Kamala Harris reveals timetable for making major political decision in deep blue state
Former Vice President Kamala Harris is setting a timetable to make a major decision about her political future. Harris, who lost last November’s White House election to now-President Donald Trump, is seriously considering a 2026 bid to succeed term-limited Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom of California. Additionally, a source in the former vice president’s political orbit confirmed to Fox News Digital that Harris has told allies she will decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The news was first reported by Politico. There has been plenty of speculation since last year’s election regarding Harris, who replaced then-President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee last summer after he dropped out of the race amid mounting questions over his physical and mental stamina. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS The two potential options for Harris are launching a gubernatorial run next year in her home state or seeking the presidency again in 2028. Extremely early polls in the next Democratic Party presidential nomination race – which are heavily reliant on name recognition at this point – indicate that the former vice president holds a significant lead over other potential White House contenders. It is very unlikely she could do both. Running and winning election in 2026 as governor of heavily blue California, the nation’s most populous state and home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, would likely take a 2028 White House run off the table, allies and political analysts have indicated. Harris served as San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and represented the Golden State in the U.S. Senate before joining Biden’s 2020 ticket and winning election as vice president. TOP TRUMP ALLY TEASES BID FOR CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR IF HARRIS RUNS While no decisions have been made, the former vice president has vowed to remain politically involved. Harris, in a video message to the Democratic National Committee, as it huddled for its winter meeting a month ago, pledged to be with the party “every step of the way.” She recently spoke at the NAACP Image Awards, as she accepted the organization’s Chairman’s Award. This weekend, she is headed to Las Vegas – Nevada is an early-voting state in the presidential primary calendar and a key general election battleground – to speak at Human X, which is an AI-themed conference. If Harris decides this summer to launch a gubernatorial campaign, she would likely clear much of the field of Democrats. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said last month he would support Harris if she decides to run and that “she would be field-clearing” if she launched a campaign. Bonta, a former state lawmaker who has served as California attorney general since 2021, said he would run for re-election next year rather than launch a gubernatorial campaign, putting to rest speculation about his next political moves. LEADING CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT’S PREDICTION ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS “Kamala Harris would be a great governor,” Bonta said in an interview with Politico. Among the more than half-dozen Democratic Party candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis – a Harris ally – and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign. Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender. Many of the current or potential candidates would likely stand aside if Harris entered the race. TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES 2026 CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR Among the Republicans, longtime Trump loyalist Richard Grenell, who is serving as U.S. envoy for special missions in the president’s second administration, last month floated a potential bid for California governor if Harris also runs. “If Kamala Harris runs for governor, I believe that she has such baggage and hundreds of millions of dollars in educating the voters of how terrible she is, that it’s a new day in California and that the Republican actually has a shot,” Grenell said. Meanwhile, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco last month announced his Republican candidacy for governor. Additionally, former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a GOP gubernatorial bid. In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. It has been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in California, back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.
Trump’s authority to fire officials questioned in court battle over NLRB seat
The Trump administration appealed a federal judge’s decision Thursday that the administration’s firing of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member was illegal – the same day that the former head of the Office of the Special Counsel announced he was dropping his suit against President Donald Trump on similar grounds. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered Thursday that NLRB member Gwynne Wilcox be reinstated after she had been fired by Trump earlier this year. Wilcox filed suit in D.C. federal court, arguing that her termination violates the congressional statute delineating NLRB appointments and removals. “A President who touts an image of himself as a ‘king’ or a ‘dictator,’ perhaps as his vision of effective leadership, fundamentally misapprehends the role under Article II of the U.S. Constitution,” Howell wrote in her Thursday opinion. AXED GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG SAYS TRUMP WAS RIGHT TO FIRE HIM The Trump administration filed its appeal to the U.S. Appeals Court for the D.C. Circuit shortly after the decision was issued. The administration wrote in its appeal that it intended to request a stay of the order pending appeal, “including an immediate administrative stay” from the appellate court. In her Thursday opinion, Howell had some harsh words for the president, writing that his “interpretation of the scope of his constitutional power – or, more aptly, his aspiration – is flat wrong.” “At issue in this case is the President’s insistence that he has authority to fire whomever he wants within the Executive branch, overriding any congressionally mandated law in his way,” Howell wrote. Howell’s decision came on the same day that Hampton Dellinger, a Biden-appointee previously tapped to head the Office of Special Counsel, announced that he would be dropping his suit against the Trump administration over his own termination. FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S FIRING OF HEAD OF SPECIAL COUNSEL WAS UNLAWFUL, WILL MAINTAIN HIS JOB “My fight to stay on the job was not for me, but rather for the ideal that OSC should be as Congress intended: an independent watchdog and a safe, trustworthy place for whistleblowers to report wrongdoing and be protected from retaliation,” Dellinger said in a statement released Thursday. Dellinger’s announcement was preceded by a D.C. appellate court’s Wednesday holding that sided with the Trump administration. The court issued an unsigned order pausing a lower court order that had reinstated Dellinger to his post. FIRED NLRB COMMISSIONER ASKS FEDERAL JUDGE FOR REINSTATEMENT “Thank you to the countless DOJ lawyers working around the clock each and every day to defend the President’s actions and uphold the Constitution against baseless attacks,” a Department of Justice spokesperson told Fox News at the time. Dellinger said in his announcement that he believes the circuit judges “erred badly” in their Wednesday decision, saying that it “immediately erases the independence Congress provided for my position.” “And given the circuit court’s adverse ruling, I think my odds of ultimately prevailing before the Supreme Court are long,” Dellinger said. “Meanwhile, the harm to the agency and those who rely on it caused by a Special Counsel who is not independent could be immediate, grievous, and, I fear, uncorrectable.” Similar to Wilcox, Dellinger sued the Trump administration in D.C. federal court after his Feb. 7 firing. He maintained the argument that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post. The Supreme Court had previously paused the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss Dellinger. The administration had asked the high court to overturn a lower court’s temporary reinstatement of Dellinger. Fox News’ Jake Gibson, Bill Mears, Shannon Bream, and David Spunt contributed to this report.
‘Only a health nation can…’: PM Modi flags issue of obesity, urges to cut down on consumption of oil
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged the issue of obesity and urged people to reduce their consumption of cooking oil by 10 per cent.
Trump threatens sanctions on Russia, demands peace after major hits in Ukraine
President Donald Trump threatened to impose “large scale” sanctions against Russia after the country carried out a massive attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said he was “strongly considering” sanctions and tariffs “until a ceasefire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached.” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters that Trump is ready to use carrots or sticks” to bring both Russia and Ukraine to the table. When asked by Fox News Channel Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich for more details on what could be sanctioned, Hassett simply said there are “a heck of a lot of things.” In the overnight attack, Russia reportedly fired 67 missiles and 194 drones in an overnight attack that hit Ukraine’s energy and gas infrastructure, Reuters reported, citing Ukraine’s air force. According to reports, at least 10 people were injured in Russia’s attack, including a child. ZELENSKYY CONFIRMS UKRAINE WILL ATTEND AMERICA-LED PEACE TALKS DAYS AFTER OVAL OFFICE CLASH “Russia continues its energy terror,” Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook. “Again energy and gas infrastructure in various regions of Ukraine has come under massive missile and drone fire.” Russia has attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure multiple times throughout the three-year war. In April 2024, Russia destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants, and in December 2024, Russia pummeled Ukraine’s power grid. President Trump also included a message to both Ukraine and Russia in his Truth Social post: “Get to the table right now, before it is too late.” SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO VOWS DIPLOMACY ATTEMPTS WILL CONTINUE IN EFFORT TO END RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE Friday’s attack seemed to be in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming that his team would participate in peace talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia next week. While Zelenskyy himself will not be at the meeting, his team will sit with their American counterparts to discuss ending the war. In his announcement of Ukraine’s participation in the talks, Zelenskyy said his country is “most interested in peace.” The issue of peace caused friction between Trump and Zelenskyy, after the president said his Ukrainian counterpart was “not ready for peace” following their Oval Office spat. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week after the heated meeting. However, things seemed to have smoothed over between the two leaders, with Trump reading a letter from Zelenskyy during his address to a joint session of Congress. Trump said he appreciated Zelenskyy’s letter and that he wants to see the “savage conflict” end. Fox News Channel’s Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
Border state lawmaker demands Border Patrol agents be paid during pending shutdown: ‘Above and beyond’
