Politics (RSS)

U.S. Capitol police officer Harry Dunn speaks with CNN's Jim Acosta after Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said the January 6 riot at the Capitol was not an insurrection.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado on Sunday challenged Americans to approach political disagreements with respect in their mission to elevate "civic dialogue across the country."

Seven Republican presidential candidates have, as of Sunday, met the polling requirements to appear on the August debate stage following new polling from Fox Business in Iowa and South Carolina.

FIRST ON FOX: The campaign for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis released a six-minute video showing liberal media personalities repeatedly labeling the Republican presidential candidate as "more dangerous" than former President Donald Trump. The DeSantis War Room on Sunday posted the video, "6 MINUTES Of The Left Admitting They Fear DeSantis More Than Trump," which features commentary from an array of left-wing commentators including Van Jones, David Pakman and Olayemi Olurin. "This guy is worse than Trump," Jones says in the video.  "I honestly believe DeSantis was forged in Hell. There’s no doubt in my mind," Olurin says in the video.  DESANTIS SAYS TRUMP NOT ONLY DIDN'T FULFILL MAJOR PROMISE, IT GOT WORSE "If you thought Donald Trump was bad, you got another thing coming," says Maxwell Frost. The commentators in the clip make their point by arguing DeSantis is more "savvy," "disciplined" and "competent" than Trump and would be more capable of executing the Republican agenda. "The Trump agenda would be far more likely to be carried on by people less cartoonishly problematic, and Ron Desantis is a perfect example of such an individual," Pakman argues in the video. "He’s honestly more sinister, you know why? Because there’s less buffoonery to it," Olurin says. "Based on what he’s done in five years in Florida, what would he do with all the levers of power in the White House?" former Rep. David Jolly, D-Fla., says in the video. The Trump campaign issued a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday saying the liberal talking points are irrelevant. "President Trump has been dominating in poll after poll – both nationally and statewide," the campaign said. "It's not what commentators or pundits think, it's about what the voters think, and they are clearly behind President Trump in a big way." "The fact is that President Trump will be the nominee and will beat Crooked Joe Biden because he's the only person who can supercharge the economy, secure our border, safeguard communities, and put an end to unnecessary wars," the statement added. "Americans want to return to a prosperous nation and there’s only one person who can do that – President Trump." On the campaign trail, DeSantis repeatedly points to his overwhelming gubernatorial re-election last November in the once-purple Sunshine State. "What we did was not just a big victory. It was really a fundamental realignment of Florida from being a swing state to being a red state," DeSantis recently touted on the campaign trail. According to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released last week, Trump’s lead over DeSantis is shrinking.  Trump leads DeSantis by 37% to 23% in the poll, which is five percentage points down from the previous UNH survey in April. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

For all their complexity, the Trump-related prosecutions have not significantly constrained the ability of prosecutors to carry out their regular duties, officials have said.

The scope of Jack Smith’s investigation of former President Donald J. Trump greatly exceeds that of the special counsel investigating President Biden’s handling of classified documents after he left the vice presidency.

