US judge arrested as immigration crackdown escalates
US Justice Department alleges Judge Hannah Dugan refused to turn over a man that immigration agents showed up to arrest. Federal agents have arrested a Wisconsin judge on charges of obstructing immigration agents, escalating tensions between President Donald Trump’s administration and the judiciary. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Director Kash Patel said on Friday that the judge was arrested for allegedly helping an undocumented migrant evade federal agents. In a criminal complaint, the US Department of Justice alleged that Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, refused to turn over the man after immigration agents showed up to arrest him in her court on April 18, and that she tried to help him evade arrest by allowing him to exit through a jury door. “Thankfully our agents chased down the perp [undocumented migrant] on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public,” Patel said. The Justice Department has said that Judge Dugan became “visibly angry” when immigration officials arrived to arrest Flores-Ruiz in her court, and called the effort “absurd”. Advertisement Dugan appeared briefly at a federal court in Milwaukee to face charges of obstructing a proceeding and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, records show. She was released and is scheduled to enter a plea on May 15. A crowd formed outside the court, chanting “free the judge now.” Dugan left the court through a side door following the hearing and was driven away in a black SUV, without comment. Immigration and legal rights advocates have said that subjecting civic spaces, such as courts, to immigration enforcement operations could increase hesitation among people without legal status to take part in activities such as testifying in court about crimes. “No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media. The Trump administration has been locked in an escalating confrontation with federal judges, as several have issued rulings that limit its aggressive use of presidential power in immigration and other matters. State courts have played a less significant role in that dispute. After making his announcement on social media, Patel deleted the post, which he had made before the case against Dugan was unsealed in federal court. He later wrote another social media post on the case. “Director Patel’s statement shows that Trump’s FBI is more concerned about weaponising federal law enforcement, punishing people without due process, and intimidating anyone who opposes those policies, than they are with seeking justice,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement. Advertisement Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown after taking office in January, and the Justice Department has directed federal prosecutors to pursue criminal cases against local officials who interfere with the effort. Such resistance was widespread during Trump’s first 2017-2021 term in office. Leon Fresco, an immigration lawyer, told Al Jazeera that arresting a judge in these circumstances was “very rare”. “This is only the second time this has happened,” he said. “It is now going to be a matter of conflict of laws. Does the state judge have a point that ICE was thwarting the ability of the state judge to have criminal court hearings? Or does ICE have a point that the state judge was thwarting ICE’s ability to engage in immigration enforcement?” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Apple to move assembly of US phones to India in shift away from China
As Apple grapples with United States President Donald Trump’s tariff war with China, it has laid out plans to move to Indian assembly of the majority of iPhones it sells in the US by the end of 2026, a move that would double its current output from the South Asian nation and away from China. The tech giant produces in China 80 percent of the 60 million iPhones sold in the US and this is a key step that would help it mitigate some of the costs it faces amid rising tariffs on China. The Financial Times first reported Apple’s plans on Friday. Apple, a company worth more than $3 trillion, is reportedly engaged in discussions with manufacturers it works with in India, including Foxconn and the Tata Group to execute this plan, according to the news agency Reuters, which cited an unnamed source. The tech giant has already expanded production in India to counter tariffs imposed during the first Trump administration. The Silicon Valley-based tech giant shipped $2bn worth of iPhones in March, accounting for roughly 600 tonnes of cargo from India to the US — a record for both Tata and Foxconn, according to Reuters. Advertisement Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing the country as a hub for global smartphone manufacturing. Earlier this year, the country removed import taxes for some components for mobile phone production – a boost for companies like Apple. “If you’re charging import tax for intermediary goods, then you cannot actually be competitive versus somebody who does not. Their objective is to be as competitive as they can be to become the leading manufacturing hub,” Babak Hafezi, chief executive officer at Hafezi Capital, an international consulting firm, told Al Jazeera. Apple has assembled roughly $22bn worth of iPhones in India during the 12-month period ending March 2025, a 60 percent increase from the year prior, per a Bloomberg report. Even with the growth, only 20 percent of the world’s iPhones are made in India. Roadblocks