Author: NOVA Corp

FREEDOM BATTLE: College Republicans chapter sues University of Florida over club shutdown following antisemitic allegations

OUT IN THE OPEN: Leaked teachers’ union K-12 training presentation rails against Trump administration, red states

COURTROOM VICTORY: Chicago Public Schools will now allow Bible college students into its teaching program, after lawsuit

SIGN UP TO GET THE CAMPUS RADICALS NEWSLETTER

CLASSROOM CRISIS: Illegal immigrant groping case latest allegation of misconduct in Northern Virginia school system

BACKLASH ERUPTS: College Republicans of America stands by new political director amid scrutiny of past controversial comments

SCHOOL PAYBACK: Scott moves to bypass teachers unions, send federal school funds straight to parents if classrooms close

EQUITY EXPERIMENT: Minnesota school districts use taxpayer money for race-based teacher incentives and layoff protections

Iran’s instability is unlikely to trigger a Syrian- or Afghanistan-style refugee crisis, a top immigration expert told Fox News Digital, even as questions mount over what comes next for the Iranian people once the fighting subsides.

With Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in an airstrike, several top officials dead and competing factions vying for control, questions are mounting over whether Iran’s turmoil could trigger a refugee crisis.

However, given the geography and environment in Iran, a mass refugee exodus appears unlikely, according to Andrew “Art” Arthur – a nationally-recognized national security and immigration expert at the Center for Immigration Studies.

NEXT MOVE ON IRAN: SEIZE KHARG ISLAND, SECURE URANIUM OR RISK GROUND WAR ESCALATION

“It’s actually an interesting question, and there are a couple of things to keep in mind,” Arthur said in a recent interview.

“One is Iran is about twice the size of Texas. It’s, I think, roughly the size as Alaska. It is a huge country, and I think there are 93 million people there, but it’s still a big country and most of it is untouched by the conflict, so it’s not like individuals couldn’t relocate in-country and be perfectly safe.”

Unlike Afghanistan, he added, the U.S. and the West don’t have a previous footprint on the ground and don’t have people inside the country offering assistance.

AS AIRSTRIKES RAIN DOWN ON THE IRANIAN REGIME, CAN A FRACTURED OPPOSITION UNITE TO LEAD IF IT FALLS?

“[W]e don’t have the ability to do something like President Biden did where we load up C-130s with everybody we can get our hands on and fly them to the United States. So, that’s a huge distinction.”

During the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, chaos reigned at Hamid Karzai International Airport as U.S. military planes with refugees hanging off of them flew in and out of Kabul while Taliban forces created deadly roadblocks and uncertainty for those trying to flee.

The operation led to a huge influx of largely unvetted Afghan nationals into the U.S., which many immigration hawks blame for some of the migrant violence seen domestically.

WINNING THE BATTLES, LOSING THE WAR? AMERICA MUST DEFINE THE ENDGAME IN IRAN

Arthur said that exemplar is rare, in that most refugees don’t or aren’t able to fly “halfway around the world” to escape unrest.

“The Afghanistan evacuation operation, Allies Refuge and Allies Welcome, was completely without precedent in U.S. history, because, generally, refugees resettle in an adjacent country assuming that they can resettle in-country,” he said.

Such was true during the other major refugee flow this century, the Syrian crisis during the 2011 “Arab Spring.”

AUSTRALIA GRANTS ASYLUM TO 5 IRANIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS AMID IRAN CONFLICT

Then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad responded to peaceful civilian protests with military force, spurring years of outflows of about 11 million Syrian nationals around Europe with a smaller proportion ultimately making their way to the U.S.

The Obama administration set a goal of 10,000 admissions of Syrians through refugee resettlement, while nearly 5 million were registered globally as refugees as of 2017, according to the Migration Policy Institute.

A good proportion of the U.S.’ Syrian population also predates the refugee crisis, some by more than 100 years, like the estimated 5,000 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. 

TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN

Addressing the potential for any Iranian refugee crisis, Arthur said that, in practice, the U.S. could offer resources to neighboring countries but would not be obligated to take in refugees.

“That’s not the way that this works,” he said, pointing out that during the 1980s Afghan-Soviet conflict, Afghans relocated to Pakistan and the U.S. helped them from afar.

“We didn’t bring them to the United States,” he said, adding that the U.S. helped enforce a no-fly zone to assist aligned factions, such as the Kurds, maintain safer territory.

MEDIA UNDER FIRE: JOURNALISTS KEEP QUESTIONING IRAN WAR AS HEGSETH CALLS THEM ‘UNPATRIOTIC’ AND ‘ANTI-TRUMP’

Fox News Digital also asked the White House for its thoughts on the prospect of another refugee crisis amid another bout of instability in a Mideast country.

