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Trump admin fires US attorney in Seattle minutes after he was appointed
The Trump administration took the fight over who controls U.S. attorney appointments to a whole new level, firing a Seattle-based prosecutor less than an hour after he was picked for the job without the blessing of the administration.
"District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote Wednesday on X as he was testifying before the Senate in his confirmation hearing, calling out a U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state panel for elevating Judge Roger Rogoff to be the top federal prosecutor in Seattle.
"WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration," Blanche said. "Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President."
That post came after Rogoff, 57, a former King County Superior Court judge and longtime state and federal prosecutor, was sworn in before 8 a.m. local time at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.
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He then went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and asked to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, the Trump administration’s preferred choice for the job, whose 120-day interim term expired in February.
While Rogoff waited in the lobby, he received an email notifying him that Trump had removed him from office.
Rogoff's situation was not mentioned in Blanche's Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, but Blanche is back before the Senate again Thursday and Rogoff now might be a notable topic of discussion during his confirmation process.
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The quick dismissal came after all 17 active and senior federal judges in the deep-blue district appointed Rogoff to the vacancy. The judges, appointed by five presidents (10 by Democrats and seven by Republicans), had opened an application process after the administration did not send Floyd’s nomination to the Senate and instead kept him in place by making him first assistant U.S. attorney while leaving the top job vacant.
U.S. attorneys, who serve as the Justice Department’s chief federal prosecutors in each district, are normally nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Federal law allows the attorney general to name an interim U.S. attorney for 120 days. If that period expires without a confirmed nominee, district judges may appoint someone to serve until the vacancy is filled.
Because of obstruction by Democrats in the narrowly held Senate, the Trump administration has resorted to using acting titles and other personnel moves to keep its prosecutors in place. Courts have pushed back in several Democrat-heavy districts like Seattle and New Jersey, issuing legal challenges to the Justice Department and White House authority.
"I don’t think it’s the way to run the Department of Justice," Rogoff told The New York Times. "When you have this sort of made up way of putting people in these positions, the process breaks down."
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., opposed Floyd for the U.S. attorney job and blasted Rogoff’s quick firing.
"Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington," Murray wrote in a statement. "This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent — they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda."
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Trump administration officials have long noted that the "advise and consent" role of the Senate does not grant Democrats against Trump's administrative priorities to be a hard block on his agenda and nominees, though.
Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is considering a legal challenge to his firing.
Fox News Digital reached out to Rogoff for comment.
The Seattle clash follows similar disputes elsewhere. In New Jersey, Alina Habba resigned as the top federal prosecutor after an appeals court said she had been serving unlawfully. In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left an acting U.S. attorney post after a judge found her appointment unlawful and dismissed indictments she had brought against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
The administration has also fired court-appointed U.S. attorneys in other districts.
Rogoff, who spent 20 years as a state prosecutor and six as a federal prosecutor before becoming a state judge, said he knew the administration might fire him immediately. Despite this, he said he had no qualms about the potential conflict he was walking into, because being U.S. attorney is "the best job there is."
"I’m really proud of my career," Rogoff said. "The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Baltimore Sun owner threatens MD Gov Wes Moore with lawsuit over what he calls a defamatory Epstein link
David Smith, the owner of The Baltimore Sun and executive chairman of Sinclair Broadcast Group, threatened Wednesday to sue Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for defamation over remarks Moore made on MS NOW linking Smith to Jeffrey Epstein, escalating a dispute over the newspaper's reporting on the Democratic governor's military record.
"A false assertion of this nature linking an individual to Mr. Epstein’s financial dealings is of a kind that foreseeably subjects that individual to serious reputational harm, including public contempt and scorn, diminished business relationships, and damage to personal and professional standing," Smith’s lawyer wrote.
Attorney Harold Walter made the warning in a June letter obtained by Semafor, which first reported the threatened lawsuit. Walter demanded that Moore retract and correct his remarks or explain their factual basis and instructed the governor's team to preserve documents concerning Smith and any purported Epstein connection.