The shift in production will cost Apple. According to a Reuters report citing an unnamed source, manufacturing iPhones in India is 5-8 percent more expensive than in China. “India will help, but it’s not moving the needle on China’s dependence for Apple. It will take years to make this move, as Apple is caught in the tariff storm,” Dan Ives, analyst at Wedbush Securities, told Al Jazeera. Earlier this week, the tech outlet The Information reported that Chinese authorities have created roadblocks for Apple suppliers to move operations from China to India. They have delayed shipments or blocked equipment shipments without explanation. In some cases, Foxconn had export applications denied and others delayed up to four months. Advertisement “In terms of core iPhone production, it would take years to move a significant piece from China to India,” Ives added, referring to the phone’s components that are made in China and shipped to India to be assembled into the final product. Ives also said Apple’s plans to move assembly for US phones completely to India could cost the company $30bn-$40bn. There are concerns if India’s infrastructure can handle the surge in production, as well. “They have massive amounts of infrastructure problems in terms of traffic and mobility, and all these different variables that make the cost of the production longer, which eventually cost more money for the company,” Hafezi added. “You need secure, continuous, and productive infrastructure to maximise manufacturing as best as you can and be globally competitive,” he continued. Apple’s move comes as the Trump administration has signalled a willingness to ease trade tensions between the US and China, amid concerns about the economic fallout from the tariff war. On Friday, Trump claimed he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping but did not say when the two leaders last talked. In a TIME magazine interview conducted earlier this week, Trump said that his administration has been talking with Beijing to strike a tariff deal. China has denied any trade talks with the US. But trade talks with India are under way. Earlier this week, US Vice President JD Vance met India’s Modi, during which Vance said the two countries made “good progress” amid an expected bilateral trade agreement. Advertisement The news of Apple’s shift to India comes in advance of Apple’s earnings report, which is slated to be released on Thursday. Adblock test (Why?)
How dangerous is the latest India-Pakistan dispute?
Killing of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir sparks new crisis. The United Nations has called for calm between India and Pakistan amid soaring tensions after gunmen killed dozens of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. Relations between the neighbours have plunged to their lowest level for years as both sides announced a series of diplomatic measures targeting the other. How serious is this crisis? Presenter: Cyril Vanier Guests: Maleeha Lodhi – Columnist for DAWN newspaper Sumantra Bose – Author of, Kashmir at the Crossroads: Inside a 21st-Century Conflict Elizabeth Threlkeld – Senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center Adblock test (Why?)
Wisconsin judge’s arrest blasted by Democrats who previously claimed ‘no one is above the law’ in Trump cases
Several Democrats who have argued that “no one is above the law” in President Donald Trump’s cases are now condemning the arrest of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, warning it could threaten the rule of law. “This is not normal,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., tweeted of Dugan’s arrest by the FBI on proceeding obstruction charges for allegedly shielding an indicted Mexican migrant from ICE agents. “The administration’s arrest of a sitting judge in Wisconsin is a drastic move that threatens the rule of law,” Klobuchar added, saying it’s a “grave step and undermines our system of checks and balances.” During Trump’s 2019 impeachment, Klobuchar said his first impeachment case marked a “somber day for our country.” FBI ARRESTS JUDGE, ALLEGING SHE OBSTRUCTED ARREST OF ILLEGAL ALIEN “In America, no one is above the law, and the American people deserve to hear evidence and witness testimony during a full and fair trial in the Senate. If the president has any facts to present in his defense to the articles of impeachment, we should hear them,” she said. After the 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, Klobuchar said, “The law is king, and the former president isn’t.” Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also condemned Dugan’s arrest, saying, “If [FBI Director] Kash Patel and Donald Trump don’t like a judge, they think they can arrest them. “This is stunning — we must stand up to this blatant power grab. Republicans: How is this not a red line for you?” AG PAM BONDI OUTRAGED AT WISCONSIN JUDGE ARRESTED FOR OBSTRUCTING ARREST OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT Commenting in 2020 on her vote to remove Trump from office over abuse of power allegations, Smith said she took her constitutional oath seriously and that “to condone corrupt behavior such as this undermines the core value that we stand for as a nation — that no one is above the law, including and most especially our president.” Smith said she pored over presentations and evidence to reach that conclusion. