Category: USA Politics

President Trump received a red-carpet welcome when he landed in Beijing on Wednesday, with a military honor guard, band and children waving American and Chinese flags ahead of high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The ceremony also highlighted the bigger question around Trump’s return to China: whether this visit can yield more lasting progress than his 2017 trip, which featured major business announcements but was later followed by a sharp deterioration in U.S.-China trade relations.

The meeting comes as trade tensions, the Iran war and disputes over Taiwan place new pressure on Washington and Beijing to stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies.

TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH

The red carpet was rolled out with a welcome ceremony consisting of military honor guard and a military band with Chinese children waving American and Chinese flags. “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” the children chanted in Chinese.

Trump exited Air Force One and was greeted by United States Ambassador to China David Perdue, Chinese Vice President H.E. Han Zheng, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United States H.E. Xie Feng, and Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ma Zhaoxu.

First Lady Melania Trump accompanied Trump nearly nine years ago for his first state visit. The 2017 trip emphasized pomp, personal diplomacy and commercial announcements, and included excursions such as a Forbidden City tour, a Peking opera performance, and a formal welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People.

The 2017 trip produced more than $250 billion in announced commercial deals and cooperation pledges, but it did not prevent trade relations from deteriorating in 2018. 

Most notably, Trump announced a $12 billion deal for cellphone chips from Qualcomm and $37 billion for Boeing commercial jets, AP reported at the time.

DONALD TRUMP DETAILS ‘MOST EXCITING PART’ OF CHINA TRADE AGREEMENT

“These deals will create jobs for American workers, farmers, and ranchers by increasing United States exports to China and stimulating investment in American communities,” the White House said at the time.

A strategic focus of his first visit was North Korea’s nuclear program. Trump and Xi agreed at the time that North Korea should not become a nuclear weapons state, declaring the two countries would apply “maximum pressure.”

China had already tightened enforcement earlier that year, including suspending North Korean coal imports, while Trump later said Chinese banks were scaling back business with North Korean entities. But U.S.-China cooperation weakened as broader trade tensions escalated, and North Korea continued advancing its missile and nuclear programs.

The summit did not prevent a sharp deterioration in trade relations the following year, after Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports, triggering a prolonged trade standoff.

Trump’s latest visit comes after a broader tariff escalation in which his administration imposed sweeping duties on imports from dozens of countries, with China emerging as the central flashpoint after Beijing retaliated and later tightened export controls on rare earth minerals, prompting Trump to threaten an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods.

Trump is expected to press Xi on trade once again, suggesting that American entrepreneurs and executives could help drive growth inside China if Beijing lowers barriers and allows U.S. firms more room to operate.

TRUMP WARNS CHINA OF ‘STAGGERING’ 50% TARIFF IF CAUGHT SUPPLYING MILITARY AID TO IRAN

Accompanying Trump on the trip are top U.S. executives, including Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon.

Iran is expected to be among the issues surrounding the talks, though Trump has downplayed differences with Xi over the war.

Trump and Xi will hold bilateral talks and a formal banquet Thursday.

Fox News Digital’s Eric Mack and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

The Senate is one step closer to adding painful consequences for lawmakers who choose to shut down the government. 

The upper chamber on Wednesday unanimously advanced a resolution from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that, if passed, would prevent lawmakers from getting paid during future shutdowns. It comes after the once-rare occurrence became a political cudgel wielded by Democrats time and again in the last year. 

Despite having spurred the two longest shutdowns in history, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats joined Republicans to move the measure along for a final vote. 

SCHUMER BACKS GOP’S PLAN TO BRING THE PAIN DURING FUTURE SHUTDOWNS: ‘I’M GOING TO VOTE FOR IT’

But its success through the first hurdle has not quite sated concerns that Democrats will again try to force another shutdown before the midterm elections in the fall.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that its success “helps” but suggested that the move from Democrats was more political than not. 

