Congress sends Laken Riley Act to Trump’s desk as first bill of GOP’s Washington takeover
The Republican Party’s Laken Riley Act is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk to become the first bill he signs into law after the party retook both chambers of Congress and the White House. The House of Representatives passed the bill in a 263 to 156 vote on Wednesday, the second time the lower chamber advanced the bill this month. It passed the House 264 to 159 on Jan. 7. All voting Republicans supported the bill, along with 48 Democrats – two more than the most recent vote. TRUMP ELIMINATING LNG PAUSE TO HAVE ‘QUICKEST EFFECT’ ON ENERGY INDUSTRY: RICK PERRY The GOP-controlled Senate also advanced the bill in a bipartisan 64 to 35 vote, but added measures to deport illegal immigrants who assault a police officer or cause death or “serious bodily injury” of another person. The original bill would direct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to detain illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. It also would allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration. The majority of Democrats were against the bill, arguing that allowing people accused but not convicted of crimes to be deported is a slippery slope. But supporters of the bill point out that people here illegally have already run afoul of U.S. law. It’s notable, however, that more Democrats supported the bill when it passed the House this month than when it first came up for a vote in 2024. It’s a marked difference from last year when the then-Democrat-controlled Senate did not even take up the bill for a vote. “Nothing ever happens in this town up here until the American people demand it,” the bill’s leader, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital when asked about the increased support from the left. “And they have been screaming at the top of their lungs for something to happen to fix the border problem.” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who led Sarah’s Law, one of the amendments adopted in the bill, told Fox News Digital, “Nearly a decade ago, 21-year-old Sarah Root’s life was tragically cut short when she was killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving while drunk…Sarah’s Law not only delivered justice for the Root family but also ensures that any illegal immigrant who harms or kills an American citizen is swiftly detained and prosecuted.” KAMALA HARRIS MAKES TRUMP’S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL WIN OFFICIAL DURING JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS GOP lawmakers are working to follow through on Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration and border security amid a flurry of executive orders from the president on those same issues. They’re positioning the Laken Riley Act as the first bill to get Trump’s signature as a reflection of their effort to make his agenda permanent. The bill is named after a nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia’s campus. Jose Ibarra, who was sentenced to life in prison for Laken Riley’s murder, had previously been arrested but was never detained by ICE.
Danish lawmaker addressing EU tells Trump to ‘f— off’ over Greenland bid
A Danish Member of European Parliament (MEP) seethed at U.S. President Donald Trump amid his bid to have Greenland sold or ceded to the United States. MEP Anders Vistisen, a member of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, addressed Trump’s efforts at an EU session in Strasburg, France. “Dear President Trump, listen very carefully: Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale,” Vistisen said. Appearing to cue into the American president’s occasional salty language, Vistisen said he would put his remarks in “words you might understand.” GREENLAND PM SAYS ARCTIC ISLAND DOESN’T WANT TO BE PART OF US “Mr. Trump, f— off,” said Vistisen. The remark drew a formal reprimand from European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță, who, however, suggested he too has reservations about Trump. “If the translation was correct, the term you used is not allowed in this House, and there will be consequences to the message you have used,” said Ștefănuță, who represents Romania. “It is not OK in this House of Democracy. Regardless of what we think of Mr. Trump, it is not possible to use such language.” First son Donald Trump Jr. led a small delegation to Nuuk — the Greenlandic capital — prior to the inauguration and met with members of the public and reportedly held a luncheon. Both Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen have said the landmass is not for sale. TRUMP PLANS NC VISIT AS HE DEFENDS EXECUTIVE ORDERS The island enjoys relative autonomy in domestic affairs and relies on Copenhagen for foreign policy and support. The U.S. does, however, retain a U.S. Space Force presence on Greenland — at Pituffik (formerly Thule) Air Base near Savissivik. Just over 100 years ago, the U.S. did successfully purchase Danish lands from Copenhagen. King Christian X of Denmark and the U.S. Senate both ratified a 1916 treaty that led to the purchase of what are now the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) — St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. Then-President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, approved the treaty. Wilson’s Secretary of State Frank Polk said the island chain’s people would have American nationality but not the “political status of citizens,” according to the State Department’s archives. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Residents were, however, later given full citizenship through a 1932 act of Congress. With its roots as the Danish West Indies and originally home to British expatriates, it is also the only U.S. territory where driving on the left side of the road is the law.
