Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear program, fends off retaliatory barrage of drones
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that one of Iran’s top nuclear facilities had been hit in Thursday night’s strike against the regime.
“Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine,” Netanyahu said. “In recent months, Iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium. And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”
Hours later, officials confirmed that Iran launched approximately 100 retaliatory drones toward Israeli territory, which the IDF was working to intercept.
The Natanz Nuclear Facility – one of Tehran’s key nuclear sites and which has been flagged by security experts that in coordination with the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to produce 11 nuclear weapons within a month – has been hit in the strikes, though the extent of the damage remains unknown.
ISRAEL LAUNCHES SWEEPING STRIKE ON IRAN WHILE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEEKS DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart Iran’s nuclear weaponization program,” Netanyahu said in live remarks. “We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz.
“We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb,” he added.
The Nantaz Nuclear Facility was at least partially destroyed in 2020 following an explosion, and satellite imagery has suggested Iran began constructing deep underground tunnels to further secure and obscure their nuclear program, reported the Institute for Science and International Security earlier this year.
ISRAEL ANNOUNCES PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN
It is unclear at this time if any of the underground structures were hit in the Thursday night strikes.
“We will not let the world’s most dangerous regime get the world’s most dangerous weapons, and Iran plans to give those weapons, nuclear weapons, to its terrorist proxies,” Netanyahu said. “That would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real.
“The increasing range of Iran’s ballistic missiles would bring that nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe, and eventually to America,” he added.
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Reporting by The New York Times also said the Parchin military complex had been hit in the overnight strikes, though Fox News Digital could not independently confirm the hit.
The extent of the damage also remains unknown as it was reported in November that the Parchin military complex had been significantly damaged in Israel’s October strikes which housed a nuclear weapons research facility.
Another five military bases surrounding Tehran were also reportedly hit.
Israel wipes out top Iranian air force officials with one strike, Defense Minister Katz says
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said most of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) air force leadership was taken out in a strike.
The dead include Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s Air Force, the Israeli Defense Forces said Friday.
Additionally, the IRGC’s air command was convened underground when the strike occurred.
Israel’s attacks early Friday also took out two top Iranian generals; Gen. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of Iranian armed forces.
An Israeli security official told Fox News that Israel was able to trick top commanders of Iran’s air force into gathering for a meeting.
“We carried out specific activities to help us learn more about them, and then used that information to influence their behavior,” the official said. “We knew this would lead them to meet — but more importantly, we knew how to keep them there.”
The official added that the strikes were more successful than Israel had anticipated. According to the source, air defense systems and ballistic missiles that were intended for use against Israel were preemptively targeted.
President Donald Trump called on Iran to make a deal and warned that “the next already planned attacks” would be “even more brutal” than the opening strikes of Israel’s Operation Rising Lion.
“I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire.”
The president also demanded Teheran make a deal to avoid more death and destruction.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi called Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Fox News has learned. According to Israeli media, Grossi told Herzog that the Natanz nuclear facility was severely damaged in the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that it struck Natanz, which is Iran’s largest uranium enrichment site.
“Overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the Intelligence Directorate, struck the Iranian regime’s uranium enrichment site in the Natanz area,” an IDF statement read. “In addition, critical infrastructure enabling the site’s continuous operation and the Iranian regime’s ongoing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons were targeted.”
The IDF credits coordination between the Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Air Force for successful strike.
An Israeli military official told reporters on Friday that the country is prepared for a potential response from Iran, including ballistic missiles. Teheran launched ballistic missiles at Israel in April 2024 and October 2024.
The official also said that Israel had “no choice” but to confront what it describes as a “concrete threat” to its citizens. The Israeli military official also noted that Iran’s missile range goes beyond Israel, meaning it is a threat to more than Jerusalem.
While an order for Israelis to stay near shelters amid Iran’s drone attack has been lifted, the military official said that “the threat isn’t over yet.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed solidarity with the people of Iran, saying that his country was not fighting them, but rather the regime.
“To the brave people of Iran, I have a message for them: Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “I believe that the day of your liberation is near, and when that happens the great friendship between our two ancient peoples will flourish once again.”
A senior Israeli security official gave Fox News an inside look at Operation Rising Lion in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Mossad worked side-by-side. The operations leading up to Israel’s strikes involved intelligence gathering, advanced technologies and the deployment of commando forces operating across Iran, the official said.
The official said that extensive intelligence was gathered and surveillance was conducted to incriminate senior officials in the Iranian security establishment and nuclear scientists who were eliminated. The Mossad in coordination with the IDF carried out a series of elimination operations deep inside Iran, according to the official.
As Israel’s attack began, Mossad agents in central Iran deployed precision-guided weapons systems into open areas near Teheran’s surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems. The missiles were launched at their targets as Israeli airstrikes began. Additionally, the Mossad deployed strike systems and advanced technologies on vehicles with the goal of neutralizing Iran’s air defense
capabilities that threaten Israeli jets. Further, the Mossad had previously established a base of explosive drones, which were activated and launched toward surface-to-surface missile (SSM) launchers that posed threats to Israeli civilians and strategic targets.
