Noem declares America’s border ‘most secure’ in nation’s history under Trump administration
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem declared Friday that America’s border is the “most secure” in history, pointing to an eighth straight month of zero parole releases. In a post on X, Noem touted newly released Customs and Border Protection (CBP) numbers for December 2025, praising President Trump and frontline law enforcement for delivering historic results. “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the dedication of DHS law enforcement, America’s borders are safer than any time in our nation’s history,” Noem wrote. “What President Trump and our CBP agents and officers have been able to do in a single year is nothing short of extraordinary.” CBP reported zero parole releases in December, compared to 7,041 released along the southwest border in December 2024 under the Biden administration. TRUMP HAS MADE THE BORDER SECURE AGAIN — BUT NOW THE HARD PART BEGINS “Once again, we have a record low number of encounters at the border and the 8th straight month of zero releases,” Noem said. “Month after month, we are delivering results that were once thought impossible: the most secure border in history and unmatched enforcement successes.” According to CBP, total nationwide encounters from October through December fell to 91,603, the lowest ever recorded at the start of a fiscal year and 25% below the previous record low set in 2012. December alone saw just 30,698 encounters nationwide, a 92% drop from the Biden-era peak of 370,883 and the lowest December total on record, according to the federal agency. THE NEW HIGH-TECH TOOL TRUMP IS USING TO SECURE OUR BORDER Along the southwest border, Border Patrol recorded just 21,815 apprehensions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, marking a 95% drop compared to the Biden administration’s first-quarter average, CBP noted. Border Patrol agents made 6,478 apprehensions in December along the southwest border, marking a 96% decrease from the Biden administration’s monthly average and fewer than what agents encountered in just four days in December 2024. Border patrol agents averaged 209 apprehensions per day during the month, compared to Biden-era levels that exceeded that number every 1.5 hours, CBP wrote. “Our agents and officers have set a new standard for border security, achieving historic results that speak for themselves,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement. NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN CBP also seized 39,030 pounds of illicit drugs nationwide in December. “The men and women of CBP are demonstrating what’s possible through unwavering commitment and effective enforcement and will continue to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s borders every single day,” Scott added.
Federal prosecutors open investigation into Walz, Frey over alleged impeding of law enforcement
Fox News has learned federal prosecutors are investigating both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for allegedly impeding law enforcement efforts in the blue state. Two sources familiar confirmed the probe, though no additional details about the investigation have been publicly released. Sources said the investigation is in early stages, and it is unclear if it will result in any criminal charges. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Fox News the duo’s anti-ICE rhetoric was teetering on a federal crime. “When the governor or the mayor threaten our officers, when the mayor suggests that he’s encouraging citizens to call 911 when they see ICE officers, that is very close to a federal crime,” Blanche said. Bondi added on X, “A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law.” PROTESTERS CLASH WITH FEDERAL OFFICERS AFTER ANOTHER ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS Walz responded to the news by accusing the Trump administration of “weaponizing the justice system.” “Two days ago, it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly,” Walz wrote in an X post. “Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.” Frey also weighed in on social media, asserting he “will not be intimidated.” “This is an obvious attempt to intimidate me for standing up for Minneapolis, local law enforcement, and residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our city,” Frey wrote on X. “I will not be intimidated. My focus remains where it’s always been: keeping our city safe. Frey’s office told Fox News Digital they have not yet heard from the federal government. “America depends on leaders that use integrity and the rule of law as the guideposts for governance,” Frey’s office wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.” “America depends on leaders that use integrity and the rule of law as the guideposts for governance. Neither our city nor our country will succumb to this fear. We stand rock solid.” Both Democrat leaders have encouraged anti-immigration enforcement protests following the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Jan. 7 by a federal agent while allegedly blocking an ICE operation in Minneapolis. The White House’s Rapid Response 47 team criticized Walz following a statewide address Wednesday, where he called for ICE agents to be prosecuted. “Help us establish a record of exactly what’s happening in our communities. You have an absolute right to peacefully film ICE agents as they conduct these activities,” Walz said. “So, carry your phone with you at all times. And if you see these ICE agents in your neighborhood, take out that phone and hit record. “Help us create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans, not just to establish a record for posterity. But to bank evidence for future prosecution.” Frey called for peace on Wednesday, just days after telling ICE to “get the