Author: NOVA Corp

There’s a new push to give federal reparations to descendants of slaves among congressional Democrats, this time being led by progressive Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich.

Thanedar introduced a bill late last week that would set up a federal commission to “study and distribute land reparations” for the descendants of slaves in the U.S. The legislation has no formal backers and faces steep obstacles to advancing in the Republican-controlled House.

“The history of historical injustices against Black Americans by our federal government is nothing short of shameful,” Thanedar told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Formerly enslaved families were promised land as a means of securing freedom and self-sufficiency, but these promises were broken, and the devastating economic effects of this broken promise is still felt today.”

Thanedar’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding how the legislation would work in practice.

NO CLEAR CHAMPION OF CASH PAYMENT REPARATIONS AMONG DEMOCRATS IN CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE

Reparations refer to financial compensation for Black Americans intended to address economic harms their ancestors experienced during slavery and the Jim Crow era. Republicans oppose the idea over eligibility concerns and their belief that present-day Americans should not be responsible for harms committed generations ago.

The reparations push comes as Thanedar, a two-term lawmaker, is facing a serious challenge from the left ahead of Michigan’s August 2026 primary. State Rep. Donavan McKinney, D-Mich., is vying to unseat Thanedar in the deep-blue district with the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders I-Vt., and the progressive group, Justice Democrats — despite Thanedar’s own progressive credentials.

But Thanedar’s support for Israel has served to alienate him from the furthest-left flank of his party, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a fellow member of his state’s delegation. He left the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of which Tlaib is a member, after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel in 2023.

Tlaib is also supporting McKinney’s campaign.

Thanedar, an Indian American, has supported slavery reparations since before his congressional tenure.

“Every other community has — Japanese Americans got their [reparations], American Indians got their reparations,” the Michigan Democrat said in 2022 while running for Congress. “This is something that needs to be handled in a fair way.”

ILLINOIS CITY WAS THE FIRST TO PAY BLACKS RESIDENTS 25K IN REPARATIONS, BUT HOW WILL IT FIND MORE FUNDING?

Thanedar is an original cosponsor of H.R. 40, also known as the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act, which aims to kickstart the reparations process for descendants of slaves. The Michigan Democrat is also a proud supporter of more expansive legislation that aims to transfer $14 trillion in estimated losses to reparations recipients.

The legislation was originally introduced by Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., in 2023, when it was similarly dead on arrival in the GOP-controlled House.

Progressive Democrats have long advocated for the passage of reparations legislation but have encountered resistance from members of the party’s moderate flank who view the idea as politically toxic.

Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., vetoed legislation in 2025 that would have enacted a reparations commission at the state level. Moore is notably one of the only Black Democratic governors in the country and is rumored to have presidential ambitions.

Thanedar has also introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump and other Trump administration figures, despite opposition from House Democratic leadership.

FIRST ON FOX: An Afghan national let into the country during the Biden administration has been arrested by the Department of Homeland Security following a conviction for indecent exposure to a minor.

Basir Ahmad Safi, who is in his 30s, was arrested by DHS on March 11, according to the agency. Before his conviction for indecent exposure to a minor, Safi was charged with lewd or lascivious exhibition, soliciting a child via computer, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and child abuse.

He was admitted to the country in 2021 under former President Joe Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” according to the agency. Two years later, in September 2023, Safi was arrested in Florida by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on those charges.

In an emailed statement to Fox News Digital, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis slammed the Biden administration for having allowed “this unvetted Afghan pedophile” in the U.S.

ANGEL MOM WHOSE 13-YEAR-OLD SON WAS EXECUTED BY ILLEGAL GANG MEMBER URGES INCOMING DHS CHIEF TO ACT

“He should NEVER have been allowed into our country or given the opportunity to prey on innocent children,” wrote Bis.

DHS said Safi was arrested as part of a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. By the time of his arrest, Safi’s status had been revoked, and he was unlawfully residing in the U.S., DHS said. Safi is being held in ICE custody pending removal.

This comes after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, another Afghan national allowed into the country under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, shot two U.S. National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. One of the service members, Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of the West Virginia National Guard, died from her injuries. The other, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded but survived.

