Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’ passes House despite GOP rebellion
President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” passed the House of Representatives early on Thursday morning with few Republican defections.
It is a significant victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who navigated deep inter-party friction within the House GOP Conference to deliver a product that few Republican lawmakers ultimately defected from.
The bill passed 215 to 214 with just two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voting against it. All Democrats voted against the bill as well, and House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted “present.”
The bill is a sweeping multi-trillion-dollar piece of legislation that advances Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.
TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ PASSES KEY HOUSE HURDLE AFTER GOP REBEL MUTINY
Republicans spent more than 48 hours continuously working on the bill from the time it came before the House Rules Committee – the final gatekeeper before a House-wide vote – at 1 a.m. on Wednesday to when it passed the chamber just after 7 a.m. on Thursday.
“It quite literally is morning again in America,” Johnson said. “What we’re achieving today is nothing short of historic.”
All the while, Democratic lawmakers attempted a variety of delay tactics, from introducing amendments targeting key Trump policies to forcing several procedural votes on the House floor ahead of debate on the legislation.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., notably spoke on the House floor for over 30 minutes just before the vote in a last-ditch effort to stretch out the seemingly endless day of debate and votes.
“This bill represents a failed promise. Last year, Donald Trump and House Republicans spent all of their time to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America,” Jeffries said on the House floor. “We’re now more than 120 days past the inauguration. Costs aren’t going down, they’re going up.”
Tensions flared at multiple points as visibly weary lawmakers continued to fight their ideological battle into the early morning.
HOUSE GOP TARGETS ANOTHER DEM OFFICIAL ACCUSED OF BLOCKING ICE AMID DELANEY HALL FALLOUT
Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., who was presiding over the House at the time, warned Jeffries multiple times to address the chair in his remarks rather than directly attacking Republicans sitting across the chamber.
“Every time I’m interrupted, that’s going to add another 15 minutes to my remarks,” Jeffries said as Democrats sitting around him sounded off in support.
The bill seeks to permanently extend Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) while also implementing newer Trump campaign promises like eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, and giving senior citizens a higher tax deduction for a period of four years.
The legislation also included new funding for the border and defense, including more money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and $25 billion to kick-start construction of a “Golden Dome” defense system over the U.S.
At the same time, the legislation seeks to make a dent in the federal government’s spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending elsewhere. The U.S. government is more than $36 trillion in debt.
Cuts include new work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients, as well as putting more of the cost-sharing burden on states that took advantage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s expanded Medicaid enrollment by giving illegal immigrants access to the healthcare program.
The legislation would also roll back a host of green energy tax credits awarded in former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – which Trump vowed to repeal in its entirety on the campaign trail.
It also would cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by roughly 20% by introducing some cost-sharing burdens on the states and increasing the amount of able-bodied Americans facing work requirements to be eligible for food stamps.
All House Democrats rejected the bill, accusing Republicans of disproportionately favoring the wealthy at the expense of critical programs for working Americans. Republicans, on the other hand, have contended that they are preserving tax cuts that prevent a 22% tax increase on Americans next year if TCJA was allowed to expire, as well as streamlining programs like Medicaid and SNAP for vulnerable Americans who need it most.
Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chair of the House’s 189 member-strong Republican Study Committee, told Fox News Digital, “This transformational legislation permanently extends President Trump’s historic tax cuts, provides unprecedented funding for border security, and obliterates the last four years of catastrophic Democratic policies.”
And while most GOP lawmakers united on the final bill, divisions appeared to persist until the final moments. Conservatives had pushed for more aggressive targeting of Medicaid waste and Biden green energy subsidies, while blue state Republicans pushed for tax relief for Americans in high-cost-of-living areas.
To resolve outstanding differences, House Republican leaders released a list of eleventh-hour changes to President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” hours before their full chamber is expected to consider the legislation.
New provisions in the bill include a ban on federal funding for transgender adults’ medical care, and $12 billion in new funding to reimburse states for money they spent countering the former Biden administration’s border policies.
MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE
A key request from fiscal conservatives was also honored, with House GOP leaders apparently agreeing to speed up the implementation of work requirements for certain able-bodied recipients of Medicaid.
The bill initially had Medicaid work requirements going into effect in 2029.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of the fiscal hawks leading GOP opposition to the bill, told Fox News Digital just after midnight Thursday that he was not sure if the legislation went far enough – but suggested the White House could persuade him with other avenues for change.
