Tag: dozens

House Democrat’s smear of Border Patrol bill backfires after dozens of Dems support it: ‘Fearmongering’

A House Democrat’s strategy to demonize legislation aimed at making it a federal crime to try to evade law enforcement within 100 miles of the border backfired last week after dozens of House Democrats voted in favor of the bill.

“I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 35. Let’s call this bill what it is: fearmongering dressed up as officer safety,” Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., said last week about the bill named after late Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, who died in a pursuit in 2022.

House Resolution 35 would make individuals convicted of “intentionally fleeing” law enforcement in a vehicle subject to up to two years in prison and fines. If the police chase results in a death, the individual could face up to life imprisonment under the legislation, and potentially face deportation if the person involved is in the country illegally.

SAN DIEGO MIGRANT SHELTER CLOSES AFTER NO NEW ARRIVALS SINCE TRUMP TOOK OFFICE; OVER 100 EMPLOYEES LAID OFF

Oregon State Rep Janelle Bynum faced off against Rep. Lori Chavez DeRemer, right, in OR-05. ( )

“This bill echoes one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history, ‘The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.’ Just like that shameful law, H.R. 35 forces local authorities and encourages the deputizing of randos to do the federal government’s work, punishing them if they refuse. Back then, it was hunting people down who dared to seek freedom. Today, it’s forcing local police to become federal enforcers,” she continued in her House floor speech.

Regardless, the bill passed 264-155, with 50 Democrats voting in favor, including a handful in border states. The legislation is now in the hands of the Senate, where Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is leading the charge on the proposal.

FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., leaves the House Republicans’ caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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“This bill delivers a clear message to anyone who endangers our community that they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., said about the legislation he is sponsoring.

Police pursuits near the border are a frequent site as smugglers hope to evade law enforcement. Under the Trump administration, there has been an across-the-board crackdown on border and immigration policies, including sending in the military to the border as well as deportation raids throughout the country.

A Border Patrol agent walks between a gap along the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico in Yuma, Arizona, on June 1, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Bynum started in Congress last month, as she narrowly defeated former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in November. Chavez-DeRemer is now President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Labor secretary.

The seat will likely be one of the nation’s most competitive in 2026, according to the Cook Political Report, which ranks the seat as “Lean Democrat.”

“Janelle Bynum’s unglued comments reinforced she’s hellbent on pursuing a dangerous anti-police officer crusade in Congress. Bynum’s extremist vote siding with cartel terrorists over Border Patrol puts Oregonians in danger,” National Republican Campaign Committee spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement.

Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand

February 17, 2025
‘Playing with the courts’: Trump admin hit with dozens of suits after years of president condemning ‘lawfare’

President Donald Trump’s court battles have not ended now that he’s back in the Oval Office — instead, dozens have piled up against his administration as Democrats and activists vow to fight Trump and his policies in the judicial system.

Trump faced four criminal indictments during the interim of his first and second administrations, which landed accusations of “lawfare” on the national stage as Trump maintained his innocence and slammed the cases as efforts by the Democratic Party to hurt his political chances for re-election during the 2024 cycle. Despite the left-wing efforts to ensnare Trump in a web of legal cases, Trump was re-elected president — with a resume that now includes “convicted felon” and a famous mugshot frequently displayed on pro-Trump apparel.

Upon Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20, he has issued near-daily executive orders and actions to shift the federal government to fall in line with his “America First” policies, including snuffing out government overspending and mismanagement, banning biological men from competing in women’s sports, and deporting thousands of illegal immigrants who flooded the nation under the Biden administration.

Trump has signed more than 60 executive orders, in addition to other executive actions, as of Tuesday, which has resulted in at least 49 lawsuits against Trump and his administration, Fox News Digital has found.

