Politics

The fierce rivalry between former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., continued full throttle this week as the two traded jabs in separate media interviews centered on questions about divisions within the Florida congressional delegation. “You have a cross-section [of the delegation],” McCarthy told Politico when asked about the House’s Florida Republicans. “You have Gaetz, who belongs in jail, and you have serious members.” McCarthy’s criticism appeared to be referencing the ongoing probe of Gaetz by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of his funding. WATCH: KARINE JEAN-PIERRE STORMS OUT OF WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING WHEN PRESSED BY AFRICAN REPORTER Gaetz later hit back at McCarthy, telling the outlet those were “tough words from a guy who sucker punches people in the back,” referencing recent allegations that McCarthy assaulted Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., by elbowing him in the kidneys. “The only assault I committed was against Kevin’s fragile ego,” he added. The two never appeared to have a rosy relationship, but the back-and-forth worsened after Gaetz filed a motion to vacate against McCarthy in October, setting up the vote that ultimately removed McCarthy as House speaker. MORE AMERICANS THAN EVER THINK US HEADED IN WRONG DIRECTION AS CONGRESS’ APPROVAL NEAR ROCK BOTTOM: SURVEY McCarthy frequently took shots at Gaetz throughout the subsequent process of selecting a new House speaker, which ultimately landed in the lap of now-House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Gaetz and Burchett were two of eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy. The Florida congressman called for a House ethics investigation into McCarthy on Nov. 14, after the alleged assault of Burchett.  CONFIDENCE IN US PRESIDENCY HITS LOWEST POINT EVER AS TRUMP LEADS BIDEN IN 2024 REMATCH: SURVEY McCarthy denied the incident was intentional, but Burchett said he saw it in a different light. “You don’t expect that sort of thing from an adult, certainly not one who was once third in line for the White House,” he told reporters. “I’ll take a polygraph test. And have Kevin take a polygraph test,” Burchett added. “It was deliberate. It was just a cheap shot by a bully.”
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North Carolina trial judges on Thursday blocked portions of a new law that would transfer Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s authority to pick election board members to the Republican-dominated General Assembly. Following a 90-minute hearing, the three state judges agreed unanimously to issue a preliminary injunction sought by Cooper. His lawyers argued that the alterations to the State Board of Elections and county boards in all 100 counties need to be stopped now or his directive in the state constitution to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” will be harmed irreparably. The Republican legislative leaders whom Cooper has sued can appeal the decision to the state Court of Appeals. The outcome of the injunction request and Cooper’s broader litigation on the law, which was enacted just last month, could affect how the 2024 elections are administered in the ninth-largest U.S. state, where races for president and governor are likely to be closely contested. The changes would take effect on Jan. 1. NORTH CAROLINA EXPANDS MEDICAID COVERAGE, PROVIDING HEALTH CARE TO HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN NEED The state elections board currently comprises five members appointed by the governor — a format that goes back to 1901. The governor’s party always holds three of the seats. The new law, which went into effect after Republican lawmakers overrode Cooper’s veto, would increase the board to eight members appointed by the General Assembly based on the recommendations of top legislative leaders from both parties. This would likely create a 4-4 split among Democrats and Republicans. For several years, Republicans have pushed unsuccessfully to alter the composition of the board: They’ve been thwarted both by court rulings and a constitutional amendment that voters rejected in 2018. Republican lawmakers say this measure is different, however, and will promote bipartisan election administration and consensus. And with Republicans now holding five of the seven seats on the state Supreme Court, supporters hope the state’s highest court is more inclined to uphold the law. Cooper and his allies have countered that the changes are a GOP power grab that will lead to board impasses that could erode early voting access and send outcomes of contested elections to the courts or the General Assembly to settle. “Administering fair, secure elections is critical for our democracy and the courts have repeatedly found that partisan legislative attempts to take over the State Board of Elections are unconstitutional,” Cooper said in a written statement after the judges’ ruling. A spokesperson for Senate leader Phil Berger, who along with House Speaker Tim Moore is a chief defendants in Cooper’s lawsuit, said that legislative leadership would continue to fight to ensure that “North Carolinians trust the outcomes of the 2024 elections.” “The legislature voted to make the State Board of Elections a truly bipartisan board with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. Gov. Cooper sued to have it controlled by only Democrats,” Berger spokesperson Lauren Horsch said. In presenting their arguments, Cooper’s lawyers relied on three state Supreme Court decisions going back 40 years that they say demand that a governor have control over executive agencies to carry out