The Senate’s version of the "one big, beautiful bill" includes a tiny, 1% tax on international cash transfers — called a remittance tax — which, according to experts, will have a major impact on immigrants working in the U.S.

A remittance is a money transfer to another country outside the U.S., which is a common practice among immigrant workers who send part of their wages back to family in their native countries. Tens of billions of dollars in remittances are sent to other countries from the U.S. every year.

Earlier versions of the bill included higher tax rates and specifically targeted illegal immigrants sending money outside the U.S. The current version of the "big, beautiful bill," however, imposes a 1% fee only on cash transfers, not electronic transfers, sent to other countries. U.S. citizens who want to send cash to other countries will also be subject to the 1% tax.

The tax is expected to generate $10 billion in extra revenue for the federal government, according to an estimate done by Politico.

TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' CLEARS FINAL HURDLE BEFORE HOUSE-WIDE VOTE

Besides generating extra revenue, Lora Ries, director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that the remittance tax has the potential to discourage illegal immigration into the U.S. by making it harder to send money back home.

"Illegal aliens generally want five things when coming to the U.S.: to enter, to remain here, work, send money home (remittances), and bring family and/or have children here," she explained. "Prevent those five things, and you prevent illegal immigration and encourage self-deportation."

The administration has been pushing hard for illegal immigrants to self-deport, incentivizing them by offering to front the cost of commercial flights and providing a $1,000 stipend to those who opt to self-deport. Ries said the remittance tax could be another effective strategy besides ICE raids that could help to crack down on illegal immigration into the country and reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

TRUMP TO BEGIN ENFORCING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER AS EARLY AS THIS MONTH, DOJ SAYS

Ries said, however, that the 1% needs to be much higher to be effective.

"A 1% tax only on cash transfers does very little. The tax should be much higher and cover all types of money transfers," she said.

"Until now, the U.S. government has not touched the annual billions of dollars going out of the country, not benefiting the U.S. economy," she went on. "Remittances should be taxed to discourage unauthorized employment and its earnings."

ELON MUSK'S ATTACKS ON TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' HAVE 'NO BASIS,' SAYS NO 2 HOUSE REPUBLICAN

Meanwhile, Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital that though he believes the remittance tax will have a significant impact, it may not be in the way the Trump administration hopes.

He argued that discouraging remittances to countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — where such payments account for more than 20% of the GDP — could actually drive more migration from those nations.

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"If you're Honduras, if you're El Salvador and Guatemala, even a 1% tax, if it decreases the remittances, could actually be a significant toll in the development of those countries," he said. "If the remains were actually to decrease significantly, that could potentially backfire on President Trump's agenda to reduce irregular migration because he could actually make circumstances, economic circumstances in these countries more difficult and spur new irregular immigration in the future."

The House of Representatives is currently considering the Senate’s version of the "big, beautiful bill."

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court on Wednesday, seeking to overturn lower court rulings that blocked the administration from firing three Biden-appointed regulators.

The emergency appeal asks the High Court to allow the Trump administration to fire three members of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a five-member independent regulatory board that sets standards and oversees safety for thousands of consumer products. The appeal comes after the Supreme Court, in May, granted a separate emergency appeal request from the Trump administration pertaining to the firing of two Biden-appointed agency officials from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).  

"It's outrageous that we must once again seek Supreme Court intervention because rogue leftist judges in lower courts continue to defy the high court's clear rulings," said White House spokesperson Harrison Fields. 

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TERMINATION OF INDEPENDENT AGENCY BOARD MEMBERS FOR NOW

"The Supreme Court decisively upheld the president's constitutional authority to fire and remove executive officers exercising his power, yet this ongoing assault by activist judges undermines that victory," he continued. "President Trump remains committed to fulfilling the American people's mandate by effectively leading the executive branch, despite these relentless obstructions."

Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. were appointed to serve seven-year terms on the independent government agency by former President Joe Biden. Their positions have historically been protected from retribution, as they can only be terminated for neglect or malfeasance.

After Trump attempted to fire the three Democratic regulators, they sued, arguing the president sought to remove them without due cause. Eventually, a federal judge in Maryland agreed with them, and this week an appeals court upheld that ruling. 

However, according to the emergency appeal from the Trump administration, submitted to the High Court on Wednesday morning, the three regulators in question have shown "hostility to the President's agenda" and taken actions that have "thrown the agency into chaos."

OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE STRIKES DOWN TRUMP ORDER PREVENTING ASYLUM REQUESTS, PROTECTIONS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The emergency appeal to the Supreme Court added that "none of this should be possible" after the High Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration's decision to fire two executive branch labor relations officials.

"None of this should be possible after Wilcox, which squarely controls this case. Like the NLRB and MSPB in Wilcox, the CPSC exercises 'considerable executive power,' 145 S. Ct. at 1415—for instance, by issuing rules, adjudicating administrative proceedings, issuing subpoenas, bringing enforcement suits seeking civil penalties, and (with the concurrence of the Attorney General) even prosecuting criminal cases," Solicitor General John Sauer wrote in the emergency appeal to the Supreme Court.

The request, according to Politico, will go to Chief Justice John Roberts, who is in charge of emergency appeals stemming from the appeals court that upheld the previous Maryland court ruling blocking the Trump administration's firings.

A Biden-appointed federal judge on Tuesday stepped in to halt the Trump administration's efforts to dramatically reorganize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued to stop the reforms. 

HHS announced in March it would be laying off around 20,000 full-time agency employees, while also reducing the number of regional offices across the country and consolidating several HHS divisions. A fact sheet from HHS about the cuts said the reforms were aimed at making the agency more efficient, saving money and ensuring Americans' most critical health needs are adequately met.

In response, 19 Democratic state attorneys general sued to block the Trump administration's reforms. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose granted a temporary injunction in their favor.

‘ONLY THE BEGINNING’: TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES DATA SHOWING FEDERAL WORKFORCE SLASHED SINCE JANUARY

DuBose's ruling Tuesday temporarily blocks the Trump administration from enforcing its proposed workforce reduction or sub-agency restructuring, and HHS was also ordered to file a status report by July 11. 

"We stand by our original decision to realign this organization with its core mission and refocus a sprawling bureaucracy that, over time, had become wasteful, inefficient and resistant to change," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in response to the ruling. 

"The reorganization was designed to restore the department around bold, measurable public health goals like reversing the chronic disease epidemic and advancing U.S. leadership in biomedical research. While we strongly disagree with the decision by a Biden-appointed district court judge, HHS remains committed to modernizing a health workforce that for too long prioritized institutional preservation over meaningful public health impact."

RUBIO OFFICIALLY KILLS USAID, REVEALS FUTURE HOME FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Nixon added that HHS is reviewing the decision and considering next steps. 

Last month, the Supreme Court limited the use of nationwide injunctions to halt President Donald Trump's executive actions. 

However, the ruling did not shut the door on legal challenges to Trump's executive orders. 

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT THROWS ROADBLOCK AT TRUMP'S EDUCATION REFORM AGENDA

In DuBose's ruling Tuesday, she asked both parties to address how that ruling affects the scope of her order, if at all, by July 11. 

"HHS is the backbone of our nation’s public health and social safety net – from cancer screenings and maternal health to early childhood education and domestic violence prevention," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the 19 state attorneys general who sued to stop the Trump administration's reduction in force at HHS. 

"Today's order guarantees these programs and services will remain accessible and halts the administration’s attempt to sabotage our nation’s healthcare system. My office will continue fighting to stop this unlawful dismantling and defend the essential services that protect our most vulnerable communities."

Since the Trump administration began its restructuring at HHS, some employees who were let go have been brought back. 