‘ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY’: LEGAL EXPERTS SHRED NY V. TRUMP AS ‘ONE OF THE WORST’ CASES IN HISTORY

New York Attorney General said she is “prepared” to ask the judge to seize former President Donald Trump’s assets if he cannot pay the $354 million judgment handed down in his civil fraud case. (ABC News/Screenshot | Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

The lawsuits come as Democratic elected officials fume over the second Trump administration’s policies, most notably the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is investigating various federal agencies in the search of cutting government spending fat, corruption and mismanagement of funds.

“Right now, we’re going to keep focus on the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaires, donors and wealthy corporations and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans across the country with the bill,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in January.

CLIMATE LAWFARE IS RUNNING INTO A POWERFUL FORCE LIBERALS DIDN’T EXPECT

“That’s not acceptable,” he said. “We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. We’re going to fight it in the streets.”

President Donald Trump has signed more than 60 executive orders, in addition to other executive actions, as of Tuesday, which has resulted in at least 49 lawsuits against Trump and his administration. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said at a protest over DOGE and its chair, Elon Musk, earlier in February.

With just over three weeks back in the Oval Office, at least 49 lawsuits have been filed against Trump or the federal government over Trump’s policies and executive actions. Among the list of plaintiffs are a handful of groups that brought forth suits against Trump in previous years, most notably New York Attorney General Leitita James, as well as labor unions and left-wing advocacy groups.

James, a former city council member in New York and public defender, launched her run for New York attorney general during the 2018 cycle, while emphasizing that if she were elected she would aggressively pursue legal charges against Trump.

HOW TRUMP, AG BONDI CAN PERSUADE DEMOCRATS TO ABANDON LAWFARE

“I’m running for attorney general because I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president when our fundamental rights are at stake,” James declared in September 2018. “From the Muslim ban, to efforts to deport immigrants, to denying transgender students the ability to choose whatever bathroom they want, rolling back regulations to protect our planet, colluding with foreign powers, putting profits over people, dividing us in ways we haven’t seen in generations.”

“And what is fueling this campaign, what is fueling my soul right now, is Trump and his abuses, abuses against immigrants, against women, against our environment. We need an attorney general who will stand up to Donald Trump,” she said during a debate in August 2018.

James won her election that year, about two years into Trump’s first administration, and took a victory lap while vowing to expose the “con man.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James launched her run for New York attorney general during the 2018 cycle, while emphasizing that if she were elected she would aggressively pursue legal charges against President Donald Trump. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)

James brought forth a civil fraud suit against Trump, the Trump Organization and its senior leadership in 2022, frequently sitting in the courtroom throughout the proceedings, and celebrated the prosecution of Trump in the Manhattan criminal trial over the 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump was ordered to pay a $454 million civil fraud judgment in James’ lawsuit against him, which is currently on appeal.

All in, James said back in November 2024 that her office took nearly 100 legal actions against Trump’s first administration — vowing to restart the efforts during the second administration.

AS DEMOCRATS REGROUP OUTSIDE DC, GOP ATTORNEYS GENERAL ADOPT NEW PLAYBOOK TO DEFEND TRUMP AGENDA

“We did not expect this result, but we are prepared to respond to this result. And my office has been preparing for several months because we’ve been here before,” James said following Trump’s election win in November 2024. “We faced this challenge before, and we used the rule of law to fight back. And we are prepared to fight back once again because, as the attorney general of this great state, it is my job to protect and defend the rights of New Yorkers and the rule of law. And I will not shrink from that responsibility.”

So far in 2025, James has spearheaded at least five legal actions against the Trump administration, including leading a coalition of state attorneys general to sue the federal government to halt DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s internal systems, as well as another lawsuit related to the Trump admin slashing grant funding to research institutions and universities.

“As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told ‘no,’ but in our country, no one is above the law,” James said of the DOGE suit. “President Trump does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data. I am taking action to keep our information secure, and to prevent any unconstitutional freeze on essential funding that Americans rely on every day.”

Trump slammed New York as the “most corrupt State in the Union” in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, calling on even-handed judges and elected officials to crush the “lawfare” in the Empire State.