GOP LAWMAKERS WOULD STRIP CITIZENSHIP FROM TERRORISTS AFTER ATTACKS TIED TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS

According to DHS, the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome relied on “unvetted referrals” to allow nearly 190,000 Afghan nationals into the country. The agency said those admitted into the U.S. included terrorists, sexual predators, pedophiles, domestic abusers and kidnappers

DHS said that “understanding this massive threat to American national security,” President Donald Trump halted Biden’s Afghan refugee resettlement program almost immediately after returning to the Oval Office. Months later, Trump suspended the entry of all Afghan nationals into the U.S.

ICE BUSTS HUMAN SMUGGLING RING THAT KIDNAPPED FAMILY, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED PREGNANT WOMAN

Bis said that “under President Trump’s leadership, DHS has been focused on identifying, arresting, and removing public safety threats like Basir Ahmad Safi from our country.”

A spokesperson for former President Biden did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FIRST ON FOX: A House GOP lawmaker is unveiling new legislation aimed at easing airport chaos that’s hitting travelers across the country during the ongoing partial government shutdown.

Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., introduced a bill on Monday to ensure Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers are paid during shutdowns by creating a Transportation Security Trust Fund to help operations and personnel wherever needed.

It would be funded by the Aviation Passenger Security Fee, also called the 9/11 passenger security fee in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. It’s a small cost collected by airlines — $5.60 for a one-way trip and up to $11.20 for a round-trip — for flights that originate in the U.S. and is meant to go toward passenger security.

Langworthy’s proposal comes days after TSA agents missed their first full paychecks of the shutdown, which has now gone on roughly a month with no end in sight.

‘YOU CAN CRY ABOUT IT’: TEMPERS FLARE IN SENATE AS DHS SHUTDOWN DEBATE ERUPTS, STALEMATE DIGS DEEPER

While they are entitled to back pay when the shutdown is over, the lack of a consistent paycheck and uncertainty over its duration have forced scores of TSA agents to call out sick and look for other ways to earn income to pay bills and feed their families.

Travelers in places like Louisiana and Texas have been asked to arrive hours early for flights to accommodate longer wait times for security.

Delays have also been exacerbated by bad weather in parts of the country, including up and down the East Coast.

HOMELAND SECURITY REACTIVATES MAJOR GLOBAL ENTRY PROGRAM FOR TRAVELERS AMID SHUTDOWN

“This is now the third time in just six months that TSA agents have been forced to work without receiving a paycheck,” Langworthy told Fox News Digital. “Morale and recruitment are taking a profound hit, and we’ve already lost more than 300 agents, putting the agency’s mission at grave risk.”

He said his bill “will help ensure that our hardworking agents get paid, and that we retain the vigilant, professional workforce necessary to protect the traveling public.”

“Doing nothing is a national security crisis waiting to happen,” Langworthy warned.

Democrats walked away from bipartisan funding negotiations earlier this year after Congress passed federal budgets for all aspects of the federal government except for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Democratic leaders are protesting the Trump administration’s handling of illegal immigration and withholding support from any spending bill that funds Trump’s crackdown, turning down multiple compromise offers for guardrails from the White House.

DHS oversees a wide variety of federal agencies, including the TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Secret Service, and others.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced Monday that Democrats would try to force a vote on funding all of DHS except for immigration-related agencies — likely a nonstarter for Republicans.

The standoff has seen new significance as more and more TSA agents are forced to choose between working without pay and finding second jobs to make ends meet. Concerns have also been exacerbated by the U.S. and Israel’s operation in Iran, which has raised the national security threat level within the country.

Congressional Democrats are seeking criminal charges against Kristi Noem weeks after President Donald Trump ousted her from leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top Democrats on their respective chambers’ Judiciary Committees, sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday accusing Noem of lying to Congress during back-to-back hearings earlier this month.

“A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress,” the letter said. “After months of evading our Committees’ requests to testify in routine oversight hearings, Secretary Noem made a series of demonstrably false statements in a brazen attempt to undermine critical congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.”

The top Democrats on the Senate and House Judiciary committees charged that there were four categories of statements Noem made during her testimony before the respective panels where the DHS chief could have perjured herself.

