Trump taps veterans to fix illegal alien trucking problem plaguing US roadways
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump will launch the White House’s new Freedom Haulers initiative Thursday, Fox News Digital has exclusively learned, opening new pathways for military veterans to become commercial truck drivers while intensifying the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrant and non-English-speaking truckers. “President Trump’s administration has made our roads safer by taking illegal alien, non-English-speaking truck drivers off America’s highways. Now, through the Freedom Haulers initiative, the president is expanding opportunities for our veterans by making it easier to obtain commercial driver’s licenses once they conclude their service,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. The Trump administration is pairing its crackdown on illegal immigrants and non-English-speaking commercial drivers with a new effort to recruit military veterans into the trucking industry. Trump, along with Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling, will welcome a truck on West Executive Avenue to announce the initiative. JOE BIDEN MANDATED ALL NEW VEHICLES COME INSTALLED WITH A ‘KILL SWITCH.’ THIS REPUBLICAN WANTS TO REPEAL IT “By leading a multi-agency process spanning the departments of Transportation, Labor, Veterans Affairs and War, President Trump is bolstering America’s trucking industry, which is crucial to strong supply chains, while helping our nation’s heroes transition to civilian life with quality, good-paying jobs,” Kelly added. The Department of Transportation will expand eligibility for veterans to receive expedited commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), extending the waiver period from 12 months to 24 months after active-duty service. For veterans who have never driven a heavy commercial vehicle during their military service, CDL training will be offered. ILLEGAL TRUCKER CASES FUEL GOP PUSH TO CRACK DOWN ON CDL MILLS AS DEMS LARGELY SILENT Indiana and Wyoming will also join the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Even Exchange program, allowing military truck drivers to more easily transition into civilian CDLs. Werner Enterprises, an Omaha, Nebraska-based trucking company attending Thursday’s event, will announce plans to hire 1,400 new veteran drivers. The administration is also highlighting its ongoing crackdown on commercial drivers who fail to meet English-language proficiency requirements or are improperly licensed. VIRGINIA BUS CRASH THAT KILLED FIVE INVOLVED DRIVER WHO DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH, SEAN DUFFY SAYS The Department of Transportation says it has removed more than 24,000 commercial driver’s licenses from the nation’s highways under stricter English-language proficiency enforcement. More than 28,000 CDLs were also canceled after officials determined they had been improperly issued to noncitizen truck drivers. The White House says the initiative is aimed at improving highway safety while strengthening the nation’s trucking workforce. The announcement comes after a series of fatal crashes involving illegal immigrant truck drivers in states including Florida, California, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, a Pennsylvania State Police trooper was killed during a roadside inspection when a semitruck driven by a Haitian national struck him. Authorities say the driver had obtained a non-domiciled CDL before the administration’s rule changes. Truck drivers have seen a 7.42% increase in real wages during the Trump administration, compared to a 3% decline in real wages under President Biden, according to DOT. DOT also says veteran truck drivers experience 42% fewer accidents and cover 98% more miles than non-veteran drivers, arguing the initiative will both improve highway safety and help strengthen America’s supply chains.