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"The governor should issue a ‘clear, unequivocal public retraction and correction,’" the letter said.
Walter also demanded that Moore publicly retract the claim or provide evidence supporting it.
"Identify, at least at a high level, the factual basis (if any) on which you relied in making the statement," the letter said.
Moore's team rejected the demand and told Semafor that the governor stood by his comments. Joseph Sandler, Moore's personal attorney, responded Tuesday that Epstein's funds had owned several hundred thousand dollars' worth of investments in Sinclair while Smith served as chairman and CEO.
"The statement made by Governor Moore is absolutely and indisputably true and, therefore, your assertion that the statement is defamatory is meritless," Sandler wrote.
In a response provided to Fox News Digital, Sandler argued that Walter had misstated Moore’s words. Sandler wrote that Moore did not claim Epstein invested directly in Smith, but instead said Smith "was invested in by Jeffrey Epstein."
Sandler cited Justice Department records that he said showed Epstein-founded Financial Trust Company held Sinclair investments valued between $156,240 and $373,980 in 2001 and 2002. He also said another Epstein-founded company, Southern Trust Company, invested more than $100,000 in Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2013 through Southern Financial LLC.
The attorney noted that Smith served as Sinclair’s chairman, president and CEO during the years in which the Epstein-controlled entities held the investments.
Sandler's response, as summarized by Semafor, cited investments in Sinclair. The report did not describe a personal relationship between Smith and Epstein.
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Smith personally purchased The Baltimore Sun in 2024.
Sandler also confirmed that Moore’s team had taken steps to preserve evidence related to Smith’s threatened claim and demanded that Smith preserve records involving efforts to "attack or encourage attacks on Governor Moore."
Moore made the disputed remarks during an appearance on MS NOW's "The Weeknight," when he was questioned about critical coverage of his administration and biographical record. The governor accused the newspaper of targeting him. "This is not journalism. This is slander and misinformation," Moore said.
The dispute followed months of reporting by The Baltimore Sun and Sinclair-affiliated Spotlight on Maryland journalists examining Moore’s military service and other elements of his biography. Semafor previously reported that Smith had been copied on emails from reporters investigating the governor, an arrangement the outlet described as unusual because newspapers typically separate ownership and editorial operations.
Moore attacked the newspaper’s direction in an interview with former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki.
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"It’s actually a very sad day because The Baltimore Sun used to be our paper of record. It’s now become the paper of the right wing," Moore said.
Questions about Moore's military biography have included his listing of a Bronze Star on a 2006 White House fellowship application before he had received the award. Moore described the listing as an honest mistake and received the medal in 2024 after his former commander resubmitted the paperwork.
Sandler further argued that Smith’s threatened action appeared to be a bad-faith claim intended to inhibit Moore from speaking on a matter of public concern.
No lawsuit had been reported as filed Wednesday. The exchange remained at the demand-letter stage, with Smith seeking a retraction and Moore’s attorney maintaining that the governor’s statement was true.
Game-changing cholesterol pill wins FDA approval after cutting LDL nearly 60%
Millions of Americans with high cholesterol now have a new treatment option, as the FDA has approved the first once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor.
Merck, the New Jersey-based manufacturer of Lipfendra (enlicitide), announced the approval on Thursday.
Lipfendra blocks the action of PCSK9, a naturally occurring protein that affects how the liver removes LDL ("bad") cholesterol from the bloodstream.
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"PCSK-9 is a protein that works in the liver, preventing the recycling of LDL receptors, as a result increasing bad cholesterol in the blood," Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.
"In the caveman days, this was useful when we were hunter-gatherers and didn't always have food, but now it mainly forms plaques that lead directly to heart disease."
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The pill is approved as an add-on to diet and other LDL-lowering therapies in adults with high cholesterol, including inherited forms of high cholesterol, Merck stated.
In phase 3 clinical trials, Lipfendra was shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by roughly 56% to 60% when combined with statin therapy.
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"This is around double the impact of statins," Siegel noted.