DHS DEFENDS MCLAUGHLIN AFTER ALLEGATIONS HUSBAND’S COMPANY PROFITED MILLIONS FROM AD CONTRACTS: ‘BASELESS’

Among those answers the lawmakers scrutinized were whether DHS follows court orders, Corey Lewandowski’s role in DHS contracts, whether immigration enforcement has detained U.S. citizens, and most notably the contracting process for a $220 million ad campaign heavily featuring Noem. 

The ad campaign, in particular, was an explosive moment during Noem’s hearing earlier this month when Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed her on whether there was a competitive bid process for the contracts and the substantial cash flow. 

Noem told the panel that the contract did go through a competitive process, “and career officials at the Department chose who would do those advertising commercials.” When asked if President Donald Trump knew about the ad campaign and its eye-popping sum, Noem said he did.

CAPITOL HILL DEMS HAIL TRUMP’S DHS OUSTER OF NOEM AFTER HEATED SENATE HEARING

Trump contradicted that statement in an interview with Reuters, and Kennedy argued that it was “hard to believe” the president would give it the green light. 

“It’s something we have to defend. I’m on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out,” Kennedy said. 

He alleged that the group that received “most of the money” had direct ties to former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and her husband, Benjamin Yoho, who runs the company.

KRISTI NOEM FIRED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL

“Even if Secretary Noem was the one telling the truth about the President’s knowledge, and she may well have been, she flatly misrepresented that the contract had been subject to a competitive bid,” Durbin and Raskin wrote. 

Yoho denied using his wife to secure lucrative contracts from the government, however, writing in a letter to Senate Democrats on Friday, “This statement is factually incorrect, and I respectfully request that you have your colleague correct the official record and issue an apology.”

Making false statements to Congress is classified as a felony, and a guilty verdict carries up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

But the Trump administration is sticking by Noem. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “Any claim that Secretary Noem committed perjury is categorically FALSE.”

Still, Democrats suggested that their effort would not end with the Trump administration, writing, “While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.”

Trump announced earlier this month that Noem would no longer serve as DHS secretary and instead take on a new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a military coalition formed by the Republican president.

It comes after mounting criticism from both sides of the aisle over Noem’s handling of the department and its enforcement of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Trump instead nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to take over the department. His confirmation hearing is expected this week.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment on Democrats’ letter.

Senate Democrats say they want to end the government shutdown but have repeatedly blocked GOP attempts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as they push for immigration enforcement reforms.

On Friday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said at a news conference following an antisemitic attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in her state that “certainly” Congress must fund DHS. 

However, Slotkin and most Senate Democrats have voted four times to block DHS funding, including several attempts to temporarily reopen the agency while negotiations continue.

Slotkin is just one of several Senate Democrats calling for an end to the shutdown. Republicans argue the votes are part of a broader Democratic strategy to blame them for blocking efforts to reopen DHS.

DEMS VOTE TO KEEP DHS CLOSED DESPITE AIRPORT CHAOS, IRANIAN SLEEPER CELL THREAT

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., accused Democrats of trying to shift blame for the shutdown. 

“Well, that’s what they do, right? And they’re good at it. They’re really good at it,” he told Fox News Digital. “And the big difference is they have 90% of the legacy media backing them up.”

“So it’s hard, but again, four times this afternoon, the Democrats voted against funding DHS,” he continued.  

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Republicans of using the federal workers of a variety of agencies under DHS, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as “hostages.”

“I remind my Republican colleagues, we’re going to be back here again and again, winning this debate and eventually winning the American people,” Schumer said.

But Slotkin and others are now signaling an openness to funding Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which many Democrats have sought to deny federal funding to, in addition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We need, in my view, to cut away all the conversation on ICE, which is its own conversation,” Slotkin said at the news conference.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING LINE DESPITE ISIS-LINKED SHOOTING AT ODU, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER

Republicans have sharply criticized Democrats for denying funding to DHS despite a series of terror-related attacks across the country and a heightened threat environment amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict involving Iran.

An alleged ISIS-inspired bomb plot in New York City and a deadly shooting involving a convicted Islamic State supporter at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, rocked the country last week.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he supports funding DHS after voting against full-year appropriations for the department Thursday.