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During a CBS News interview in April, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, in some instances, personnel were cut that should not have been. 

"We're reinstating them. And that was always the plan. Part of the — at DOGE, we talked about this from the beginning, is we're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstated, because we'll make mistakes," Kennedy said in April.

Former President George W. Bush joined up with former President Barack Obama and U2 singer Bono to comfort United States Agency for International Development employees Monday, while also taking shots at President Donald Trump and his administration for shuttering the agency plagued by accusations of fraud and abuse. 

"Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it’s a tragedy," Obama said in a video that was shown to departing USAID employees Monday, according to the Associated Press. "Because it’s some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world." 

Obama summed up the decision to shutter the agency as "a colossal mistake," and added that "sooner or later, leaders on both sides of the aisle will realize how much you are needed."

Bush, Obama and Bono spoke to departing USAID employees Monday in a videoconference as the agency officially was shuttered following the Trump administration's reporting that it was overrun with alleged corruption and mismanagement. The videoconference did not include members of the media, with the Associated Press reviewing and reporting on clips of the conference later that day.

RUBIO OFFICIALLY KILLS USAID, REVEALS FUTURE HOME FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

USAID is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations. It was one of the first agencies investigated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in early February for alleged mismanagement and government overspending, with DOGE's then-leader Elon Musk slamming the agency as "a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America." 

USAID officially was absorbed by the State Department Tuesday. 

Bush, who overwhelmingly has shied away from publicly criticizing Trump, lamented in his recorded message to the staffers that the end of USAID marks an end to his administration's work rolling out an AIDS and HIV program that is credited with saving 25 million people nationwide.

FOUR PLEAD GUILTY IN MASSIVE BRIBERY SCHEME AT AGENCY DEMOCRATS FOUGHT TO PROTECT FROM DOGE

"You’ve showed the great strength of America through your work — and that is your good heart,’’ Bush told USAID staffers, according to the Associated Press. "Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is, and so do you." 

Bono of U2 fame recited a poem he wrote reflecting on USAID's closure and his claims that millions around the world will likely now die, according to the Associated Press. 

"They called you crooks. When you were the best of us," Bono said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama's and Bush's respective offices Wednesday morning for additional comment, but did not receive responses. 

Other longtime Trump foes, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, thanked foreign service officers for their work before USAID's closure. 

"In all my years of service, I found that foreign service officers and development professionals were among the most dedicated public servants I encountered," Clinton posted to X Tuesday. "Their work saves lives and makes the world safer. Today, and every day, I stand with them."

Obama and Bush overwhelmingly have remained tight-lipped on their views of Trump under his second administration, with both former presidents attending Trump's inauguration and not weighing in on the majority of Trump's policies. Obama has taken issue with Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which is clearing its final hurdles to passage and will fund Trump's agenda on social media, while Bush has consistently shied away from public rebukes of Trump in recent history. 

Bono previously has claimed that cuts to USAID would kill hundreds of thousands of people, and had slammed Trump in 2016 as "potentially the worst idea that ever happened to America."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was serving as acting administrator of USAID, announced the State Department absorbed USAID's foreign assistance programs Tuesday after decades of failing to ensure the programs it funded actually supported America's interests. 

"Beyond creating a globe-spanning NGO industrial complex at taxpayer expense, USAID has little to show since the end of the Cold War," Rubio wrote in his announcement. "Development objectives have rarely been met, instability has often worsened, and anti-American sentiment has only grown."  

RISCH URGES 'TOP TO BOTTOM' USAID SPENDING REVIEW AFTER WASTE, FRAUD EXPOSED

"This era of government-sanctioned inefficiency has officially come to an end," he continued. "Under the Trump Administration, we will finally have a foreign funding mission in America that prioritizes our national interests. As of July 1st, USAID will officially cease to implement foreign assistance. Foreign assistance programs that align with administration policies—and which advance American interests—will be administered by the State Department, where they will be delivered with more accountability, strategy, and efficiency."

The shuttering comes after DOGE gutted USAID as part of Trump's effort to remove waste, fraud and abuse from the federal government earlier in 2025. 

BONO’S ‘300,000 DEAD’ CLAIM OVER USAID CUTS GETS SMACKED DOWN BY ROGAN, MUSK: ‘LIAR/IDIOT’

Trump repeatedly had touted DOGE's work uncovering fraud and mismanagement within the federal government, including in his March address before Congress celebrating that DOGE identified $22 billion in government "waste," including at USAID.

"Forty-five million dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion scholarships in Burma," Trump said as he rattled off various examples of federal waste. "Forty million to improve the social and economic inclusion of sedentary migrants. Nobody knows what that is. Eight million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of. Sixty million dollars for indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America. Sixty million. Eight million for making mice transgender."

MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton has called on Andrew Cuomo to drop out of the New York City mayoral race, urging the former governor to consider what would be in the best interest of New York City residents.

"I think Andrew Cuomo should look at what is best for the city and let them have a one-on-one race," Sharpton said on MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ on Wednesday.

SCANDAL-PLAGUED FORMER GOV ANDREW CUOMO AIMS TO PULL OFF POLITICAL COMEBACK IN THE NATION'S BIGGEST CITY

Sharpton, adding that he had previously reached out to the Cuomo camp to encourage the former governor to drop out, said that Cuomo removing his name from the NYC mayoral ballot this fall would also be in "the best interest" of the legacy of the 56th Governor of New York.

"He can endorse one or the other and let them have a battle over what is best for New York," Sharpton said.

In response to a question about Sharpton's comments, a spokesperson for Cuomo's campaign told Fox News Digital in an email that "everyone is entitled to their own political opinion."

CUOMO'S LEAD SHRINKS WITH UNDER ONE WEEK UNTIL NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL PRIMARY: POLL

"We understand President Trump supports Eric Adams, and do not believe socialism is the answer," the spokesperson said. "Most New Yorkers are not Trumpers, and most New Yorkers are not socialists — the majority lies in the middle. We will continue to assess the current situation in the best interest of the people of the City of New York."

Also on Wednesday, President Donald Trump vowed to "save New York City" from mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani has faced criticism from conservatives and even some Democrats over his socialist policies and refusal to condemn terrorism-linked rhetoric.

CUOMO TEAM DENIES AOC’S CLAIM HE’S USING NYC MAYOR RUN AS A SPRINGBOARD TO THE WHITE HOUSE

"As President of the United States, I’m not going to let this Communist Lunatic destroy New York," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Rest assured, I hold all the levers, and have all the cards. I’ll save New York City, and make it 'Hot' and 'Great' again, just like I did with the Good Ol’ USA!"

In a victory over Cuomo and nine other candidates, Mamdani on Tuesday was officially declared the winner of New York City's Democratic Party primary for mayor. 

The New York City Board of Elections posted the official results of three rounds of the ranked choice voting from last week's mayoral primary, and Mamdani grabbed a majority in the third round, with 56% of the vote.

Eric Adams and Zohran Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

There is a healthcare crisis brewing in the nation’s heartland, as evidenced by a landmark study conducted by the RAND Corporation in conjunction with top national emergency physicians.

The study from the Arlington nonprofit research institute found that emergency rooms (ERs) are no longer the safety net but the proverbial "front door" to the U.S. healthcare system, particularly after a 1986 law passed requiring ERs to stabilize patients or deliver babies from women in labor regardless of their ability to pay.

That has led to instability and hospital closures across the heartland, including in states where a dozen or more have closed, like Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. States like West Virginia, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Alabama have also been affected.

"This RAND study is the first ever that points to this crisis, which is that the emergency departments and the care that patients receive in them usually is so critical that, especially for time-sensitive conditions that patients can have, just the fact that you have to travel as far as you might have to, or that even in some cases if a hospital is close to you, but it still doesn't have the resources to operate efficiently," said Dr. Randy Pilgrim, an ER doctor and chief medical officer for emergency room services company SCP Health in Atlanta.

