California Governor Gavin Newsom has responded to claims that he secretly helped fund a nearly $100,000 bronze bust of himself that sits inside San Francisco City Hall, calling them "categorically false."

"To imply the Governor personally funded or proposed this effort is categorically false," a spokesperson for Newsom said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As is customary in the city, the effort was independently proposed by a nonprofit and funded by private donors — not taxpayers… This was reported at the time and isn’t news now." 

A new book, written by Susan Crabtree and Jedd McFatter, and titled "Fool's Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All," claims Newsom used something called "behested payments" – or contributions from donors that politicians ask them to make on their behalf – to help fund the statue. 

The book claims two companies owned by Newsom donated about $10,000 to a non-profit to help pay for the bronze bust on a black granite base that is meant to commemorate Newsom's time as mayor of the city.

COZY TIES BETWEEN TOP NEWSOM ALLY AND CCP OFFICIAL UNEARTHED ON NETWORKING SITE

The Democrat was mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. 

"Businesses tied to the Newsom family made a modest contribution to the privately funded initiative and raised funds for the effort as reported publicly at the time," Newsom's office said. "The contributions were not in any way ‘secret’ as falsely claimed by some now."

Back in 2015, San Francisco news outlet SFGate reported that Newsom called the bust a "strange thing," and quoted him as saying: "I’m just awkward about it... But now the word is out."

Newsom told SFGate the bust was the brainchild of his supporters and that it would be paid for with private funds. According to the outlet, Newsom said he didn't even know who the supporters and fundraisers were.

The outlet also reported that Newsom sat for the bust with artist Bruce Wolfe multiple times. The work was finished in 2018, according to the San Francisco Arts Commission.

CALIFORNIA GOV NEWSOM SETS MENENDEZ BROTHERS PAROLE BOARD HEARING DATE IN BID FOR CLEMENCY

Newsom's office went on to blast the book itself, telling Fox News Digital:
"This publication should come with a free tinfoil hat, a lifetime subscription to InfoWars, and a VIP dinner with Elvis Presley and Bigfoot. The authors seem allergic to basic facts — especially the kind you can confirm with a 10-second Google search, like how many children the Governor has."

Crabtree, one of the authors of the book, told Fox News Digital that the book never claims that Newsom organized the bust, and that they stand by their reporting on the project.

According to the San Francisco Arts Commission, the bust includes a bronze plaque with the following quote from Newsom: 

"If you distill the essence of everything, what life is about, every single one of us is given a short moment in time on this planet and we all have one universal need and desire, and that is to love and be loved."

Newsom's office also pointed out that his bust sits next to several other busts of former city mayors, including Willie Brown, Dianne Feinstein and George Moscone.

Not surprisingly, the internet erupted with reaction to the bust – with many blasting Newsom.

"Who commissions a bust of themself? Gavin Newsom who clearly thinks very highly of himself," one user wrote on X. "That’s just kind of sick from a politician’s head. Look at me and see how great I am!"

NEWSOM'S VIRAL ‘LATINX’ CLAIM CRUMBLES AMID SCRUTINY OF HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION'S ONLINE RECORDS

"Gavin Newsom’s new bust is the perfect symbol of his time as governor," another user wrote. "Expensive and ultimately [u]seless for the people of California."

"San Francisco needs a Bust Reduction! $97K Newscum Vanity Project," another user remarked.

Newsom has emerged as somewhat of a darling for the Democrat party. He served as a surrogate for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during their 2024 campaign. He is considered a top contender to run for president in 2028.

The ex-SNP leader says she will not seek re-election at the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

A California board voted unanimously to allocate millions of dollars for services aimed at protecting illegal immigrants and refugees in the community.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors in Oakland decided at Tuesday's regular meeting to set aside around $2.2 million for communities in their area in response to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, at the request of the board's ad hoc Alameda County Together for All Committee.

"I'm committed, and I believe Supervisor [Elisa] Marquez is also committed, to making sure the board, the public, has more information and that this work is truly effective in reaching every single person in this community that is potentially at risk," Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, chairwoman of the committee, said at the meeting.

CALIFORNIA EXPLOITING MEDICAID 'LOOPHOLE' TO PAY BILLIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS' HEALTHCARE, STUDY SAYS 

Minutes from the meeting show that the board approved the use of $50,000 to the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach to "provide legal services and advocacy to marginalized immigrant communities." The money is being pulled from the District 5 Prior Year Savings fund and the Discretionary Services and Supplies funds.

The board also approved up to $700,000 to be used by Centro Legal de La Raza to establish a Rapid Response Hotline, Know Your Rights training sessions, pre-emptive legal services and community volunteer network response coordination.

The organization describes itself as a "legal services agency protecting and advancing the rights of low-income, immigrant, Black, and Latinx communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy."

Trabajadores Unidos Workers United was also approved for up to $500,000 to be used on "resources and preparation to immigrant and refugee communities, including training, mutual aid, and neighborhood resources."

"TUWU believes in upholding the power of working-class immigrants through forging class consciousness and growing the leadership of low-wage immigrant workers," the organization says on its website. "TUWU seeks to abolish workplace exploitation through organizing, political education, and direct action that shifts power to the hands of the working class."

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING USE OF TAXPAYER MONEY TO 'INCENTIVIZE OR SUPPORT' ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION 

The California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice was also given up to $1 million for legal services.