“I think we should,” Warner replied when asked if Democrats should break the deadlock by CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Sunday.

“What we have offered is let’s pay TSA, let’s pay FEMA, let’s pay … the Coast Guard, let’s pay CISA. I’d even say let’s pay Customs and Border Patrol,” Warner said. “If we can’t agree on ICE reforms, let’s pay everybody else.”

KATIE BRITT BLASTS DEMOCRAT FOR PLAYING ‘POLITICAL GAMES’ WITH SHUTDOWN AMID AIRPORT CHAOS

However, it is not clear that enough Democrats would be willing to fund CBP while still negotiating reforms to ICE to end the shutdown. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has been the lone Democrat so far to cross-party lines and support a full-year DHS appropriations bill.

“Democrats’ position is simple: we want reforms to rein in ICE and Border Patrol,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said on the Senate floor Thursday. “We also want TSA and FEMA funded — but we are not going to be blackmailed into cutting a blank check for ICE to get it done.”

Senate Republicans have rejected Democrats’ attempts to fund every agency under DHS except for those handling immigration enforcement.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., last week blocked an effort by Murray to fund the non-immigration portions of DHS.

Republicans’ resistance to efforts to partially reopen the agency comes as negotiations between the White House and Democrats have stalled.

“Members need to get in a room, have tough conversations, and figure out a pathway for the American people,” Britt told Fox News Digital. “Their safety and security should matter more than politics in November, and unfortunately, Democrats continue to try to take hostages.”

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, President Donald Trump said Monday.

Trump said Wiles has an “excellent” prognosis and plans to continue working at the White House while undergoing treatment.

“Susie Wiles is an incredible Chief of Staff, a great person, and one of the strongest people I know but, unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and has decided to take on this challenge, IMMEDIATELY, as opposed to waiting. She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent! During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!” the president said in a Truth Social post.

“Her Strength and her Commitment to continue doing the job she loves, and does so well, while undergoing treatment, tells you everything you need to know about her. Susie, as one of my closest and most important advisors, is tough and deeply committed to serving the American People,” the president continued.

CANCER SURVIVAL RATES REACH RECORD HIGH, BUT DEADLIEST TYPES STILL PUT AMERICANS AT RISK

“She will soon be better than ever! Melania and I are with her in every way, and we look forward to working with Susie on the many big and wonderful things that are happening for the benefit of our Country!” Trump added.

The president also addressed the issue while sitting alongside of Wiles on Monday, calling her “fantastic,” and describing her as “an amazing person, an amazing fighter.” 

Trump said Wiles will “take care of it immediately as opposed to waiting,” and that “she just started actually.”

Wiles has also issued a statement about the cancer diagnosis.

“This past week, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Wiles said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis. Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work, and serve their communities with strength and determination. I now join their ranks.

TRUMP BRUSHES OFF WILES’ ‘ALCOHOLIC’S PERSONALITY’ NICK AS ALLIES TORCH VANITY FAIR PIECE

“I am grateful to have an outstanding team of doctors who detected the cancer early and are guiding my care, and I am encouraged by a strong prognosis. I am also deeply thankful for the support and encouragement of President Trump as I undergo treatment and continue serving in my role as White House Chief of Staff,” she added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Wiles in a post on X.

“Susie Wiles epitomizes what it means to be a strong leader. She is also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Susie led President Trump’s historic 2024 comeback campaign and is now spearheading the most successful administration in history. I know I speak for the President and the entire White House when I say that we are all praying for Susie and rallying behind her as she prepares to fight this battle against breast cancer,” Leavitt wrote.

SUSIE WILES’ LAWYER DENIES APPROVING FBI RECORDING, SAYS HE’D LOSE LICENSE OVER ‘STUNT’

White House Deputy chief of staff James Blair wrote in a post on X that Wiles has “led President Trump’s team through illegitimate indictments, domestic spying by the former administration, rigged federal prosecutions, illegal law enforcement raids, general lawfare, assassination attempts, & more. As with the rest, she will win this battle with grace.”

Lawmakers have expressed well-wishes for Wiles.

GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said in a post on X, “Barbara and I are praying for Susie Wiles as she fights early stage breast cancer Barbara and I are strong supporters of regular screenings & early detection based on Barbara’s experience 39yrs ago.” Grassley added, “Susie will be an inspiration to many in this fight.”