Teheran announced via state TV that it would be pulling out of nuclear negotiations with the U.S., according to reports.
Senior Iranian lawmaker Aladdin Boroujerdi, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, allegedly made the announcement that the sixth round of talks with the U.S. would not take place following Israel’s strikes.
The IDF confirmed early Friday it has begun intercepting UAVs fired from Iran, outside of its territory.
The retaliatory drone attack from Tehran comes hours after Israel launched a preemptive strike on the Islamic Republican, targeting its nuclear facilities.
Air raid sirens sounded over Jordan’s capital Friday as Iranian drones were inbound to target Israel.
Iraqi security officials told The Associated Press that more than 100 drones launched from Iran toward Israel were tracked crossing Iraqi airspace.
Neighboring Jordan, meanwhile, has closed its airspace.
Saudi Arabia early Friday issued a scathing attack on Israel, condemning the Jewish State for its early morning strike on Iran.
“Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran,” Saudi officials said in a statement.
The Kingdom said Israel’s attack undermines Iran’s “sovereignty and security and constitute[s] a clear violation of international laws and norms.”
Israel’s top military spokesperson BG Effie Defrin has confirmed that Iran has launched 100 drones at Israel.
Defrin said that the drones had not arrived yet but that they were working to intercept them.
According to Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, it will take them a couple of hours for the drones to get there and likely they could be coupled with missile fire.
The attack is a response from the Iranians, following the Israeli strikes overnight that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
The strike according to IDF Spokesperson, BG Effie Defrin took out key Iranian commanders.“We can now confirm that the Chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Commander of the IRGC and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command were all eliminated in the Israeli strikes across Iran.”
Israeli civilians have been told to stay close to bomb shelters and Israel’s Prime Minister says the instructions may last for longer than previous times, according to Yingst.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he believes this could go on for go on for a couple of weeks.
IDF forces early Friday confirmed that Israeli strikes on Iran have killed three of the country’s top generals.
The senior Iranian leaders taken out include the country’s chief of staff of the armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, and the Commander of Iran’s Emergency Command.
That is in addition to the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon warned “intense days” are ahead for the Jewish state after it launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“We know that we have intense days ahead. And we are ready for that,” Danon told Fox News’ Trace Gallagher early Friday. “And we are preparing the population of Israel to be ready for that.”
Danon said the attack was not only about the heroism of the pilots or intelligence officials involved, but also the Israeli people.
“They have to follow the instructions. Keep themselves safe. And it will not be easy for us. But we are determined to finish the job.”
Exiled Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi weighed in early Friday after an Israeli attack on Tehran.
Pahlavi, son of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who’s government fell to Islamists in 1979, said the “only solution to the ongoing crisis with Iran” was “helping the Iranian people overthrow the regime that holds both Iran and the world hostage.”
“The Islamic Republic has plundered Iran’s wealth not to serve our people but to spend hundreds of billions on enrichment and a hidden nuclear program, pushing Iran to the brink of war. This regime was trying to fool the world. Now it has been exposed. It must be held to account,” the exiled crown prince said. “In the Pahlavi era, Iran was an original signatory of the NPT. But today, the IAEA has ruled that the Islamic Republic is violating it.”
Pahlavi said Iranian supreme leader and his “criminal mafia” have “announced the construction of a new enrichment facility.”
“With their violations, enrichment, and threats to withdraw from the NPT, Khamenei and his cronies are proving once again they cannot be trusted. They are not worthy partners for negotiation,” Pahlavi said. “But in contrast to this illegitimate regime, there is a real alternative: the Iranian people, who seek peaceful cooperation, and a future free from fear of war. Hold the Islamic Republic accountable by applying Maximum Pressure including Snapback sanctions and giving Maximum Support to its greatest foe: the people of Iran fighting bravely against it.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu placed a note in the Western Wall Thursday with a verse from the Book of Numbers.
The verse, Numbers 23:24 reads: “A people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion lifts himself up.”
“Rising Lion” is the name of the operation the State of Israel launched on Iran’s “nuclear and missile infrastructure, with the aim of eliminating an existential and immediate threat to citizens of Israel and the entire world,” Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the UN Security-General and members of the Security Council.
President Donald Trump told Fox News Channel’s chief political anchor Bret Baier he was aware that Israel was going to conduct strikes on Iran before they happened.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb and we are hoping to get back to the negotiating table. We will see. There are several people in leadership that will not be coming back,” Trump said.
Trump has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times in recent days.
The Trump administration reached out to at least one key Middle Eastern ally to acknowledge that the strike was going to happen, but that the U.S. was not involved in the strikes.
Trump is watching for any retaliation, and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is on high alert. He noted that the U.S. is ready to defend itself and Israel if Iran retaliates.
