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Tag: protesters

  • GOP chairman responds after protesters are tossed from USAID spending hearing

    GOP chairman responds after protesters are tossed from USAID spending hearing

    A group of protesters attempted to derail a USAID hearing at the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, demanding that President Donald Trump’s administration restore aid funding.

    Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., poked fun at the protesters for being behind the times after they interrupted opening statements from witnesses before the committee.

    “PEPFAR saves lives. Restore AIDS funding now,” the protesters chanted as they were forced out of the chamber.

    “I guess these guys don’t watch the news. They didn’t realize that PREPFAR was one of the many programs that did prove to be life-saving so the funding was restored,” Mast said. “Somebody better give them a link to, I don’t know, maybe Fox News or something like that.”

    RUBIO PAUSES FOREIGN AID FROM STATE DEPARTMENT AND USAID TO ENSURE IT PUTS ‘AMERICA FIRST’

    Chairman Brain Mast suggested protesters should read more news articles. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    PEPFAR is a global AIDS relief program that has been credited with saving over 20 million lives since it was created under President George W. Bush.

    The program received a waiver from Trump’s administration to continue its work despite the wider funding freeze impacting USAID and state department aid programs.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also created a wider exemption for “life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter, and subsistence assistance, as well as supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance,” Congressional Republicans noted in a memo.

    Marco Rubio in Dominican Republic

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave an exemption to the funding freeze for programs that are “life-saving,” among other things. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

    Republicans have blasted the wider wasteful spending at USAID and the state department, however.

    NONCITIZEN VOTER CRACKDOWN LED BY HOUSE GOP AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

    The memo also highlighted funding programs including “$39,652 to host seminars at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on gender identity and racial equality through the State Department” and “$425,622 to help Indonesian coffee companies become more climate and gender friendly through USAID.”

    USAID flag

    USAID has been folded into the State Department. (Getty Images)

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    Other priorities listed included “$14 million in cash vouchers for migrants at the southern border through the State Department,” “$446,700 to promote the expansion of atheism in Nepal through the State Department” and “$32,000 for an LGBTQ-centered comic book in Peru.”

    Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

  • Michigan sheriff who marched with protesters in 2020 launches gubernatorial bid

    Michigan sheriff who marched with protesters in 2020 launches gubernatorial bid

    A high-profile sheriff in Michigan announced his bid to run for governor, replacing Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

    First elected sheriff of Michigan’s Genesee County in 2020, Chris Swanson’s announcement on Thursday marks his full leap into politics after speaking at the Democratic National Convention last August. The race is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested political battles of 2026.

    Swanson first gained national attention in May 2020, just days after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests against racial injustice. He famously took off his riot gear and marched alongside demonstrators after telling them: “I want to make this a parade, not a protest.”  

    His bid comes as the Democratic Party seeks a new kind of candidate who can address top voter concerns such as immigration and public safety, issues Swanson plans to make central to his campaign.

    NEWSOM CHANGES TONE ON TRUMP FROM CAMPAIGN RHETORIC WITH FEDERAL WILDFIRE RECOVERY FUNDS AT STAKE

    Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election on Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

    Swanson formally announced his bid at Mott Community College, his alma mater, in Flint on Thursday night. He was joined by a packed house of more than 400 supporters from across the state. 

    “When there’s a challenge, we will solve it. When there’s a crisis, we will bring calm. When there’s an opportunity, we will seize it,” Swanson said. “I believe everyone has value. Michigan has value. It’s why I’ve always tried to find ways to help and bring people together. I believe that together, we are tough enough to win for Michigan.”

    OUT OF POWER: DEMOCRATS DISORIENTED IN FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA

    In entering the race, Swanson joins Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in the Democratic primary, with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II mulling a potential bid. On the Republican side, Aric Nesbitt, the top GOP state Senate leader, has announced his candidacy. U.S. Rep. John James ais lso considered to be a potential contender. Detroit’s once-Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan further shook up the race by entering as an independent.

    Swanson has never won a race outside of Genesee County and he will be competing in the primary against Benson, who has won multiple statewide races and raised millions of dollars. Swanson remains largely unknown outside his county, which is about 70 miles northwest of Detroit.

    chris swanson

    Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson talks during a news conference, Jan. 28, 2025 in Flint, Michigan. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

    The sheriff’s appeal as a non-traditional candidate could resonate in a battleground state like Michigan, where winning requires broad, cross-party support. In the 2024 election, Swanson was reelected with 65% of the vote in Genesee County — running nearly 14 percentage points ahead of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

    Swanson’s decision to remove his riot gear and march alongside protesters at a demonstration in Flint following Floyd’s May 2020 death sparked national attention and praise from prominent Democrats, including Whitmer and former President Barack Obama. 