Trump family profits from blockbuster deal in Central Asia despite backlash due to ‘proof problem’: expert
The Trump Organization, led by President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, made a controversial investment in a construction company that now stands to profit from a rare earth minerals deal funded by the U.S. government. While the deal raises suspicions, one securities attorney says evidence of wrongdoing is likely impossible to find and acknowledged that critics have a “proof problem.” “Well, the question is whether President Trump would have known about his sons’ investments in this company, and I think the answer would be ‘no’ unless the sons told them,” Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based securities and investment fraud attorney, told Fox News Digital. “Look, they are private investors,” he continued. “They are not government employees. So, to the extent they make a passive investment in a company or an entity, there are no real duties to disclose this information.” RESOURCE-RICH NATION PRAISES US TIES AMID WASHINGTON-BEIJING CRITICAL MINERALS RACE The controversy stems from a tungsten mining deal in Kazakhstan, which primarily involves U.S.-based investment company Cove Capital and the company’s mining affiliate, Cove Kaz Capital Group. Between 2023 and 2024, Cove Capital negotiated with the Kazakh government to take a 70% share in the country’s state-owned tungsten mining deposits. Tungsten is a rare earth mineral that is critical to building military equipment, including missiles and fighter jets. The lion’s share of the earth’s supply of the mineral is owned by China and Russia. Trump, since returning to office, has made it a strategic national security priority to secure a long-term supply of the resource. In August 2025, through an investment vehicle created by Dominari Securities, which is housed in Trump Tower in New York, the Trump brothers purchased a minority interest in a construction company, Skyline Builders, which at the time was publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker SKBL. HOWARD LUTNICK SHUTS DOWN DEM QUESTIONS OVER JEFFREY EPSTEIN AT BUDGET HEARING In June of that year, Cantor Fitzgerald, founded by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, underwrote a $46.8 million loan to a company called ASP Isotopes. ASP Isotopes is owned by businessman Paul Mann. Lutnick’s company is now controlled by his sons, Brandon and Kyle Lutnick, who took over when their father became a government official. At about the time of underwriting, the Trump brothers were investing in Skyline Builders, a wholly-owned ASP Isotopes subsidiary that acquired voting control of Skyline Builders. On Nov. 6, 2025, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, met with Trump and announced that the Central Asian country had awarded a tungsten mining contract to the United States. The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), which provide government financing for international projects, penned letters of interest totaling up to $1.6 billion in financing for the deal. Cove Kaz Capital was selected as the firm to do the majority of the mining. The deal has not officially been inked and is under a standard review process by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Earlier this spring, Skyline Builders completed a reverse merger with Cove Kaz Capital, creating a company called Kaz Resources, which is now listed on the NASDAQ as KAZR. Skyline Builders owns 20% of Kaz Resources after a $20 million investment. ERIC TRUMP PLANS TO SUE JEN PSAKI, MS NOW FOR ALLEGED ‘BLATANT LIES’ ABOUT HIM JOINING FATHER’S CHINA TRIP Critics have suggested — albeit without evidence — that the Trump brothers schemed to invest in Skyline Builders with advance knowledge that Kazakhstan would opt to award the billion-and-a-half-dollar tungsten deal to the United States instead of other countries, and, in turn, Kaz Resources would secure the contract. The Trump organization vehemently denies that characterization and says the investment made by the brothers through Dominari Securities in Skyline Builders was passive, made before the tungsten deal was done and made without the knowledge that Kazakhstan would award the mining contract to the United States in the first place. Even without wrongdoing, Stoltmann said the appearance of impropriety could cause headaches. “The $64,000 question is pretty much what Trump knew and when he knew it — and, look, the optics are bad,” he said. “You have the president’s sons investing in a company that is eventually awarded a very large contract, and so it certainly raises eyebrows, it raises suspicions. “And it’s certainly clear why this has caused an uproar. But a lot of times, this is more thunder, this is more noise — a tempest in a teapot, as I like to say.” In discussing potential ramifications, Stoltmann said members of the political left who are frenzied over the deal will have trouble finding proof of wrongdoing, as Trump would have no way of knowing about his sons’ investment unless they told him about it. “But this is where the proof problem comes in,” said Stoltmann. “It’s fun to have conjecture. It’s fun to theorize, and it’s fun to discuss this, but I don’t think there’s any duty of disclosure when you are a passive investor in a company, and that’s where President Trump would most certainly say, ‘I don’t know all the things my sons do.’” As for the Lutnick brothers, Stoltmann noted that Cantor Fitzgerald stood to financially benefit from underwriting and advisory fees when it helped finance the loan for Mann, whose company now owns a majority voting stake in Kaz Resources. “You most certainly need a Wall Street brokerage firm or bank to help finance some of this, but, more importantly, to do the underwriting,” Stoltmann said. “We have reverse mergers, we have mergers and we have multiple shell companies coming into the equation. When you do that, you need a bank, you need a brokerage firm. And that’s where Cantor Fitzgerald comes in.” In the way of political ramifications, Stoltmann warned that if Democrats regain control of the House and Senate in November, the Trump brothers will likely face heat from the president’s political opponents for any business deals that they think can come under scrutiny. “You’re