The White House directed Fox News Digital to recent comments by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the matter, when he was questioned about the proclivity for such conflicts as Iran to force thousands to flee from the conflict zone and into the U.S. – and whether there are any “safeguards” in place to prevent such.

“I think it’s safe to say there’s no plan for a wave of new Middle Eastern refugees to the United States of America,” Hegseth said.

“I think, as the president has pointed out for a long time, there are a lot of countries in the region who would be capable of providing that kind of support if need be.”

“But that’s certainly not something we’re planning on,” he said.

Despite years of warnings that China could move on Taiwan within the decade, the U.S. intelligence community now assesses that Beijing is not planning an invasion of Taiwan by 2027 and has no fixed timeline for doing so.  

“The IC assesses that Chinese leaders do not currently plan to execute an invasion of Taiwan in 2027, nor do they have a fixed timeline for achieving unification,” according to a newly released Annual Threat Assessment.

The finding marks a shift from prior warnings in Washington that China would have the capability to move on Taiwan within a narrowing window — often referred to as the “Davidson Window,” after a 2021 warning from a top U.S. Indo-Pacific commander.

That benchmark gained traction after then-Indo-Pacific Commander Adm. Philip Davidson told lawmakers in 2021 that China could attempt to take control of Taiwan “in the next six years,” warning the threat would “manifest during this decade.”

BEIJING LEVERAGES UN TROOPS, FUNDING TO EXPAND GLOBAL INFLUENCE, HOUSE REPORT WARNS

China is currently “building a force with the aim of being capable of deterring U.S. and allied forces in the region and to achieve their stated objective of developing the ability to seize Taiwan by force if necessary,” Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress during a worldwide threat hearing Wednesday. “However, the IC assesses that China likely prefers to set the conditions for an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan, short of conflict.” 

Unlike previous assessments, which focused on China’s growing military pressure and invasion capabilities, earlier reports did not make a definitive judgment about whether Beijing planned to use force. The 2024 and 2025 assessments described Taiwan as a potential flashpoint and warned China was building the capability for a cross-strait campaign, but stopped short of assigning a timeline or stating intent.

Despite the assessment, the report underscores that China has not abandoned its goal of bringing Taiwan under its control and continues to build the military capabilities needed to do so.

Beijing “prefers to achieve unification without the use of force, if possible,” but the People’s Liberation Army is still developing plans and capabilities for a potential military operation, the report says.

Retired Navy Capt. Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, said the assessment risks being read too broadly if policymakers focus only on China’s current intentions rather than its growing capabilities.

“Intentions can change in a New York second,” Sadler told Fox News Digital. “Xi Jinping could wake up and decide, ‘I don’t want to go to war today,’ but he could wake up tomorrow in the morning and say, ‘Yeah, today’s the day.’ The real issue is where the money and where the materials are going.”

The annual threat assessment, produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, reflects the coordinated analysis of the U.S. intelligence community and is mandated by Congress to provide lawmakers with an unclassified overview of the most pressing global threats. The report is compiled with input from across the intelligence agencies based on updates throughout the past year. 

The assessment is released annually in both classified and unclassified forms, with a public version intended to outline key threats without revealing sensitive intelligence sources or methods.

U.S. intelligence officials also note that any decision by China to use force would depend on several factors, including military readiness, Taiwan’s political trajectory and whether the United States would intervene on the island’s behalf.

The report warns that a full-scale invasion would be difficult and risky, particularly if U.S. forces become involved, with Chinese officials recognizing that such an operation would be “extremely challenging” and carry a high risk of failure.

Piero Tozzi, a senior fellow at the Center for China at the America First Policy Institute, argued Beijing is still focused on trying to take Taiwan without a direct military confrontation.

“What they want to do is to win Taiwan without a war,” Tozzi told Fox News Digital, pointing instead to what he described as ongoing “cognitive warfare” efforts targeting Taiwan’s political system and public opinion.

He added that a full-scale amphibious invasion would come at a steep cost for China.

“An actual invasion of Taiwan would be very bloody,” Tozzi said. “If you had a maritime invasion of Taiwan and the casualties, you’d be talking about wiping out entire family lineages in the tens of thousands. That would lead to serious internal unrest within China, and that would threaten the regime.”

More broadly, the intelligence community assesses that China is continuing to expand its military power and global influence while seeking to “buy time to strengthen its position” in its long-term competition with the United States.