Trump said he hopes Iran returns to the negotiating table.
In recent weeks, the U.S. has replenished Iron Dome missiles, and U.S. officials have confirmed that a number of top Iranian leaders are dead after Israel’s airstrikes.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations expressed concerns over Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities, calling on both countries to show maximum restraint.
“The Secretary-General condemns any military escalation in the Middle East,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson said. “He is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme are underway.
“The Secretary-General recalls the obligation of UN Member States to act in accordance with the UN Charter and international law,” he continued. “The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford.”
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned Israel’s attack
on Iran, saying “the Zionist regime has prepared for…a bitter and painful fate, which it will inevitably meet.”
In a translated version of Khamenei’s statement, the Ayatollah took aim at Israel.
“In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,” he said. “The Great Iranian Nation! This morning, the Zionist regime opened its filthy and bloody hand to commit a crime in our beloved country, revealing its evils more than ever by targeting population centers.
“This regime must expect severe punishment. The powerful hand of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces will not abandon it, God willing,” Khamenei continued. “A number of commanders and scholars were martyred in the enemy’s attacks, and their successors and colleagues will immediately return to their positions, God willing.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter and painful fate, which it will inevitably meet.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had targeted Iran’s nuclear program.
“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart Iran’s nuclear weaponization program,” Netanyahu said. “We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb.”
Netanyahu also mentioned that the time to act was now as they believed that Iran had enough materials to make nine highly enriched uranium bombs.
“Today, Israel has shown that we have learned the lessons of history. When enemies vow to destroy you, believe them. When enemies build weapons of mass death, stop them,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also said that Israel will not back down and that they have risen like lions to defend themselves.
Natanz is just one of five nuclear research sites that Iran was utilizing to create a weapon with enriched uranium. The other sites throughout Iran are in Fordow, Khondab, Isfahan and Busher.
Israel
hit several targets in the heart of Tehran, eliminating several senior Iranian regime leaders, an Israeli source confirmed to Fox News.
Fox News Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst reported that the regime leaders were simultaneously eliminated in different spots, according to his source.
The source said Israel was able to surprise Iran and execute the attack at a level similar to what Israel did in the beeper operation.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Dannon, called on the UN Security-General and members of the Security Council to either stand by Israel or become partners in a “dangerous silence.”
“The State of Israel launched Operation “Rising Lion” tonight against Iran’s
nuclear and missile infrastructure, with the aim of eliminating an existential and immediate threat to the citizens of Israel and the entire world,” Dannon said in a statement. “The Iranian regime is blatantly violating international agreements, advancing towards nuclear weapons, and operating a regional terror network. When the world is silent – Israel is acting.
“I call on the UN Secretary-General and the members of the Security Council: “This is a moment to make moral decisions. Stand by Israel
– or you will be partners in a dangerous silence,” he continued. “Unlike in the past – today we have a state, we have an army, and we are not waiting for those who want to destroy us to surprise us.”
President Donald Trump will host a National Security Council meeting Friday morning in the White House situation room to discuss the Israeli strikes in Iran’s capital.
Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday night, according the prime minister’s office.
The president told Netanyahu that the United States had presented a reasonable proposal to Iran, and a response is expected in the coming days.
Netanyahu was also told Trump intends to hold another round of talks with Iran over the weekend, Netanyahu’s office said.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is taking precautionary steps to ensure Jewish, Israeli and other sites throughout the city are protected, amid the escalating situation in the Middle East.
“The NYPD is tracking the situation in the Middle East
. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re deploying additional resources to Jewish, Israeli & other sites throughout NYC,”NYPD wrote on X. “We’re coordinating with our federal partners & we’ll continue to monitor for any potential impact to NYC.”
NYC Mayor Eric Adams said he was briefed on the situation between Israel and Iran, noting that the city’s Counterterrorism Unit is closely monitoring the situation.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are increasing security at houses of worship and at Israeli diplomatic sites,” he said. “I am praying for peace in the region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that one of Iran’s top nuclear facilities had been hit in Thursday night’s strike against the regime.
“Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine,” Netanyahu said. “In recent months, Iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium. And if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time.”
The Natanz Nuclear Facility – one of Tehran’s key nuclear sites and which has been flagged by security experts that in coordination with the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to produce 11 nuclear weapons within a month – has been hit in the strikes, though the extent of the damage remains unknown.
Read more about Israel’s strikes against Iran.
This is an excerpt from a story by Caitlin McFall.
The U.S. Embassy has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members in Israel to shelter in place until further notice.
The directive was shared by the U.S. State Department because of the current situation in the Middle East.
Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Thursday night after failed nuclear negotiations.
State-run media in Iran confirmed that the Commander-in Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hossein Salami, was killed during Israel’s airstrikes on Iran Thursday night.
Salami rose through the ranks of the IRGC since the inception after the 1970 Islamic Revolution in Iran.