The pill was generally well-tolerated in the trials, Merck reported. The most common side effects were diarrhea and dizziness, while serious side effects and treatment discontinuations occurred at rates similar to those in the placebo group.
Statins, which work by blocking an enzyme in the liver that the body uses to make cholesterol, are the most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications, according to the American Heart Association.
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For many people, statins are effective on their own. But for some patients who have very high cholesterol levels, inherited forms of high cholesterol or adverse side effects when taking statins, another medication — such as a PCSK9 inhibitor like Lipfendra — may be necessary, per the AHA.
Until now, PCSK9 inhibitors — such as Repatha and Praluent — have only been available as injections, a factor experts say may have contributed to their underuse.
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"Repatha, the injectable form, is very useful, with few side effects," Siegel noted. "The oral form, Lipfendra, is also well-tolerated and just as effective."
Additional research is needed to determine whether Lipfendra also reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths. Results from a large clinical trial are expected to be available in 2029, Merck stated.
"Steve Nissen, longtime head of preventive cardiology at Cleveland Clinic, tells me that the lower the better when it comes to LDL cholesterol, especially in those at risk for heart disease," Siegel added.
Beloved cruise spot will be off limits through 2027 as safety concerns linger
A popular cruise line has extended its suspension of visits to a private resort for another year, prompting some passengers to question whether the destination will ever reopen.
Royal Caribbean recently said it's extending its pause on visits to Labadee, Haiti, through June 2027.
Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach destination on Haiti's northern coast, is popular for its white-sand beaches and the Dragon's Breath Flight Line, one of the world's longest over-water ziplines.
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"As we continue to evaluate conditions in Haiti and our ability to deliver the best vacations responsibly, we have decided to extend the suspension of ship calls to Labadee through June 2027," a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
"This decision was made with the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members in mind. We have communicated these changes directly with guests."
The extension comes as Haiti, which is under a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory from the U.S. State Department, continues to grapple with widespread gang violence and political instability.
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The resort is roughly six miles northwest of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti's second-largest city.
Labadee is one of the few private cruise destinations in Haiti. It gives passengers an exclusive resort experience separate from much of the rest of the country.
"We remain committed to our Labadee team members and are working to ensure they feel informed and supported," the Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson added.
"We have identified positions across our fleets and destinations to place team members during this pause," the company said.
For now, cruise passengers will not be able to experience the destination.
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Passengers on a Royal Caribbean forum said their Labadee stops were replaced with destinations including Grand Cayman, Grand Turk, Cozumel and Nassau.
"I really wanted to visit Labadee," one person wrote.
"Oh darn ... I'm booked to Labadee in April 2027," another wrote.
Six months ago, when Royal Caribbean canceled other visits to Labadee, travelers discussed the change on Reddit.
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"Sad, not only for the people that work there but selfishly …. [it] is stunningly beautiful," one Reddit user said.
"It's unfortunate, because Labadee brings jobs and money to the Haitian citizens, who need both desperately," a second said.
"So sad. Always enjoyed going there," a third Reddit user said.
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"Labadee is the most stunning place. I loved it there," another chimed in.
"Labadee was a big highlight for a lot of itineraries. Curious what they’ll replace it with," yet another Reddit user said.
"Our connection to the Labadee community extends far beyond our operations there, and we remain proud of the long-standing investments we have made in the region," the Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson said.
"We continue to support local communities through ongoing humanitarian efforts, including monthly food donations," the spokesperson added.
Jessica Mekles of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
Meghan Markle's show Emmy nomination 'somewhat baffling' due to 'lackluster' ratings: expert
Meghan Markle's Netflix series has been nominated for an Emmy Award and experts are calling the nod "somewhat baffling."
Months after "With Love, Meghan" was canceled by the streaming service, the Duchess of Sussex earned her first-ever Emmy nomination. On Wednesday, Markle took to Instagram to celebrate the news.
"A huge congratulations to the amazing crew, producers, and team who worked on ‘With Love, Meghan’ on @netflix We are nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Series!" she captioned her post.