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., who represents Dugan’s county, lambasted the White House, saying its “willingness to weaponize federal law enforcement is shocking and this arrest has all the hallmarks of overreach.” “I will be following this case closely and facts will come out. However, I am very alarmed at the increasingly lawless actions of the Trump administration, and in particular ICE, who have been defying courts and acting with disregard for the Constitution.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., commented on an apparently deleted tweet from Patel, writing on X, “Donald Trump and JD Vance are arresting judges now. Deleting the tweet won’t undo the constitutional crisis you have just thrust us into.” In a 2023 interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Khanna said of the Trump impeachment, “You can’t just say, ‘OK, because someone was president or someone is a candidate, that you’re above the law.’ Everyone is under the law, and that allegations, the evidence needs to be pursued.” When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Khanna said of the contrast that Trump has “waged war on the judiciary” and that there is no public evidence yet regarding Dugan, but “it is deeply concerning given the administration’s attacks on the courts.” “Even Chief Justice Roberts has rebuked Trump’s conduct toward the judiciary,” Khanna added. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said norms were being violated on the immigration and legal fronts for Dugan’s arrest. In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Pocan laid out the differences he sees between the Dugan and Trump cases: “Judge Dugan’s arrest is outrageous and a fear tactic to our independent judiciary. Trump has always thought he was above the law, but now he’s enabling his goons to push that limit as far as it can go. His reckless deportations and flaunting of the Constitution will fail,” Pocan said. “This is stuff I expect from Third World countries,” he told Axios. In a December 2019 statement after his vote in favor of impeachment, Pocan said Trump was “never held accountable for his actions” over his 70-plus years of life. “Today, Democrats sent a clear signal to this president and all future presidents: No one is above the law.” Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Klobuchar and Smith for comment.
Nancy Mace torches Clemson University over 15-gender menu: ‘Not on my watch’
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is once again charging into battle to defend women and basic biology — this time taking aim at Clemson University over a form that listed a whopping 15 gender identities. In a fiery video posted to her social media on Friday, Mace slammed Clemson for offering a health portal menu that included terms like “genderqueer,” “two-spirit,” “cis female” and “cis male.” “Hey everyone, just learned this morning from Libs of TikTok, not from your state legislature, that Clemson University in South Carolina has 15 genders on one of their applications,” Mace said in a video on Instagram. “We want to make sure South Carolina is following science and not some radical, woke, leftist, lunatic ideology. Not on my watch.” Mace wasn’t just venting online. She immediately took action, leaving a voicemail and sending a text to Clemson President Jim Clements demanding answers. “Since there are only two genders,” she said, “I just had this issue with USC, and I would like to make sure that you guys are following suit.” EXCLUSIVE: NANCY MACE TARGETED BY PENNSYLVANIA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATENING TRUMP The form in question, first flagged by Libs of TikTok, showed a dropdown menu allowing students to select from 15 different gender identities. However, Clemson responded exclusively to Fox News Digital, clarifying that “Clemson University does not have this type of menu in its housing application.” Instead, the menu appeared in an external vendor’s health services portal, was optional, and has since been taken down. The university said it is now “consulting with medical professionals to determine what information is needed for medical care purposes.” Mace made it clear in her social media posts that she believes state universities should reflect two genders, male and female, if they want to keep receiving taxpayer dollars. “If it were me and Clemson University had 15 genders, they would not get a dime in the state of South Carolina,” she warned. GRAPHIC LANGUAGE: CONGRESSWOMAN’S PROFANE SUPERMARKET ARGUMENT WITH CONSTITUENT CAUGHT ON CAMERA “Cis is a slur,” Mace emphasized in her Instagram video, adding, “Women are women, men are men.” This isn’t Mace’s first stand in the gender wars. She recently made headlines by leading the effort to block Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., a biological man who identifies as a woman, from using women’s restrooms on Capitol Hill. Her campaign to “protect women’s spaces” has not come without backlash. “All the violence and threats keep proving our point,” Mace posted on X. “Women deserve to be safe. Your threats will not stop my fight for women! Not now, not ever,” she declared. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Late last year, Mace reported being physically accosted on Capitol grounds, an incident that led to the arrest of a 33-year-old Illinois man. She is the first woman to graduate from the Citadel. Mace’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Texas House Republicans flex their might after Democrats threaten legislative priorities
After Republicans and Democrats fight over the budget and constitutional amendments, GOP members stake out a new battlefield.
