6.6 billion. Air defenses saved Israel about $13.5 billion in property damage.

Iran used up between a third and a half of its ballistic missile arsenal during the 12-day conflict, suggesting Iranian assertions it could have continued striking Israel for years if it wanted were overblown. 

Replacing its missile stockpiles will be even more costly given that Israel struck many of its launchers and production sites. 

IRAN-LINKED HACKERS THREATEN TO RELEASE NEW TROVE OF EMAILS STOLEN FROM TRUMP’S INNER CIRCLE AFTER STRIKES

But the U.S. used up 14% of its global stockpile of prized THAAD missile interceptors. America’s THAAD system accounted for nearly half of all interceptions due to “insufficient” capacity of Israel’s Arrow interception system. 

It would take three to eight years to replenish the THAAD interceptors used in the 12-day war at current production rates. 

Patriot interceptor production is more robust than THAAD, according to the report, but the U.S. is providing a number of Patriot interceptors to Ukraine. So, it’s unclear how many remain in the stockpile. 

If the U.S. and Israel fail to urgently replenish their interceptor inventories — especially THAAD and Patriot systems — they risk entering the next crisis with dangerously thin defenses, according to the report. Adversaries may take note of the extended gap between munitions use and stockpile replenishment, which leaves U.S. bases across the world open to vulnerabilities. 

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“Iran’s large-scale missile campaign may have revealed vulnerabilities in Israeli and U.S. air defense systems, providing lessons that Iran or other U.S. adversaries could exploit in the future,” the report said.

The Pentagon could not immediately be reached for comment on its plan to replenish missile interceptor stocks.

A non-U.S. citizen in New Hampshire is being charged with illegally voting in several elections, including the 2024 presidential primary and general elections. 

According to a statement by the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Naseef Bryan, who was living in Manchester, New Hampshire, was arrested and is being charged with three counts of wrongful voting. He allegedly knowingly illegally voted in a local Manchester election in 2023 as well as the 2024 presidential primary and general. 

If convicted, he is facing between three and a half and seven years in New Hampshire State Prison and a fine of up to $4,000. 

He will be arraigned at the Ninth Circuit Court, Manchester District Division, in August.

CONSERVATIVE LEGAL GROUP PRESSES AGENCY TO ACT ON TRUMP’S VOTER CITIZENSHIP MANDATE DESPITE COURT INJUNCTIONS

New Hampshire outlet NHPR reported that Bryan is a 34-year-old immigrant who, according to a legal filing, is a permanent U.S. resident from Jamaica. 

The outlet reported that Bryan has a lengthy history of filing over a dozen lawsuits against an array of government agencies and individuals, including a local police department, a community college in Concord and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). 

Bryan has previously sued USCIS twice though, according to the outlet, his grievances are unclear due to the filings being “ambiguous and contain[ing] long stretches of writing about disparate topics.” NHPR wrote that in one filing against USCIS, Bryan references maritime law and requests relief in the form of gold coins.

TRUMP DEMANDS SPECIAL PROSECUTOR INVESTIGATE ‘STOLEN’ 2020 ELECTION, LOSS TO BIDEN

A Republican-backed law passed in 2024 requires anyone registering to vote in New Hampshire to present proof of U.S. citizenship. Though the voting bill was signed into law in September, it did not take effect until days after the 2024 presidential election, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin. 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly won the state of New Hampshire’s four electoral college votes over President Donald Trump in a 50% to 48% vote. Republicans, however, have controlled the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature since 2021.

Bryan’s arrest comes as concerns over noncitizens illegally voting are growing across the country. 

In Texas, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, recently launched an investigation into more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast at least 200 ballots in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. 

RED STATE TOPS ANNUAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION SCORECARD FOR STRONGEST ELECTION INTEGRITY: ‘HARD TO CHEAT’

The majority of the suspected illegal ballots cast by potential noncitizens were in Harris County, but Paxton’s office is also investigating possible instances in Guadalupe, Cameron and Eastland counties using information from the Texas secretary of state, according to a news release.

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The discovery was made possible by an executive order signed by Trump directing the Department of Homeland Security to provide the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s SAVE Database to the states.

Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York also recently raised alarms when she suggested in a resurfaced video that she needed immigrants to bolster the numbers in her district, saying, they are needed “for redistricting purposes.”

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

A school district in North Carolina has been ordered to admit their mistake, issue an apology, fork over $20,000, and more after they were sued for suspending a 16-year-old student who used the term “illegal aliens.”

The settlement was approved on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, following a year-long legal battle after a 16-year-old student and his parents sued Davidson County Schools for the mischaracterization of racial bias and violation of the student’s First Amendment rights.

“Although the parties initially moved to seal the revised settlement agreement, they have since withdrawn any request to seal any version of their settlement,” Judge Thomas Schroeder stated in his Tuesday order.  

MARYLAND TEACHER CLAIMS IN LAWSUIT HE WAS FALSELY BRANDED ‘RACIST’ OVER SEATING CHART DISPUTE

The 16-year-old student was suspended in April of last year after using the term “illegal aliens” during an English class discussion.  

“Do you mean space aliens or illegal aliens who need green cards?” the student asked. 

The student was later suspended for three days and marks denoting “racially insensitive behavior” were added to his permanent record.  

The story of Christian McGhee caught the eyes of Donald Trump, who wrote the student a personal recommendation letter as he seeks an athletic scholarship in the years ahead, according to the Liberty Justice Center, which helped with the litigation.

‘THAT ENDS NOW’: WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS

In addition to the public apology required in the settlement, McGhee’s school must correct his permanent record so it no longer denotes racial insensitivity and acknowledge “the inappropriate response to this matter by a former member.” However, per Schroeder’s order, the settlement does not amount to an admission of liability or wrongdoing. 

“As the Supreme Court has often reminded us in its First Amendment jurisprudence, students do not shed their free speech rights at the schoolhouse gate. That it took a federal lawsuit and ultimately a court-approved settlement (including an apology to Christian, and a payment of $20,000) is indicative of how far lost many educators have become in the wake of the previous administration’s identity politics obsession,” Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at conservative nonprofit Defending Education, told Fox News Digital. 

“No more,” Perry continued. “The mission of American education is rooted in the viewpoint diversity of a pluralistic society. Our hope is that after Christian’s ordeal, schools will think twice about venturing into unconstitutional waters and trampling on the free speech rights of their students.”

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According to the Liberty Justice Center, McGhee’s mother spoke up in defense of her son after the incident happened, including at school board meetings, which led to an alleged attempt to smear her. The center claimed that two board members sent messages to county leaders and residents with the mother’s arrest record and encouraged people to post it on social media.

Neither Davidson County Schools, nor the district’s board, responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. 

Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain is cooperating with congressional investigators seeking information into former President Joe Biden‘s mental health during his time in office, a pair of lawmakers suggested Thursday.

Klain, who ran Biden’s White House for the first two years of his term, is currently sitting down with staff on the House Oversight Committee as part of Chair James Comer’s probe into whether top administration aides covered up signs of decline in the former president while he was in office.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told reporters roughly an hour into the session that Klain “answered every question” that Republicans put forward.

“I found Mr. Klain to be very credible. He answered every single question. He was fully cooperative. There are times where he was asked about personal conversations he had with the president, and he was forthcoming,” Khanna said.

“I really appreciate his candor and the comprehensive way he had answered every question.”

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if Klain was credible, “Yeah – when I say credible, I think he is telling what he knows accurately. I mean, he’s trying to be accurate. So that’s what I’d say.”

“In my opinion, he is not trying to avoid answering the questions. He’s answering the questions carefully. He’s saying the things that I kind of expected him to say,” Biggs said. “But he’s been answering the questions, I think, forthrightly and in the way he sees the world.”

In closed-door transcribed interviews, it’s common for Republican and Democratic committee staff to each get an hour of questioning at a time, trading off until no more questions remain.

The two lawmakers spoke to reporters after the first hour of GOP questioning was finished.

That means Klain’s interview could go on for several hours.

Comer, R-Ky., is investigating whether Biden’s top White House aides concealed signs of mental decline in the then-president, and if that meant executive actions were signed via autopen without his knowledge.

Biden maintained he “made every decision” in a recent interview with The New York Times.