laws. Such control is necessary so that the governor can appoint a majority that shares his views and priorities, attorney Jim Phillips said. One of the previous court rulings, in 2018, struck down a previous iteration of the state elections board that also would have the membership split evenly among Democrats and Republicans, but appointed by Cooper. The latest law, Phillips told the judges, is “a far more egregious, invasive and unconstitutional structure.” An outside attorney for Berger and Moore, Martin Warf, argued that the law should be carried out while the lawsuit continues. He also wrote this week that since the state constitution fails to expressly prohibit the legislature from forming the elections board in this manner, the judicial branch should not decide the issue. “If there is no limitation on the General Assembly’s authority to make laws, then they can make those laws if they deem it wise in the matter of public opinion,” Warf said Thursday. If the law takes effect on time, changes could happen quickly. For example, if a new eight-person state board can’t agree on hiring an executive director by Jan. 10, the law directs Berger to name one. NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS GIVE FINAL APPROVAL TO CURB DEMOCRATIC GOV. COOPER’S APPOINTMENT POWERS Republicans have been critical of current Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell — hired by the board’s Democratic majority four years ago — in part for a legal settlement that extended deadlines to receive mail-in absentee ballots in the 2020 election. Superior Court Judges Lori Hamilton and Andrew Womble — both Republicans — and Edwin Wilson, a Democrat, didn’t give a reason in court for issuing the injunction later Thursday. But Hamilton suggested during questioning that allowing the law to be carried out on Jan. 1 — only to have it be possibly struck down later — could cause confusion and disarray in a presidential election year. “It seems to me that it’s seriously dangerous to be making changes of this nature” when the Supreme Court struck down a previous version of the board advanced by legislators, Hamilton said. The new law is not the only one being targeted by opponents. At least three lawsuits filed by Democrats and allied groups have been filed challenging a law that would tighten some rules for early in-person voting and eliminate a three-day grace period to receive and count absentee ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. Those changes would take effect with the March primaries.
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Most drivers would pay $15 to enter Manhattan’s central business district under a plan released by New York officials Thursday. The congestion pricing plan, which neighboring New Jersey has filed a lawsuit over, will be the first such program in the United States if it is approved by transportation officials early next year. Under the plan, passenger car drivers entering Manhattan south of 60th Street during daytime hours would be charged $15 electronically, while the fee for small trucks would be $24 and large trucks would be charged $36. Cities such as London and Stockholm have similar programs in place, but New York City is poised to become the first in the U.S. DEM-RUN CITY EXPANDS ASYLUM ASSISTANCE TO MIGRANTS AMID STINGING BUDGET CUTS DUE TO RAGING CRISIS Revenue from the tolls, projected to be roughly $1 billion annually, would be used to finance borrowing to upgrade the city’s mass transit systems. The proposal from the Traffic Mobility Review Board, a New York state body charged with advising the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the tolls, includes discounts for travel between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and for frequent low-income drivers. Government vehicles such as municipal garbage trucks would be exempt. Taxi drivers would pass a $1.25 surcharge onto their passengers for entering the congestion zone, while app-based ride-hail passengers would see a $2.50 surcharge. Officials say that in addition to funding needed transit improvements, congestion pricing will result in improved air quality and reduced traffic. “Absent this we’re going to choking in our own traffic for a long time to come and the MTA is not going to have the funds necessary to provide quality service,” Carl Weisbrod, chair of the traffic review board, said in presenting the report to MTA officials. Opponents include taxi drivers, who had pushed for a full exemption. NYC SUBWAY WORKER DIES AFTER BEING DRAGGED UNDER TRAIN “The city has already decimated the taxi industry with years of unregulated, unchecked competition from Uber and Lyft, and the MTA seems poised to land a final blow to the prospect of stability and modest survival,” Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York City Taxi Workers Alliance, said in a news release. “If this proposal is implemented, thousands of driver families will get dragged back into crisis-level poverty with no relief in sight.” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy criticized the traffic mobility board’s proposal after some news organizations reported on it Wednesday ahead of its official release. “The Traffic Mobility Review Board’s recommended credit structure is wholly inadequate, especially the total lack of toll credits for the George Washington Bridge, which will lead to toll shopping, increased congestion in underserved communities, and excessive tolling at New Jersey crossings into Manhattan,” Murphy, who filed a federal lawsuit over congestion pricing in July, said in a statement. The MTA board will vote on the plan after a series of public hearings scheduled for February 2024.