Graham’s final mission advances as Senate moves to crush Putin’s war machine with Russia, Iran sanctions
The Senate took another small step toward levying sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin and Iran in another massive, bipartisan vote. Though not the final vote to pass the long-stalled effort, the latest successful bid to move a bone-crushing sanctions package once championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham is no less significant. The upper chamber hopes to complete work on the package, renamed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, by next week. If successful, the long-awaited legislation will again be put on the shelf, albeit temporarily, until the House returns from its August recess. ‘A BIG EFFING DEAL’: GRAHAM’S FINAL MISSION MOVES FORWARD AFTER HIS DEATH Still, lawmakers are confident they can get the bill through the next few hurdles and believe that it’s the best way to honor Graham, who made his final trip home to South Carolina on Wednesday for his funeral. “This may turn out to be Lindsey Graham’s greatest legislative achievement in a stellar 32-year career,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said. The bill, which has gone through several iterations, still focuses on kneecapping Putin’s war machine in its ongoing fight with Ukraine. However, it reinserts sanctions targeting Iran’s weapons and energy sectors in the hopes of incentivizing a lasting peace deal as the war in the Middle East marches on. PUTIN, RUSSIA PUT ON NOTICE AS SENATE TAKES CRUCIAL STEP TO GRIND DOWN THE KREMLIN’S WAR MACHINE Key components of the legislation allow for up to 500% tariffs on Russian imports; tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian energy, like China and India; and provides President Donald Trump flexibility for when to turn off some aspects of the sanctions. Some Democrats have acknowledged that giving Trump tariff authority could give their colleagues heartburn, particularly after raging against his usage of duties during his second term. Proponents of the bill brought in heavy artillery to convince Democratic skeptics in the form of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a close ally of Graham’s, to win some key votes for the package. LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FINAL MISSION NEARS FINISH LINE AS WORLD LEADERS GATHER TO HONOR HIM Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said on the Senate floor that she was aware that some had raised concerns about the tariff authorities. “They say that President Trump has used tariffs indiscriminately to target our closest allies. Well, I agree,” Shaheen said. “But, in the case of this bill, Congress is explicitly directing these tariffs for one unambiguous purpose: to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin and end his unprovoked war against Ukraine,” she continued. “That’s why this bill is narrowly targeted at the worst actors supporting Russia.” And at its core, the legislation is still meant to send Putin and the Kremlin a strong message as the war in Ukraine rages on. “This bill says to Vladimir Putin, ‘Your days of war are numbered. You are on the losing side. Better to come to the table now than sacrifice more lives, waste more money, crater your economy, destroy your standing in the world,’” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said.
Fox News Poll: Democratic enthusiasm shapes North Carolina Senate race
In North Carolina, more Democrats than Republicans say they are extremely interested in the midterm elections (51% vs. 42%), and more Democrats also say they are extremely motivated to vote (58% vs. 50%). This enthusiasm advantage creates an edge in the Senate matchup. Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley by 53% to 44% in the race to fill the state’s open Senate seat, according to a Fox News poll of North Carolina voters. Cooper’s gap widens to 15 points among those saying they’re extremely interested in the election (57% vs. 42%) and 13 points among those extremely motivated to vote (55% vs. 42%). The race is unchanged among those saying they’re “certain” to vote (53% to 44%). FOX NEWS POLL: COOL YOUR SERVERS! VOTERS REJECT DATA CENTERS Whatley is the former chair of the Republican National Committee, while Cooper served as North Carolina’s governor from 2017-2025. The candidates are vying to fill the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. Cooper receives high support from moderates, voters under age 30, independents, voters with a college degree, and women. He also captures support from about one in five non-MAGA Republicans and conservatives. Whatley performs best among very conservative voters, White evangelical Christians, White voters without a college degree, and rural voters. There’s also an enthusiasm gap when voters are asked why they back their candidate. Some 52% of Whatley’s supporters