California enclave declares itself a ‘non-sanctuary’ city, will work with immigration officials, Trump admin
Leaders in one Southern California city fed up with the state’s immigration policies have voted to become a “non-sanctuary” city and ignore the state’s sanctuary laws. The resolution was approved by the Huntington Beach City Council Tuesday night by a unanimous 7-0 vote. Mayor Pat Burns, who introduced the legislation, “Non-Sanctuary City for Illegal Immigration for the Prevention of Crime,” said the move was a matter of public safety. “This is in the best interest of our community, Huntington Beach, to make sure that we utilize every facet of law enforcement we can to make it the best place to live,” Burns, a former law enforcement officer, said during Tuesday’s meeting alongside a small bust sculpture of President Donald Trump. The move directs the city’s police officers to work with federal immigration authorities and notify immigration officials when they are about to release an illegal immigrant from jail. TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS ARRESTED IN NYC APARTMENT NEXT TO DAYCARE FACILITY The resolution “deliberately sidestep[s] the Governor’s efforts to subvert the good work of federal immigration authorities and to announce the city’s cooperation with the federal government, the Trump Administration and Border Czar Tom Homan’s work,” the city said in a news release. Sanctuary cities prohibit their law enforcement personnel from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The practice has come under scrutiny for shielding criminal illegal immigrants from being deported. In addition to the resolution, Huntington Beach is suing the state over its sanctuary state laws, which it claims are unconstitutional. Before the vote, Councilman Chad Williams chided state lawmakers for enacting policies to protect illegal immigrants, including those convicted of violent crimes. “If we want to voluntarily cooperate with federal authorities to protect our community, that is absolutely our prerogative,” he said. “It’s just basic common sense. Why wouldn’t you want to use every tool available to keep your community safe?” TRUMP ADMIN HITS BACK AS ACLU LAUNCHES LAWSUIT ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: ‘READY TO FACE THEM’ The resolution text mentions crimes committed by illegal immigrants on behalf of criminal gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, which gained widespread attention after its members allegedly terrorized residents at a Colorado apartment complex. Tuesday’s vote came weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a “Trump-proof” legal defense fund of up to $25 million for California’s justice department. Trump has promised to target criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. “In California in particular, fighting crime is difficult enough with the relaxed criminal laws and lack of enforcement. The State should get out of the way of local law enforcement, stop handcuffing our police officers and California’s cities, and get back to the business of protecting innocent citizens,” Huntington Beach City Attorney Michael Gates said in a press release. “Emphatically, the State should not take a position of violating federal immigration laws or encouraging cities to violate federal immigration laws.”
Trump puts higher education on notice for ‘dangerous, demeaning, and immoral’ DEI teachings
President Donald Trump’s latest executive order seeks to water down diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in federally funded higher-education institutions in an effort to restore “merit-based opportunity,” according to the White House. During his first two days in office, Trump issued a slew of executive orders, including ordering that all federal agencies close their DEI offices by Wednesday and put employees in those units on paid leave. To further his effort to deter DEI, the president is launching a federal review of such teachings and practices in educational institutions receiving federal funding. “Institutions of higher education have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’” reads the White House order, published on Tuesday. The order requires that the attorney general and secretary of education identify potential civil compliance investigations among institutions of higher education with endowments over $1 billion dollars and, accordingly, develop action plans to “deter DEI programs or principles that constitute illegal discrimination or preferences.” CONSERVATIVE GROUP REVEALS HOW TRUMP CAN CLEAN HOUSE AT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, LISTS TO BUREAUCRATS TO FIRE Within 120 days, the AG and the secretary of education will issue guidance to state and local educational institutions that receive federal funds or grants or that participate in the student loan program. The focus will be on ensuring compliance with the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, a landmark case that held that race-based admissions practices violate the Fourteenth Amendment. “Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding Federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” the memo reads. The executive order noted that it will not prevent educational institutions or agencies from engaging in “First Amendment-protected” speech. WHITE HOUSE OPM ORDERS ALL DEI OFFICES TO BEGIN CLOSING BY END OF DAY WEDNESDAY Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who chairs the House Education and the Workforce Committee, applauded Trump for pushing back against the controversial practice. “For too long, social justice warriors crusaded to mandate DEI in every corner of America. Instead of merit, skills and ability, DEI devotees pushed policies that are antithetical to American exceptionalism,” Walberg said. “From the classroom to the boardroom, Americans have felt the negative effects. DEI has bloated education budgets while telling students what to think instead of how to think.” Jonathan Turley, a Fox News contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University, suggested in an analysis of the executive order that it “will send a shock wave through higher education and the resulting agency actions are likely to trigger a tsunami of lawsuits.” Meanwhile, one education expert suggested that universities could begin to pre-comply with new DEI measures. “It seems very plausible that higher-education institutions will pre-comply, even before the Department of Education or the National Science Foundation writes it into specific projects,” Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, told the Chronicle of Higher Education. “Universities will adopt the spirit of the executive order.” Nearly 10 states, including one with a Democrat governor, have already either banned or prohibited the use of DEI initiatives in public colleges and universities.
