Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Finish

NYC Mayor Eric Adams refuses to resign in sermon: ‘I have a mission to finish’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told churchgoers on Sunday that he’s on a mission from God and won’t resign from office as he faces allegations of a quid pro quo with President Donald Trump’s administration.

Adams made the remarks during a sermon at Maranatha Baptist Church in Queens, telling the gathering, “I am going nowhere,” the New York Post reported.

“I have a mission to finish, the mission that God put me on many years ago,” Adams said, adding that “God has fortified me.”

Adams told “Fox & Friends” in an interview on Friday that he plans to run for re-election as a Democrat.

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS HE WILL RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS DEMOCRAT

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Fox News last week that he plans to run for reelection as a Democrat. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images, File)

Adams, a Democrat who said he was targeted by the Biden administration, was indicted in September on charges including bribery, soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, wire fraud and conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The decision to drop the case against Adams came as part of Trump’s effort to overhaul the Justice Department, which he said has been weaponized against political opponents.

Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the decision to drop the case, telling Fox News in an interview Friday that Adams was targeted after he criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

Several senior Justice Department officials resigned in protest Thursday rather than comply with an order to drop a bribery case against Adams.

After the charges were dropped, Adams was accused of a quid pro quo over his willingness to work with the Trump administration crackdown to curb illegal immigration, and has faced calls to resign.

“I just find it so amazing — the most sanctified among us are calling for me to step down,” Adams told the church gathering. “I’m not going to step down. I’m going to step up.

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS PROMISES TO REOPEN ICE OFFICE ON RIKERS ISLAND AFTER MEETING WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday evening that she was considering removing Adams from office amid the allegations of a quid pro quo.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has faced pressure to fire Adams amid the allegations. (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images, File)

“The allegations are extremely concerning and serious, but I cannot as the governor of this state have a knee-jerk, politically motivated reaction like a lot of other people are saying right now,” she said.

Hochul is the only state official who has the power to remove Adams from his position.

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Hochul further stated, “I have to do what’s smart, what’s right and I’m consulting with other leaders in government at this time.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 17, 2025
Lori Chavez-DeRemer: The little-known Trump nominee who may need to rely on Dems to cross finish line

President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Labor, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., has left Republicans in the Senate with some questions over her pro-union stances, but at the same time, she has generated some interest from pro-labor Democrats.

In particular, the moderate Republican will need to explain to Republicans her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act), a controversial piece of legislation that was proposed a few years ago.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that “support for the PRO Act is not something that most Republicans have tolerated in the past, but I think she’s attempted to address that, and my hope is that she can further clarify her position on some of those issues when she goes through the hearing process.”

SCHUMER REVEALS DEM COUNTER-OFFENSIVE AGAINST TRUMP’S DOGE AUDIT

Trump’s nominee for labor secretary could see Democrats help her get over the finish line. (Reuters | Getty Images)

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act was championed by Democrats and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters upon introduction. But others, such as most Republicans and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opposed it.

The legislation would effectively kill state-level laws that prohibit employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment.

Chavez-DeRemer will have her hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday.

One committee member she’ll have to answer to is Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has already said he doesn’t plan to support her.

“Her support for the Pro Act, which would not only oppose national right to work, but it would preempt state law on right to work. I think it’s not a good thing, and it’d be sort of hard for me since it’s a big issue for me to support her. So I won’t support her,” the senator previously told reporters.

TRUMP’S KEY TO CABINET CONFIRMATIONS: SENATOR-TURNED-VP VANCE’S GIFT OF GAB

Paul plans to vote against the nominee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

This puts Chavez-DeRemer in a difficult position, as she will need to rely on Democrats to help her advance out of the HELP committee favorably if Paul follows through on his commitment to voting against her.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who is far from the most pro-union Republican in the upper chamber, is full speed ahead in favor of Trump’s pick as Chavez-DeRemer gears up for her hearing and eventual committee vote.