f— out” of the city. OMAR, MINNEAPOLIS MAYOR ACCUSE TRUMP ADMIN OF UNLEASHING ‘POLITICAL RETRIBUTION,’ ‘INVASION’ WITH ICE ACTIVITY White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News that Walz, Frey and other Democratic leaders have “done nothing but turn up the temperature, smear heroic ICE officers, and incite violence against them—all in defense of criminal illegal aliens.” President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday warning he would invoke the Insurrection Act if Minnesotans continue aggression toward federal agents. “If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump wrote in the post. WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS, INSURRECTION ACT THREAT LOOMS The Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy the military to suppress rebellions and enforce federal laws, has not been invoked since the 1992 Los Angeles riots. If invoked, National Guardsmen could be deployed to carry out domestic law enforcement. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
Pro-Trump group unleashes blueprint for crucial housing initiative featuring top MAGA influencer
FIRST ON FOX: A new initiative to “Make Housing Great Again” led by conservative influencer Benny Johnson and the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has a plan to make housing more affordable for Americans. In November, Johnson and AFPI announced a new ‘Make Housing Great Again’ initiative, which has also tapped former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson and developer Michael Burkentine to help advise. Johnson brings a massive following to the initiative and also has a stake in the matter himself, considering he is a young father, AFPI noted when asked to explain the decision to select Johnson as the initiative’s co-chair and national spokesperson. This week, the initiative unveiled a list of policy goals it will pursue, which it believes will make the American dream of owning a home more attainable for all. TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO LIZ WARREN ON CREDIT CARD RATES AS GOP WEIGHS AFFORDABILITY FIGHT “Housing affordability has reached a crisis point in America, with a 167% increase in home prices in the past half-century. The result of more expensive homes is the delay of a significant life milestone: homeownership,” the MAGA housing initiative’s policy white paper points out. “The America First vision of housing affordability is to restore the American Dream to what it once was. By taking a pragmatic and targeted approach to the affordability crisis these proposals will increase the housing supply, provide direct relief to home buyers, bring prices down, and, ultimately, allow all Americans to obtain the cornerstone of the American Dream: a place to call their own.” Incentivizing deregulation at the local level via market-driven solutions, efforts to reduce construction costs, the implementation of tax benefits for first-time home buyers, expanding economic “opportunity zones,” and reducing foreign housing demand are among several of the policy goals the new MAGA housing initiative said it will be prioritizing. As home prices have risen, wages are not keeping pace, the blueprint pointed out, highlighting that the median household income in the United States increased 99.7% between 2000 and 2024, while the median sale price for a single-family home increased by 150.1% during the same period. Additionally, the median age of first-time home buyers today is 40, compared to just four years ago when it was 33. The “Make Housing Great Again” policy report cited low supply due to “excessive” regulations, immigration-induced demand spikes, high mortgage rates and record debt burdens among young Americans as factors causing the American dream of owning a home to be less attainable. To combat these roadblocks, the new MAGA housing initiative says it will focus on supply-side deregulation and financial incentives aimed at the local level. The initiative points out that regulations imposed by local governments often preclude the federal government from setting national-level mandates to deregulate. But, through HUD, it can incentivize localities to expand their housing supply by tying federal housing benefits to deregulation efforts. WHITE HOUSE ‘LASER FOCUSED’ ON AFFORDABILITY AS TRUMP SOFTENS TARIFF STRATEGY To encourage localities to undertake deregulatory actions, the initiative will push the Trump administration to offer “concrete benefits” to home builders and buyers, such as a Working Families Housing Fund, which the initiative is calling the “Targeted Regional U.S. Middle-Class Prosperity Fund,” or “TRUMP Fund” for short. The TRUMP fund would invest in professionally managed housing funds designed to help provide financial assistance for middle-income, working-class families in the 80% to 120% median income for their area. However, in order for people to be eligible, communities must show they have taken steps to reduce barriers to building, the initiative suggests. The “Make Housing Great Again” initiative also sees boosting the number of workers in skilled trades as an avenue to reduce overall construction costs. Experts estimate that the skilled labor jobs in the construction industry have recently been shorthanded by around 350,000 workers month-over-month. The National Association of Home Builders estimates the industry will need to hire nearly 723,000 workers per year just to keep pace with demand and close a nationwide housing gap of 1.5 million homes. “There are numerous opportunities at the state and federal levels to increase interest in and access to careers in the skilled trades,” the report argues. “By increasing interest in skilled trades and reducing barriers to entry, it is possible to increase the pipeline of workers entering skilled trades and, by extension, reduce the costs of