“I think it’s, they realize, I mean, that’s a really bad posture to be in if you’re opposing something like that at a time when you got a lot of government employees who aren’t getting paid, and, you know, people up here are voting against depriving themselves of pay when everybody else is not getting paid,” Thune said. 

SENATE REPUBLICANS BALK AT $1B WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM REQUEST: ‘YOU MADE THAT NUMBER UP’

“So I just think that’s a very difficult political vote for Democrats,” he continued. “I think they’ve recognized it, and I’m guessing they had a fairly robust conversation at their lunch yesterday.”

Kennedy’s resolution, which he described as a resolution of “shared sacrifice,” can’t take effect until after the upcoming election cycle, adding more concern that Democrats may be tempted to repeat the cycle.  

“If I were king for a day — I’m not, I don’t aspire to be — but if I were, I’d make this resolution effective immediately,” Kennedy said. “Because I’m … very concerned that my Senate colleagues on the Democratic side are going to try to shut down the government yet again right before the elections to try to create chaos to affect the midterm elections.”

Kennedy’s resolution would direct the secretary of the Senate to withhold lawmakers’ pay until a shutdown is resolved. A rank-and-file senator earns $174,000 per year, while a leader of either party can earn over $193,000 per year.

SENATE WEIGHS NEW, PAINFUL LEVERAGE TACTIC AS FEARS OF ANOTHER GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GROW

And it would only pertain to the Senate — a point he made clear on the Senate floor just before the vote. 

Kennedy’s push isn’t the only one that’s brewed in the Senate following the 43-day shutdown over enhanced Obamacare premium tax credits and the latest 76-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown. 

That’s because shutdowns have become a common tool over the last year and a half that Democrats have turned to as a negotiating counterpoint. In Trump’s second term alone, Congress has been on the precipice of a closure four times.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has been pushing his Shutdown Fairness Act, which would require that working federal workers are paid during a shutdown. 

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which would automatically fund the government for two-week stretches until Congress lands on a compromise funding deal.

A Maine couple who described themselves as “climate refugees” after relocating from Texas discovered human feces on the front porch of their new home in Bangor, an incident that quickly drew mockery from conservative commentators.

In an article published in the Bangor Daily News, the couple, Shawn and Sara Good, sought to frame the incident of discovering feces and signs of a man sleeping on their patio furniture as a fair tradeoff to escape the “catastrophic” weather that plagued them in Texas. The article centered on the couple moving to Bangor because of their concerns about climate change. The Goods said they fled Austin after facing four catastrophic events in the past five years.

“When looking at global news, I’m so lucky that the big event I experienced recently was someone sleeping on my porch,” Sara told the Bangor Daily News.

Local and national conservative voices criticized the couple and the Bangor Daily News for its framing of the incident in a city facing a serious homelessness issue, with encampments in the downtown area. The Bangor City Council passed an ordinance on Monday banning the storage of personal belongings along sidewalks in an effort to push back against encampments.

ONCE-CHARMING MOUNTAIN ESCAPE NOW BATTLING HOMELESSNESS HOMEOWNERS SAY TURNED POSTCARD CITY INTO NO-GO ZONE

Maine Republican state Rep. Reagan Paul suggested the article by the Bangor Daily News reads more like satire from the Babylon Bee than a hard-hitting news story.

“This is actual ‘news’ from the Bangor Daily News — treating a literal crap show as heartwarming proof that Maine is paradise,” Paul wrote on X. “Most of us already know it — but for the few holdouts still treating the Bangor Daily News as serious journalism: when your paper has to spin literal human feces on a doorstep into a heartwarming relocation success story, it’s time to admit reality and maybe stop taking them seriously as journalism.”

Investigative reporter Steve Robinson weighed in, suggesting the couple faced a better fate than another Maine couple who were shot and killed in front of their two children just six months after moving from Texas in 2023.