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania expressed his sympathy: “I’ve just heard the news about White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles. My deep sympathies are with her as she navigates kicking breast cancer’s a–. Keeping her and her family in my thoughts,” Fetterman noted in a post on X.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida wrote, “Susie Wiles is an incredible person. She’s been a friend since 2010, when she ran my first Governor’s race. She has always been a true leader and an impressive tactician. She is one of the hardest-working people I know, and continues to be as President Trump’s Chief of Staff. Ann and I are praying for a quick and speedy recovery. Susie is a fighter. She will get through this stronger than ever!”

Fox News’ Jessica Loker contributed to this report

FIRST ON FOX: A key conservative group is accusing Democrat-run states of launching frivolous lawsuits against the Trump administration with no actual cause, and is calling on Congress to intervene.

America First Legal, a nonprofit founded by Trump advisor Stephen Miller, is urging House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to open a probe into “lawfare” conducted by blue states that it says is part of a larger effort to block President Donald Trump’s goals.

“America First Legal Foundation (‘AFL’) has uncovered a nationwide pattern to subvert the agenda of the Trump administration: Democrat-controlled states have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, yet in many cases, the states are unable to show any support for their alleged injuries,” the group’s legal counsel Will Scolinos wrote.

DEMOCRAT AGS SUE TRUMP FOR ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ FREEZE ON $6.8B IN K-12 SPENDING

There are over 200 active cases challenging various Trump administration policies right now, according to Lawfare Media’s litigation tracker. Dozens of those have been launched by states like California, Colorado, Minnesota and New York.

Scolinos said AFL launched a probe into various blue states’ lawsuits — and allegedly found many of them have been filed without concrete evidence to back up the claims they make.

“AFL’s investigation reveals that these Democrat-controlled states are pleading allegations of harm for which there is no corresponding evidence to support their claims,” the letter said.

“The fundamental problem is not merely that courts are failing to rigorously enforce standing requirements, but that state attorneys general are filing complaints premised on speculative injuries that their own client agencies cannot substantiate.”

TRUMP ADMIN SEEKS TO OVERTURN FEDERAL RESTRAINING ORDER LIMITING ICE OPERATIONS IN LOS ANGELES

The letter said it “raises serious questions about whether these lawsuits are being filed in good faith or are instead designed to obstruct the lawful policies of the Trump Administration through judicial intervention.”

Four states that sued the Trump administration over its transgender policies, for example, said “they lacked records” necessary to respond to AFL’s inquiries over the basis of those lawsuits, the letter said.

Five of 20 states that joined a lawsuit over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) getting access to federal Medicaid data to probe whether illegal immigrants were getting health benefits similarly told AFL that it could not provide records it requested, the letter said.

“Such conduct not only undermines the integrity of the federal court system but also abuses the judicial process to obstruct the lawful policies of the Trump Administration—policies that the American people voted for,” AFL said.

“Given the Committee’s jurisdiction over Title 28 and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, we request that you investigate this pattern of conduct and consider whether legislative action is warranted.”

A spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee told Fox News Digital when reached for comment, “We appreciate this tremendous work from America First Legal. We are evaluating the report and everything is on the table.”

EXCLUSIVE: California mother and grandmother Angie Morfin, whose 13-year-old son, Ruben, was executed at point-blank range by an illegal alien gang member, shared a message for incoming Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “Make sure no other mother has to get the call I did.”

“Ruben was just a little boy with dreams of growing up, getting married, and having a family of his own,” she told Fox News Digital, adding, “For 34 years I’ve fought to keep his memory alive, so he didn’t die in vain.”

She shared that she is hopeful that Mullin, a current Republican senator from Oklahoma who is set to take the reins at DHS at the end of the month, “will continue to listen to Angel Families and stand with us as we fight to make sure no other mother has to get the call I did.”

In a recent interview with The American Border Story, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, Morfin said her family remains devastated decades after losing Ruben.