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A country music star will perform at Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s second inauguration, while health care workers and public school educators will serve as grand marshals of the parade as details of the daylong ceremonies on Dec. 12 came into focus on Thursday. Other inaugural events in Kentucky’s capital city will include a breakfast reception, worship service and nighttime ball as Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman begin their second four-year terms. The Democratic governor defeated Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron in the Nov. 7 election to settle one of the nation’s most closely watched campaigns of 2023. DEMOCRAT ANDY BESHEAR WINS GOVERNOR RACE IN DEEP-RED KENTUCKY, A MAJOR BLOW TO REPUBLICAN HOPES AHEAD OF 2024 Beshear, who raised his national profile by winning reelection in a decidedly Republican-trending state, will lay out themes for the second half of his governorship during his inaugural speech. The inauguration ceremony in the afternoon will include a performance by country music star Tyler Childers, a native of Lawrence County in eastern Kentucky. Beshear said Thursday that he got to know Childers when the singer performed at an Appalachian Regional Commission conference. “You could tell how important home and place is to him,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. Kentucky natives-turned-stars like Childers and rapper Jack Harlow serve as ambassadors for the Bluegrass State, the governor said. Beshear has formed a friendship with Harlow. “What we’re seeing right now is, whether it is in entertainment or in other areas, so many Kentuckians not only succeeding but really proud of being a Kentuckian,” Beshear said. “And I think that’s really important, as we are rewriting our history and we’re writing a new future.” KENTUCKY GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE OF COMMISSIONER RUNNING TROUBLED JUVENILE JUSTICE AGENCY Beshear is looking to build on the state’s record-setting pace of economic development from his first term. At the inaugural parade, the focus will be on the past and future — symbolized by the choice of health care workers and educators as grand marshals. They will represent the health care professionals who treated Kentuckians during the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters that hit Kentucky during Beshear’s first term, and the teachers who are preparing the next generation of Kentuckians. “We want to pay tribute to how Kentuckians have come together and gotten through so many hard times over the past four years,” first lady Britainy Beshear said at Thursday’s news conference. “And how together, we have moved forward to arrive where we are today as we build a bright future. “Kentuckians have met every challenge with love, compassion and empathy for one another. And that is exactly how we must approach the next four years,” she added.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said during a Congressional hearing that there’s no reason for the public to be alarmed over a spike in respiratory illness in China. Cohen made the comments during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on Thursday. Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission earlier in November reported an increase in the number of respiratory diseases, which prompted the World Health Organization to press the CCP for additional data. The spike in illnesses in children has been linked by Chinese health officials to known pathogens, according to the WHO. UN DELEGATES CIRCULATE PETITION TO SHUT DOWN US NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION AS GLOBAL CLIMATE SUMMIT KICKS OFF Cohen said during the hearing that the CDC believes there isn’t a new virus. “We believe there is no new or novel pathogen,” Cohen said. “These are related to existing pathogens — COVID, flu, RSV and mycoplasma, a bacterium that can infect the lungs.” According to Cohen, the explanation by China for the spike was corroborated by “other sources from our European Union partners and others to make sure that we are getting a complete picture.”  OVER HALF THE PEOPLE WHO GET COVID HAVE LINGERING SYMPTOMS AFTER 3 YEARS, NEW STUDY FINDS Republicans on the committee said there seem to be similarities in China’s handling of this outbreak. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said the spike is eerily reminiscent of the early stages of COVID-19. “It brings us back, sadly, to the early days of covid-19,” Rodgers said. “The lack of reliable information coming out of China is a troubling parallel to 2020.” Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said “We are hoping that you can put some pressure in an attempt to try to get China to not mislead the world as they did with covid-19.”