According to its website, the CCIJ's mission is to "utilize coordination, advocacy, and legal services to fight for the liberation of immigrants in detention in California."

"For the community work, the proposal is that the county would fund half of one year's budget and there's private fundraising happening to fund the other half," Fortunato Bas said, in part.

Supervisor David Haubert said the funding is "a community effort" and is being made possible through a "public/private partnership," emphasizing the financial burden is not solely on the county.

Fortunato Bas said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that one-third of Alameda County residents are immigrants and "half of our children grow up in a household with at least one immigrant parent."

"We are a diverse county, and our community needs protection. The policies of the federal administration are causing fear among our residents," she wrote, in part. "The unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors demonstrates our county’s commitment to our immigrant and refugee communities, who will have more access to critical information, services, and legal support."

The money approved on Tuesday comes after the board authorized $1.3 million in February for the Alameda County Public Defender Office's Immigration Unit, which provides deportation defense and legal services to illegal immigrants facing deportation, according to NBC Bay Area.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed his name on a bill Wednesday making Idaho the only state in the U.S. to have a firing squad designated as the preferred execution method for capital punishment, beginning next year.

The governor’s action comes less than a week after Brad Sigmon, 67, of South Carolina, was executed by way of a firing squad for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001.

Sigmon was pronounced dead nearly three minutes after being shot by three volunteer prison employees last Friday – a method used for the first time in 15 years in the U.S.

The Idaho Statesman reported that Idaho has nine prisoners on death row, though the death penalty has not been carried out in the state in over a dozen years.

IDAHO BEEFS UP FIRING SQUAD AS BRYAN KOHBERGER TRIAL NEARS

Last year, the state was unable to execute Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S. Medical personnel administering the lethal injection failed to establish an IV line despite trying for roughly an hour.

The bill’s tracking sheet shows that over two-thirds of the Republican-controlled legislature supported the measure, which, along with making death by firing squad the preferred method, also kept lethal injection as the state’s backup method.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Little’s office for comment on the matter.

IDAHO SERIAL KILLER SURVIVES LETHAL INJECTION ATTEMPT, PROMPTING RENEWED PUSH FOR FIRING SQUAD

Little approved a law in 2023 to add execution by firing squad as the state’s backup execution method, though at the time he said his preferred method was by lethal injection.

Idaho, then became the fifth state in the country to legalize the practice, following Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

This time around, bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug, who previously pushed for legislation that restored the firing squad as a backup option to lethal injection, argued that the botched lethal injection of Creech last year highlights problems with that method.

IDAHO'S MOVE TO RESURRECT FIRING SQUAD ‘MAKES SENSE’ AS ‘QUICKEST, SUREST’ DEATH PENALTY OPTION, EXPERT SAYS

The newly legalized execution method could impact the state's eight current death row inmates and possibly the future University of Idaho college murders suspect Bryan Kohberger. 

Little signed the bill as prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger if he is convicted. His trial is scheduled for later this year, and he faces four charges of first-degree murder and another charge of felony burglary.

A judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment. 

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

The PM will pledge to slash the costs of regulation with an "active government" in a speech later.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering a review of military fitness and grooming standards as the Trump administration continues to reverse policies critics say have made America's fighting force appear weaker on the global stage. 

In a memo Wednesday to senior Pentagon leadership, Hegseth ordered Darin Selnick, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, to gather existing standards in all U.S. military branches related to physical fitness, body composition and grooming, including regulations on beards. 

"We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world's most lethal and effective fighting force," Hegseth said in a statement. "Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging."

SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS THE DOD DOES NOT DO ‘CLIMATE CHANGE CRAP’

The review will "illuminate how the department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards," he added. 

DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS

Leaders will look at how those standards have changed since Jan. 1, 2015, and provide insight into how they have evolved and the effect of those changes.  

Hegseth has vowed to bring back tougher standards while reversing "woke" policies that don't align with restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence.   

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"Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear," he said in a Jan. 25 memo to service members. "The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose."

An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that critics say will make it legal for anyone experiencing a mental health episode to attack police officers.

Democratic state Rep. Lisa Davis, an attorney in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender's office, introduced House Bill 3458 in February. 

Under the terms of the legislation, the bill would "[provide] that it is a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly."

‘PRO-CRIMINAL': BLUE STATE SHERIFF UNLOADS ON ‘DISGUSTING’ BILL TARGETING THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE

The bill has picked up two co-sponsors, Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy. 

Currently, a person in Illinois can be charged with aggravated battery if they attack "an individual whom the person knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons."

Second Cop City, a blog that reports on Chicago policing matters, first reported on the bill.

TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES REPUBLICAN RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN RACE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM

"If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers," the blog states. "In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?"

Davis' proposal would legalize attacks on peace officers. Other first responders would be spared, such as firefighters, like her husband, CWB Chicago reported. 

The bill has been referred to the Illinois General Assembly Rules Committee, where unpopular legislation goes to die, the news report states. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to Davis and the Chicago chapter of the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. 

SpaceX and NASA scrubbed the planned rocket launch of Crew-10 to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday due to a hydraulic issue with one of the ground systems, according to officials giving a live broadcast of the event.

NASA and SpaceX will get their next opportunity to send the rocket into space when the launch window opens on Thursday at 7:25 p.m.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a message of support for NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 ahead of their launch on Wednesday, highlighting the U.S. military's prominent role in the mission.

