Chief Closer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
FOX News Radio
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
Paxton opens door to FBI involvement in Texas fight after initial pushback
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Wednesday signaled he was open to getting the FBI involved in the redistricting battle after initially pushing back on arguments for the law enforcement agency to intervene. 'I'm in full support of using every possible method to secure a quorum and hold lawless Democrat legislators accountable for abandoning Texans, including involving federal authorities and the FBI,' Paxton said in a statement to The Hill. His comments come after an appearance he made on Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast on Tuesday, in which he criticized Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) call to have the FBI help bring back Texas Democrats who had left the state to break quorum, thereby stalling GOP efforts to advance newly drawn congressional maps. 'Let me first say, this is a state issue,' Paxton said, when asked by Bannon about the state of play in Texas and calls for the FBI to get involved. 'I don't know what the FBI would have to do with this, nothing. This is a purely state issue, so we are focused on alternatives that we can implement at the state level,' Paxton continued. Paxton noted that one of those options would be to arrest the lawmakers. He noted that if lawmakers don't return when the legislature meets on Friday, 'then we are going to file motions to try to remove some of these legislators from office.' Bannon asked Paxton if arresting the lawmakers meant having Texas Rangers travel to Illinois to arrest the Texas Democrats who fled or if the rangers needed to be within the state to arrest lawmakers. 'So Steve, I can tell you in a couple days exactly what that means,' Paxton said. 'I can't tell you right now. It's part of what's going on.' Paxton's apparent reversal on the issue comes as he mounts an increasingly tense primary challenge against Cornyn in next year's Senate race. Cornyn, who has trailed Paxton in recent polls, wrote a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday urging the FBI to try and help Republicans bring back Democrats who fled the state earlier this week. 'The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime,' Cornyn wrote. 'Specifically, I am concerned that legislators who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.' President Trump said later on Tuesday that the FBI 'may have to' get involved. 'No, I know they want them back, not only the attorney general, the governor wants them back,' the president said. 'If you look, I mean, the governor of Texas is demanding they come back. So, a lot of people are demanding they come back.' Paxton announced on Tuesday that he would be seeking judicial orders 'declaring that runaway Democrats who fail to appear by the Speaker's deadline have vacated their office.' 'The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don't show up to work, you get fired,' Paxton said. But Abbott has already started the process of removing lawmakers, filing an emergency petition on Tuesday to the Texas Supreme Court in an effort to oust Texas House Democratic Caucus Leader Gene Eu from his seat. Paxton has been running to Cornyn's right in the race. The primary is the latest in a nasty and long-simmering battle between the two men. Cornyn campaign senior adviser Matt Mackowiak criticized Paxton's initial comments on Bannon's podcast, saying in a statement that he was 'undermining President Trump and Sen. Cornyn's effort to enlist the FBI to give Texas law enforcement additional tools to locate and return these AWOL Democratic House members.' 'Memo to Ken Paxton: The adults who are in Texas and on the job will handle it from here. Go back to the hotel pool,' he added. Paxton hit back at Mackowiak, calling Cornyn and his campaign 'transparently desperate.' 'While I'm focused on doing everything in my power to actually solve the problem, John Cornyn and his team are obsessively making bizarre posts about me on X,' Paxton said. 'It's so transparently desperate that you almost have to feel bad for him.'
