Dem gov responds to DOJ lawsuit over trans athletes in girls’ sports
Maine Gov. Janet Mills has responded to the lawsuit that has been filed against her state by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for letting trans athletes compete in girls’ sports.
Mills’ office released a statement on Wednesday, hours after the lawsuit was announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi at a morning press conference.
The statement references a ruling by a federal judge last Friday to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from freezing funding to the state over the issue and investigations by President Donald Trump’s Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services over the last seven weeks.
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“Today is the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law. This matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law. Federal Judge Woodcock’s ruling of last Friday awarding the state a temporary restraining order reinforces our position that the federal government has been acting unlawfully,” the statement read.
“For nearly two months, Maine has endured recriminations from the Federal government that have targeted hungry school kids, hardworking fishermen, senior citizens, new parents, and countless Maine people. We have been subject to politically motivated investigations that opened and closed without discussion, leaving little doubt that their outcomes were predetermined. Let today serve as warning to all states: Maine might be among the first to draw the ire of the Federal government in this way, but we will not be the last.”
Mills also boasted about her political background in the statement.
“For decades — first as a District Attorney, as Attorney General, and now as Governor — I have fought tirelessly for the rights of women and girls, for the health and well-being of children and families, and defending the Constitution of Maine and the Constitution of the United States. My Administration and Maine’s Attorney General will vigorously defend our state against the action announced today from the Department of Justice,” the statement read.
MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE’S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER
“As I have said previously, this is not just about who can compete on the athletic field, this is about whether a President can force compliance with his will, without regard for the rule of law that governs our nation. I believe he cannot.”
The Justice Department has accused the state of “openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls,” according to a complaint obtained by Fox News.
“By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine’s policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm,” the complaint added.
The complaint said the U.S. will seek “judgment granting declaratory injunctive, and damages relief for Defendant’s violations of Title IX and the federal funding contracts it signed promising to comply with Title IX and its implementing regulations.”
The announcement of the lawsuit comes nearly two months after an infamous hostile exchange between Trump and Mills at a White House bi-partisan meeting of governors on Feb. 21. The exchange ended with both Trump and Mills uttering the phrase “see you in court” after Mills insisted her state would refuse to comply with his order.
Now, Trump’s administration has made good on his vow to take the issue to court.
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The state has also launched its own lawsuit against the Trump administration over the recent USDA cuts and a federal judge has also ordered that the funding can not be frozen.
A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is “only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women.”
The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls’ sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.
Notorious government agency would be stripped of guns and ammo under proposed bill
While American taxpayers are familiar with the annual rigmarole of filing their federal taxes and realizing just how much of their hard-earned money Uncle Sam is taking away, several House Republicans are pushing a proposal to take some things away from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): Guns and ammunition.
The “Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act” would disarm the federal agency, prohibiting the commissioner of internal revenue from using funds to buy, receive or store firearms and ammo, and requiring the transfer of IRS firearms and ammunition to the Administrator of General Services.
The guns would then be sold or auctioned to licensed dealers and the ammo would be auctioned to the public.
Proceeds would go to “the general fund of the Treasury for the sole purpose of deficit reduction,” the measure stipulates.
TRUMP SAYS THERE’S A ‘REAL CHANCE’ TARIFFS COULD REPLACE INCOME TAX
The bill states that “there are transferred to the Department of Justice the authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, which shall be maintained as a distinct entity within the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, including the related functions of the Secretary of the Treasury.”
Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., introduced the measure, which is backed by three original cosponsors: GOP Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Mary Miller of Illinois and Clay Higgins of Louisiana.
The IRS says on its website that its “mission is to provide America’s taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and to enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all.”
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But Moore claimed that the federal agency has regularly been “weaponized.”
“The IRS has consistently been weaponized against American citizens, targeted religious organizations, journalists, gun owners, and everyday Americans,” Moore asserted, according to a press release.
