Trump returns to White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shooting


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President Donald Trump will return to the stage Friday to deliver remarks at a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, just months after gunfire abruptly ended the organization’s annual banquet.

“In April, President Trump promised to finish the job and plan another WHCA Dinner, and on Friday, he will deliver on that promise. We look forward to a great and fun evening celebrating 250 years of American greatness and a free press,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital.

Trump attended the original dinner in April during the nation’s 250th-anniversary year. He skipped the event throughout his first term amid repeated clashes with the press. This month’s dinner is expected to be a night of unity with a more intimate guest list after the April dinner devolved into chaos.

“This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence. As you have all demonstrated, courage and community can and should rise above,” Weijia Jiang, president of The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), said when the new date was announced.

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES EVENT BEING RESCHEDULED AFTER SHOOTING

President Trump Attends White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

U.S. President Donald Trump during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 25, 2026. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner event in Washington on Saturday following a security incident at the venue. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The annual dinner has historically been held at the Washington Hilton. Chaos, however, broke out at this year’s banquet when an armed suspect, Cole Allen, stormed the event in what authorities say was an attempt to assassinate the president.

The incident prompted Secret Service agents to rush the president and first lady from the room as guests scrambled for cover, abruptly ending the dinner.

The WHCA will honor U.S. Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales during Friday’s dinner in recognition of his actions in helping stop an armed suspect from entering the ballroom, WHCA announced in a press release Tuesday.

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White Houese correspondents dinner

White House Correspondents’ Dinner attendees duck under tables. (Jessica Koscielniak/Reuters)

Gonzales was at a security checkpoint when Cole tried to burst through the Washington Hilton.

“The WHCA is deeply grateful that law enforcement officials prevented the armed suspect from entering the ballroom,” said Jiang.

“Officer Gonzales played a significant role when he ran toward danger so that thousands of others could make it home safely. His courage stemmed from a dedication to service, which we are looking forward to honoring this week,” she added.

While first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be in attendance due to prior commitments, many Cabinet officials will be present.

FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are among those attending.

Mentalist Oz Pearlman will return as entertainment for the guests.

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Security officials react as a shooter opens fire during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 25, 2026.

Security officials hunt for threats as shots are fired at correspondents’ dinner. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

The April dinner drew dozens of anti-war protesters outside the Washington Hilton as the conflict with Iran dominated headlines, and similar demonstrations could greet attendees Friday as U.S. military operations continue.

The event also comes as Trump has used a string of high-profile speeches to highlight his administration’s priorities, including a primetime address last week on election security.

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Speaking after the April dinner was cut short, Trump said he hoped the event would be held again and previewed a less combative tone for his eventual remarks. He said he had been prepared to “really rip” the press but decided that delivering such a speech after the shooting would have been inappropriate.

“I think I’m going to be probably very nice. I’ll be very boring the next time. But we’re going to have a great event,” Trump said.



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Trump administration uses Alien Terrorist Removal Court to deport suspect


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The Trump administration is moving to deport an unnamed illegal immigrant suspected of terrorism through the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), which has never heard a single case.

The Justice Department filed its first-ever application for a removal order with the court on July 15, marking the first attempt in the court’s nearly 30-year history to invoke a little-known law allowing the government to deport noncitizens suspected of terrorism through a specialized judicial process that relies on sealed classified evidence. If successful, the administration could revive what legal scholars have called a “zombie” court as a powerful new tool for removing suspected terrorists.

“This Department of Justice will use every tool available to bring alien terrorists to justice and remove them from the United States, including by use of this court established by Congress in 1996,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The move also comes months after Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., pointed to the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court as an alternative for handling terrorism-related deportation cases while questioning the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act.

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169c5f2f-Trump Immigration

In this April 5, 2019 photo, President Donald Trump participates in a roundtable on immigration and border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station in Calexico, Calif. Trump said Friday he is considering sending “Illegal Immigrants” to Democratic strongholds to punish them for inaction— just hours after White House and Homeland Security officials insisted the idea was dead on arrival. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“In fact, Congress has an answer for us, doesn’t it? Because they created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court,” Boasberg said during a March hearing. “So if there’s a national security concern with having these hearings, whether via habeas or otherwise, you can always go to the ATRC, which would be a first, but that’s what it’s there for, right?”

Boasberg made the comments while presiding over litigation challenging the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. He temporarily blocked the administration from using the wartime law for those removals while the courts determine whether Trump’s use of the statute is lawful. Boasberg also ordered deportation flights already in the air to return, setting off a high-profile legal battle between the administration and the judiciary.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, told Fox News Digital that it was about time the Justice Department took advantage of this special court.

“I think it is a sign of negligence, frankly, of prior presidents that they did not use this special court, this special procedure that was specifically set up by Congress, so that they could quickly get aliens — aliens who were either terrorists or supported terrorist activities — out of the U.S.” von Spakovsky said.

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The one-page sealed application contained virtually no information, leaving out the person’s identity, the alleged conduct, and the specific section of the anti-terrorism law the Justice Department cited.

After hearing arguments from Justice Department officials, ATRC Chief Judge Joan N. Erickson, appointed by President George W. Bush, requested additional information before proceedings could continue.

“The Court had questions about the nexus that the government alleges between the actions of the respondent and the specific sections and subsections it invokes with respect to those actions,” Erickson wrote.

“The answers persuaded the Court that the Government could benefit from the opportunity for more thoughtful consideration,” Erickson continued.

Erickson gave the Justice Department until Wednesday to respond with additional documentation.

Congress created the ATRC through the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996.

Masked ICE agents

Federal agents patrol the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building. According to White House Border Czar Tom Homan, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will increase its operations in New York City due to its status as a sanctuary city. (Photo by Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“From now on we can quickly expel foreigners who dare to come to America and support terrorist activities,” Clinton said at the bill’s signing.

The court is made up of five federal district judges who serve five-year terms. It handles terrorism-related deportation cases where the government says its evidence cannot be made public because it would threaten national security. In those cases, the government provides the respondent with an unclassified summary instead of the classified evidence itself.

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At the time of the law’s passage, then Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., blasted the law.

“You and me, Judge—me, the prosecutor; you, the judge—let’s deport him in a secret hearing, using secret evidence,” Biden said. “We know you did it, and we can’t tell you how we know. Now I think that is about as un-American as it gets.”

According to the 9/11 Commission staff report, DOJ attorneys considered 50 cases by 1998 and another 50 over the next two years, but every one was rejected. Some terrorism-related cases moved forward through the regular immigration court system instead.

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The Justice Department’s case before the ATRC comes as the Trump administration has repeatedly faced resistance from federal judges, who have blocked, delayed or narrowed key parts of its immigration enforcement agenda.

Judge james boasberg

Courts rejected a misconduct accusation against Judge James Boasberg. (Associated Press)

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Von Spakovsky said the Justice Department’s use of the ATRC could not only streamline terrorism-related deportation cases but also reduce interference from what he described as “rogue” liberal judges.

“I think this court is a much stronger tool the Justice Department can use, and it’s going to make it much tougher for what I consider to be rogue judges to interfere with, and hopefully prevent, the removal of immigrants,” von Spakovsky said.



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Huawei chip revenue set to jump 60% despite American export controls


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Despite American export controls designed to cut Huawei off from the world’s most advanced semiconductor technology, China’s largest technology company is poised to post a 60% jump in chip revenue this year — a far cry from the death blow the Biden administration had hoped the restrictions would deliver.

Following export controls implemented in 2023, China directed its state agencies to purchase hardware, chips, mobile devices and software from Huawei while also pouring over $1 billion in government grants into the company.

Now, three years later, Huawei is expected to close 2026 with about $12 billion in chip revenue — a massive jump from $7.5 billion in 2025, according to analysts.

The result is fueling debate over whether U.S. export controls have inadvertently made Huawei stronger—or whether they have successfully slowed China’s push to compete in advanced semiconductors.

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Joe Biden

President Joe Biden during a campaign event at the North Carolina on Friday, June 28, 2024. (Cornell Watson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

To some, like Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the world’s largest semiconductor engineering company, there’s reason to still believe Huawei should merit respect.

“Huawei is the single most formidable technology company in China,” Huang told the Financial Times earlier this year.

“They’ve conquered every market they’ve engaged in,” he added.

The U.S. originally placed restrictions on Huawei in 2019, blacklisting its devices from government use.

The Biden administration continued to tighten restrictions in the next few years.

In 2022, it banned sales and imports from the company and, a few months later, halted export licenses to Huawei entirely, citing national security interests. In 2024, the U.S. pressed for many of its allies to follow suit. The Trump administration has continued those efforts in 2025, blocking dozens of Chinese groups from accessing semiconductors and other pieces of technology.

The compounding moves created a de facto ban on the company.

“The export controls announced in the two rules today restrict the PRC’s ability to obtain advanced computing chips, develop and maintain supercomputers, and manufacture advanced semiconductors,” the U.S. Department of Commerce wrote in a statement at the time.

“These items and capabilities are used by the [People’s Republic of China] to produce advanced military systems including weapons of mass destruction; improve the speed and accuracy of its military decision-making, planning, and logistics, as well as of its autonomous military systems; and commit human rights abuses.”

But by then, China had already begun laying the groundwork for using Huawei as a way to step away from reliance on the U.S.

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Front view of a flagship store of the Chinese mobile phone brand Huawei in China

A flagship store of the Chinese mobile phone brand Huawei in China. ( )

Huawei’s annual reports indicate that the company’s government grants skyrocketed during the same period. From 2.5 billion yuan in 2021, worth roughly $403 million, the company received 6.5 billion yuan in 2022 and then 7.3 billion in 2023.

Notably, government investment dipped in 2025, to 3.9 billion yuan.

Even so, the investments have coincided with an important milestone by 2026: the emergence of the Ascend 910B chip — a jump in China’s cutting-edge technology designed to compete with Nvidia’s chips.