“We need great Judges and Politicians to help fix New York, and to stop the kind of Lawfare that was launched against me, from falsely valuing Mar-a-Lago at $18 Million Dollars, when it is worth, perhaps, 100 times that amount (The corrupt judge was replaced by another judge, only to be immediately put back on the case when the Democrat political leaders found out that a change of judges was made. It has become a great embarrassment for the New York Judicial System!),” he posted to Truth Social, referring to James’ civil fraud case against Trump.

Labor unions that previously sued the first Trump administration are also back in court. (Jabin Botsford/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORK)

“To a woman that I had no idea who she was, making a FAKE and ridiculous accusation, to a ‘case’ that was made up by a corrupt and highly conflicted Judge in order to criminally attack me for political purposes,” he continued, referring to two-year E. Jean Carroll court cases.

Labor unions that previously sued the first Trump administration are also back in court, including the American Federation of Teachers suing over DOGE’s access to private information at the Education and Treasury departments, and the American Federation of Government Employees suing the administration in at least two cases related to DOGE and federal employment policies under the 47th president.

“We wouldn’t bring so many lawsuits if they wouldn’t break the law so often,” Andrew Huddleston, American Federation of Government Employees’ director of communications, told Fox News Digital when asked about the lawsuits.

TRUMP HAS HIGHER APPROVAL RATING THAN AT ANY POINT DURING FIRST TERM: POLL

While the American Civil Liberties Union — which took at least 400 legal actions against the first Trump administration — filed a lawsuit against the second Trump administration earlier in February regarding an executive order that prevents transgender and nonbinary individuals from changing their passports to reflect their gender identity and not their biological sex.

REPUBLICAN AGS BACK TRUMP FEDERAL EMPLOYEE BUYOUT AS JUDGE DECIDES ‘FORK IN THE ROAD’ DIRECTIVE’S FATE

Another nonprofit, the State Democracy Defenders Fund, recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of FBI agents who investigated Trump-related cases in an effort to block the DOJ from releasing their names. The State Democracy Defenders Fund previously was involved in other Trump-related cases, including filing an amicus brief in January advocating that Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan sentence Trump in the Manhattan case just days ahead of his inauguration.

President Donald Trump repeatedly seethed that “lawfare” was running amok of American politics, including, left to right, former Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis. (Getty Images)

Ahead of taking office, Trump repeatedly seethed that “lawfare” was running amok of American politics, frequently targeting James, Merchan, as well as former special counsel Jack Smith, Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and others.

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“They’re playing with the courts, as you know, they’ve been playing with the courts for four years,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago after Congress had certified his election win in January. “Probably got me more votes because I got the highest number of votes ever gotten by a Republican by far, actually, by a lot. And, you know, we had a great election, so I guess it didn’t work. But even to this day, they’re playing with the courts and their friendly judges that like to try and make everybody happy… It’s called lawfare. It’s called weaponization of justice.”

February 12, 2025
Convenience chain Kum & Go rebranding dozens of locations in several states

Heritage Foundation public finance economist EJ Antoni unpacks the January jobs report on ‘The Bottom Line.’

Dozens of Kum & Go convenience stores across several states are about to be rebranded, according to reports.

There are currently 300 Kum & Go locations across the Midwest and southern parts of the U.S., the company’s website says.

The company was founded in 1959 by W.A. Krause and T.S. Gentle when they opened their first full-service gas station in Hampton, Iowa.

“They had a vision to offer more than just fuel; they wanted to fuel lives with moments of joy and connection. This was the beginning of a growth story that has made Kum & Go an integral part of countless communities across multiple states,” Kum & Go’s website states.

WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPACT OF A CREDIT CARD INTEREST RATE CAP?

Traffic generated by an oil boom clogs the Kum & Go gas station in Watford City, North Dakota, on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011. (Matthew Staver/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

In Missouri, more than 50 Kum & Go locations will begin their rebranding process in March, local FOX 2 reports.

The change is expected to be completed by summer 2025, the station states.