say they’re voting for him, while 46% say it’s mainly against Cooper. By contrast, 84% of Cooper supporters say they’re voting for him rather than against Whatley (13%). FOX NEWS POLL: SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT FOR BOTH VOTER ID LAWS AND MAIL-IN BALLOTS Most voters are committed to their choice: 81% of Cooper’s backers say they’re certain to vote for him and it’s 77% among Whatley supporters. Overall, one in five voters say they could switch their pick. President Trump complicates the contest for Whatley. Forty percent of North Carolina voters view the president favorably and 58% unfavorable. That’s net negative by 18 points, while his ratings were underwater by just 6 points two years ago (47-53%). And Whatley’s ties to Trump concern 48% of voters, with worry extending across the spectrum, including more than half of moderates, more than 4 in 10 independents, and about 3 in 10 non-MAGA Republicans. Meanwhile, concern about Cooper’s ties to the Democratic establishment is more partisan. Overall, 42% are concerned, including 7 in 10 Republicans, but just 3 in 10 independents and moderates. “Recent data put the average Republican advantage in North Carolina statewide races at about 3 points,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. “Cooper’s edge rests on almost unanimous Democratic support and commanding numbers among independents. To win, Whatley must stop the bleeding with non-MAGA Republicans and improve his standing with disaffected, less partisan Carolinians.” Personal popularity also sets the candidates apart. Cooper’s 54% favorable rating is significantly higher than Whatley’s at 40%. In addition, Cooper is more popular than the Democratic Party by a 12-point margin, while Whatley trails the GOP by 4. Whatley is less well known overall, as 14% of voters say they’re unable to rate him or have never heard of him, including about 1 in 10 Republicans. Tar Heel voters share equally negative views of the Republican Party (44% favorable vs. 54% unfavorable) and the Democratic Party (42% vs. 56%). Negative partisanship is strong, as more Democrats view the GOP negatively (94%) than view their own party positively (83%). The reverse is also true: more Republicans (92%) hold an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party than view the GOP positively (85%). Among the small subgroup viewing both parties negatively, Cooper draws twice as much support as Whatley (64% to 32%). Inflation is the top issue for North Carolina voters, with 36% saying it will be most important to their vote for Senate. Next, it’s political divisions within the country at 14%, followed closely by healthcare and immigration at 13% each. CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE Half describe their financial situation as stable, 12% say they’re getting ahead, and 38% say they’re falling behind, which is 6 points lower than it was two years ago. North Carolina’s recent voting history points in different directions. Cooper won reelection in 2020 by almost 5 percentage points. In fact, Democrats have won 8 of the state’s last 10 gubernatorial elections. The last Republican to win was Pat McCrory, by about 11 points in 2012. At the same time, Republicans have won the state in 11 of the last 12 presidential elections. The last Democrat to carry the state was former President Obama, who won by 0.3% in 2008. In the 2024 presidential election, Trump won North Carolina by 3 percentage points. Conducted July 23-27, 2026, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with a sample of 1,005 North Carolina registered voters randomly selected from a statewide voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (115) and cellphones (654) or completed the survey online after receiving a text message (236). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ± 3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Sources used to develop weight targets include the most recent American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis, and voter file data. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Results among subgroups are only shown when the sample size is at least N=100. Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Fetterman brands new socialist favorite ‘Pontiac Platner’ after ‘ogre’ dig
Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., branded Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdulrahman El-Sayed “Pontiac Platner” after the left-wing upstart called for the “ogre” to be put on a “pike” at a campaign event in comments widely understood to reference the Pennsylvania lawmaker. A recording from a Zoom call with donors obtained by Politico appeared to depict El-Sayed railing against those who have criticized his far-left policy platform, while singling out Fetterman and allegedly envisioning his head on a stake. Fetterman later responded to CNBC’s Joe Kernen by blessing El-Sayed with a new nickname. “I never worked out in male modeling. You know, you could call me ‘Senator Shrek’ — whatever — but this guy is really the Pontiac Platner, and now he’s really running to be, be the head of our emerging pro-Hamas wing here in the party,” Fetterman said of El-Sayed. DEM SENATE HOPEFUL UNDER FIRE FOR RESURFACED COMMENTS CALLING COPS ‘OPPORTUNISTIC COWARDS’ Pontiac is a well-known name in Michigan, stemming from the 18th century Odawa chief to his namesake city and the now-defunct General Motors brand that was discontinued following the 2008 financial crisis. El-Sayed has routinely criticized the Israeli government, and some of his policy positions overlap with those of