EXCLUSIVE – As he looks ahead to next year’s midterm elections, when the Democrats try to win back majorities in the House and Senate, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin is targeting the Republicans’ so-called “big, beautiful bill.”

“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,” the DNC chair said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Martin’s rival, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley, told Fox News last week that the sweeping GOP-crafted domestic policy bill that narrowly passed the House and Senate in near-party-line votes and President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, will be a “cornerstone” of their party’s messaging going forward.

That’s just fine with Martin.

RNC CHAIR SAYS ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ KEY TO GOP’S MESSAGING EFFORT HEADED INTO MIDTERMS

“If this is the ground they want to die on, the hill they want to die, we’ll make sure they die on it,” Martin said of Republicans.

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

FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICANS LAUNCH MAJOR AD BLITZ TO SELL ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’

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. 

“This is going to help every family in every community all across the country,” Whatley predicted in his Fox News Digital interview.

But Martin disagreed, saying that “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.”

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

The massive tax cuts and spending package is also projected by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to increase the national debt by $4 trillion over the next decade, but many Republicans dispute the projection.

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 CBO this week estimated that 10 million people could lose their health insurance over the next decade.

DEMOCRATS TAKE AIM AT TRUMP’S ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’

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 fact is that we’re going to be moving illegal aliens off of Medicaid. We’re going to be strengthening the program,” Whatlley said. “Those are things that absolutely need to happen.”

But Democrats, for months, have repeatedly blasted Republicans over the social safety net changes. And they spotlighted a slew of national polls last month and this month—including one this week from Fox News—that indicate the bill’s popularity in negative territory.

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“American people are hurting right now, and there’s no doubt that this is an issue that allows the Democrats right now to actually rebuild our coalition, to actually bring people back in, many who left our party over the years, who felt like we weren’t fighting for them and actually lifting up working people,” Martin said.

And the DNC chair argued that “Donald Trump has betrayed them. I don’t call this the big beautiful bill. What I call it is a big, ugly betrayal, because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a betrayal to the hardworking Americans who expected more from this president.”

EXCLUSIVE: A new Republican proposal introduced on Wednesday would scrap the H-1B visa exception for higher education staff.

There is currently a 65,000-person cap for the visa, with exceptions for higher education and other select groups, including an extra 20,000 that can be doled out to those with master’s degrees or beyond.

The “Colleges for the American People Act of 2025” from Rep. Tom Tiffany would repeal the carveout made in the Immigration and Nationality Act, and have those from other countries seeking to work in higher education go through the normal H-1B visa process.

RUBIO OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO HARVARD’S USE OF INTERNATIONAL VISAS, CITING NATIONAL SECURITY

“American students spend years earning degrees, only to watch universities hand good-paying jobs to foreign workers on special visas,” Tiffany said in a statement. “The CAP Act ensures our institutions invest in the people they are meant to serve and ends the backdoor hiring practices that undercut American workers.”

The proposal would not be retroactive, so current H-1B visa holders at universities could still apply for their extension without going towards the limit.

The legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia. 

TRUMP SUSPENDS FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

The conservative outlet Wisconsin Right Now reported that there are 495 staffers in Wisconsin’s university system who have the visa, which comes with roughly a $43 million annual price tag for salaries.

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For fiscal year 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services got enough petitions for the H-1B visa caps as of last week. The visas continue to be a major point of debate across the political spectrum, as some argue that they boost business capabilities in the United States, especially in the technology sector. 

Others, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, have blasted them as exploitative.

STATE DEPARTMENT NOW SCRUTINIZING ALL VISA HOLDERS ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD

“The main function of the H-1B visa program and other guest worker initiatives is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” the Vermont senator posted to X in January. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.”

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As of 2019, there were just under 600,000 H-1B visa holders, according to USCIS data. The Trump administration could make other reforms to the program soon, according to GovTech. 

Besides H-1B visas, student visas in some cases have also recently come under fire, particularly at Harvard University. The State Department announced on Wednesday that they are looking into whether it can continue to be part of the Exchange Visitor Program due to “national security” concerns. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate newly declassified information about the Obama administration’s intelligence assessments about Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Graham and Cornyn’s call for a special counsel, which Fox News Digital learned they are announcing Thursday morning, comes the day after the Department of Justice (DOJ) created a “strike force” to investigate the evidence, which was declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard this week.