BLISTERING REPORT CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO 5 'WOKE' HOSPITALS PUSHING 'RADICAL' AGENDA WITH TAXPAYER MONEY

"[I]n emergency medicine, we do time-sensitive, high-quality care as long as we have the resources to do it. And this study shows that we really have a crisis brewing here."

Nearly $5.9 billion in emergency services go unpaid every year, the study found. Overcrowding and spates of violence towards staff have exacerbated the problem.

EMTALA, the aforementioned law, is essentially an unfunded mandate in many cases, and lack of funding for hospitals that treat a large proportion of that uncompensated care — which tends to fall in rural areas or poor neighborhoods in cities — leads to the dual issue of higher patient volumes and more uninsured patients being seen.

Many hospitals outside of cities cannot fully account for the funding gap, Pilgrim said.

"The economics of reimbursement for physician care play a huge role. … We need more physicians generally in America, and we need physicians to feel like they can and will go to where they're needed," he said.

"Physicians won't go where they are needed if there's not enough resources or reimbursement to attract them."

Rural hospitals characteristically pay less than higher-end urban hospitals and have fewer local resources.

With hospital demand "higher than ever," all of the above factors mean help is needed now. 

Pilgrim said he has met with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and other top officials at the agency, to discuss the issue — and hopes Washington can help.

"Secretary Kennedy… did a beautiful job of listening to what we were saying about the impending crisis that would probably happen during this administration," Pilgrim said.

TEXAS HOSPITALS HIT WITH $122 MILLION BILL FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS' CARE IN SINGLE MONTH

"And he was concerned about it because he could tell that you can't make patients healthy unless you have a healthy healthcare system for them to engage. So I'm very encouraged about what Secretary Kennedy and his staff are doing to try to make a difference on the pieces that they control."

He also said Congress must act, particularly as 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day and are therefore eligible for Medicare, which presents a different environment than separate Medicaid.

"That's where we see more volume of patients, more complexity, and much more clinical demand. But if the reimbursement in Medicare doesn't keep pace with that demand, once again, you're in this vicious cycle where emergency departments will be at greater risk, starting with the rural and underserved areas and moving forward from there."

Some in Congress have banded together to advocate for healthcare-related issues, including members of the bicameral "Doctors Caucus."

One member, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., is a urologist from Greenville who previously served as chief of staff at a Level-I trauma center. "Congress cannot leave rural America behind," he said. 

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"The most important thing Congress can do is to fix dwindling Medicare reimbursements for rural providers and ensure health insurance companies don’t play games with denied care and denied payments," he said, pinning the decrease at 33% since 2001 if adjusted for inflation," Murphy told Fox News Digital.

The lawmaker added that many hospitals in his area do not have commercial payers as part of their funding sources to help offset losses from Medicare and Medicaid disbursement amounts — and that all hospitals must root out waste as well.

Pilgrim was also asked why Americans outside the heartland with more reliable emergency care should be supportive of added funding or resources miles away from them.

"In a large city like Atlanta, if rural healthcare is not healthy and patients have to go somewhere else, they will eventually end up in your hospital… So spending a dollar somewhere else besides in your own hospital if you're in a better place makes a lot of sense for you…" he said.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, delivered his first major speech in his new role with the Trump administration, announcing six priorities he plans to focus on during his tenure, including pushing the United States to dominate the "space economy."

"Continuing to move vertically from the ground to the airwaves. Next up is space," Carr said during a speech in South Dakota Wednesday afternoon. "The Build America agenda will expand America's space economy. The Final Frontier is home to an emerging constellation of satellites that have become an essential part of America's economic and geopolitical strategy. So I want to see U.S. companies dominate in orbit.

"Our efforts on this front will be driven by a few key guiding principles: speed, simplicity, security and satellite spectrum abundance," Carr continued. 

Carr served as an FCC commissioner since 2017, before Trump tapped him to serve as the agency's chair as of Trump's inauguration in January. Carr traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Wednesday to deliver his speech at the headquarters of a telecommunications infrastructure construction company called VIKOR.

TRUMP-APPOINTED FCC CHAIRMAN PROBES BIDEN CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM OVER CHINA CONCERNS

The speech was dubbed the "Build America Agenda" and outlined six priorities the Federal Communications Commission will tackle under Carr's leadership. 

On the topic of dominating the space economy, Carr said the FCC is already making progress. 

The FCC is "clearing backlogs of applications for satellite systems," he said. "And this type of acceleration is certainly needed. In fact, if you look back over the past couple of years, it actually took a faster amount of time for America's innovators and entrepreneurs to build and launch satellite constellations, than it would take for federal agencies in Washington to process the paperwork necessary to approve those launches. But that ends here." 

TRUMP SIGNS NEW EXECUTIVE ORDERS INTENDED TO MAKE FLYING CARS A REALITY, SLASH FLIGHT TIMES

"The Build America agenda will inject rocket fuel into our licensing process by standardizing our reviews through more objective metrics, protecting America's orbital advantage for years to come," he said.

Carr outlined that the other five priorities include: unleashing high-speed infrastructure builds, restoring America’s leadership in wireless, cutting red tape and modernizing FCC operations, advancing national security and public safety and strengthening America’s workforce.

The FCC chief remarked that the FCC still has rules on the books related to the use of telegraphs and "rabbit ear broadcast TV receivers" and that his leadership will clear the agency of outdated guidance and focus on the future.

FCC COMMISSIONER SIMINGTON EXPECTED TO ABRUPTLY LEAVE AGENCY, POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT REVEALED

"The FCC right now still has rules on the books regulating telegraph service, rabbit ear broadcast TV receivers and phone booths," he said. "Starting next month, that will change, and doing so in eliminating those outdated rules, the FCC will move directly to delete 40 rules or requirements, and over 7,000 words from the Code of Federal Regulations. A good step forward." 

Carr said that he and President Donald Trump are focused on keeping America as a tech leader, including broadening its 5G capabilities and beating China in the artificial intelligence race. 

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"One of the very first actions that I took when I became chairman of the FCC was to establish a new council on National Security within the agency," he said. "Our Build Agenda will ensure that the U.S. extends its lead over China in the race for critical technologies. Whether it's 5G, 6G or AI, we're going to do so by making sure that U.S. businesses and the standards they set continue to be the gold standard for businesses all across the world."

President Donald Trump's legislative agenda temporarily ground to a halt in the House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon.

Plans for an early afternoon vote to begin debate on Trump's "big, beautiful bill" slipped away as both conservative concerns and weather delays led to issues in passing two procedural votes ahead of the critical measure.

It's not clear if the key vote will proceed today at this point. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., one of the bill's biggest critics, told reporters a vote was still "possible."

"No, not yet," he said when asked if he was getting what he needed from the White House to support the measure. "But the evening is so young."

THOM TILLIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM SENATE AFTER CLASH WITH TRUMP

House GOP leaders had hoped to vote to begin debate on the vast tax and immigration bill, a maneuver known as a "rule vote," with the goal of teeing up a vote on the legislation's final passage by late Wednesday or early Thursday at the latest.

The president has directed Republicans to get a bill to his desk for a signature by the Fourth of July, though he's suggested in some recent comments he would not mind a delay of a few days.

The rule vote was meant to be the third in an early afternoon series of three votes. As of early evening Wednesday, that vote is still being held open, and the House floor is effectively paralyzed.

Lawmakers who expected a vote were told to return to their offices to await further instructions.