The Supreme Court decision last month ruling against affirmative action in higher education could dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in corporate America, experts say.  On Thursday, the Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision said that colleges and universities could not include race considerations in their admissions process, effectively outlawing what's known as affirmative action and upending previous legal precedent that allowed it. The decision has sparked debate on if and how it could influence other sectors of public life, including the hiring and promotion practices of companies and corporations.  Fox News Digital spoke with experts who say the decision could mean that corporations could be held liable for "woke-ism" in DEI programs and policies. THOMAS BLASTS JACKSON'S 'RACE-INFUSED WORLD VIEW' IN SUPREME COURT RULING OUTLAWING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Will Hild, executive director of Consumers' Research, says that case could expose companies who prioritize race in staffing decisions as violating the Civil Rights Act.  "That fig leaf has now gone. There's no question that affirmative action, racially based hiring and promotion schemes violate the Civil Rights Act," Hild said.  "And you no longer have this even potential loophole of the affirmative action jurisprudence. I think one you're going to see a lot of companies, their legal compliance officers, are going to review what their DEI departments are doing and probably tell them to cut it out," he said. "I think you'll see a lot of companies who might even get rid of their DEI departments because the philosophy around the DEI is almost directly in contradiction with law to begin with," he added.  SUPREME COURT REJECTS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN RULING ON UNIVERSITIES USING RACE IN ADMISSIONS DECISIONS Hild said that while most affirmative action legal precedent has involved higher-ed, corporations had still been relying on that jurisprudence to justify certain DEI practices.  "This is going to put wind in the sails of groups like mine and others who are focused on getting the ‘woke-ism’ out of corporate America. "They no longer even have this fig leaf of this pre-Harvard case jurisprudence," Hild said. Hild said that during 2020-2022, he saw companies engaging in "hiring promotion schemes" that in some cases were "explicitly racially based." Now, those companies could be exposed to litigation.  "And they were already I think, playing with fire there and inviting some pretty serious litigation. Now, there really isn't even a legal argument to be made that they can engage in this kind of behavior." Hild said.  HARVARD REACTS TO SUPREME COURT AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING: DIVERSITY IS 'ESSENTIAL TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE' "If they're doing it explicitly, it's going to be a very fast and negative case for them," Hild said.  "And if they're doing it quietly, I think they're playing with fire. If it comes out in emails or communications that, they may not have said it on the job application, but they were discriminating quietly within the company, they're not going to have any legal defense at this point that their goals were noble and so it's okay. It's just flat out illegal now," he said.  Gene Hamilton, general counsel for America First Legal said that the Supreme Court decision signals the "writing on the wall" for corporations.  "If I was advising major corporations and law schools and medical schools and everything else, I would tell them to immediately get out of the business of racial preferences and out of the business of racial quotas," Hamilton said.  "Because what we see is the writing on the wall. We see the fact that there is no tolerance amongst the majority of Supreme Court for these types of divisive programs," he said.  "Tread carefully," Hamilton warned, "there is a lot of liability for employers in this space." Justice Clarence Thomas said that the court's decision "sees the universities’ admissions policies for what they are: rudderless, race-based preferences designed to ensure a particular racial mix in their entering classes." "Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences, challenges, and accomplishments. What matters is not the barriers they face, but how they choose to confront them. And their race is not to blame for everything — good or bad — that happens in their lives," Thomas said. "A contrary, myopic world view based on individuals’ skin color to the total exclusion of their personal choices is nothing short of racial determinism."

Kevin Morris, an attorney and adviser for Hunter Biden, was spotted Thursday smoking a bong on the balcony of his Malibu, California, home while the president's son was visiting. Morris appeared to be puffing on the white bong in plain view of the public street outside the home. Hunter Biden was at the Malibu home at the time of the bong rip but was not present on the balcony when the photos were snapped, according to photos obtained by Fox News Digital. It's unclear what substance Morris appeared to be smoking, but recreational marijuana is legal in California. Hunter's visit to Morris' house, which was first reported by Daily Mail, comes as the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the Biden family finances took a sharp turn this week with the Thursday release of an FBI document detailing how he, along with his dad, President Biden, allegedly "coerced" Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired. HUNTER BIDEN'S ‘SUGAR BROTHER’ KEEPS THE FIRST SON AFLOAT AMID MULTIPLE SCANDALS Morris, a prominent Hollywood attorney, has assumed an increasingly big role in Biden's life, to the point that the wealthy lawyer has been dubbed Hunter's "sugar brother." That role has involved a wide range of areas – from financial support, to helping write a book, to lending a private jet. Indeed, Biden, 53, flew to and from the Arkansas courthouse for his May child-support hearing aboard a luxury private jet owned by Morris, according to the New York Post, which cited flight and business records. The jet took off from Los Angeles on April 30 just after 7 a.m., flew cross-country to Washington, D.C., where it landed, and then went to Arkansas for the hearing the next morning. Afterward, the jet left around 11:30 a.m. to return to D.C. The 7,326-mile round trip likely cost between $55,000 to $117,000, the Post reported, noting the total was the equivalent value of up to six months of Biden's child-support payments. Beyond the child-support hearing, the Post cited flight records showing Morris' plane landing in or taking off from Fayetteville, Arkansas, at least nine times between February 2022 and April 2023. Fayetteville is the home of Biden's financial adviser, Edward Prewitt. BIDENS ALLEGEDLY 'COERCED' BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM Morris has helped Biden maintain his allegedly lavish lifestyle, according to several reports, covering at least some of the first son's rent and living expenses. Perhaps most famously, Morris loaned more than $2 million to Biden to help pay off the first son's overdue taxes, which are in part the subject of a years-long Justice Department investigation into possible tax evasion and other potential crimes. Morris has additionally advised Biden on a host of legal, personal and financial matters, ranging from his child-support lawsuit to how to respond to ongoing federal probes in his taxes and business affairs. Biden lawyer Chris Clark told CBS News last year that Morris is serving as an "attorney and trusted adviser" to the first son. Emails and business records indicate Morris also controls Biden's valuable assets. Indeed, Biden's stake in a Chinese private equity firm called BHR is now controlled by Morris, the Washington Free Beacon recently reported. Specifically, Morris controls Skaneateles, which holds Biden's 10% stake in BHR. An amended joint venture contract for BHR Partners first obtained by the nonprofit investigative group Marco Polo, identifies Morris as the managing member of Biden's LLC. BHR Partners is co-owned by the Beijing-controlled Bank of China and manages $2.1 billion in assets.  Biden initially invested $420,000 in BHR Partners in October 2017 through his personal company, Skaneateles LLC. His interest in the company spiked to an estimated $894,000, according to a March 2019 email from his former business partner, Eric Schwerin. Additionally, amid the ongoing investigations into Hunter Biden's business dealings, Morris assisted him in finishing his 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," which chronicled his drug and alcohol addictions. Biden included Morris – who reportedly found a high-powered literary agent for the first son – as part of "the outstanding team behind this book" on the acknowledgments page of his memoir. Morris has also worked on a documentary project that's expected to build on the memoir's story of redemption while portraying Biden as the victim of attacks from conservatives and Republicans in recent years.  Morris allegedly lied to get on to the film set of "My Son Hunter," an independent movie that presents a fictionalized and unflattering account of Biden's drug use and foreign business dealings. According to several reports, Morris flew to Serbia with two colleagues, identified himself by name to the film crew, and said he was making a documentary about Biden's alleged "corruption" without revealing their relationship. Morris and his two colleagues were given full access to the set for several days, taping hours of footage for the supposed documentary. However, when revelations about Morris' connection to Biden first came to light last year, Phelim McAleer, a producer of the film, called the lawyer's behavior "unethical," adding that "if I had known that he was providing legal and media consult to Hunter Biden, I would have treated him rather differently." Morris didn't immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Fox News' Brooke Singman and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