Maine oyster farmer Graham Platner, who dropped his Senate bid after a series of allegations of sexual misconduct involving women. “Politically, some of the things that he said or done are unacceptable to me. I’m not really sure what I’ve really done or voted for that that has offended the little guy so much,” Fetterman added. BERNIE SANDERS, DSA REVEAL DEMANDS FOR DEM PARTY AFTER SOCIALISTS SWEEP NEW YORK ELECTIONS He added that Democrats are engaging in a “serious game” by allowing people in the “Bernie Sanders” wing of the party who “created the Platner disaster” some policy oxygen. During El-Sayed’s Zoom call, the millennial left-winger spoke out specifically against Fetterman. “In the interim need to be organizing downward and outward. So, a big pickup for us could be that John Fetterman seat [in Pennsylvania]. I’m like a lot of folks — they’re going to ‘F’ around and give me carte blanche to go take them out,” El-Sayed said. “Y’all came at me, so now I get to come at you and primary people like John Fetterman, and I have no problem with that. I’m looking forward to it.” El-Sayed dismissed the longstanding custom against primarying sitting senators, a norm recently broken in the GOP when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in their primary. “Then, what happens is, ideally, you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different,” El-Sayed said. The 6-foot-9 Fetterman took the insult in stride in his interview with Kernen, alluding to El-Sayed’s barb being his latest comparison to Mike Myers’ beloved green ogre that has cropped up in memes and elsewhere over the years. “It’s incumbent on us, Republican and Democrat [alike], to police your own ranks. So, that’s what I’m willing to do,” Fetterman said, adding he is warning fellow lawmakers against eliminating the filibuster in one example. El-Sayed and Platner also share several policy positions, including support for a single-payer, government-run Medicare-for-all system, anti-corporate housing policies, higher taxes on wealthy Americans and alignment with Sanders, a Vermont socialist. While El-Sayed says he is neither a Democratic Socialists of America member nor a democratic socialist, he has a history of speaking at DSA events. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Between 2017 and 2020, El-Sayed attended and spoke at six events held by the DSA, including a 2019 fundraiser he headlined. Despite the longstanding relationship, El-Sayed has distanced himself from the DSA when interviewed by the press and outright rejected being labeled a “socialist.” “I’m not technically or practically DSA,” El-Sayed told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. In an interview with CNN, he similarly stated, “I am not somebody who is a socialist. I believe in capitalism. I just believe that capitalism has to be regulated.” Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman and El-Sayed for comment. Fox News Digital’s Robert Schmad contributed to this report.
DHS eviscerates media for ‘absolute absurdity’ over concern about ‘worst of the worst’ activist judges list
A high-ranking Trump Department of Homeland Security official called out the “liberal media” for what he referred to as the “absolute absurdity” of its response to his series criticizing activist judges. James Percival, general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, posted a series on X last week, “Worst of the Worst, District Judge Edition.” In his posts, Percival pointed to the risks that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents face while enforcing the law, saying some judges are working to “sabotage” those operations and put officers “at risk.” GOP SENATOR UNVEILS BOASBERG ACT TO STOP ‘ROGUE’ JUDGES FROM HANDPICKING TRUMP CASES After his posts, Percival said DHS was contacted by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter about whether “a social media post like this risk[s] additional threats” in the context of “ongoing threats to federal judges.” In response, Percival blasted the outlet in an X post in which he told followers, “Witness the absolute absurdity of the liberal media response to my new series, Worst of the Worst, District Judges.” Percival emphasized that “legitimate fact based critiques of judges and their rulings is fair game in a free society.” He also noted that “the media has no issue with it if the judge is conservative.” Notably, conservative judges, including Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, have been the target of intense criticism from the left and, in some cases, violence. In 2022, Kavanaugh was the target of an assassination plot after an armed California man traveled to his home with a pistol, ammunition, zip ties, pepper spray, duct tape and burglary tools. Further, Barrett testified in a recent congressional hearing that she has had to wear a bulletproof vest in response to threats. In his Worst of the Worst activist judges series, Percival called out district judges in the sanctuary jurisdictions of Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland and California. JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH BREAKS SILENCE ON VIOLENT THREATS AGAINST JUDICIARY, SUPREME COURT LEAKS Percival said that, earlier this month, Northern District of Illinois Judge Matthew Kennelly, a Clinton appointee, ordered a nationwide pause on the termination of temporary protected status for migrants from Burma. Percival wrote that Kennelly ordered the stay “even though these decisions are not subject to judicial review, even though we have been vindicated by the Supreme Court on TPS four