Multiple House Freedom Caucus members who left a meeting next to the House floor declined to comment on what they discussed, but several have made clear in recent days that they have serious issues with the Senate's version of Trump's agenda bill.

The mammoth piece of legislation includes Trump's agenda on taxes, the border, energy, defense and the national debt.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought was seen briefly entering and exiting the room where the fiscal hawks were gathered.

He said little to reporters other than announcing they were "making good progress" on his way out of the room.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, suggested that conservatives were speaking with the Trump administration about how Republicans could make up for what they saw as deficiencies in the current version of the bill.

Fiscal hawks were angered by last-minute moves made to placate Senate GOP moderates who were uneasy about the bill's near-immediate phase-out of most green energy tax subsidies in former President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

SENATE PASSES TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER MARATHON VOTE-A-RAMA

They've also argued the Senate's bill would add more to the federal deficit than the House's earlier version, though Senate Republicans have pushed back.

"We were not happy with what the Senate produced. We thought there was a path forward as of late last week, even though I had concerns in public about them. But then they jammed it through at the last minute in a way that, you know, we're not overly excited about," Roy said. "So, now we're trying to understand what our options are from this point."

Other representatives, like Keith Self, R-Texas, and Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., declined to comment about the meeting to reporters.

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who is not a member of the Freedom Caucus but had some concerns about the bill, told reporters when leaving the meeting, "I’m just waiting to see what’s going on honestly. Everybody’s just discussing what’s going on and trying to get to some [resolution]."

Burchett told reporters earlier he was leaning in favor of voting to debate the bill.

But Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can afford just three defections to still pass the bill along party lines.

"We're going to get there tonight," Johnson told reporters.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey played a leading role on the eight-member team that prosecuted rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs in a sex trafficking and racketeering trial that came to a close Wednesday with mixed results.

The daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, Maurene Comey faced a setback when the jury found the performer not guilty of some of the most serious charges, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. However, the jury did side with prosecutors on two counts, finding Combs guilty of violating the Mann Act of 1910 by transporting women across state lines for prostitution.

MISSING KEY WITNESS CRIPPLES DIDDY PROSECUTION AS TRIAL HITS ROADBLOCKS BEFORE IT BEGINS: EXPERT

Maurene Comey was a prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein trial prior to his death in prison and also had a lead role in Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial.

She leads the violent and organized crime unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).

DIDDY JURORS FACE 'BATTLEGROUND' AS DELIBERATIONS BEGIN IN RAPPER'S FEDERAL TRIAL: EXPERT

SDNY is the same stepping stone her father, James Comey, used to catapult himself to national prominence. 

The ex-FBI director and prominent Trump foe worked similarly as a federal prosecutor there in the 1980s, when noted Trump ally Rudolph Giuliani was the Reagan-appointed U.S. attorney.

He returned to Manhattan in the 2000s after former President George W. Bush appointed him to the role once held by "America’s Mayor."

Lately, the elder Comey received blowback for posting a photo of stones on a beach in the shape of "86 47," which many observers considered to be a wish for President Donald Trump's death – with "86" being a cipher for "kill" and "47" denoting Trump as the 47th president.

DIDDY PROSECUTORS ARGUE RAPPER USED INNER CIRCLE, MONEY TO COVER UP ALLEGED SEX CRIMES IN CLOSING ARGUMENTS

In court, Maurene Comey offered the prosecution’s rebuttal prior to the jury being sent off to deliberate the charges against Combs.

Maurene Comey argued from the dais that Combs "never thought the women he abused would have the courage to speak out loud what he had done to them," and suggested the rapper believed he was "untouchable."

She also offered arguments that Combs had been involved in firebombing a Porsche owned by rapper Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, according to TMZ.

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At the close of the trial, Maurene Comey argued to Judge Arun Subramanian that Combs should be denied the bond requested by defense attorney Marc Agnifilo.

"There is serious relevant conduct here that will merit a lengthy period of incarceration," she said, according to the New York Post.

While occupationally a proverbial chip off the old block, Maurene Comey has remained largely silent during James Comey’s recurring controversies, from his "86 47" post that drew demands for investigation by the Secret Service to his rhetorical battles with Trump.

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…

- Trump to begin enforcing birthright citizenship order as early as this month, DOJ says

- Trump could arm Israel with US' most effective weapons against Iran's nuclear threat under new proposal

- Dems at a crossroads as establishment plans 'Project 2029' while socialist candidate wins NYC mayoral primary

President Donald Trump on Tuesday visited "Alligator Alcatraz" — the newest illegal immigrant detention facility in the nation that's located in the Florida Everglades and surrounded by swamplands teeming with alligators and pythons. 

"It's known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which is very appropriate because I looked outside, and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon," Trump said Tuesday during his tour. "But very soon this facility will have some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet." 

"We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation," the president added. "And a lot of these people are self-deporting back to their country where they came from…" READ MORE.

CLOCK STARTS NOW: Trump to begin enforcing birthright citizenship order as early as this month, DOJ says

'LOT OF RESPECT': Trump says his relationship with one-time rival DeSantis now a '9.9'

EXCEEDS AUTHORITY: Judge strikes down Trump order preventing asylum requests, protections for illegal immigrants

'TRADECRAFT CONCERNS': Ex-Obama intel boss wanted anti-Trump dossier included in 'atypical' 2016 assessment despite pushback

'CREDIT IS DUE': Elon takes a break from slamming BBB, doles out praise for Trump amid Israel ceasefire announcement

NUCLEAR DETERRENCE: Trump could arm Israel with US' most effective weapons against Iran's nuclear threat under new proposal

GREEN LIGHT: Pentagon's weapons pause to Ukraine could ‘encourage’ and ‘escalate’ Putin’s war ambitions: security experts

'DANGEROUS PRECEDENT’: Bernie Sanders blasts Paramount, says lawsuit settlement will further embolden Trump to attack media

'ENCOURAGING': Blue state GOP lawmaker says major sanctuary city lawsuit is 'encouraging,' but urges further crackdown

'GO HOME': ICE flips script on Los Angeles mayor after telling authorities to 'go home'

$100M DECISION: Wisconsin Supreme Court decides abortion case that prompted most expensive judicial election in US history

WHITE HOUSE APPROVED: Colorado Capitol replaces 'distorted' Trump portrait following monthslong backlash

POTUS PROMISE: Trump vows to 'save New York City' from Zohran Mamdani: 'I hold all the levers'

DEMOLITION PLAN: Dems at a crossroads as establishment plans 'Project 2029' while socialist candidate wins NYC mayoral primary

POWER PLAY ESCALATES: New York Democrats unite in defense of socialist NYC mayoral nominee after Trump threatened his arrest

'READY TO SWEEP?': ‘Don’t Maryland my Virginia’: Youngkin, 2025 GOP ticket rallies together for first time ahead of key election

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

The Democratic Doctors Caucus was interrupted by a barrage of tourists during a press conference outside the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday.

As Congress rushes to pass President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" before the self-imposed July 4 deadline, House Democrats hosted press conferences throughout the Capitol on Wednesday protesting the $3.3 trillion bill. 

The Democratic Doctors Caucus, comprised of the six Democratic physicians serving in the House of Representatives, planned a press conference in Statuary Hall, a room down the hall from the House speaker's office. 

Apparently noticing the large gaggle of reporters staking out Johnson's office amid last-minute member holdout negotiations, the caucus moved their press conference to right outside the speaker's office. Donning their white coats in the crowded hallway, the Democratic doctors began their prepared remarks. 

WATCH: LEFTIST PROTESTERS FLOOD CAPITOL HILL OFFICE BUILDING AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL’ BUDGET BILL VOTE LOOMS

But that area is a major tourist corridor, and the press conference was quickly flooded with tourists walking from the Rotunda past Johnson's office and into Statuary Hall. 