Graham and Cornyn, both senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not address the strike force but indicated in a statement that special counsels, who are outside officials brought in to oversee politically sensitive cases, operate independently of the attorney general.

DOJ FORMS RUSSIAGATE ‘STRIKE FORCE’ TO INVESTIGATE DECLASSIFIED OBAMA-ERA EVIDENCE

“As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case,” Graham and Cornyn said.

Gabbard’s declassified intelligence shed new light on the Obama administration’s determination that Russia sought to help President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Gabbard alleged Wednesday during a press briefing that Obama and his intelligence officials promoted a “contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true. It wasn’t.”

Graham, who previously served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led the Senate’s inquiry into the FBI’s investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion and released a tranche of documents in 2020 suggesting the bureau had a flimsy basis for opening its investigation into Trump.

RUSSIA SAT ON INTEL OF HILLARY CLINTON’S ALLEGED ‘HEAVY TRANQUILIZERS’ USE, NEW DOCS CLAIM

“With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama administration to subvert the will of the American people,” Graham and Cornyn said.

Their remarks follow Trump accusing former President Barack Obama of “treason” and after the DOJ opened criminal investigations into former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey.

Critics say Gabbard’s claims have been contradicted by past congressional reviews, some of which were led by Republicans. Obama, meanwhile, issued a statement in response to the wave of headlines suggesting he attempted to hurt Trump’s election chances.

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“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 spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”

Fox News reached out to the DOJ for comment on the special counsel request.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans are taking direct aim at actors tied to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing grip on American farmland.

In an exclusive to Fox News Digital, Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., said she will introduce a House version of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s “Protecting Our Farms and Homes from China Act” Thursday morning, or H.R. 840, “Saving American Farms from Adversaries Act.”

The legislation is part of a growing GOP push to block the CCP from buying up U.S. farmland and homes.

“Prized American land is not for sale to our enemies,” Miller said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

HAWLEY MOVES TO BLOCK CHINA’S BUY-UP OF US FARMLAND AS TRUMP ADMIN SOUNDS ALARM

“The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest threat to our national security, and their aggressive push to buy up our farmland and homes is a direct attack on our sovereignty. It’s long past time we take back control and put America’s food supply and communities back in American hands — where they belong,” she added.

The bill comes amid rising concerns over Beijing’s growing footprint in American markets and real estate.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Chinese entities currently own roughly 265,000 acres of American agricultural land. That number has set off alarm bells for lawmakers and voters alike.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MOVES DECISIVELY TO BLOCK CHINA FROM ‘WEAPONIZING’ AMERICAN FARMLAND

“For far too long, foreign adversaries have taken advantage of our farmland. While USDA doesn’t currently have the authority to prevent the purchase of farmland by foreign nationals, we are actively working to improve the accuracy of foreign-owned farmland reporting so that the public, Congress, and State governments have the relevant data needed to make informed policy decisions,” a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

“This is just one of the many actions outlined in our recent National Farm Security Action Plan to defend the homeland.”

Miller’s bill closely tracks Hawley’s Senate version. The proposal would ban Chinese corporations and individuals affiliated with the CCP from acquiring or leasing any agricultural land in the U.S.

It would also prohibit purchases of U.S. residential real estate by those same entities for two years, with an option for the president to extend the ban every two years. Entities that already hold such property would be required to divest within one year of the bill becoming law.

To enforce compliance, the legislation imposes steep civil fines: $100 per acre per day for illegal agricultural holdings, and $1,000 per day for residential real estate violations. Criminal penalties include up to five years in prison.

Land acquired in violation of the law would be subject to forfeiture and sold at public auction.

The bill also nullifies non-compete agreements involving foreign agricultural employers and establishes compliance offices within the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce to oversee enforcement.

The attorney general would have the authority to seize assets and seek court orders to stop violations. Miller’s push aligns with President Donald Trump’s newly launched “National Farm Security Action Plan,” led by Trump officials including Brooke Rollins, Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem.