DAVID MARCUS: WHY SOME TEXANS SAY ICE RAID ON COLONY RIDGE IS A GOOD START

“By Maine standards human s— on the door is good considering the last couple from Texas who moved here were murdered by a recidivist aspiring rap artist in front of their young children,” Robinson posted on X. “Liberals call this restorative justice.”

In recent years, Texans have faced Winter Storm Uri, which caused power outages throughout the state, deadly floods that claimed the lives of 130 people last year, Hurricane Beryl, and extreme heat.

Conservative commentator Dana Loesch, who lives in Texas, said every region of the United States can face catastrophic weather.

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS DECLARE 2025 A TIPPING POINT ON ‘CLIMATE HYSTERIA’ AS TRUMP UNLEASHES ENERGY AGENDA

“It’s Texas,” Loesch said on her show. “Texas gets some tornadoes. Texas gets some flooding.”

“They leave Texas because it’s hot here,” Loesch continued. “That’s a you issue. You should have known that.”

Climate change is increasingly shaping where Americans choose to live. A Forbes study found 30% of homeowners have moved because of it.

Columbia University professor Alexander de Sherbinin suggested the U.S. could see “significant movements” as people seek to relocate to avoid more severe weather.

“Northern states could see an influx of people, because their summers will still be fairly pleasant and their winters less severe,” de Sherbinin told Columbia Magazine.

James Erdman III, a CIA whistleblower who testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday alleging a federal cover-up of COVID-19 origins, has a long history of clashing with the government on the coronavirus issue.

Erdman is a former intelligence officer and military veteran who co-founded the grassroots advocacy group Feds For Freedom, an organization that emerged during the COVID-19 vaccine mandate battles involving federal workers and members of the military.

While public information online about Erdman’s early life is sparse, according to biographical information published by Feds For Freedom, Erdman previously served as a non-commissioned officer with the Army’s 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment before later serving in the National Guard. The organization says he also worked as a senior bioinformatics and biometrics consultant in the private sector, and spent time serving in the Middle East, South and East Asia, and Europe.

Erdman joined the CIA in 2013.

RAND PAUL BRINGS CIA WHISTLEBLOWER TO SENATE HEARING ALLEGING ‘DEEP STATE’ COVID-19 CONSPIRACY

“He’s a decorated officer with decades of intelligence and national security experience,” GOP committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul said during the hearing, adding that Erdman “recently completed a joint duty assignment with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG).”

Feds For Freedom became known for backing legal and public advocacy efforts involving federal employees who challenged vaccine requirements imposed during the Biden administration. Court filings and public statements show Erdman participated in some of those efforts on behalf of the group.

ANTHONY FAUCI MAY BE DEPOSED AS GOP INTENSIFIES COVID INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW CONGRESS

In interviews tied to the group’s media platforms, Erdman discussed questioning government COVID-19 policies and later helping organize opposition to federal vaccine mandates.

The group has backed or participated in multiple lawsuits involving agencies including the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA and State Department. Several cases alleged violations of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and discrimination against employees seeking religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Erdman told senators on Wednesday that intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA, are failing to provide transparency and accountability, and warned Congress is being misled as a result.

“The legislative and executive branches will continue to be misinformed if this type of behavior is not addressed,” Erdman said.

On Wednesday, Erdman focused on biological research oversight and made the case that the federal government needs a sweeping review of federally funded life sciences work, including stricter definitions of “gain-of-function” research and weapons-related research, and better enforcement of existing policy.

“Public health policy would have been very different had the American public been made aware that a virus from a lab in China was going to serve as the foundation for an emergency use authorization M-RNA products,” Erdman said.

The billionaire timeshare magnate who abruptly cut ties with former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and kicked him out of his California mansion amid sexual misconduct allegations was arrested Tuesday.

Stephen Cloobeck, founder of Diamond Resorts International, turned himself in to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in West Hollywood on Tuesday following a warrant issued for his arrest. He is suspected of a felony charge of attempting to prevent or dissuade a victim or witness from testifying, the California Post reported.