EU SAYS TRUMP’S ‘UNJUSTIFIED’ TARIFFS ‘WILL NOT GO UNANSWERED’

The Kum & Go company logo is seen outside a store in Iowa City, Iowa. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)

Arkansas Kum & Go stores began their rebranding process in mid-January, local 5NEWS reports.

More than 60 locations in Michigan and Missouri are soon expecting rebrands, as well, CSP Daily News reports.

A Kum & Go LC gas station and convenience store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (Chet Strange/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

The work is a continuation since Kum & Go was acquired by Utah-based company Maverik in 2023.

Back in August, Maverik said it had “completed 97 rebrands across Utah and Colorado, with the goal of offering its customers a unified, consistent experience across store food offerings, in-store experience, product selection, rewards programs, customer service and more.”

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While Kum & Go and Maverik representatives did not immediately respond to a FOX Business request for more information, local KOLR reports that customers may experience brief store closures while changes are being made inside and outside stores.

February 11, 2025
Dozens of illegals arrested in Trump’s home county in Florida

Amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 32 criminal illegal immigrants in the president’s Florida home county.

Crimes committed by those arrested include drug-related offenses, prostitution, robbery, fraud and driving under the influence.

The agency announced on Monday that officials arrested 32 criminal illegal aliens through “targeted immigration enforcement operations” in Palm Beach County on Jan. 27 and 28.

Trump’s permanent residence, Mar-a-Lago, is in Palm Beach County, which is a highly affluent county known for its pristine beaches and golf courses.

ICE SCOOPS UP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITH MURDER, ROBBERY CONVICTIONS IN WEEKEND CRACKDOWN

ICE arrests 32 illegal aliens in Palm Beach County enforcement action.

According to the Monday announcement, ICE officers and agents based in Miami, in coordination with the U.S. Border Patrol, arrested criminal immigrants from Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Though the ICE statement did not name any of the detainees, the agency said those arrested included a 30-year-old Venezuelan male convicted of drug possession, robbery and resisting an officer; a 44-year-old Haitian female convicted of battery, drug possession and prostitution; a 24-year-old Cuban male convicted of fraud through illegal use of a credit card and larceny; and a 25-year-old Guatemalan male convicted of cocaine possession and driving under the influence.

Fox News Digital reached out to ICE to obtain information on the detained criminal migrants’ identities but had not heard back at the time of publication.

TOM HOMAN CALLS DESIGNATING CARTELS AS TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS A ‘GAME CHANGER’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in Palm Beach County, Florida, recently netted 32 illegal aliens from various countries.

The ICE statement said that all those arrested will remain detained pending their removal from the U.S. or hearing before an immigration judge.

This comes as ICE and federal authorities under the new Trump administration have unleashed a string of targeted operations, arresting several thousand illegal immigrants since Trump’s second term began on Jan. 20.

ICE officers have been seen carrying out raids of homes, work sites and other establishments, while deportations have also ramped up, with the Trump administration beginning flights this week, transporting the most violent migrants to Guantánamo Bay.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

ICE arrests 32 illegal aliens in Palm Beach County enforcement action.

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According to a separate ICE statement, the agency has been conducting “enhanced enforcement operations” in Chicago and New York with routine daily operations taking place throughout the country. The agency said it is currently utilizing a “whole-of-government approach” to target criminal aliens with no legal basis for removal.

In many cases, ICE is partnering with the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Marshals Service to carry out these arrests.

Fox News Digital breaking news writer Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 4, 2025
Dozens of former FBI agents rally around Kash Patel’s confirmation: ‘Lives have been shattered’

FIRST ON FOX: A nationwide group of former Federal Bureau of Investigation agents has sent a letter to Senate leadership in support of Trump FBI Director nominee Kash Patel making the case that the bureau is “broken” and in desperate need of a new direction.

“As a group of retired FBI Special Agents and former Intelligence Analysts from across the country dedicated to restoring public trust in the FBI and returning the FBI to its original mission, we support President Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as the FBI’s next Director,” the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, signed by over 50 former and retired FBI agents from Reform The Bureau said.