FIRST ON FOX: A border state lawmaker is pushing to ensure that Border Patrol agents are paid in the case of a government shutdown — just as funding deadlines are looming in Washington, D.C. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, is reintroducing the Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act, which would ensure that the salaries of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees are paid in the case of any government shutdown in FY 2025. Specifically, it would cover the salaries and expenses of any Border Patrol agents and the Office of Field Operations, which staffs ports of entry. GOP REBELS HEAD TO WHITE HOUSE FOR MEETING TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN “Border Patrol Agents go above and beyond to ensure our communities are protected and our border is secure,” De La Cruz said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s leadership, Border Patrol Agents can fully carry out their duties and, as a result, are reporting historically low numbers of illegal crossings. We cannot let politics jeopardize their hard-earned paycheck,” she said. The bill has 16 co-sponsors, including lawmakers from states along the border. The bill’s reintroduction comes amid concerns about whether there could be a government shutdown in the coming weeks. Congressional negotiators punted FY 2025 funding twice since October by passing a continuing resolution. Congress could risk a partial government shutdown on President Donald Trump’s watch if nothing is done by the end of March 14. To avoid that, however, GOP leaders are looking to pass another continuing resolution, this time through the end of fiscal year 2025. However, lawmakers are at an impasse over the Democratic demands that the resolution include assurances that Trump will not overstep Congress and spend less money than what is appropriated. VANCE TAKES VICTORY IN BORDER VISIT AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT NUMBERS PLUMMET De La Cruz’s bill, should it pass, would prevent any Border Patrol agents being affected if that did happen. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “With the upcoming funding deadline, the bipartisan Pay Our Border Patrol and Customs Agents Act will ensure agents and officers continue to be paid during any potential lapse in government funding,” De La Cruz said. The bill’s reintroduction comes just after President Trump and Vice President JD Vance touted a sharp drop in border crossings since they took office, with Vance visiting the border in Texas and praising the work that Border Patrol agents are doing. Fox News’ Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
DOGE says government paying for 11,020 Adobe Acrobat licenses with zero users, plus more ‘idle’ accounts
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has been squandering money on thousands of unused software licenses, an audit found, according to DOGE. For example, there were “11,020 Acrobat licenses with zero users,” DOGE noted in the post on X. The list also included other examples. TRUMP ORDERS CABINET SECRETARIES TO WORK WITH DOGE ON STAFFING, USE A ‘SCALPEL’ ON PERSONNEL DECISIONS DOGE’s “initial findings on paid software licenses” also included, “35,855 ServiceNow licenses on three products; only using 84,” “1,776 Cognos licenses; only using 325,” “800 WestLaw Classic licenses; only using 216” and “10,000 Java licenses; only using 400.” “All are being fixed,” the tweet concluded. Fox News Digital reached out to HUD and the White House on Friday, but did not receive comments by the time of publication. “There are vast numbers of unused software licenses in every part of the government. Your tax dollars are being wasted,” Elon Musk wrote when commenting on the DOGE post. DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS DOGE has previously made similar announcements regarding the General Services Administration, Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, and Social Security Administration. “Agencies often have more software licenses than employees, and the licenses are often idle (i.e. paid for, but not installed on any computer),” the DOGE X account noted in a tweet. “For example, at GSA, with 13,000 employees, there are,” the post listed, “37,000 WinZip licenses,” “19,000 training software subscriptions (and multiple parallel training software platforms),” “7,500 project management software seats for a division with 5,500 employees,” “3 different ticketing systems running in parallel.” The tweet concluded by noting, “Fixes are actively in work.” The DOGE GSA X account swiftly replied, indicating that cuts were on the way: “Not for long…” a tweet read, with a scissor emoji added in an apparent signal that cuts were coming. “We will report back with progress shortly!” INSIDE ELON MUSK’S HUDDLE WITH GOP SENATORS: DOGE HEAD TOUTS $4M SAVINGS PER DAY CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP GSA Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian replied, “Hope we didn’t make you wait too long… within 3 hours of @DOGE post, @USGSA is taking immediate action to reduce $5.5M of IT spend & working to identify additional reductions across all categories—ensuring strong stewardship of your tax dollars.” Several days later another DOGE post reported that GSA had made significant progress. “Since this post, @USGSA took immediate action to reduce IT spend by deleting 114,163 unused software licenses & 15 underutilized / redundant software products — for a total annual savings of $9.6M,” DOGE noted. A GSA spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “In support of the administration’s priorities, efficiency and good stewardship, GSA is currently undertaking a review of its contracts and resources, including IT resources, to ensure our staff can perform their mission in support of American taxpayers. GSA has taken immediate action to fully implement all current executive orders and is committed to taking swift action to implement any new executive orders.”