Hilary Fordwich, British royals expert, told Fox News Digital she was shocked by the nomination due to the "lackluster" response from the audience.
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"Well not so surprising when one considers these award bodies reward high profile players who might garner the awards attention. Nevertheless, given how polarizing MM is & that the show had completely lackluster ongoing watching views, it is somewhat baffling," Fordwich said.
She continued, "The really weak commercial traction of her show, with dreadfully low on-going watching demonstrated by lack of audience appeal, doesn’t warrant such an award, but no doubt it will garner the aforementioned media attention."
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According to Fordwich, Markle will most likely use the publicity from her Emmy nomination to fuel her next project. "This would only be a public-relations win, which is a far cry from a concrete future media contract," she said.
Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," agreed with Fordwich and believes this nomination will help Markle's career.
"The nomination is helpful because it gives Meghan something tangible to point to in meetings with studios, networks and advertisers. Hollywood values third-party validation," Schofield began. "But one nomination doesn’t erase years of inconsistent commercial results."
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She continued, "The industry ultimately cares about whether you can consistently attract audiences, deliver projects on time and generate returns. That’s still the bigger question surrounding Archewell. Parodies on TikTok generated more eyeballs than ‘With Love, Meghan’ on Netflix. That’s undeniable."
Schofield doesn't believe that Markle's Emmy nomination erases the criticism. However, she does believe it gives her supporters "a credible talking point."
"However, one nomination shouldn’t be exaggerated into a sweeping endorsement from Hollywood. There’s a meaningful difference between earning a nomination in a competitive category and fundamentally changing your standing within the entertainment industry," she said.
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Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that whether Markle wins the Emmy is not relevant – the nomination is impactful enough.
"She will always be introduced—at least as it pertains to entertainment circles—as 'Emmy nominated actress and lifestyle personality, Meghan Markle.' That isn't predicated on the strength of her ratings or whether she eventually wins or loses; it’s an affectation and one she will likely leverage," Eldridge said.
"Put differently, in 2026, anyone can publish a book—and in so doing, change their social media bio to read ‘published author’—but that is not the same thing as being a ’New York Times best-selling author,'" he continued.
"Either way, they’ll update the bio to reflect their perceived accomplishment."
Eldridge believes that her Emmy nomination has helped her optically, but not within the industry.
"In terms of optics among fans, yes; for key stakeholders and decision makers within the industry, no," he began. "Not every athlete who qualifies for the Olympics will earn a medal; but each has earned the right to be introduced as an ‘Olympian' for the rest of their life. In that sense, the intro is the accomplishment—a literal one in a million."
Eldridge continued, "Markle can’t leverage this within the industry, but from an optics standpoint, she can reposition the magnifying glass into the sun, in hopes of shining brighter in the eyes of her prospective fan/consumer base."
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"'If I wasn’t great, I wouldn’t be nominated. If I wasn’t likable—and therefore, marketable—I wouldn’t be nominated.’ For Markle, the true value-add of this nomination doesn’t reflect on her entertainment aspirations, but rather, on her fledgling lifestyle empire," he concluded.
When "With Love, Meghan" premiered on Netflix in March 2025, it drew largely negative reviews from critics despite generating significant public interest. The show's first season earned a 38% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a "generally unfavorable" rating on Metacritic, though it still attracted enough viewers for Netflix to green-light a second season.
Markle will find out whether she takes home her first Emmy when the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are held on Oct. 30, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
SCOTUS has shown Congress a path on birthright citizenship. Lawmakers must act
As President Donald Trump urges the Supreme Court to revisit birthright citizenship and Texas investigates a hospital accused of marketing "birth packages" to foreign nationals, one thing has become impossible to deny: Congress can no longer ignore its responsibility to clarify our nation's citizenship laws.
The debate over birthright citizenship has returned to the forefront of our national conversation, and the recent Supreme Court decision has made abundantly clear that Congress can no longer ignore our responsibility to secure our nation for future generations of Americans.