Dem who called Trump ‘existential threat to democracy’ now blocking his nominees
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., disrupted Senate Republicans’ plans to quickly confirm President Donald Trump’s national security nominees on Tuesday night when he objected to bypassing lengthy procedural votes that are routinely skipped. “Unfortunately, we were at the point of almost having a consent agreement to have a vote on the confirmation of John Ratcliffe to be the CIA director tomorrow. Not today, not yesterday, when it should have happened, but tomorrow,” Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on the chamber floor. “But the senator from Connecticut has decided to object at the last minute.” “I don’t really understand the objection to Mr. Ratcliffe. He was confirmed by the Senate to be the director of National intelligence. He was fully vetted through the bipartisan process in the Senate Intelligence Committee. We voted him out yesterday on a 14 to 3 vote,” Cotton, also the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, continued. HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW During his objection, Murphy said there were “serious concerns” from some Democrats about Trump’s CIA pick John Ratcliffe. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask to make sure that we have a full, real debate that lasts two days on the Senate floor,” he said. The Connecticut Democrat notably previewed Trump’s eventual second presidency over the summer. “There’s a lot of anxiety in the country and in the party today, and that’s because the stakes are so high,” he said. “That’s because Donald Trump presents an existential threat to democracy. He has advertised he is going to transition this country from a democracy to a dictatorship,” he claimed in a July appearance on CNN. REPUBLICAN LEADERS STILL AT ODDS ON RECONCILIATION DEBATE AFTER TRUMP MEETING Murphy’s Tuesday night objection to speeding through the routine procedural votes is the first case of Democrats using the strategy Republicans employed while in the Senate minority to gain leverage to negotiate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., expressed his frustration with the objection on the floor, saying, “OK, so 14 to 3 coming out of the committee. And we’ve now wasted a whole day where we could have been acting on that nomination.” “And so really, I think the question before the House is, do we want a vote on these folks on Tuesday or vote on them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do,” he said, threatening weekend votes in the upper chamber. NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING “This can be easy or this can be hard.” Murphy foreshadowed this type of defiance while speaking to reporters last week. “I think Republicans changed the rules here over the last two years,” he said. “They used extraordinary powers to block nominees and to lengthen every process.” NEW OHIO AND FLORIDA SENATE-APPOINTEES SWORN IN AS VANCE AND RUBIO’S REPLACEMENTS “The rules are different now, they changed the way the Senate works,” he reiterated. Thune took the necessary actions to tee up eventual votes on Ratcliffe, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Defense Pete Hegseth and his pick for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Since there is no agreement with Democrats to limit debate and bypass certain procedural votes, the nominations will not ripen for confirmation votes for more than a day.