In a phone interview with Fox News Digital, he explained that he and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien were involved in Trump’s selection of her for the key Cabinet role. Mullin further detailed the significance of union members in Trump’s winning 2024 election coalition.

He claimed Democrats have “come to us and actually said this is actually a really good pick” because it puts them in a difficult position and is hard to vote against with her support among labor unions.

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Mullin is a close ally of Trump. (Markwayne Mullin for Senate)

The senator didn’t give away any names of Democrats that might see her appeal, however.

Paul previously predicted he wouldn’t be the only one unwilling to back her in the Republican conference.

“I think she’ll lose 15 Republicans and she’ll get 25 Democrats. She’s very pro-labor, she might get all the Democrats. Who knows? So, we’ll see,” he said.

If his vote leaves her nomination tied at the committee level, it could still be reported and scheduled for a floor vote, but without a favorable recommendation. In this case, she would need to amass 60 votes in the full Senate to move on to confirmation.

LEADER THUNE BACKS SENATE GOP BID TO SPEED PAST HOUSE ON TRUMP BUDGET PLAN

Chavez-DeRemer is a former Republican congresswoman. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With her appeal among labor groups, Chavez-DeRemer may manage to put together a 60-plus bipartisan coalition to be confirmed.

While Paul predicted more than a dozen GOP defectors, Mullin said the real number is likely much smaller.

“I haven’t heard from any other Republicans that are a ‘no.’ Rand is the only one,” he said.

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“I don’t think his numbers are accurate, even close,” the Oklahoma Republican added.

A representative for Chavez-DeRemer did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.

Follow Julia’s reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to [email protected].

February 11, 2025
Border state’s crucial crackdown on illegal immigrants could get new federal protections: ‘Finish the job’

FIRST ON FOX: A Texas lawmaker is relaunching efforts to make sure his state can build a border buoy barrier without interference from the federal government after the state tackled a lawsuit by the Biden administration.

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, is reintroducing the Prevent Aliens Through Rivers of Lands (PATROL) Act that would bar the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using the Rivers and Harbor Act to sue states.

Texas set up buoys on the Rio Grande in 2023 due to the surging migrant crisis at the southern border at the time.

Texas claimed the barrier would protect sovereignty and save lives by preventing people from entering the water. Humanitarian groups and the DOJ argued the barriers were a safety risk and sued.

TRUMP DOJ SLAPS ILLINOIS, CHICAGO WITH LAWSUIT OVER SANCTUARY LAWS

Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the U.S. Capitol Sept. 27, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The DOJ lawsuit argued the buoy barrier violates the Rivers and Harbors Act, which protects navigable waters from obstructions and outlines authorities for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The buoys were allowed to stay by an appeals court as the case moved forward, and it is not expected to be pursued by the Trump administration.

The bill would remove the ability to sue under that act, meaning the barrier and similar barriers could go ahead unimpeded both during this administration and future administrations.

“For the last four years, the White House had refused to secure our border and instead fought against the states that were stepping up to do it themselves,” Cloud said in a statement. “The PATROL Act makes it clear: Texas doesn’t need permission from the federal government to defend its communities. The DOJ should never again be used as a weapon against border security.

Migrants try to cross the border between Piedras Negras and Eagle Pass in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Aug. 4, 2023. (David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

TRUMP-ERA SOUTHERN BORDER SEES MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS PLUMMET BY OVER 60% AS NEW POLICIES KICK IN

“Now that we have an administration under President Trump who cares about law and order and protecting our communities, it’s time to remove the last roadblocks and allow Texas to finish the job.”

The bill has the backing of conservative groups, including NumbersUSA and Heritage Action, which said Congress should “build on [Trump’s] momentum to strengthen our immigration system and enforce the rule of law.”

“States should have the right to secure the border and protect American citizens when the federal government fails to do so,” the group said.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month his state has installed more buoys along the river.

“The Biden Administration tried — and FAILED — to prevent Texas from deploying these effective buoy barriers,” he said on X.

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“Glad to finally have a President who will work with Texas to secure the border.”

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.

February 6, 2025