“Arming these agents does not make the American public safer. My legislation, the Why Does the IRS Need Guns Act, would disarm these agents, auction off their guns to Federal Firearms License Owners, and sell their ammunition to the public. The only thing IRS agents should be armed with are calculators.”
HAWLEY URGES REPUBLICANS TO CUT TAXES FOR WORKING-CLASS VOTERS WHO ‘PUT TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE’
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In an April 15 post on X, Moore noted, “Tax Day is a great reminder that it’s time for the IRS to stop wasting our taxpayer dollars stockpiling guns and ammo.”
Third top Pentagon official on administrative leave over leaks probe
A third high-level Pentagon staffer has been placed on administrative leave in two days as part of a probe into media leaks.
Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg, was escorted out of the building on Wednesday, following Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff to Hegseth.
“We can confirm that Mr. Carroll has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation. We have nothing additional to provide at this time,” a defense official told Fox News Digital.
Carroll did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PENTAGON DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF IS SECOND HEGSETH ADVISOR REMOVED AMID DOD LEAK PROBE
Last month, the Defense Department (DOD) announced it would launch a probe into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information” and might employ the use of polygraphs to determine the source of the leaks.
“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in a memo. “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.”
GENERAL WHO HELPED TRUMP DECIMATE ISIS TERRORISTS IN FIRST TERM CONFIRMED AS JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN
He wrote that “information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure” would be referred for criminal prosecution.
Caroll, a Marine Corps reservist, most recently worked at defense contractor Anduril, which develops autonomous weapons systems. Both Selnick and Caldwell worked at Concerned Veterans for America, an advocacy group once led by Hegseth.
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The Pentagon has not provided specifics about what the three officials are accused of leaking. An official told Politico that the leak concerned Panama Canal plans and Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon and a second aircraft carrier being deployed to the Red Sea.
The DOD followed the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice in announcing it would use polygraphs to root out alleged leakers. But the DOD memo came after President Donald Trump pushed back on a New York Times report that Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk would be briefed on “war plans” with China during a visit to the Pentagon. Trump said he would not show such plans “to anybody.”
Powerful House Republican set to take on embattled NY Gov Hochul
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is considering a 2026 bid for governor in her home state, multiple sources close to her confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Stefanik was withdrawn from consideration as President Donald Trump’s United Nations Ambassador to shore up numbers of the House Republicans’ narrow majority. She is now the chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.
Sources tell Fox News Digital that she is being encouraged to run by allies of Trump and longtime friends. Stefanik outperformed the president in her congressional district in 2016, 2020 and 2024, which one source says could be an indicator that she could do well with New York’s swing voters. The Republican won with 62% of the vote in her strongly conservative district in November.
On Wednesday, Stefanik made the case for a GOP win in New York this year when she commented on a new poll by Marist which is the latest to indicate that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s approval ratings are underwater with New York State voters.
“This latest bombshell polling proves what every New Yorker already knows: that we must FIRE Kathy Hochul in 2026 to SAVE NEW YORK. Hochul is the Worst Governor in America and it’s not even close,” Stefanik argued in a statement.
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Stefanik is a top Trump ally in the House and the president posted on social media Wednesday morning that “Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!”
The six-term lawmaker has $10 million cash-on-hand through her fundraising entities, and is considered popular among Republican voters in the state. Stefanik was the keynote speaker at a New York GOP event on Tuesday night.
At the time of her nomination’s withdrawal, Hochul said it was a matter of holding the line in Congress.
“I have been proud to be a team player. The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,” Stefanik said on Fox News’ “Hannity” last month.
REP. ELISE STEFANIK EXPLAINS HER ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS
Trump said he would work on finding a replacement pick, which has not been announced yet.
“As we advance our America First Agenda, it is essential that we maintain EVERY Republican Seat in Congress. We must be unified to accomplish our Mission, and Elise Stefanik has been a vital part of our efforts from the very beginning,” the president posted to Truth Social at the time.
“I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,.”
Whoever wins the primary could be running in the general election against Hochul, who had a tough fight against now-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in 2022, when he was in Congress at the time.