CHINA-LINKED BIRTH TOURISM UNDER SCRUTINY AS GOP LAWMAKERS PRESS TRUMP ADMIN FOR ANSWERS

The updated assessment comes as the U.S. remains heavily engaged in a high-intensity conflict with Iran, raising new questions among defense analysts about how global tensions could shape Beijing’s calculus on Taiwan.

While the report does not directly link the recent Iran conflict to China’s timeline, it highlights a broader environment of rising geopolitical competition, military modernization and regional instability that could influence future decisions in Beijing.

At the same time, the intelligence community warns that Iran is likely to continue posing a threat to U.S. interests following recent military strikes, noting that Tehran “almost certainly will seek to exact revenge” for the death of its supreme leader.

Even without a near-term move on Taiwan, the report makes clear that the risk of conflict with China remains, as Beijing continues preparing for a range of military contingencies while pursuing its long-term goal of unification.

“We have a unique moment in time here, right now, to address an issue that’s really fundamental,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Tuesday.

In just an hour, the Senate would launch debate on the SAVE America Act.

Longtime Congressional agriculture reporter Matt Kaye had just asked Thune why the Senate was willing to burn so much time on the bill – despite it apparently lacking the votes to pass.

“Floor time is the coin of the realm,” observed Kaye. “How does it help you if you are using up valuable floor time by having an extended debate on this issue?”

Kaye then inquired why the Senate wouldn’t toil instead on a possible farm bill or even a supplemental spending plan for the war in Iran.

Kaye is on to something. Senate floor time is always at a premium. There are only so many floor hours available each week. But floor time isn’t the issue here. There’s only one thing which is more valuable in politics. And in this particular case for the GOP, it’s staying on the right side of President Trump.

TRUMP-BACKED SENATE HOPEFUL GAINS MOMENTUM WITH TOP GOP ENDORSEMENTS BEFORE MULLIN DHS SHIFT

On Tuesday, the President proclaimed on Truth Social that the SAVE America Act is one of the “most important and consequential bills” in Congressional history. He added that he wouldn’t endorse any Republican who opposed the legislation.

Republicans say ID is essential to prove you’re a valid voter. However, the SAVE America Act goes further than that. It requires proof of citizenship – like a passport or birth certificate. That worries Michael Suggs who lives in the Bronx, New York. He spoke to Fox’s Chelsea Torres.

“Your birth certificate? Social Security number when you show up at the polling place?” asked Suggs. “That might be a little unfair to certain people in this country, including myself. I don’t want to walk around with my birth certificate and my Social Security card. I’m a registered voter. I’ve been voting since I was 18 years old, and now I’m approaching 60. I don’t want that to be some kind of deliberate act to stop me from voting.”

The bill is now into its fourth day of debate – even if it’s doubtful the Senate has the votes to pass the measure. Democrats oppose the legislation. But the main problem lingers among members of the President’s party.

“Republicans by themselves don’t have the votes to get it passed,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY).

She cited that some Republicans opposed the bill over differences about mail-in voting.

“It’s not a one size fits all process. And those challenges are not only apparent within the Democrat caucus. They’re apparent within the Republican caucus,” said Lummis.

There’s been a lot of chatter in the Senate lately about torching the filibuster so the Senate can pass the bill. Breaking a filibuster requires 60 votes. So if the bill doesn’t have a simple majority, there is simply no universe where the measure can command 60.

Yours truly took this up with Thune.

“You don’t have 60 votes. Why go through this? Is this basically just a show?” I asked.

“We don’t know that we don’t have 60 votes yet. You’re making an assumption,” replied the South Dakota Republican.

“Multiple members of your conference say that there aren’t even 51 votes,” I followed up.

“Yeah. Well, you’re making an assumption that at the end of this debate that none of the Democrats will be won over. And I’m not saying that. I appreciate your skepticism. But I think it’s an important debate to have because it is an issue that is at the very core of elections in this country,” answered Thune.

The “60 vote” issue galls some Republicans. Especially on a subject like this which Republicans believe resonates with the electorate.

“If a body of 100 people can’t find 60 votes for an issue that’s an 80-20 issue, that’s a real disgrace,” said Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Penn., on Fox Business. “So we need to put the Democrats on the spot and have them defend this to their voters.”

THUNE REVEALS REASON DEMOCRATS ARE ‘SCARED’ TO REOPEN DHS

Even if the SAVE America Act is on a parliamentary road to oblivion, one of its feeder ramps has a junction with the midterm election. Republicans believe they have the political upper hand on this. They can again hammer Democrats on illegal immigration – punctuated by what the President cites repeatedly as voter fraud. The GOP hopes to boomerang that on Democrats this fall.

Then, there are social issues – which Republicans hope to link to this measure, too.

