Senate takes first step to fund ICE, Border Patrol in bid to cut Dems out of the funding process
Senate Republicans launched their party-line gamble Tuesday to fund immigration operations for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s time in office. The GOP took its first step in the budget reconciliation process, which is meant to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three-and-a-half years. The party-line vote sets up a forthcoming marathon vote on amendments in the upper chamber before the budget blueprint is shipped to the House. It’s a maneuver meant to cut Democrats out of the process, as they refused to fund immigration operations absent stringent reforms during weeks of negotiations to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL IMMIGRATION FUNDING PLAN WITH $140 BILLION PRICE TAG AS GOP AIMS TO SPEND LESS “Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, and that our Democrat colleagues are trying to prevent us from doing,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who crafted the resolution. “That something is simple: fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to the United States.” Republicans earlier unveiled their budget resolution, which will serve as the guiding framework as the GOP moves forward to fund immigration enforcement. It sets instructions for the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to spend up to $70 billion each. While the combined sum of $140 billion is eye-popping, Republicans are eyeing between $70 billion and $80 billion as the final total for immigration enforcement and want to give both committees maximum flexibility as they craft the legislative meat of the package. Senate Democrats argue that the money could go toward tackling affordability issues in the country, citing healthcare, housing, and soaring gas prices stemming from President Donald Trump’s war in Iran as examples. SENATE GOP READYING PARTY-LINE FUNDING BILL DESPITE DIVISIONS, ANGER AT THE HOUSE “No reforms, no accountability, no strings attached, let it sink in,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “One hundred forty billion for ICE, $0 to lower your costs. That’s these days what the Republican Party seems to stand for. Senate Republicans are choosing to follow Trump and Stephen Miller instead of the needs of the American families.” Turning to the party-line process to fund immigration operations was not the first choice for Republicans, but one made out of necessity given Democrats’ blockade of funding for ICE and much of CBP. Still, some are worried about the precedent that could be set for how Congress is supposed to fund the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., raised that concern and argued, “I don’t see any way, in a Trump administration, that they’re gonna come to the table and fund those two agencies.” SENATE REPUBLICANS RACE TO FUND ICE, CBP WITHOUT DEMOCRATS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS “We tried to avoid this. But at some point, we recognized that they’re just not gonna get to ‘yes,’” Thune said. “And that was pretty clear after spending weeks trying to negotiate with them.” Still, Republicans have a long way to go before they advance the budget resolution to the House — and even further before the final product lands on Trump’s desk. He’s demanded that the GOP produce the package no later than June 1. Not every Republican in the upper chamber is thrilled with the narrow scope of the plan, with some wanting to front-load several issues into one package out of concern they may not get another shot. For now, however, they’re moving full speed ahead. “It’s not am I OK with it, is the president’s administration OK with it,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., a fiscal hawk who was critical of the GOP’s previous reconciliation attempt. “I mean, do they think they have enough through fiscal year 2029? That’s their call, not mine.”
‘Martyrs’: Michigan Dems nominate Hezbollah-praising candidate after ousting Jewish regent
A University of Michigan Board of Regents member was ousted after Michigan Democrats selected a candidate who shared social media posts praising Hezbollah as the party’s nominee. Amir Makled, a trial lawyer, bested incumbent Regent Jordan Acker, who is Jewish, for the Democratic Party’s nomination at the state party’s convention over the weekend, sparking criticism from a former leader of the state’s Democratic Party. More than a week before Michigan’s Democratic Convention, the Detroit News reported that Makled had shared and later deleted posts on X praising Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Abu Ali Khalil, who were both killed in Israeli airstrikes. In both posts Makled shared, Nasrallah and Khalil are dubbed “martyrs.” UC DAVIS PROFESSOR WHO POSTED VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST ‘ZIONISTS’ KEEPS JOB AFTER DISCIPLINE The Democratic nominee also shared a now-deleted post from Candace Owens in which she called Israelis “demons” who “lie, steal, cheat, murder and blackmail.” Fox News Digital reached out to Makled for comment. Brandon Dillon, the former head of Michigan’s Democratic Party, penned an opinion piece in the Detroit News criticizing Makled’s candidacy that was published just days before Makled won the party’s nomination. Dillon said Makled is not a Democrat and that his social media behavior reflects “a pattern of extremism and bigotry.” UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER ADDRESSES HUNDREDS OF ‘WANTED’ POSTERS FOR JEWISH FACULTY MEMBERS POSTED AROUND CAMPUS “These are not isolated missteps or comments taken out of context,” Dillon wrote in the Detroit News. “They reflect a broader pattern of poor judgment that should raise serious concern.” In his acceptance speech for the party’s nomination, Makled gave a nod to students involved in anti-Israel protests that formed on the University of Michigan’s campus in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel. “To these students, the students who spoke up, the students who organized, the students who refused to let anyone tell them that their education wasn’t worth fighting for, you all reminded us what a public university is supposed to be,” Makled said. ELITE UNIVERSITY ATTENDED BY TRUMP’S