"I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you," Hegseth said in a video posted to X. "We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon." 

TRUMP SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE TO STRANDED ASTRONAUTS, JOKES HE MAY GO ALONG FOR RESCUE: ‘WE LOVE YOU’

NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. on Wednesday. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry a crew of four to the ISS for a six-month residency. The mission is set to usher in the much-anticipated homecoming of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams.

"President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘get the astronauts home and do it now' – and they're responding," Hegseth continued. "And they're bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired U.S. Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home."

The American astronauts have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after arriving there in June of last year. They were only supposed to stay for about a week. 

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft had transported the pair of astronauts from Earth to the ISS. However, it returned to Earth unmanned in September. This came after Starliner suffered "helium leaks" and "issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters" while docking with the ISS. 

NASA ASTRONAUTS NOT ‘FRETTING’ OVER EXTENDED MISSION, ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR MORE TIME IN SPACE AFTER STARLINER WOES

"Now, the Department of Defense is also proud to have multiple branches and two active-duty U.S. military officers represented in the mission that's kicking off tonight between NASA and SpaceX. Yet, U.S. Army Colonel Anne McClain and U.S. Air Force Major Nichole Ayers," Hegseth said. "So this is Army, Air Force and Navy tonight."

In addition to McClain and Ayers, Crew-10 also includes an astronaut from Japan and one from Russia. 

BOEING'S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW

Wednesday's launch comes after President Donald Trump asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to rescue the stranded astronauts sooner than NASA had planned.

Trump has repeatedly said former President Joe Biden "abandoned" them in space.

Musk definitively told FOX Business’ Larry Kudlow earlier in the week: "We're gonna get 'em back."

BOEING STARLINER UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION, HEADS TO EARTH UNMANNED AS CREW STAYS BEHIND

NASA said there will be a "handover period" with the SpaceX Crew-10 before Wilmore and Williams head back to their home planet. They could return to Earth as early as Sunday.

Last week, Trump shared a special message for Wilmore and Williams.

NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY 

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"Elon [Musk] is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them," the president told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. "We love you, and we're coming up to get you, and you shouldn't have been up there so long."

FOX Business' Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report.

Activists suggest replacing judges with a three-person panel featuring a senior legal figure.

Sir Keir Starmer led European efforts to mend Trump-Zelensky relationship, UK government sources tell the BBC.

A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon's Health Authority (OHA) on best practices and policies in mental health identifies as a "turtle."

JD Holt, who also goes by "JD Terrapin" on Facebook, is one of roughly two dozen "consumers" on the OHA's Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC). The council, established by administrative statute, is appointed by OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, who was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat.

The purpose of the OCAC is to advise Hathi on the state's provision of mental health services, including through investigations and reviews of current practices. 

"Hello everybody, it's JD. I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns. I'm in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council," Holt said during a Dec. 20 virtual OCAC meeting. Gender Wiki, a website that documents the list of non-binary genders, describes "turtlegender," sometimes called "tortoisegender," as "a xenogender identity in which one feels a gendered connection to turtles."

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO MAINE UNIVERSITIES AS STATE DEFIES ORDER TO BAN TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN'S SPORTS

"One may feel their gender is replaced by a 'turtle,' or their gender is best described with the use of turtles," the site reads. 

During a Dec. 17 meeting, an OHA member introduced themselves as, "Luke A Shooting Star."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, OHA said that every member of the Consumer Advisory Council and the perspectives they bring "are highly valued."

"In following Oregon statute, every member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council is someone with lived experience, bring [sic] the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges," said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge.

PARENTAL RIGHTS GROUP FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST OREGON SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ALLEGED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION 

In response to questions about how Hathi goes about appointing members of the committee, Shoebridge said it is a joint effort between existing members on the council, a seven-member committee appointed by the council and the director, who ultimately makes the final decision. Shoebridge added that those selected "represent independent, consumer-run organizations, consumer-run advocacy organizations and consumer-operated advisory councils that are active or headquartered in this state."

Duties of the advisory council, among other things, include the ability to "investigate," "evaluate" and "recommend" the state's behavioral health resources. Specifically, the OCAC develops a working plan with recommendations and goals every year, and is also given the authority to establish "committees to investigate specific areas of interest related to Behavioral Health services."

The council's governing rules were updated as recently as last year, and state legislators have previously taken steps to strengthen its role in shaping decisions on mental health service policies. The OHA did not respond to questions about how much money gets allocated to the OCAC in time for publication; however, the OHA budget for the 2023-2025 biennium was $35.8 billion, according to the agency's website. 

PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT AN EXEMPTION

Each council member serves for a term of two years and can be reelected once, according to the administrative statute establishing the panel. 

According to a Fox News review of Holt's public Facebook posts, Holt has promoted "anarchist" causes and encouraged people to obstruct immigration enforcement actions.

"WHAT TO DO AT AN ICE CHECKPOINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE and/or FEEL THE NEED TO JAM UP THE WORKS," Holt wrote in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. Holt's post encouraged people to yell and scream at federal immigration authorities and make their jobs as "difficult and uncomfortable" as possible.

Fox News Digital reached out to Holt, Hathi and Kotek, but did not hear back by press time.

FIRST ON FOX: The impact of a migrant surge at one sanctuary city airport is being revealed in new information provided to a Senate committee investigating the handling of the Biden-era migrant crisis.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, recently subpoenaed the Massachusetts Port Authority for documents that Republicans on the committee had requested last year about the use of facilities to allow migrants to shelter at Boston Logan International Airport.