He replaced Qassem Soleimani after the U.S. killed the IRGC leader in January 2020.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a speech Thursday night that he launched Operation Rising Lion, which is to roll back the Iranian threat for Israel’s survival.
Netanyahu told the people of Israel
the operation will continue for many days, as it continues to remove Iran’s threat of creating weapons of mass destruction.
“For decades, the tyrants of Tehran have brazenly, openly called for Israel’s destruction. They’ve backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons,” he said. “In recent years, Iran has produced enough highly enriched uranium for nine atom bombs, nine. In recent months, Iran is taking steps that it has never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched uranium, and if not stopped, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It could be a year, it could be within a few months, less than a year. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival.”
Netanyahu said the air strikes “struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.”
“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz. We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb,” he said. “We also struck at the heart of the Iran ballistic missile program. Last year, Iran fired 300 ballistic missiles at Israel…Soon, those missiles could carry a nuclear payload, threatening the lives not of hundreds, but of millions.”
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., called Israel’s airstrikes on Iran a “reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence.”
“Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,” Reed said. “These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces. While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer.
“I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control,” he continued. “President Trump must be crystal clear with the American people and the international community in charting a way forward. The world cannot afford more devastating conflict born of short-sighted violence.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a warning to Iran Thursday evening after Israel launched strikes targeting the country’s nuclear program.
“President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran
should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” Rubio said.
Rubio also said the U.S. was not involved in the strikes and the top priority is “protecting American forces in the region.”
“Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense,” he continued.
Israeli Defense Forces launched a sweeping strike on Iran
following months of attempted, and seemingly failed, nuclear negotiations between the Trump administration and Tehran.
Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported that Israel carried out strikes in Iran, adding that explosions were heard in the capital of Tehran.
A state of emergency has been declared across Israel as the country braces for an Iranian response.
Read more about the recent developments.
This is an excerpt from a story by Caitlin McFall.
Trump warns Iran that Israel’s next attacks will be ‘even more brutal’
President Donald Trump promised that Israel’s next round of attacks on Iran would be “even more brutal” in a Truth Social post pressuring Iran to cut a deal on its nuclear activity.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump said.
“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.”
Trump said he warned Iran that “the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.”
“Certain Iranian hardliner’s spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen. They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse!”
ISRAEL LAUNCHES SWEEPING STRIKE ON IRAN WHILE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SEEKS DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION
The U.S. and Iran have another round of nuclear talks scheduled for this weekend in Muscat, Oman, while the two sides remain on opposite ends over whether Iran should have the capacity to enrich uranium at all, even for civil energy purposes.
It is not clear whether those negotiations will carry on in light of the attack. Trump had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to let talks play out before launching any strikes.
“I think it would blow it,” Trump said earlier yesterday of the prospect of a premature Israeli attack. But then, he mused, it “might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”
TRUMP AWARE OF ISRAEL STRIKES ON IRAN BEFOREHAND, SAYS THERE WERE NO SURPRISES
After the attack, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put out a statement insisting the U.S. had no part in the strikes and urged Iran not to attack U.S. positions. Earlier, non-essential embassy staff in Iraq had been evacuated in light of the prospect of an attack.
Tehran fired over 100 drones toward Israel on Friday morning in a counter-move, which Israel intercepted.
Netanyahu revealed the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) struck a key nuclear site, Natanz, during the attack on the regime.
Among those killed were top nuclear scientists and top military leaders: General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s highest-ranking military official and chief of staff of the IRGC, along with most of the IRGC air force high command, who were convened in an underground bunker at the time.
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The first wave of strikes hit over 100 targets with 200 Israeli fighter jets dropping “330 different munitions,” the IDF said, adding the strikes will carry on for days.
Immigrants make massive shift toward GOP on immigration as Trump policies take hold
It appears that the group of American voters who have shifted in large numbers from Democrats to Republicans in recent years on the combustible issue of immigration are actually the nation’s immigrants themselves.
A look at pre- and post-election surveys from the 2020 and 2024 cycles indicates a 49-point swing by voters born outside the United States – the vast majority of whom are considered immigrants – on which major political party would do a better job handling the issue of immigration.
American National Election Studies (ANES) data from the 2020 presidential election indicates voters born in another country said they favored Democrats rather than Republicans on the issue of immigration by a 58%-24% margin.
TRUMP DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS TO QUELL LA RIOTERS LATEST PAGE IN PRESIDENT’S POLITICAL PLAYBOOK
Four years later, the data indicated 45% of voters born in another county who cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election said the GOP would do a better job handling immigration, with 30% pointing to the Democratic Party.
There was a smaller but still prominent shift from the Democrats to the Republicans by all voters, according to the data from ANES, which is the oldest election study in the world (dating back to 1952) and is often referred to as the gold standard for election surveys.