Senate Republicans launch effort to ban Chinese nationals from buying land in US
FIRST ON FOX: Republican senators are putting forth legislation that would ban China from buying U.S. land entirely. The Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama, would require the sale of land owned or “influenced” by the CCP that is deemed a national security risk. It would direct the president to take action to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate in the U.S. by Chinese citizens or companies. China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S. BIDEN ADMIN FAILING TO TRACK CHINESE OWNERSHIP OF US FARMLAND: GOVT WATCHDOG Lawmakers have argued that China’s land buys are a national security risk since many of them are near military installations. For years, Chinese nationals have attempted to breach U.S. military facilities, often through the use of surveillance drones or posing as tourists. “For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real estate,” Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. “At best, this submits American land and resources to China’s best interests, not America’s—at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases. We can’t allow Chinese citizens, or anyone affiliated with the CCP, to own one more inch of American soil. And any American land exploited by current Chinese ownership should be sold.” Some states have already barred foreign nationals from purchasing land. Smithfield Foods, which has a Chinese parent company, makes up the largest share of Chinese-owned land with 110,000 acres. A 2022 Chinese land purchase brought concerns to a fever pitch when food producer Fufeng Group bought 370 acres for corn milling near a North Dakota Air Force base. “One acre of American farmland owned by the Chinese Communist Party is one acre too many,” said Britt. “The CCP’s strategic acquisition of farmland, particularly near our military installations, isn’t just a national security risk, it is a threat to our economic and food security.” TRUMP WANTS TO VISIT CHINA AGAIN AFTER HE TAKES OFFICE: REPORT That prompted the Biden administration to propose a rule requiring any foreign company or individual looking to buy land within 100 miles of certain U.S. military bases to get government approval. Last month, a Chinese national was arrested at San Francisco International Airport before he could board a flight to China on accusations that he tried to fly a drone over Vandenberg Air Force base in California. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Efforts to thwart China from purchasing U.S. farmland near U.S. military installations have gained steam among Republicans in both chambers. “It’s a major concern for me that countries like China have increased purchases of American farmland tenfold over the last decade to control our land and threaten our food, energy and national security,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who led efforts in the House to ban China from buying farmland suitable for energy production, told Fox News Digital.
Trump’s Day One actions reversed Biden-era health policies, including efforts to expand ObamaCare
President Donald Trump’s first actions in the Oval Office included rolling back healthcare policies put forth by former President Joe Biden, including expansions to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as “ObamaCare.” Directly after he was sworn in on Monday, Trump moved quickly to revoke a long list of Biden executive orders covering a wide range of issues. Two of the orders that were revoked included efforts by Biden to expand access to the ACA and restore the federal program “to the way it was before Trump became president” the first time around. The move angered Democrats, who argued the action was an “attack” on the federal health insurance program. “Donald Trump’s immediate priority as president is ripping away affordable health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans and screwing over people with preexisting conditions,” the Democratic National Committee said in a Tuesday statement. Shortly after taking office in January 2021, Biden passed Executive Order 14009, titled the “Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.” The move, which Trump rescinded as part of his Day One executive actions, doubled the window of time that uninsured Americans had to apply to participate in the federal insurance program. Under Trump’s first term, the ACA’s open enrollment period was six weeks long. TRUMP AND A HEALTHIER AMERICA WELCOMED BY DOCTORS: ‘NEW GOLDEN AGE’ In addition to expanding the open enrollment period, Biden’s January 2021 executive order also directed all relevant federal agencies to examine their policies and implement any necessary changes to help get more people covered under the ACA. Meanwhile, in April of the following year, Biden signed a second executive order on “Continuing to Strengthen Americans’ Access to Affordable, Quality Health Coverage,” which Trump also reversed on Monday. The April order from Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services to analyze new policies aimed at “exploring how medical debts are collected from beneficiaries,” in order to find new ways to reduce “the burden of medical debt on working families and individuals across the country.” Consistent with both of these orders, agencies facilitated the expansion of the ACA through new eligibility provisions, increased funding to groups that help people sign up for the ACA, and more. Other changes enacted by Trump during his first days in office included the revocation of a Biden-era policy that directed Medicare and Medicaid to investigate how to lower drug costs. In response to that order, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a $2 cap for certain generic drugs, ensured Medicare beneficiaries did not overpay for drugs that received accelerated approval, and helped state Medicaid programs pay for certain high-cost, cutting-edge therapies. Biden’s policy that capped insulin costs at $35 and implemented a $2,000 out-of-pocket maximum for prescription drug costs went unaffected by Trump’s Day One orders. TRUMP TO DEPLOY MILITARY TO BORDER, END BIDEN PAROLE POLICIES IN FLURRY OF DAY ONE EXECUTIVE ORDERS Trump also acted during his first day in office to rescind several of Biden’s COVID-19 health orders, such as directives to ensure equity in the pandemic response and COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers. He withdrew the U.S. from its participation in the World Health Organization, as well. The Democratic National Committee argued Tuesday that Trump was “screwing over people with pre-existing conditions.” “Donald Trump’s immediate priority as president is ripping away affordable health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans,” the DNC said in a Tuesday statement. “Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, more Americans have health coverage than ever before, and Trump wants to unwind this progress even though the American people overwhelmingly support the ACA. Trump’s plans will do nothing but raise costs and make Americans sicker.” Yet, according to a health policy expert from Vanderbilt University, the moves Trump made on health policies will likely not be consequential when it comes to how much Americans are paying for their healthcare. “When administrations change over, many of them want to undo some of the actions of other presidents, even when those are more symbolic,” Dr. Stacie Dusetzina, a professor at Vanderbilt’s Department of Health Policy told NBC News. “It could mean that the Trump administration is not interested in pursuing any of the work that has since developed out of these executive orders.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump administration for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.