times, and even though the Seventh Circuit summarily reversed him on the same issue only days before. “This is judicial sabotage.” Percival wrote that Central District of California Judge Hernán Vera, a Biden appointee, recently “entered an order micromanaging DHS’s use of force policy with respect to violent anti-ICE agitators in Los Angeles.” Percival noted that the judge “described the agitators as ‘protesters’ and ‘legal observers,’ while describing DHS’s actions defending its personnel and property as ‘violent.’” SUPREME COURT WEIGHS TRUMP EFFORT TO TERMINATE TEMPORARY PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIAN, SYRIAN MIGRANTS Percival noted, “Agitators in Los Angeles have assaulted DHS employees, thrown objects at them, engaged in arson, and even tried to breech [sic] a federal facility. “Judicial micromanagement of use of force in these contexts puts our officers at risk.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER In response, Sean Lewis, a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, told Fox News Digital that “the Code of Conduct calls on federal judges not to comment publicly on pending cases. It also requires them to decide each matter independently, based on the law and the facts — not political pressure, public reaction, partisan interests or fear of criticism.” Lewis added that “when someone disagrees with a ruling, the appropriate way to challenge it is through the appellate process.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Chicago Sun-Times and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for comment.
Red state governor pummeled online after defying Trump’s deportation orders
A Republican governor in a state that voted to elect President Donald Trump is facing intense backlash online after an interview arguing against the president’s order to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) migrants from the United States. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s state is home to an estimated 30,000 Haitian TPS holders. He told CBS earlier this week that the Haitians shouldn’t be sent back to their country of origin. “Haiti is hell today. So you’d be sending people … back to hell,” he said. “Very few of these Haitians will voluntarily go back to Haiti. If they have to leave, they’ll go someplace else. They want to work. They want to support their family. They don’t want to go back to Haiti.” BLUE STATE LEADERS ERUPT AFTER SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ENDING TPS PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS, SYRIANS Online detractors quickly seized on DeWine’s comments, mostly from users claiming that those responsible for Haiti’s conditions are the ones that the governor wants to allow to stay in the United States. “What makes Haiti hellish? Is it…the Haitians?” asked Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, in response to CBS’ story about the interview posted on X. “Hey governor, what is it that makes Haiti so bad anyway?” The Blaze’s Logan Hall asked. “I think the real question here is, if Haiti is hell, why are we importing Haitians?” questioned internet personality Larry Sanger. TRUMP’S ‘THIRD WORLD’ TRAVEL BAN COULD BECOME PERMANENT IF FIREBRAND REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER GETS HER WAY Others referenced the liberal media’s freakout when, in 2018, Trump referred to Haiti and some other nations as “s—hole” countries. Meanwhile, TV personalities and talking heads, comedian Conan O’Brien chief among them, defended Haiti for its natural beauty. “Still reeling from [Trump’s] very negative Yelp review of Haiti, which means I’ll love it,” O’Brien said at the time, announcing a trip to the country. “I have no idea what the president has against the people of Haiti, but if the president doesn’t like them, they must be lovely people.” DEM-LED PUSH TO EXTEND PROTECTIONS FOR HAITIANS FACES OUTRAGE AFTER BRUTAL HAMMER KILLING One X user specifically blamed Haitians for DeWine’s characterization that the country is “hell.” “Or is it a paradise like so many celebrities have said?” the user asked. “I was reliably informed by democrats [sic] and hollywood [sic] celebrities that Haiti is utopia,” said another user. “What a tragedy it would be for Haitians to live in Haiti,” said another X user. DeWine argued in the CBS interview that sending Haitians back to Haiti would be a “mistake” that would endanger the lives of the TPS holders. He also specifically mentioned Springfield, his hometown, which has a large population of Haitian TPS holders. “These are people who have helped Springfield really come back,” DeWine said. “The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people.” TPS was officially terminated Monday after Trump’s order survived a Supreme Court review. “Temporary Protected Status is exactly that — temporary. For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent,” a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Fox News Digital earlier this week. TPS was created as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, and was designed for people facing serious emergencies like armed conflict or severe natural disasters. Critics claim it has been abused to give status to those in the U.S. for non-emergent reasons. DeWine’s office declined to comment on “statements made in online comment sections,” when reached by Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not hear back at time of publication. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
WATCH: Fauci attorney ejected from Senate hearing after chaotic exchange: ‘You are not recognized!’