Senator joins group of far-left lawmakers who think Trump has — again — committed impeachable offenses
Sen. John Ossoff of Georgia has become the latest Democrat in Congress to signal that President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached, even though he has only been in the White House this term for less than 100 days. During a town hall Friday in Cobb County, Georgia, Ossoff took questions from the audience, including from a fired-up local mother who questioned Ossoff about why there has not been a more concerted effort to impeach Trump. “Why are there no calls for impeachment?” Ossoff was asked. “Do something more!” ‘BIDEN EFFECT’ HITS THE SENATE: WAVE OF RETIREMENTS CLEARS PATH FOR YOUNGER DEMS Ossoff told the woman at the top of his response that “there is no doubt” Trump has exceeded the standard for impeachment. “I saw just 48 hours ago, [Trump] is granting audiences to people who buy his meme coin,” Ossoff said. “There is no question that that rises to the level of an impeachable offense. And the reality is that that’s just one of many [examples] — defying a federal court order, for example. So, I agree with you.” Ossoff’s remarks make him the latest Democratic lawmaker in Congress who has either explicitly called for Trump’s impeachment or signaled their willingness to support such a move just 100 days into his presidency. While most Democrats have been willing to publicly admit the country is facing a constitutional crisis under Trump, most of them have refrained from going so far as to use the “I” word. DEMS FUME OVER ‘DUE PROCESS’ FOR ABREGO GARCIA DESPITE LONG HISTORY OF PARTY BUCKING THE LEGAL PRINCIPLE Some though, such as progressive Sen. Al Green, D-Texas, have not shied away from supporting calls for impeachment. He was the first congressional lawmaker to call for it just weeks into the president’s second term. Green’s calls have been supported by other Democrats, such as Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Maxine Dexter of Oregon; Sam Liccardo and Maxine Waters of California; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Shri Thanedar of Michigan; and Hank Johnson of Georgia, all of whom have gone publicly on the record regarding their support, according to NBC News. “Right now, it’s 218 to 215, so if you can find me two Republicans, I’ll go to work tomorrow,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who led impeachment efforts against Trump during his first term, told a reporter when asked about the matter. Trent England, a presidential elections expert and founder of the nonprofit Save Our States, bashed Democratic lawmakers for “claiming to be all about democracy,” but when they don’t get what they want, “suddenly democracy is not what they’re all about.” “It really undercuts Democrats’ message about elections when as soon as they get an election result they don’t like, they’re out challenging it through impeachment. Especially when Democrats claimed after 2016 that part of their issue with Trump was that he only won the Electoral College,” England added. “Well, now he’s won a resounding popular vote, in addition to winning the Electoral College. And, yet, they’re still out there trying to impeach him at the very beginning of his administration.” REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: IMPEACHAPALOOZA IS HERE TO STAY England also opined that the calls for impeachment were an easy way for Democrats to help boost their fundraising efforts. “Efforts like this show how a lot of members of Congress are really operating as personal fundraising machines, as opposed to legislators,” England said. “They’re not trying to get things done. They know that using platforms like Act Blue, they can fly the impeachment flag and raise a lot of money from left-wing donors without ever believing that any of this is going to have any effect.” The first-term Democratic senator is facing re-election later this year, as his term ends early next year. Ossoff’s office declined to comment for this story. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In a statement to Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott said Ossoff’s push for impeachment illustrates “the desperation of his re-election campaign.” “Not even 100 days into President Donald J. Trump’s terms, and Ossoff is already pushing impeachment,” Scott said. “His obsession makes clear just how out of touch he is with Georgia voters. The desperation in his re-election campaign is already showing.”