DEMS WARN HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL PAY PRICE AT BALLOT BOX FOR PASSING TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'

Police officers directed members to stand on one side of the corridor, while the press stood on the other. 

The result was unusable to journalists as tour guides and tourists' chatter drowned out their remarks. The Democrats' comments were inaudible. 

Their press conference also created somewhat of a tourist traffic jam between the two areas, as officers struggled to keep the area open. 

Democrats have railed against potential Medicaid cuts since Trump was elected in November. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), at least 10 million people will lose health insurance by 2034 due to Trump's megabill. 

While Trump has maintained that the bill does not cut Medicaid and Republicans claim the bill only cuts waste, fraud and abuse in the program, Democrats have continued to speak out against the projected cuts. 

The Democratic Doctors Caucus planned to highlight the harm Medicaid cuts could have on hospitals during their press conference Wednesday, but their remarks were drowned out by the steady flow and chatter of tourists walking back and forth from the Rotunda to Statuary Hall.

White House border czar Tom Homan revealed that southern border apprehensions in June were incredibly low – and nobody was released into the U.S. after being apprehended. 

"Total Border Patrol encounters for the entire month of June 2025 was 6,070. That is less than a single day under Biden," Homan posted to X on Tuesday, touting "the Trump effect." 

The figure is a dip of 15% from March, and a major dip from moments during the Biden administration, such as December 2023 where there were an average of roughly 11,000 encounters daily. 

There were only 8,039 apprehensions on a national scale by Border Patrol, which is lower than the record set in March. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the first three days of June 2024 had over 11,000 apprehensions, with the southern border alone having over 7,000 apprehensions in the first two days of that month. 

NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN'S CRACKDOWN

"As a matter of fact, the total number of encounters is less than half of a single day under Biden on many days. Also, none of the 6,070 were released into the U.S. ZERO. President Trump has created the most secure border in the history of the nation and the data proves it. We have never seen numbers this low. Never. God bless the men and women of the US Border Patrol and God bless the men and women of ICE. The interior arrests and consequences help to drive down illegal immigration. The TRUMP EFFECT keeps America winning," he continued.

In June, Fox News reported that the number of apprehensions and gotaways was at new lows midway through the month. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there were only 137 apprehensions on June 28, the lowest in roughly 25 years on a single day.

Total nationwide encounters, which means encounters not just at the southern border, were the lowest in CBP history at 25,243, which is 12% less than the record low in February 2025. Gotaway numbers also shot down by 90% compared with June of last year.

BORDER CZAR TOM HOMAN REVEALS UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS IN TRUMP'S BORDER STRATEGY

"The numbers don’t lie – under President Trump’s leadership, DHS and CBP have shattered records and delivered the most secure border in American history. The world is hearing our message: the border is closed to law breakers," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"Under President Trump, our Border Patrol agents are empowered to do their job once again, secure our border and protect the American people," she continued.

While the political debate continues on deportation efforts and long-term solutions, the contrast remains incredibly stark from the Biden administration on the border itself.

SOUTHERN BORDER APPREHENSIONS PLUNGE MORE THAN 90% FROM YEAR AGO IN APRIL, CBP SAYS

Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump deployed troops to the border and the administration began taking steps to resume construction of a wall, a project that was primarily halted with only a few exceptions under Biden.

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In Washington, the House is in the closing moments of its process on the reconciliation bill on Wednesday, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes billions in funding for border security and immigration enforcement for agencies like ICE and U.S. Border Patrol.  

Outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin headlined a major rally Monday for the statewide Republican ticket in the 2025 election, visiting the heavily-Democratic confines of Fairfax County to deliver their message and draw contrasts between themselves and blue states like their trans-Potomac neighbor.

Youngkin, his potential successor, GOP nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, lieutenant gubernatorial nominee John Reid, Attorney General Jason Miyares and former FBI Agent Stewart Whitson; the Republican hoping to win a major upset for the late Rep. Gerry Connolly’s seat, all spoke to a crowd of more than 500 that packed into the sweltering Vienna fire hall on Monday.

"Are you ready to sweep?" Youngkin fired up the crowd, hearkening back multiple times to his own sweep in 2021, when he, Earle-Sears and Miyares all won upset victories against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who was leading the Democratic ticket then.

Youngkin said he and the statewide candidates assembled all proved that Virginia could bounce back from the McAuliffe-Northam era, which he characterized as pockmarked by COVID-19 lockdowns, and businesses and families fleeing the state.

POTENTIAL YOUNGKIN SUCCESSOR FOCUSED ON MESSAGE IN TOUGH RACE TO KEEP SWING-STATE 'RED'

"The last time the Democrats had full control of the commonwealth of Virginia, they tried to turn her into California. Or as Winsome said, maybe even Maryland," Youngkin said, contrasting the Old Dominion with the Old Line State in terms of taxation, education and business-friendly environs.

Youngkin said that since about the end of the administration of Gov. Bob McDonnell in 2014, Virginia progressively sank to the bottom third of the U.S. in job growth, and a decade straight of more people leaving than moving in.

"Don't Maryland my Virginia," he said.

Across the Potomac, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has been widely rumored as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, while Republicans, including predecessor Larry Hogan, have criticized tax hikes and budget woes.

Fox News Digital reached out to Moore for a response to Youngkin.

Both Youngkin and Earle-Sears had just returned from the Monday ribbon-cutting of the country’s now-northernmost Buc-ee’s travel center near Harrisonburg, which the duo said proved Virginia is "open for business" and added hundreds of jobs in Rockingham County.

That theme carried into Wednesday, as Earle-Sears pledged to build on the past four years of progress and focus on convincing rural communities that Richmond hasn’t forgotten them.

There were also references made to New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist from Queens.

VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS PICK RADIO HOST TO RUN ALONGSIDE WINSOME SEARS IN RACE TO REPLACE YOUNGKIN

Earle-Sears warned that some candidates in Virginia in this year’s election are espousing "ideas… that are socialist in nature."

Virginia’s GOP ticket is notably diverse, with Earle-Sears, Reid – who would be the first gay statewide officeholder – and Miyares, who is of Cuban descent.

Outside the fire hall, amid sporadic thundershowers and incredible humidity, a few dozen left-wing demonstrators utilized a megaphone to protest the event, holding signs and banners claiming Republicans are trying to kill Medicaid.

Also in attendance was Whitson, who has a major climb to defeat Connolly confidant and Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw.

But the ex-G-man was upbeat, saying Democrats who ushered in years of "destructive" policies like DEI and reckless spending have "destroyed our economy," and the folks in the Washington suburbs he hopes to represent are realizing that as well.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"It's time for us to have a U.S. congressman in Northern Virginia who actually cares about the people and the issues that matter," he said.

Miyares reflected on the changes he’s seen under four years of Republican control of the executive branch, quipping that Virginia in 2021 had been "like when you watch those mafia movies and the guy wakes up in the trunk of the Buick and he doesn’t know where he’s headed, but he knows it’s not a good final destination."

Reid called Wednesday "commitment day," as he spoke before the assembled GOP ticket.

Miyares faces Del. Jerrauld "Jay" Jones, D-Norfolk, Reid faces state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, and Earle-Sears faces former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va, in the general election.

President Donald Trump celebrated his administration's work curbing anti-Christian bias while rallying support for the passage of the "big, beautiful bill" as the "most pro-family legislation" in recent history during a massive phone call with faith leaders that was nearly postponed due to tech issues, Fox News Digital learned. 