Axed government watchdog says Trump was right to fire him
A government watchdog fired by President Donald Trump in January has filed a legal brief arguing that Trump is well within his executive powers to fire him and the 16 other U.S. inspectors general ousted just four days into his second term. Eric Soskin, the former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation, was appointed by Trump during his first presidential term. He was then fired just four days after Trump returned to the Oval Office, Jeff Beelaert, an attorney for Givens Pursley and a former Department of Justice official, told Fox News in an interview. “Eric was one of the fired inspectors general, and disagreed with his former IG colleagues. He wanted to make that clear in filing a brief,” Beelaert said. Trump moved shortly after his inauguration to purge the government watchdogs from across 17 government agencies, prompting intense backlash, criticism and questions over the legality of the personnel decisions. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS The move prompted a lawsuit from eight of the ousted watchdogs, who asked the presiding judge in the case, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, to declare their firings illegal and to restore their agency positions. These remedies are considered a long shot, and are unlikely to succeed next week when the plaintiffs appear in D.C. court for their next hearing. Even so, Soskin disagreed so strongly with their rationale that he not only declined to join their lawsuit, but also had lawyers file an amicus brief on his behalf supporting the administration’s ability to terminate his role. Beelaert helped author that amicus brief on Soskin’s behalf, which outlined primary reasons that Trump does have the power to make these personnel decisions, under Article II of the Constitution, Supreme Court precedent, and updates to federal policy. The brief invokes the IGs “mistaken” reliance on a 1930s-era precedent, Humphrey’s Executor, which protects agency firings in certain cases, and requires a 30-day notice period for any personnel decisions. Soskin’s lawyers argue that the reliance on this case is misguided and that the precedent applies solely to members of “multi-member, expert, balanced commissions” that largely report to Congress, and are not at issue here. “Supreme Court precedent over the last five, ten years has almost all but rejected that idea that Congress can impose restrictions on the president’s removal authority,” Beelaert said. TRUMP WANTS ‘ACTIVIST’ GROUPS THAT SUE THE GOVERNMENT TO PUT UP MONEY IF THEY LOSE Other critics noted that Trump failed to give Congress a 30-day notice period before he terminated the government watchdogs – a formality but something that Trump supporters note is no longer required under the law. In 2022, Congress updated its Inspector General Act of 1978, which formerly required a president to communicate to Congress any “reasons” for terminations 30 days before any decision was made. That notice provision was amended in 2022 to require only a “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for terminations. The White House Director of Presidential Personnel has claimed that the firings are in line with that requirement, which were a reflection of “changing priorities” from within the administration. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, suggested earlier this year that Congress should be given more information as to the reasons for the firings, though more recently he has declined to elaborate on the matter. TRUMP TEMPORARILY THWARTED IN DOGE MISSION TO END USAID Plaintiffs challenging the firings are likely to face a tough time making their case next week in federal court. U.S. District Judge Reyes, the presiding judge in the case, did not appear moved by the plaintiffs’ bid for emergency relief. She declined to grant their earlier request for a temporary restraining order – a tough legal test that requires plaintiffs to prove “irreparable” and immediate harm as a result of the actions – and told both parties during the hearing that, barring new or revelatory information, she is not inclined to rule in favor of plaintiffs at the larger preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for March 11. “At the end of the day, this drives home the idea that elections matter,” Beelaert said. “And of all the times that the president should have the removal of authority, it’s the start of the administration” that should be most important, he said, noting that this is true for both political parties. “It doesn’t matter who serves in the White House. I think that any president, whether it’s President Trump, President Biden – it doesn’t matter,” Beelaert said. “The president should be allowed to pick who is going to serve in his administration. And to me, that’s a bit lost in this debate. “
HHS expands Title IX probe in Maine to include state association governing athletics, embattled high school