While the court reached its own conclusions in the case before it, Justice Brett Kavanaugh's separate opinion underscored an important point. He suggested that Congress, not the executive branch, is the proper institution to address the scope of birthright citizenship through legislation. That is precisely what my Birthright Citizenship Act is designed to do.
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For too long, our nation has operated under an interpretation of the 14th Amendment that extends automatic citizenship far beyond what its authors intended. The citizenship clause was ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War to guarantee that formerly enslaved Americans would be recognized as full citizens of the United States. It was never intended to create a worldwide incentive for illegal immigration or to reward those who violate our immigration laws with automatic citizenship for their children.
The Birthright Citizenship Act restores the original understanding of the 14th Amendment by clarifying in federal law that automatic citizenship at birth applies only when at least one parent is a United States citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident residing in the United States, or a lawful immigrant serving on active duty in the United States Armed Forces.
This is a steady, measured, commonsense proposal rooted in the rule of law.
America's citizenship is among the greatest privileges our nation can bestow. It should not be exploited through illegal immigration or birth tourism. Yet today, our laws have created powerful incentives for both.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, roughly one in 10 births in the United States is to an illegal immigrant mother. The organization also estimates that hundreds of thousands of expectant mothers enter the country illegally each year with the expectation of giving birth here. Recent events in my home state of Texas demonstrate exactly why Congress must act. Last week, a hospital came under investigation after advertisements surfaced promoting "Birth Packages in South Texas" for foreign nationals. Just weeks earlier, investigators uncovered a Houston-based birth tourism operation that allegedly helped facilitate the births of more than 1,000 children for Chinese nationals seeking to obtain U.S. citizenship for their children. These are not isolated incidents, they are evidence that our current interpretation of the 14th Amendment has created incentives that Congress has the authority and responsibility to address.
The consequences extend well beyond the delivery room. Birthright citizenship has become a magnet for illegal immigration, straining public resources and undermining confidence in an immigration system that Americans increasingly believe is neither fair nor secure.
The American people deserve an immigration system that rewards legal immigration, respects the Constitution and places the interests of our citizens first.
President Trump has made birthright citizenship reform a national priority, and Congress now has an opportunity, and an obligation, to act. The Supreme Court has reinforced that lasting policy changes should come through the legislative process. My legislation provides exactly that vehicle.
Reasonable people can disagree about constitutional interpretation. But there should be broad agreement that Congress should not abdicate its legislative responsibilities. If lawmakers believe our citizenship laws no longer reflect the nation's interests or the original understanding of the 14th Amendment, then Congress should debate the issue openly and vote.
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Our nation just witnessed the biggest landmark achievement to date, its 250th birthday. For 250 years, justice, freedom and liberty have sat at the helm of our great nation, a gift so many fought for that we are now enlisted to protect. An abdication of congressional authority when it comes to birthright citizenship is an abdication of the responsibility to protect not just our freedom but our children’s. The blessing of liberty belongs to those willing to fight for it, not those who sit idly as it passes into the hands of those who only want to reap the benefits of freedom and never appreciate its sacrifice.
That moment has arrived.
The Birthright Citizenship Act gives Congress the opportunity to restore integrity to our citizenship laws, eliminate incentives for illegal immigration, and reaffirm that American citizenship is a precious privilege, not an automatic entitlement available to anyone who crosses our borders.
The time for debate alone has passed. The time for action is now.
Republican Brian Babin represents Texas' 36th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Follow him on X: @RepBrianBabin.
Trump’s swift ICE reversal hailed for showing 'confidence' in frontline agents
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s quick reversal of a nationwide ban on ICE vehicle stops has been a "huge" boost for many ICE agents on the ground and reassured them that the commander-in-chief still has "confidence in the agency and its people," a federal special agent working deportations said.
Speaking with Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity, the agent said that the concerns that prompted the pause – a need for additional training for ICE agents on adversarial vehicle stops – are still being addressed. At the same time, the agent said the president’s action proved he still believes in law enforcement professionals to get the job done amid what has been an especially operationally challenging year.
"Today, when the president came out with his un-pause, I think what he showed was confidence in the agency and its people, and I think that goes a long way when somebody is in one of those difficult situations," said the agent.