This week on "Face the Nation," U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district includes 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, discusses the tacts along the border. Plus, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on the measures her city is taking to deal with the extreme temperatures.

President Biden has cautioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against pursuing a proposal to rein in Israel’s judiciary, a plan that has deeply divided Israeli society.

President Isaac Herzog of Israel met with President Biden in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

On this "Face the Nation" broadcast, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie join Margaret Brennan.

Presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence tells CNN's Dana Bash that he hasn't yet hit the 40,000 donor requirement to be on the Republican debate stage but says "we will make it."

Presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence tells CNN's Dana Bash that he believes "judgment" about Trump's conduct on January 6 should be left to voters to decide.

Presidential candidate and former Vice President Mike Pence tells CNN's Dana Bash "I want to give that unborn child every chance at life," even in cases where doctors determine the pregnancy is not viable.

Empower Oversight, a group of lawyers including former aides to Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, is part of a constellation of groups facilitating G.O.P. investigations in Congress.

Former aides for Senator Charles E. Grassley have testified in Congress.

Former Vice President Mike Pence called former President Donald Trump's actions during the Jan. 6 protest at the U.S. Capitol "reckless," but said he isn't "confident" his former boss committed any crimes.  "I have said many times that the president's words were reckless that day. I had no right to overturn the election. But while his words were reckless, I, based on what I know, I'm not yet convinced that they were criminal. I obviously wasn't there for every meeting," Pence said on CNN's "State of the Union." Last week, Trump announced he received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith stating that he is the target of a Jan. 6 grand jury investigation. The former president said he anticipates both an arrest and indictment. Pence, who is running for president in the 2024 election, said he hopes "it does not come to" an indictment against Trump regarding the 2020 election and Jan. 6, while noting that he believes he personally handled the day well.  TRUMP SAYS HE IS DOJ JAN. 6 GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION TARGET "I know I did my duty that day," Pence told CNN's Dana Bash.  "In one town hall after another, across New Hampshire, I heard a deep concern… about the unequal treatment of the law, and I think one more indictment against the former president will only contribute to that sense among the American people," Pence said. "I would rather that these issues and the judgment about his conduct on Jan. 6 be left to the American people in the upcoming primaries, and I’ll leave it at that." Pence added that he didn't "know what [Trump's] intention was" on Jan. 6, 2021, and summed up what he witnessed from the former president as "reckless." TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE "I believe that history will hold him accountable. I believe that Republican primary voters know that we need new leadership in this party. I know that some of the pundits and the pollsters think it's different out there," Pence continued.  If indicted over Jan. 6, this would be the third indictment Trump has faced this year.  PENCE BRINGS IN JUST $1.2 MILLION IN BID FOR PRESIDENT, RAISING DOUBT OVER ELIGIBILITY FOR DEBATES The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump in March in regard to payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty in that case and has denied sleeping with Daniels or falsifying business records to keep the payment concealed.  Trump was indicted again in June related to alleged willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. Trump pleaded not guilty and dismissed the charges as a "witch hunt." Trump slammed the Department of Justice after receiving a letter showing he is the target of a grand jury investigation into his actions on Jan. 6, calling the matter another "witch hunt."  "Joe Biden’s Attorney General, Merrick Garland, who I turned down for the United States Supreme Court (in retrospect, based on his corrupt and unethical actions, a very wise decision!), together with Joe Biden’s Department of Injustice, have effectively issued a third indictment and arrest of Joe Biden’s NUMBER ONE POLITICAL OPPONENT, who is largely dominating him in the race for the Presidency," Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