building new homes.” A new and revamped version of Opportunity Zones, which are essentially federal tax incentives intended to spur local investment in low-income areas, is also among the policy plans AFPI and Johnson’s new MAGA housing initiative have in mind. The plan is to create Opportunity Zones Plus that would create an even higher-tier benefit for housing that is constructed in designated communities that meet certain affordability criteria. Providing direct benefits to homebuyers, such as through tax-advantaged savings plans, a family formation mortgage credit for young couples trying to have kids and a new fixed 30-year mortgage rate for first-time home buyers supplemented by HUD, were among the policy prescriptions as well. Another plan for improving housing affordability by the initiative includes reducing the housing demand among foreign nationals. According to the “Make Housing Great Again” white paper, foreign investors bought $56 billion in homes during a 12-month period between 2024 and 2025, with 47% of those foreign buyers purchasing property for use as a vacation home or rental. Foreign buyers also reportedly pay in cash at a much higher rate than American homebuyers. In an effort to help protect young homebuyers, the initiative also plans to focus on “cracking down on predatory lending” practices and setting guardrails for the industry. Congress can effectuate this change by capping the annual percentage rate (APR) lenders are allowed to set at 36% for most consumer borrowing, payday loans and credit card interest. According to the report, similar policies have been implemented for the military community. “The average first-time home buyer in America is now 40 years old. 40. Years. Old. That
Cancer-stricken children urge Bernie Sanders to back life-saving pediatric healthcare bill
Cancer-stricken patients are urging Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to reverse course and support a bill that could lead to life-saving treatments. Jacob Knudsen, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was 12 and has since endured nearly two dozen surgeries and multiple rounds of chemotherapy after tumors were discovered on his organs, is pushing for Sanders to support the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act, the New York Post reported. “There is something currently in my lung, and there’s a 50-50 chance that it’s cancer,” Knudsen, a California native and college student, told the newspaper. “I’m willing to bleed. I’m willing to lose limbs. I’m willing to lose organs. I’m willing to do anything just to survive.” SANDERS BLASTED AFTER BLOCKING BIPARTISAN KIDS’ CANCER RESEARCH BILL: ‘GRINCH,’ ‘SELFISH’ The bipartisan bill, named after Knudsen’s friend, a fellow osteosarcoma patient who died late last year at 16, would allow pediatric cancer patients to participate in clinical trials and to ensure them access to key treatments. The legislation passed unanimously in the House. However, when it reached the Senate, Sanders, who has repeatedly called for better health care, objected. He demanded other stipulations be attached, such as funding of other efforts, such as community health centers, the Post said. His opposition has slowed the bill’s advancement. Fox News Digital has reached out to Sanders. At the time of the bill’s failure in December, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., accused Sanders of playing politics with children’s lives before calling him a real-life Grinch. “Everything their senator from Vermont just talked about was political,” said Mullin, who brought the bill to the Senate floor. “I’m talking about giving kids a chance to live an extra day or a lifetime. This has nothing to do with politics. This has to do with kids.” SEN MURPHY WARNS ‘PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE’ AS CONGRESS PUNTS ON EXPIRING OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES “The Grinch is stealing kids’ lives,” he added. “And he’s stealing hope from the families.” Sanders explained that he had no problem with the legislation, which would have incentivized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and drug companies to encourage more relevant pediatric studies and invest in rare pediatric disease treatments. But he wanted to tack on an amendment to fund community health centers throughout the country. “This is not a radical amendment,” Sanders said at the time. “I’m not coming here saying, ‘Let’s do something we’ve not talked about.’ I’m not talking about passing Medicare for all here. I am talking about doing what the Republicans and Democrats agreed to a year ago but was torpedoed by some tweets from Elon Musk.” Nancy Goodman, executive director of Kids v Cancer, told the Post the bill’s failure to pass is an example of Washington’s crippling dysfunction. “The bill would ensure the most innovative, promising pediatric cancer clinical studies are conducted, and it would incentivize companies to develop novel, potentially curative drugs for these kids,” she said. “How can we say Congress is functioning if it can’t pass the easiest bill that one can ever imagine? This is a bill that has bipartisan support that saves the lives of children with cancer that costs taxpayers nothing, and yet they can’t pass it.” Goodman and her husband, former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, lost their 10-year-old son, Jacob, in 2009 to medulloblastoma. Other cancer patients feel the same as Knudsen. “I would probably tell [politicians] to talk to someone [diagnosed with cancer] just to see what they’re going through,” Anderson Coy, 21, told the Post. “The sooner we pass acts like this, the more lives we save,” Knudsen said. “How many children have died from cancer? How many of those were the next Albert Einstein that never made it? These kids could solve the world’s problems.”