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration expanded its Title IX investigation into Maine, citing violations of the president’s executive order mandating that educational and athletic institutions bar biological males from competing in women’s sports. The Maine Principals Association, the state’s primary governing body for high school athletics, and Greely High School, which has been a centerpiece in the debate over transgender sports participation in Maine, are both now being added to the list of Maine entities the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department is investigating over alleged Title IX violations, according to an HHS spokesperson. The department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) launched an investigation into the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) last month, “based on information that Maine intends to defy” President Donald Trump’s order to keep biological males out of women’s sports. Four days later, the agency issued MDOE a “Notice of Violation.” “HHS will investigate and enforce Title IX to the full extent permitted by law to uphold fairness, safety, dignity, and biological truth in women’s and girls’ educational athletic opportunities,” Andrew Nixon, a department spokesperson, told Fox News Digital. “Men have no place in women’s sports. Maine must comply with Title IX or risk losing federal funding.” MAINE GOP URGES DEMS TO REPEAL TRANSGENDER ATHLETE POLICY FOLLOWING FEDERAL TITLE IX VIOLATION FINDING Republican state legislators in Maine called on Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday to stand down her open defiance of Trump’s Feb. 5 transgender sports executive order, which threatens hundreds of millions in federal funding to K-12 schools in the state, according to numbers obtained by the Portland Press Herald. MDOE received nearly a million dollars from HHS sub-agencies alone, Maine House Republicans said in a press release Thursday. “Enough is enough, it is time to put away radical ideology and put the future of our kids first,” said Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R–Palermo. “The Mills administration’s policy of allowing biological boys in girls’ sports has physically and mentally mistreated our young ladies and now this same policy will harm every child and teacher with the loss of federal funds to our schools.” “If Maine Democrats continue to double down on allowing biological males to participate in girls’ sports, our students stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding. Gov. [Janet] Mills and legislative Democrats have a renewed opportunity to do the right thing, to ensure restored funding and a fair and level playing field for Maine girls,” added state Rep. Laurel Libby, R–Bangor, Thursday. Last month, Libby was censured by Democrats in the Maine state legislature after posting on social media that a Greely High School pole vaulter, who competed as recently as June of last year as a biological male, won a statewide championship meet competing as a woman. MAINE HOUSE SPEAKER DELETES X ACCOUNT AFTER CENSURING LAWMAKER OPPOSED TO TRANSGENDER ATHLETES IN GIRLS SPORTS Libby was censured specifically for posting a picture of the high school athlete from Greely competing as a male, contrasted next to an image of the athlete winning the women’s pole-vaulting competition at Maine’s Class B state indoor championship meet in February. The athlete was a minor. “State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect,” said Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine’s Class B state indoor championship meet, told Fox News Digital. Trump began calling out Maine for defying his executive order shortly after Libby began sounding the alarm about the transgender athlete at Greely High School winning a statewide girls’ track meet. During a public spat with Mills at the White House, Trump threatened the state’s funding unless they “clean that up,” to which Mills responded that she would “see [him] in court.” HIDING KIDS ‘GENDER IDENTITY’ FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney with extensive experience litigating Title IX issues, said she believes Maine would be unsuccessful in court on this matter for a variety of reasons. In addition to federal law, Maine is also flouting directives from the Department of Education and previously established precedent from a slew of cases that overturned former President Joe Biden’s Title IX regulations allowing athletic eligibility to be determined by one’s preferred gender identity, according to Perry. “Maine entered into a contract with the Department of Education, promising to follow that federal civil rights law. [Mills’] reliance on contrary state law will prove fatal to any continued recalcitrance,” Perry said. Mills and the Maine Principals Association (MPA) have argued that Trump’s executive order conflicts with existing state Human Rights law. The MPA said that, as a result, it would defer to state law, which allows athletic eligibility to be determined based on a person’s stated gender identity. I’M A 3-SPORT HIGH SCHOOL FEMALE ATHLETE IN MAINE – I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO COMPETE AGAINST BIOLOGICAL MALES Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey confirmed to The New York Times on Thursday that his office received a “Notice of Violation” indicating MDOE was in violation of federal Title IX law as a result of its continued decision to allow athletic eligibility to be determined by gender-identity. The letter arrived four days after HHS announced its Title IX investigation into MDOE on Feb. 21. Mills’ office told local outlet the Bangor Daily News that her staff had not been questioned by federal investigators prior to the violation notice being sent out. “No President – Republican or Democrat – can withhold federal funding authorized and appropriated by Congress and paid for by Maine taxpayers in an attempt to coerce someone into compliance with his will,” Mills said in a statement. “It is a violation of our Constitution and of our laws, which I took an oath to uphold.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Maine Principals Association and Greely High School’s principal and assistant principals for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.