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Daron Shaw, who serves as a member of the Fox News Decision Team and is the Republican partner on the Fox News poll, said the large shift toward the GOP on the immigration issue by those born outside the U.S. is “reflective of the fact that immigrant voters started so pro-Democrat. There’s more room for them to shift.”
Shaw also noted that before President Donald Trump first ran for the White House in 2016, immigration and border security were generally seen as separate issues.
“Since Trump has come on the scene, those issues have really melded to the Republican advantage,” Shaw said.
Shaw, a politics professor and chair at the University of Texas, also said “you’re seeing a movement towards the Republican Party on immigration because it’s been largely focused on border security. That’s true with non-immigrant populations as well as immigrant populations.”
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND OPINION ON THE ISSUE OF IMMIGRATION
Immigration and border security were key issues that Trump spotlighted as he campaigned to win back the White House in last year’s presidential election.
Republicans won back control of the presidency and the Senate and defended their small House majority in the 2024 elections. And Republicans made gains among Black, Hispanic and younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.
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Border security and immigration have remained in the nation’s political spotlight in the nearly five months since Trump returned to the White House, thanks to the president’s sweeping and controversial moves on the two issues.
Aiming to extinguish escalating protests in Los Angeles sparked by immigration raids carried out by ICE at his administration’s direction, Trump sent in National Guard troops and even mobilized Marines. The unrest and the moves by Trump have dominated national headlines for nearly a week.
Detransitioner exposes hidden traumas behind gender dysphoria in new book
A man who lived as a woman for years believes those who struggle with their gender need to address the underlying issues that drive them to question their identity in order for them to “embrace” who God made them to be.
Walt Heyer, 84, detransitioned 40 years ago after identifying as a woman for eight years. Heyer runs a ministry and website called “Sex Change Regret” where he says he’s helped thousands of people who regret trying to change their gender.
Heyer and Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies at the Family Research Council, spoke to Fox News Digital about their new book, “Embracing God’s Design,” which addresses “the spiritual and psychological crisis behind transgender identity.”
The book details the major players in the history of the transgender movement and argues that left-wing activism has influenced diagnostic and ethical standards in the counseling field and harmed patient care over the past two decades. The authors argue that uncovering the root causes of gender confusion is essential to treatment. They also give advice on how friends and family can help those struggling with their gender identity.
FROM TRANS MAN TO TRADITIONAL MOTHER: HOW ONE WOMAN BROKE FREE FROM IDEOLOGICAL CHAINS AFTER FINDING CHRIST
Bauwens, a former trauma therapist and researcher, claims that a great number of people who experience gender confusion also were abused, neglected or had other adverse experiences in their childhood.
Professional counseling standards have changed over the years and now push for affirming one’s gender identity as part of treatment, she said, adding that this doesn’t address the patient’s trauma.
“When you look at the data, around half of those who identify as transgender also report some type of abuse, whether it be emotional, psychological, physical, sexual abuse,” Bauwens told Fox News Digital.
“It’s actually not only malpractice, it’s borderline criminal to treat someone with a surgical procedure who clearly matches the profile of someone who’s had really severe abuse,” she said. “Some of the reasons that are used to quickly get people ‘gender-affirming care,’ such as suicidality, that’s a very common experience of someone who’s had abuse. Self-harm is a very common experience of somebody who’s abused.”
I WAS TRAUMATIZED BY SO-CALLED ‘GENDER AFFIRMING’ CARE. TRUMP MUST PROTECT OTHERS FROM THIS ABUSE
Heyer’s own history of gender confusion started at a young age with family members who abused him.
“I was being cross-dressed by my grandma secretly and she was affirming me. She made me a purple chiffon evening dress and that was a secret for about two-and-a-half years,” he explained. “When I decided to take the purple dress home and my parents found it, and they realized grandma had been cross-dressing me, and I was enjoying it as a four or five, 6-year-old boy, then the heavy discipline started with my father. Then his adopted teenage brother sexually molested me. So that’s where the trauma comes in.”
Heyer started identifying as a female as a teenager and became an alcoholic in his 20s as he dealt with the grief from his father dying from cancer. He started taking cross-sex hormones and was eventually diagnosed with gender dysphoria in his 40s and underwent sex change surgery to live as “Laura Jensen” for eight years.
He said his therapist “didn’t take into account that I’d been sexually, physically and emotionally abused which was really the problem, and it wasn’t gender dysphoria.”
DETRANSITIONER SLAMS TRANS ‘PSEUDOSCIENCE’ THAT DOCTORS SAID WOULD SOLVE HER MENTAL DISTRESS: ‘IT’S QUACKERY’
“I’ve worked with thousands of people over the last 20 years. And when I work with them, I always ask them, what caused you to not like who you are?” Heyer said of his ministry. “When we dive into this discussion, they peel back the issues, and we look back, and we find out that they were sexually abused and emotionally abused, physically abused. They were abandoned. They were in foster care.”