"I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen something like that," the agent added.
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The Department of Homeland Security announced a pause on Tuesday for ICE vehicle stops after two ICE officer-involved shootings in Maine and Texas.
The guidance was short-lived, however, as the next day President Donald Trump instructed the agency to reverse course on what he called "one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools."
Trump wrote that "the men and women of ICE are doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done." He noted that "CRIME IS WAY DOWN IN AMERICA, in many cases with numbers that haven’t been seen in decades."
To the ICE agents operating across the country, Trump wrote, "Be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job. Keep those Crime Stat Records coming! Remember, you are loved and respected in America."
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In response, the agent said to them Trump’s message meant he had agents’ back.
"You don’t have to be a Donald Trump fan but to know that the person who is ultimately responsible for all of this is saying, ‘Hey, I believe in you, you guys will work this out, we’re going to be alright,’" the agent said.
The agent said that in the last year, illegal immigrants have grown more adversarial during arrests, increasing the danger of operations for both the arrestee and law enforcement. This is further exacerbated, said the agent, by the prevalence of interference and even often violent confrontation by civilian bystanders during operations.
This means that agents are operating in increasingly stressful, unpredictable environments.
Amid this, the agent likened ending all vehicle stops to removing a tool from a toolbox.
"Any tool you take out of the toolbox is going to create challenges for [agents] to do their job in a more efficient way," he said.
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Still, the agent said they would "welcome" even more training officers. According to the agent, ICE has already increased its training for officers working deportation operations on the streets. The additional training has been especially concentrated on responding to riot-type situations, something that the agent said most ICE officers previously did not need to prepare for.
"They should constantly be looking at these policies and how they affect the people in the field, but also how it's perceived by the public, how legal it is, and how do we do this more safe?" the agent said, concluding, "I think any sane person would be in agreement with me to say, ‘Hey, let's look at how we can do this safer for everybody.’"
Italian artist unveils Charlie Kirk memorial statue he plans to feature at Times Square
Italian artist Sergio Furnari is seeking support for a Charlie Kirk statue he plans to unveil in Times Square in September.
"It’s going to be in the middle of Times Square, the center of the universe," Furnari said in one of his videos on the statue's process over the weekend. "You can bring over whoever you want, family or friends. If you were a big fan of Charlie, this will be your opportunity to maybe find a little bit of peace or harmony."
Furnari has been developing models of the late Turning Point USA founder since last year after Kirk was assassinated during a Utah Valley University event. The Italian sculptor has been documenting his process and the inspiration behind the design through videos on his Instagram account.
In one of his earliest videos on the statue from November, Furnari revealed that he was not a fan of Kirk prior to his death but admired Kirk's efforts to open dialogue with people who disagreed with him.
"I did not agree with 99.9% of whatever he was talking about, but there's the 0.001% that I agree with him. At the moment you kill or assassinate people just because you don't agree with somebody, that's when you become like the worst country ever," Furnari said.
Furnari has been promoting his work on a larger statue of Kirk since then and has announced plans to display it for Sept. 10 on the one-year anniversary of his death.
In recent videos, Furnari revealed that he has received threats against him and the statue ahead of its unveiling.
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"Now, to all the haters, how many times you guys want to kill Charlie?" Furnari asked in a video on Tuesday. "I mean, wasn't one time enough? To all of you guys out there that want to come and destroy...want to bring a drill bat and some spray paint, and you want to destroy him, you want to burn him, come on guys. The guy's dead. I mean, if you guys are afraid of a statue, there's something really wrong with you. It's just a statue. The message is simple: freedom of speech. I'm exercising my First Amendment [right] which is freedom of speech. That's all it is."
In a comment to Fox News Digital, Furnari said that he was not too concerned about any backlash against the statue, saying critics "bark like chihuahuas" but "they don't bite."
He described facing similar issues after sculpting a bust of President Donald Trump, which he similarly displayed for his 80th birthday.