"When we pass the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ we'll also have a tremendous victory for school choice," Trump said on the Monday phone call, according to comments shared with Fox News Digital. "This bill is the most pro-family legislation in modern times. … It also expands the Child Tax Credit and creates brand new ‘Trump Accounts’ for every newborn child helping them to get a stronger life, which is what they need. Everyone should let their congregations and members of Congress know that they support the ‘one big, beautiful bill.’"

Trump spoke with more than 10,000 faith leaders during his first Faith Office National Conference call of his second term. Faiths stretching from Christianity, Judaism and Islam were represented on the call, which was also joined by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, faith director of the White House Faith Office Jenny Korn and advisor to the White House Faith Office Paula White, Fox News Digital learned.

The call nearly didn't happen and was on the verge of being postponed, according to Trump's Truth Social post Monday afternoon that railed against phone company AT&T for being "unable to make their equipment work properly."

TRUMP HOSTS FAITH LEADERS FOR EASTER PRAYER DINNER, SLAMS EFFORT TO RID AMERICA OF CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES

"I’m doing a major Conference Call with Faith Leaders from all over the Country, and AT&T is totally unable to make their equipment work properly," Trump wrote in his first message. "This is the second time it’s happened. If the Boss of AT&T, whoever that may be, could get involved — It would be good. There are tens of thousands of people on the line!" 

"I apologize for the long wait on the Faith Leaders Conference Call. AT&T ought to get its act together," he added in another post before the call carried on. "Please pass along the word to the tens of thousands of people who are there. We may have to reschedule the call, but we’ll use another carrier the next time. AT&T obviously doesn’t know what they’re doing!" 

"We’ve reached out to the White House and are working to quickly understand and assess the situation," AT&T said on X Monday in response to Leavitt sharing Trump's Truth Social post. 

"Following up — Our initial analysis indicates the disruption was caused by an issue with the conference call platform, not our network," the company added in another X post. "Unfortunately, this caused the delay, and we are working diligently to better understand the issue so we can prevent disruptions in the future." 

Trump celebrated his administration's wins protecting religious liberty, according to comments obtained by Fox News Digital of the call that included no members of the media.

"Together, we're fighting to defend religious liberty like no administration is ever done before," Trump told the thousands of faith leaders. "Starting on day one when I stopped the radical war on Christians. I pardoned the pro-life activist thrown in jail for praying in peaceful protest, and there were many of them."

TRUMP JOKES HIS ADMIN WILL 'FORGET ABOUT' SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: 'WE'RE BRINGING RELIGION BACK'

"We reinstated the service members thrown out of our military over religious objections to the Biden vaccine mandates and restoring them to their former rank with full… backpay and penalties," Trump continued before also touting that he set up a "DOJ task-force to eradicate anti-Christian bias — who would ever think — but that's happening also, and it has happened, and nobody ever talks about that."

Trump's address followed the U.S. military's surprise attacks on Iran on June 22 that destroyed a trio of nuclear facilities in the country. 

Dubbed "Midnight Hammer," the operation followed Israel launching preemptive strikes on Iran on June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations, and subsequent heightened concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program.

Trump celebrated to the faith leaders that the U.S. successfully ended the "12 Day War" between Israel and Iran with the strikes. 

INSIDE DONALD TRUMP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, IN HIS OWN WORDS: 'I WAS SAVED'

"As we restore prosperity for American families at home, we're also bringing peace and stability back to our world. Earlier this month we carried our historic strikes… against Iran’s nuclear program, and we ended the 12 Day War," Trump said. 

"I also stopped the conflict between Indian and Pakistan. On Friday, we signed a historic peace agreement to end the terrible conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he added. 

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to prevent migrants crossing the border from seeking asylum or applying for withholding of removal in the U.S., a major blow to Trump as he looks to further enforce his broad immigration crackdown.

U.S. District Judge Randolph Daniel Moss, an Obama appointee, said Wednesday that Trump’s Jan. 20 proclamation, which sought to block all migrants "engaged in the invasion across the southern border" from claiming asylum or seeking withholding of removal, exceeds his authority — siding with the ACLU, who brought the suit on behalf of several migrants groups and 13 asylum-seekers earlier this year. 

The group urged the court in February to block Trump's proclamation from taking force, arguing that the action was "as unlawful as it is unprecedented."

Moss said Wednesday that Trump "lacks the inherent constitutional authority" to supplant federal statutes governing removals.

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

"To hold otherwise would render much, if not most, of the INA simply optional," he added in the 128-page opinion.

Moss stayed the order for a 14-day period to allow the Trump administration to appeal the case to a higher court. 

The judge also granted plaintiffs' request to certify a class of migrants who would were either subject to Trump's proclamation heard by the court or would be subject to it in the future. 

The class certification also allows the lawsuit to proceed under the new limitations set forth by the Supreme Court last week in Trump v. CASA. That ruling limited the scope of injunctive relief that lower courts can provide to plaintiffs, except in certain cases, including challenges brought by a certified class. 

Moss on Wednesday did recognize the Supreme Court's ruling in Trump v. CASA, though he said his decision ultimately gave legal room for district courts to pause executive action — a so called "set-aside" provision, when the court determines new government policies are unlawful.

The White House immediately blasted the ruling, which it said circumvented the intent of the Supreme Court's ruling last week. The Trump administration is almost certain to quickly appeal the ruling to a higher court for emergency relief.

Moss acknowledged Wednesday that the executive branch faces "enormous challenges in preventing and deterring unlawful entry" into the U.S, "and in adjudicating the overwhelming backlog" of asylum claims.  

But he said neither the U.S. Constitution nor the Immigration and Nationality Act give Trump "the sweeping authority asserted in the proclamation and implementing guidance." 

"An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void," he said.

JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who represented the plaintiffs in the April court proceedings, praised the decision as a "hugely important" victory for asylum seekers in the U.S.

"Not only will it save the lives of families fleeing grave danger, it reaffirms that the president cannot ignore the laws Congress has passed and the most basic premise of our country’s separation of powers," Gelernt said.

The ACLU and other plaintiffs had argued that the Trump administration's 212(f) proclamation in question falsely cited an "invasion" at the southern border as a justification to deny asylum seekers protection in the U.S. 

"Under the proclamation, the government is doing just what Congress by statute decreed that the United States must not do," they said in a court filing earlier this year. "It is returning asylum seekers — not just single adults, but families too — to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided."

The judge's decision was blasted by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who described Moss as a "marxist" judge in a post on X.

"To try to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions a marxist judge has declared that all potential FUTURE illegal aliens on foreign soil (eg a large portion of planet earth) are part of a protected global "class" entitled to admission into the United States," Miller said.

The news comes as Trump has sought to prioritize hard-line immigration policies in his second presidential term. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments earlier this year over another order Trump signed, which seeks to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. 

The administration has also cracked down on deportations, invoking a 1798 wartime immigration law to more quickly send hundreds of migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador earlier this year.  

Former CIA Director John Brennan, who served under former President Barack Obama, pushed for the so-called "Steele dossier," which featured salacious material and unfounded allegations about President Donald Trump's connections to Russia, to be included in an assessment evaluating Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a review declassified Wednesday. 

The CIA, FBI and National Security Agency's Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) evaluating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election diverted from intelligence standards and featured some "procedural anomalies," according to a new lessons-learned review of the assessment that CIA Director John Ratcliffe ordered for declassification Wednesday.

The lessons-learned review determined that the "decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment."

TRUMP ‘MISREPRESENTED’ HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP LETTER, JOHN BRENNAN COMPLAINS AFTER LOSING SECURITY CLEARANCE

Specifically, the new review found that the CIA’s deputy director for analysis said in a December 2016 email to Brennan that including the dossier in any capacity jeopardized "the credibility of the entire paper."

"Despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness," the new review stated. "When confronted with specific flaws in the Dossier by the two mission center leaders – one with extensive operational experience and the other with a strong analytic background – he appeared more swayed by the Dossier's general conformity with existing theories than by legitimate tradecraft concerns. Brennan ultimately formalized his position in writing, stating that ‘my bottomline is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report.’"

Brennan served as director of the CIA from March 2013 to January 2017 under the Obama administration. 

The dossier originated after law firm Perkins Coie hired opposition research firm Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research into then-presidential candidate Trump in April 2016 on behalf of Trump's opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee.

Fusion GPS hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who composed the so-called "Steele dossier." The document included scandalous and mostly unverified allegations, including details that Trump engaged in sex acts with Russian prostitutes. 

Trump has denied the allegations included in the dossier. 

DNI DECLASSIFIES BRENNAN NOTES, CIA MEMO ON HILLARY CLINTON ‘STIRRING UP’ SCANDAL BETWEEN TRUMP, RUSSIA

Brennan could not be reached for comment by Fox News Digital. 

The lessons-learned review also found fault with other tradecraft employed while drafting the ICA, including a rushed timeline and atypical involvement of agency heads while compiling the assessment. 

"While agency heads sometimes review controversial analytic assessments before publication, their direct engagement in the ICA's development was highly unusual in both scope and intensity," the review said. "This exceptional level of senior involvement likely influenced participants, altered normal review processes, and ultimately compromised analytic rigor."

Additionally, the review said Brennan sent a note to intelligence community analysts one day before their only session coordinating on the ICA that he had met with then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-FBI Director James Comey. The review said Brennan told the CIA workforce that "there is strong consensus among us on the scope, nature, and intent of Russian interference in our recent Presidential election."

COMEY SAYS NEW INFORMATION THAT HILLARY CLINTON DRUMMED UP RUSSIA CONTROVERSY TO VILIFY TRUMP ‘DOESN’T RING A BELL’

"While officers involved in drafting the ICA consistently said they did not feel pressured to reach specific conclusions, Brennan’s premature signaling that agency heads had already reached consensus before the ICA was even coordinated risked stifling analytic debate," the review said. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ratcliffe ordered the "lessons-learned" review of the ICA earlier in 2025 specifically focused on the ICA’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin "aspired" to assist Trump win the 2016 election, and declassified the results Wednesday in an attempt to promote transparency, according to a CIA news release.

"Agency heads at the time created a politically charged environment that triggered an atypical analytic process around an issue essential to our democracy," Ratcliffe said in a Wednesday statement. "Under my watch, I am committed to ensuring that our analysts have the ability to deliver unvarnished assessments that are free from political influence."

The Wisconsin Supreme Court's newly elected liberal majority on Wednesday voted to strike down a near-total state abortion ban, voting 4-3 to overturn the stringent, 176-year-old law. 

The decision reflected a deeply partisan split, with all four liberal justices voting to invalidate the 1849 abortion law and the three conservative justices dissenting.

It also crystallized the impact of the state's Supreme Court election earlier this year that raked in millions of dollars in donations, the highest amount in U.S. history for a judicial race. It included involvement from then-Trump ally Elon Musk, former President Barack Obama and others.

Writing for the majority, Justice Rebecca Dallet said the law had been superseded by more recent precedent, including a 1985 statute that allowed for abortions up to the point of fetal viability, or around the 20-week mark.

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

"We conclude that comprehensive legislation enacted over the last 50 years regulating in detail the 'who, what, where, when, and how' of abortion so thoroughly covers the entire subject of abortion that it was meant as a substitute for the 19th century near-total ban on abortion," Dallet wrote. 

"Accordingly, we hold that the legislature impliedly repealed [the 1849 ban] to abortion, and that [that law] therefore does not ban abortion in the State of Wisconsin."

Conservative Justice Annette Ziegler, in a dissent, described the ruling as "a jaw-dropping exercise of judicial will" and charged that the liberal justices ruled on the matter based on their personal preferences.

The 1849 law, and efforts to revive it, came to the fore in Wisconsin in 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade — effectively snapping back into place the state law that had been dormant for decades. 

JUDGES V, TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA

The Wisconsin law made it a felony for individuals in Wisconsin to perform abortions, including when the health of the woman was at risk, and without exceptions in cases of rape or incest. 

Though the law was not enforced by the state in recent years, at least some Republicans had urged the state Supreme Court to keep it in place, prompting opponents to push more urgently for it to be struck down.

The 4-3 decision puts to rest the possibility that it could be revived. 

NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS TRUMP'S BID TO REINSTATE BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ORDER

It's also the clearest sign to date of the impact that liberals on the bench could have after they regained the court majority in 2023 for the first time in 15 years. 

The closely watched state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin was the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history, attracting more than $100 million in donations and far eclipsing the $56 million spent on the state Supreme Court race just two years earlier, according to figures compiled by the Brennan Center for Justice. 

Susan Crawford ultimately beat out conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who was backed by President Donald Trump and Musk.

Musk personally donated $3 million to the Wisconsin Republican Party earlier this year, while his two super PACs spent more than $17 million on Schimel's behalf.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers praised the state Supreme Court decision Wednesday, describing it as a win "for women and families" and healthcare professionals in the state.

"Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upended five decades of precedent and threw reproductive freedom in Wisconsin and across our country into chaos," Evers said in a statement. "I promised then to fight like hell to ensure every Wisconsinite has the freedom to consult their family, their faith and their doctor and make the reproductive healthcare decision that is right for them, and I've never stopped.

"Today, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld that basic freedom."

They were bitter Republican rivals a year and a half ago, but President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were all smiles this week, as the two appeared side-by-side for the opening of a new migrant detention center in the Everglades.

"The relationship between the governor and the president is fantastic," DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital.

Griffin spoke with Fox News Digital the day after Trump and DeSantis, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, toured what's being called "Alligator Alacatraz," a detention center quickly constructed on a remote airstrip that's surrounded by alligator-infested swamps.

DeSantis, the two-term conservative governor who unsuccessfully ran against Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, used emergency powers to seize the land and speed construction of the facility, with encouragement from Trump and his administration.

TRUMP TOUTS ONLY WAY OUT OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IS DEPORTATION

"Ron worked beautifully with Kristi (Noem) and all of the people at Homeland Security and got it done in how many days, Ron?" Trump said as he turned to the governor while answering reporters' questions.

"Eight days, a new facility was up and running," DeSantis responded.

FOX NEWS TAKES YOU INSIDE ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’

Following his 2022 gubernatorial re-election landslide, DeSantis moved toward running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and formally launched his White House bid in the spring of 2023.

But even before he announced his candidacy, DeSantis was repeatedly attacked by Trump and his political allies. 

The long-term targeting of the governor proved successful. DeSantis was considered Trump's top threat among the field of Republican White House hopefuls. But the governor saw his support deteriorate, and he ended his presidential bid in January of last year, after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind Trump.

DeSantis immediately endorsed Trump, helped raise money for the then-former president's general election campaign, and gave a well-received speech last summer at the Republican National Convention in Milwuakee, Wisconsin.

Asked about his relationship with DeSantis, Trump told reporters, "I would say it’s a 10. I think it’s a 10," before adding "maybe 9.9 because, you know, might be a couple of little wounds."

DESANTIS TAKES VICTORY LAP ON FLORIDA'S 'MOMENTOUS IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION

DeSantis has been extremely aggressive in assisting Trump in his sweeping immigration crackdown. 

The governor signed stiff immigration measures into law earlier this year, after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the Florida legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills. 

"This is going to be a force multiplier," DeSantis told Fox News late last week. "We’re happy to work with the federal government to satisfy President Trump’s mandate."