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Democratic voters lost an attempt to block New Hampshire’s newly drawn state Senate Executive Council districts after the state Supreme Court ruled that their claims fall outside the jurisdiction of the judicial branch. In a 3-2 decision Wednesday, the court upheld the dismissal of the lawsuit, saying New Hampshire’s Constitution authorizes the Legislature to draw electoral maps, and courts can only get involved when lawmakers fail to comply with specific constitutional requirements. FORMER NH LAWMAKER FACING FELONY, MISDEMEANOR CHARGES LINKED TO OUT-OF-DISTRICT MOVE The suit was filed last year after the redrawing of the 24 Senate districts and the five districts for the Executive Council, which approves state contracts, judicial nominees and those nominated to lead state agencies. With the newly drawn boundaries, Republicans maintained their 14-10 majority in the Senate and 4-1 advantage on the council in the 2022 elections. The plaintiffs, including former House Speaker Terie Norelli, alleged that the districts violated the New Hampshire Constitution because they were drawn for the purpose of partisan advantage. In the suit against Secretary of State David Scanlan, they argued the Legislature both “packed” Democrats into a small number of districts and “cracked” the remaining Democratic voters by dividing them among multiple districts so they fall short of a majority in each. The court’s majority, however, agreed with the lower court, saying the case presented non-justiciable political questions. “This opinion means that in New Hampshire, partisan and political questions related to redistricting will continue to be placed where they belong: in the hands of the people’s elected representatives,” Attorney General John Formella said in a statement. The court did take action on the state’s Congressional district maps last year, adopting a plan just before the filing period opened for the 2022 elections. The court stepped in after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed two maps approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature that would have given Republicans a greater advantage in the 1st District. In the end, the new map didn’t differ much from the old; it moved five towns from the 1st District to the 2nd to reflect population changes. Both seats are held by Democrats.
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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, blasted Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., during a hearing Thursday that ended in Democrats subpoenaing Republican donor Harlan Crow and conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to subpoena Crow and Leo after consideration of several judicial nominees. In his opening remarks, Durbin said the subpoenas are “key pieces of our legislative effort to establish an effective code of conduct” for the Supreme Court. The hearing contained several contentious moments, with Republican committee members warning of precedents they said Democrats were setting with their actions. Cornyn fired directly at Durbin after allegedly not allowing Republicans to speak. SENATE COMMITTEE VOTES TO SUBPOENA HARLAN CROW, LEONARD LEO IN SUPREME COURT ETHICS INVESTIGATION “Mr. Chairman, you just destroyed one of the most important committees in the United States Senate,” Cornyn said. “And you set a precedent, which will be repeated every time one party or the other takes advantage and takes the low road. It sets a precedent that will then become the norm.” “Congratulations on destroying the United States Senate Judiciary Committee,” he said. Democrats have long sought to cross-examine Crow and Leo, the vice president of the Federal Society, as part of an ethics probe into allegations that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito failed to disclose luxury vacations paid for by the conservatives, who are also their friends. Thursday’s vote comes weeks after the Supreme Court issued a new “Code of Conduct” in response to months of heightened scrutiny from Democrat lawmakers and news reports. Durbin said the self-imposed ethics code “falls far short” and urged Congress to impose more stringent standards on the high court. Republicans have panned Democrat-sponsored legislation, the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency (SCERT) Act, as a “court-killing machine” that would “destroy the legitimacy of the conservative court.” They argue that federal judges are already bound to an ethics code, including Supreme Court justices, and that an act of Congress on the judiciary would unconstitutionally infringe on a separate and co-equal branch of government. CONSERVATIVE JUDICIAL ACTIVIST AGAIN SPURNS DEMANDS FROM SENATE DEMS REGARDING SUPREME COURT INVESTIGATION For decades, Leo has been a part of the Federalist Society, which liberal activists have criticized for its involvement in helping advise and lobby former President Trump through the nominations of Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. And