Venezuelan gangs are far from a ‘fake’ problem, Colorado DA says: ‘Giant issue’
A Colorado district attorney is arguing that those who are trying to dismiss the issue of Venezuelan gangs in the state have been taking an “ignorance-is-bliss approach to the law.” “There were the two extreme positions. One was, ‘Hey, they’d taken over the city’… then you’d have the people on the far left in the mainstream media saying ‘there’s no such thing as a country of Venezuela. Venezuelans don’t exist. It’s all made up. It’s a figment of your imagination,’” Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler told Fox News Digital. “The truth is, Venezuelan gangs did take over the running of about 2 to 3 different apartment complexes… so to suggest that this isn’t an issue is fake. It is a giant issue. It is a growing issue. And this sort of ignorance is bliss approach to the law.” The comments come as Colorado has recently entered the national spotlight as a result of the state’s sanctuary laws, which have limited local jurisdictions from being able to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. DENVER MAYOR GRILLED OVER AREA’S TREN DE ARAGUA PROBLEM AS GOP LAWMAKER SAYS POLICIES TO BLAME The issue became even more controversial in the last few months after reports of the spread of the violent Venezuelan immigrant gang Tren de Aragua, which had taken over multiple apartment complexes in the Colorado city of Aurora. The state was further highlighted in Wednesday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, when Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was grilled by lawmakers over his city’s lack of cooperation with federal authorities. “The illegal immigrant gang Tren de Aragua targeted Denver to be their American HQ because of weak immigration laws,” Republican Colorado Rep. Gabe Evans told Fox News Digital after the hearing. For his part, Brauchler argued that Johnston’s answers during the hearing were just an attempt to “deflect” the conversation from the overall issue. “My sense of those answers, though, were intended to deflect from the underlying and key question here. And that is, can a city, should a state stick itself between illegal aliens and the federal law? And the answer is a very obvious and easy no,” he told Fox News Digital. DENVER MAYOR SAYS HE’S PREPARED TO GO TO JAIL OVER OPPOSITION TO TRUMP DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Despite that “obvious answer,” Brauchler told Fox News Digital that Colorado’s Democratic-controlled government has doubled down on sanctuary policies. “Starting in 2018, Colorado became awash in blue, and the legislature and the governorship have been controlled by the Democrats since then, and they have done everything they can to make Colorado a sanctuary state,” he said. “One of the laws that our state legislature passed fully embraced by Denver is to make our courthouses sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. They ban the enforcement of any immigration laws inside those courthouses.” Brauchler said similar legislation is currently in the works, this time banning immigration enforcement on the way to and from the courthouse as well. “Can you imagine any city or state creating barriers that say, ‘I’m sorry, local law enforcement, you can’t communicate with the FBI about a fugitive you can’t communicate with.’ Heck, the IRS about a tax cheat…. you can’t communicate with the DEA about known drug dealers? It is only with illegal immigrants that there seems to be this sense of creating these municipal and statewide barriers to law enforcement,” he said. Nevertheless, Brauchler said he is committed to fighting back against the policies in order to make residents of the state safer. “If you’re an illegal immigrant, and you’re here in this jurisdiction, get legal. If you can’t or won’t get legal, then be on your best behavior,” he said. “Because once you violate our laws, do not expect me to come to your rescue and figure out a way to keep you at a place that says you shouldn’t be here to begin with.”
Indian Air Force’s Jaguar fighter jet crashes in Haryana, pilot ejects safely; no casualties reported
A Jaguar aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Haryana’s Ambala during a routine training sortie today, i.e., March 7, due to a system malfunctioning.