‘Sheepdog’ shines light on the war after war, as veterans continue to struggle with life back home
As the United States marks more than two decades since the start of the post-9/11 wars, a new film is turning its focus away from the battlefield and toward the long-term challenges many veterans face after returning home. “Sheepdog,” written, directed by and starring Steven Grayhm, centers on an Army combat veteran navigating life years after his last deployment. The film avoids depicting combat itself, instead focusing on mental health struggles, strained relationships and the difficulty of reintegrating into civilian communities. The film debuts in theaters Friday. Grayhm said the story remained a priority for him over more than a decade as he spent time speaking with veterans, families and mental health professionals about their experiences after military service. “When someone opens up to you about the most intimate details of their life that they may not have shared with their spouse, let alone a therapist, you carry great reverence, respect, but also responsibility,” Grayhm told Fox News Digital. ARMY VETERAN GOES FROM BRINK OF DEATH TO NEW HOPE AFTER SEEING FOX NEWS REPORT ON TREATMENT The filmmaker said the project began after a chance encounter in 2011 with a tow truck driver who shared his struggles tied to military service. That conversation, he said, led him to travel the country listening to veterans and families describe life after war. Grayhm said feedback from veterans who have seen the film largely has been positive, particularly from those who said they felt their experiences were accurately reflected. “Having Vietnam veterans stand up in front of a full auditorium, and in tears saying, ‘You guys nailed it,’” Grayhm said. “To have OIF and OEF veterans say, ‘I wish I had this film 10 years ago to show my family why I am the way I am,’” he said, referring to the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terror. FALLUJAH VET TURNS MEDAL OF HEROISM INTO A HEALING MISSION FOR FELLOW WARRIORS WITH SERVICE DOGS PROGRAM Dominic Fumusa, who plays a police officer and former coach who remains involved in the veteran’s life, said the film addresses an issue that remains unresolved for many service members long after they return from deployment. “This film feels more important and more immediate and urgent than a lot of those did,” Fumusa said. “It deals directly with how our veterans are challenged upon their return from battle.” Fumusa said the story highlights the role families, first responders and local communities play in helping veterans adjust. “It really does take a team, it takes a village, it takes a community,” he said. Grayhm said one of the film’s goals is to move beyond common portrayals of trauma and focus on the possibility of recovery over time. “This film is not a post-traumatic stress movie,” Grayhm said. “It’s so important to highlight post-traumatic growth.” As “Sheepdog” opens nationwide, Grayhm said he hopes it prompts more direct conversations between civilians and veterans outside of formal settings. “Perhaps rather than ‘thank you for your service,’ simply, ‘How are you doing?’” he said.