Senate GOPers devised amendments which would block men from playing women’s sports, bar transgender surgeries for kids and nix many forms of mail-in voting. Opponents ask what two of those three have to do with election security. That’s why they could be poison pills.

“If those those amendments are made in order, doesn’t that bring down the threshold where you might have a chance of getting 51 votes?” I asked Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.

“Let’s continue to work with leadership and see how all of this is going to proceed and what is going to be the best way to get these forward. I think the amendments are good amendments,” said Blackburn, not addressing the question.

Remember what Thune said about Republicans potentially peeling off some Democrats? Good luck.

“You’re somebody who sometimes bucks your party,” I queried Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn. “Why wouldn’t you side with the Republicans?”

“Well, they’ve turned it into an unserious kind of a Christmas tree and attaching all these other things to it. And now bashing mail-in voting. Absolutely, it’s secure. Florida loves it and uses it. Ohio does too,” said Fetterman.

Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., defended his state’s approach to sending in ballots.

“Almost 99 percent of Republican voters in Colorado voted by mail in 2025,” said Hickenlooper. “Vote by mail has proven to be less expensive, more secure, and people love it. That turnout just goes up. It’s perhaps the single most effective way to increase voter turnout today.”

But a vote related to the mail-in balloting amendment likely lacks the votes to pass and could tank the entire piece of legislation. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) says the vastness of Alaska presents problems for residents to provide proper papers.

THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT

“If I happen to live here in Kotzebue, I’ve got to fly here to Nome to present my documentation. If I live in this Bethel community over here, I’m going all the way to Anchorage to present my documentation,” said Murkowski. “This is going to be costly on Alaskans. And again, these are people who are eligible to vote.”

Fox is told that Thune’s intention is to eventually move to terminate debate on the bill. That needs 60 yeas. There’s nowhere near 60 yeas to break a filibuster. That will kill the bill. Still, Thune might not do that until next week. Why? This is about making a show of things for the GOP base – even if they can’t pass the bill.

The Senate will veer away from the SAVE America Act on Sunday to break a filibuster on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to become Homeland Security Secretary. Senators then vote to confirm Mullin sometime on Monday. After that, it’s back to the SAVE America Act.

Thune is probably willing to let the election security issue slog continue on the floor until there’s a deal to end the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security. The Senate is scheduled to leave town for the Easter and Passover recess for two weeks at the end of the month.

“It needs to get resolved by the end of next week,” said Thune of the DHS impasse. “I can’t see us taking a break if the government is still shut down.”

It’s not exactly a secret that any agreement to fund DHS would probably put a halt to debate on the SAVE America Act. Otherwise, Thune may be inclined to burn floor time on the President’s most important legislative goal – even if it goes nowhere. And a potential agreement to end the DHS stalemate would give him reason to cease action on the SAVE America Act.

Floor time is the coin of the realm. You can use it to get something done. Or to earn political capital among party loyalists and the president.

In this instance, Thune is trying to do both.

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Friday against Harvard University, alleging that it failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students by essentially enabling antisemitism on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel by Hamas. 

The 44-page lawsuit, filed in Massachusetts, is the latest in an ongoing battle between the White House and the Ivy League school. The complaint alleges that Harvard has tolerated antisemitic mobs comprised of students, faculty members and visitors opposed to Israel and has acted with indifference by selectively enforcing its campus rules to permit the continuation of the harassment.

“Harvard University has failed to protect its Jewish students from harassment and has allowed discrimination to wreak havoc on its campus,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News. “President Trump is committed to ensuring every student can pursue their academic goals in a safe environment.”

TRUMP SECURES $221M COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The administration is seeking to recover billions of taxpayer dollars given to the elite university by federal agencies. 

“Since October 7, 2023, too many of our educational institutions have allowed antisemitism to flourish on campus – Harvard included,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “Today’s litigation underscores the Trump administration’s commitment to demanding better from our nation’s schools and putting an end to discriminatory behavior that harms students.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Harvard spokesperson said the university “cares deeply” about its Jewish and Israeli students and remains committed to making sure they are embraced and respected.  

“Our actions illustrate this. Harvard has taken substantive, proactive steps to address the root causes of antisemitism and actively enforces anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rules and policies on campus,” the statement said. “We also have enhanced training and education on antisemitism for students, faculty, and staff and launched programs to promote civil dialogue and respectful disagreement inside and outside the classroom. Harvard’s efforts demonstrate the very opposite of deliberate indifference.”

The school said it will continue to prioritize such work and defend itself, calling the lawsuit “yet another pretextual and retaliatory action by the administration for refusing to turn over control of Harvard to the federal government.”