following the hearing, Leo told Fox News he would not cooperate with the Senate Democrats. “Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have been destroying the Supreme Court; now they are destroying the Senate,” Leo said. “I will not cooperate with this unlawful campaign of political retribution.” Leo has also come under the microscope of Washington, D.C.’s, Democrat attorney general, Brian Schwalb, who launched an investigation into Leo’s network this past summer. Schwalb’s office faced criticism for targeting Leo while ignoring a similar liberal dark money network overseen by the Arabella Advisors consulting firm. However, after the criticism, Schwalb’s office also opened a probe into the Arabella Advisors-managed network.
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Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail.  Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s happening: -Fauci set to be grilled for the first time by a Republican House Majority for the first time… -DeSantis & Newsom square off in televised debate tonight on Hannity. Follow the Fox News live blog for the latest updates… -Grand Central Station shut down by Pro-Palestinian protests… Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut on Wednesday. He was 100. The German-born American served as a diplomat, academic and presidential adviser, and continued to impact American politics in the private sector after leaving office. His stamp on U.S. foreign policy spanned decades and he was responsible – for better or worse – for systematically changing the standing of the U.S., China, Russia and others. After the news of his death broke, dignitaries from around the world commented on his life and legacy. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called Kissinger’s death a “huge loss.” But not everyone spoke well of the deceased diplomat. Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly said it was time to reassess Kissinger’s legacy. “His indifference to human suffering will forever tarnish his name and shape his legacy,” Connolly posted on X. ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’: Rolling Stone, other liberal outlets jubilant over Kissinger’s death …Read more BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Fauci set to be grilled by House GOP majority for first time …Read more ‘THIS WILL HAUNT THEM’: Santos torches Dems ahead of House expulsion vote, teases call to remove progressive House member …Read more GETTING SCHOOLED: Jim Banks blasts college professors who criticized him over antisemitism letter …Read more ‘CHERRY PICKING’: Expert blows up left’s favorite narrative on guns after tense Senate floor exchange …Read more FINGERPRINTS: GOP bill would mandate fingerprinting for kids crossing the border illegally …Read more FULL STEAM AHEAD: House GOP to huddle Friday discussing vote on formalizing Biden impeachment inquiry: Sources …Read more GAGGED: Appeals court reinstates order restricting Trump during NY fraud trial …Read more NO MORE ‘DRAMA’: Nikki Haley’s first campaign ad calls for ‘moral clarity,’ leaving behind past ‘chaos’ …Read more PRIME-TIME SHOWDOWN: What DeSantis, Newsom aim to gain from ‘Hannity’ debate …Read more ‘IF NECESSARY’: Kamala Harris reveals she would ‘of course’ inform the American public if there was a ‘problem’ with Biden …Read more IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID: Democratic strategist declares voters are ‘wrong’ for not giving Biden enough credit on the economy …Read more PRO-LIFE LEGISLATION: Ohio Secretary of State consulted anti-abortion groups while drafting Issue 1 ballot language …Read more ‘YOU CAN’T HIDE’: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators shout at Hillary Clinton outside Columbia class …Read more ELECTION INDICTMENT: Arizona Republican officials charged over delayed certification of 2022 election results …Read more ‘EXCITING PLANS’: Top American university hosts controversial official who praised CCP …Read more WHICH IS IT: CBS says economy ‘better’ than government thought after reporting people need ‘extra $11,400’ to afford basics …Read more TRAIN DOWN: Grand Central Station shut down due to Palestinian protests …Read more 
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Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., is planning on introducing a bill Saturday commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine, which the congresswoman says is “now more important than ever” as “China, Russia and Iran are trying to invade the Western Hemisphere” and win domineering influence on Latin America over the United States.  As China specifically peddles influence through the Belts and Roads project, essentially bankrupting Latin American countries on the promise of helping them build new roads, dams and bridges, Salazar argues that the U.S. over the past two to three decades has essentially “forgotten the Western Hemisphere.”  “And that is why these evil empires like Russia, China and Iran are invading our territory,” Salazar told Fox News Digital. “So we, the United States, we have to wake up and understand that this is our territory and that no other country is going to treat the Latin Americans better than the United States.”  “Before, 200 years ago when Monroe signed it, it was Spain, France and England. They did not have the same type of malicious agenda as the Chinese, the Russians and the Iranians. That’s why we need to protect America for the Americans,” the congresswoman said. “Because the United States happens to be in the Western Hemisphere is the most generous country — or superpower in the world. And we have the great luck — or blessing to be neighbors with the United States. And that’s why we need to keep the relationship very close.”  President James Monroe articulated what became to be known as the “Monroe Doctrine” on Dec. 2, 1823, telling members of Congress in his seventh annual message that, “a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization” by foreign powers.  META OFFICIALS WARN CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN PLAN ‘FOREIGN COVERT INFLUENCE OPERATIONS’ AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTION To commemorate its 200th anniversary, Salazar will introduce a resolution Saturday calling on the House to reassert “the rights and interests of the United States, in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine, to oppose a foreign power extending malign influence that could endanger or undermine the democracies of the Western Hemisphere,” and recognize “the principles of hemisphere freedom and independence, as enshrined in the Monroe Doctrine, as an enduring foundational cornerstone of the foreign policy of the United States.” At its onset, the Monroe Doctrine “asserted a spirit of solidarity with the newly independent republics of Latin America” and the United States at a time when the Russian Empire was attempting to claim and colonize areas of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The U.S. government also evoked the Monroe Doctrine in 1865 to help exert “diplomatic and military pressure” in helping the Mexican president at the time to lead a successful revolt against the French Empire.  Notably, President John F. Kennedy invoked the Monroe Doctrine nearly a century later when the Soviet Union built missile launch sites in Cuba in 1962, and as part of the successful actions of his administration to see the Soviet missiles withdrawn from the dismantled missile launch sites in Cuba.  Two centuries after the doctrine’s inception, Salazar told Fox News Digital that countries like China and Russia easily peddle influence from across the globe through social media.  “China, the only thing they want to do is that they want to penetrate and then make those countries slaves like they have with the Uyghurs,” Salazar said. “The Chinese — the way they treat their own citizens, how do you think they’re going to treat the Peruvians or the Ecuadorians better?… The United States has been a very beneficial influence in the Western Hemisphere since the Spanish crown was kicked out in 1810. So let’s keep it that way.” CHINA TRAINS CHILDREN FOR ‘IRON ARMY’ IN LATEST EFFORT TO CREATE NATIONAL ‘COMBAT READINESS’: REPORT Salazar told Fox News Digital she believes the massive influx of illegal immigrants making the treacherous journey through Latin America and toward the U.S.-Mexico border is evident of which world superpower has the best perception of taking care of its inhabitants.  “That’s why all of Latin America wants to cross the southern border and come to the United States because they know that the United States is the best out of all the superpowers. I don’t see the Hondurans and the Nicaraguans trying to go to China. I see the Chinese trying to come to the United States through Central America,” Salazar said. “Unfortunately, the problem is that because we have been so absent from Latin America, we have been so distant. That’s why the Chinese have found a pathway. But the moment that Latin America understands that the United States is back to be with them and to fund and to bring some prosperity through the American companies, those doors will be shut to China and Russia.” The Biden administration has faced intense scrutiny from Republicans in Congress over his administration’s handling of the border crisis.  U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June about the Biden administration’s efforts “to strengthen global energy security and counter the PRC’s attempts to create economic dependencies and to coerce others through its ‘Belt and Road’ and similar initiatives.” “In Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States remains the partner of choice – a message I heard repeatedly during my recent trip to Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago,” Pyatt assured lawmakers earlier this year. “But we also see the PRC targeting Latin America for investments in critical minerals, energy grids, and renewables.”  