"I'm not into that stuff at all. I like Trump, but that's it. I'm basically talking, you know what I mean? You know, it felt like I'm a MAGA, you know, or I'm Republican, or I am a Democrat. I'm an artist, that's it. I never voted, never will. Yeah, it's not about politics. You know, this is not like a political statement. This is just like a guy that got killed and then got bullied," Furnari said.
Furnari has set up a GoFundMe page for his "bigger than life size" Kirk statue, writing that he has sold his apartment to continue funding the project.
Fetterman reveals what it would take for him to leave Democratic Party
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has "no plans" to leave the Democratic Party but if it officially became the "anti-Israel party," count him out.
"My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel," he said Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, D.C.
"If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me."
The news comes as Fetterman and fellow Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., launch a rare joint fundraising PAC called "Common Ground PA" this month, according to FEC filings, and Fetterman's breaks from Democratic Party votes have become increasingly apparent since he was elected in 2022 and took office Jan. 3, 2023.
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"Though I was elected as a Democrat, I’m proud to serve all Pennsylvanians," Fetterman wrote in a May op-ed, delivering the age-old mantra that he has not changed from his principles, the party has. "It has become increasingly lonely to serve in that way, but I firmly believe it’s what is needed.
"My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says. The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them. Such pointless pile-ons and attacks are unproductive. The American people want us to work together to find solutions on issues they and our country face."
His lines in the sand, he wrote, had been laid bare on:
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The push away from Israel has become a "long-term concern" that he "can’t understand" and might ultimately become the ultimate red line for him, he told the Hill Nation Summit.
"You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries," he said. "It’s becoming more... anti-Israel and hostile to people."
Fetterman declined to discuss what he called "private conversations" with Republicans on a potential party switch, but he wrote in May he would first become independent.
"Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first," he wrote.
"Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats."
WHY TRUMP, GOP ARE COURTING JOHN FETTERMAN, WHO INSISTS HE’LL REMAIN A DEMOCRAT
The latest vow to break from Democratic Party votes is his rejection of the amendment from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would cut off $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel.
He is also increasingly concerned about the primary election successes of progressive candidates who have been sharply critical of Israel – evidence of what he views as a troubling shift inside his party.
Democrats are "trying to ingratiate ourselves with that segment of the base of our voters" that are "intensely, intensely anti-Israel," he warned Wednesday.
Fetterman also raised concerns about Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s performance in polling for the state's Senate primary, warning that Democrats could be forced to spend more heavily in the battleground state if El-Sayed becomes the nominee against former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who narrowly lost Michigan’s 2024 Senate race.
"Rogers just barely, barely lost in ’24," Fetterman said.
"If El-Sayed wins, then that puts Michigan much more in play for us and would require us to spend more money. What’s defined El-Sayed is the more anti-Israel and hostile-to-Israel thing."
Fetterman also criticized El-Sayed and other progressive candidates over past support for the "defund the police" movement, arguing that his party risks repeating political mistakes from the 2024 election.
"Now here’s more Democrats to ‘defund the police,’" he warned. "Here we are back to part of the worst impulses that we just can’t resist.
"We forgot the crazy things that we said, and that cost us the election in 2024. Now we want to revisit that — if anything, they’re coming back in the strongest kind of terms. Look at the people who are winning."
The senator also took aim at fellow Democrats who backed progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner before Platner ended his campaign following allegations that he raped a woman in 2021.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., forcefully supported Platner, which left him "angry," he said, questioning why Democrats embraced him as the evidence mounted.
"Why did you push these people? Why did you buy in and then plunge that most consequential Senate race now into chaos?" Fetterman asked, arguing that it is now "more difficult" to defeat Republican Sen. Susan Collins and win control of the narrowly held Senate.
"Where’s the accountability?" Fetterman asked. "Imagine if I would have done that and pushed that kind of individual."
Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman's Senate office and campaign officials for further comment.
Rubio puts entire world on notice against rise of 'poisonous' far-left terror 'masked as equality'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that violent far-left political terrorism "can no longer be denied" as he urged more than 60 countries gathered in Washington to treat the threat as a global counterterrorism priority.