Migrants had been seen camping out at airports at the height of the Biden-era crisis as migrants descended on sanctuary cities like Boston.

TED CRUZ SLAPS BLUE STATE AUTHORITY WITH SUBPOENA OVER SHELTERING MIGRANTS AT AIRPORT: ‘RECKLESS’

"Donald Trump put a stop to Biden’s open border policy, but a full investigation of this scandal is vital to both prevent its future reemergence and hold accountable those complicit in Biden’s lawless immigration orders," Cruz told Fox News Digital last month.

In the responses to the committee by Massport, obtained by Fox News Digital, the port authority estimated that more than 5,000 migrants arrived at Logan between July 2023 and July 2024.

"... Massport estimates that 5,500 migrants flew into Logan Airport during the period resulting in actions taken to respond to the unprecedented arrival of migrants to the airport," the agency said in response to questions.

SENATE COMMERCE REPUBLICANS EXPAND PROBE INTO AIRPORTS IN ‘SANCTUARY’ JURISDICTIONS SHELTERING MIGRANTS

At the peak, there were 352 migrants staying at Logan Airport in a 4,100-foot area of Terminal E. The authority said migrants were taken to state centers every morning, although some returned and stayed there.

As for how much the stays cost, authorities estimated the cost per day was $2,520 and the total cost was around $779,000 for additional staffing, services and transportation. Between July and November 2023, the average number of migrants staying overnight was less than 100, but in the following months the highest daily averages were in April (181), May (265) and June (262).

Officials said it did not reduce the capacity of the airport and that "all actions were taken in accordance with Federal and state law, to afford the traveling public with a safe, secure, efficient and orderly airport operation."

The officials also said that no cost was passed on to the taxpayers. Instead, the majority of costs were absorbed by Massport, while $332,000 of additional costs were passed on to air carriers, and at "no point were airport facilities turned into housing for migrants."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

They further noted there were "time-to-time minor conflicts" from migrants, but none requiring arrests or criminal charges.

Ultimately, migrants were barred from using the airport as a shelter and instead were offered taxpayer-funded accommodation in July 2024.

"As of July 9, 2024, there was a policy change announced by the state that migrant families could no longer stay overnight at Logan, and no families have stayed at the airport since then," a Massport spokesperson said. "We are working closely with the Committee to voluntarily cooperate fully with their request."

Lawmakers had initially requested information from Massport last year, arguing that the use of facilities to house migrants violated the conditions of federal funding.

The new push comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to crack down on arrivals at the southern border. Numbers of migrants at the border plunged last summer and have continued to drop under the new administration.

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here's what's happening…

-Rubio pushes back against Mahmoud Khalil defenders: ‘Not about free speech'

-Poll flashes warning sign on one of top issues for Trump during campaign

-House GOP member tells local law enforcement to 'gear up' to help with immigration enforcement

FIRST ON FOX: The Environmental Protection Agency announced the "most consequential day of deregulation" in U.S. history Wednesday, as it put the Biden administration's Clean Power Plan 2.0 — which cracked down on power plants — on the chopping block.

"President Trump promised to kill the Clean Power Plan in his first term, and we continue to build on that progress now," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an announcement, first obtained by Fox News Digital. "In reconsidering the Biden-Harris rule that ran afoul of Supreme Court case law, we are seeking to ensure that the agency follows the rule of law while providing all Americans with access to reliable and affordable energy." 

The Biden administration finalized its Clean Power Plan 2.0 in April 2024, cracking down on existing and future fossil fuel-fired power plants as part of the previous administration's sweeping climate agenda. The plan required existing coal-fired power plants and new baseload natural gas-fired power plants to install carbon capture technology by 2032 in an effort to effectively eliminate carbon emissions by 2050…Read more

'PERMANENT FIX': Trump ban on funding for trans procedures would be law under GOP senator's bill

'POLITICIZING THE JUDICIARY': Federal judge appointed by Trump quits group over statement on threats

'RADICAL LEFT'S TWISTED GAME': Pro-Hamas activist’s deportation not a 'free speech' matter and law is on Trump’s side

'HYSTERIA': White House shuts down concerns over USAID document purge

'DE-GENDER RESTROOM ACCESS': Biden's EPA pushed to 'de-gender' agency bathrooms, hire more LGBTQ staff, unearthed memo reveals

FAST AND FURIOUS: Dems outraged by Trump 'playing cars salesman' for Tesla

GET SCHOOLED: Chinese nationals banned from US student visas under new House GOP proposal

'HELL TO PAY': Lindsey Graham to push 'bone-breaking sanctions and tariffs' to pressure Russia into peace with Ukraine

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: US to require Canadians visiting for over 30 days to have fingerprints taken, register with authorities

'AXIS OF EVIL': Iran, China and Russia huddle for nuclear talks while UN meets behind closed doors on possible sanctions

RARE PHONE CALL: CIA director, Putin's spy chief hold first phone call in more than 2 years: report

HOUSE ON FIRE: GOP lawmaker calls trans Dem 'Mr. McBride,' abruptly ends hearing after ultimatum from another Dem

TAKING AIM: House Republican campaign arm targets vulnerable Democrats who 'voted to shutdown' govt.