    He said this month that police had planned for a different response, but “as I was walking up, I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

    TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER TO DEPORT HAMAS SYMPATHIZERS ON CAMPUSES PROMPTS STUDENT NEWSPAPER TO DELETE NAMES

    It also helped propel him to an appearance at the Democratic National Convention in August, where he wore his sheriff’s uniform and endorsed Harris in a brief speech.

    The appearance was a rare show of law enforcement support for the then-vice president. Sheriffs in Michigan and across the country frequently aligned themselves with President Donald Trump during his tough-on-crime, anti-illegal immigration presidential campaign.

    chris swanson

    Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson is embraced as he announces his campaign to run for governor of Michigan in the 2026 election Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Mott Community College in Flint, Mich. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP)

    Swanson’s background could boost his appeal in a general election, especially as immigration remains a top voter concern. However, he may face challenges in the Democratic primary, where some in the party have made calls to “defund the police” and reform law enforcement.

    “It’s time that we have a different type of candidate coming through the system, not just the next one up,” said Swanson. “People, I think, are hungry for something new and fresh. Certainly the party is. And I’m that person.”

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    Swanson’s gubernatorial bid was first announced in The Associated Press. 

    Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more. 

  • Climate activists break with Dem Party as leadership meeting interrupted by protesters

    Climate activists break with Dem Party as leadership meeting interrupted by protesters

    Environmental groups appear to be breaking with the Democratic Party after protesters disrupted a recent leadership meeting, which comes as the party attempts to regain its footing after suffering defeat in the 2024 presidential election.

    The Democratic National Committee (DNC) held a candidate forum on Thursday evening in Washington, D.C., ahead of their upcoming election to determine who will lead the campaign arm into the next election cycle. 

    While the event was intended to showcase some of the party’s potential new faces, it was interrupted by several protesters, including climate activists from the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led, left-wing climate action organization, who demanded the DNC establish a working election strategy for the party after the 2024 loss.

    “What will you do to get fossil fuel money out of Democratic politics? We are facing a climate emergency!” Fox News Digital heard one protester shout.

    AFTER STINGING ELECTION DEFEATS, DNC EYES RURAL VOTERS AS KEY TO 2026 MIDTERM SUCCESS

    Hecklers are seen being removed by Georgetown University security at the DNC chair election debate at Georgetown University on Jan. 30 2025. (Fox News Digital/Paul Steinhauser)

    Other protesters made calls for the DNC chair candidates to bring back the party’s ban on corporate PAC and lobbyist donations.

    “To defeat Trump, the Democratic Party needs to loudly and proudly take a stand against billionaires and show voters that Democrats are the only party ready to fight for working people,” Adah, an activist from the Sunrise Movement who made an interruption, said in a statement issued by Sunrise.

    DNC HIRES FORMER HARRIS STAFFERS BEHIND @KAMALAHQ FOR SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSES TO TRUMP

    “That’s how we will win back young voters and working class voters and defeat Trump,” Adah added.

    Nominees for the DNC chair position at the DNC chair debate at Georgetown University on Jan. 30 2025.

    Nominees for the DNC chair position at the DNC chair debate at Georgetown University on Jan. 30 2025. (Fox News Digital/Paul Steinhauser)

    About a dozen protesters interrupted and were kicked out of the event — the final meeting ahead of Saturday’s DNC election. 

    The Democratic candidates and moderates grew frustrated with the protesters who were interrupting the event. 

    Jason Paul, a candidate running for DNC chair, said the protesters were “hijack[ing] the whole evening” and turning the event “into scream night.”

    The eight candidates vying for Democratic National Committee chair sit for a forum that was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025.

    The eight candidates vying for Democratic National Committee chair sit for a forum that was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., on Jan. 30, 2025. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

    “I’m surprised I haven’t seen more of it,” former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley told reporters after the event. “They’re going to be on this planet a lot longer than I am, and if they stop caring passionately about the planet, then we have no hope at all. So it didn’t bother me.”

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    Eight candidates are running to serve as chair of the DNC next cycle, including O’Malley, Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler, Minnesota chair Ken Martin, and former two-time Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson.

    The DNC chair election will be held Saturday.

    Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.