The letter was sent to Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Dick Durbin, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“Many Americans have lost faith in the FBI, and for good reason,” the letter explains. “The FBI is broken. And with this loss of trust has come a rise in threats at home and abroad. Drug cartels and Mexican gangs have taken control of the border and have infiltrated cities across the country bringing violent crime and drugs with them. At the same time, China has grown more brazen, engaging in espionage that robs U.S. businesses of their intellectual property and undermines our national security.”

FORMER TRUMP OFFICIALS REJECT WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM THAT FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL BROKE HOSTAGE PROTOCOL

Kash Patel’s FBI Director confirmation hearing will be held on Thursday (Getty Images)

“Terrorist groups are on the rise again in the Middle East, with unknown numbers having flooded into our country over the past four years through a wide-open border. Just as these many, varied threats have increased, the FBI has been used as a tool in the weaponization of the Department of Justice to go after its political enemies. Lives have been shattered and the targets of these weaponized investigations have been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own personal funds to defend themselves and their reputations. This needs to stop.”

The former agents wrote that the bureau is in “desperate need of a highly capable, non-partisan, and legally compliant FBI it can trust” right now “more than ever” and made the case that Patel is the person to make that a reality.

The letter explained that as both a public defender and prosecutor, Patel has “operated on both sides of the justice system,” which gives him a “unique perspective” to understand the need to both enforce the law and respect the rights of the accused.

‘JUST LIKE TRUMP’: ISIS MURDER VICTIM KAYLA MUELLER’S PARENTS ENDORSE PATEL FOR FBI FOLLOWING MILITARY OP ROLE

President Donald Trump has nominated longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel, who has been a frequent and harsh critic of the FBI, to serve as the bureau’s next director. (Reuters)

“As a former congressional aide, he understands the importance of congressional oversight and the need for the FBI to be responsive and transparent to members of Congress as they perform this important function,” the letter states. “And as a former Executive Branch national security official who has served at the National Security Council, at the Directorate of Intelligence, and at the Pentagon, he understands the scope of national security threats our country faces. Mr. Patel also understands how organizations such as the FBI function and collaborate with other agencies to keep America safe, and the need for highly capable but legally compliant agencies to take on these threats and protect the American people.”

“Never has the FBI faced such an urgent and compelling need for comprehensive reform as it does today. Mr. Patel has proven he possesses the breadth of experience required to address these challenges. His leadership, expertise, and vision make him uniquely qualified to guide the FBI through this pivotal moment. For these reasons, we stand in full support of Kash Patel’s nomination.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Patel spokesperson Erica Knight said, “The endorsement from these former FBI agents and intelligence analysts underscores what so many Americans already know—Kash Patel is the principled leader we need to restore trust in the FBI and refocus it on its core mission of protecting the American people.”

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Patel is set to join the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday as the final leg of his nomination process kicks off in earnest. Patel has been on Capitol Hill meeting with Senate lawmakers to rally support for his nomination, earning praise from conservative lawmakers such as Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, as well as endorsements from key law enforcement groups, such as the National Sheriffs’ Association.

Patel is expected to face an uphill battle overall to secure the nomination, as Democrats balk that he lacks the qualifications to lead the law enforcement agency and would politicize the agency.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

January 29, 2025
Dozens of former intel officials urge senators to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence

EXCLUSIVE: Dozens of top former intelligence officials are urging members of the Senate to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, saying she will “begin undoing the gross politicization that has come to characterize intelligence bureaucracies,” Fox News Digital has learned.

Former White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell, Navy SEAL veteran and member of the intelligence community Erik Prince and more than four dozen other former intelligence officials penned a letter to Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., on Monday, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’

“We, the undersigned former intelligence and national security officials, urge members of the United States Senate to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to serve as President Trump’s Director of National Intelligence,” they wrote. “Her service as DNI will begin undoing the gross politicization that has come to characterize intelligence bureaucracies, which has been to the great detriment of the freedom and security of the United States and its citizens.”