SON CRACKS DOWN ON LEFT-WING STUDENT AGITATORS Makled, who legally represented University of Michigan students involved in anti-Israel campus protests, had previously called for the university system to divest from Israel. The anti-Israel protests which formed at the University of Michigan led to reports of antisemitic attacks against Jewish students. The University of Michigan was one of 60 universities notified by the Department of Education that it was being investigated for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for failing to properly address antisemitic harassment and discrimination. In December 2024 — just months before the Education Department shared its notice with the University of Michigan — the car belonging to outgoing Regent Acker was vandalized. The words “Divest… Free Palestine” and an inverted triangle, a reference to Hamas, were spray-painted in red across Acker’s vehicle. At the time of the attack, Acker said it was the third time that year he’d been victimized by anti-Israel vandals. Fox News Digital reached out to Acker for comment.
Left-wing group chases proof of Kash Patel’s alleged ‘excessive drinking’ as Dems eye FBI director’s ouster
A left-wing lawfare group is trying to uncover records that might prove FBI Director Kash Patel engaged in behavior unfit for his role, such as “excessive drinking and unexplained absences.” Democracy Forward, a group that supports left-wing policy positions in court on issues like DEI, immigration and abortion, sent a 16-page Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Justice Department on Tuesday. It asks for documents, schedules and communications that seek to prove allegations made against Patel in a recent article published by The Atlantic. The report suggests the FBI Director has a drinking problem, poses a national security risk and is at the helm of persistent management failures at the bureau — and it comes as lawmakers warn Patel ‘is next’ after three Trump cabinet secretaries exited the administration in recent weeks. DEMS’ ‘DELAY TACTIC’ TO ‘MALIGN’ PATEL AND STALL FBI CONFIRMATION DISMISSED AS ‘BASELESS’ BY TOP SENATE LEADER “Kash Patel should be next,” Democrat House Whip Katherine Clark said after news broke of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s exit Monday following a probe into her own alleged ethical lapses. “Start the clock,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., added following the Atlantic’s report. Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department and representatives for Patel regarding the FOIA request, but did not hear back in time for publication. A spokesperson for the FBI directed Fox News Digital to a series of X posts from Patel and others rebuking the allegations from The Atlantic’s reporting. “Memo to the fake news — the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing,” one of the posts from Patel stated. “No amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America safe again and taking down the criminals you love.” A separate post by Patel, which the FBI spokesperson directed Fox News Digital towards, included an interview Patel held with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “Under President Trump’s brilliant leadership in backing the blue and backing law enforcement, this FBI has the most prolific year in crime reduction in United States history,” Patel says in the interview, before launching into a slew of statistics also laid out in the post’s caption. “If I’m not doing my job, if I’m not working, then how is it that the FBI delivered the safest America under President Trump’s leadership in the history of our country?” Meanwhile, earlier this week, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic for its reporting on his alleged conduct. PATEL DOUBLES DOWN ON FBI ELECTION HUB RAID, SAYS TRUMP CALLED AGENTS DIRECTLY TO THANK THEM FOR OPERATION Democratic Party leadership warned the FBI and DOJ about its duty to preserve all records related to alleged incidents involving Patel that could become subject to a potential congressional inquiry. Then came the FOIA filing. “Democracy Forward Foundation seeks records that would help the public understand the issues raised in the Atlantic article as it relates to previous reporting on potential concerns surrounding Director Patel’s ability to run a key law enforcement agency and his use of taxpayer dollars,” the group’s letter to the Justice Department states. The group is interested in Patel’s calendars, schedule, text messages and other electronic communications between himself and his staff. Democracy Forward also specifically asks for any records reflecting “a request for or use of ‘breaching equipment’ that was made by or used by Director Kash Patel’s security detail.” The request comes at a time when the DOJ is facing its own shake-up after Pam Bondi was ousted as Attorney General earlier this month. Todd Blanche, once Bondi’s deputy, is serving as Acting Attorney General. When asked about Patel’s future as the top dog at the FBI, Republican strategist Mark Bednar, who has worked for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and current Transportation Secretary and former Congressman Sean Duffy, was more supportive of his tenure, arguing the FBI has seen positive change since Patel took charge. “In the years leading up to President Trump being elected to his second term, the American people had lost confidence in the FBI as an institution. Kash Patel is part of President Trump’s goal of revitalizing the agency and executing on the “Make America Safe Again” agenda,” Bednar told Fox News Digital. A separate GOP strategist who requested anonymity argued that if Patel leaves it won’t be because of The Atlantic hit piece. “If Kash Patel goes down, it won’t be because of a damaging Atlantic story, which is a badge of honor in this Administration,” they told Fox News Digital. “It’s more likely because the President views him as becoming a liability during a time of war, as well as a desire to clean house in one fell swoop as the midterms approach.” “There’s already blood in the water with the three ousted Cabinet picks, and knocking out one more gives the President a chance to head into November with a refreshed slate and the best team around him.”