SANCTUARY GOVERNORS WALZ, PRITZKER, HOCHUL CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS
Stefanik is far from the only well-known Republican in New York State considering a 2026 run for governor.
Rep. Mike Lawler, who’s in his second term representing the state’s 17th Congressional District, which covers a large swath of New York City’s northern suburbs, is mulling a bid.
“I’ll make a decision at some point – middle of the year. Obviously, you know if we’re going to do it, you got to get out there, and you got to campaign hard,” Lawler said last week in an interview with Fox News Digital.
He added, “I haven’t made a decision yet. I think, obviously, there’s a number of factors in play, but you know, we’re working through that right now.”
Among the other Republicans weighing a gubernatorial run are Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman, who like Stefanik is a major Trump. Longtime Bethany town supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. is also considering a run.
Democrats are salivating over a potential GOP gubernatorial primary in the Empire State.
“New York’s Republican primary is set to be a nasty and vicious race to see who can be the Trumpiest – and most out of touch with New Yorkers,” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe aruged in a statement. “All three potential candidates in this race are running to bring Donald Trump’s extreme agenda of raising costs and taking away fundamental freedoms to Albany – and could not be more out of step with New York.”
It’s been 23 years since a Republican won a gubernatorial election in heavily blue New York State. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. George Pataki’s second re-election victory in 2002.
But with Hochul’s approval ratings and favorable ratings remaining in negative territory, Republicans are optimistic their losing streak will come to an end next year. The governor also faces potential, longshot Democratic primary challenges from her lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres.
In 2022, Zeldin had the best performance by a GOP gubernatorial candidate in New York since Pataki’s 2002 victory. Zeldin lost to Hochul by less than six and a half points.
And Trump lost the state to then-Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 points in last November’s presidential election, but that was a 10-point improvement from his loss margin to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
“What is really telling is that you have three, at least, very qualified Republican candidates looking at it,” a veteran Republican strategist who works on New York State races told Fox News. “I think it shows her [Hochul’s] vulnerability.”
Stefanik’s departure could still have an impact on House Republicans’ razor-thin three-seat majority, but GOP leaders hope to be done with their plans for a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process by the end of this year.
If elected governor, Stefanik would not have to leave the House until the end of December 2025.
Her vote was critical to advancing President Trump’s budget framework legislation earlier this month. The bill appeared at risk of failing during a tense procedural vote last week, but Stefanik – who was among the last to cast her vote – carried it over the top, 216 to 215.
Judge finds probable cause to hold Trump administration in contempt over migrant flights
A federal judge said Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return two planes deporting migrants to El Salvador last month, a major update that comes as tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary have reached a fever pitch.
In a 48-page order, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said that the court had determined that the Trump administration had demonstrated a “willful disregard” for his March 15 emergency order, which temporarily halted all deportation flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to allow the court to better consider the merits of the case.
Boasberg had also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil – which did not happen. Hundreds of migrants arrived in El Salvador later that evening, where the individuals were detained in a sprawling, maximum-security Salvadorian prison.
“The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Judge Boasberg said Wednesday.
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Boasberg instructed the government to file additional declarations by April 23 demonstrating why the court should “purge” any contempt proceedings against it. Should they fail to do so, he said, the court will refer the matter for potential prosecution.
That would involve identifying the individuals responsible for what the judge described as “contumacious conduct,” and “determining whose ‘specific act or omission’ caused the noncompliance,” Boasberg said in his order.
The Justice Department could then request that the contempt be prosecuted by an attorney for the government and, should they decline to prosecute the matter, could “appoint another attorney to prosecute the contempt.”
“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” Boasberg continued, noting that “none of their responses” have been satisfactory to the court.
The Trump administration wasted little time responding to the new court order.
“We plan to seek immediate appellate relief,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said in a social media post Wednesday.
“The president is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country,” he added.
WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?
The order is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Trump officials and Judge Boasberg, who drew the administration’s ire last month after temporarily blocking the deportation of certain migrants to El Salvador.