The plan is aimed at protecting U.S. food systems and farmland from what Trump has called “foreign exploitation.”

Miller’s bill will debut Friday with a dozen Republican co-sponsors. 

According to Miller’s office, those backing the legislation include Reps. Pat Harrigan, Ralph Norman, Paul Gosar, Bob Onder, Marlin Stutzman, Tim Burchett, Randy Weber, Tom Tiffany, Andy Harris, Tony Wied, Michael Rulli and Eli Crane.

The Senate version was introduced by Hawley last week. Like Miller’s House bill, it targets both farmland and residential properties, including homes, condos and land zoned for housing development.

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Since taking office in 2021, Miller has made foreign land ownership a focus of her work in Congress. In January 2022, she and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, introduced the “National Security Moratorium on Foreign Purchases of U.S. Land.”

Hawley’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

A House Republican put forward a resolution calling for a vote to censure the New Jersey Democrat who was federally indicted for allegedly obstructing Homeland Security agents at an immigration facility in May. 

The measure from Clay Higgins of Louisiana states that Rep. LaMonica McIver’s “continued service on the Committee on Homeland Security, which is charged with oversight of Federal immigration enforcement and other national security matters, would represent a significant conflict of interest” and that she should be removed from that committee as well.

“Clay Higgins is a bigot who wants to be back in the news,” McIver told Axios in a statement provided by a spokesperson.

“This resolution aims to kick me off the committee that presides over the Department of Homeland Security and shame me for doing the oversight work that is my job,” she reportedly added. “Good luck, Clay.” 

DEMOCRAT CONGRESSWOMAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY FOR NEWARK ICE FACILITY INCIDENT, RALLIES SUPPORTERS 

The resolution mentions how McIver was hit with a “three-count indictment by a Federal grand jury for assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering with Federal officers” during the May 9 incident at the Delaney Hall Federal Immigration Facility in Newark, N.J. 

It states that “clause 1 of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives provides, ‘’A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House shall behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House'” and that “such actions of a Member of the House of Representatives do not reflect creditably on the House.”

During the incident, McIver and two other members of Congress were conducting a congressional oversight visit that coincided with an immigration protest, according to a Justice Department press release. 

After Newark Mayor Ras Baraka entered the facility’s secured area, federal agents warned him to leave. 

However, when officers tried to arrest Baraka, McIver allegedly blocked them, putting her arms around the mayor, and “slammed her forearm” into one officer while grabbing another. 

MACE FILES RESOLUTION TO EXPEL HOUSE DEMOCRAT AFTER HER ARREST AT ICE DETENTION FACILITY PROTEST 

After pleading not guilty during a court appearance last month, McIver said “At the end of the day this is all about political intimidation. 

“The Trump administration and his colleagues or cronies, or whatever you want to call them, have weaponized the federal government. They weaponized the Department of Justice and anybody who stands up to them, anyone who criticizes them, anyone who fights back against them finds themselves in these hairs that we are in today,” she added. 

McIver is now headed for trial on Nov. 10. 

Higgins told Axios that he waited until just before the House of Representatives’ 5-week recess to see if Democrats would remove McIver from her committee assignment. 

House Republicans’ rules require indicted members to give up all their committee assignments, while Democrats only require those individuals to surrender committee leadership positions, according to Axios. 

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McIver “should not be participating on the committee that has oversight and voting authority over the branch of federal government that she’s been indicted for committing crimes against,” Higgins told the outlet. 

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report. 

A trio of judges slowed the Trump administration’s effort Wednesday to immediately deport Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia for a second time, in a series of back-to-back court orders that were praised by Abrego’s attorneys — but had Trump officials posturing for a fight.

The orders came in a span of 90 minutes from the U.S. districts of Tennessee and Maryland and halted, for now, the Trump administration’s stated plans to have Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest Abrego Garcia and immediately begin removal proceedings to deport him to a third country, such as Mexico or South Sudan. Justice Department officials acknowledged that plan in court earlier this month, telling a federal judge in Maryland that the handoff from U.S. marshals to ICE officials would likely take place outside the federal prison where Abrego Garcia is currently being held. 