Another Democrat exits California’s crowded gubernatorial race weeks before the June 2 primary election
Another Democrat has dropped out of California’s crowded gubernatorial race as the primary election approaches in roughly six weeks. Former state Controller Betty Yee, of San Francisco, announced her withdrawal Monday after polling showed she had failed to break into the top tier of candidates, according to The Associated Press (AP). Her exit comes just a week after embattled former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell also withdrew from the race amid multiple serious sexual misconduct allegations. “Today I am announcing that my campaign for governor will be suspended,” Yee said in a video announcement, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported. “This campaign has always been about something much bigger than any one candidate. It’s about building a California where opportunity is real and owned, where government regains trust by being responsible and accountable, and where no one is left behind.” JOY REID BLASTS CA DEMS FOR LETTING GOP CONTENDERS TAKE LEAD IN GOVERNOR’S RACE Yee, who had been vying to become California’s first female governor as Gov. Gavin Newsom prepares to leave office, consistently lagged in the polls, never rising above roughly 3% support among likely voters, according to local nonprofit outlet Cal Matters. She attributed her inability to gain traction in part to fundraising challenges in a race known for its steep costs and heavy advertising demands. “It was becoming clear that the donors were not going to be there. Even some of my former supporters just felt like they needed to move on,” Yee said, according to The AP. KEVIN MCCARTHY CALLS GAVIN NEWSOM’S LEADERSHIP A ‘FAILURE,’ WARNS CALIFORNIA IS ON ‘DOWNWARD SLOPE’ During an emotional announcement, Yee thanked her supporters who stood by her throughout her two-year campaign, which emphasized her experience managing the state budget and highlighted her family’s middle-class immigrant background. Before serving as state controller, where she audited government agencies and oversaw the allocation of state funds, Yee previously worked as a budget director under former Gov. Gray Davis before being elected to the State Board of Equalization. Yee’s exit leaves former Rep. Katie Porter as the primary woman in the race. As the June 2 primary election approaches in what is expected to be one of the nation’s most closely watched state contests, other remaining key candidates include Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer, along with Republican frontrunners Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Soros-linked dark money network fuels Virginia redistricting push backed by national Democrats
Virginians for Fair Elections, a main group fighting to get Virginia voters to approve a ballot referendum that will allow the state to redraw its congressional maps, has been pumped with millions in cash from a web of George Soros-backed dark money groups and top Democratic Party officials. The money the group has garnered ahead of Tuesday’s vote, which is poised to allow Democrats in the House of Representatives to potentially take four seats from Republicans going into the midterms, also comes from leading Democratic Party figures and organizations like Nancy Pelosi and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). Other left-wing juggernauts pumping money into the Democratic Party’s redistricting effort in Virginia include the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Eric Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which once championed the adoption of “independent redistricting commissions,” national green energy group the League of Conservation Voters, and the U.S. House of Representatives campaign arm for the Democratic Party, according to a Fox News Digital review of state campaign finance records and records from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), which tracks public spending in Virginia. VIRGINIA DEMS ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY ‘STEAMROLLING’ STATE LAW THAT COULD UPEND REDISTRICTING CRUSADE “Dark money is flooding into Virginia,” GOP strategist Matt Gorman told Fox News Digital. “Democrats talked all about the cost of living during the campaign, but all they did once in office was raise taxes and rig elections. It’ll be the same elsewhere across the country in 2026 too.” Fox News Digital reported in March that the left-wing group fighting to redraw Virginia’s maps raised more than $38 million, according to VPAP’s donation totals based on state campaign finance records. As of right before the mid-April referendum vote, just a handful of weeks later, that total ballooned to more than $64 million. In 2026, the largest giver to Virginians for Fair Elections was House Majority Forward, the nonprofit counterpart of House Democrats’ House Majority PAC, which has donated over $38 million, records show. Meanwhile, entities directly tied to Soros, or that obtained significant funding which can be traced back to the billionaire Democrat megadonor, come in second and third in terms of total giving to the group, per VPAP’s accounting of donation totals. One of those groups, the