“There are things in the executive space, executive actions that we think could take care of … some of our concerns on the Medicaid expansion,” Roy said.
The legislative update also included a victory for blue state Republicans who have been pushing for a higher state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap – the current $10,000 cap would be quadrupled to roughly $40,000, but only for people making less than $500,000 per year. The $10,000 cap was first instituted in TCJA.
“This is what real leadership looks like. President Trump and House Republicans made a promise to the American people to secure our border, protect seniors, cut taxes on tips and overtime, and shut off the spigot of benefits for illegal immigrants,” first-term Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital, “More than 77 million Americans made clear at the polls that they want President Trump’s America First agenda codified into law, and our ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ delivers on this promise.”
But while House GOP leaders are enjoying their hard-fought victory now, the battle over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is not over.
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Senate Republicans have already signaled they expect to make changes to the bill when it reaches the upper chamber, despite House GOP leaders publicly urging them to amend as little as possible.
There is a significant number of senators who have expressed wariness at the level of Medicaid and SNAP cuts sought by the House. An increase to the SALT deduction cap could also be met with skepticism in the Senate, where no Republican represents a blue state – unlike the House, where New York and California districts are critical to the majority.
The House and Senate must pass identical bills before sending them to Trump’s desk for a signature. GOP leaders have signaled they hope to do that by the Fourth of July.
Expert explains how Chinese illegal aliens are using western city as staging ground
An immigration expert says that the flow of Chinese illegal aliens into the United States could largely be supported by the Chinese community in a western Canadian city and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is likely using known Canadian smuggling routes to sneak operatives into the U.S.
As southern border crossings have ground to a virtual halt, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian, shared his thoughts on the continuing flow of Chinese illegal aliens from the north.
“It would be logical if they’re trying to come across the northern border instead,” he told Fox News Digital. “And there are lots of Chinese people in Vancouver. I mean, there’s this very large Chinese population, Hong Kong population, etc.”
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Krikorian said the Chinese population in Vancouver is not so much “teeming with spies” as it is a tool that serves as cover for potential Chinese bad actors looking to cross into the U.S.
“Whether they’re regular criminals or whether they’re People’s Liberation Army operatives, or who knows what, a Chinese community gives them a medium through which to move where they’re not alien,” he said.
“It’s kind of like one of Mao’s sayings,” Krikorian said. “‘The people are like the sea and the revolutionaries are like the fish.’ In other words, they use the people as the sea through which [the revolutionaries] swim.”
CHINESE NATIONAL SMUGGLED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO AMERICAN TERRITORY AS US SEES INFLUX FROM ADVERSARY
According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of Chinese nationals caught crossing into the U.S. via the northern border so far in fiscal 2025 is 4,042. The total in fiscal 2024 was 12,414.
The fiscal year closes at the end of September, meaning that the U.S. is on pace for fewer crossings by Chinese nationals this year than last.
“It would make perfect sense that they (the CCP) would use preexisting Chinese communities and networks as the medium through which they get into Canada and then [it’s] kind of a jumping off point to get into the United States,” Krikorian said.
Krikorian said potential Chinese illegal aliens enter Canada in various ways, including through student visas and tourist visas, which allow them to be in proximity to the U.S. border in the first place. He also said he believes smuggling routes are well known to Chinese officials and that the smuggling is facilitated by local CCP allies.
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“A lot of them must be hiring smugglers just because if you don’t know the ropes, how do you know where to go and who to talk to and what part of the border to sneak across?” he said. “It’s harder than it looks.”
Krikorian said he does not believe there is currently a grand conspiracy to send groups of Chinese spies into the U.S. via the northern border, especially because of the Trump administration’s stricter policies on border security.
An operation like that, he said, would more likely occur with more relaxed border policies like the ones during the Biden administration and that the CCP is patient and calculated enough to simply wait until America’s borders are open again.
However, he said it was unfathomable to think that China would give up on exploiting America’s border weaknesses or using preexisting smuggling routes they have used in the past.
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“I think the main thing is just people coming for dishwashing jobs, like regular illegal aliens,” he said. “But if there’s a flow like that, the People’s Liberation Army is not stupid. They’re going to salt it with people they’re going to want to use in the future, whether it’s saboteurs or spies or what have you.
“Does anybody think the Chinese Communist Party is stupid enough not to have taken advantage of this opportunity Biden gave them? No.”
Oval Office meeting erupts into tense Trump exchange with NBC reporter
President Donald Trump ripped an NBC reporter for questions about the Department of Defense accepting a jumbo jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One.