The company believes it can go further. In May, Huawei announced that it would adopt new strategies to push the boundaries of existing technology. Instead of trying to make parts inside chips increasingly smaller — a key focus for the rest of the industry — Huawei believes it has found a way to make electrical signals move faster and take more efficient shortcuts, a principle called “Tau scaling law.”

He Tingbo, a Huawei executive, seemed to believe it could reverse the company’s isolation.

“No single company can independently find all the answers along the path of semiconductor evolution. With the τ Scaling Law, we look forward to working closely with scientists, engineers, and industry partners around the world to drive the sustainable development of the semiconductor and electronics industries.”

While debates remain about just how effective Ascend 910B really is as a challenger and some of the other breakthroughs Huawei has promised, some lawmakers argue that the export controls have succeeded in one key area: forcing China to offshore at least some of its production.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said he believed the move had forced China to rely more on Taiwan.

“Huawei’s only path to meeting China’s internal demand has been to illegally procure chips from Taiwan — a humiliation the CCP would prefer to avoid at all costs,” Moolenaar wrote in a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, referring to a shell company China had used that China had used to get around restrictions.

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Congressman John Moolenaar

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., is seen in Cannon Tunnel on April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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“While Huawei struggles to cheat its way toward meeting domestic AI-chip demand, the United States has accumulated roughly 75 percent of the world’s AI computing power.”

Representatives for Huawei did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.



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Mark Sanford joins South Carolina Senate race to challenge Trump-backed Graham


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Former congressman and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a GOP critic of President Donald Trump, launched a Senate bid Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile Republican running for the seat of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and joins a crowded field against Trump’s endorsed candidate.

“We’re at a tipping point, and that’s why I’ve decided to run for the U.S. Senate,” Sanford said in a launch video. “I’d ask that you look at my record in Congress and as governor in watching out for your family’s future.”

Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed last week to fill the remainder of her late brother’s term, announced Monday in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” she’s running for a full six-year term in the Senate. Graham’s announcement came three days after she met with Trump at the White House, where the president gave her his “complete and total endorsement” as he encouraged her to run.

But Trump’s backing of the late senator’s sister isn’t stopping other well-known South Carolina Republicans from jumping into the contest.

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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., arrives to the swearing-in for Darline Graham Nordone as U.S. senator at the U.S. Capitol July 14, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, announced his intention to run this past weekend.

Two-term GOP Rep. Russell Fry followed Monday. And businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham by nearly 30 points in last month’s GOP Senate primary, also announced he’d take another shot at the Republican nomination.

The special Republican Senate primary will be held Aug. 11. If no candidate tops 50%, a runoff election will be held among the top two voter-getters on Aug. 25.

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Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

Former Congressman and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is running in next month’s special Republican Senate primary in the race to fill the seat of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Sanford, who served three terms in the U.S. House in the 1990s, won election as South Carolina governor in 2002 and was re-elected four years later. A rising conservative star in the GOP, he grabbed national attention and derailed his political career with an extramarital affair in 2009. But Sanford made a political comeback, winning election to his old seat in Congress in 2012 and serving three terms.

He briefly launched a long-shot and unsuccessful presidential nomination challenge against Trump in the 2020 primaries.

Known as a fiscally conservative budget hawk, Sanford pointed to the nation’s debt as a key motivator behind his decision to launch a Senate campaign.

“Our country is at a financial tipping point, and I can’t sit on the sidelines while Washington adds a trillion dollars to the debt every 100 days,” Sanford explained. “I’m worried for our children because, for the first time, America is borrowing from the future faster than we’re building it.”

Unlike Sanford, Fry and Norman, who are both Trump allies in the House, are highlighting their support for the president.

“South Carolina doesn’t need just another senator. It needs President Trump’s strongest ally in the United States Senate. Make no mistake: I will be President Trump’s favorite U.S. Senator, and you will have a MAGA fighter you can count on,” Fry wrote in a social media post as he announced his Senate run.

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Rep. Russell Fry arrives at the Capitol Hill Club.

Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Fry described himself as a “MAGA warrior” in an accompanying video, which included pictures of him smiling alongside Trump.

Norman emphasized that he’s “running to represent the people of South Carolina in the U.S. Senate because we need a fighter who will stand with President Trump and carry on Lindsey Graham’s legacy!”

And pointing to Trump’s top legislative priority, he noted, “I want to get the SAVE America Act passed in the Senate!”

Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, conservatives and staunch Trump allies in the chamber, both cited Norman’s support for Trump’s election reform bill as they went against the president and endorsed the congressman. Norman is also being backed by the political arm of the powerful conservative group Turning Point USA.

Norman also landed the backing of Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. The endorsement by Mace, first reported by Fox News Digital, came after the retiring congresswoman, who unsuccessfully ran for governor, announced on Monday she wouldn’t run for the Senate.

Besides the president’s powerful endorsement, Graham does have the backing of heavy hitters in Congress, including Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who said, “Darline Graham is an excellent senator. She’ll continue to be an excellent senator, and she has my full support.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., however, is staying out of the race for now.

Thune said Graham is a “strong candidate,” and though she lacked elected experience, he noted she was “very accomplished in her own life.”

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Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, South Carolina senator

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., participates in a ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on July 14 in Washington, D.C. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

“She has a right, like everybody else, to get in that race,” Thune said.

Backed by Trump’s endorsement and enjoying plenty of name recognition thanks to her well-known last name, pundits view Darline Graham as a frontrunner in the three-week sprint to the Republican primary. And the winner of the GOP nomination will be considered the clear favorite against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election in the solidly red southeastern state.

Trump’s endorsements aren’t infallible, but his track record so far this cycle, albeit a couple of setbacks, is impressive.

Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams noted that “the Trump endorsement is a major boost for any candidacy, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat.”

“Senate seats in South Carolina do not come up very often, and politics is all about timing. You’ve got to seize the opportunity when it presents itself,” Williams told Fox News Digital. “If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run, regardless of whom the president is supporting.”

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And Williams, referring to Norman and Fry, noted, “There’s no downside for running. They’re going to run as Trump Republicans, and they’re going to flatter the president on the campaign trail.”

That’s likely not the case for Sanford, who didn’t mention Trump in his social media post or his accompanying campaign launch video.

Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this story.





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Nevada state Senator Carrie Buck has a plan to flip Las Vegas-based district red


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After flipping a Democrat-leaning state senate district in 2020, Carrie Buck is setting her sights on a bigger target this election cycle: Nevada’s first congressional district, an urban Las-Vegas-based district stretching east to the Arizona border.

But it will not be easy to oust Congresswoman Dina Titus, an 8-term veteran with strong ties to organized labor, the tourism industry and the business community.

Carrie Ann Buck standing outdoors during a campaign trail event.

Nevada state Sen. Carrie Ann Buck, a Henderson Republican, is challenging Democratic Rep. Dina Titus in the state’s 1st District. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Recently, Buck sat down with Fox News Digital at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas to discuss her swing district appeal, her background as a teacher and principal and why she believes her take on kitchen table economics will enable her to pull off an upset come election day.

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First and foremost, Buck is no stranger to challenging Democrats on their own turf.

“Well, in 2020, I flipped a blue district to Republican, and it represents 20% of this [NV-1] district. So, I know I can flip the entire district. People are just tired of my Democrat opponent, and they’re ready for change.”

Rep. Dina Titus

U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., listens as she heads a roundtable on heat, convened by the Nevada Conservation League, Chispa Nevada and Climate Power at the Whitney Library Conference Room May 28, 2026, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Buck cites her three decades of experience in the Nevada education system as critical to understanding the electorate.

“Well, the past 30 years, I’ve served in the school system here in Nevada. I was a teacher. … I taught adult ESL, I taught children for years. Then I became a principal of one of the lowest performing schools in the state and moved it to a national Title I school. I won the Milken Award in that time. 

“And, so, I’ve been breathing life into children and families for years. When I knock on doors, when I’m out in the community, people are like, ‘Dr. Buck, you were my principal.’ And, so, I think a lot of people know that I’m going to really deliver for Nevadans in D.C.”

Housing affordability is a signature issue for Buck.

She pledges to “ensure that Nevadans have access to lower-cost housing” while also “driving down interest rates so that people can buy whatever house that they want to.”

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Buck also argues that the immigration crisis during the Biden administration was a key driver on the housing affordability issue.

Former President Joe Biden speaks about foreign policy

Former President Joe Biden speaks about foreign policy during a speech at the State Department in Washington Jan. 13, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

“I think also what impacted housing is the immigration policies of the Biden years, where they allowed all these people into our country and that drove up [the cost of] all of our low-income housing. 

“It depleted it. And, so, now that we’re seeing people end up getting deported and going back to their original country, I know that it’s definitely driving down prices here.”

Buck promises that taking a hard line on the national debt will be a top priority.

“Spending is definitely out of control when we look at the waste of taxpayer dollars, waste, fraud and abuse. When we’ve seen some of these cases from across the nation, it really is a red alert. We need to make sure that we root that out. 

“I just actually saw the vice president is heading up this task force, and they’re finding lots of fraud. … We can’t just release taxpayer dollars. So, reining in the waste, fraud and abuse and making sure that [government spending] goes to the seniors and the children and the veterans who need it.”

Buck is a strong supporter of pathways to citizenship for immigrants, but also maintains a hard line on issues of border security and illegal immigration.

“There is a pathway to citizenship, and I think we need to get people signed up. I’ve been part of a movement to ensure that people have access to get citizenship. And that’s the way, the legal way.

“But coming here illegally, you are breaking laws. Those people need to be deported. We’ve seen so many victims of crimes by illegal immigrants, and that has to stop. We need to make sure that we have safe communities. I’m a wife of a law enforcement officer and know how important our safe communities and our men and women are working out there in law enforcement.”