Last month, Boasberg granted a temporary restraining order for 14 days to allow the court to review Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to immediately deport certain individuals.
Boasberg also issued a bench ruling ordering that all migrant flights be “immediately” returned to U.S. soil. The administration did not comply, and hours later, the planes arrived in El Salvador.
At least 261 migrants were deported that day, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal “solely on the basis” of the law temporarily blocked by the court.
In the weeks since, Boasberg has scolded Justice Department officials for withholding information about deportation flights and demanded an explanation for why they appeared to ignore his emergency injunction halting the removals.
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Boasberg had scolded the Trump administration, including Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign, for failing to comply with repeated requests for information from the court about the individuals deported on the flights and who in the administration knew about the restraining order handed down and when.
He also demanded to know who in the administration ultimately made the decision not to comply with his order to return the planes, telling Ensign in court earlier this month that the information could be relevant in potential future contempt proceedings.
“If you really believed everything you did that day was legal and would survive a court challenge, you would not have operated the way that you did,” Boasberg told Ensign at a hearing earlier this month.
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The judge also contested their suggestion that the administration may not have violated his emergency restraining order, noting in response that the government appeared to have “acted in bad faith throughout the day.”
The Trump administration, for its part, had argued in an emergency appeal that Boasberg’s actions amounted to a “massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens,” whom they alleged who “pose threats to the American people.”
Deadly concerns encroaching on wealthy coastal towns warrant ‘review,’ expert says
At least seven human remains found across Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts between March and April warrant “review and investigation,” according to Pennsylvania-based criminal defense attorney and former Lawrence County District Attorney Matthew Mangino.
Over the last two months, human remains have been located in New Haven, Norwalk, Groton and Killingly, Connecticut; Foster, Rhode Island; and Framingham and Plymouth, Massachusetts.
It is unclear at this point if the deaths of these seven victims are related in any way, and Connecticut State Police told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “there is no information at this time suggesting any connection to similar remains discoveries, and there is also no known threat to the public at this time,” regarding the deaths in Connecticut.
Internet sleuths who are part of a private Facebook page with tens of thousands of members, however, have prompted speculation about a lone-wolf perpetrator.
“Whether it’s coincidental or not, I think it merits review and investigation, at least,” Mangino told Fox News Digital. “Collaboration between the different jurisdictions to determine whether or not there is some threat out there to individuals — that may be going on as we speak. We don’t know that, but I think it does merit that kind of scrutiny.”
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Part of that investigation, Mangino said, should include looking for any kind of “patterns” between the respective deaths or crime scenes.
“These different jurisdictions need to get together and compare notes and reports. You can initially see if there are any similarities between these deaths,” Mangino said. “Were these homicides? I mean, we may find that these are natural deaths or … it could be a suicide, it could be accidental. So, the number one issue is: is there enough to determine the cause and manner of death?”
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Sometimes a serial killer may have a process of “staging” bodies or targeting specific victims who share certain physical features or backgrounds.
“It certainly merits investigation and review.”
Brian Higgins, adjunct faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and former chief of police and director of public safety in Bergen County, New Jersey, noted that three of the victims in these seven cases have been identified as women. Police also believe the victim found in Killingly was a woman in her 40s to 60s.
“Well, you have the remains of seven people — that doesn’t mean necessarily all seven are [victims] of a serial killer,” Higgins said. “It could be, later on, you know, two or three victims. But it brought attention to these deaths, and that’s a positive way to look at that.”
The relatives of Michele Romano, the victim found in Rhode Island last month, have said her death was not related to a serial killer in a post on the Facebook page “Justice for Michele Romano.”
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“In light of the recent comments being made, we know that Michele’s passing is in no way related to any type of serial killer,” the family wrote. “We have complete faith in the Rhode Island State Police and our Private Investigator that the person responsible will be brought to justice sooner rather than later!”
Fox News Digital reached out to Rhode Island State Police.