“Something happened that caused them to not like who they are. It’s not even a gender issue. That’s why Jennifer referred to it as an identity issue. They like to say that it’s a gender issue because then you can apply hormones in surgery, but that doesn’t fix the problem.”
Heyer credits God for “redeeming and restoring his life,” as well as a few Christian counselors who helped him to get sober, address his gender issues, and turn his life around.
The Christian authors believe that the modern gender movement is a spiritual battle that should be taken seriously by people of faith.
“The gender movement isn’t just about erasing male or female. It’s actually about erasing the very image of God and family, because family is the first place that we learn safety, security, and there are attributes of male and female that God has uniquely embedded in our DNA, in our design,” Bauwens said. “And when you erase those or attempt to erase those, you’re erasing an aspect of the very heart and nature of God.”
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“We look at our young people in our world, especially our country right now, and many people are saying, ‘why is there such a mental health crisis?’ As if we can divorce this current issue from the very mental health crisis that we’re trying to fix,” she continued.
“When you erase the very design of God, in a generation or try to do that, then we’re left with people who have no identity, no rudder, no sense that there’s a higher purpose to life, that there is meaning through relationship and how God made us… So I would argue that there’s much more at stake with the battle we’re facing. And it’s really a good fight of faith that we are embracing here,” Bauwens said.
Appeals court blocks ruling ordering Trump to return control of National Guard to CA
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump acted illegally when he seized control of California’s National Guard during ICE-related riots in Los Angeles.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer issued the decision Thursday, siding with Governor Gavin Newsom and ordering Trump to return control of the Guard to the state “forthwith.”
“His actions were illegal—both exceeding the scope of his statutory authority and violating the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Breyer wrote. “He must therefore return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”
“Federalism is not optional,” the ruling states. “Even the president cannot legislate by fiat.”
JUDGE MULLS TRUMP’S AUTHORITY OVER NATIONAL GUARD, WARNS US IS NOT ‘KING GEORGE’ MONARCHY
Recent anti-ICE protests have led to riots, looting, and clashes with federal agents in Los Angeles. Trump issued a proclamation invoking federal authority, but Breyer rejected the justification, calling it constitutionally hollow.
In his order, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order and took immediate action to halt federal control of the California National Guard.
“Defendants are temporarily ENJOINED from deploying members of the California National Guard in Los Angeles,” the ruling states. “Defendants are DIRECTED to return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.”
TRUMP TELLS JUDGE HE DOES NOT NEED NEWSOM’S PERMISSION TO CRACK DOWN ON RIOTERS, DEPLOY NATIONAL GUARD
The court stayed the order until noon on June 13, 2025, giving the defendants a narrow window to comply. Plaintiffs were also ordered to post a nominal bond of $100 within 24 hours.
Looking ahead, Judge Breyer scheduled a hearing to determine whether the temporary restraining order should become a preliminary injunction.
On Thursday evening, the government’s emergency motion led to a temporary stay by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals of the district court’s restraining order with a response due June 15, reply due June 16, and Zoom hearing scheduled for June 17. The 9th’s order said: “The court has received the government’s emergency motion for stay pending appeal. The request for an administrative stay is GRANTED. The district court’s June 12, 2025 temporary restraining order is temporarily stayed pending further order.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the ruling Thursday night, calling it “an important step forward in protecting our communities and our rights while we continue to make our case in court.”
“The Trump administration had no right to federalize 4,000 California National Guard troops without authorization from Governor Newsom,” Bonta said. “Trump’s actions were illegal, trampled on our state sovereignty, escalated tension on the ground, and promoted rather than quelled unrest.”
Bonta also stressed that the situation in Los Angeles did not justify a military response. “We aren’t in the throes of a rebellion. We are not under threat of an invasion. Nothing is preventing the federal government from enforcing federal law,” he said.
He cited support from top retired military officials. “Just yesterday, a group of former secretaries of the Army and Navy and retired four-star admirals and generals joined together to publicly support our lawsuit,” Bonta noted. They warned against unlawful domestic deployments that “threaten core national security and disaster relief missions.”
“The truth is, the president is looking for any pretense to place military forces on American streets to intimidate and quiet those who disagree with him. It’s not just immoral—it’s dangerous, and it’s illegal,” Bonta said.
“We’d rather we have a president who follows the law and complies with the Constitution,” he said. “It’s not a good thing for the great United States of America to have a president, the most powerful elected official on the face of the Earth, to violate the law so frequently, to have such contempt for the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.”
“He’s done it again,” Bonta said, “and it’s incumbent upon me and my fellow Democratic attorneys general… to be consistent and resolute, unapologetic and immovable in our commitment to taking [him] to court each and every time he breaks the law.”
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The Trump administration, however, disagrees and says that the court’s decision puts many federal officials in danger.