Hegseth signs ‘No More Walking on Eggshells’ policy, demands review of equal opportunity complaint process
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo on Friday calling for a review of Military Equal Opportunity and DoD civilian Equal Employment Opportunity programs. The secretaries of each military department are required under the memo to assess the programs in place within their own departments. In a video posted on X announcing the memo, Hegseth said that while it’s “a good thing” that the military has multiple avenues for both service members and civilians to complain about harassment and discrimination, the systems have been “weaponized” and used “in bad faith to retaliate against superiors or peers.” HEGSETH FACES LATEST BATTLE DEFENDING HIS DEFENSE SECRETARY POST AT THE PENTAGON The memo’s official title is “Restoring Good Order and Discipline Through Balanced Accountability,” but Hegseth says he calls it the “No More Walking on Eggshells” policy. “So, here’s the goal: empower leaders to make tough decisions, enforce standards, and restore good order and discipline,” Hegseth said in the video. The memo directs the secretaries to ensure that complaints that “are unsubstantiated by actionable, credible evidence are timely dismissed.” Additionally, “favorable actions,” such as awards and promotions, involving the alleged offender are to be considered until the complaint is substantiated. Finally, the memo states that those who “knowingly submit false complaints” may face discipline. The secretaries have 45 days to complete their reviews. Hegseth is no stranger to controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead DoD. It is not a stretch to imagine that he might have empathy for those facing false or unsubstantiated allegations. DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH REBUFFS NEW GROUP CHAT ALLEGATIONS AS ATTEMPT TO ‘SABOTAGE’ TRUMP’S AGENDA Prior to his confirmation, Hegseth faced allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement of veterans’ organizations. This included an affidavit by his former sister-in-law in which she alleged that Hegseth was physically abusive to his ex-wife, Samantha “Sam” Hegseth. However, Sam denied the allegations, saying she did not experience physical abuse during her marriage to Hegseth. Hegseth told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing that he is not a “perfect person,” but asserted that he was the subject of a “coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.” Additionally, since becoming secretary of defense, Hegseth has been involved in two scandals regarding the encrypted messaging app Signal. The first scandal occurred when The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat in which there were discussions about plans for the U.S. to strike Yemen. While National Security Advisor Mike Waltz took a lot of heat for the situation, Hegseth was not spared from criticism. In the end, the Trump administration insisted that the discussions in the group did not actually involve “war plans.” On Sunday, Hegseth was accused of sharing military information in a Signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney. The New York Times reported that people with knowledge of the situation said the information “included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting the Houthis in Yemen.” Hegseth told “FOX & Friends” that the allegations were meant to “sabotage” President Donald Trump’s agenda. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Despite an op-ed suggesting that Hegseth could be on the way out, the White House has stood behind him. “He is bringing monumental change to the Pentagon, and there’s a lot of people in the city who reject monumental change, and I think, frankly, that’s why we’ve seen a smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense since the moment that President Trump announced his nomination before the United States Senate,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday. Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
White smoke: Boehner’s encounter with Pope Francis changed Congress forever
An audience with the pope is a day to remember. But only on Capitol Hill would the day after the pope visited become even more memorable. The late Pope Francis came to Washington, D.C., to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress on Sept. 24, 2015. He wasn’t the first pontiff to descend on Capitol Hill. But the pope is a head of state, ruling the Vatican City and the Holy See. As such, Francis became the first pope to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress in the House chamber. DEMOCRATS’ IDENTITY CRISIS: YOUTH REVOLT ROCKS PARTY AFTER TRUMP COMBACK Lawmakers showered the Holy Father with applause and two standing ovations during his address. Two Catholics were perched behind Pope Francis on the dais: then Vice President Joe Biden and former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. As vice president, Biden served as President of the Senate. As speaker, Boehner was the Constitutional officer for the legislative branch. Boehner blotted his eyes with a handkerchief several times during the 3,400-word speech. Pope Francis implored lawmakers to treat each other — and their constituents — with dignity. “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays. To discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’” he