Water issues remain an enormous concern west of the Mississippi, particularly in Nevada. Buck argues that California could and should play a large role in ensuring Nevadans access to water.

Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is one of the National Park Service’s most popular tourist attractions. The federal government is expected to declare a water shortage.  (Ashley Soriano/Fox News)

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“For too long, Nevada has been the conservationist. … Our citizens conserve so much water. … All it would take is California to build a basin and hold their rainwater and not release it into the Pacific. 

“But they’re very selfish neighbors. … We need to make sure that our federal government can maybe step in and build these reservoirs to hold water.”



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Smithsonian DEI toolkit called White supremacy training at hearing


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Smithsonian staff played a pivotal role in developing what one expert referred to as a “revolting” DEI training guide despite the taxpayer-funded institution previously walking back and apologizing for a similar chart on “whiteness,” a series of House hearings this week revealed.

Mike Gonzalez, a DEI and identity politics expert at the Heritage Foundation, testified that, years after the Smithsonian apologized for its controversial “whiteness” chart, the National Museum of American History continued advancing similar concepts through a training guide known as the “Museums as Sites for Social Action” (MASS) toolkit. 

Similar to the chart, Gonzalez said the toolkit describes objectivity, individualism, perfectionism and several other concepts as characteristics of White supremacy.

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In addition to staff members co-authoring the toolkit, Gonzalez said museum leadership kept “indoctrinating staff” for years by holding staff reading groups to study its materials.

“[The] museum kept surreptitiously indoctrinating staff with this trash for three years after the museum apologized for using it, which shows the promises of reform are written in sand,” he said in one of the hearings this week. 

“This is their own words. The leadership of the Smithsonian says constantly that it wants to use the museum to transform America, for societal transformation. They see history itself as a tool, an instrument to change society.”

Anthea Hartig during a House hearing

Anthea Hartig, president of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, left; Heritage Foundation senior fellow Mike Gonzalez; and Hillsdale College Van Andel Graduate School of Government Dean Matthew Spalding testify during the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency hearing July 21, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

In 2020, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture removed and apologized for a chart that described “objective, rational linear thinking” as an aspect of “whiteness” or “white dominant culture,” saying, “We erred in including the chart. We have removed it, and we apologize,” The Miami Herald reported.

In a viral moment from one of the hearings this week, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, confronted Smithsonian National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig about a passage in the Museums as Sites for Social Action (MASS Action) toolkit used by the museum that asserts objectivity is part of White supremacy

In response, Hartig said the museum did not develop the toolkit and asserted, ‘We’re not promoting any ideology.”

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Gonzalez, however, pointed out that the toolkit was co-authored by half a dozen current and former Smithsonian employees, including an NMAH employee, and references Smithsonian materials.

“This is what Marxists do. I think that people who want to truly transform the country seize the cultural institutions in order to mold how people think,” he said.

“But wait, there’s more.”

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Smithsonian's National Museum of American History seen from the Washington Monument

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is being called out for being “ideologically captured” and presenting woke revisionist history on the weekend of America’s 250th birthday. (Kevin Carter)

He pointed to a 2022 Excellence in DEAI Report co-authored by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch that praises the MASS Action toolkit as a good resource for the dissemination of formal DEI training.

The report states that “one major aspect of the work that takes time is shifting leaders and museum professionals away from white-dominant characteristics of perfection, risk aversion, and conflict avoidance to move toward action.”

Addressing the lawmakers present during the hearing, Gonzalez said, “Does anyone in this committee believe that perfection is a White characteristic? The man who runs the museum apparently does.”

WATCH: BRANDON GILL CORNERS LAW SCHOOL GATEKEEPER WITH DEI QUESTION SHE WON’T ANSWER

Anthea Hartig and Jill Biden show off her dresses

National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig appears with former first lady Jill Biden and Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch during the presentation of Biden’s 2021 inaugural dresses at the Smithsonian Jan. 25, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

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“Lonnie Bunch himself agrees with this racist nonsense.

“Once again, I call on Congress to do its duty and take back the Smithsonian from a rogue leadership that now uses it as their own plaything for dangerous ideological games,” he continued. “This Insanity has gone on long enough.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History for comment.



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Susie Wiles meets defense contractors on Iran war reconciliation bill


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EXCLUSIVE: High-level Trump administration officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, met Thursday morning at the White House with key defense industry stakeholders, and White House officials laid out their vision for the House of Representatives’ current budget reconciliation package related to crucial funding for the Iran war.

Wiles, Department of War and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) leaders and leaders from 17 top defense contractors including Raytheon, BAE Systems, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Palantir and others, were in attendance for the meeting, according to a Trump administration official. 

The Trump administration representatives laid out their vision for what is being called “Reconciliation 3.0.”

The purpose of the meeting was to ensure that all the companies were aligned on the importance of this reconciliation package being passed, which, according to the administration official, they were.

Susie Wiles in Oval Office

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: HOUSE’S FINAL SPRINT PUTS SAVE AMERICA ACT AND IRAN FUNDING IN PLAY

The budget reconciliation process allows the party in power in Congress to pass sweeping fiscal policy legislation while completely sidelining the other side — in this case, Democrats.

It does so by bypassing the Senate filibuster — which needs 60 votes to overcome — allowing the upper chamber to line up with the House’s own simple majority threshold.

Reconciliation 3.0 includes $73 billion for Pentagon and intelligence funding, which is largely tied to replenishing U.S. weapons caches for the Iran war.

US weapons loaded on truck for Syria mission

U.S. airmen prepare to load GBU-31 munition systems onto F-15E Strike Eagles within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 19, 2025, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Reuters)

GOP’S $95B DEFENSE PACKAGE SURVIVES CRITICAL HURDLE AMID FISCAL HAWK REVOLT

While Wiles and the other Trump administration leaders articulated their vision for the third reconciliation bill, the entire room bought in and committed to their plan, the source told Fox News Digital.

Further, the defense company leaders spoke favorably about the White House’s approach and said they were working hard to advocate for lawmakers on the Hill to pass the House budget resolution before the imminent August recess.

The House has passed a framework with cash targets for relevant committees, but now those committees need to provide details about how that money will be spent. The main players are the House Armed Services Committees and the House Intelligence Committee.

Beth Van Duyne, Steve Scalise and Mike Johnson stand at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., attends a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The president has vigorously advocated to get the deal done.

“I am asking all House Republicans to VOTE YES this week on the Budget Resolution, which is an important first step towards getting a Budget Bill,” he said Monday on TRUTH Social.



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Voter ID backed by 8 in 10 as SAVE America Act stalls in the Senate



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As Congress debates the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification to vote in federal elections, the latest Fox News national survey shows broad support for that measure.

In a July 16 primetime speech, President Donald Trump urged Americans to contact lawmakers to support the legislation, saying it would address election system vulnerabilities. 

The act passed the U.S. House of Representatives in February and is stalled in the Senate. The survey was conducted after his remarks (July 17–20, 2026).

The new poll, released Thursday, finds roughly eight in 10 registered voters favor requiring photo identification to register to vote (83%) and to cast a ballot (77%). Support for requiring photo ID to vote has remained consistently high, between 77% to 85%, in Fox News polling since 2011.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS WANT MAJOR CHANGE AMID ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DISCONTENT

“It’s a testament to gridlock and partisan polarization that no one seems capable of crafting a legislative compromise that can win passage of a bill featuring policies where large majorities support them,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson.

Backing for voter ID spans the political spectrum, though intensity varies. Nearly all Republicans think it should be mandatory (96% to register, 95% to vote), as do roughly eight in 10 independents (83%, 77%). 

Democrats are a bit less supportive, with 72% backing photo ID to register and 62% to vote. Outside party lines, most groups favor photo ID, including Hispanic voters (85% to register, 76% to vote) and voters under age 30 (82%, 75%).

Looking toward the fall midterms, most are broadly confident eligible voters will be able to vote (76%), though fewer feel sure ineligible voters will be prevented from doing so (61%). Confidence in eligible ballot access is high across party lines, while Republicans are less certain than Democrats and independents about ineligible voting.

FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE GEORGIA SENATE RACE

Nearly two-thirds (64%) favor universal mail-in voting, holding steady since September 2025. Partisan divisions persist, as nearly nine in 10 Democrats and seven in 10 independents support mail-in voting, while about six in 10 Republicans oppose it.

Despite majority backing, views are divided on the accuracy of mail-in ballots. A narrow 51% majority is confident they will be counted accurately, while 48% disagree. Two-thirds of Democrats trust the accuracy of the count, while roughly six in 10 Republicans and independents think it’s unlikely.

Most also favor counting ballots postmarked by Election Day, even if they arrive later. Seven in 10 support the practice, including large majorities of Democrats (88%) and independents (74%), while closer to half of Republicans oppose (53%).

In June, the Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law permitting late mail-in ballots to be counted if postmarked by Election Day.

Regardless of voting method, more express confidence that votes will be counted accurately in their state (64%) than at the national level (53%). Democrats trust both, while more Republicans and independents are assured by state tallies. In addition, by a 2-to-1 margin, more voters think state governments (68%) rather than the federal government (31%) should have election authority, a view shared across all major political groups.

Overall, six in 10 are confident the final vote count will be fair and accurate, even if completing the tally takes several days after Election Day. Roughly seven in 10 Democrats are confident, while more than half of Republicans are not. Independents are divided (52% confident, 47% not).

CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE

Conducted July 17-20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (70) and cellphones (681) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (252). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. 

The survey includes an oversample of 200 voters aged 18-29, bringing the sample size for that subgroup to 350 (±5). 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 are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.



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AP’s sob story over Trump terminating funding to Nepalese trans sex workers backfires


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An Associated Press social media post about transgender aid workers in Nepal turning to sex work after losing their jobs due to U.S. foreign aid cuts sparked a wave of conservative backlash, with critics arguing the video made the case for defunding USAID rather than saving it.