Speaking at the opening of a State Department ministerial attended by roughly 65 foreign delegations, Rubio said governments had spent too long overlooking what he described as a resurgence of transnational far-left extremist violence and called for greater international cooperation to counter it.
Rubio described radical leftism as "a poisonous resentment cloaked in the language of equality and justice."
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FAR-LEFT PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE IN ANTI-CONSERVATIVE PARTY RIOTS
"Today we face a new wave of this old evil here in the United States, the share of left-wing terrorist attacks and plots has risen to levels not seen in decades," the secretary went on.
Rubio said the administration is rebuilding the U.S. counterterrorism strategy around what it views as an increasingly transnational threat, announcing that additional foreign terrorist organization designations are forthcoming after the State Department designated four foreign far-left groups in November 2025.
Rubio said far-left extremist networks coordinate across borders by sharing training materials, encrypted communications, financing and safe houses while working alongside hostile foreign states. He argued the United States and its allies must respond by expanding intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation and efforts to disrupt terrorist financing.
"You are here because this is real, and it is getting worse, and it can no longer be denied, and it can no longer be ignored," Rubio said. "It is time to crush this evil forever."
"It's time for people of the civilized world to defend themselves," he added.
A foreign terrorist organization designation criminalizes providing material support to the group, enables the U.S. government to freeze assets under its jurisdiction and blocks members from entering the United States.
Administration officials said the ministerial is the culmination of an eight-month diplomatic effort to convince foreign governments that violent far-left extremist networks have become a growing cross-border threat requiring greater international coordination.
The initiative comes as some analysts and foreign officials have questioned whether violent far-left groups constitute a cohesive international terrorism threat comparable to Islamist extremist organizations. Others have raised concerns governments could use such initiatives to target political opponents under the banner of counterterrorism.
Administration officials rejected those concerns Wednesday, arguing the effort is narrowly focused on criminal and terrorist violence rather than political beliefs.
"We haven't waded into trying to disambiguate people's beliefs and ideologies," a senior State Department official told reporters. "In America, you can believe anything you want. The minute that you cross the legal threshold, that changes."
BILL MAHER TORCHES FAR-LEFT ASSASSINATION CULTURE AFTER STRING OF HIGH-PROFILE ATTACKS
Officials argue governments spent much of the past two decades concentrating on jihadist terrorism while underestimating what they describe as a resurgence of politically motivated violence from violent far-left extremist networks operating across borders.
"This has been a blind spot for a lot of our partners, frankly. They have not seen these trends ... since the 1970s," the senior State Department official said. "Our partners have talked to us about the rise of assassinations or assassination plots."
Administration officials pointed to a series of recent attacks in Europe that they argue underscore the need for greater international cooperation.
On July 1, coordinated firebomb attacks targeted the homes of members of Greece's governing New Democracy party in Thessaloniki, killing the mother of parliamentary candidate Afroditi Nestora and injuring four others. Greek anti-terrorism police later arrested three suspects.
In January, an arson attack on a power transmission facility in Berlin, Germany, knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. German authorities later transferred the investigation to the federal prosecutor over suspected involvement by a terrorist organization.
The meeting builds on a series of actions the administration has taken since late 2025, including designating four foreign far-left organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, along with offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of their financial networks.
Rubio is expected to argue that violent far-left extremist groups increasingly operate across borders, sharing tactics, coordinating attacks and exploiting international conflicts to recruit followers, making greater cooperation among governments essential to disrupting the threat.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also are expected to address the ministerial, which will include discussions on the global threat landscape, terrorist financing, intelligence sharing and protecting critical infrastructure.
Officials also disputed reports that foreign partners were reluctant to participate, saying several governments approached the United States seeking to join the initiative after recognizing similar trends within their own borders.
"We've had countries who have reached out to us that want to be part of this," the senior State Department official said.
The four organizations designated by the administration in November were Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front (FAI/FRI), Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The administration says the groups, which operate in Germany, Italy and Greece, have coordinated violent attacks across national borders.