SHE'S OUT: Longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen not seeking re-election in 2026 in key northeastern swing state

'BASIC MEDICAL ETHICS': GOP moves to defund hospitals that perform sex-change procedures on minors

'HE'S A PALESTINIAN': Trump says Schumer 'has become a Palestinian': 'He's not Jewish anymore'

'ON THE TABLE': House divided over consequences for controversial congressman

TRIO OF BILLS: Oregon legislature weighing trio of bills that could result in less oversight for convicted sex offenders

'DISTRACTED BY IDENTITY POLITICS': NASA spent over $13 million on DEI under Biden while critical missions flailed

'TIP OF THE ICEBERG': EPA terminates Biden admin's green grants worth $20B, Zeldin says

'FINANCIAL BURDEN': FL spent $660M on healthcare for illegals as hospitals ordered to verify legal status, report shows

VAPID BANS: 21,000% spike in MA vape seizures throws cigarette ban into question, ex-ATF official says

‘NO EVIDENCE’: New study from key swing state shatters popular narrative against Voter ID

DESERT SHOWDOWN: NM lawmakers warn sweeping gun control bill primed for passage shows Dems ‘are dead-set on disarming us’

'WE WILL FIGHT': Anti-woke beer company fires back at beer giant for 'intimidation' amid trademark dispute

WON'T 'SPECULATE': Federal judge rips DOJ lawyers, demands written retraction from Hegseth over transgender military policy post

'RADICAL GENDER POLICIES': Ohio college 'illegally forcing students' to share bathrooms with opposite sex

'DEEPLY DISAPPOINTING': Blue state county faces backlash after failed vote to scrap 'super sanctuary' policy

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner shut down a hurricane relief draft plan put forth by the city of Asheville, North Carolina, that included a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative that would have prioritized some residents over others, his office said.

"Once again, let me be clear DEI is dead at HUD," Turner said of axing the plan. "We will not provide funding to any program or grantee that does not comply with President Trump’s executive orders."

"HUD looks forward to helping thousands of North Carolinians rebuild after Hurricane Helene by directing funding assistance to impacted businesses, nonprofit organizations and neighborhoods," Turner added. "However, Asheville’s draft action plan incorporated DEI criteria to prioritize some impacted residents over others, which was unacceptable. After HUD informed Asheville that its plan was unsatisfactory and it would not be approved, the city assured us that it was updating its draft action plan to be compliant." 

The city of Asheville, North Carolina, which is a Democratic stronghold in a state that has elected Republican presidential candidates since 2012, posted a draft plan to its website on March 4 on how it could distribute millions of dollars for Hurricane Helene disaster relief, including a section that focused on DEI.

HUD OFFICES BECAME AS VACANT AS A ‘SPIRIT HALLOWEEN’ STORE UNDER BIDEN: ADMIN SOURCES

HUD allocated $225 million in a Community Development Block Grant in January under the Biden administration, after Hurricane Helene ripped through the state in September 2024, devastating thousands of residents, most notably in the western Appalachian region, with flooding, high winds, power outages and complete destruction of communities. At least 106 people died in the Tar Heel State during the storm, according to the state.

The city of Asheville, North Carolina, detailed under a section in its draft plan titled, "How Programs Will Support Vulnerable Populations," that minority- and women-owned businesses would be prioritized for assistance. 

HUD TERMINATES OBAMA-ERA HOUSING RULE THAT TRUMP WARNED WOULD 'DESTROY' HOME VALUES

"Within the Small Business Support Program, the City will prioritize assistance for Minority and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) within the scoring criteria outlined within the policies and procedures," reads the draft plan, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

HUD was alerted to the language in the draft plan and took appropriate action against it after investigating the matter, Fox News Digital learned. 

HUD cited that on President Donald Trump's first day in office, he signed an executive order focused on "ending radical and wasteful government DEI programs" and one focused on restoring merit-based opportunity and "ending illegal discrimination," which ended DEI practices at the federal level in favor of merit-based systems.

"At HUD, we are taking a detailed and deliberate approach in every aspect of our work to ensure we are serving all communities regardless of race, color, or creed," Turner said in a comment Wednesday to Fox News Digital. "Let this send a clear message that no detail will go unnoticed, adherence to President Trump’s Executive Orders is mandatory. We appreciate that Asheville has reversed course and is now working with us to get this right." 

Democratic Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer said in comments provided to Fox News Digital that the city was "working closely with HUD as we continue to navigate the changing compliance requirements of the new administration."

"We are grateful for the administration’s support in our recovery efforts," Manheimer continued. "The City will ensure it meets current federal standards in order to facilitate approval of critically needed funding to help the city recover from the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene." 

The city released an updated draft March 10 that did not include a section on prioritizing minority- and women-owned businesses, Fox New Digital found. 

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP HUD SECRETARY CANCELS $4M IN DEI CONTRACTS AFTER LAUNCHING DOGE TASK FORCE

TRUMP ADMIN DIRECTS FEDERAL AGENCIES TO END DEI CONSIDERATIONS IN GOVT CONTRACTS AS DOGE'S IMPACT SPREADS

Turner announced on Fox News in February that HUD was in the midst of canceling $4 million in DEI contracts after the federal agency's freshly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force uncovered $260 million earlier in the month. 

The DEI contracts focused on "culture transformation," according to HUD, including "outward mindset training" — which is a DEI initiative aimed at teaching people to focus their attention on inclusivity and the needs and objectives of others — as well as diversity and inclusion research subscription services.