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
Redistricting battles reach fever pitch
Evening Report Wednesday, Aug. 6 Redistricting battles reach fever pitch THE REDISTRICTING WARS raging across the U.S. took an ugly turn on Wednesday after a bomb threat forced Texas Democrats from a hotel in Illinois. The St. Charles Police Department responded to a report of a bomb threat this morning at the hotel where the Democrats were staying after having fled from Texas to thwart a vote on a new congressional map that will be more favorable to Republicans. No explosive devices were found but 400 people were evacuated as a bomb squad unit searched the building. 'Threats of violence will be investigated and those responsible will be held accountable,' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) posted on the social media platform X. About 50 Texas Democrats fled the state over the weekend to deny the state legislature the quorum needed to vote on the newly redrawn maps, which could help the GOP pick up five House seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Redistricting typically takes place at the end of the decade when new census data is released. 'Donald Trump is trying to steal five seats from the people — frankly, of the country, not just the people of Texas — and disenfranchise people,' Pritzker said Tuesday on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' 'We're talking about violating the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution.' Texas's move is unusual but legal under state and federal law. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Monday ordered the arrest of missing Democrats, saying they'd 'abandoned their duty to Texans.' In a Tuesday filing seeking to oust Texas Democratic Caucus Leader Gene Wu, Abbott's lawyers argued: 'If a small fraction of recalcitrant lawmakers choose to run out the clock today, they can do so for any, and every, Regular or Special Session, potentially bankrupting the State in an attempt to get their way.' The redistricting wars have consumed the political landscape since Texas initiated the special legislative session to approve their new maps. Democratic leaders in California, New York and other blue states are promising to retaliate by redrawing their own maps, although they're in some instances restricted from doing so by laws that have handed that power to independent commissions. Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) say they're looking for legal workarounds to redistrict this year if Texas moves ahead. The Texas Democrats are smothering the airwaves, giving daily press conferences alongside blue state leaders such as Pritzker and Hochul, as they hope to run out the clock on the Texas legislature's special session. Republicans are crying foul, citing Illinois as having one of the worst gerrymanders in the country, according to a Princeton University analysis. New York, meanwhile, implemented new pro-Democratic maps ahead of the 2024 election. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said he thinks Texas's mid-decade redistricting efforts are 'wrong.' But he also blasted Hochul for threatening to retaliate. 'A reminder that @GovKathyHochul and New York tried to rig our elections and pull off a blatant partisan power grab in 2022 and 2024 DESPITE the constitution preventing gerrymandering, mid-decade redistricting, & requiring an independent commission. Now they want to do it again!' Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, cheekily defended his state's gerrymander Tuesday on CBS's 'Late Night with Stephen Colbert.' Colbert called the Illinois map 'crazy' and described one district as being shaped like a 'scorpion's tail.' 'We handed it over to a kindergarten class and let them decide,' Pritzker quipped. Still, Pritzker argued that Texas is breaking with tradition by implementing a new gerrymander ahead of a mid-decade midterm election. 'Every 10 years we do a census in this country and right after the census we redraw district in every state,' Pritzker said. 'But what the Republicans are trying to do in the Texas Republicans frankly at the behest of Donald Trump are doing it mid-decade. That is extraordinarily rare.' Meanwhile, the missing Texas Democrats are being fined $500 a day and could end up facing $400,000 in fees for fleeing the state, according to a Politico analysis. The Texas Tribune reported that former Rep. Beto O'Rourke 's (D-Texas) political group has been a top fundraiser for the Texas Democrats, putting its $3.5 million war chest toward covering their costs. Texas issued arrest warrants for the missing Democrats and Abbott has warned that they'd be in violation of federal election laws if they fundraise to cover their expenses. TEXAS GOP POLITICS AT PLAY Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who are locked in a nasty primary race, have found openings to attack one another over how to deal with the missing Democrats. Cornyn asked the FBI to intervene to assist in returning the lawmakers to Texas. 'This is a state issue, I don't know what the FBI would have to do with this,' Paxton said on Steve Bannon 's 'War Room' podcast. Cornyn laid into Paxton for his recent trip to Europe, saying Abbott had to use his own lawyers to sue the Democrats because his rival was missing in action. 