The AP post said that in Nepal, where “a conservative culture leaves openly transgender people with few legal job options,” around 100 LGBTQ aid workers left jobless by U.S. funding cuts had turned to sex work to survive. An accompanying video focused on Rubi Lama, a former HIV outreach worker who said USAID-funded programs had provided free condoms, lubricant and HIV-prevention medication before the cuts.

“When USAID funding was there, condoms were free, lubricant was also distributed … for free,” Lama said in the video, adding that HIV treatments, including PrEP, were also available without cost. “But, now it is gone.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS MORE THAN $1B IN UN BUDGET CUTS AS REFORM PUSH GAINS MOMENTUM

The framing quickly drew criticism from conservatives who said the story raised the opposite question: why American taxpayers were funding those programs in the first place.

flag of the United States Agency for International Development

The flag of the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, flies in front of the USAID office in Washington, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, was among the conservatives who argued the AP report made the opposite point from the one intended.

“Our tax dollars no longer fund employment for transgender Nepalese sex workers,” Gill wrote on X. “Thank you for reminding us why defunding USAID was long overdue.”

“Wow very grateful that my tax dollars are no longer funding a bunch of random trannies in Asia,” mocked Daily Wire host Matt Walsh “Is that the point you were trying to make or did you expect us to be somehow sad about this?”

SOCIALIST-BACKED MICHIGAN SENATE HOPEFUL CALLS AMERICAN POLITICS A ‘DISEASE’ AFTER PROFESSING LOVE FOR US

Nepalese drag

Artist perform during the first drag queen show in Kathmandu, Nepal, on June 11, 2019. – First time in Nepal’s LGBT community showing drag queen night with colorful costumes and makeup. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP)

The backlash comes after President Donald Trump, immediately upon returning to office, ordered a 90-day pause on new foreign development assistance obligations and disbursements while his administration reviewed whether programs aligned with his foreign policy.

USAID later told partners to pause new funding obligations and issue stop-work orders or suspensions for existing awards, while critics have said the review led to major disruptions, staff reductions and the cancellation of critical foreign-assistance awards.

But Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway argued the AP post exposed misplaced priorities, particularly among the media, saying the outlet presented U.S. tax dollars flowing to a “trans Nepalese job protection program” as though it was a good use of public money.

US-POLITICS-USAID

Holes are seen on the building after signage was removed (top) while black plastic covers the logo of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) at its headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2025. ( MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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“The AP announces that your hard-earned tax dollars were flowing to a trans Nepalese job protection program as if that was an even remotely good use of your money,” Hemingway wrote in a post on X. “AP is sick Democrat propaganda.”

“How dare Elon cut USAID funds to the Nepalese trans sex worker community,” quipped Republican activist Jack Posobiec.



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Rubio announces visa restrictions targeting cybercrime, sextortion


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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime.

“This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion,” Rubio said in a statement.

Certain immediate family members of people covered by the policy may also be subject to the State Department’s new visa restrictions, according to Rubio.

TRUMP LAUNCHES GOLD EAGLE TO HUNT CYBER FLAWS WITH AI

Marco Rubio with passports in view

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / istock)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year titled “Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens” directs federal agencies to develop measures against foreign scam centers, transnational criminal organizations and cyber-enabled financial fraud.

The administration, Rubio said, “is taking action to counter an unprecedented threat from online investment scams.”

WHAT A SCAMMER SEES THE MOMENT THEY GOOGLE YOUR NAME

marco rubio manila asean summit

Immediate family members of people engaged in these illicit activities may also be subject to the State Department’s new visa restrictions. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

“Often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations, scammers have defrauded U.S. citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone while fueling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking,” the secretary said.

“American children also have been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams, devastating families and futures,” he continued.

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio seated during a roundtable in the White House East Room

President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this year that aims to go after foreign scam centers, transnational criminal organizations and cyber-enabled financial fraud. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Rubio said the administration is “deploying every tool at our disposal—sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and international law enforcement cooperation—to dismantle criminal scam networks and impose costs on those who enable them.”

“By restricting visa issuance to those who are responsible for or complicit in these criminal enterprises, we are sending a clear message: The United States will go after those who prey on our citizens,” he said.



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Secret Service agent on JD Vance’s security detail probed for leak


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A U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agent assigned to Vice President JD Vance’s security detail is being investigated over allegations of leaking sensitive information.

“A member of the Vice Presidential Protective Division is the subject of an administrative investigation, and potential criminal inquiry, involving allegations of compromising operational and information security,” Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to Fox News.

The agency would not comment on the specifics of the case, Guglielmi said, but noted that “any conduct that potentially threatens the safety of a protectee will not be tolerated.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’S IRAN’S ‘NO. 1’ TARGET AS RENEWED CONFLICT RAISES ASSASSINATION FEARS

J.D. and Usha Vance sitting together and holding hands at the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha, sit together at the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A U.S. Secret Service agent is being investigated for allegedly leaking sensitive information, the agency said. The move came amid reports that some agents have grown frustration with Vance’s last-minute trips. (Reuters)

The probe came a week after an MS Now report detailed alleged frustrations within Vance’s security detail over last-minute personal and family travel requests.

One day after the story was published, MS Now reported Vance’s office canceled a helicopter flight scheduled for his son’s golf lesson. The Trump administration said the proposed use of Marine Two — the call sign for the helicopter carrying the vice president — was for operational reasons.

“Compared to a motorcade, it drastically decreased the burden on local law enforcement and eliminated the inconvenience of road closures and disruptions to motorists along the long driving route,” the administration wrote in a statement to Fox News.

USHA VANCE MOCKS NEW YORK TIMES FOR DRAWING ‘POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE’ FROM HER PREGNANCY FASHION

Secret Service agent watches crowd as Vice President JD Vance speaks behind bulletproof glass.

A Secret Service agent watches the crowd as Vice President JD Vance speaks behind bulletproof glass during the 53rd annual March for Life rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23, 2026. The annual pro-life demonstration, themed “Life is a Gift,” marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and includes a march toward Capitol Hill. (AFP via Getty Images)

The MS Now report noted that current and former Secret Service agents pointed out that prior vice presidents “eschewed using such expensive government perks for the convenience of their children’s schedule.”

Agents said the “off-the-record” (OTR) trips sometimes force them to cancel personal plans and require them to construct security plans in a hurry.

“The detail is tired of them not giving notice on things and making everything an OTR,” a person familiar with the detail’s frustration told the news outlet. “[Vance] thinks he can still move around like a U.S. senator.”

A Vance spokesperson told Fox News the family is grateful to the Secret Service.

IRAN-BACKED PROXIES SABOTAGING LEBANON PEACE AS JD VANCE LEADS US DELEGATION TO SWITZERLAND, HERZOG SAYS

“While protecting a vice president with a large policy portfolio and a young and growing family presents a unique challenge, agents of the Secret Service do so with excellence every day,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, USSS Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said that all special agents understand the commitment required to serve on a protective detail.

“Our agents work tirelessly to ensure protectees’ safety and security, while also preserving normalcy to the extent possible,” Quinn told Fox News. “We are committed to supporting our personnel, which requires around-the-clock dedication and discipline. This is a job that requires absolute dedication and discipline. There is no room for compromise.”

The frustration among agents reportedly led some to create custom coins and stickers mocking the frequency of Vance’s last-minute travel, referencing the vice president’s Secret Service code name, “Bobcat.”

Secret Service member stands as audience waits for President Trump on National Mall.

A member of the U.S. Secret Service stands as audience members wait for President Donald Trump to speak during the “Salute to America” Independence Day celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2026. The nation is marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. (AFP via Getty Images)

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Some coins reportedly read, “Bobcat OTR Survivors Club.”

The Trump administration acknowledged that last-minute trips can arise unexpectedly.

“Most past presidents and vice presidents have not had young children, and therefore the detail has not been presented with this nature of protective mandate,” the administration told Fox News.

“The Vice President is also a very active and involved Vice President, more so than recent officeholders,” the statement continued. “His unprecedented diplomatic role, for example, while critically important, has added new demands for a detail used to operating with lead times that are impossible in high-stakes diplomacy.”



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James Talarico’s past ICE detention comments resurface in Texas race


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During a 2019 interview following a visit to border enforcement, James Talarico, candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, said he gauged the suitability of immigration detention facilities based on how he would treat his own family.

“I think I was struck by the conditions these folks were being held in,” Talarico said.

“When I first walked in, I looked at one of the security monitors and saw these things strewn around the floor, and I realized they were human beings being held in these tiny rooms. The standard I use is: would I allow my child, my parent, my grandparent to be held in one of these facilities? And the answer, after my visit, was a resounding no,” Talarico said.

His resurfaced comments continue to raise questions about his views on border policy as he looks to flip a Republican-held Senate seat in Texas.

PROGRESSIVE TALARICO KNIFES BIDEN’S OPEN BORDER, TRIES MODERATING STANCE ON KEY ISSUES IN TEXAS SENATE RACE

James Talarico speaking at a primary election watch party in Austin, Texas.

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks at a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

During his campaign, Talarico has drawn scrutiny for walking a tightrope between traditionally Democratic criticisms on President Donald Trump’s border enforcement measures and appearing too soft on border policy.

Like progressives in the party, Talarico has called on lawmakers to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has characterized voter ID requirements as a method to rig elections and, in the past, even criticized President Barack Obama’s record on immigration.

In one 2019 remark, Talarico famously called Obama the “deporter-in-chief.”

His past comments have left some observers believing his record makes the case for him.