“The Pentagon announced that it would be accepting a Qatari jet to be used as Air Force One,” an NBC reporter asked Trump in a news conference during the South African president’s visit Wednesday to the White House.
“What are you talking about? You know, you ought to get out of here,” Trump responded.
The question regarding the Qatari jet was asked immediately after Trump directed his staff to lower the lights and show video footage of the treatment of White farmers in South Africa during his meeting with the African nation’s president.
ESPIONAGE, CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS ABOUND FROM TRUMP DETRACTORS, ALLIES OVER QATARI JET OFFER
The Trump administration began welcoming white Afrikaners from South Africa to the U.S. in the past week as they face “unjust racial discrimination” in their home country, according to the administration.
“What does this have to do with the Qatari jet?” Trump shot back at the reporter, believed to be NBC News’ Peter Alexander, before slamming NBC News for trying to divert the meeting’s topic from genocide in South Africa.
“They’re giving the United States Air Force a jet. OK? And it’s a great thing. We’re talking about a lot of other things. It’s NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw,” Trump said. “You are a real … you know, you’re a terrible reporter. No. 1, you don’t have what it takes to be a reporter. You’re not smart enough. But for you to go into a subject about a jet that was given to the United States Air Force, which is a very nice thing.
“They also gave $5.1 trillion worth of investment in addition to the jet. Go back, you ought to go back to your studio at NBC because Brian Roberts and the people that run that place, they ought to be investigated. They are so terrible the way you run that network. And you are a disgrace. No more questions from you,” Trump continued.
“His name is Peter something. He’s a terrible reporter,” Trump added as he began calling on other reporters for questions.
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Fox News Digital reached out to NBC News for comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a reply.
Fox News confirmed earlier Wednesday that the Department of Defense had formally accepted a 747 jetliner from Qatar.
Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized Trump after he announced the Department of Defense planned to accept a jumbo jet from the government of Qatar earlier in May, arguing the gift is riddled with both espionage concerns and constitutional questions.
HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR ‘IMMEDIATE’ ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP
At the heart of Democrats’ concern over the matter is the emoluments clause in the Constitution, which states, “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
It’s questionable if the emoluments clause even applies to the president, however, because the Constitution typically stipulates when a clause specifically affects a president and cites the title, such as in the impeachment clause, Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, previously told Fox News Digital.
TRUMP CLARIFIES OWNERSHIP OF AIRCRAFT IN DEFENSE OF QATAR’S GIFT
“The clause was specifically inserted because of concerns by the founders at the Constitutional Convention over corruption of our foreign diplomats, especially by the French government,” von Spakovsky explained.
“It is questionable whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president since he is not named, and the Constitution usually names the president when a provision applies to him. That is why the impeachment clause specifically provides that it applies to the ‘president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States.’ If ‘officers’ of the U.S. included the president, there would be no need for him to be separately listed.”
Von Spakovsky said if the plane is a government-to-government gift — meaning if Qatar gave the plane to the Department of Defense and not as a personal gift to the president — the Trump administration is likely in the legal clear to accept the gift.
“If this gift is being considered as a gift to the government of the U.S., there is no legal issue to consider, since there is no constitutional or legal problem with such a gift. If this is a personal gift to the president, the Justice Department would be weighing the constitutional issue I have raised — whether the emoluments clause even applies to the president,” he said.
TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET
Trump and his administration have previously and repeatedly said the jet would be given to the Department of Defense and used as a temporary Air Force One because Boeing has not yet delivered a new fleet of Air Force One aircraft.
“We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump said during a press conference on drug prices Monday morning. “You know, we have an Air Force One that’s 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it’s not even the same ballgame.
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“When I first came in, I signed an order to get (the new Air Force One fleet) built,” he added. “I took it over from the Obama administration, they had originally agreed. I got the price down much lower. And then, when the election didn’t exactly work out the way that it should have, a lot of work was not done on the plane because a lot of people didn’t know they made change orders. That was so stupid, so ridiculous. And it ended up being a total mess, a real mess.”
Senate report: Biden officials downplayed COVID vaccine myocarditis risks
U.S. health officials knew about the risks of myocarditis from COVID-19 vaccines but downplayed the concern and delayed informing the public about the risks of taking the jab — that is according to a new Senate report released by Sen. Ron Johnson Wednesday.
Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has been investigating the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Earlier this year, he subpoenaed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the pandemic.