Higgins said while seven discoveries of remains in a geographically close region over two months is “unusual,” “just because they’re discovered in a short amount of time doesn’t mean necessarily that they’re connected in a timeline as far as death.”
While the remains were located over the span of two months, that does not indicate the victims died around the same time. The remains discovered in Massachusetts, for example, were several months old, according to police.
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Higgins and Mangino pointed to social media as both a tool and a hindrance for police looking into these different cases.
“True crime is the hottest thing on television, on podcasts and social media,” Mangino said. “Certainly, there are times when these amateur sleuths can be helpful to law enforcement, but what it does is it creates a lot of…tension. At times it can make things difficult for investigators who are trying to remain open-minded and not create some sort of tunnel vision where, all of a sudden, there’s concern in the community and panic because people believe there’s a serial killer, and they’re calling law enforcement on neighbors because they think they are acting suspicious.”
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Higgins similarly said that social media “is considered in law enforcement as a two-edged sword.”
“In some respect … it could point law enforcement to other similarities or in a direction they wouldn’t normally have gone. Somebody, just one person as part of this group, might raise an issue that will be that one thread that connects us,” Higgins said. “The other side, of course, is it’s fueling all this attention on this, and it may negatively impact the law enforcement officers … because now you’ve almost tainted a witness pool. People have this slant already that this is a serial killer, and these people were all killed by homicide. So it can interfere.”
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The New England Serial Killer Facebook group, which has 57,000 members, garnered more than 10,000 new members last week and over the weekend, as MassLive.com first reported.
Searches for “New England serial killer” on Google spiked around April 7, according to data from the search engine.
NY AG Letitia James responds after Trump admin accuses her of mortgage fraud
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been hit with shocking allegations by the Trump administration, accusing her of mortgage fraud.
In documents obtained by Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle,” the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice on Tuesday, accusing James of mortgage fraud.
FHFA Director William Pulte said in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that James appears to have falsified records to meet certain lending requirements and receive favorable loan terms.
Pulte cited a property in Virginia that James allegedly claimed as her principal residence and a property in New York she claimed as a four-unit structure instead of five, which he said could mean she was able to get a different and more favorable loan.
In response, a spokesperson for James’ office said Wednesday morning that she has been “focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution. She will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are.”
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Fox News contributor and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told Fox News host Laura Ingraham the irony of James getting accused of falsifying records is “perfectly crushing.”
“This is a person who prosecuted Trump for everything short of ripping a label off a mattress, and among the charges that were brought in New York, in not just the civil but the criminal case, was making false or misleading statements to financial institutions,” Turley said. “As for James, if we apply the Letitia James standard that she created, there’d be little question here. This seems pretty straightforward.”
He explained the Trump administration is saying this was not her principal residence because, as a New York elected official, she has to say her principal residence is in New York.
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James is also accused of saying her father was her husband to file as a married couple, Turley added.
“The Supreme Court just stated earlier in March, in a case called Thompson, that they want to see knowing false statements under sections, like 10-14, not just misleading statements,” Turley said. “These are misleading statements. Either it’s your principal residence or it’s not. Either you’re married to your father or he’s your father.”
The DOJ did not respond to Fox News on the matter.
The issue has been prosecuted in the past, but as Turley said on “The Ingraham Angle,” the “documents themselves are quite damning.”
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Retired NYPD inspector and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital he first reported the allegations against James on his Substack almost 10 weeks ago.
“The documents presented by Sam Antar, and the research he has done, appear entirely authentic,” Mauro said. “In which case, AG James appears to have engaged in the very sort of fraud which she alleged in her ludicrous case against Donald Trump. Let’s see now, if indeed, as AG James has stated herself, nobody is above the law.”
The New York Post reported that the documents show that the property James purchased with her father had both parties listed as “husband and wife” in 1983 and 2000.
“While this was a long time ago, it raises serious concerns about the validity of Ms. James’ representations on mortgage applications,” Pulte reportedly wrote.