Friday’s lawsuit is another in the protracted battle between Havard and President Donald Trump. In June, the administration said a civil rights investigation had led to a formal finding that Harvard tolerated antisemitism.

TRUMP DOJ FILES NEW LAWSUIT ACCUSING HARVARD OF WITHHOLDING RECORDS ON RACE IN ADMISSIONS

“Harvard remained deliberately indifferent to a level of hostility on its campus so well-known across the nation that members of Congress were writing about it,” government lawyers wrote. “Harvard also intentionally refused to enforce its campus rules — rules it enforced against others — when the victims were Jews or Israelis. This sent the clear message to Harvard’s Jewish and Israeli community that the indifference was not an accident; they were being intentionally excluded and effectively denied equal access to educational opportunities.”

Last year, the school sued the Trump administration over the freezing of federal funds. A judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze Harvard’s federal funds.

The Internal Revenue Service was also considering stripping Harvard of its tax-exempt status.

Harvard is slated to receive more than $2.6 billion from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Justice Department said. 

In February, the Trump administration said it was seeking to recover $1 billion in damages from Harvard, the main target in its attempt to leverage federal funding in order to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said institutions that take taxpayer funds are obligated to protect civil rights. 

“We hold Harvard accountable on the principle that antisemitism has no place in any program funded by the American people,” he said. 

Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican who is ranked at the top of recent California gubernatorial polls, believes that Californians finally have had enough and are ready to end Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Democratic leaders’ “sick and twisted love affair with criminals.”

A poll released Wednesday by the Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies shows that Bianco ranked a close second at 16% among support for candidates running for California governor. Fellow Republican Steve Hilton was ranked first within margin of error at 17%. 

Both Republicans are ahead of the two top Democratic names, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and former Rep. Katie Porter, who are each at 13%. 

Bianco, who leads one of the largest sheriff’s offices in the U.S., said in an interview with Fox News Digital that the shocking poll has a simple explanation: California has been prioritizing criminals and illegal immigrants above its own citizens. And after years under Newsom and decades of one-party Democratic rule, he said California is “worse off than it ever has been.” 

GOP CANDIDATE CITES ‘FAILURE’ OF NEWSOM, DEMS AS NEW POLL SHOWS REPUBLICANS LEADING CROWDED CALIFORNIA FIELD

Bianco and other Republicans are gaining traction in early polling as crime, cost of living and immigration policies emerge as defining issues in California’s 2026 governor’s race. The state’s handling of public safety and quality-of-life concerns could be reshaping the political landscape in a traditionally Democratic stronghold, creating an opening for GOP candidates to compete.

“We’re leading in these polls because we are offering a better California,” Bianco said. “We are offering a commonsense California, and it’s resonating with people.” 

Meanwhile, he said that Newsom and the Democrats’ “absolute refusal” to enforce the law is choking out California businesses.

“It’s no longer a cost of doing business,” he said. “It’s driving them out of business.”   

“The weather only keeps you in California for so long,” he went on. “You can’t function here if you’re not safe. Our farming community is getting robbed blind, their equipment’s being stolen, their produce is being stolen … (and) our regular businesses are being robbed blind.”

Bianco granted that some statistics show crime is down. However, he asserted that this “makes it worse” because criminal classifications are being changed to obscure the true extent of crime in California.   

In 2014, before Newsom’s time in the governor’s mansion, California voters voted in favor of a proposition that reduced the penalties for some crimes, such as drug possession and shoplifting, from felonies to misdemeanors. 

“Things that were a crime 14 years ago are no longer a crime, so they don’t get reported,” said Bianco. “Things that used to be crimes aren’t crimes, but we’re still feeling it.” 

OIL CEO URGES NEWSOM TO DO THE ‘MATH’ AS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR VOWS TO STOP OFFSHORE DRILLING

From his time as Riverside sheriff and speaking with other law enforcement leaders, Bianco believes that California politicians have effectively tied law enforcement’s hands behind their backs.

“If people are not safe, if people’s kids aren’t safe at school, if they’re not safe in the park, if people aren’t safe going to the grocery store at night, they’re not going to want to live here. And that’s why, for the last five years in a row, California has lost residents.”

That, Bianco said, is where California’s sanctuary policies enter.

California prohibits state and local law enforcement from using resources to enforce or investigate federal immigration violations and restricts cooperation with ICE, except in certain cases, including for individuals convicted of specified serious or qualifying offenses. 

California also restricts immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like schools and hospitals by requiring a judicial warrant for access to nonpublic areas and limiting institutional cooperation with federal authorities. The state also has passed a law requiring agents to show identification and limiting the use of face coverings, though its enforcement has been challenged and remains legally contested.