The circumstances of the alleged crime remain unclear. He was released on $300,000 bail, according to jail records. Fox News Digital reached out to the sheriff’s department and to Cloobeck for comment.

BILLIONAIRE SUGAR DADDY KICKS SWALWELL OUT OF HIS MANSION, WANTS $1M BACK AFTER HEINOUS SEX ALLEGATIONS

“These charges are false, and we look forward to our day in court,” a spokesperson for Cloobeck told the newspaper.

Cloobeck, a former gubernatorial candidate, most recently supported Swalwell’s bid for California governor before cutting ties with him after sexual assault allegations and leaving the Democratic Party.

DEM SENATOR RIPPED FOR ‘SMEAR’ OF FEMALE ACTIVIST ADVOCATING FOR SWALWELL’S ACCUSERS: ‘VERY BAD LOOK’

“I am no longer supporting Eric. F—ing tell everyone I’m a libertarian. F— you, Democratic Party. I’m a libertarian now,” Cloobeck told the Post at the time.

“I am now a Republican,” he added to Fox 11 LA.

Swalwell has denied the claims against him in a video filmed inside Cloobeck’s home. At the time, Cloobeck—who briefly ran for governor before dropping out and endorsing his former friend—said he kicked Swalwell out of his Beverly Hills mansion, stating that Swalwell “busted the trust” between them.

“I am no longer associated with a man that takes advantage of women,” Cloobeck told reporters. “I support women’s rights.”

Republicans’ support for President Donald Trump’s war on Iran fractured on Wednesday. 

Senate Democrats have tried to splinter off Republicans from their near-unified backing of Operation Epic Fury for months with a campaign of attrition, putting war powers resolution after war powers resolution on the floor ever since fighting began. 

And after two months of trying, they finally got some in the GOP to flip on Trump with Sen. Jeff Merkley’s, D-Ore., latest attempt. Still, it wasn’t enough to terminate ongoing operations in the Middle East. 

GOP HOLDS WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR, BUT CRACKS EMERGE AS DEADLINE NEARS 

Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has consistently voted to handcuff Trump’s war powers, all joined Democrats to end Operation Epic Fury.

It comes after Congress blew past the 60-day deadline to weigh in on fighting in the region, and hours after Trump touched down in China. 

Top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, argued that the 60-day deadline was moot because fighting was paused under a ceasefire. 

However, Trump, after rejecting the latest proposal from Iran, said on Tuesday that the fragile truce is on “life support.”

CONGRESS IGNORES KEY DEADLINE AS REPUBLICANS READY ‘RESTRAINT’ ON TRUMP’S WAR IN IRAN

“I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us — I didn’t even finish reading it,” Trump told reporters. 

“I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,’” he said.

Whether Trump’s trip overseas and the deadline now in the rearview mirror would have an impact on Wednesday remained an open question heading into the vote.

SENATE GOP MOVES TO BLOCK DEMS’ WAR POWERS PUSH, PRESERVE TRUMP’S AUTHORITY IN RARE MOVE

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., noted that Trump’s trip to China would likely have national security implications, and said that it “would be best if everybody hung together and supported the president.” 

“People have their own minds about some of these issues, and this is not a new vote, it’s one we’ve had many times before, but you know, we’ll see what votes are,” Thune said. 

Congress has the option of voting on an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would either authorize or halt any further fighting in Iran. Some Republicans argue that the move would give Trump a strong legal tool in making the case for the war.

Murkowski warned earlier this month that unless there were signs that a peace deal was nearing completion or further communication from the administration on their objectives, she would bring an AUMF to the floor. 

During a hearing with Hegseth on Tuesday to pick through the president’s staggering, $1.5 trillion budget request for the Pentagon, Murkowski asked Hegseth if he believed it would “be helpful to the president if it was made clear that, in fact, the Congress did allow, did provide an AUMF” should fighting restart. 