“There is a very concerning pattern with James Talarico siding with pedophiles, criminal illegal aliens and cartels while slandering the brave men and women of law enforcement who keep Texans safe,” Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement, referring to detentions highlighted by the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE ARRESTS 15 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH CONVICTIONS INCLUDING HOMICIDE, RAPE AND CHILD SEX CRIMES OVER WEEKEND

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer director Matt Elliston listens during a briefing, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

“Talarico is a true radical and fully committed to defunding the police, knocking down President Trump’s border wall and welcoming millions of illegal aliens into America,” Kraft added.

At the same time, Talarico has voiced concern about the government’s effective use of resources on the border and whether its investments are being reflected in its detention operations.

He raised the issue in the 2019 interview.

“How are we spending close to a billion dollars every year on border security when these border patrol agents told us firsthand they didn’t have the resources, basic logistical items that would help the situation better for them and for the people being held?” Talarico said.

Talarico argued that poor standards don’t speak to individual facility needs but rather reflect broader problems with immigration enforcement.

“This is not a matter of some bad apples at a Border Patrol station. This is a systemic problem that even the Border Patrol agents identified as something morally wrong and something that needed to be solved,” Talarico said in an interview.

“I believe this is a statewide problem; this is a stain on all of our reputations. It violates a lot of the values we have as Texans.”

Texas spent roughly $800 million on border security in 2019, according to the state’s legislative budget board.

TALARICO MAKES STUNNING CLAIM ABOUT WHY HE THINKS TEXAS ELECTIONS AREN’T ‘FREE AND FAIR’

A cactus and sign mark the entrance to the Eloy Detention Facility

A cactus and sign mark the entrance to the Eloy Detention Facility for illegal immigrants on July 30, 2010.

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When pressed for more details about Talarico’s ideal detainment conditions a reality, his campaign pointed to his border security plan he recently unveiled.

“James supports stronger border security and safe, secure, and humane detention facilities. He’s the only candidate in this race to unveil a border security agenda endorsed by Republicans and Democrats that will add more border patrol agents and improve technology at the border to better detect threats. For too long, both parties have failed our border communities by grandstanding on the issue instead of finding real solutions. James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of locking up moms, babies and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades,” a campaign spokesperson said.

Having secured the Democratic nomination, Talarico will face Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the Nov. 3 general election.



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Trump admin directs federal agencies to expand religious liberty protections


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The Trump administration on Thursday directed federal agencies to give greater consideration to religious liberty when writing regulations, enforcing federal law and accommodating employees’ religious beliefs, marking the first major update to Department of Justice (DOJ) guidance on the issue since 2017.

The updated guidance instructs executive agencies to ensure their policies comply with the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and recent Supreme Court decisions that have expanded protections for religious exercise.

The DOJ, led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, said the guidance reflects nearly a decade of new Supreme Court precedent and is intended to ensure federal agencies protect religious Americans in areas including employment, federal contracting, grants, rulemaking and enforcement actions.

DOJ ALLEGES ‘SYSTEMATIC CULTURE’ OF ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIAS ACROSS FEDERAL AGENCIES UNDER BIDEN

U.S. Supreme Court building

The updated guidance instructs executive agencies to ensure their policies comply with the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and recent Supreme Court decisions. (Li Rui/Xinhua via Getty Images, File)

Among the changes, the department said agencies should consider religious-liberty concerns earlier when developing regulations, accommodate religious expression in the federal workplace when required by law, and ensure religious organizations can compete for federal grants and contracts on equal footing with secular organizations.

The guidance also reaffirms constitutional protections for churches to govern their own internal affairs and highlights recent Supreme Court rulings recognizing parents’ rights to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

“The updated guidance will ensure that the federal government will respect the religious liberty rights of all Americans when implementing the President’s policies,” Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel of First Liberty Institute, said in a statement.

GOP LAWMAKERS URGE SUPREME COURT TO STRENGTHEN FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTIONS FOR STREET PREACHERS

The Bible with the American flag and cross on top.

President Donald Trump is being thanked “for his strong efforts to protect America’s first freedom—religious freedom.” (iStock)

Shackelford thanked President Donald Trump “for his strong efforts to protect America’s first freedom—religious freedom.”

First Liberty said the guidance references two Supreme Court victories involving the organization. One was Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a public high school football coach’s postgame prayer was protected by the First Amendment.

The other was Groff v. DeJoy, which held that employers generally must provide religious accommodations unless doing so would impose substantial hardship.

According to the DOJ, the Office of Legal Policy will continue working with federal agencies to review proposed regulations and other government actions for compliance with federal religious-liberty protections.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at news conference

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche listens during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo, File)

The updated memorandum replaces guidance issued during Trump’s first administration in 2017 and incorporates Supreme Court decisions issued since then that the department says have clarified and strengthened constitutional and statutory protections for religious exercise.

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A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment on the practical impact of the updated guidance.



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Fox News poll finds Trump’s handling of Iran hits record disapproval



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Disapproval of President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran hit a record high in July, as a majority of voters oppose U.S. military action, and nearly two thirds think the conflict will last at least a year.

The latest Fox News survey finds 56% oppose U.S. military action against Iran, including 40% who “strongly” oppose. More Democrats oppose the war (84%) than Republicans support it (76%).

FOX NEWS POLL: A CLOSE SENATE CONTEST IS BREWING IN IOWA

Voters increasingly expect a long-term commitment. Today, 64% think the war will last a year or more, up 13 percentage points since May. Expectations vary sharply depending on attitudes toward the Iran war. Among supporters, 56% think it will be over in weeks or months, while 80% of opponents expect it to last at least a year.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS WANT MAJOR CHANGE AMID ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DISCONTENT

There is also doubt the conflict will produce an agreement. About half think the U.S. will not reach a deal with Iran, while the rest split between expecting a good deal (27%) and a bad one (25%).

Roughly half of Democrats, Republicans, and independents predict there will be no agreement with the Islamic Republic. Among those anticipating a deal, Democrats are 20 points more likely to expect a bad one, while Republicans are 27 points more likely to expect a good one.

Just 34% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of Iran, while 66% disapprove, his worst marks to date.

Trump’s overall standing remains steady, but underwater. Thirty-nine percent approve of his job performance, unchanged for the past three months. Sixty-one percent disapprove, tying a previous high. That includes 49% who “strongly” disapprove, matching a record high.

For historical context, Trump’s best rating, 49% approve and 49% disapprove, came in April 2020. His current 39% approval is close to former President Joe Biden’s 40% (July 2022) and former President Barack Obama’s 42% (July 2014), during the summer of a midterm election year.

Trump continues to receive some of his strongest support from MAGA Republicans (97% approve) and conservatives (72%). But compared to June, his approval has declined to a near record low among rural voters (down 7 points to 44%) and an all-time low among White voters (down 3 points to 41%).

Yet the largest change comes among non-MAGA Republicans. Their support has fallen 13 points since last month to 51% approval, after hitting 70% at the beginning of Trump’s second term.

Trump’s ratings are also underwater on the economy (33% approve, 67% disapprove) and inflation (27-73%).

Republicans lose advantage on immigration

Voters are now divided over which party can better handle immigration: 50% say the Democrats and 49% the Republicans, a meaningful shift since April, when the GOP held an 8-point advantage. Women and voters under age 45 prefer the Democrats on immigration, while men and those ages 45 and older favor the Republicans.

“During the Biden administration years, immigration attitudes were often defined by border security considerations,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who works on the Fox News Poll with Democratic counterpart Chris Anderson. “Today, immigration enforcement and ICE often dominate, eroding the GOP’s edge on the issue.”

Immigration remains Trump’s best performing issue in the survey, but his rating is still negative: 42% approve, while 57% disapprove.

Views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) follow a similar pattern. ICE approval stands at 41%, unchanged since early this year but down from 49% last September.

Majorities of Democrats (90%) and independents (68%) disapprove of ICE, while most Republicans approve (79%). Fully 78% of Democrats, and 50% of independents “strongly” disapprove, compared with 53% of Republicans who “strongly” approve.

Few voters support allowing all illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. Just 7% take that position, including 11% of Democrats, 5% of independents, and 2% of Republicans.

Instead, 62% favor deporting those who have been charged with crimes while allowing others to stay and eventually qualify for citizenship. That position draws majority support from every demographic group except Republicans (39%), conservatives (41%), and White evangelical Christians (48%).

Thirty-one percent favor deporting all illegal immigrants, with support highest among MAGA Republicans at 68%.

When asked about their concerns about illegal immigration, voters are most worried about the strain on government services (39%). Smaller shares cite crime (19%), job losses for U.S. citizens (14%), changes to the country’s culture (13%), and terrorism (10%).

Overburdened government programs rank as the top concern across demographic groups. College graduates, those living in high income households, suburban voters and independents are among those most likely to cite it.

The immigration findings also reveal a consistent divide within the Republican Party. ICE approval is 91% among MAGA Republicans compared with 59% among other Republicans, one of the widest gaps in the survey.

A similar split appears in ratings of Trump’s handling of immigration, with 91% of MAGA Republicans approving compared with 63% of other Republicans. MAGA Republicans are also nearly 30 points more likely to favor deporting all illegal immigrants (68% vs. 41%).

Conducted July 17–20, 2026, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,003 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (70) and cellphones (681) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (252). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. The survey includes an oversample of 200 voters aged 18–29, bringing the sample size for that subgroup to 350 (±5). Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling errors, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data.

Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.



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Here are the 44 lawmakers who texts were seized by Jack Smith in probe


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Former special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained and reviewed the contents of text messages exchanged between Trump White House officials and 44 current and former members of Congress, according to Justice Department records released by two Republican-led Senate committees.

The messages were contained in White House records subpoenaed from the National Archives covering Oct. 1, 2020, through Jan. 20, 2021. The Justice Department said Smith’s investigative team “apparently bypassed” a filter team established to screen potentially privileged material before investigators accessed it.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, on Wednesday issued a criminal referral for Smith, arguing that he misled Congress when he stated that he did not obtain or review lawmakers’ text messages while carrying out his probes into President Donald Trump. The referral functions as an invitation for the Justice Department to launch an investigation into Smith’s conduct.