“They know it’s a disaster; they refuse to stop it,” he said. “So, instead, they import illegal immigrants into the state and then give them free stuff on our backs. They take all our taxpayer money and give them free healthcare, free medical, free school, free everything, free money to live on.” 

“Everyone is just tired of it,” he went on, noting, “even Democrats know they can’t vote Democrat this time.”

HOMELESS MAN CHARGED WITH ATTACKING SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR’S SECURITY DETAIL ARRESTED AGAIN DAYS AFTER RELEASE

Meanwhile, Bianco posited that the path back to sanity in California is being led by law enforcement. 

He has been endorsed by a slate of 52 law enforcement leaders and groups, including the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of San Diego County and the Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC), which is the largest law enforcement organization in the state and represents more than 86,000 public safety members and more than 960 associations. 

Notably, PORAC also endorsed Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa in the race. 

“Law enforcement is completely behind me,” said Bianco.

“California is in dire, desperate search of someone that they can trust that is going to be honest and transparent with them,” he said. “They all realize, if you employ common sense, send the law guy that’s been doing it for so long, to fix the corruption and the crime.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom for comment but did not receive a statement. 

A rumored frontrunner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, Newsom has repeatedly emphasized that crime in California is on the decline. 

Newsom’s office recently released a statement showing that during his tenure California has invested $1.7 billion “to fight crime, help local governments hire more police, and improve public safety.” 

Newsom’s office said that his 2023 allocation of $267 million to 55 communities to combat retail crime was “part of the largest-ever state investment to fight organized retail crime.”

Commenting on this investment, Newsom said in a January press release, “These operations continue to send a clear message: California will not tolerate organized crime that preys on working families, small businesses, and local communities.”

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., issued an open letter calling upon Muslim leadership in the U.S. to condemn a spate of recent attacks in the country, arguing that their silence “legitimizes the concerns of millions of Americans” about Islam.

He specifically indicated that the message was directed toward “Mosques, Imams, and Muslim Religious Leaders Across the United States.”

In the letter, Ogles, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee, ran through a list of four recent incidents being investigated as acts or potential acts of terrorism on U.S. soil, and then declared, “To this day, zero American mosques have publicly condemned this pattern of Islamic bloodshed and disavowed the attackers. This silence legitimizes the concerns of millions of Americans that Islam requires such violence.”

HOUSE CONSERVATIVE UNVEILS BILL TO END CHAIN MIGRATION, SCRAP DIVERSITY VISA IN SWEEPING IMMIGRATION OVERHAUL

“I challenge America’s more than 3,000 mosques to publicly and unequivocally condemn these specific attacks, disavow the perpetrators, reject any religious justification for terrorism, and state clearly that murdering innocents or targeting houses of worship has no place in Islam or America,” he wrote.

Ogles specifically pointed to four incidents, including the March 1 shooting in Austin, Texas, the March 7 attempt to detonate explosives near Gracie Mansion in New York City, a March 12 attack in which the perpetrator rammed a vehicle into the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and opened fire, and a March 12 shooting episode at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Viriginia.

AUSTIN MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT AVOIDED FELONY IN 2022 CASE, MISDEMEANOR LATER DISMISSED AFTER PLEA DEAL: DOCS

“Issue statements from your pulpits, post them online, and share them widely. America is watching. Your voices can isolate extremists, protect Americans, and preserve peace,” Ogles said in his message.

“I stand ready for dialogue with leaders committed to this. However, if no such peace is desired, I will not cease to further legislate and advocate that violent Islamists have no place in American culture, life, and civil government,” he wrote.

REPUBLICAN SAYS ‘MUSLIMS DON’T BELONG IN AMERICAN SOCIETY,’ DRAWS FIERCE DEMOCRATIC BACKLASH

Ogles asserted in a post on X last week that “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” and that, “Pluralism is a lie.”

Nearly two-thirds of Americans think that President Donald Trump will send U.S. ground troops into the fighting against Iran, a new national poll indicates.

A Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted Tuesday through Thursday (March 17–19), also indicates that a majority of Americans, 55%, say they don’t support sending ground troops into the operation against Iran.

The poll’s release comes as the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran are about to close out their third week.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING 

Only 7% of those questioned in the survey said they’d support a large-scale strike by American ground forces, with 34% saying they’d back a more limited-in-scope incursion by U.S. special forces.