“I think the president — our view is that he has all the authorities he needs under Article II to execute,” Hegseth said.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who started the war powers effort, contended that if an AUMF were put on the floor, and it passed, it would make an “illegal and unwise war, just an unwise war, not an illegal one.”

“But I see almost no circumstance in which Republicans would want to have a vote on that in committee or on the floor,” Kaine told Fox News Digital. “They are actively trying to avoid accountability for the war.”

Outrage is snowballing after it was uncovered that a California mayor who just stepped down after admitting to acting as a Chinese agent appears to have donated to Democrats, including a sitting congresswoman.

As President Donald Trump visits China for a diplomatic mission with world leaders, Eileen Wang, mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to acting as an agent for the Chinese government. The admission sparked concerns about foreign infiltration in local government. Now, allegations that Wang donated to Democrats at the federal level are raising broader national security concerns.

According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing for Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., an Eileen Wang of Arcadia, California, donated $1,000 and $175 to her campaign in October and November 2022, according to a Fox News Digital review. Chu sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Budget.

Further, FEC filings show several small $5, $10 and $25 donations earmarked for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) via ActBlue in 2024.

In response, Bernadette Breslin, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), ripped into the Democrats, calling the donations evidence of “malign Chinese influence operating within their own ranks.”

ATTORNEY RAISES BROADER CONCERNS AFTER MAYOR ADMITS TO ACTING AS CHINESE AGENT IN SHOCKING CASE

Breslin told Fox News Digital that “Senate Republicans are holding Democrats accountable for the malign Chinese influence operating within their own ranks and the CCP-linked money flowing into their campaigns.”

She added that “as President Trump brings American peace through strength to China this week, Republicans are working in lockstep to root out foreign interference in our elections and protect America’s national security.”

Wang, who has since resigned as mayor of Arcadia, agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense of acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China, the Justice Department announced this week. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison along with a potential $250,000 fine, though any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.

Federal prosecutors say Wang admitted she acted “at the direction and control” of Chinese government officials from at least 2020 through 2022, coordinating with individuals in the U.S. to spread pro-Beijing messaging, all without notifying the U.S. Attorney General as required by law. The conduct described by prosecutors occurred before Wang took office on the Arcadia City Council in December 2022.

CHINESE SPY INFILTRATION: MAYOR’S BUST ADDS TO GROWING TIMELINE OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE CREEPING INTO US

With Wang’s foreign ties exposed, the politicians she associated with are now under scrutiny.

Beyond the $1,000 and $175 donations, a 2024 press release by Chu shows that the congresswoman honored Wang as one of the “Congressional Women of the Year.”

In the press release published by Chu’s office, Wang was praised as a “dedicated Arcadia resident, educator, and community leader,” who “brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role as City Councilmember.”

The statement said that over the course of 15 years, Wang was “actively involved in various City and service groups,” including the Arcadia High School Chinese Parents Booster Club.

Chu’s office said that Wang “gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by Arcadia residents” and “is poised to make a lasting impact on the City Council and continue her tireless efforts to improve the lives of Arcadia residents.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Chu for comment.

DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER CALLS CLARENCE THOMAS AN ‘UNCLE TOM’ AND ‘LYNCHMAN’ AFTER SUPREME COURT REDISTRICTING RULING

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who also serves as NRSC vice chair, reacted to the revelations by slamming other Democrats with Chinese government associations.

Banks wrote on X, “Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) had a Chinese spy in her office. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) dated a Chinese spy. Mayor Eileen Wang (D-CA) is a Chinese spy. How many more?”

Popular conservative account Libs of TikTok pointed to Wang’s DSCC donations, posting on X, “Democrat Senators are being funded by Chinese spies If it was the other way around, it would be front page news for weeks.”

Libs of TikTok also reacted to Wang’s donations to Chu, writing, “Judy is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, one of the most powerful committees in Congress. She’s also a member of the Taiwan Caucus. She’s being funded by Chinese spies. What could possibly go wrong.”