'Guess the Attorney General was too busy doing who knows what overseas so the Governor had to use his own lawyers,' Cornyn posted on X. 💡 Perspectives: • USA Today: I'm a Democrat who left Texas. This is why. • New York Post: Dems howling at Texas redistrict push are hypocrites. • Wall Street Journal: The Democratic protectorate of Illinois. • The Hill: It's Pritzker's party. Hell yes, he's messing with Texas. • The Hill: Democrats see opportunity in a wide open 2028 primary. CATCH UP QUICK Trump to announce $100B Apple investment in US manufacturing President Trump will announce that Apple plans to invest $100 billion in manufacturing in the U.S. in an effort to increase domestic production and avoid tariffs. The announcement will come at a 4:30 p.m. EDT event in the Oval Office. The Hill's Alex Gangitano reports: 'The announcement includes the launch of the American Manufacturing Program, which would be dedicated to bringing more of Apple's supply chain to the U.S. and involves the tech giant incentivizing other companies to manufacture more critical components domestically, the official said.' The $100 billion investment increases Apple's overall U.S. commitment to $600 billion. Apple claims to support more then 450,000 jobs through their thousands of suppliers and partners across the U.S. The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for Trump's trade war. Trump on Wednesday announced he would increase tariffs on India by 25 percent over its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total tariffs he has imposed on New Delhi to 50 percent. India is furious, with the Ministry of External Affairs arguing that the purchase of Russian oil is a 'necessity' to 'ensure predictable and affordable energy costs' and was once 'encouraged' by the U.S. 'for strengthening global energy markets stability.' The Hill's Laura Kelly and Alex Gangitano report that the trade war has soured the bromance between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'During his first term, President Trump struck up an exuberant bromance with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holding joint rallies in Texas and India and calling Modi one of 'America's greatest, most devoted, and most loyal friends.'…The tensions are straining a partnership that both Republicans and Democrats view as essential in challenging China.' The move against India is meant to ramp up pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours on Wednesday ahead of Trump's looming ceasefire deadline. Trump has said if Russia does not move to end the war by Friday, the U.S. will slap new economic sanctions on Moscow meant to isolate them. Putin's representative Kirill Dmitriev described the conversation with Witkoff as 'constructive' and said dialogue 'continues and is critical for global security and peace.' A senior U.S. official said sanctions on Russia's key trading partners are still expected to go into effect on Friday. MEANWHILE… Trump's tariffs have domestic and foreign leaders making the trek to Washington to seek common ground. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), a potential 2028 presidential contender, met with Trump on Tuesday at the White House to raise concerns about the effects the president's tariff policy is having on her state. 'I will always do whatever I can to make life a little easier for Michiganders and strengthen our economy,' Whitmer said. 'We should do everything in our power to lower costs and grow more good-paying jobs in Michigan. I appreciate the president's time and attention to the matters we discussed.' Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter was in Washington on Wednesday to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as she seeks to soften Trump's 39 percent tariff, according to Bloomberg. ELSEWHERE… Trump is narrowing down a group of candidates to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, whose term ends early next year. Trump says he has four people in mind to be the next Fed chief, led by Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, and Kevin Warsh, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump might announce Powell's successor early in a bid to undermine him, as the president fumes over the Fed's refusal to lower interest rates. Trump will have an opportunity before then to influence Fed policy when he appoints a replacement for one of the Fed's governors, Adriana Kugler, who announced her retirement last week. Two Fed governors dissented from Powell in last week's 9-2 vote to keep interest rates steady, the first time that's happened in more than 30 years. 💡 Perspectives: • The American Prospect: The bleak future of Trumponomics. • American Greatness: Trump's calculated disruption. • The Atlantic: What exactly is the Russia 'hoax'? • RCP: Media functions as propaganda arm for Intelligence Community. Roundup: Trump turns focus to law and order The Trump administration is turning its attention to law and order after a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee was attacked in Washington. The victim, Edward Coristine, was assaulted early Sunday morning with his girlfriend by a group of teens who attempted to steal his car. Two 15-year-olds were arrested in connection with the attack. Coristine gained notoriety as DOGE's 19-year-old software engineer nicknamed 'Big Balls'. Trump on Tuesday railed against violent crime committed by 'youths' in the nation's capital and called for the District of Columbia to change its laws to allow for teenagers to be prosecuted as adults. The president also threatened to a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. 