Unity wins out as Republicans swallow $643M in funding for Trump-opposed media agency
Despite President Donald Trump’s past efforts to shut it down, Republicans passed a spending package that includes $643 million for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), choosing legislative unity over a fight that could have derailed the must-pass spending bill. The move underscored the GOP’s ongoing struggle to pursue party objectives while also crafting legislation that can unite Republicans amid razor-thin margins in the House of Representatives. The funding goes toward radio, internet, television and broadcasting grants in the Middle East. The item passed both chambers of Congress this week as part of this year’s National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Act (NSRP). Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., one of the legislators who worked on the NSRP, said the final number came about from talks with Kari Lake, a senior advisor for the agency with close ties to the president. DHS AT CENTER OF PROGRESSIVE REVOLT AS HOUSE ADVANCES $80B SPENDING PACKAGE “She seemed to me like we’re on the same team on this,” Alford said when asked about those conversations. “I continue to communicate with her often and look forward to working with her as she tries to right this program and get it back to its original intent.” At the outset of his second term, Trump issued an executive order shuttering the USAGM, the parent organization of Voice of America, claiming that the organization had a clear bent against Republican principles and didn’t serve the country’s domestic interests. However, when courts ruled that the administration lacked the power needed to remove its congressionally approved funding, the agency remained in place. Despite the continuation of its funding, Alford believes Republicans took a step toward the president’s wishes, noting that the NSRP bill trims the agency’s budget. DEMOCRAT TAKEOVER FEARS RISE AS GOP CLINGS TO SLIM HOUSE MAJORITY “I think the cuts that we’re making, which is a 25% reduction, is a significant step forward to meeting what Kari Lake wants as well. I’m hoping that we can do even more in the 2027 appropriations bill,” Alford said. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who voted to advance the NSRP funding bill and its provision on USAGM, said he personally wants to see the funding eliminated. “I would prefer that the federal government funds zero,” Higgins said moments before Wednesday’s vote. “We support the president’s executive actions and his executive orders, and we endeavor to codify them. We just don’t have extra money to spend on things.” “But I’m not going to let something like that stop me from supporting the larger measure,” he added. Higgins, a member of the fiscally conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Republicans must pick their battles carefully amid a razor-thin, two-seat majority in the House, following the retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., earlier this month. Republicans will continue to face questions about how to pursue party priorities in the coming weeks as they work through the year’s remaining spending legislation. “We don’t have the luxury of just casually opposing our own bills. It’s just so tight, man. So, our goal is to pass our legislation — especially when you’re faced with the alternative of a government shutdown,” Higgins said, noting the consequences that would follow if Congress were to fail to pass spending legislation. Currently, Republicans hold just a two-seat majority in the chamber. CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $80B SPENDING BILL AS DEMS THREATEN DHS FUNDING AMID SHUTDOWN FEARS When asked whether Democrats had pressed to include the USAGM funding in the NSRP package, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., did not describe the conversations but noted the package had resulted from bipartisan negotiations. “How things get into these appropriations bills in this climate — all we do is advocate and leverage whatever we have. Some days you’re the bug, some days you’re the windshield,” Quigley said. The NSRP, having cleared both chambers of Congress, now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature.
Trump admin warns of ‘widescale doxxing’ of ICE if House Dem’s new bill passes
EXCLUSIVE: The Trump administration is firing back at a Democratic Bronx congressman who offered a new-age way for civilians to identify immigration enforcement agents who obscure their identity with masks or lack of names on their uniforms amid civil unrest around the country. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, said he is introducing the Quick Recognition Act next week, which would require ICE and CBP agents to wear uniforms that feature QR codes – the two-dimensional offshoot of barcodes that can link a concrete item to a website or information portal. At sporting events or in restaurants, they often use QR codes to draw customers to scan them and open webpages to enter contests or access menus. In Torres’ case, scanning the QR code on an officer’s uniform would return their name, badge number and agency that employs them. The White House said Torres’ bill would spur a “widescale doxxing campaign” and encourage protesters to “approach and interfere with law enforcement operations.” DEMOCRATIC THINK TANK URGES PARTY TO DROP ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SLOGAN IN NEW MEMO “This is all because Democrats want to defend criminal illegal aliens,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. “Surely this cannot be a serious proposal,” she added. The administration cited DHS data showing ICE officers facing a 1,300% increase in assaults because of Democrats’ “dangerous and untrue smears.” WHITE HOUSE BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR ICE VIOLENCE AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS, INSURRECTION ACT THREAT LOOMS Torres’ office, by contrast, was defiant when asked about such concerns. “There is nothing the Trump administration fears more than transparency