Fund for Policy Reform Inc, was founded by Soros. The other, titled The Fairness Project, has been funded by groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund, Hopewell Fund and the Tides Foundation, which Soros has given significant funding to. DAVID MARCUS: DESPERATE DEMS TAP OBAMA TO PITCH VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING LIES Another one of the top donors to the left’s Virginians for Fair Elections is American Opportunity Action, described as “a pure pass-through entity” by Parker Thayer, a dark money expert from the conservative Capital Research Center. The group is so new that it does not even appear to have any 990s filed with the IRS but is still one of Virginians for Fair Elections’ top donors, according to VPAP and state campaign finance records. Top Democratic Party members of Congress from outside Virginia, including Reps. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., and Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also donated tens-of-thousands of dollars, according to a review of state campaign finance records. Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s leadership PAC donated $100,000 as well, while the Democratic Party of Virginia put up just shy of a million dollars, per VPAP’s accounting. Meanwhile, a group founded by Obama wingman Eric Holder, who previously championed “independent redistricting commissions,” provided a more than $10,000 in-kind contribution to the left-wing redistricting group, state election filings show. The League of Conservation Voters, and the Soros-backed MoveOn.org were also among Virginians for Fair Election’s top donors. In terms of labor union support, SEIU gave half-a-million, while AFT gave $100,000. CBS HOST PRESSES FORMER AG ON DEFENDING PARTISAN REDISTRICTING EFFORTS IN VIRGINIA Fox News Digital reached out to Soros’ Open Society Foundations and the other top donors pumping thousands or millions into the redistricting battle, but did not receive a response ahead of publication. “No one wanted to take this action, but in a democracy, we can’t let entire states rig their congressional maps just to bend to the will of one person,” Alexis Magnan-Callaway, a spokesperson for The Fairness Project, told Fox News Digital in March. “We have to respond. This amendment is a temporary, one-time exception that gives Virginia voters a voice and meets the needs of the current moment, while ensuring Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process will resume after the 2030 census,” she continued. “This isn’t about favoring one party over another. This is about restoring fairness across the board by temporarily changing Virginia’s congressional districts.” A main group in Virginia opposing the redistricting effort led by Democrats, Virginians For Fair Maps, raised a little over $3 million at the time of Fox News Digital’s late March report. However, the right-wing redistricting group in Virginia appears to have gained some ground since then as well, albeit still far behind the left’s Virginians for Fair Elections funding totals. As of just before the referendum vote Tuesday, the anti-redistricting referendum group raised its fundraising total to nearly $20 million, with most of that money coming from a group by the same name that is also a significant donor to the Virginia Republican Party. Other donations to the group come from a series of several much smaller donors, such as $50,000 from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and $100,000 from a wealthy D.C.-area real-estate investor, who donates primarily to GOP campaigns. That investor is the top individual donor at $100,000 out of just a handful of individual contributions, according to VPAP. Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, has reportedly given more than $500,000 in efforts against the redistricting measure, per reporting from the Virginia Scope. He also has been a leading voice in Virginia holding events to campaign against the measure despite no longer being in office. Wealthy tech entrepreneur and Republican donor Peter Thiel has reportedly donated to Justice for Democracy PAC, which has been part
GOP blasts Virginia amendment as maps could swing delegation to 10-1 Democratic advantage
Ahead of a special election on Tuesday, Virginia Republicans blasted a proposed constitutional amendment in their state that could soon cost them their congressional seats, calling the effort the most “unfair” of a string of redrawn maps across the country. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., believes it’s a sentiment shared by voters. “I was with a group of Virginia Watermen this morning from across the state and they’re [feeling] the same way. They say ‘no, we’re not going to let them turn us into a state that’s only governed by a portion of the state,’” Wittman said. The Virginia redistricting effort, which requires a statewide vote to go into effect, follows similar shakeups in Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah. BETO O’ROURKE DROPS F-BOMB AS HE URGES DEMS TO ‘MEET FIRE WITH FIRE’ AGAINST GOP REDISTRICTING PLANS IN TEXAS But unlike many of those other states that already have a distinct party advantage one way or another, Virginia’s GOP blasted what they saw as a drastic power swing they say misrepresents the state’s purple voter base. If successful, the new maps would temporarily turn the current 6-5 congressional split to a 10-1 advantage for Democrats by stretching the borders of traditionally Republican areas across Democratic strongholds. The state’s normal process, conducted by a nonpartisan redistricting commission, would go back into effect in 2030 at the next U.S. census. With up to four more seats, Democrats hope to recapture control of the House of Representatives, where a razor-thin majority favors Republicans — for now. The GOP holds a 217-213 advantage in the chamber. Democrats supporting the idea argue that Virginia is key to balancing out Republican-led gerrymandering efforts that began in Texas, describing the push as purely retaliatory. “Virginia’s redistricting referendum gives voters the power to respond to a president who says he’s ‘entitled’ to more GOP seats in Congress before Americans vote in the midterms [and] to efforts in other states to give those seats to him,” Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a post after teeing up the vote last month. Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin argued that the state’s current makeup more accurately reflects Virginia’s population. AS AMERICA TURNS 250, TRUMP SHOULD RESTORE WASHINGTON DC’S ORIGINAL BORDERS “We have fair maps today that represent Virginians, and what this constitutional amendment would mean is that we go to the most unfair maps in America, and therefore, ‘no’ is the right vote,” Youngkin said. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that politically favoring one party through the design of state’s district is constitutional, the practice, better known as gerrymandering, has been banned in Virginia since a constitutional referendum in 2020. However, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state could temporarily amend its constitution to allow the implementation of new maps. “’Do you want to restore fairness in elections temporarily?’” Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said, referencing the phrasing of the referendum. “It’s insane how that question is worded. So wrong how it’s written. But here we are. This is our chance to use our voice and our vote. And that’s very powerful. But the ball is in our court.’” Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., argued that undoing that prohibition now would be a mistake — even if it’s temporary in nature. FIRST TIME VOTING? HERE IS THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BALLOT BOXES, CRITICAL ISSUES ON ELECTION DAY “Virginians spoke in 2020; you know what they said? By a supermajority, they said no to gerrymandering. They said: ‘Let’s have a bipartisan determination of these districts.’ And by the way, they’ve been shown to be the most bipartisan districts across the United States,” Wittman said. Polls open in Virginia at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
Lawyer for American detained in Iran says hostage deal is ‘easiest problem on the table’ for both sides
The matter of American hostages wrongfully detained in Iran could be resolved during negotiations between Tehran and Washington as both sides navigate a fragile ceasefire amid attempts to end the conflict, one expert said. Ryan Fayhee, a lawyer for Abdolreza “Reza” Valizadeh, 49, who has been detained by Iran for more than a year, stressed the urgency of a diplomatic solution to secure his client’s release as pressure on Iran remains high during the war against the United States and Israel. “It is my job as Reza’s lawyer to make sure that it doesn’t get lost,” Fayhee told Fox News Digital. “While I have high confidence that this is part of the negotiations, even though the administration hasn’t stated so publicly… it is officially my job to make sure it remains part of those conversations. And equally so — and this is the bigger challenge, because obviously, I don’t have full control — it’s my job to make sure Reza is safe and alive to allow for those negotiations to take place that ideally will secure his release.” Iran is currently holding six Americans, though only two have been publicly identified: Valizadeh and 61-year-old Kamran Hekmati. Both hold dual Iranian and American citizenship and were being held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. WHY TRUMP, IRAN SEEM LIGHT-YEARS APART ON ANY POSSIBLE DEAL TO END THE WAR In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued warnings on social media for residents living near the prison to evacuate the area amid continuing airstrikes. “Despite Reza and Kamran Hekmati both being American citizens, the Iranians don’t recognize their American citizenship,” Fayhee said. “For that reason, they don’t receive traditional consular services. And even if they did, we don’t have an embassy there.” In February, the State Department designated Iran a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention” for arbitrarily arresting Americans to use as bargaining chips in future negotiations. “For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time. “This abhorrent practice must end.” IRAN THREATENS TO END CEASEFIRE OVER HEZBOLLAH’S EXCLUSION FROM TRUCE DEAL The designation adds extra layers of isolating tools, such as sanctions and travel restrictions, Fayhee noted. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department and the White House, which has called on Iran to release every American being detained. “President Trump has been clear that he wants every American wrongfully detained to be returned home safe and sound, and that there will be dire consequences for regimes who treat Americans as political pawns,” a White House spokesperson told The Associated Press. VANCE WARNS IRAN WILL ‘FIND OUT’ TRUMP IS ‘NOT ONE TO MESS AROUND’ IF CEASEFIRE DEAL FALLS APART A second round of talks between Tehran and Washington has stalled as a clear path to a diplomatic resolution of the seven-week war remains uncertain. On Monday, President Donald Trump said he was under no pressure to make a deal with Iran, “although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!” he wrote on Truth Social. Valizadeh was arrested in September 2024 during a visit to see family and was sentenced after being convicted of working with a “hostile government.” As a journalist, he previously reported on the 2009 pro-democracy protests in Iran and the regime’s heavy-handed response. As a result, he was exiled and began working for Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Securing a deal to free any Americans being held in Iran could prove difficult given Tehran’s proclivity for deception, Roger Carstens, the former U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, previously told Fox News. “Strangely, the Russians, the Chinese, the Taliban, and the Venezuelans — when you start getting into hostage discussions, they tell the truth, and they stick to what they promise. You can do a handshake deal with the Taliban, and they’re going to follow through,” Carstens said. “The Iranians? Absolutely not.” However, Fayhee, who also served as the lawyer for Paul Rusesabagina — the hotelier portrayed in the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda” — said he maintains hope for Valizadeh’s release. He noted that Iran is increasingly isolated following its missile strikes on its Arab neighbors and the opposition it faces from Western powers. “It is the easiest problem on the table to solve, and both sides should acknowledge that,” Fayhee said. “Both sides should focus on it because clearly they’re trying to build a relationship of trust in these negotiations, and this is the surest way to do that.” “The easiest thing Iran can do to show they’re genuinely interested in backing themselves out of this corner is to release these Americans,” he added. “It is low-hanging fruit.”
WATCH: Cory Booker unleashes fiery call for ‘foot soldiers’ at Michigan Dem conference
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., delivered a high-energy, revival sermon-style speech at the Michigan Democratic Convention, shouting and gesturing as he urged Democrats to become “foot soldiers for democracy” and warned that “darkness and wind” are sweeping the nation. Booker was one of several out-of-state leaders, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, to participate in the Michigan Democratic Convention. All three have been floated as possible contenders for the 2028 presidential election. Booker spoke for roughly 25 minutes and at several points bellowed at the crowd, adopting a poetic cadence and word choice. “Ladies and gentlemen, there is a storm in our nation,” Booker exclaimed, finishing his speech. “There is darkness and wind. People are getting hurt. What we need is not from on high. We need foot soldiers of our democracy who in times of trial, are willing to stand up.” MAJOR TRUMP CRITIC HAS ‘NOT DISMISSED’ ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL RUN AHEAD OF 2028 ELECTION Booker then announced that it was time for Democrats to “redeem the dream of America.” “Will you stand for our democracy? Will you stand to get out the vote? Will you stand for our children? Will you stand up for our elders?” Booker said. “And will you stand together, unified, strong — be the hope that people need. We are Democrats. It’s time for a new deal. It’s time to redeem the dream of America.” Booker, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020, used the speech as an opportunity to introduce himself to Michigan voters, sharing his career in politics and his family ties to the Great Lakes State. CORY BOOKER ADMITS DEMOCRATS ‘FAILED IN MY GENERATION’ IN SCATHING ASSESSMENT OF HIS OWN PARTY At one point, he expressed his dismay with voters who opted out of voting for presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Vice President Kamala Harris because they disagreed “on ten percent of her views.” “Well, you may disagree with her on 10% of her views, but you let someone get in office who you disagree with on everything,” Booker railed. “You let somebody get in office who is locking up our children. You let somebody in office who’s taking away our health care. You let somebody in office who’s taken away workers rights. You let somebody in office who got rid of the Department of Education.” He then suggested that Democratic voters in Michigan turn the Michigan hand — a reference to the state’s shape — into