SEN. RON JOHNSON: THE COVID COVER-UPS HAVE TO END
The interim report, spanning 55 pages, obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital, revealed that Biden administration officials “withheld crucial health information from the Subcommittee and the public.”
Since 2021, Johnson has sent more than 70 oversight letters, which he says were “either completely ignored or inadequately addressed.”
The report highlights the records Johnson has obtained pursuant to the subpoena from the new, Trump administration-led health agency. Specifically, the report focuses on HHS’ awareness of and response to cases of myocarditis—a type of heart inflammation—following COVID-19 vaccination.
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Johnson’s report says the 2,473 pages of records he obtained “contain evidence of the Biden administration’s efforts to downplay and delay warning the public about the risks of myocarditis associated with the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.”
The report points to records from May 2021, in which health officials at HHS discussed whether to issue a formal warning about myocarditis.
According to the report, the formal warning about myocarditis was initially going to be distributed nationwide as a Health Alert Network message, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is CDC’s “primary method of sharing cleared information about urgent public health incidents with public information officers; federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local public health practitioners; clinicians; and public health laboratories.”
However, Johnson’s report said that health officials at CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “ultimately decided against issuing a formal HAN and, instead, posted ‘clinical considerations’ on CDC’s website about myocarditis.”
“Based on the subpoenaed records the Subcommittee has received to date, as well as public FOIA documents, this interim report will highlight records and present a timeline showing U.S. health officials knew about the risk of myocarditis; those officials downplayed the health concern; and U.S. health agencies delayed informing the public about the risk of the adverse event.”
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The report also highlights the Israeli Ministry of Health notifying officials at the CDC in February 2021 of “large reports of myocarditis, particularly in young people, following the administration of the Pfizer vaccine.”
The report also highlights documents showing CDC officials discussing “safety signals” for myocarditis with mRNA vaccines in April 2021 based on Defense Department and Israeli data, but “still not taking immediate steps to warn the public.”
Documents obtained by Johnson also show CDC officials communicating with Moderna and Pfizer representatives about the risks.
Johnson also obtained “draft meeting notes from late May 2021 exchanged between U.S. public health officials which included the question: ‘Is VAERS signaling for myopericarditis now?,’ and the answer: ‘For the age groups 16-17 years and 18-24 years, yes.’”
“VAERS” is an acronym for the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
FLASHBACK: SEN. RON JOHNSON CONFRONTS HHS SECRETARY ABOUT REDACTED FAUCI EMAILS ON COVID-19 ORIGINS
“Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the ‘suggested increased risks’ of myocarditis and pericarditis,” the report states. “Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans.”
The report added that the Biden administration’s decision “to downplay the COVID-19 vaccine health risks and delay warning the public about cardiac-related adverse events associated with the mRNA vaccines jeopardized the public’s health.”
According to the report, as of April 25, 2025, VAERS reported 38,607 deaths and more than 1.6 million “adverse events worldwide associated with the administration of COVID-19 injections.”
Of the more than 38,000 deaths, the report said 25% occurred on Day 0, 1, or 2 following injection, compared to “2,663 deaths reported to VAERS associated with the flu vaccine over a period of 35 years.”
“No other reports of adverse events associated with any other drug or vaccine even come close to these statistics,” the report states. “And yet, those who oversaw the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to insist it is safe and effective, without providing the data to prove their claims.”
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Johnson’s report demands that the “full extent” of the Biden administration’s “failure to immediately warn the public about all COVID-19 vaccine adverse events must be completely exposed.”
“The American people fund the federal health departments and agencies with their hardearned tax dollars,” the report states. “The information developed by these departments and agencies belong to the American people, and should be made fully and transparently available.”
The report states that as “the roadblocks are removed and more documents that have been hidden and withheld for years become available, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will provide transparency and let the American public see what is their right to see.”
Pro golf greats weigh in as Trump confronts South African president on farmers
A pair of high-profile South African golfers were thrown into a tense exchange at the White House Wednesday.
Ernie Els and Retief Goosen joined Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, for a meeting in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump.
While the meeting between the two leaders got off to a cordial start, the tenor of the meeting took a noticeable turn when Trump confronted Ramaphosa with a video that allegedly showed grave treatment of white farmers. Trump also presented Ramaphosa with documents he claimed were accounts of killings of “thousands” of Afrikaners.
Ramaphosa offered multiple denials to the claims and made it clear the statements made in the videos were not representative of his government’s policies. Els and Goosen were then brought into the discussion.