“I cry for him today, like if it was just yesterday,” she shared.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF ASSAULTING NJ TEEN COULD BE RELEASED UNDER SANCTUARY POLICIES, ICE WARNS

In the winter of 1994, Ruben, a young Hispanic teenager with no gang affiliation, was chased down and shot in the back of the head by Mexican national Ezequiel Mariscal near Orange County, California. Ruben had been walking with a group of friends to a party.  

Morfin said that though her family was living in Oceanside, just north of San Diego, at the time, she had sent Ruben to stay with his grandparents during the holidays over concerns about gangs in their area.

Then one night, just after midnight, Morfin said she got a call.

“I grabbed the phone, and I could hear my mom screaming, ‘They shot Nino, they shot Nino.’ I knew it was my baby because that’s what we called him, because he was so small,” she said.

Morfin said she and her husband rushed to the hospital.

“It was probably the longest ride of my life. I was scared. I didn’t know what I was going to see when I got there,” she explained.

Once there, she was made to wait.

“They told me he was dying. That if he made it through the night, that he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life because they had just shot off half of his brain,” she recounted.

ICE BUSTS HUMAN SMUGGLING RING THAT KIDNAPPED FAMILY, SEXUALLY ASSAULTED PREGNANT WOMAN

“Finally, my husband got to go in, and he came out crying, and told me not to go in. Just to remember him the way he was, and I go, ‘No, this was my baby you’re talking about. I have to see for myself.’”

Inside the room where Ruben was being kept on life support, Morfin said her son was bandaged and greatly disfigured.

“I could see my baby on that table. His body was shaking from all the machines he had on. He had bandages on his head, and his eye was hanging out,” she recalled. “I asked if I could give him one last kiss before they cut [life support]. And I walked close to my baby, and I gave him his last kiss. In his good eye, he had two teardrops.”

“All I kept trying to do in my mind was stop the bullet,” she added.

According to Morfin, the shooter had been previously deported. He was a teenager at the time of the shooting and a member of the Posole street gang. After the shooting, he fled to Mexico and was later sentenced to 45 years in a Mexican state prison.

After losing Ruben, Morfin said, “Everything changed about me, everything.”

Morfin founded Moms Against Gang Violence, a California-based advocacy group for stricter law enforcement. She has also testified before Congress on the need for stricter immigration enforcement. She explained that her advocacy on behalf of victims like Ruben is “my way of keeping him alive.”

FBI ARRESTS ALLEGED MS-13 MEMBER ACCUSED IN EL SALVADOR PASTOR’S KILLING

She praised President Donald Trump’s hard-line policy against illegal immigration, saying “it takes guts to do what he’s doing.”

“He helped me give my son a voice,” she said.

“There’s a lot of new victims,” she went on, slamming current Democrats, saying they “only have one agenda … to bring in more Democrats.”

Nicole Kiprilov, executive director of The American Border Story, told Fox News Digital that the Morfins’ story is a “heartbreaking reminder that behind every statistic is a child whose life was stolen, and a family forced to live with that loss forever.”

“Angel Families like Angie’s have spent decades fighting to make sure their loved ones are not forgotten,” said Kiprilov. “We’re hopeful that Secretary Mullin will continue listening to these families and put the safety of American communities first.”

Lawyers for the Trump administration on Monday asked U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to reconsider his order that quashed grand jury subpoenas of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, appearing to make good on a vow from U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro to appeal the order to a higher court.

In the Justice Department’s motion for reconsideration that was submitted Monday, prosecutors argued that the court “applied an incorrect legal standard, erred with respect to certain facts, and overlooked other relevant facts.” 

They argued that a subpoena should be allowed when there is even a “reasonable possibility” that the category of materials the government seeks will produce information “relevant to the general subject of the grand jury’s investigation,” and even where a subpoena recipient “proposes a plausible theory of an ulterior motive.”

EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS

The filing, submitted Monday, comes two days after Boasberg blocked a pair of grand jury subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve Board, concluding that they were merely a “pretext” to pressure the Fed’s Powell into lowering interest rates or resigning from the head of the nation’s central bank. 

The Federal Reserve Board, DOJ argued Monday, has “never disputed that the subpoenas sought only materials directly related to the subjects of the grand jury’s investigation: the over budget renovations — estimated at over $1 billion, outrageous even by D.C. standards — as well as Chair Powell’s congressional testimony.” 