And the governor, during his Fox News interview, suggested that the president visit the facility.

"An invitation from me: We can land Air Force One right there no problem," DeSantis said. "I think the president would be impressed with what the guys are doing out here."

Trump, at the event, highlighted that "Ron and I have had a really great relationship for a long period of time. We had a little off period for a couple of days, but it didn’t last long."

The president added that he and the governor have a "lot of respect for each other."

DeSantis returned the praise, noting that "you can call him [Trump] anytime and he wants to be helpful for governors."

But some top figures in Trump's political orbit, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, may still hold unflattering opinions of the governor.

Wiles was once a top DeSantis political advisor before a very bitter falling out.

And in a sign of political friction, Trump-ally Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also attended Tuesday's event. 

Donalds earlier this year launched a bid to succeed the term-limited DeSantis in Florida's 2026 gubernatorial election, and he landed Trump's endorsement even before he announced his candidacy.

DeSantis' wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has been mulling a run for governor of her own, and her husband earlier this year said she would be a worthy successor.

Asked by reporters if Casey DeSantis should run for governor, the president would only say "we get along great."

Ron DeSantis quickly interjected, noting that "I endorsed him immediately, in January 2024. I raised one of his PACs millions and millions of dollars."

After facing several months of backlash, the Colorado state Capitol has replaced a controversial portrait of President Donald Trump, which he claimed was "purposely distorted" by the artist. 

A new presidential portrait, recently donated by the White House, was installed last week at the Denver Capitol, the Colorado Capitol Building Advisory Committee told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. It replaces Colorado artist Sarah Boardman’s painting, which had hung since 2019.

Despite the previous portrait’s six-year run on display, Trump took to social media last spring to criticize the artwork, saying Boardman "must have lost her talent as she got older" and had "purposely distorted" his image. The Colorado Springs artist denied the claims. 

While Boardman’s painting depicted a much younger Trump, the latest display by Arizona artist Vanessa Horabuena mirrors Trump’s intense official presidential photo.

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"Thank you to the Highly Talented Artist, Vanessa Horabuena, and the incredible people of Colorado," Trump said Tuesday on Truth Social.

Horabuena is a "Christian worship artist" who has done several other depictions of Trump as well as Abraham Lincoln, Mount Rushmore and Jesus Christ, according to her website. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Boardman told Fox News Digital she had no comment on the new painting.

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The Horabuena portrait was installed as a temporary display following a Thursday decision by the advisory committee, which oversees art displays at the Capitol. 

"The Capitol Building Advisory Committee has agreed at the committee's meeting on June 26, 2025, to temporarily display this donated portrait and will consider the disposition of the full presidential portrait collection at a future meeting," the committee told Fox News Digital. "The new portrait is installed in the third floor gallery of the Colorado Capitol."

Lois Court, a former state lawmaker who chairs the committee, told the Associated Press that installing the donated artwork was the right move.

"There was a blank on the wall," Court said. "It seemed inappropriate. We knew that the White House had sent us this replacement and it simply made sense to put it up." 

Boardman’s portrait was removed from the Capitol’s presidential gallery wall in April, according to the committee, after Colorado Democrats – who control the legislature – agreed to take it down at the request of local Republican leaders.

"Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before," Trump said in March on Truth Social. "The artist also did President Obama, and he looks wonderful, but the one of me is truly the worst. She must have lost her talent as she got older."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani's New York City primary win indicated a generational departure from the establishment Democratic Party that coalesced behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's unsuccessful bid. 

However, the rank-and-file Democrats who catapulted the party into disarray, losing the White House and Congress in 2024, are already laying post-Trump policy groundwork. 

Neera Tanden, who served in the White House during the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations and testified to Congress last week about her use of the autopen during former President Joe Biden's presidency, along with Biden's former national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, are on the advisory board for "Project 2029."

Andrei Cherny, a former Democratic speechwriter, state party leader and co-founder of a liberal policy journal, is organizing Democratic leaders to create a ready-to-implement agenda for the next Democratic presidential nominee, inspired by the conservative "Project 2025," which was created by the Heritage Foundation ahead of President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential win.

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The Democrats' marquee legislative framework for their future nominee will be rolled out over the next two years in quarterly installments through Cherny's publication, "Democracy: A Journal of Ideas." The Democrats plan to turn it into a book, just like Project 2025. The details of "Project 2029" were first reported by The New York Times and have since been confirmed by Fox News Digital. 

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As The Times revealed the Democratic Party's political stage-setting for years to come, an intraparty reckoning is unfolding in real time following Mamdani's primary win last Tuesday. The institutional policy agenda has emerged during critical conjecture between the past and the future of the Democratic Party. 

Mamdani's primary win ignited a progressive buzz reminiscent of "Squad" leader Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 Democratic primary upset, an excitement that has been on full display during 83-year-old Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" tour this year. 

Both progressive leaders and self-described Democratic socialists endorsed Mamdani ahead of last Tuesday's primary in New York City. Leading up to Election Day, Ocasio-Cortez's fellow "Squad" members, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, also came out in support of the Mamdani movement. 

His win shattered expectations and forced Cuomo, who resigned from his governorship in 2021 amid multiple scandals, to concede soon after the polls closed. While Cuomo remains in the race as an independent alongside incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, whose tenure has been plagued by his own scandals, Mamdani's win signaled a departure from the Democratic Party establishment. 

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has faced its own reckoning this year after 25-year-old progressive David Hogg announced his multimillion-dollar plan to primary older incumbent Democrats he claimed were "asleep at the wheel."

Hogg, who campaigned for Mamdani in New York City, ultimately left his vice chair position at the DNC this year as questions remain about the trajectory of a party struggling to find its footing with Trump dominating American politics. 

Central to the Democrats' division between its past and future is support for Israel. 

Moderate New York Democrats have not outright endorsed Mamdani following his primary win last Tuesday. Party leaders, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, confirmed they spoke with Mamdani but have continued to hold their endorsements. 

Aside from his socialist promises and anti-capitalist comments, much of establishment Democrats' discontent with Mamdani is rooted in accusations that he is antisemitic. 

Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., said last week that Mamdani is "too extreme to lead New York City." She said he has demonstrated a "deeply disturbing pattern of unacceptable antisemitic comments, which stoke hate at a time when antisemitism is rising."

Another New York Democrat, Rep. Tom Suozzi said last week he still has "serious concerns" about Mamdani. 

The crux of accusations that Mamdani is antisemitic stems from his refusal to condemn the rallying cry, "globalize the intifada."

Mamdani has refused to condemn the term, which has been adopted by pro-Palestinian protesters resisting the war in Gaza and, according to the American Jewish Committee, "calls for people from around the globe to participate in rising up against Israel."

Mamdani, who would become New York City's first Muslim mayor if elected in November, has said he doesn't support policing language. In multiple interviews since he initially sparked controversy on the campaign trail, he has refused to condemn the language. 

He has also drawn criticism from Jewish New Yorkers, pro-Israel groups and Democrats for defending the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which calls for consumers, companies and governments to cut ties with Israel in an effort to influence the country’s policies toward Palestinians.

Mamdani refused to acknowledge, when asked repeatedly on the debate stage, that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. Instead, he said that Israel has the right to exist as "a state with equal rights."

On Oct. 13, 2023, six days after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, Mamdani asked his supporters to join him at a rally outside Schumer’s house "to speak out against the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians as we sit on the brink of a genocide."

However, despite the criticism, Mamdani has repeatedly condemned antisemitism. 

"Antisemitism is such a real issue in this city, and it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any real interest in tackling it, but rather in using it as a pretext to make political points," he said on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day. 

Mamdani did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. 

Fox News' Leonard Balducci and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.