Former President Donald Trump said in a new interview clip aired Sunday that President Biden is not up to the task during a precarious time for the U.S. amid growing tensions around the globe. "Look, this is the most dangerous time in the history of our country because of weaponry. The nuclear power is so enormous. This isn't two Army tanks going and shooting each other in World War I, World War II, soldiers standing behind a bunker and shooting people," Trump said during a sit-down interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. "This is obliteration," Trump added in the interview, the second half of which aired Sunday on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "And we have a man that doesn't understand what he's doing. We have a man that … stood up and told the whole world that we have no ammunition," Trump said of Biden. "Do you know I had every ammunition building full to the brim three years ago. We've given it all away. But if you gave it all away – terrible. The only thing worse than that is to tell the world. … He has told China and these other places that are hostile that we have no ammunition." BIDEN LETS AMERICAN MILITARY INFO SLIP DURING LIVE INTERVIEW, SPARKING BACKLASH  "You talk about classified documents. That's worse than any document that you could give," Trump continued, apparently in reference to the federal indictment against him with regard to classified documents found during an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago estate last year. "So, now these people are sitting back in China and other places that hate us, including North Korea, where I had a very good relationship with Kim Jong Un and kept our country safe. They're talking about the United States of America has no ammunition. Think of it. How stupid can somebody be to say that?"  During an interview on CNN this month, Biden let slip while explaining the controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine that the United States is low on 155 mm artillery ammunition rounds, sparking outrage on social media as critics called the commander in chief's competency into question. "It was a very difficult decision on my part. And by the way, I discussed this with our allies, discussed this with our friends up on the Hill," Biden told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on July 9, ahead of the president's travel to Europe to attend the NATO conference in Lithuania. "And we're in a situation where Ukraine continues to be brutally attacked across the board by munitions, by these cluster munitions that are – have DOD rates that are very, very low, very high, that are dangerous to civilians, No. 1." BIDEN TANGLES WITH REPORTER WHO QUESTIONS US COMMITMENT TO NATO: 'NO ONE CAN GUARANTEE THE FUTURE' "No. 2, the Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. The ammunition that they to call them, 155 millimeter weapons," Biden said. "This is a war relating to munitions and the running out of those that ammunition. And we're low on. And so what I finally did and took the recommendation of the Defense Department to not permanently but to allow for in this transition period where we have more 155 weapons, these shells, for the Ukrainians." A White House official walked back Biden's comment that the United States is running out of ammunition when asked to comment on criticism in response to Biden's live CNN interview. "The military has specific requirements for the numbers of weapons systems and ammunition we maintain in our reserves in case of contingencies or military conflict," a White House official previously said in an email to Fox News Digital. "Everything we send to Ukraine is in excess of that. So, the U.S. is not running out of ammunition ourselves." Fox News' Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

On CNN's State of the Union with Dana Bash, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sharply criticizes a new Alabama congressional map that defies a court order to add a second majority-Black district.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado tell CNN's Dana Bash that Americans need to "have authentic conversations with those that we disagree with."

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah tells CNN's Dana Bash that he believes the 2024 election will be the "most divisive election of our lifetimes."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells CNN's Dana Bash that Speaker Kevin McCarthy is "playing politics" by supporting efforts to expunge Trump's two impeachments.

On CNN's State of the Union, Dana Bash speaks with former Department of Homeland Security Chief of Staff Miles Taylor, CNN Political Commentators Ashley Allison and Karen Finney, and CNN Senior Political Commentator Scott Jennings about new polls from Iowa and South Carolina showing Trump as the clear GOP frontrunner, as well as Florida's controversial set of new standards for how Black history should be taught in the state's public schools.

Nancy Pelosi said on Sunday that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was "playing politics" with the idea of expunging former President Donald Trump's two impeachments.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells CNN's Dana Bash that President Biden has to "make sure the American people know" how his economic policies are benefiting them.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells CNN's Dana Bash that the potential January 6 indictment against former President Trump has to be about "the facts and the law."

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he's "not yet convinced" that Donald Trump's actions on January 6, 2021, were criminal, as the former president faces a potential indictment over his actions that day.