JACK SMITH THRUST BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT AT BLANCHE HEARING OVER EXPOSED SENATORS’ MESSAGES

US Special Counsel Jack Smith Statement

Jack Smith, US special counsel, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. Donald Trump has been indicted in Washington on federal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the third politically explosive criminal prosecution of the former president as he makes his latest run for the White House. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Read the list of 44 lawmakers:

Among the senators targeted in the probe were: Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Cory Booker, D-N.J.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; David Perdue, R-Ga.; Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; Martha McSally, R-Ariz.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Rick Scott, R-Fla.; Rob Portman, R-Ohio; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Cory Gardner, R-Colo.

On the House side, the investigation targeted: Reps. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.; Steve Scalise, R-La.; Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Devin Nunes, R-Calif.; Adam Smith, D-Wash.; Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Mark Walker, R-N.C.; Bryan Steil, R-Wis.; Dan Newhouse, R-Wash.; Doug Collins, R-Ga.; Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.; John Katko, R-N.Y.; Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J.; Karen Bass, D-Calif.; Ken Buck, R-Colo.; Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y.; Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.; Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; Morgan Griffith, R-Va.; Rodney Davis, R-Ill.; Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho; Scott Perry, R-Pa.; and Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

Fox News Digital reached out to every current lawmaker named on the list.

Grassley and Johnson, through their senior committee positions, were responsible for the release of the new documents.

Several lawmakers on the list had publicly documented roles in efforts surrounding the 2020 election, including those who have since condemned Smith’s review of their communications.

Sen. Chuck Grassley

As president pro tempore of the Senate, Grassley played a procedural role on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress moved to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The senator, for instance, called the Senate into session before senators moved to the House’s chamber to participate in a joint session where the results of each state would be certified.

Prior to Jan. 6, Grassley suggested that he may preside over the Senate’s debate surrounding disputes over the 2020 election if Vice President Mike Pence didn’t show up.

“Jack Smith’s criminal investigation of President Trump was a runaway train that had no brakes,” Grassley said of his messages being collected. “Based on the information that’s been produced to me and Senator Johnson, Biden DOJ and FBI investigators apparently ignored their own routine investigative protocols to obtain and review work-related messages from me and dozens of my Republican and Democrat colleagues who were outside the scope of the government’s investigation.”

Sen. Ron Johnson

In the lead-up to Jan. 6, Johnson joined a group of Republican senators calling for an emergency 10-day audit of disputed election results and saying they would vote against certifying electors from contested states unless such a review occurred.

Documents released by the House Jan. 6 committee in early 2023 reported that Johnson was communicating with former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party about a plan to have the state’s GOP-controlled legislature choose its presidential electors. The senator responded that he had no recollection of the conversation and accused the committee of trying to smear him.

Republicans were intensely critical of the House Jan. 6 committee, arguing that it lacked a meaningful voice for the opposition seeing as then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., selected every member while rejecting the nominations put forward by McCarthy. They also argued that the committee focused too little on security and intelligence failures ahead of the breach of the Capitol.

“This is yet another grotesque example of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the Justice Department,” Johnson said of the seized text messages. “Jack Smith’s team acted with impunity as they disregarded their own protocols to obtain and access White House text messages, including messages to and from 44 Members of Congress. This is precisely why Chairman Grassley and I have worked to uncover the truth, bring transparency to the American people, and hold accountable those who weaponized federal law enforcement.”

Sen. Ron Johnson gestures while speaking at hearing

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., gestures while addressing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during a hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2026. (CSPAN)

BIDEN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S ‘RUNAWAY TRAIN’ SCOOPED UP SENSITIVE LAWMAKER INFO: ‘ABUSE OF POWER’

Sen. Lindsey Graham

In the days after the 2020 election, Graham urged Trump not to concede. He later donated to Trump’s legal defense fund and, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, opened inquiries into election procedures in several battleground states and contacted state election officials.

The late South Carolina senator grew frustrated with Trump and his followers as their objections continued to fail in court and fully broke with the movement following the riot on Jan. 6.

“Count me out,” he said at the time. “Enough is enough.”

Sen. Josh Hawley

Hawley is notable in that he, on Dec. 30, 2020, became the first senator to announce his intention to formally object to Electoral College votes during the certification process. His decision was consequential as federal law required objections from both a representative and a senator to force a debate on the election.

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josh-hawley-capitol

Trump attempted to call Hawley six times ahead of the Jan. 6 breach, according to White House call logs obtained by the House Jan. 6 select committee, showing that there was a line of communication between the two.

Though some senators abandoned their objections to the 2020 election after the Capitol was breached, Hawley maintained his objections and voted against certifying the results from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Hawley called the documents released by Grassley and Johnson “more evidence of Biden corruption” adding that, “Jack Smith illegally scooped up the text messages of Senators — including mine.”

Sen. Mike Lee

Text messages turned over by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the House Jan. 6 committee show that Lee discussed possible legal and constitutional avenues for challenging the 2020 election results.

Lee initially told Meadows that he supported exhausting every available legal and constitutional remedy to address concerns about the election. By Jan. 3, 2021, however, he warned that the effort “could all backfire badly,” according to text messages Meadows turned over to the House Jan. 6 committee.

The senator ultimately voted against sustaining objections to Arizona’s and Pennsylvania’s election results.

Mike Lee slammed Smith’s collection of text messages this month as “un-American” and argued that it came “uncomfortably close to spying on a coequal, coordinate branch.”

Rep. Steve Scalise

Scalise, as House Republican whip, was responsible for convincing representatives to vote in line with the party’s interests, providing a straightforward reason as to why White House staff may have been in contact with him.

Further, a publicly released deposition shows that a Scalise aide communicated with Pence’s legislative-affairs director regarding a Jan. 3 call organized by Jordan involving Trump, Meadows and members pressing certification objections.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise stands on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange before the start of morning trading.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise looks on from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange before morning trading on April 15. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

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The Louisiana congressman called congressional action the “only remaining recourse” for addressing what he described as improper changes to election laws in several states.

While he condemned rioting, Scalise, like Hawley, ultimately voted to reject Biden’s electoral votes from both Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Rep. Jim Jordan

Jordan participated in efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, including discussions about delaying congressional certification and objecting to electoral votes.

On Jan. 2, the Ohio congressman led a conference call with Trump and other members of Congress to discuss strategies for delaying the Jan. 6 joint session, according to the House Jan. 6 committee’s final report.

Jordan also reportedly had a 10-minute-long call with Trump on the morning of Jan. 6, according to publicly released phone records. After the breach of the Capitol, Jordan condemned the violence but voted to sustain objections to the electoral results in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

“You can’t do that. As Senator Hawley just said, this is a separation of powers issue,” Jordan told Fox News host Sean Hannity earlier this month. “There’s a speech or debate clause. It was supposed to be filtered and screened. It wasn’t. It was just given from the National Archives to Jack Smith’s team.”

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Smith’s attorneys called the criminal referral “meritless” Thursday in a letter previously obtained by Fox News Digital.

“The House Judiciary Committee’s referral to the Department of Justice of our client Jack Smith is based on a spurious claim that Mr. Smith provided false testimony during his eight-hour deposition on December 17, 2025. The referral is made not because Mr. Smith made a false statement—the letter concedes he did not—but because he did not proactively disclose information that was not responsive to a question asked,” the lawyer wrote.

“During his testimony, Mr. Smith provided truthful, responsive answers and candidly discussed his work as Special Counsel. This referral reflects a chilling eagerness to weaponize the justice system by attacking a career, nonpartisan public servant who faithfully and fearlessly performed his duties by following the facts and the law.”

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



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Justice Department sues Colorado over in-state tuition for migrants


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The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Colorado over the offering of in-state tuition and financial aid for illegal immigrants attending public colleges and universities, the latest legal challenge over what critics say amounts to discrimination against U.S. citizens.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Colorado federal court, names the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the state Department of Higher Education, and its director, JB Holston, as defendants.

“For three decades, Congress has made clear that Colorado cannot give education benefits to illegal aliens that it does not give to all American citizens,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “By granting illegal aliens in-state tuition, Colorado is not only violating federal law but subsidizing education for illegal aliens at taxpayers’ expense.”

NEBRASKA ENDS IN-STATE TUITION BENEFITS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER DOJ DEAL

University of Colorado Denver building on the Auraria Campus in Denver.

University of Colorado Denver on the Auraria Campus in Denver, Colo., on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Denver Post via Getty Images)

“Our litigation efforts will not cease until we have fulfilled President [Donald] Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not obtain preferential treatment over our Nation’s own citizens,” Woodward added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to both agencies named in the lawsuit for comment, along with the office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

The complaint argues that the Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) Act and related state policies violate a federal statute that prohibits states from offering higher education benefits to illegal immigrants based on their residency, unless the same benefits are available to all U.S. citizens.

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In an effort to expand access to those benefits, Colorado reduced the high school attendance requirement from three years to one year, and removed a requirement that students must be admitted to college within 12 months of graduating from high school, according to the federal complaint.

The state also repealed a requirement that mandated illegal immigrant students submit an affidavit stating they had applied for lawful presence or would apply as soon as they were eligible, the complaint states.

By providing lower tuition rates and state-funded scholarships to local illegal immigrants while denying them to out-of-state citizens, Colorado is accused of creating an unconstitutional preference that is preempted by federal authorities.

The Justice Department also argues that lower tuition incentivizes illegal immigration and rewards them for breaking the nation’s laws.

CU students walk under the University Hill bridge between classes.

University of Colorado students pass under the University Hill bridge between classes on Friday. The Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Colorado over the offering of illegal immigrants in-state tuition and financial aid. (MediaNews Group via Getty Images)

Thursday’s lawsuit marks the fourteenth launched by the Trump administration challenging in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

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“This Department of Justice is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise that illegal aliens will not obtain taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment over our own citizens,” the Justice Department said.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare several Colorado state laws associated with the matter unconstitutional, as well as award court fees.