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Trump welcomed the golfers as he introduced the South African president.
“I really appreciate that you guys came along. It really helps us in our thought process,” Trump said. “You two guys are fantastic,” Trump added. “What a group of golfers South Africa has had.”
JALEN HURTS MAINTAINS HE ‘WASN’T AVAILABLE’ FOR EAGLES’ WHITE HOUSE VISIT
Els previously held the world’s No. 1 golf ranking. He presented his passport and said he was a “proud South African” before referencing “the apartheid era” and calling for unity.
“I know there was a lot of anger through the transition. There was a lot of stuff happening in the apartheid days,” he said. “We grew in the apartheid era, but I don’t think two wrongs make a right.”
Els added he was eager to attend the meeting and hoped it would prove beneficial for his country.
“We really wanted to meet you, meet the administration and see our way forward because we still want to see our country flourish,” Els added.
Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open winner, was asked about the farms in South Africa.
“My dad was a property developer as well as a part-time farmer, and, yeah, some of his buddy farmers got killed. The farm is still going. My brothers run it, but it’s a constant battle with farms. … They’re trying to burn the farms down, to chase you away. So it is, it is a concern to try make a living as a farmer. … Without our farmers, there’s no food on the plate.”
Goosen said his family members who lived on farms had electric fences and lived in fear of crime.
“They left behind electric fences, you know, try to be, at night, safe. But it is constant whenever you leave that something could happen. … Both of them have been attacked in their houses. My mom’s been attacked in our house when she was 80. It is difficult. But the guys live a great life despite everything going on.”
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Els and Goosen are well acquainted with the sitting U.S. president. Prior to Trump’s first term in office, he posted a photo on social media of himself and Els.
“Ernie Els and myself at Trump National Doral,” he captioned the 2013 Facebook post.
Trump is an avid golfer. His real estate portfolio also includes golf courses.
Broken cities, bad governance: Blue state city residents voting with their feet
On the surface, newly-released data from the Census Bureau looks to be good news for big cities. In the wake of the Covid panic that drove residents to the suburbs and beyond, city populations generally rebounded. “Cities of all sizes grew on average from 2023 to 2024,” the Bureau reported. “Cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains”.
The number – 94 percent of cities showing population growth – is impressive, overall. But a closer look tells another story – about some of the largest “blue” state cities, governed by Democratic mayors. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia continue to have lower populations than in 2020. New York City has had the largest drop – from 8.805 million to 8.478 million, or 3.7 percent. Philadelphia’s population has fallen by 1.9 percent; Chicago’s by 1 percent, and LA’s by .5 percent.
An even slightly-closer look at these cities’ quality of life and affordability – factors that are the function of the effectiveness of their local governments – offers explanations for the trend.
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Housing costs in New York, according to the national tracking service RentCafe, are 21.8 percent higher than the national average – despite the fact that the city has more price-regulated and public housing than any other. Low turnover rates in the nearly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments help drive up the price of the remaining market-rate housing, as city residents play a costly game of housing musical chairs, with those not able to get apartments priced artificially low forced to pay more. Where is housing cheaper? Look to Houston, which has gained 3.9 percent in population. Its housing costs are the mirror image of New York City’s – 21 percent lower than the national average. Not surprisingly, Houston’s population, per the Census, is 3.9 percent higher than it was in 2020.
To explain Chicago’s population loss, look to its crime rate. The Windy City last year led the nation in murders – 653 – almost twice the number of Baltimore, the city with the second-highest number. Instances of gang violence have spread from the low-income South Side to the “miracle mile” of downtown’s Michigan Avenue. Yet for the privilege of being subjected to high crime, Chicagoans have paid more and more – and more – in property taxes. As the civic group Chicago Federation reports, between 2014 and 2024, Chicago increased its property taxes by $2.7 billion, or 53.3 percent, compared to an inflation rate of 35 percent. The separate property tax levied by the Chicago Public School (CPS) district, increased $1.4 billion, from $2.4 to $3.8 billion. Yet, according to the Illinois Policy Institute, “in spring 2024, 30.5% of CPS students in third through eighth grade met proficiency standards in reading and 18.3% were proficient in math.” A 2022 report found that, in 55 Chicago public schools, zero percent of students were proficient in either.