“The court’s order is unprecedented and puts our brave federal officials in danger. The district court has no authority to usurp the President’s authority as Commander in Chief. The President exercised his lawful authority to mobilize the National Guard to protect federal buildings and personnel in Gavin Newsom’s lawless Los Angeles. The Trump Administration will immediately appeal this abuse of power and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
‘High budget requests’ to join anti-ICE riots exposed by firm as probe begins
An investigation is underway into who is funding anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots disrupting Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities after a major company revealed it had received requests for help.
Crowds on Demand, a California-based company that specializes in providing on-demand crowds for protests, told Fox News Digital it received “numerous high budget requests” to get involved with the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and other cities but declined to participate.
A company spokesperson said it declined to get involved in what is happening in Los Angeles because it did “not want to get close to any form of illegal activity, including violence, vandalism or blocking off roads without a permit.”
“We receive inquiries regarding practically every major social cause imaginable, and the anti-ICE demonstrations are no exception,” the company said. “The fact that we receive requests does not mean we take them, in many cases, because the budget does not match the ambition.”
SENATOR LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO DEMOCRATIC ORG OVER POTENTIAL SUPPORT FOR LA RIOTERS
The company added it only takes on “impactful commonsense causes both for liberals and conservatives, but always represent(s) the commonsense position.”
“Even organizing peaceful demonstrators around this issue (anti-ICE) could put those demonstrators at risk due to the presence of violent agitators and the difficulty for law enforcement in distinguishing between peaceful and violent activists,” the company said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said anyone found to be abusing the law will be held accountable.
“We’re not here to negotiate with criminals. Break the law, attack our agents — you will be arrested, prosecuted, and held accountable. No exceptions,” the agency vowed in a statement on X.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, shared that the committee is sending letters to multiple organizations believed to be behind the funding.
One of the organizations called into questioning by Hawley and Republican California Rep. Kevin Kiley is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, an advocacy group believed to be at the center of the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
“Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isn’t spontaneous. As chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Terrorism, I’m launching an investigation to find out,” Hawley posted in a statement on X.
FBI WILL INVESTIGATE ‘ANY EVIDENCE OF A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ IN LA RIOTS
Hawley’s letter noted that “credible reporting” has indicated the organization has provided “logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions,” referring to the Los Angeles riots.
“Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding or promotion of these unlawful activities,” Hawley wrote.
Kiley also questioned who was behind the funding for the rioters and suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s motive may be a conflict of interest.
“The ‘nonprofit’ behind the LA riots donated almost $500,000 to support Newsom’s campaign. It then received $34 million in state funding. I’m sure this is all a coincidence,” Kiley wrote in a post on X.
Kiley also shared with Fox News Digital that CHIRLA has reportedly also sponsored a campaign to abolish ICE in the past.
CROWDS ON DEMAND HAS RECEIVED OVER 100 ‘LUCRATIVE’ ANTI-ISRAEL REQUESTS SINCE OCT 7
“The NGO known as CHIRLA was centrally involved in the LA riots. The organization, which has previously sponsored a campaign to abolish ICE, alerted the rioters to where ICE operations were occurring in real time. The agitators would then show up and disrupt ICE activities, including through the use of violence,” Kiley said.
“This group is a major campaign contributor to Gavin Newsom and has received $34 million in state funding. An investigation is absolutely appropriate and necessary.”
IRS records obtained by Fox News show CHIRLA has received $34 million in government grants, including three from former President Joe Biden’s administration for $750,000.
The Million Voter Project, which received a portion of these funds and opposed Newsom’s recall, has also supported anti-ICE protests, according to records.
It is not clear whether either group funded any protest activity, and there is no evidence that they supported rioting.
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“It is absolutely absurd that either myself or the governor would be supportive in any way, shape or form to the vandalism and the violence that has taken place in our city,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN in an interview Tuesday.
“I have been abundantly clear that what is happening on our streets is unacceptable. Looting is criminal behavior. People will be arrested and prosecuted. I don’t believe anybody who vandalizes the city supports immigrants.”
Bass’ office told Fox News Digital she also set a curfew in downtown Los Angeles to “curb bad actors who do not support the immigrant community.”
Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,” Bass vowed.
Fox News Digital reached out to CHIRLA and Newsom’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Police reportedly issue arrest warrant for Antonio Brown on attempted murder charge
Antonio Brown reportedly has a warrant out for his arrest after an incident at a boxing event in Miami last month.
The warrant in Miami-Dade County lists a charge of attempted murder with a gun and calls for Brown to post a $10,000 bond and remain under house arrest pending trial, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Brown’s inquiries contact for comment.
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The alleged incident happened outside a boxing event in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood. The warrant reportedly listed the incident as occurring May 16.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Brown appeared to be involved in several videos on social media in an incident at a Miami boxing event that night.
AARON RODGERS REVEALS HE HAS BEEN MARRIED FOR ‘A COUPLE MONTHS’
One video showed Brown appearing to fight in a parking lot as a crowd moved toward an alley. Then, a gunshot appeared to ring out, sending spectators running in the opposite direction.
Brown was spotted in handcuffs being led to the back of a cruiser.