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Marco Rubio narrows gap with Vance in new New Hampshire 2028 poll


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A new poll from New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first Republican presidential primary, is the latest to indicate that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is gaining ground in a hypothetical 2028 GOP nomination matchup with Vice President JD Vance.

Vance stands at 36% support among likely GOP primary voters in New Hampshire, with Rubio at 26%, according to a University of New Hampshire (UNH) Granite State Poll released this week.

That’s a massive shift from the previous UNH 2028 presidential nomination survey, conducted in February, which indicated Vance topping Rubio 53% to 7%.

Vance has long been viewed as the heir apparent to term-limited President Donald Trump and his MAGA and America First base. While Vance remains the clear hypothetical frontrunner, Rubio has narrowed the gap in national polls and surveys conducted in key early-voting presidential primary states ahead of a race that is not expected to begin in earnest until after this autumn’s midterm elections.

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Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and Vice President JD Vance during a swearing-in ceremony in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (Oliver Contreras/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rubio’s rise in the 2028 polls this year comes amid an increase in his responsibilities and public profile, including his role in the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the ongoing war against Iran.

Rubio, who as a senator from Florida was one of more than a dozen Republican contenders who ran and lost to Trump in the tumultuous 2016 presidential primary, came in a close second to Vance earlier this year in the closely watched 2028 Republican presidential nomination straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which is better known by its acronym CPAC.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who ran for the nomination in 2016 and is mulling another bid, stood a distant third at 8% in the new UNH survey, along with former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was the runner-up to Trump in 2024.

RAND PAUL FLOATS POSSIBLE 2028 RUN AS HE PUTS MORE DAYLIGHT BETWEEN HIMSELF AND TRUMP

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks before a Senate hearing

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who unsuccessfully ran for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, is seen as a potential 2028 contender. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who also bid for the nomination in 2024, grabbed 6% support, with everyone else tested at 4% or less.

“There’s nobody else in the conversation besides those two, so this poll makes sense,” New Hampshire-based Republican consultant David Carney, a veteran of numerous presidential campaigns, told Fox News Digital as he referred to Vance and Rubio.

The latest surveys and straw poll results are fuel for intrigue over what some in the Republican Party see as a budding rivalry between Rubio and Vance, who describe each other as friends.

Partially fueling Rubio’s rise is Trump, who has lavishly praised his secretary of state.

The president earlier this year declared that Rubio would go down as “the greatest secretary of state in history.”

Trump has also promoted a Vance-Rubio ticket — calling it “unstoppable” — but has not said who should be at the top of the ticket.

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Vance and Rubio on couch in oval office

Vice President JD Vance, left, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at a White House meeting, on March 17, 2026 in Washington D.C. (Photographer: Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But the president did say last year that Vance is “most likely” his heir apparent. “In all fairness, he’s the vice president,” Trump added.

While Vance has demurred when questioned about 2028, he has built a political team of advisers who, if he runs as expected, would quickly build out a presidential campaign.

Rubio, who is crisscrossing the globe as part of his job requirements, doesn’t have a similar group of political aides. And Rubio has said he’ll back Vance if the vice president launches a 2028 campaign.

Regardless, Republican sources confirmed to Fox News earlier this year that a group of GOP donors supporting the secretary of state are quietly exploring ways to boost Rubio’s political profile.

That’s not sitting well with some in the president’s political orbit.

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“Vice President Vance is the future of the Republican Party and Marco Rubio is one of his closest friends in the administration,” an operative in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News Digital earlier this year.

“The divisive stories from some donors trying to cause chaos are not helpful,” the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized.

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JD Vance points upward while standing with his son and military members in camouflage uniforms.

Vice President JD Vance, accompanied by his son Vivek, and Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, poses for a photo with members of Iowa Army and Air National Guard at Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo)

Vance has also weighed in, telling Fox News’ Martha MacCallum earlier this year that “Marco is my closest friend in the administration.”

And the vice president, in his interview on Fox News’ “The Story,” added, “I think it’s so interesting the media wants to create this conflict where there just isn’t any conflict.”

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Trump will have a massive influence on the 2028 GOP nomination race to succeed him. An endorsement from the president would give a major boost to whomever he backs.

But a longtime Republican strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, offered a warning for the vice president: “Vance is in the catbird seat until some really goes bad and Trump is going to blame him… I can’t image Vance walking this tightrope for two more years without pissing off Trump.”



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RI state rep Enrique Sanchez warns ICE a ‘day of reckoning’ will come


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A Rhode Island lawmaker who previously referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers as “Nazi Gestapo thugs” said “your day of reckoning will come mother——” in a charged social media post aimed at the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

State Rep. Enrique Sanchez, a Democrat, directed his anger at ICE in a Wednesday post on X decrying its enforcement tactics:

“Fighting and dealing with ICE since last year has f—– me up in the head after trying to protect and defend hundreds and hundreds of our community members in Providence and across Rhode Island. Your day of reckoning will come mother——,” he wrote. “I swear to god.”

Rhode Island Rep. Enrique Sanchez

Rhode Island state Rep. Enrique Sanchez on Wednesday said ICE will have a “day of reckoning will come motherf******” in a charged social media post. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Fox News Digital has reached out for comment to Sanchez, ICE, and the Department of Homeland Security, along with the Rhode Island Republican and Democratic parties.

Sanchez, who was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2022, works as a case manager helping illegal immigrants, according to his biography on the state House website.

Rhode Island Rep. Enrique Sanchez

Rhode Island State Rep. Enrique Sanchez talks to reporters on Feb. 11, 2025. (Kris Craig/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Democratic lawmaker has issued harsh criticism of ICE before. In August 2025, he called ICE officers “Nazi Gestapo thugs” who he said “kidnapped another of our neighbors” in Providence.

“The ICE thugs damaged a couple cars that belonged to residents as well. They think they are above the law,” he wrote on X at the time.

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A white car with multiple bullet holes in the windshield stopped behind yellow police tape.

The victim of a fatal shooting that involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is visible at the scene near the car he was driving when agents shot through the windshield, in Biddeford, Maine, July 13, 2026. (Gregory Rec / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Two weeks later, he said ICE was “terrorizing” communities before calling for “a day of reckoning and no going back.”

More recently, Sanchez lambasted the “Nazi ICE trash thugs” after an ICE agent killed a Colombian man in Maine.

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Joan Sebastian Guerrero, 26, was shot and killed July 13 during an attempted traffic stop after he allegedly tried to flee, authorities said.

An eyewitness told Maine’s Portland Press Herald that Guerrero appeared to drive toward federal agents before shots were fired.



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Mike Johnson faces GOP frustration over House majority management


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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., enjoyed a series of wins this week – but there’s little time to celebrate, as Republicans grow increasingly frustrated with how he is managing the razor-thin House majority.

“He’s capitulating to the wants of the Freedom Caucus,” one House Republican, granted anonymity to speak freely, told Fox News Digital. “The Freedom Caucus are in control. The rest of us are just following.”

The Louisiana Republican is fresh off a slew of legislative victories this week, notching success with bills curbing congressional stock trading, averting a government shutdown, and setting the stage for a $95 billion budget that includes a top election priority of President Donald Trump.

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Mike Johnson speaks to reporters outside the House Chambers in Washington, D.C.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters outside the House chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on June 30, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Johnson has managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat dozens of times since winning the speaker’s gavel in October 2023. But the pressure of running a razor-thin House majority is still enough to send tensions boiling, particularly within an ideologically diverse Republican conference before what’s expected to be a politically bruising battle to keep control of Congress.

Several House Republicans have told Fox News Digital this week that Johnson is not doing enough to bolster his rank-and-file members and their own individual legislative priorities.

A second House GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak candidly, said, “there’s frustration within the conference around the speaker not pushing back, and not saying no to the White House.”

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“Members have said ‘We don’t report to the White House. We don’t report to the executive branch. We should be able to make these decisions on our own,’” the second House GOP lawmaker said.

Johnson’s allies have consistently argued that his close relationship with Trump has been key to his staying power and success.

But not everyone believes Johnson is prioritizing the needs of his conservative right flank or the president over others.

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Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told Fox News Digital, “There does seem to be a focus on a few in the conference, and the reasoning is, the most vulnerable. But that by definition excludes some other members.”

“All I will say is, we need to continue to focus on what our base wants, because we have a very important election coming up here pretty quick,” Self said.

President Donald J. Trump addresses a joint session of Congress from the House Chamber during his annual speech outlining administration priorities.

President Donald J. Trump delivers his first State of the Union address of his second term to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber of the United States Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Pool via Reuters)

Others, still, simply believe House GOP leadership could be doing more to help lawmakers across the conference.

“I know it’s hard. I mean, being the speaker is the hardest job in the country,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

And while she maintained that Johnson was still very much in control of the House floor and his fellow Republicans, she said, “I think there’s more that can be done to help members score wins that may be small in general, but are big and important for their districts.”

“I think they haven’t been proactive in going to the membership and saying, ‘Give me your top three priorities, not controversial, don’t cost money,’ and help us navigate the committee process to get those to the floor,” Malliotakis said. “I’ve got a bill for example, like, [high-occupancy vehicle] lanes for veterans — allowing veterans who are going to the VA, or going for treatment, to be able to use the HOV lanes…I’ve got one that would…go after heroin injection centers in New York.”

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., was even more blunt: “You’ve got to kiss a– to move legislation up here, and it’s just, it’s really getting to be a ridiculous situation.”

The frustrations hitting Johnson from different sides of the conference are a consequence of Republicans’ razor-thin House majority — only being able to lose two seats on any party-line vote with full attendance — and the vastly different approaches to legislating.