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"It is inexcusable the American taxpayer was footing the bill for the promotion of DEI propaganda," Turner said at the time. "Not only was this costing millions of taxpayer dollars but it was also wasting valuable time that should have been used to better serve individuals and families in rural, tribal and urban communities. DEI is dead at HUD." 

The transport committee chair urged the government "not to forget about disabled people" ahead of nationalisation.

FIRST ON FOX: A longtime ally of California Gov. Gavin Newsom repeatedly helped a now-former CCP official while she was serving as the Chinese consul in San Francisco, according to a LinkedIn post unearthed by Fox News Digital.

Ying He, who served as the Chinese consul general in San Francisco between 2012 and 2016, lavished praise on Darlene Chiu-Bryant in a 2017 LinkedIn recommendation, calling the former Newsom aide and longtime ally of the governor a "Super lady."

"Darlene is the right person when you need to develop business (sic) in either California or Beijing," said He, who was serving as the division director for the Ministry of Commerce, a CCP government arm, at the time of the 2017 LinkedIn post. "She is an excellent PR professional and able to fulfill the most challenging tasks. She helped me a lot when I was consul in SF, promoting US-Sino investment and trade. In all, she is a friend in need and a Super Lady indeed."

He’s LinkedIn reveals that she has served in multiple roles at the Ministry of Commerce for over a decade and her profile boasts that she has "extensive connections with Chinese and U.S. governments" and "15+ years with a Chinese central government agency and 4 years as a diplomat in San Francisco."

CONGRESS EXPOSES CHINA'S POTENTIAL LOOPHOLE FOR TRUMP TARIFFS: 'DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND'

At the time of the LinkedIn post, Bryant was serving as the executive director of ChinaSF, which is facing renewed scrutiny for its ties to the CCP and recruiting over 100 Chinese companies into San Francisco, according to a new book Fox News Digital exclusively reported on Monday. In the book, there is a chapter dedicated to how Newsom helped launch a nonprofit organization almost a decade earlier, in 2008. 

One of the several companies discussed in the book was Suntech, a Chinese solar company developed by the CCP that was personally recruited by Newsom into the United States, and he publicly praised the company’s CEO, Dr. Zhengrong Shi, multiple times, and made him an advisory board member for ChinaSF. 

In addition to green energy companies that streamed through ChinaSF, real estate companies were also involved, and the book alleges that Newsom received over $23,000 in anonymous contributions from Chinese real estate company Z&L, whose billionaire owner was criminally sentenced for bribing a San Francisco government official. In 2017, ChinaSF posted a photo of Bryant, Newsom and others in front of a wall that said Z&L Properties.

"ChinaSF was started by our Lt Governor Gavin Newsom when he was Mayor of San Francisco in 2008," the photo caption said. "Proud to work with our partners and companies recruited to the SF Bay Area."

According to China Daily, a Chinese state media outlet, Newsom launched the group while visiting Shanghai.

"The two most important things for us are energy independence and establishing a stronger relationship with China," Newsom said ahead of the trip.

THE PLAN TO CONFRONT CHINA AND KICK OUT COMPANIES CONTROLLED BY THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY FROM THE U.S.

Bryant, who traveled with Newsom to China in 2005 when she was serving as his deputy communications director and would later be tapped to run ChinaSF, was repeatedly mentioned in a chapter in the new book, "Fool's Gold: The Radicals, Con Artists, and Traitors Who Killed the California Dream and Now Threaten Us All."

In the book, authors Susan Crabtree and Jedd McFatter make the case that ChinaSF served as a gateway for CCP officials and Chinese criminals to exploit California. In addition to the book exposing how Bryant was referred to locally as "the Fixer" for any Chinese businesses "wanting to make hay in San Francisco," her personal Facebook profile and other Facebook pages are littered with photos showing her involvement with ChinaSF. There are also several photos of her and Newsom, in addition to other California politicians.

In 2019, GlobalSF posted a photo of Newsom and Bryant at an event. The photo caption, which appears to be written by Bryant, called Newsom a "visionary leader."

"So good to see my ex boss now Governor of our Golden State of [California], [Gavin Newsom]," the post said. "As a visionary leader, he started [ChinaSF] in 2008 to be the China Desk for the city and county of [San Francisco] to facilitate inbound investment."

Another photo on Facebook shows Bryant attending Newsom's inauguration in early 2019.

Fox News Digital has previously reported on another prominent Chinese consul general, Huang Ping, who oversaw the office in New York City for several years and often promoted CCP propaganda while publicly denying the alleged Uyghur genocide in China. 

In addition to his controversial public statements, Ping would often travel to U.S. universities and other events, meeting with business leaders and elected officials, sparking concerns from some about potential influence peddling for the CCP.

"The Chinese Communist Party is playing for keeps at the nuclear level and every layer below that," Michael Sobolik, author of "Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance," told Fox News Digital last year. "And it's not just the universities. The Chinese Communist Party is looking to infiltrate every aspect of American society."

"If we try to edit undo our way out of this whole list of infiltrations and threats that the CCP sends our direction that's good policy work. We need to insulate ourselves. But good housekeeping is the bare minimum of waging a cold war and winning a cold war," Sobolik added.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office for comment and received a response pointing to an article about conspiracy theories with the headline, "Conspiracy theorists really do see the world differently, new study shows."

Fox News Digital reached out to Bryant, but did not receive a response by press time.