Tulsi Gabbard is a military officer with more than 20 years of service and multiple combat deployments. (Getty Images)

The officials said Gabbard’s experience “more than qualifies her for this important position.”

Gabbard is a military officer with more than 20 years of service and multiple combat deployments. She also served in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years and served on numerous national security committees.

The officials said Gabbard was “an outspoken champion for America’s warriors and for our cherished constitutional freedoms.”

“In both these roles, she experienced first-hand how intelligence, when used as intended, provides critical support to America’s military and political leaders,” they wrote. “When intelligence was abused, Lt. Col. Gabbard spoke up and insisted on safeguards.”

The officials said Tulsi Gabbard, here with President Donald Trump, was “an outspoken champion for America’s warriors and for our cherished constitutional freedoms.” (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

PATEL, GABBARD TO APPEAR BEFORE SENATE COMMITTEES NEXT WEEK

The officials said that “in contrast to the many former senior intelligence officials who politicized their profession and disgraced themselves by running misinformation operations to undermine the President of the United States—such as by signing the infamous Biden laptop ‘Russian disinformation’ letter or appearing on partisan programs to knowingly mislead the public with false claims of inside knowledge and access to classified information—Lt. Col. Gabbard stood up for truth, integrity, and following the facts.”

The officials said those are “precisely the values necessary for the leader of the intelligence community.”

“As former collectors, analysts, consumers, and enablers of intelligence, we support Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard to lead the IC,” they wrote. “She has the integrity, and moral courage, to restore objectivity and professionalism to the nation’s intelligence agencies.”

Former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien and more than four dozen other former intelligence officials penned a letter on Monday, urging members of the Senate to confirm Tulsi Gabbard. (Eloisa Lopez/pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The letter comes as Gabbard has come under scrutiny from some senators who have been critical of her intelligence experience.

But allies of Gabbard have defended her record, and said it is critical that someone with “fresh eyes” and “without bias” lead the intelligence community. They also have argued that Gabbard knows, firsthand, the consequences of inaccurate intelligence, given her service in the War on Terror.

TULSI GABBARD CHANGES TUNE ON CONTROVERSIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOL FOLLOWING GOP LOBBYING

“She has seen the true cost of war,” a source close to Gabbard’s confirmation process told Fox News Digital.

“It is a strength, not a weakness, that she doesn’t have direct prior intel agency experience,” the source continued. “She has been a consumer during her time deployed overseas–but not having direct agency background is a strength as she will come in with clear eyes and no bias to the intel community which needs to regain the trust of the American people and not be used as a political tool weaponized against them.”

Ric Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, speaks in July 2024. He was another name on the letter to Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Warner, D-Va. (Mike Segar/Reuters )

Gabbard’s confirmation hearing with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is scheduled to take place Thursday morning.

Trump has argued that Gabbard will bring a “fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights and securing Peace through Strength.”

The director of national intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community, which includes overseeing the National Intelligence Program and advising the president on security matters.

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Gabbard has served as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves since 2021, after previously serving in the Hawaii Army National Guard for about 17 years. She was elected to the U.S. House representing Hawaii during the 2012 election cycle, serving as a Democrat until 2021. She did not seek re-election to that office after she entered the 2020 White House race.

Gabbard left the Democratic Party in 2022, registering as an independent before becoming a member of the GOP in 2024 and offering her full endorsement of Trump amid his presidential campaign.

Gabbard has received the support of dozens of national security officials, and in December received endorsements from more than 250 veterans, including high-profile names such as retired Gen. Michael Flynn and former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.

Brooke Singman is a political correspondent and reporter for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.

January 28, 2025
United Airlines says ‘technical issue’ led to dozens injured on flight from Nigeria to DC

A United Airlines flight from LAX to Denver lost a wheel during takeoff Momday morning, the airline confirmed.

Dozens of people aboard a United Airlines flight from Africa to the U.S. were injured, six seriously, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The airline’s Boeing 787-8 from Lagos, Nigeria to Washington, D.C., on Thursday “returned to Lagos after a technical issue and an unexpected aircraft  movement,” United told FOX Business via email.