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s hearing with Anthony Fauci on Capitol Hill got off to a rocky start Wednesday morning when Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ordered one of Fauci’s lawyers removed after he repeatedly refused to stop disrupting the proceedings. Fauci refused to respond to questions from Paul, repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment. The hearing then took a turn when attorney David Schertler, whom Paul identified as one of Fauci’s “half a dozen” lawyers, attempted to speak without being recognized. “You are not recognized, you’re not recognized. If you are unruly, you will be removed from the proceeding,” Paul warned. FAUCI PRIVATELY TOOK CREDIT FOR COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS DESPITE PUBLIC DENIAL, NEWLY EXPOSED DIARY ENTRIES REVEAL Despite this, Schertler, who was seated beside Fauci, continued to speak. This prompted Paul to admonish him, saying, “You will respect these proceedings. You were told not to sit at the table. You insist on sitting at the table. And we told you would not be recognized. You are not invited here for testimony, sir. You are being disruptive. Would you behave this way in a courtroom? No, because the judge would put you in jail. I can’t do that today. But I can have you escorted from the premises. So, I would say, sir, sit quietly and don’t say another word.” “Another word and you’re gone,” Paul added. SLACK MESSAGES RELEASED BY RAND PAUL APPEAR TO SHOW AUTHORS OF KEY COVID-19 ORIGIN PAPER HELD PRIVATE DOUBTS Ranking Member Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., cut in, saying, “I’d like to hear what the the attorney has to say.” However, Paul responded, “This testimony is from Anthony Fauci. This is not a game with his lawyers.” “His lawyers can give him advice. He’s got a half dozen here. They’re all allowed to talk to him, alright? But the attorneys are not recognized. In fact, the attorney was told not to sit at the table, and he’s not obeying that recommendation. There’s a row behind you, sir. That’s where you were told to sit, and you’re not. And now you’re disrupting the proceedings,” said Paul. “This is the way Anthony Fauci wants to be remembered for a lawyer not listening to the rules. That’s the way you want to be remembered, and that’s what you’re going to do.” Despite these warnings, the man continued speaking, prompting Paul to ask security to “please remove him from the room.” SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER As Paul said this, several people in the gallery broke into applause. FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED As the man was removed, Paul stated, “Let the record state that Dr. Fauci will still have the advice of the other half a dozen attorneys that he brought along today.” Though former President Joe Biden issued an unconditional preemptive pardon to Fauci, Senate Republicans have emphasized that the pardon will not protect Fauci if he lies to Congress on Wednesday.