Another popular conservative X personality who goes by the handle “Greg” also commented, “So this is the great ‘resistance?’ Our brave DNC, the defenders of democracy, are actually just tools for the Chinese Communist Party. A confessed CCP agent funnels money to Democratic senators and they’re all quiet. Makes you wonder what/who else they’re willing to sell out.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSCC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is being ripped by critics accusing him of making a “disgusting” decision to be absent during a vote on a Texas bill to automatically deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent felonies after a local preteen was strangled to death.

As a member of the Texas House of Representatives in 2025, Talarico was absent during the final voting on a bill dubbed by state lawmakers “Jocelyn’s Law,” in honor of slain Houston preteen Jocelyn Nungaray. The measure, which would have added a Texas constitutional amendment to deny bail to illegal immigrants charged with violent felonies, ended up failing due to lack of bipartisan support. 

Before being absent for the final vote, Talarico voted against killing two amendments to the bill that would have exempted immigrants present in the country on humanitarian parole, an order of supervision, a pending green card application, trafficking or Violence Against Women Act victim protections, visa extension applications, deferred action or Temporary Protected Status. 

He is now taking flak over his absence as he runs for U.S. Senate in one of the states most impacted by illegal immigrant crime. Nungaray, 12, was sexually assaulted and killed, allegedly by two Venezuelan illegal immigrants, in a Houston neighborhood in June 2024.

Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, slammed Talarico for what he said amounts to helping to kill the bill, saying, “It is disgusting that James Talarico is letting his anti-American agenda show by siding with a violent illegal over a Texas family.”

DA TO SEEK DEATH PENALTY AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACCUSED IN NUNGARAY MURDER CASE

Kraft told Fox News Digital that Talarico’s alleged opposition to the bill has “once again … proven his priority is criminals, not the safety of Texans.”

JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, pushed back on this, telling Fox News Digital that “James is a law and order Democrat who supports prosecuting violent felons, and has a proven track record voting for tighter bail laws for violent offenders and voting repeatedly to increase funding for Texas police.”

Ennis added that “while [incumbent Sen.] John Cornyn, [challenger Texas Attorney General] Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up lie about James’ record, he will continue standing up against both political parties to fix this broken, corrupt political system.”

Texas bore much of the brunt of the border crisis during the Biden administration.

Prosecutors say Nungaray was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled. Her body was later found in a creek drainage area. Two men, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, both Venezuelan nationals illegally present in the U.S., have been charged with capital murder in the case.

JAMES TALARICO IS NEWEST TEXAS DEMOCRAT MEDIA DARLING, BUT DREAMS OF STATE ‘GOING BLUE’ HAVE LONG BEEN DASHED

Before Nungaray’s killing, the men were encountered by U.S. Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, in early 2024. However, they were released on their own recognizance under the Biden administration into the U.S. The murder happened just months after their illegal entry.

According to data gathered by the House Homeland Security Committee toward the end of the Biden administration, there were more than 10.8 million border encounters and roughly two million known gotaways under former President Joe Biden.

Against this backdrop, Talarico has been criticized as soft on crime and pro-defund the police, the latter of which he has denied as a “flat-out lie.”

During his time in the Texas House, he has also voted against the Damon Allen Act, a bill that restricted bail for certain offenders named in honor of Texas state trooper Damon Allen, who was killed by a career criminal out on bail. In 2021, he also voted against a proposed constitutional amendment that would deny bail for anyone accused of violent sexual offenses or trafficking.

GOV ABBOTT EXTENDS OFF-RAMP FOR NY BILLIONAIRES FLEEING MAMDANI’S POLICIES

On the immigration issue, Talarico has taken heat for saying in 2019 that “undocumented Americans” are “also my constituents.”

In a graphic put out by United We Dream, an activist group that supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Talarico encouraged people not to open their doors to federal immigration agents. He instructed people not to sign any documentation without an attorney and to “fight back.”

Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

A new Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis study is handing conservatives fresh ammunition in the minimum wage fight, with critics mocking the findings as obvious after researchers linked $15 wage hikes to job losses and reduced hours in Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

“Who could have possibly seen this coming,” wrote RealClearInvestigations senior writer Mark Hemingway quipped on X in response to the study. 

The working paper found that the phased minimum wage increases in Minneapolis and St. Paul were associated with a decline in employment, along with reduced hours for some workers that could complicate ongoing national pushes for higher wage mandates. 

POLITICIANS PUSH JOB-KILLING MINIMUM WAGE HIKES WHILE IGNORING THE DEVASTATING ECONOMIC REALITY

The debate comes as progressive leaders continue to advocate for increasing the federal minimum wage to address rising living costs. First passed in 2017, the Minneapolis Municipal Minimum Wage Ordinance was established to increase the minimum wage in phases to eventually meet $15 per hour by July 2024. Minneapolis’ minimum wage rose to $16.37 for all employers on Jan. 1, while neighboring St. Paul’s rate rose to $16.37 for large businesses as part of phased wage increase. 

Researchers said the employment declines persisted even after accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic and violent riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, two major shocks that also affected Twin Cities businesses during the study period.

“We find that the increase in the minimum wage substantially decreased employment in restaurants, retail, and health, even after accounting for potential confounding effects from the pandemic and civil unrest,” the report said.

The Minneapolis Fed analysis found the wage hikes increased hourly pay but reduced available jobs and hours, with researchers estimating that Minneapolis lost 5,425 jobs and St. Paul lost 3,797 jobs between 2017 and 2021 because of the minimum wage increases. 

The restaurant sector was hit especially hard, according to the report. Full-service restaurant jobs fell nearly 36% in Minneapolis and nearly 20% in St. Paul between 2018 and 2023, according to the Fed data cited by the Minnesota Star Tribune.

“We demonstrate that establishments with larger exposure of their labor costs to the minimum wage experienced larger increases in their wage and larger declines in their jobs, hours, and wage bill,” economists stated.

RESTAURANTS WARN TIPPED WAGE CHANGES COULD RAISE PRICES, CUT JOBS, RESHAPE DINING EXPERIENCE

Social media critics seized on the findings, arguing the report confirmed long-standing warnings that aggressive wage mandates can reduce jobs and hours.

“They swore the $15 minimum wage would be magical for everyone: higher pay, thriving businesses, cheaper happy hours. Instead, thousands of jobs are gone, restaurants gutted, and now we’re all paying more for the same thing as before except for worse service,” wrote an X user. ” But sure, keep telling me economics is just a suggestion.”

AOC-BACKED $25 MINIMUM WAGE PLAN SOUNDS GREAT — BUT AT WHAT COST?

“You know what can fix this? Another wealth (aka middle class) tax,” joked another.

“Boosting minimum wage significantly above the market rate may temporarily benefit incumbents, but it reduces overall hours available, accelerates automation, and harms new-entrants,” said another user. “This happens time and again. This happened in Seattle. And the latest evidence comes from Minnesota.”

“‘Workers are making more, but businesses are cutting back, research shows.’ Oh, really, you don’t say?,” posted a local radio host on X.

“‘Why didn’t anyone warn us?!!’ Oh wait, we did,” wrote Minnesota self-proclaimed “grassroots conservative activist”  Michael Holmstrom on X.

The federal wage has remained at $7.25 since 2009 despite calls from left-leaning lawmakers to raise the minimum a step even further to $30 per hour.

Back in 2018, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz backed a $15 minimum wage statewide in Minnesota, declaring he would sign such a bill into law as governor. Local leaders sounded the alarm for the increase with backing from coalition of labor activists, progressive city council members, and community groups.

“My advocacy for a housing wage is directly tied to my support for a $15 minimum wage. $15 is an important place to start, but in many places across Minnesota, that still isn’t enough for families to make ends meet,” he wrote on Facebook at the time.