The request comes days after Boasberg issued a ruling blocking Pirro’s office from moving ahead with a subpoena of records and testimony related to the investigation of the central bank. He said in the newly unsealed ruling that the Justice Department offered “no evidence whatsoever” that Powell committed any crime “other than displeasing” Trump. 

BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TRUMP’S ‘THIRD COUNTRY’ DEPORTATION POLICY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

“Did prosecutors issue those subpoenas for a proper purpose? The Court finds that they did not,” he said. “There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will.”

The ruling came after U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro opened a criminal inquiry into Powell’s June 2025 testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in January, centered on the Fed’s years-long renovation of its headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

Powell revealed the investigation publicly in January, which he described as an attack on the Fed’s independence. 

Pirro said Friday that the Justice Department would appeal the ruling to a higher court, blasting the order as “outrageous.”

“This process has been arbitrarily undermined by an activist judge,” she said at a news conference Friday, arguing that Boasberg “put himself at the entrance door to the grand jury, slamming that door shut — irrespective of the legal process — and thus preventing the grand jury from doing the work that it does.”

TOP US COURT HANDS TRUMP A WIN ON DEPORTATIONS AS SCOTUS CHALLENGE LOOMS

Any appeal could prolong Trump’s efforts to remove Powell from the Fed and replace him with his pick — former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh — as Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. remarked on social media Friday.

Trump also took aim at Boasberg on Truth Social on Sunday night, accusing him of suffering “from the highest level of Trump Derangement Syndrome” and someone the president claimed “has been ‘after’ my people, and me, for years.”

Boasberg used last week’s order to tick through many of Trump’s social media posts blasting Powell and unsuccessfully pressuring him to lower interest rates before suggesting that someone else should replace him to head up the Fed.

“Being perceived as the president’s adversary has become risky in recent years,” Boasberg said in the ruling. 

“In his second term, Trump has urged the Department of Justice to prosecute such people, and the Department’s prosecutors have listened,” he added. 

Americans’ opinions regarding Israel have dramatically soured in recent years, fueled by a surge in negative views among Democrats and independents, according to a new national poll.

The results of the survey, by NBC News, come amid sharp political debates among Democrats over support for Israel two and a half years after the start of the war between Israelis and Hamas in Gaza.

Just 32% of Americans view Israel positively, with 39% seeing the Jewish state in a negative light, according to the poll, which was conducted Feb. 27-March 2. That’s a sea change from three years ago, when Americans held a positive view of Israel by a 47%-34% margin.

Much of that decline in positive views is due to Democrats and independents, according to the survey.

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Democrats were divided in 2023, with 34% viewing Israel positively and 35% negatively. Now, the poll indicates just 13% of Democrats hold a positive view of Israel, with 57% seeing it in a negative light.

And independents went from 40%-22% positive-negative to 21%-48%.

But according to the NBC News poll, Republican views of Israel have only declined slightly, from 63%-12% positive-negative in 2023 to 54%-18% now.

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The survey, which was conducted as the U.S. and Israel began their strikes on Iran, also indicates Americans are now split on whether they are more sympathetic to Israel or the Palestinians.

Americans, who by a 45%-13% margin were more sympathetic to Israel in 2013, are now divided, with 40% more sympathetic to Israel and 39% more sympathetic to the Palestinians.

There’s been a massive switch among Democrats, from more sympathetic to Israel 34%-18% margin in 2013 to more sympathetic to Palestinians by a 67%-17% margin now.

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Independents went from more sympathetic to Israel by a 37%-10% margin 13 years ago to more sympathetic to Palestinians by a 37%-27% margin now.

But Republicans, according to the poll, stayed much more sympathetic to Israel, from a 67%-8% margin in 2013 to a 69%-13% margin now.

The poll also spotlights a generational divide, with a greater deterioration of positive views and sympathies for Israel among younger Americans.

Roughly 1,200 people were killed during the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, with 251 captured.

Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza over the past two and a half years has resulted in more than 72,000 people being killed, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory.

While most Republicans remain supportive of Israel, the war in Gaza has sparked sharp debates among Democrats which are currently playing out in the party’s 2026 primaries.