Democrat compares ICE to ‘domestic terrorists’ as 111 House Dems demand Texas detention center close
A House Democratic lawmaker compared actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to domestic terrorism after a visit to a Texas detention facility on Tuesday. Rep. Luz Rivas, D-Calif., said that seeing ICE’s actions was personal for her as the daughter of Mexican immigrants and argued that “for the people of the United States, we don’t want to see our government, or ICE officials, acting like domestic terrorists,” she said in Spanish during a press conference. She said her Los Angeles district saw more ICE raids than anywhere else in her county. Rivas was among a group of lawmakers led by Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, on a visit to an ICE facility in Dilley, Texas, which over 100 House Democrats have demanded to be shut down. TRUMP ON VERGE OF SECURING $70B ICE FUNDING VICTORY AFTER HOUSE CLEARS HURDLE The lawmakers accused the Trump administration of holding families, including a child as young as 2 months old, in inhumane conditions. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., a member of the left-wing “Squad,” also attacked President Donald Trump as a “dictator.” SOMETHING TO HIDE? ICE UNDER FIRE FOR SUBSTANDARD CONDITIONS AT FOR-PROFIT DETENTION CENTER “It’s so important that we not acquiesce to this, this fascist administration, this dictator in the Oval Office,” Pressley said. “History has shown us time again, appeasement does not work. The only way to beat a dictator is with defiance. The only way to beat fascism is to refuse to accept this segregated, divided, dark, dystopian view that they have for our country, is to reject it as an inevitability.” She called on Americans to “resist, reject, condemn at every turn.” But it’s that kind of rhetoric that Republicans have argued is responsible for sending tensions across the U.S. skyrocketing. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in response to Rivas’ comments, “Attacks and demonization of ICE law enforcement are wrong. Because of smears like this our ICE officers are now facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists. ICE law enforcement is arresting criminals and saving countless American lives.” “Rep. Luz Rivas should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from her state—NOT vilifying law enforcement,” the spokesperson said. SPANBERGER’S ICE ROLLBACK TO BLAME FOR TODDLER KILLING, VIRGINIA ‘HOTBED’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIME: DHS GOP allies of the president have accused Democrats of encouraging violence and resistance against ICE agents, drawing a line between encouragement to resist federal immigration officers and the slate of violent incidents involving those officers this year alone. But Democrats are accusing ICE of acting as a rogue agency outside the bounds of the law. “We have to abolish ICE. And then I’m going to take it one step further and say any of those agents that have contributed to and caused the injury, the harm, and even fatalities, they must also be held accountable,” Pressley said. “And we should abolish qualified immunity for these federal law enforcement officers.” In a letter sent earlier this month, 111 House Democrats accused the administration of harming children and families with the conditions at the Dilley detention center. “Parents describe horrendous conditions at Dilley, leading to severe depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation amongst their children. Children have reported that their food is often contaminated with worms and mold and that they feel sick after drinking tap water,” the letter said. “Families also report not being able to sleep at night because the lights are kept on in their rooms throughout the night. … Medical care provided by CoreCivic staff is delayed, denied, and in many cases outright dismissed, even when children are suffering life-threatening medical emergencies.” DHS did previously accuse Democrats of lying about conditions at Dilley, which it said in a press release was specialized to hold families and care for children specifically. “The Dilley facility is retrofitted for families. Children have access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets for math, reading, and spelling. They have access to age-appropriate books, toys, and outdoor activities. All of this is generously funded by the U.S. taxpayer,” DHS said. “Infant care packages include formula, baby food, bottles, diapers, wipes, and hygiene items. The facility also provides sippy cups and cribs. Adults with children are housed in facilities that provide for their safety, security, and medical needs.”
Trump says US will ‘beat the f—— s— out of them’ after Iran launches surprise missile strike
President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning issued a profanity-laced threat against Iran after the Islamic regime launched a surprise missile strike on U.S. forces in Jordan overnight. “We’re going to beat the f—ing s— out of them,” Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. “We’ll be hitting them hard,” the president said of Iran. “They’re going to get a beating.” ARMY IDS 2 VICTIMS KILLED IN JORDAN AIR BASE ATTACK; TRUMP: IRAN WILL PAY ‘MANY TIMES OVER’ Trump said the American forces in Jordan had just minutes to respond and shoot down the incoming Iranian ballistic missiles. The president added that he reviewed video showing U.S. personnel calling out coordinates in real time during the interceptions. U.S. Central Command said all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Jordan, the paramilitary force said in a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. Jordan’s military said five Iranian missiles had been intercepted and destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. RUBIO ACCUSES IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL INTO YEMEN AS HOUTHI THREAT ESCALATES The U.S. military later announced that American and Saudi fighter aircraft had struck multiple Iran-backed Shiite logistics and weapons sites in eastern Iraq in response to alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Defense Ministry warned that it “does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression.” Trump told Fox News that the overnight U.S.-Saudi strikes against Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq were coordinated with the Iraqi government. He called the militias a “cancer on the world” and said additional warnings against Iranian proxies were under consideration. Despite the flare-up, Trump said that talks with Iran will continue. “We’re going to let them keep talking,” he said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.