Those fears were bolstered further after senior Trump administration officials took to social media Wednesday to rail against the string of court rulings. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin vowed on X Wednesday that Abrego Garcia “will never walk America’s streets again.”

“The fact this unhinged judge is trying to tell ICE they can’t arrest an MS-13 gang member, indicted by a grand jury for human trafficking, and subject to immigration arrest under federal law is LAWLESS AND INSANE,” she said.

‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO

The remarks prompted fresh concerns from immigration advocates, as well as lawyers for Abrego Garcia and his family.

“We have heightened, ongoing concerns about the Trump administration’s compliance with any and all those involved” in the case, Chris Newman, an attorney who represents Abrego Garcia’s family, told Fox News Digital in an interview Wednesday after the orders.

His concerns came despite the string of near-term victories for Abrego Garcia, aimed at affording him due process and access to counsel ahead of his removal. 

In Nashville, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw on Wednesday ordered Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal custody pending trial, writing in a 37-page ruling that the federal government “fails to provide any evidence that there is something in Abrego’s history, or his exhibited characteristics, that warrants detention.” 

He also poured cold water on the dozens of allegations made by Trump officials, including by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in Nashville last week, that Abrego Garcia is an MS-13 gang member.

“Based on the record before it, for the court to find that Abrego is member of or in affiliation with MS13, it would have to make so many inferences from the government’s proffered evidence in its favor that such conclusion would border on fanciful,” he said. 

SUPREME COURT FREEZES ORDER TO RETURN MAN FROM EL SALVADOR PRISON

 U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, tasked with implementing that order, stayed Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal detention for 30 days, a request made by his attorneys earlier this week.

Two minutes after Judge Crenshaw’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, the judge overseeing his civil case in Maryland, issued an emergency order blocking the administration from immediately taking Abrego Garcia into ICE custody, citing concerns he would otherwise be removed immediately and without due process. 

She also ordered that Abrego Garcia be sent to the ICE Order of Supervision at the Baltimore Field Office, and that the Trump administration notify Abrego Garcia and his counsel of any plans to remove him to a third country 72 hours in advance, to ensure access to counsel and to challenge the country of removal.

Lawyers for Abrego Garcia praised the court orders Wednesday, though they stressed there is a long road ahead — and one that remains fraught with uncertainty.

“These rulings are a powerful rebuke of the government’s lawless conduct and a critical safeguard for Kilmar’s due process rights,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, said Wednesday. 

However, Abrego Garcia’s case has been the center of a monthslong legal maelstrom and is one that critics argue has allowed the Trump administration to test its mettle on immigration enforcement and its ability to slow-walk or evade compliance with federal courts.

Whether the administration will appeal the orders Wednesday, or otherwise honor them, remains to be seen. 

The Supreme Court has in recent months sided with the Trump administration on a number of key court cases, as well as a flurry of emergency orders, suggesting they could move for emergency intervention at that level.

Though justices on the high court ordered unanimously that the Trump administration facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. earlier from El Salvador this year, it’s unclear whether they would intervene at this point to head off the administration’s planned removal. Any challenge to the Tennessee orders, including the 30-day stay, would also be heard by the conservative-majority U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, which could block the lower court orders from taking force.

Others noted the Trump administration’s posture in recent immigration cases, including in the wake of their removal of hundreds of migrants to El Salvador’s CECOT prison earlier this year. 

Critics argue the Trump administration has been slow, or downright recalcitrant, to comply with court orders — and their actions prompted two judges in Washington, D.C., and Maryland to threaten potential contempt proceedings earlier this year. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s April ruling, which found there was probable cause to hold the administration in contempt for violating his order blocking them from using a wartime law to deport migrants to CECOT, was stayed by a federal appeals court.

On the other hand, Trump officials have railed against the “activist” judges, who they argue have blocked their agenda and overstepped their court powers.

Lawyers for Abrego Garcia and his family say they are clear-eyed about the administration and expected attempts to challenge the orders, even while the details of the efforts remain unclear. 

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“It’s now a matter of public record that their posture since the beginning is to say, ‘F— you’ to the courts,” Newman, the lawyer for Abrego Garcia’s family, said in an interview.

“So, to say that we are being vigilant about potential bad faith efforts by the Trump administration would be an understatement,” he said.