According to a draft of the resolution obtained by Fox News Digital beforehand, Salazar stresses how the 2023 posture statement from the U.S. military’s southern command, which is responsible for planning and security operations in South and Central America and the Caribbean, “acknowledges that external malign actors like the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation are aggressively exerting influence over neighboring countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and raises concerns about Iranian intelligence and security activities.”  The southern command also “notes that the People’s Republic of China is encroaching upon sensitive critical infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere through investments, including in deep-water ports, cyber facilities, and space facilities which can have a potential dual use for malign commercial and military activities,” and notes that “the Russian Federation undertakes extensive disinformation campaigns in Latin America, bolsters authoritarian regimes like the Republic of Cuba, the Republic of Nicaragua, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and pursues military engagement and gray zone operations in this region”  The northern command, responsible for coordinating with the defenses of coordinating with the defenses of Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas,” warned in its 2023 posture statement, “Our competitors and potential adversaries, particularly the People’s Republic of China and Russia, continue to challenge the rules-based ‘international order’ and ‘’seek to advance their interests and gain global advantages through political intimidation, economic coercion, cyber and information operations, asymmetric attacks on infrastructure, and the direct threat or actual employment of military force,’” Salazar’s resolution says. 
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FIRST ON FOX: The National Rifle Association (NRA) slammed a Democrat-led bill Thursday that would restrict magazine capacity and outlaw firearms with a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds. “This legislation blatantly violates the U.S. Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court rulings by banning the very types of firearms and magazines most often utilized by Americans for defending themselves and their families,” Randy Kozuch, Executive Director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, told Fox News Digital in a statement Thursday.  “This bill unjustly and improperly places the full burden of the law on law-abiding residents, while doing nothing to take guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals. The NRA opposes this legislation and will fight to protect the constitutional freedoms of all law-abiding Americans,” he said. Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Angus King, I-Maine, introduced the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion Act (GOSAFE) a month after a gunman opened fire in Lewiston, Maine, and killed nearly 20 people.  NRA SLAMS DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR’S GUN ORDER, ISSUES HARSH ADVICE GOSAFE targets how weapons operate versus how they look. Lawmakers propose strict regulations for gas-operated semi-automatic weapons, creating a prohibited firearms list, preventing illegal modifications, mandating approval for future designs and preventing self-manufactured ghost guns. “For years, I have said that rather than using the appearance of these guns to restrict them, we should instead focus on how these weapons actually work and the features that make them especially dangerous,” King said in a statement Thursday. “The Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act addresses the lethal capacity weapons like the one used in Lewiston and most of the deadliest mass shootings across the country. Nothing can bring back the lives of our family and friends, but responsible actions moving forward can reduce the likelihood of such a nightmare happening again in Maine or anywhere else.” SENATE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE BILL CODIFYING RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS ‘OUTSIDE YOUR HOME’ The bill is cosponsored by Democrat Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Michael Bennet of Colorado.  The Firearms Policy Coalition, a nonprofit advocacy group for Second Amendment rights — also opposes the bill. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the group said Thursday the bill “is one of the most aggressive rights violations yet.” “Many common-use firearms will be banned. Self-built firearms will be banned. Many self-modifications will be banned. Standard capacity magazines will be banned,” the post read. The bill comes as Democrats have been vying to pass harsher gun control laws across the country. This month, an Oregon judge blocked the state from enforcing a voter-approved law, which also proposes banning the sale of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds.
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