said. GOP PUSH TO MAKE TRUMP’S 2017 TAX CUTS PERMANENT, SAY GOING BACK WOULD BE A ‘DRAMATIC’ CHANGE FOR MANY One thing I remember about the Pope’s visit was the choreography. Congressional workers affixed small, green strips of tape to the Capitol’s marble floors. Names were emblazoned on the tape in black Magic Marker at different points around the complex. “McCarthy” or “Pelosi” or “McConnell.” All part of the political — and papal — stagecraft. The tape dictated where key political leaders would stand as they escorted Pope Francis into the House chamber or in front of the statue of Junipero Serra in Statuary Hall. A duct-taped “X” marked the floor in front of Serra. The pope canonized Serra the day before he visited the Capitol at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Serra became the first American to become a saint on U.S. soil. Pope Francis blessed the statue of Serra. The statue depicts the saint hoisting a cross in his right hand, looking skyward toward the heavens. Someone taped a green arrow over the black and white tiles of Statuary Hall, pointing toward the Speaker’s Office. That signaled the pope’s next stop on Capitol Hill. FOX NEWS TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF POPE FRANCIS’ FUNERAL ON SATURDAY Pope Francis and the entourage then walked toward Boehner’s office and onto the Speaker’s Balcony overlooking the West Front of the Capitol and down the National Mall toward the Washington Monument. A throng assembled on the Capitol grounds. “Buenos dias,” said the Pope, greeting the crowd like he would from the “Pope’s Window” at the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican on a Sunday. “I am grateful for your presence.” He then blessed the pilgrims on the ground below. “Papa! Papa!” the crowd chanted. When the pope first arrived at the Capitol, he met with Boehner in the Speaker’s ceremonial office just off the House floor. Boehner paced nervously awaiting Pope Francis on the 19th century Minton Tiles, which adorn the office. “He’s on Boehner time,” said the former speaker. “Which is on time.” Boehner wore his signature Kelly green tie for the occasion — a vintage piece of Boehner apparel, which dates back to when he served in the Ohio state legislature and first ran for Congress in 1990. When Pope Francis arrived, he told the former speaker the tie bore a “color of hope.” A few days later, Boehner choked up as he relayed a story about what Pope Francis said to him when they were about to exit the Capitol. “We found ourselves alone,” said Boehner of himself and Francis. The pope grabbed the speaker’s arm. “The pope puts his arm around me and kind of pulled me to him and said, ‘Please pray for me,’” said Boehner. “Wow. Who am I to pray for the pope?’ But I did.” Boehner left the Capitol that night. But his encounter with the Holy Father seemingly transformed the speaker — and altered the trajectory of the House for years to come. The speaker decided to resign the next morning. “He had been trying to get out of here for years,” said one source close to the speaker at the time. Boehner’s plans to depart were thwarted when the heir apparent, former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., stunningly lost his primary in the spring of 2014. So Boehner soldiered on. By late July 2015, former Trump White House chief of staff and former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., prepped a “motion to vacate the chair.” Those who follow Capitol Hill know all about such a motion now. But it was novel a decade ago. Such a motion would require the House to take a vote of confidence in the speaker in the middle of the Congress. Lawmakers had never used the tactic before. It was hardly discussed. Meadows released his resolution just before the August recess — but never triggered it. That gave Boehner and the House a month to stew over whether Meadows might try to oust the speaker when lawmakers returned in September. On the night after the pope’s visit, Boehner called his chief of staff, Mike Sommers, to tell him he planned to step aside. Boehner also told his wife, Debbie, of his plans. “This morning I woke up, said my prayers, as I always do, and thought, ‘This is the day I am going to do this,’” said Boehner. Boehner then astonished a meeting of the House Republican Conference that he intended to resign. The move sent a shock wave through Washington. “My first job as speaker is to protect the institution,” Boehner said. “It had become clear to me that this prolonged leadership
AOC claims ‘We are one’ in campaign-style video despite years of invoking race, gender in politics