'If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore,' Trump posted on TruthSocial. The FBI released a new report finding violent crime fell by 4.5 percent in 2024, continuing a downward trend since peaking at the height of the COVID pandemic. MEANWHILE… The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it signed another state partnership to house migrant detainees. Indiana's 'Speedway Slammer,' a nod to the state's car race tracks, will expand an existing prison by 1,000 beds, DHS said. It's the second such state partnership to feature an alliterative name, following Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz.' IndyCar didn't approve of the government co-opting their racing imagery as part of the announcement. 'We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday's announcement,' IndyCar said in a statement. 'Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our [intellectual property] not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.' On Wednesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touted recruitment efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying they've received 80,000 applications for 10,000 open jobs. 💡 Perspectives: • The Liberal Patriot: Governing is tough when few agree on basic facts. • Freddie DeBoer: Dems have no plan for Trump's immigration nightmare. • The Free Press: Autoworkers want their unions back. • Sasha Stone: Democrats are trapped in a hell of their own making.
Axios
16 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump doesn't oppose Netanyahu plan for full Gaza occupation: U.S. officials
President Trump does not oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to launch a new military operation to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, U.S. and Israeli officials say. Why it matters: The Israeli Security Cabinet is expected to approve on Thursday a highly controversial plan to expand the war. According to the sources, Trump has decided not to intervene and to let the Israeli government make its own decisions. The big picture: The new operation to occupy additional areas of central Gaza, including Gaza City, is expected to take at least several months and involve displacing around 1 million Palestinian civilians. The Israel Defense Forces would also be moving into areas where Israel believes hostages are being held, possibly risking their lives. Netanyahu is poised to escalate the war despite massive international pressure to stop the fighting and prioritize the humanitarian crisis in the enclave — and over the objections of his own top generals. What they're saying: Two U.S. officials tell Axios Trump won't intervene in the Israeli decision-making around the new operation. When asked on Tuesday about a possible Israeli full occupation of Gaza, Trump said: "I really can't say. It is going to be pretty much up to Israel." Netanyahu and his aides claim Hamas isn't interested in signing a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage deal on terms Israel can accept, and that only military pressure can change that. "We are not willing to remain in the current limbo and we are not willing to surrender to Hamas' demands — so essentially only one option is left, to take a drastic step. This is the last card we have left," a Netanyahu aide told Axios. Behind the scenes: One U.S. official said Trump was moved by the video released by Hamas of an Israeli hostage digging his own grave. "It influenced the president, and he is going to let the Israelis do what they need to do," the official said. At the same time, the U.S. official said the Trump administration doesn't support Israeli annexation of parts of Gaza — another possibility discussed by Israeli officials. Between the lines: The IDF has been reluctant to attack the areas in Gaza that the new plan focuses on for fear of accidentally killing hostages. According to Israeli officials, IDF Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir told Netanyahu such a move would endanger the hostages and could lead to Israeli military rule in Gaza with full responsibility over 2 million Palestinians. "You are walking into a trap," Zamir told Netanyahu in a meeting on Tuesday, according to multiple reports in the Israeli press. It appears that Netanyahu was unmoved. Split screen: The White House plans to focus in the coming weeks on addressing the starvation crisis in Gaza, though the expansion of the war would make that more difficult. In a meeting Monday evening at the White House, Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff discussed plans for the U.S. to significantly increase its role in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. "The United States remains committed to helping alleviate the situation in Gaza and is supportive of efforts to increase humanitarian aid. However, the United States is not 'taking over' the aid effort," a U.S. official told Axios. What to watch: The Trump administration plans to increase its funding to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in order to open new aid centers in parts of Gaza to which displaced Palestinians will be relocated, both in north and central Gaza, sources say.