the “Michigan fist.” CORY BOOKER CONFRONTED WITH OLD CLIP OF HIMSELF SAYING HE LOVES DONALD TRUMP “I don’t want the Michigan hand after your August primary, I want the Michigan fist,” Booker shouted. “I want you all to unite. I want you to punch a hole in the wall of resistance. I want you to grab a sledgehammer and knock some stuff down. I want you to reach up and grab somebody and get them off the couch and get him on the field. We got points to put on the board. I want that Michigan fist. I want some unity.” However, former MSNBC commentator Medhi Hasan took issue with Booker’s assertion about Democratic voters who didn’t vote for Harris in 2024. Hasan said that Booker’s characterization places the blame on voters for a Democratic loss rather than the party platform. “I tried to tell people who didn’t vote Dem in 2024 ‘to teach Democrats a lesson’ that sadly Democrats will never learn that lesson,” Hasan said on X, sharing a video of Booker speaking. “Here’s Booker simply attacking and mocking people who didn’t show up to vote Dem. It’s always the voters’ fault, never the Dems or their candidates.” Other critics poked fun at Booker’s emphatic deliverance. “Calm down, Spartacus,” wrote America First Works, a non-profit group and the advocacy arm of the America First Policy Institute. Fox News Digital reached out to Booker for comment.
Leaked memos reveal how Supreme Court steamrolled Obama climate plan in 2016 showdown
The Supreme Court’s emergency order blocking former President Barack Obama’s signature clean energy initiative in 2016 came after a series of leaked internal memos among the justices that revealed a fight along ideological lines about whether to intervene. The rare glimpse at the high court’s internal memos, obtained by the New York Times, showed Chief Justice John Roberts, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, urging the Supreme Court to block Obama’s effort, while liberal justices pushed back. Roberts and the court’s conservatives were concerned not just with Obama’s policy itself, but with the possibility that the Clean Power Plan could reshape the power sector before the justices could fully review whether it was lawful, the newly revealed memos show. “Absent a stay, the Clean Power Plan will cause (and is causing) substantial and irreversible reordering of the domestic power sector before this court has an opportunity to review its legality,” Roberts wrote in one of the memos published by the New York Times on Friday. JACKSON-KAVANAUGH TENSIONS SURFACE IN CANDID EXCHANGE OVER SUPREME COURT ‘SHADOW DOCKET’ Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court’s communications team Monday for comment on the leaks. The push from Roberts came as the justices were considering what was viewed at the time as an unusual request on the emergency docket, sometimes called a “shadow docket,” from red states and outside groups to halt the Obama-era regulation, which aimed to cut carbon emissions over the next 25 years, before lower courts had fully weighed in, a step that the liberal justices warned would break from longstanding practice. The emergency docket allows litigants to bypass typical court proceedings and seek immediate relief from the Supreme Court if lower courts block them through restraining orders or preliminary injunctions. The Clean Power Plan would have involved the Obama Environmental Protection Agency regulating coal, oil and gas plants under the Clean Air Act. Roberts wrote that without the Supreme Court stepping in, “both the states and private industry will suffer irreparable harm from a rule that is — in my view — highly unlikely to survive.” In another memo, Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee, disagreed, saying “the unique nature of the relief sought in these applications gives me real pause.” JONATHAN TURLEY: CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS COULD LEARN FROM BASEBALL GREAT TED WILLIAMS WHEN IT COMES TO LEAKS Justice Samuel Alito, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, circulated a memo the same day as Kagan in which he agreed with Roberts. “A failure to stay this rule threatens to render our ability to provide meaningful judicial review — and by extension, our institutional legitimacy — a nullity,” Alito wrote. Within a matter of days, the justices temporarily blocked Obama’s Clean Power Plan 5-4 along ideological lines, effectively dealing it a death blow because Democrats would lose the White House later that year. The New York Times noted that the Obama White House dismissed the ruling at the time as a small hurdle but that “behind closed doors, officials were astonished that the court had intervened so quickly.” The back-and-forth in the memos during the short period of time, from the end of January 2016 to Feb. 9, when the brief decision was issued, showed how fast the justices moved to weigh in on a major presidential action. Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University, wrote in an op-ed that the anonymous leak of the memos to the New York Times, the second leak of confidential material after the Dobbs opinion leak in 2022, was “clearly designed to wound some of its members.” “For an institution that prides itself on its confidentiality and insularity, the court is looking increasingly porous and partisan in these leaks,” Turley wrote. KAGAN SCREAMED SO LOUDLY AT LIBERAL ALLY AFTER DOBBS LEAK THE ‘WALL WAS SHAKING,’ BOOK CLAIMS The New York Times’ report highlighted that legal experts have long viewed the Clean Power Plan decision as one of the first examples of the Supreme Court using the emergency docket in a way that limits executive power over national policy. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, has been among the most vocal dissenters in emergency cases during President Donald Trump’s second term as the president frequently benefits from the fast-paced docket. Jackson is sometimes joined by her two liberal colleagues, Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissents, and emergency cases have often split 6-3 in favor of Trump. Last week, Jackson aired her grievances in a different forum, blasting emergency docket decisions during a Yale Law School speech as rushed, “scratch-paper musings” that undermine the high court’s purpose. “Given the real world facts that a stay request asks the court to consider, the court’s stay decisions can, at times, come across utterly irrational,” Jackson said. “We cannot expect the public to have faith in our judicial system if, without clear explanation, we consistently greenlight harmful acts.” Legal experts have attributed the heightened activity on the emergency docket to a rise in presidents attempting to shape national policy through through executive orders. “[An increase in emergency motions] coincides with the rise of executive orders and other forms of unilateral executive action really as the primary form of lawmaking in our country with the disappearance of Congress, and that has posed enormous challenges for the court,” attorney Kannon Shanmugam said during a Federalist Society panel last fall. Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for comment.
Dem Senate candidate ripped for Kamala Harris-style marching band theatrics at convention
Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow is getting dragged on social media after dancing into the state Democratic Party Convention on Sunday alongside a marching band — a flashy entrance that drew parallels to viral moments from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2019 presidential campaign. “Mallory McMorrow walked into the second half of today’s convention flanked by DrumKINGZ and a whole lot of supporters. Many are calling it McMentum,” her campaign wrote in a post to X, accompanied by the video. The entrance comes as McMorrow competes in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, with critics quickly portraying the moment as political theater and comparing it to Harris’ 2019 campaign optics. “Following right in the footsteps of the queen [of] losing primaries,” one account wrote alongside an image of Harris. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE RESPONDS TO BACKLASH OVER KHAMENEI COMMENTS, CALLS IRAN CONFLICT ‘WAR WE DON’T NEED’ Harris had a viral moment in 2019 when she joined a string of students who were energetically dancing to a marching band in Iowa as she looked to lock down the Democratic nomination that year. She was also spotted dancing with a marching band at another campaign event in South Carolina that same year. “This is Mallory McMorrow. She’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan. This is how she entered the Democratic Party Convention The theater kids are at it again…” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok said in a post highlighting the video. “That’s what you get when you don’t have a message,” Abdul El-Sayed, one of McMorrow’s primary challengers, reportedly told local media of the scene. Neither McMorrow’s office nor Kamala Harris responded immediately to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S JOB LISTING INVITES APPLICANTS OF ANY ‘CITIZENSHIP STATUS’ TO APPLY FOR TOP ROLE McMorrow is fending off challengers such as El-Sayed, a former physician, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a four-term member of the House of Representatives. Stevens leads the trio in fundraising, reporting $8.8 million in contributions at the close of March. But she’s followed narrowly by McMorrow’s $8.6 million and El-Sayed’s $7.6 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. As a former small business owner and Michigan state senator, McMorrow has tried to stake out a lane between Stevens, who is often seen as the more establishment-oriented candidate, and El-Sayed, the progressive candidate who has emphasized policies like Medicare for All. In her time at the state level, McMorrow worked to strengthen unions and raise wages, eliminated the retirement tax for seniors and repealed Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, according to her biography page. “Mallory will bring that same determination to deliver for Michigan families in the U.S. Senate,” the website reads. WATCH: DEM SENATE HOPEFUL CAUGHT PLOTTING TO SILO CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLETS WITH TOP AIDE McMorrow has attracted endorsements from Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The Democratic primary is set for August 4.