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., posted a campaign-style video on social media this week that sparked rumors about her political future. But conservatives quickly struck up a different conversation when she claimed, “We are one,” after years of criticism for playing identity politics. “Don’t let them trick us into thinking we are enemies. Don’t let them trick us into thinking we can be separated into rural and urban, Black and white and Latina. We are one,” Cortez said in the video that’s amassed over 7 million views. While Ocasio-Cortez seems to imply Republicans are seeking to divide America based on race, the four-term New York congresswoman has a long track record of invoking race in politics. The words highlighted in Ocasio-Cortez’s video this week spotlight a fixture of her developing stump speech to record-setting crowds alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The progressive Democrat has often argued that Republicans weaponize racial resentment to halt Democratic progress. ‘WE ARE ONE’: AOC CAMPAIGN VIDEO SWIRLS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RUMORS “The only chance they have to get away with such an unpopular and hurtful agenda is to stoke deep divisions along race, identity and culture to keep us fighting and distracted,” she said at a rally in Boise, Idaho, earlier this month. POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE During the 2024 presidential campaign, Ocasio-Cortez told The Independent that “as an elected official, who is a prominent woman of color, I’ve seen a lot,” adding that Vice President Kamala Harris has her own experience with misogyny and racism. “I think we brace ourselves for some of the unfair misogynistic and racial undertones, overtones, explicit attacks on implicit attacks that she may be subjected to, and it’s important for us to keep our eyes open for what is fair, but also what is unfair,” she said. Since Ocasio-Cortez was elected in 2018 to represent parts of Queens and the Bronx in the U.S. House of Representatives, unseating a 10-term incumbent, she has framed her success as shattering barriers to gender and racial justice in the United States. During her victory speech in Queens in November 2018, Ocasio-Cortez noted she was the “first person of color to ever represent” New York’s 14th Congressional District, which she said was 70% people of color, half of them working class. Then the youngest congresswoman, Ocasio-Cortez said she was mistaken for an intern or a spouse and used the opportunity to spotlight the bias against her, posting on social media, “Next time try believing women + people of color when they talk about their experiences being a woman or person of color.” Jussie Smollett, a Black and gay actor, falsely claimed in January 2019 that he was attacked by two men at 2 a.m. on a cold Chicago night and said the men yelled he was in “MAGA country,” used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an “unknown substance” on him. Smollet was sentenced in 2022 for faking a hate crime and lying to the Chicago Police about it. Smollett received support of several Democrats before his allegations were debunked, including Ocasio-Cortez, who said it was “a racist and homophobic attack,” while urging Americans to work to change what is “happening to our country.” Ocasio-Cortez deleted her pro-Smollett tweet when he was convicted of staging the crime. During a “60 Minutes” interview in 2019, Ocasio-Cortez labeled President Donald Trump “racist.” Later that year, Ocasio-Cortez accused former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of unfairly singling out the freshmen progressive “Squad,” calling it an “explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.” She later clarified that she wasn’t calling Pelosi racist but maintained that women of color were disproportionately targeted. But Ocasio-Cortez didn’t hold back in her racist allegations when Trump said the “Squad” should “go back” to other countries. “We don’t leave the things that we love. When we love this country, what that means is we propose the solutions to fix it,” she said at a press conference. She later said on social media it was the “hallmark language of white supremacists,” warning, “Trump feels comfortable leading the GOP into outright racism.” During the pandemic in 2020, Ocasio-Cortez said on social media, “COVID deaths are disproportionately spiking in Black + Brown communities,” adding, “the chronic toll of redlining, environmental racism, wealth gap, etc. ARE underlying health conditions,” tying health disparities to racial injustice. After the attacks on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live she “didn’t even feel safe around other members of Congress” and added that she avoided hiding during the attack where “there were QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, and frankly white supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point” And in the aftermath of a shooting at a Buffalo supermarket in a predominately Black neighborhood, she said in a post, “White supremacy has cost countless lives from El Paso to Mother Emanuel and now Buffalo. Our hearts break for the victims. And we demand accountability.” In a GQ interview that year, Ocasio-Cortez reiterated that misogyny and racism shaped her experience as a politician. saying, “I admit to sometimes believing that I live in a country that would never let” a woman become president. In 2023, Ocasio-Cortez’s views on race and gender came to a head during a viral speech on the House floor in support of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., before the House voted to oust Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. She said Omar’s ouster had nothing to do with “the condemnation of antisemitic remarks,” but “the racism and incitement of violence against women of color in this body.” “Don’t tell me this is about objectivity. … This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America,” Ocasio-Cortez said as she slammed her notebook on a table. Ocasio-Cortez faced pushback from conservatives for claiming “We are one” in her video this week while still designating Americans along racial and ethnic lines in the