After landing safely back in Lagos, four passengers and two flight attendants were taken to the hospital for minor injuries and have since been released, the airline said.

An additional 27 passengers and five crew members “had minor injuries,” FAAN said in a statement shared on X.

UNITED AIRLINES ANNOUNCES ‘ACCELERATED’ STARLINK TIMELINE FOR PASSENGERS

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from United Airlines lands at Barcelona airport in Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 2, 2024. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto / Getty Images)

United flight 613 was carrying 245 passengers, eight flight attendants and three pilots at the time of the incident.

The aircraft did not sustain “any major damage,” FAAN said.

“We are working with aviation authorities in the U.S. and Nigeria to understand the cause,” United said.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES MAKES CHANGE REDUCING PASSENGER MOVEMENT IN EFFORT TO LOWER INJURY RISK

Ticker Security Last Change Change %

UAL UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. 105.00 +2.00 +1.94%

BA THE BOEING CO. 176.03 -2.42 -1.36%

Passengers wait for their luggage after arriving United Airlines flights at O’Hare International Airport on Dec. 13, 2022, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

“The public may not know for a couple of weeks to a month but the investigators are going to know within a couple of days,” Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board told the New York Times.

“They’re going to download the flight data recorder and they’re going to interview the flight crew and also listen to the cockpit voice recorder,” he said.

Earlier this month, an Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aborted its takeoff from Melbourne Airport in Australia for technical reasons, according to reports.

A logo is seen on the Boeing stand on the opening day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, south-west of London, on July 22, 2024. (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Etihad Airways Flight EY461 from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi began its acceleration on the runway just at around 7 p.m. before slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop.

“The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution,” Etihad Airways told UAE state-owned newspaper The National.

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The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a passenger on the plane said two tires burst after the landing gear caught fire.

FOX Business’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

January 26, 2025
‘Tides are shifting’: Push to codify key Trump-era policy snags dozens of cosponsors, including Dems

FIRST ON FOX: A bill to restore the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, introduced recently in the House, is racking up cosponsors as it becomes the latest immigration bill to pick up bipartisan support in the chamber.

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, a freshman lawmaker, introduced the Remain in Mexico Act this month.

The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, which were introduced during the first Trump administration and required migrants to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases were heard, part of an effort to end the practice known as “catch and release.” The protocols were scrapped by the Biden administration, which argued they were cruel and ineffective.

TRUMP’S REMAIN IN MEXICO POLICY COULD BE REVIVED UNDER NEW HOUSE GOP BILL

Then-President Donald Trump, left, speaks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as they participate in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Arizona, on June 23, 2020. (SAUL LOEB/AFP )

President Donald Trump has signed an order requiring the protocols to be restored, but codifying the policy in federal law would make it significantly harder for critics to then repeal it under a different administration.

However, with the bill now before Congress, it has already picked up over 100 cosponsors, Fox News Digital is told. That includes two Democrats, Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez, D-Wash., and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

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“I am overwhelmed with gratitude that over one hundred of my colleagues have shown bipartisan support for my REMAIN in Mexico Act that codifies President Trump’s executive border action into law,” Gill said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump made southern border security a top priority of his administration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci | Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“The tides are shifting under President Trump—Congress knows we must strengthen our national security, prevent fraudulent asylum claims, and put our citizens first,” he said.

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The bill is one of a number of pieces of immigration legislation that have been introduced, with increasing signs of support from Democrats after a year in which illegal immigration was a top issue for voters and resulted in Republicans controlling the House, Senate and White House.

On Wednesday evening, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. It had previously passed the Senate. In the House, 46 Democrats voted in favor of it.

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The House is expected to be active on illegal immigration, reflecting a flurry of orders coming from the White House. Those orders include declaring a national emergency at the border, sending troops to the border and canceling a slew of Biden-era parole programs.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

January 23, 2025

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