A New York state elected official was seen Wednesday appearing to attempt to get past police while shouting at border czar Tom Homan, who was in the state capital to call out Democrats over their illegal immigration policies.

Assembly member and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was seen in Albany shouting at Homan over the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and the recent detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and anti-Israel activist.

Video footage posted online shows Mamdani trying to get past New York State police troopers while shouting at Homan.

ICE AGENTS ARREST ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST WHO LED PROTESTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FOR MONTHS 

"How many more New Yorkers will you detain? How many more New Yorkers without charge?" he shouted. "Do you believe in the First Amendment, Tom Homan?"

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani and the White House. 

In a post on X, Mamdani said he confronted Homan, who visited Albany to "do Trump’s bidding — push for mass deportations, carry out the assault on working class New Yorkers, and justify the unjustifiable detention of legal permanent resident and father-to-be, Mahmoud Khalil."

Khalil, a Palestinian raised in Syria and a permanent U.S. resident, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at his university-owned apartment Saturday and told they were revoking his green card and student visa, according to Khalil's attorney, Amy Greer.

Khalil played a major role in the protests against Israel at Columbia University and met with university officials on behalf of Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a group of student groups urging the university to divest from Israel, according to CNN. 

President Donald Trump unveiled Khalil’s arrest on Monday, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the administration would revoke the green cards of any Hamas supporters in the U.S. and deport them.

FEDERAL AGENCIES TO REVIEW COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S CONTRACTS, GRANTS AFTER 'FAILURE' TO PROTECT JEWISH STUDENTS

"Following my previously signed executive orders, ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a radical foreign pro-Hamas Student on the campus of Columbia University," Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. "This is the first arrest of many to come."

Homan planned to stand with state Republican lawmakers fighting to repeal the state’s Green Light law, which is being legally challenged by the Trump administration. The law, also known as the Driver's License Act, allows illegal immigrants to obtain a driver's license.

Mamdani said Homan smirked when confronted. 

"Because there is no answer from taking a man from his pregnant wife who is due to deliver their newborn in a month," he said, noting that Khalil told Columbia University officials that he feared for his life. 

"The cowardice that is on display across our city and our state is unacceptable," he added. "New Yorkers are looking to us. They are looking to their leaders for courage and for conviction, and what they are finding instead is collaboration."

Fox News Digital's Diana Stancy contributed to this report.

FIRST ON FOX: California is funneling billions of federal taxpayer dollars into paying for illegal immigrants’ healthcare, a new study claims.

"They are exploiting an existing loophole within law," Paul Winfree, president and CEO of the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), told Fox News Digital.

"States can do these provider taxes to funnel money back to the state, that they are then using to pay for, to put illegal immigrants on Medicaid. That’s quite literally what’s going on."

The paper released by EPIC and the Paragon Health Institute draws a line between California’s Medicaid provider taxes and what, on paper, appears to be nearly $4 billion in state funding going toward illegal immigrants’ healthcare and other initiatives.

TRUMP GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH SANCTUARY CITIES OVER DEPORTATION AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN SET TO BEGIN

But that funding is actually coming from the federal government, according to EPIC, via reimbursements to California.

Winfree suggested it could be an area to claw back federal dollars as House Republicans work to find between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion in savings to offset the cost of President Donald Trump’s budget priorities.

Under current law, states are required to pay Medicaid providers the same amount as taxes raised.

The federal government then matches those payments by 60% in an effort to help states recoup some Medicaid costs.

"Medicaid spending is supposed to be jointly financed by the federal government and states. However, states are increasingly designing Medicaid money laundering schemes that result in massive federal expenditures without any state financial obligation," the paper said. 

"The state of California, colluding with insurance companies who cover Medicaid beneficiaries, has created one of the most outrageous ones yet, a money laundering scheme that results in California obtaining more than $19 billion in federal money without any state contribution over the period from April 2023 through December 2026."

The paper continued that those funds were "used to implement major expansions in the Medicaid program to fund illegal immigrants and long-term care (LTC) for the wealthy."

"This scheme enriches insurers, attracts illegal immigrants to the United States, and adds mountains to the federal debt, all at the expense of working Americans," it said.

Winfree said closing a loophole that allows states like California to significantly raise the provider tax could save up to $630 billion, adding it was something Republicans are looking at as they seek as much as $2 trillion in savings or more in the budget reconciliation process.

House and Senate Republicans are looking to use their majorities to pass a massive bill covering Trump’s border security, defense, energy and tax policies. 

They can do so because reconciliation allows the Senate to lower its threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, provided measures in the legislation are related to budgetary and fiscal policy.

As part of the framework resolution House Republicans passed last month, which has been sent to the relevant committees with instructions on how much to find cuts, or in some cases, spend extra dollars.

ICE ARRESTS MORE THAN 530 MIGRANTS IN ONE DAY AMID TRUMP'S CRACKDOWN

The Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, is charged with finding $880 billion in spending cuts.

Republicans have insisted they are only looking to root out waste, fraud and abuse, but Democratic opponents of the Trump budget bill are accusing the GOP of trying to significantly cut federal medical benefits for millions of Americans.

"One of the things that Congress is looking at right now is limiting the Medicaid provider tax loophole. It's actually one of the most significant offsets that is within the Medicaid portfolio that the Energy and Commerce Committee and Finance Committee over in the Senate can look at while they're putting together their reconciliation bill," Winfree said.