Los Angeles, another population loser, stands out on another measure: street homelessness, as exemplified by the tent encampments in its Skid Row area. The city’s 71,000 homeless constitute, per the Brookings Institution, 670 for every 100,000 residents. Even more notably, 70 percent of LA’s homeless, some 472 per 100K are “unsheltered”, higher than any major city except San Jose—which is also among the few cities with lower populations than in 2020. It’s no wonder that California Governor Gavin Newsom, with his eye on higher office, has moved to ban street encampments in the state.
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The other population-losing cities have their own versions of the same stories. Philadelphia ranks among the homelessness leaders, with 18 percent of the homeless among the “unsheltered”, the highest number among cities in the Northeast. The unsheltered homeless rate in San Jose, down 1.6 percent in population, stands at 77 percent, the nation’s highest.
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It’s fair to argue that the combination of mild weather and air-conditioning, over the long term, has lured Americans from the Northeast and Midwest to the Sunbelt. But the new Census data shines a light on what’s happening right now, as cities even in California as well as the Rust Belt and the Northeast, fail to recover their pre-Covid population levels. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that ineffective governance has played a role; crime and homelessness, high tax levels and poor-performing public schools are not magnets to draw back former residents or draw in new ones. The fact that all the population-losing cities are run by Democratic mayors helped Donald Trump win the popular vote; even in New York City he ran better than he had in 2020.
Cities can be the engines of economic innovation and prosperity. But not if local government fails to provide effective essential services. Americans have given a negative Census report card on just those services, delivered to some of our largest cities.
Former NOPD chief slams Sheriff Hutson’s ‘checkered past’ after recent jailbreak
Former New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas is criticizing what he described as New Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson’s “checkered past” after 10 inmates escaped a parish jail last week.
Since the inmates escaped from a hole behind a toilet in a jail cell the morning of May 16, authorities have recaptured five and arrested one correctional officer in the jailbreak.
“Sheriff Hutson has had a very checkered past in the last 15 years in the city of New Orleans, with multiple complaints of administrative failures as the [former] independent police monitor, multiple complaints as the sheriff and the consent decree management and multiple complaints of ethical violations that have resulted in findings by the Louisiana Ethics Board,” Serpas told Fox News Digital.
TWO MORE ARRESTED TODAY FOR ALLEGEDLY AIDING NEW ORLEANS JAILBREAK FUGITIVES
“It’s no surprise to the people of New Orleans that incompetence[e] is key to her leadership style, and the people deserve so much better.”
The escaped inmates, some of whom are charged with violent offenses, including murder, were being held in a minimum-custody site at the Orleans Parish prison. The jail is only at 60% staffing, and at the time of the escape, four supervisors and 36 staff members were monitoring 1,400 inmates, authorities said.
Hutson did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital, but she did announce a temporary suspension of her re-election campaign in a statement Wednesday morning.
“As I said today, I take full accountability for the breach that occurred under my leadership,” Hutson said. “I am grateful to the community, our law enforcement partners and city and state leaders for helping us to secure the Orleans Justice Center and capture the remaining escapees,” Hutson said in a statement.
“We’ve taken immediate action, including suspensions, an arrest and full cooperation with the attorney general’s investigation.”
LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL EXPECTS MORE ARRESTS IN NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE INVESTIGATION
She added there is “a long road ahead” of her “to be fully satisfied that the [Orleans Justice Center] and my deputies have the proper resources to perform their duties to the fullest extent the people of New Orleans deserve.”
“I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs.”
“As such, I am temporarily suspending my re-election campaign. I cannot spend a moment putting politics over your needs,” she said. “Now is the time to focus on security, accountability, and public safety. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with other agencies and community organizations to hear your valuable input and make necessary changes.”
FIFTH ESCAPED INMATE FROM NEW ORLEANS JAIL RECAPTURED AFTER DAYS ON THE RUN
Serpas noted there was historically low voter turnout for the sheriff election in December 2021, when less than 60,000 votes were cast, representing just 27% of New Orleans Parish registered voters. It was similar to that year’s mayoral race, at 28% turnout.
Hutson faced ethics charges over nepotism and other complaints in September 2024 and whistleblower lawsuits from former administrators between 2023 and 2024, FOX 8 New Orleans reported.
LOUISIANA JAIL WORKER ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HELPING 10 INMATES ESCAPE ORLEANS PARISH FACILITY
When asked his thoughts on the arrest of a jail employee, 33-year-old Sterling Williams, who is accused of helping the inmates escape, Serpas, now a criminology and justice professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, said “the question” for him is how Hutson did not see “red flags on an appointment.”