Fourteen percent of Republicans surveyed said they’d support a large ground force operation, with 63% saying they’d back inserting special forces into a ground action. Twenty-one percent of Republicans gave a thumbs-down to sending in American ground troops.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACKS ON IRAN

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a Pentagon briefing earlier this month, declined to rule out the use of U.S. ground forces.

Trump said on Thursday that he was “not putting troops anywhere,” when asked by a reporter about his war plans.

“If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” the president added.

The military attacks by the U.S. and Israel have resulted in the deaths of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, and the decimation of the country’s military.

But Iran has retaliated with attacks against Israel and many of its other neighbors in the volatile Middle East.

ONLY ON FOX NEWS: PENCE SAYS TRUMP ‘TURNED A DEAF EAR’ TO ISOLATIONISTS IN GOP

Iran has targeted energy facilities with missile and drone attacks in a number of Persian Gulf nations. It has also made the Strait of Hormuz nearly impassable to commercial shipping, bringing to a halt roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply and in turn sending fuel prices skyrocketing in the U.S. and across the globe.

Most national polls conducted since the launch of the strikes at the end of February indicate opposition to the attacks outweighing support, and the Reuters/Ipsos survey is no exception.

According to the poll, which questioned 1,545 adults nationwide, 37% of Americans approved of the fighting with Iran, with 59% disapproving.

But there’s a wide partisan divide, with 77% of Republicans but just 6% of Democrats and 28% of independents supporting the operation.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., have both endorsed Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., for U.S. Senate.

“Kevin Hern is a proven conservative leader and fighter for Oklahomans in the House, where he has championed our shared Republican agenda. He will be a great asset in the Senate and has my full support and endorsement,” Thune said in a statement.

“Kevin Hern is a principled conservative, Oklahoma-first leader who knows what it means to create jobs and unleash prosperity. He is a fighter for President Trump’s agenda, and we’re excited to welcome him to our Republican majority as Oklahoma’s next Senator,” Scott said in a statement.

THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT

President Donald Trump has tapped GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to take over the role of Department of Homeland Security secretary.

If the Senate confirms Mullin to serve in the post, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, will get to appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy, but that appointment would come with a significant catch. 

HOUSE GOP LEADER LAUNCHES SENATE BID AS TRUMP TAPS MARKWAYNE MULLIN FOR DHS

Oklahoma state law stipulates that “a person who is a prospective appointee shall submit to the Secretary of State an oath affirming that the person will not file as a candidate for the office when it next appears on the ballot.”

In a post on X last week, Stitt wrote, “I appreciate @POTUS taking time to meet to discuss the importance of appointing a new U.S. Senator for Oklahoma. President Trump has made a great selection in Markwayne Mullin to join his cabinet, and I am committed to making a swift decision on his replacement once Mullin is confirmed by the Senate.”

Trump endorsed Hern for the Senate seat last week.

‘TELL ME TO MY FACE’: TOP MOMENTS IN MULLIN’S HEATED CONFIRMATION HEARING TO BE TRUMP’S NEXT DHS CHIEF

“Kevin Hern will be an outstanding Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” the president declared in a Truth Social post.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul became the latest blue-state leader to lament the flight of wealthy tax-paying residents to Republican-led tax havens like Florida, Alaska, Wyoming and Tennessee, calling millionaires who stayed in the Empire State to fund its massive social services net “patriotic.”

With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring his jurisdiction a “free state” for transplants wishing to leave liberal policies and taxation behind, blue states like New York, Illinois and California are squeezing and at times pursuing natives who emigrate to financially greener pastures –while at the same time some governors are blasting conservative voters as inauthentic neighbors and driving them out in the first place.

Fox News Digital took a look back at taxing authorities and top officials in blue states that have pursued or criticized the very people they are trying to retain for taxation purposes – and those who aren’t simply urging them to return are finding ways to force continued collection.

BRING THEM BACK FROM PALM BEACH

Hochul, speaking during a Politico event this month, said “high-net-worth” people need to stay in New York to support the “generous social programs we want to have in our state.”

“There are some patriotic millionaires who stepped up. OK, cut me the checks. If you want to be supportive — but maybe the first step should be [to] go down to Palm Beach and see who you can bring back home, because our tax has been eroded.”

GRADUALLY, THEN SUDDENLY, BLUE STATE AMERICA IS HEADING FOR FINANCIAL DISASTER

‘JUMP ON A BUS’

Hochul has often criticized the most prominent New Yorker to flee to Palm Beach: President Donald Trump.

At a 2022 rally for Rep. Pat Ryan, a moderate Democrat from Ulster County, Hochul trashed Republican-voting New Yorkers and urged them to do what she now wants to see reversed.