House GOP charts roadmap to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ cites healthcare system impact on ‘national defense’
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on Wednesday unveiled a lengthy report that he says serves as a “roadmap” to “Make America Healthy Again” and points to how the flawed American healthcare system impacts “national defense.” The 47-page report – titled “The Case for Healthcare Freedom” – is a “painstakingly researched” summary of “America’s health crisis and how to address it,” Roy said. Its findings include that U.S. healthcare spending had reached $4.9 trillion in 2023. As a share of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), health spending accounted for 17.6%, and costs are growing around 1% faster than the annual GDP, the report says. The report argues that “if conservatives care about a strong national defense and low taxes, these trends have to be reversed.” MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN: THE POWERHOUSE FOODS THAT WORK MEDICAL MAGIC “The Case for Healthcare Freedom lays out a detailed roadmap for how Congressional Republicans can help President Trump deliver on the promise to address America’s health crisis,” Roy said in a statement. “The problem isn’t just health insurance, or Big Pharma, or food additives that are making us unhealthy; it’s the fact that politicians, bureaucrats and corporations are all benefitting from a broken, cronyistic system that lets them put profits over patients with impunity.” Roy argued that right now, Congress has “a tremendous opportunity to put American healthcare back on track by embracing the empowerment of patients and doctors through the promotion of expansive health savings accounts in the budget reconciliation process, and we need to take full advantage.” The congressman went on to say, “giving the same actors more power and money won’t work; if we want to Make America Healthy Again, the answer is healthcare freedom. If we want to control our budgets and healthcare spending, the answer is healthcare freedom.” The wide-ranging report comes just two days after President Donald Trump was sworn into a second term. The pledge to “Make America Healthy Again” became a focal point of Trump’s campaign when Democrat turned Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and backed him. Trump tapped Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, but his confirmation hearing has not yet been scheduled. The report includes criticism of the program providing food welfare assistance for low-income households. FORMER TRUMP HHS OFFICIAL TAPPED TO BE RFK JR’S CHIEF OF STAFF: REPORT “While chronic food illness kills up to 678,000 Americans per year, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will likely pay over $250 billion on junk food for the next 10 years,” Roy’s office notes. The report also targets the coveted weight loss and diabetes drugs championed as “miracle medication,” which has even used by celebrities to drop pounds in recent months. It found the Danish pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, “spent at least $25.8 million over the past decade on U.S. medical professionals to promote two of its obesity drugs, Wegovy and Saxenda.” The report assesses that families and their employers on average in 2024 spent $25,000 annually, or nearly the cost of a company car, for health insurance, and that’s despite “the false promise of Obamacare to lower premiums by $2,500 a year.” The cost of premiums has increased at least 100% since 2010, according to the report. “Obamacare has made healthcare so expensive that it now subsidizes households earning up to $600,000 per year for their health insurance,” the report says. In 2024, the report found, four of the top five American industries by revenue were healthcare-related. Those were hospitals, which came in first; drug, cosmetics and toiletry wholesaling, which came second; health insurance, which earned the third place slot; and pharmaceutical wholesaling, which came in fifth. The report also discusses how 47% of hospital cash prices are lower than the insurer-negotiated price “that people pay hundreds of dollars a month for the privilege of having.” The report argues multiple insurance companies, including UnitedHealth, Anthem/Elevance, and Humana, “earn” a majority of their revenue from taxpayers. “We do not have a free market in the healthcare system. The government controls more than 80% of health spending,” according to a summary of the report provided by Roy’s office. “The Left’s solution to fix our healthcare system is spending even more money and giving the government even further control over the healthcare system. ‘Medicare for All’ would cost an additional $33 trillion over 10 years, and it would leave 70% of Americans financially worse off.”