He cited a projection that said eliminating the loophole could save as much as $630 billion but added that it was an unlikely scenario.

"It’s much more likely that they will reduce what's called the safe harbor. So, in other words, what they'll do is they'll just reduce the amount of gaming that goes on, including this kind of gaming. And if that happens, it is more likely to affect some of the big blue states than it is the red states, simply because it's the blue states that have really tested the upper limits of this kind of this kind of gimmick," Winfree said.

Even without total elimination, reforming the tax could still potentially save billions in federal spending.

Fox News Digital reached out to the California Department of Public Health for comment but did not hear back.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests since President Donald Trump took office are already outpacing arrests made in all of 2024, the agency said Wednesday — while saying the Biden administration had been "cooking the books" on its numbers.

"We have uncovered that the previous administration… was cooking the books on ICE data," acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters. "They were purposely misleading the American people by categorizing individuals processed and released into the interior of the United States as ICE arrests."

"A comprehensive review was done internally here with ICE. We found tens of thousands of cases that were recorded as arrests when, in fact, these instances were illegal aliens that were simply processed and released into the American communities," he said.

‘LEAVE NOW’: TRUMP ADMIN REPURPOSES CONTROVERSIAL CBP ONE APP TO ENCOURAGE SELF-DEPORTATIONS

Senior officials said that the majority of the overall 113,431 arrests made in FY 2024 were "pass-through" arrests, meaning that ICE didn’t take an enforcement action against those foreign nationals, and they instead just passed through ICE before being released into the interior and were told to report to an ICE office.

They stressed that none of the arrests made by ICE under the Trump administration have been pass-through arrests.

"What we are doing now is actual immigration enforcement, not enforcement theater," an official said.

As for interior arrests, in FY 2024, ICE enforcement removal operations made 33,242 at-large arrests, only 29% of all ICE arrests. For comparison, officials say that ICE made 32,809 arrests from Jan. 20 to March 10, meaning they will surpass the FY 2024 number this week.

NEARLY 17 MILLION ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN THE US, 16% INCREASE SINCE 2021: ANALYSIS 

Of those arrests,14,111 were convicted criminals and 9,980 have pending criminal charges. Over 1,150 were suspected gang members, two and a half times the 483 arrested in the same period last year.

"The difference between these recent arrests and those from last year is now we are actually taking enforcement actions on each and every illegal alien arrested," officials said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

The Trump administration took office with a promise to launch a "historic" deportation campaign and reverse the Biden-era crisis at the southern border. It quickly reversed Biden-era parole programs, surged military to the border, limited the use of asylum and secured agreements from certain countries to take back their nationals. It also launched a number of raids in "sanctuary" cities that refuse to cooperate with ICE enforcement.

The administration says the efforts are already having an effect, with not only a sharp increase in arrests but also a significant drop in encounters at the southern border. Just this week, DHS announced that it had replaced the controversial CBP One app with a new CBP Home app that helps facilitate self-deportations.

"We are empowering [ICE agents] to do their jobs," Lyons said. "After four years of not being allowed to effectively do their jobs, our agents and officers are excited to get to work and fulfill the agency's mission."

Fox News' Bill Melugin and Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order seeking to penalize Democrat-linked law firm Perkins Coie, siding with plaintiffs from the firm who argued that the order was unconstitutional and a violation of due process protections. 

The ruling from U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell came shortly after attorneys representing the law firm Perkins Coie filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court over the Trump administration's executive order, which called for all employees to be stripped of their security clearances, be banned from government buildings and would force the firm to terminate of all its contracts with government clients. 

"It truly is life-threatening," Perkins Coie attorneys told the judge. "It will spell the end of the law firm."

They said that it would effectively force its business to a halt, and violated due process protections under the U.S. Constitution. 

FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS

Judge Howell appeared to uphold this claim, noting at one point in the hearing that it "sends little chills down my spine" that the Trump administration moved to label the firm as a threat and deny them access to government entities and businesses. 

Lawyers for Perkins Coie argued the executive order would be "like a tsunami waiting to hit the firm" in terms of damaging impact.

The order, signed by President Donald Trump last week, sought to penalize Perkins Coie, which has long represented Democratic-linked causes and candidates, including Trump's former opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the 2016 presidential election. 

The firm also played a role in hiring Fusion GPS, an opposition research firm that commissioned the so-called "Steele Dossier" and published it shortly before the 2016 election. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, appeared in federal court to represent the Trump administration in the lawsuit. The hearing, and rare court appearance from Mizelle, a senior member of the U.S. attorney general's office, comes one week after Trump signed the executive order.

The order, titled "Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP," accused Perkins Coie of "dishonest and dangerous activity" that they alleged undermines "democratic elections, the integrity of our courts, and honest law enforcement," as well as "racially discriminating against its own attorneys and staff" through its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Trump told reporters last week it was an "absolute honor" to sign the order, adding that "weaponization" against a political opponent "should never be allowed to happen again."

However, Perkins Coie attorneys argue the Trump administration has done just that by targeting the firm. 

"Its plain purpose is to bully those who advocate points of view that the President perceives as adverse to the views of his Administration, whether those views are presented on behalf of paying or pro bono clients," the lawsuit reads.

Attorneys representing Perkins Coie told Howell that roughly 25% of total firm revenue comes from its contracts with government clients, which they noted would be terminated by Trump's executive order.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.