and accountability,” Torres spokesman Benny Stanislawski told Fox News Digital. Torres also told the Big Apple outlet AMNewYork that the need is “urgent” to “unmask ICE not only physically but digitally.” OMAR, DEMS DEMAND NOEM IMPEACHMENT, PAINT MINNESOTA WOMAN SHOT BY ICE AS ‘POET’ WHO CHOSE ‘LOVE’ While Torres told the paper he predicts some pushback from law enforcement, he said that scanning QR codes is safer than asking for an officer’s ID. He noted that most other agencies require officers to identify themselves in their line of duty, calling ICE a “systemically corrupt institution” and added he will oppose any future congressional appropriation that funds ICE more than $1. A Democratic congressman from Detroit who previously called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment upped the ante this week with his own effort to abolish ICE. HOCHUL CONFRONTED ICE AGENT, SAID HE WAS ‘TERRORIZING PEOPLE’ BY WEARING A MASK Rep. Shri Thanedar said that the death of Renee Good in an ICE-involved shooting proves the agency “cannot be reformed and must be abolished.” Thanedar said in a statement that since its inception in 2003, some legal experts have also argued its duties can be fulfilled more “justly” by other federal agencies. “When an agency’s structure consistently produces harm instead of justice, there is no way to reform it. We must fundamentally change the way we approach immigration,” Thanedar said. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment.
US ambassador warns Iran at emergency UN meeting that Trump is ‘man of action,’ ‘all options are on the table’
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz warned Iran during an emergency meeting of the Security Council that President Donald Trump “is a man of action” who has “made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter.” Waltz said Thursday that, “We all have a responsibility to support the Iranian people and to put an end to the regime’s neglect and oppression of the Iranian nation.” Iran has been plunged into turmoil amid recent anti-government protests, with the death toll from those being at least 2,677, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency told The Associated Press. “Colleagues, let me be clear. President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime,” Waltz added. Waltz’s remarks came as Gholam Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the U.N., accused the U.S. of trying to destabilize the Islamic Republic. TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO ‘CUT OFF’ TRUMP’S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES “Under the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States regime is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative,” Darzi said. Waltz dismissed the claim, telling diplomats at U.N. headquarters on Thursday that Iran’s leaders are “afraid of their own people.” “I would like to address the allegation put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action. Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before, and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets,” Waltz said. IRAN ALLEGEDLY AIRS 97 ‘COERCIVE CONFESSIONS’ AMID RECORD-BREAKING NORTH KOREA-STYLE INTERNET BLACKOUT “They are afraid. They’re afraid of their own people. Iran says it’s ready for dialogue, but its actions say otherwise. This is a regime that rules through oppression, through violence, and through intimidation, and has destabilized the Middle East for decades. Well, enough is enough,” he added. “The regime’s dereliction of duty to its own citizens is what has put the ayatollahs in the positions they are in today with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, protesting in the streets after decades of neglect and abuse. So everyone should ask themselves, everyone sitting here today, how many people are dead?” Waltz also said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump and his team “have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.” “And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday, that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted. And so the president and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table for the president,” she added.
Sen John Fetterman calls for Democrats to ‘resist’ advocacy of ‘extreme’ stances like abolishing ICE
While some Democrats advocate for the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has pressed his party not to advocate for “extreme” ideas. “Even Mayor Frey of Minneapolis doesn’t support abolishing ICE. The party must resist the destructive tendencies to push extreme positions,” Fetterman noted in the post on X. “Secure the border. Deport all the criminals. Stop targeting the hardworking migrants in our nation,” he added. DEMOCRATS’ DILEMMA: PROGRESSIVE PUSH TO ‘ABOLISH ICE’ SPARKS FRESH DIVIDE IN PARTY His post featured a screenshot of a headline by The New York Times that reads, “Abolish ICE? It’s a Slogan Some Democratic Critics of ICE Would Abolish.” Fetterman asserted in a July 2025 post on X that “ICE performs an important job for our country,” describing “calls to abolish” the agency as “inappropriate and outrageous.” DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECLARES SUPPORT FOR ICE, CONDEMNING ANY CALLS FOR ABOLITION AS ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ In another post later in July, Fetterman shared a screenshot of the headline of a Fox News Digital article titled, “ICE arrests over 200 illegal alien child sex offenders in Houston area in past 6 months,” expressing his support for the law enforcement activity. “I don’t support or agree with all of ICE’s tactics or actions. I do fully support moves like these. This makes our nation more secure and all our children safer,” he noted in the post. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., has introduced legislation to abolish ICE. ICE AGENT SHOOTS VENEZUELAN NATIONAL IN MINNEAPOLIS AFTER SHOVEL ATTACK DURING AMBUSH: DHS “Effective on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is abolished,” part of the measure reads.