Hegseth lawyer slams ‘flawed and questionable affidavit’ from ex-sister-in-law
President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, is pushing back on a last-minute affidavit from his former sister-in-law with new allegations. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy C. Parlatore, wrote to Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., on Wednesday to dispel the claims made by Danielle Dietrich, formerly Hegseth, in her affidavit. “While it is difficult to respond to, or to credit anonymous allegations, the benefit of someone putting their name on the record is that we can examine their credibility and bias. In this case, the credibility and bias is easy to discern,” he said in the correspondence obtained by Fox News Digital. REPUBLICAN LEADERS STILL AT ODDS ON RECONCILIATION DEBATE AFTER TRUMP MEETING Dietrich’s affidavit was obtained by Fox News on Tuesday. Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, once married to his brother, alleged that Hegseth had an alcohol abuse problem and that at times made his ex-wife, Samantha, fear for her safety. She provided a number of anecdotes in the affidavit, including an event where Samantha supposedly hid in a closet from her husband. However, Dietrich noted that she never witnessed any abuse herself, physical or sexual, from Pete against Samantha. NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING The affidavit also referred to anecdotes about Hegseth’s alleged heavy drinking, referring to several specific occasions, including one at a strip club. After the affidavit was reported, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the committee’s ranking member, said in a statement, “As I have said for months, the reports of Mr. Hegseth’s history of alleged sexual assault, alcohol abuse and public misconduct necessitate an exhaustive background investigation. I have been concerned that the background check process has been inadequate, and this affidavit confirms my fears. “The alleged pattern of abuse and misconduct by Mr. Hegseth is disturbing. This behavior would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the secretary of defense.” NEW OHIO AND FLORIDA SENATE-APPOINTEES SWORN IN AS VANCE AND RUBIO’S REPLACEMENTS In the document, Dietrich further suggested her former brother-in-law is not fit to be the secretary of defense. “She is openly admitting that her purpose is to sink the nomination and has been promised by Democrats that such a statement would have that effect,” Parlatore said in his letter to Wicker. He pointed out that the “vast majority” of what Dietrich referred to were events she admitted to not being a witness to. “She materially contradicts Sam’s sworn statements in the divorce proceedings where she acknowledges that there was no abuse,” Hegseth’s lawyer added. Parlatore also pointed out that her claims “inadvertently” accuse Samantha of lying during the FBI’s background check of Hegseth. “It is important to note that Ms. Dietrich told all of this to the FBI on December 30, 2024, but the FBI was unable to corroborate her claims, which were then flatly refuted by Sam, the actual participant,” he said. ‘DESPERATE ATTEMPT’: SENATORS RECEIVE AFFIDAVIT WITH ALLEGATIONS ABOUT HEGSETH’S PREVIOUS MARRIAGE “There is no basis to credit this deeply flawed and questionable affidavit, which was submitted at the 11th hour in a clear and admitted partisan attempt to derail Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation,” the letter concluded. Dietrich’s lawyer, Leita Walker, responded in a statement: “Danielle will not be commenting beyond her statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which required much courage. She asks for respect for her privacy and the privacy of those she cares about, including Pete Hegseth’s former wives and children.” While Democrats were quick to claim the affidavit affirmed that Hegseth is not fit for the role, Republicans slammed them as looking to obstruct the confirmation process. “They’re just being the Democrats, being obstructionists,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told reporters. “They’re just trying to make sure Trump doesn’t have his administration team put together. It’s not good for the American public. President Trump won the election. If he won the electoral vote by [a] significant margin, they should stop being obstructionists,” he continued.
Pentagon sending additional 1,500 troops to southern border: US official
The U.S. Pentagon is sending an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border by the end of the month, a U.S. official told Fox News on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear what specific units would be sent, though the Trump administration is expected to make a formal announcement later Wednesday. There are already 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under title 10 authorities, were approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be in place until the end of FY2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson. The 1,500 additional service members will deploy to different locations along the southern border by the end of the month, the U.S. official said. BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN SENDS MESSAGE TO FAR-LEFT OFFICIALS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS: ‘GAME ON’ The added troops will act in the same roles as the service members already there, providing aerial reconnaissance, data entry, training, vehicle maintenance, detection and monitoring, and some other logistical support roles. The announcement will mark the third time that U.S. troops have been sent to the southern border in the last two years. VERMONT BORDER PATROL AGENT ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY GERMAN NATIONAL WORKED IN PENTAGON DURING 9/11: FAMILY In May 2023, former President Joe Biden and Austin approved a request from former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send an additional 1,500 active-duty troops to the southern border for 90 days to assist with the influx of migrants after pandemic era health restrictions ended in May 2023. In March 2024, Austin approved another DHS request for 2,500 service members, including national guardsmen under Title 10 duty status.