The findings come as progressive Democrats continue pushing to raise the wage floor well beyond the long-standing $7.25 federal minimum wage. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has argued that a $15 minimum wage is no longer enough for workers, while other left-leaning lawmakers and city leaders have backed proposals ranging from $20 to $25 or more. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the office of Gov. Walz and the Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans are having a hard time stomaching an eye-popping funding request that, in part, would fund security enhancements for President Donald Trump’s ballroom.

Republicans in the upper chamber still aren’t completely on board with a $1 billion request from the Trump administration and Secret Service tucked into their immigration operations funding package, and many are wondering how exactly that figure was created. 

“It was one thing when private dollars were building it,” Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said. “If you’re asking me for a billion dollars, I have some really hard questions. If I were a businessman and an employee came and said, ‘I have a project, and it’s a billion dollars,’ I’d say, ‘You made that number up,’ right? Like, where did the number come from?”

ONCE TOUTED AS PRIVATELY FUNDED, REPUBLICANS SNEAK IN TAXPAYER CASH FOR TRUMP’S BALLROOM PROJECT

Curtis’ skepticism came as Republicans were headed for a closed-door briefing on the request from Secret Service Director Sean Curran, who provided a high-level breakdown of the funding in a one-pager obtained by Fox News Digital.

Curran’s explanation wasn’t enough for several Republicans, who left the meeting still wanting more detailed information on exactly how the funding, which is part of the broader reconciliation package meant for immigration enforcement, would be used.

“They need to go back and get us more details about exactly how they arrived at the figure,” Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., said afterward. 

Curran presented lawmakers with a high-level breakdown of how the money would be spent, which included $220 million for “White House complex hardening.”

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That category, like the legislation released by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, dictated that the funding would fund “above and below ground” security enhancements for Trump’s ballroom, which the administration argued would “afford needed protection for the president, his family, and visitors, along with the below-ground, highest-level security functions.”

Those enhancements would include bulletproof glass, drone detection technology, chemical filtration and detection systems and “a host of other national security functions.” 

An additional $180 million would go toward a White House screening center for visitors. The remaining $600 million would go toward Secret Service training, enhancing protection for Trump and other officials, and other security measures including countering drones and other aerial incursions.

“What was clear today is this whole statement, ‘It’s a billion dollars for a ballroom.’
Anyone who prints that is printing something they know is a lie. That’s not true,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. “It’s not a billion dollars for the ballroom.” 


The entirety of the funding won’t be going exclusively to enhancing security for Trump’s colossal ballroom, so Republicans want more answers on how each dollar will be used. 

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And they acknowledge that the price tag is a hard sell to make in the midst of growing economic issues across the country.

“The way I look at it, I look at it like a business guy,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “So it’s an investment, and it’s gonna, you know, you have to explain to the American public, if you’re gonna spend their money, how do you get a return?”

Scott, like several other Republicans, is in favor of boosting security for Trump, who faced a third assassination attempt last month, and future presidents.

And there is an opportunity to cut the request down, which some Republicans suggested could be an option as they sprint to finish work on the broader $72 billion package.

“We want to make sure we’re being responsible with taxpayer dollars and see what is the best vehicle for that, and then making sure that we’re judicious with that money,” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital. 

Meanwhile, the funding request is a small piece in a broader package meant to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for the next three and a half years through the budget reconciliation process. 

Whether the ballroom security and Secret Service funding actually stays in the package is an open question, given that the entire package will be reviewed under the Senate’s strict Byrd Rule guidelines that dictate what can and can’t make it into the reconciliation process.

And Democrats are planning to push hard against the security funding, arguing that the money would be better spent elsewhere on affordability issues. 

“The bottom line is, this ballroom is a disgrace,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “The Republicans know it. Let’s see if they have the guts to do what they know is right, both substantively and politically, and tell Trump we don’t need a God — we don’t need a damn ballroom.”