The event was hosted by popular streamer Adin Ross. It was a 10-match card sponsored by Stake, Kick and Brand Risk Promotions.
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A Miami Police Department spokesman previously told Fox News Digital the department received an alert of shots fired at around 3 a.m. May 17. Police initiated an investigation, no arrests were made and no one was injured, the spokesman said at the time.
Here’s all the key evidence as Karen Read trial reaches final stretch
With closing arguments scheduled for Friday morning, jurors will soon begin deliberating Karen Read’s fate after 31 days of testimony in her second trial over the death of Boston cop John O’Keefe, her former boyfriend.
Read, 45, is accused of clipping the 46-year-old outside a house party and leaving him to die on the ground during a blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022. Her defense denies that a collision ever happened, suggesting he was attacked by someone at the party and a dog instead.
Judge Beverly Cannone denied the defense’s second motion for a finding of not guilty Thursday – clearing the way for deliberations to begin.
The following includes core evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defense.
KAREN READ ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT TESTIFY IN HER DEFENSE AS MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL NEARS CONCLUSION
The prosecution case:
- Taillight fragments in O’Keefe’s clothes
- Experts say a glancing vehicle strike caused O’Keefe to fall on the back of his head
- Phone data aligns with prosecution timeline
- Read’s alleged, repeated statements, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him.”
- Read’s many public statements played in court
KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL REACHES FINAL STAGE WITH CLOSING ARGUMENTS SET FOR FRIDAY
Former Whitey Bulger defense lawyer turned special prosecutor Hank Brennan, derided as a “mob lawyer” by Read’s vocal supporters, came in to take over the case after last year’s mistrial. Assistant Norfolk County District Attorneys Adam Lally and Laura McLaughlin returned from the first trial.
Central to Brennan’s case is that O’Keefe had plastic fragments that matched Read’s taillight embedded in his clothes.
Dr. Aizik Wolf, a renowned brain surgeon, said O’Keefe’s injury is consistent with a “classic” fall backward on frozen ground. And a biomechanist named Dr. Judson Welcher testified that Read likely hit him with a glancing blow to the right arm and sent him stumbling backward before he cracked his head on the lawn at 34 Fairview Road in Canton, where he was found under a pile of snow hours later.
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FINAL DEFENSE WITNESS IN KAREN READ TRIAL PUMPS BRAKES ON LEXUS COLLISION THEORY
And in Read’s own alleged words, she repeatedly said, “I hit him. I hit him. I hit him.”
The timing of Jennifer McCabe’s Google search – “hos long to die in cold” – is another key factor, according to Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD inspector who is following the case.
“If at 6:23 a.m., it corroborates Jen McCabe’s testimony,” he told Fox News Digital. “If you believe Jen McCabe, you pretty much have to convict. You could perhaps acquit on the top charge, but certainly you would have to convict on the manslaughter.”
The defense case:
- Read asserts the crash never happened
- The Bowden defense – investigation was too sloppy to be adequate, and the lead detective got fired
- Experts say dog bites caused arm injuries, head injury did not happen on lawn and no signs of hypothermia
- Brennan’s reference to holes in O’Keefe’s hoodie that were put there by crime lab
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Read’s legal team includes big-city lawyers from three states – Boston’s David Yannetti, New York City’s Robert Alessi, and Alan Jackson and Elizabeth Little from Los Angeles.
In her first trial, Yannetti and Jackson argued that Read had been “framed” by local and state police. This time around, they focused on the theory that Read’s 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV never struck O’Keefe.
They also deployed a “Bowden defense” – attempting to show the police investigation was “inadequate.” Investigators collected evidence in red Solo cups and shopping bags, used a leaf blower to move snow, mislabeled evidence and did not seek a search warrant for the house at the address where they recovered O’Keefe’s remains.
Former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, a homicide detective on the case, later lost his job for sharing confidential and law enforcement sensitive information on an R-rated text chain that also included lewd remarks about the defendant.
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Defense experts testified that the minor abrasions on O’Keefe’s right arm were not caused by contact with Read’s broken taillight, but rather by dog or animal bites. Dr. Daniel Wolfe and Dr. Andrew Rentschler disputed Welcher’s findings with testing of their own, using a crash dummy arm that they said could not reproduce the same damage to a Lexus taillight.
The blow to the back of his head – which fractured his skull – did not come from contact on the frozen lawn, but rather by contact with a ridged, grainy surface, according to Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a forensic pathologist and clinical professor at Brown University.
Laposata also disputed autopsy findings that indicated O’Keefe had hypothermia – testifying that his internal injuries came from resuscitation attempts and not damage from the cold.
“The defense case is science, science and then more science,” said Mark Bederow, a New York City attorney representing Read ally and Canton blogger Aidan Kearney. “No car accident, then no crime.”
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What’s next?
Read faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted on the top charge. If convicted of drunken driving manslaughter, she would face 5 to 20.