BLUE STATE’S BILLIONAIRE EXODUS ABOUT TO GET MUCH WORSE IN 2026, INSIDER WARNS

“And we are here to say that the era of Trump, and Zeldin and Molinaro, just jump on a bus and head down to Florida where you belong, OK?”

“Get out of town. Because you do not represent our values. You are not New Yorkers,” Hochul said, while facing off with now-EPA chief Lee Zeldin and criticizing Ryan’s opponent, then-Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro whom Trump recently appointed as head of the FTA.

THE ‘TEDDY BEAR’ TAX TEST

Revenue agencies in states like New York have established multi-tiered tests to enforce residency liabilities for people who split their time between or try to claim other states as their primary home.

In Albany’s lengthy guide to determining whether a taxpayer must consider themselves a New Yorker, a five-part review includes what some attorneys have called the “Teddy Bear Test” – in that it all depends where you lay your head at night.

A “Near and Dear” factor asks taxpayers to consider the “location of items which the individual holds ‘near and dear’ to his or her heart, or those items which have significant sentimental value” – such as teddy bears.

MORE AMERICANS LEAVE BIG CITIES FOR RURAL STATES AS MIGRATION PATTERNS SHIFT IN 2026

“This analysis of ‘Near and Dear’ items can help to solidify the intent of the taxpayer concerning the location of his domicile,” the document read.

Another aspect is whether a person uses or maintains his New York residence at the same level as his out-of-state residence, as it and other states have a 183-day threshold for determining tax liability.

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance conducted 3,000 nonresidency audits between 2010 and 2017; encompassing part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s term, and collected about $1 billion from those who fled the state.

Cuomo, however, appeared to have what pundits called a political “epiphany” when he voiced concern about the state’s lurch to the left on tax policies.

In 2019, the Wall Street Journal quoted Cuomo in realizing what Democratic policy had done to New York’s tax base:

“Tax the rich, tax the rich, tax the rich. We did that. God forbid the rich leave.”

The top 1% of taxpayers foot 46% of personal income tax in New York, which is not alone in trying to keep people in.

REVERSE GOLD RUSH

In 1849, when gold was discovered at John Sutter’s mill not far from Sacramento, people from across the country rushed in to make a buck.

Today, people are reversing flow and trying to escape Sacramento’s reach.

“California … they don’t particularly like when people that were large taxpayers … leave,” Marc Minker, lead managing director at accounting provider and consulting firm CBIZ MHM, previously told Fox Business. “The state becomes very aggressive with respect to making you prove that you essentially changed your domicile.”

While California does not have an explicit “Exit Tax,” the term is thrown around to describe the complex hierarchy of levies and policies Sacramento enforces on people who leave or now only spend part of their year in the state.

MILLIONAIRE ACTOR MARK RUFFALO TELLS NEW YORKERS TO ‘TAX THE RICH’ WHILE CRITICS DEMAND ‘HIM FIRST’

Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed a 2023-24 iteration of an “exit tax” – that would have applied to the wealthiest Californians who leave for the first four years of nonresidency.

If the California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) determines a taxpayer to be a nonresident, their California-based income sources, like rental homes, can still be taxed.

The recent Super Bowl in Santa Clara brought the state’s “jock tax” back to the fore, as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold’s tax liability following his win led to a net financial loss for him.

The FTB also regularly conducts residency audits similar to New York’s, with residency requirements remain more complex than other states’ calculation of number-of-days-spent.

WASHINGTON POST CITES U-HAUL DATA IN CALIFORNIA EXODUS TO ‘PRO-GROWTH’ STATES, SAYS ‘DECLINE IS A CHOICE’

FTB considers a resident someone who is “present in California for other than a temporary or transitory purpose” or “domiciled in California, but outside California for a temporary or transitory purpose,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Several factors including voter registration, bank accounts, doctors and memberships are examined by the state.

LEAVING THE LAND OF LINCOLN

In one Illinois tax tribunal case, Rothman v. Illinois Dept. of Revenue (IDOR), a couple objected to Springfield’s levies as they claimed to be Florida residents. In that case, cell phone records and subpoenas to Uber and Seamless were used to determine whether the couple was from Illinois or Florida, according to a document.

The Chicago accounting firm FGMK wrote on their website that IDOR has a series of factors they use to determine residency including utility usage, relocation of immediate family, school enrollment, homestead exemption status and library card usage.

A bill that had been floated in the state legislature in 2023 would have also assessed unrealized gains of millionaires in any tax year that they attempt to leave the state, called the Extremely High Wealth Mark-to-Market Tax Act.

Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul for comment on her recent remarks.

Fox Business’ Brittany De Lea contributed to this report.