Two others, Cortnie Harris, 32, and Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, have also been accused of aiding the escape.
“There is no question that it’s difficult to hire people to work in the jail environment,” Serpas said. “There is no question that there are many examples across the country of jail employees violating their oath and office. It’s a thing that sheriffs just know what to look out for. And here we have another example of this particular sheriff … not knowing how to actually lead or be ethical in that leadership.”
LOUISIANA GOVERNOR BLASTS ‘PROGRESSIVE PROMISES’ AFTER NEW ORLEANS JAIL ESCAPE
Hutson has also received criticism for declining jail conditions at the Orleans Justice Center, including drug smuggling, inmate violence and inadequate mental health care. Federal monitors have noted major gaps in safety and supervision in biannual reports on the Orleans Parish jail.
FOX 8 found that Hutson’s office has regressed in four jail safety and supervision categories since the last sheriff’s administration, while the remainder are the same as the previous administration.
Monitors “witnessed the most unsupervised jail units in recent memory once Sheriff Susan Hutson took over,” the report states, according to FOX 8.
Hutson proposed a tax increase to generate $11.7 million annually for the sheriff’s office, but 91% of voters rejected the measure.
Between 2022 and 2024, the sheriff’s office lost 17 employees, and Hutson expressed a need for 150 additional deputies to manage a 500-person increase in inmates since she took office.
To reestablish trust with the public after the jailbreak, the sheriff’s office must first apprehend all 10 escapees, Serpas said.
“The public expects the local, state and federal agencies will work together, which we have clear evidence of,” the former superintendent said. “I think the next jury that is out, if you will, is there is an upcoming sheriff’s election. And in New Orleans, my hometown … in Sheriff Hutson’s race, when she won, 25% of voters went to the poll. We need people to go to the poll and challenge the candidates.”
Anyone found aiding an escapee will be charged as an accomplice, according to New Orleans authorities. The FBI is offering rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the escaped inmates. Crime Stoppers is also offering a $2,000 reward per inmate.
The five men who remain on the run are:
- Lenton J. Vanburen Jr., 26, faces charges of illegal carrying of weapons, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, obstruction of justice and introducing contraband in prison.
- Jermaine Donald, 42, faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.
- Antoine Massey, 32, faces charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation.
- Derrick Groves, 27, faces three counts of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and battery of a correctional facility employee.
- Leo O. Tate Sr., 31, faces charges of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, possession of a firearm or weapon by a felon, illegal carrying of a weapon, motor vehicle theft and multiple drug counts.
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A violent offender warrant squad is searching for the escapees along with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. More than 200 law enforcement officers are assisting with the search.
Aaron Rodgers disavows transgender movement after Trump’s executive order
NFL star Aaron Rodgers became one of the highest-profile athletes to speak out against allowing biologically male transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports Wednesday.
During an interview with Joe Rogan, Rodgers made his stance on the issue clear, calling the transgender movement “anti-woman.”
“The trans woman movement is actually anti-woman,” Rodgers told “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
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Rodgers then clarified the belief applies mainly in sports.
“That’s what I mean — sports. You’re not seeing trans men dominating anything. It’s because there’s a biological difference.”
Rodgers is an unsigned free agent after departing the New York Jets after two seasons. The 41-year-old former MVP has been a lightning rod of controversy in the media for expressing conservative opinions during podcast appearances the last four years.
The quarterback was invited to become the running mate of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during Kennedy’s independent presidential campaign in 2024.
Now, Rodgers joins fellow former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and wide receiver Donald Driver in taking a vocal stance against allowing trans athletes to compete in women’s sports. Favre has been outspoken about the topic since 2021.
TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS-ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND
Rodgers spoke out at a critical time in the ongoing debate over the issue. President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating that institutions across the country allow only biological females to compete in women’s and girls athletics.
However, many Democrat-run states have openly defied Trump’s order, prompting both internal and federal backlash. The U.S. Department of Education is investigating multiple states’ high school sports leagues for potential Title IX violations, and the Department of Justice is engaged in legal battles with Maine and Minnesota over the issue.
A January New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports.
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“Thinking about transgender female athletes — meaning athletes who were male at birth but who currently identify as female — do you think they should or should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports?” the survey asked.
Of the 2,128 respondents who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.
Of the 1,025 respondents who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Among 1,022 Republicans, that number was 94%.