Still, other House Republicans maintain that Johnson is doing a good job of sticking by his allies.

“The ones who are complaining today will be the same ones who are complaining even when times are good. It’s just who they are,” a third House Republican, speaking anonymously, told Fox News Digital.

And Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said House Republicans have managed to accomplish a significant number of their policy goals this term.

“It’s actually a pretty remarkable testament both to the patience of Mike Johnson and to the willingness of the White House to engage,” the South Dakota Republican said.

Tim Burchett speaking to a group of reporters while holding a smartphone in a hallway.

Congressman Tim Burchett speaks to reporters following a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on July 23, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Another Johnson ally who was granted anonymity pointed out that he spends his non-legislative time raising money for campaigns across the conference, whether people agree with him or not. “Outside the Capitol, Johnson has a second full-time job as lead fundraiser — he’s on track to raise $500 million to ensure everyone, no matter their caucus, returns next year in the majority.”

Johnson’s allies would also argue that the broad range of complaints highlighted in this story is an example of his focus on trying to listen to every member of the House GOP, and that there has not been any push for his ouster despite the rumblings.

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But with such a slim House majority, it’s a fact that every vote counts.

As the second House Republican put it, “Everyone has a bullet in the chamber, and they’re not afraid to use it.”



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Rep Ro Khanna demands answers from Fuyao Glass on CCP labor ties


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FIRST ON FOX – Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., sent a letter to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co., one of the world’s leading automotive glass manufacturers with U.S. headquarters in Ohio, demanding information on the company’s operations and finances amid allegations of labor violations.

The letter, first obtained by Fox News Digital, asks for extensive documentation of Fuyao’s business operations in the U.S., its labor practices, its ties to the CCP and more.

Khanna, the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party, cited allegations that Fuyao has been violating U.S. labor laws by, among other things, importing foreign workers to undercut American labor.

“They have serious allegations against them of suppressing prices because they’re being subsidized by the Chinese Communist Party, allegedly, of bringing people into this country who are undocumented and violating our immigration laws, and then exploiting those workers and having them work long hours with little pay,” Khanna told Fox News Digital.

CHINA IS BUILDING A MASSIVE SHIP THAT SHOULD SCARE AMERICANS ABOUT THE FUTURE

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna speaking at the National Action Network convention in New York City

Rep. Ro Khanna speaks during the National Action Network National Convention in New York City on April 8, 2026. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

A 2024 federal raid on Fuyao’s Ohio properties resulted in a civil asset forfeiture of $126 million that included the seizure of luxury goods, vehicles, and 12 commercial and residential properties, including what the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) described as “boarding houses” to accommodate migrant workers.

“It is alleged that many of the workers were illegally smuggled into the United States, primarily through Mexico, and encouraged to travel to the Dayton area to be employed by one of the target entities and serve as a workforce at the various factories. Most of the workers are of Chinese or Hispanic nationality. Workers allegedly lived at ‘family style hotels’ (boarding houses) owned by the target entities and were driven to and from work in transportation provided by the target entities,” the DOJ said in a press release.

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Among the many pieces of information Khanna requested from Fuyao was data on whether the company was being subsidized by the CCP, allowing them to undercut U.S. competitors, who he argued were being negatively affected by Fuyao’s practices.

This image released by Netflix shows Zach Ray at work at the Fuyao Glass America factory in Dayton, Ohio, in a scene from the Oscar-nominated documentary

This image released by Netflix shows Zach Ray at work at the Fuyao Glass America factory in Dayton, Ohio, in a scene from the Oscar-nominated documentary “American Factory.” (Netflix via AP)

“They are hurting. American glass manufacturers, one of them that we met on our Heartland tour in Western Pennsylvania. And they are putting American workers out of business,” Khanna told Fox News Digital. “And at the same time, they are exploiting our laws. Now we have requested the findings from the Justice Department that undertook an investigation. And they still have not released the findings. And so I am going to take on myself, with the China Committee, to investigate Fuyao.”

In the 2025 press release, the DOJ said a criminal investigation into Fuyao is ongoing.

Khanna also asked the company to reveal the degree to which the CCP is involved in the company’s operation.

“We need to understand a lot more. I want to understand whether they’re getting subsidies from the CCP. I want to understand whether any CCP government official is on their board or on their executive team,” he said. “I want to understand if they’re providing reports to the CCP, I want to understanding if the CCP is helping them to lower prices where they can undercut American competition. And I certainly want to know if the CCP is helping them smuggle in people who are undocumented. So these are unanswered questions that we need to answer.”

Like all Chinese companies, Fuyao is required to have a CCP representative in their company ranks. The company’s vice president He Shimeng is also a CCP secretary, according to the Made In China Journal.

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When asked if the U.S.’s southern border’s porousness under former President Joe Biden relative to the border under President Donald Trump’s administration contributed to Fuyao’s ability to import foreign workers, Khanna said that a strong border is necessary. Notably, migrant encounters at the southern border are at a 50-year low under the second Trump administration, according to the Pew Research Center.

Cao Dewang, chairman of Fuyao Glass Group, attends the annual black-tie Gala Dinner hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on October 24, 2023 in New York City.

Cao Dewang, chairman of Fuyao Glass Group, attends the annual black-tie Gala Dinner hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR) at The Ziegfeld Ballroom on Oct. 24, 2023, in New York City. (Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

“I’ve said that we need border security, and I’ve also been candid that we allow too many people to come in without the proper vetting in 2024,” Khanna told Fox News Digital.

“I disagree with the ICE raids that are taking place very strongly, but I believe we need a secure border,” he said, adding, “as an American, we should be outraged that you have a Chinese-funded company that is undercutting American jobs, potentially exploiting workers, and potentially breaking our immigration laws. So with that. That is wrong. And so I am going to make sure that we stand up for American workers and for our laws.”

Fuyao was the subject of the 2019 Netflix documentary “American Factory,” which captured the company’s takeover of a former General Motors plant in Moraine, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. One of the film’s major themes was Fuyao’s million-dollar effort to crush the area’s local unions.

“Once the focus begins to shift… to the fight over an upcoming vote on unionization — with [Fuyao founder] Cao [Dewang] paying ‘consultants’ over a million dollars to lecture workers at length on the horrors of unions and then telling them that ‘you have a voice’ — the film begins to toughen considerably as it shows how corporate manipulation works,” Roger Ebert critic Peter Sobczynski wrote in 2019.

The alleged union-busting is a major focus of Khanna’s inquiry.

“What is Fuyao’s reasoning for its opposition to unionization efforts at facilities in the United States?” Khanna’s letter asked.

Ford F-150

Side view of a white colored Ford F-150 pickup truck. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

“Has Fuyao retaliated against any whistleblower (without regard to whether the subject matter of the whistleblower allegation related to collective bargaining), including but not limited to through actions impacting employment, hours, pay, employment records, or other workplace decisions?” Khanna also queried.

In addition to requesting the comprehensive information packet from Fuyao, Khanna is also requesting an on-site visit to the company’s flagship Ohio plant before Nov. 1, “so I can go in and see for myself who the workers are,” he told Fox News Digital.

“Are they undocumented? Are they being exploited, what the pricing is?” he asked.

“What we have heard is they’ve engaged in anti-union activity,” Khanna told Fox News Digital. “What we’ve heard is that they are working their employees long hours well beyond the 40-hour work week. What we heard is, that they’re not paying overtime. What we’re heard is wage theft, that they’re not paying their workers an appropriate wage. So all of this is exploitive. And of course, if these are undocumented workers in certain cases, they’re most vulnerable. They’re totally dependent on Fuyao for their staying in America and they’re living.”

Fuyao is one of the largest automotive glass manufacturers and suppliers in the world. The company claims to have 35% of global market share in the automotive glass trade, a number corroborated by trade publications like Bamboo Works, which pegs the number even higher at 40%. Fuyao supplies glass to global and U.S. automakers such as BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford.

Khanna said that if Fuyao did not comply with his request for information, he would be willing to subpoena the information from them as ranking member of his committee.

“We can subpoena them, if not, and I fully expect to have this as a priority when I become chair, if we win the election, but we wanna do this in a bipartisan way. he said. “They need to allow us onto the site and they need to provide this information.”

He explained that he has a good relationship with committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and said other of his cross-aisle colleagues have supported his efforts.

“I fully anticipate it will be bipartisan. I have a very good relationship with John Moolenaar, our chair. We share a commitment to an American industrial policy. We understand that there needs to be more investment in our communities, and we share a concern about Chinese companies coming into the auto industry or Chinese companies coming in. If they’re not playing fair, I don’t want Ohio to be taken over by Chinese companies that are violating our trade laws and our labor laws and our immigration laws,” he said.

Congressman John Moolenaar

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., is seen in Cannon Tunnel on April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Khanna conceded that President Donald Trump was one of the first to raise the issue of China’s unbalanced relationship with the U.S., but still criticized the Trump’s overall policy on China, giving it a “C” when asked to grade it.

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump visit Temple of Heaven during Beijing summit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump visited the Temple of Heaven on May 14, 2026, in Beijing, China, during a high-level summit between the two leaders. Xi warned that mishandling the issue of Taiwan could push the United States and China toward “conflict.” (Brendan Smialowski – Pool/Getty Images)

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“I’d give it a ‘C’ because I think he was the first to sound the alarm on China, eating our lunch and taking our jobs. And he was right to sound the alarm. And so I give him credit for sounding the alarm, but he hasn’t followed through. Why are we begging them for foreign investment? Why aren’t we having an industrial investment bank for our people here? Why are investing in our industry and ships and steel and robotics here? And in building up our manufacturing base? And then why aren’t we going after companies like Fuyao, where they’re clearly violating the law?” Khanna said.

Fox News Digital contacted Moolenaar, Fuyao and the DOJ for comment.



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