Socialist mayor pays ethics fine after failing to disclose $10K contribution from parents
Newly elected Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson was forced to pay a $250 fine by a citywide ethics commission after she failed to adequately disclose more than $10,000 in contributions that Wilson’s parents made to her campaign. Following her election victory in November, Wilson defended taking her parents’ money to help assist her mayoral run, claiming in an interview to CNN that it made her more “relatable” to voters. The money, Wilson said, went to help her pay for childcare. The City of Seattle’s Ethics and Elections Commission found last month that the money Wilson got from her parents constituted “campaign contributions” and indicated corrective action was warranted in order to avoid creating an avenue for future candidates to circumvent campaign finance laws. In the letter, Jessica Pisane, indicated that the fine was only $250 because what occurred was “a novel issue” not seen before the commission. SEATTLE ORDER TO STOP DRUG ARRESTS ‘CREATING HAVOC’ FOR PEOPLE FENDING OFF ADDICTS SURVIVING ON THEFT: EXPERT The fine Wilson was forced to pay by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission was first reported by Seattle-area conservative radio host Jason Rantz. “It’s the first time it has arisen in a City election campaign,” Pisane pointed out, adding that Wilson also refunded money to her parents that exceeded the contribution limits Wilson was expected to abide by. Fox News Digital reached out to Wilson’s team for comment but did not receive a response. “Campaigning for office is stressful,” Wilson said following her election victory amid questions about her parents’ contributions. “Seattle is one of the most expensive cities in the country, our childcare is off-the-charts expensive and, honestly, I think that a lot of people of my generation, and younger and older, found it very relatable that during this stressful campaign my parents chipped in to help pay for the cost of their granddaughter’s daycare.” Wilson said during her campaign that the cost of childcare was about $2,200 per month for her and her reportedly unemployed husband. SEATTLE’S SOCIALIST MAYOR-ELECT KATIE WILSON OPEN TO MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP Prior to moving to Seattle in 2004, Wilson lived in upstate New York. After graduating from high school in Binghamton, Wilson studied physics and philosophy at Oxford University, thanks to financial assistance from her parents living in New York once again. Wilson left Oxford debt-free, which she credits to her parents. However, she also left without a degree, dropping out just six weeks before her graduation. Before earning her new mayoral salary, Wilson was getting paid by the nonprofit she founded in 2011, the Transit Riders Union. She began collecting paychecks from the group in 2019. Before that, Wilson worked a series of odd jobs, including barista, boatyard worker, apartment manager, lab technician, baker, construction worker and legal assistant. Tax records show that Wilson brought in $72,669 in 2022 as the president of the Transit Riders Union. There are no records of Wilson’s salary for 2023 or 2024, reportedly due to the fact the nonprofit changed tax preparers recently, according to PubliCola. The IRS does not require nonprofits to disclose salaries of employees making under $100,000 per year. Meanwhile, in a financial statement to the city upon declaring her candidacy for mayor, Wilson reported earning between $60,000 and $99,000. She also reported income “less than $30,000” from PubliCola, The Urbanist and The Stranger, respectively, for work as a “columnist” for the left-wing online news outlets. As Seattle mayor, Wilson will make well into the six-figures, according to pay records of past mayors. Wilson has been compared to socialist firebrand Zohran Mamdani, campaigning on policy proposals like those by the self-avowed socialist mayor of New York City. This includes, through her support of a “Solidarity Budget” which would have cut the Seattle police force by 50% and other defund the police positions, Wilson has been compelled to walk back support for government-run grocery stores, calls to tax the wealthy, and a proposal to “Trump-proof” the city of Seattle.