Surgeon testifies John O’Keefe died from head trauma after falling on frozen ground
John O’Keefe died from falling backwards and hitting his head on frozen ground, according to a Yale-educated brain surgeon who testified Wednesday in the murder trial of Karen Read.
Read, 45, is accused of killing her then-boyfriend, the 46-year-old O’Keefe, by hitting him with her 2021 Lexus SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, then leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard in Canton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of Boston.
The head trauma and skull fractures he sustained, coupled with hypothermia from the cold, would not have killed him immediately, according to Dr. Aizik Wolf, who testified he treated many similar injuries in his career working in Minneapolis.
“The only way he could get this kind of an injury was to fall backwards, hit the back of his head, and then the resulting energy forces going into his brain, into the base of his skull,” he told the jury during questioning from special prosecutor Hank Brennan.
KAREN READ TRIAL WITNESS FACES BRUTAL CROSS-EXAMINATION OVER VEHICLE DATA
O’Keefe suffered “a classic blunt-trauma injury,” Wolf said.
O’Keefe fell backwards and hit his head, Wolf said, and the force of the impact fractured his skull and later resulted in “raccoon eyes,” which look like black eyes.
“This is what happens when soft tissue hits a solid ground,” he testified.
Swelling in the victim’s brain would have killed him under normal circumstances, usually within 24 to 48 hours, according to Wolf. Some victims have died in as little as one to three.
In the January nor’easter, O’Keefe’s body temperature also tanked. When paramedics found him at 6 a.m., his temperature was just 80 degrees, below the threshold for what medical professionals call “severe hypothermia.”
Wolf said he treated many patients with similar injuries early in his career, when he worked in a Minneapolis trauma center. The city can be brutally cold during winter. Many of the wounds were fatal. Some were inflicted on drunken patients who slipped on the ice. Others involved people who fell over after suffering a heart attack.
“This testimony from Dr. Wolf sets up the commonwealth’s argument for count 2, the involuntary manslaughter charge,” said Grace Edwards, a Massachusetts defense attorney who is following the case. “The commonwealth will argue to the jury that if they cannot find that Karen Read caused John O’Keefe’s death intentionally, counts 1 and 3, then her driving or sideswipe of him and then leaving him injured was the wanton and reckless act, which contributed to his death, then they should find Karen Read guilty of count 2.”
EXPERT WITNESS IN KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL CAUGHT WITH ‘ERRORS’ INFLATING HIS CREDENTIALS
According to Wolf’s bio at the Miami Neuroscience Center, he is a world-leading authority in his field and the clinic’s director.
A short cross-examination by defense attorney Robert Alessi discussed separate injuries that O’Keefe sustained, which were not connected to the head trauma that killed him.
STATE TROOPER POINTS TO POSSIBLE WEAPON IN JOHN O’KEEFE DEATH – AND IT’S NOT KAREN READ’S CAR
“I thought Attorney Alessi did a good job redirecting Dr. Wolf from the back of the head to the front of the head and eliciting testimony that those injuries were likely not from a fall,” Edwards told Fox News Digital. “This supports the defense theory that John O’Keefe was not hit by a vehicle and suggests it was something else because of the laceration to his face and the injuries to the arm, and the investigation did not pursue any other leads to determine how John O’Keefe sustained those injuries.”
Wolf started the day on the stand. After his testimony, Christina Hanley of the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab returned to the witness stand. She is an expert on glass and plastic fragments who analyzed the broken cocktail glass found outside 34 Fairview Road and on the back bumper of Read’s Lexus SUV, as well as pieces of the broken taillight.
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Her testimony had been interrupted at the early end of the day on Tuesday.
She said Wednesday afternoon that some of the plastic debris recovered from O’Keefe’s clothing was “consistent” with the materials used in Read’s Lexus but could have come from another source with similar characteristics.
During cross-examination, she revealed that none of the broken glass on Read’s bumper matched the shattered cocktail glass found in the yard near O’Keefe.
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Defense attorney Alan Jackson had her explain that the only thing any of the bumper glass matched was a glass sample recovered by former Trooper Michael Proctor, who was fired in March after an internal probe into inappropriate text messages he sent during the investigation.
Earlier in the trial, the defense played video showing Proctor standing near the rear of the vehicle, out of camera view, while it was at the Canton Police Department headquarters.
Proctor, through his family, has maintained that his investigation was in line with the evidence and conducted with integrity.
Read could face life in prison if convicted of the top charge, second-degree murder. She is also accused of drunken driving, manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
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