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James brought forth a civil fraud suit against President Donald Trump, the Trump Organization and its senior leadership in 2022, frequently sitting in the courtroom throughout the proceedings and celebrating the prosecution of Trump in the Manhattan criminal trial over the 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Trump was ordered to pay a $454 million civil fraud judgment in James’ lawsuit against him, which is currently on appeal.
So far in 2025, James has spearheaded at least five legal actions against the Trump administration, including leading a coalition of state attorneys general to sue the federal government to halt DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s internal systems, and another lawsuit related to the Trump administration slashing grant funding to research institutions and universities.
Investigators baffled after unmanned boat mysteriously washes up on US beach
Florida beach-goers received an unlikely visitor after an unmanned vessel washed ashore last weekend.
A 50-foot shrimp boat named “Miss Montie” ran aground on Beverly Beach, located approximately three miles north of Flagler Beach on Florida’s east coast, on Sunday evening, according to the Flagler Beach Fire Department.
Authorities responding to the scene of the beached vessel were initially unable to make contact with the crew, the department said in a social media post.
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The Flagler Beach Fire Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Upon contacting the U.S. Coast Guard, officials learned the crew was, in fact, accounted for and had been removed from the boat prior to Sunday, Coast Guard Marine Science Technician Brandan Blackwell, who responded to the scene, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
“We are just making sure that everything looks like it’s buttoned up, the vessel is still upright, it’s not capsizing or anything,” Blackwell said. “It’s a steel hull, so it shouldn’t fall apart overnight or anything crazy like that.”
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The ship lost power on Friday night, Corey Thomas, the captain of Miss Montie, told the News-Journal. Thomas reportedly called the Coast Guard after realizing his spare anchor would not hold the ship’s weight.
“I didn’t want to leave the boat drifting,” Thomas said. “The [Coast Guard] told me they couldn’t tow me. And I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t tow me. They told me it was too dangerous.”
Thomas was not immediately available for Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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The Coast Guard reportedly took Thomas and his crew to shore, where Thomas found a boat owner willing to tow his shrimp boat. However, Miss Montie had drifted eight miles in three hours, and the waves were too rough for the ship to be towed, the News-Journal reported.
Thomas attempted to use a second anchor to hold the boat, but the line broke. The next day, Miss Montie arrived on the shores of Beverly Beach.
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“And here she sits,” Thomas said.
The boat was searched and subsequently handed over to local law enforcement. Thomas reportedly hired a larger shrimp boat to haul it off the beach, telling Fox News Digital he was being towed to St. Augustine.
The Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Urgent recall for food sold nationwide at Target due to high levels of lead
A company that makes baby food sold under a Target store brand is recalling more than 25,000 packages of a product because the food may contain elevated levels of lead.
Miami-based Fruselva issued the recall in March for Target’s Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Vegetable Purée, sold in 4-ounce tubs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The packages include lot number 4167, with a best-by date of Dec. 7, and lot number 4169, with a best-by date of Dec. 9.
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Consumers should not feed these products to babies, the notice indicates.
A Target spokesperson told Fox News Digital the recall “involved a limited amount of product, which we took immediate action to remove from our shelves.”
Because the recall was initiated in March, no impacted products are in circulation, the spokesperson said.
The recall is listed as Class II, which means the products are unlikely to cause serious harm but still have the potential to result in temporary or reversible problems.
There is no safe level of exposure to lead for children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Exposure to the heavy metal can cause developmental and cognitive problems.
“As the lead levels rise, children may complain of non-specific symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, loss of appetite or constipation,” according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Children with signs of clumsiness, agitation or decreased activity and drowsiness may be showing signs of central nervous system (CNS) involvement that may rapidly proceed to vomiting, stupor and convulsions. Symptomatic lead toxicity must be treated as an emergency.”
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Most baby food in the U.S. can contain no more than 10 parts per billion of lead — while root vegetable baby food and dry cereals are allowed 20 parts per billion, according to FDA standards listed on its website.
Anyone who has the recalled baby food is asked to call corporate guest relations or go to a Target store for a full refund.
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