‘Take your orange aprons somewhere else’: LA politician rages against Home Depot

A Los Angeles City Council member raged against Home Depot on Friday, accusing the hardware store chain of being “complicit” with raids on illegal immigrants and vowing to oppose the opening of a new location.

“Take your orange aprons somewhere else. Home Depot has no place in Eagle Rock,” Councilmember Ysabel Jurado fumed on Instagram.

Home Depot is planning to open a new superstore in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock, according to documents filed with the LA city planning department. The project would demolish a defunct Macy’s department store in Eagle Rock Plaza to make way for the new Home Depot location.

MAN STRUCK, KILLED ON FREEWAY WHILE FLEEING IMMIGRATION AGENTS DURING HOME DEPOT RAID

Jurado claimed that the hardware store chain was “complicit” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at their locations due to the company’s refusal to speak out against them. She cited an ICE raid that occurred at a Home Depot location in the LA town of Westlake on Thursday, and claimed it was the fourth such raid to occur at that location since June.

“These raids are part of a disturbing pattern across Los Angeles, with ICE repeatedly targeting Home Depot parking lots – common gathering spots for day laborers – without judicial warrants, in clear violations of people’s rights. And yet, Home Depot has remained silent,” Jurado wrote. 

Surveillance video posted by the Los Angeles Times reportedly shows the Thursday raid. The video shows a black van pull up to street vendors across from the Home Depot. As what appears to be rifle-brandishing federal agents dressed in tactical gear emerge from the van, numerous street vendors attempt to flee the scene. The agents pursue them on foot and deploy what appears to be tear gas. The raid saw at least 15 people arrested, the LA Times reported.

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The Westlake Home Depot location was the site of “Operation Trojan Horse,” which saw federal agents emerge from a Penske truck and more than a dozen alleged illegal immigrants arrested Wednesday, Aug. 6. The raid came just days after a federal appeals court upheld a temporary restraining order against indiscriminate immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles and other areas of California.

President Donald Trump deployed nearly 5,000 troops to Los Angeles in June after massive anti-ICE riots broke out in the city. Over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines were sent to quell the chaotic uprising, which saw vehicles and American flags set ablaze, and law enforcement pelted with heavy objects. 

“When your name becomes associated with terror, and you refuse to speak, you become complicit. Home Depot has chosen power and profit over the working people who sustain it,” Jurado wrote.

Home Depot told Fox News Digital that the company isn’t notified of ICE activities. 

“We aren’t notified that ICE activities are going to happen, and we’re not requesting them. In many cases, we don’t know that arrests have taken place until after they’re over. We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate,” a Home Depot representative said. 

Jurado, a former tenants’ rights attorney who represents Los Angeles’ District 14, which includes downtown LA, is herself the daughter of “undocumented Filipino immigrants,” according to her city council bio. She vowed to oppose the construction of the new Home Depot, claiming it would bring “violence” to her community.

“I unequivocally oppose Home Depot coming to Eagle Rock Plaza, a mall that has been a gathering place for the Filipino community in Los Angeles. I will not allow violence to take root in our neighborhoods. Our communities deserve safety, dignity, and businesses that fight for the people, not against them,” Jurado wrote. 

Jurado did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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DHS told Fox News Digital: “On August 28, Border Patrol conducted a targeted operation near 1675 Wilshire Blvd, in Los Angeles, California. During the operation, eight individuals were arrested—including six illegal aliens from Guatemala, one illegal alien from El Salvador and one illegal alien from Mexico.”

“Three of those arrested had extensive rap sheets for crimes including visa overstay, possession of a controlled substance and grand theft. One individual also had a final order of deportation from an immigration judge. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the statement added.

Noem blasts CBS for ‘shamefully’ editing out disturbing details from interview

Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday accused CBS News of editing her interview to “whitewash the truth” about an alleged MS-13 gang member, but the Tiffany Network says it was simply cut for time and meets all network standards. 

“Face the Nation” host Ed O’Keefe asked Noem why the Trump administration was working to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia instead of forcing him to face charges in the United States. She took to social media after her segment aired to blast the network. 

“I joined CBS to report the facts about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Instead, CBS shamefully edited the interview to whitewash the truth about this MS-13 gang member and the threat he poses to American public safety,” Noem wrote alongside video clips to back her point. 

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In the clip that aired on television, Noem said, “Prosecution decisions are always made by the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi’s department, so we will let them do that, although this individual does have criminal charges pending. He has charges pending against him civilly as well. And the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn’t walk free in the United States of America.”

The on-air portion edited out the rest of her answer and went to O’Keefe’s next question about whether the government would still seek to deport him to Uganda.

Noem posted a video of her “uncut response” that was not shown on the air. However, the whole interview is available on the show’s YouTube page.

“This individual was a known human smuggler, an MS-13 gang member, and an individual who is a wife beater, and someone who is so perverted that he solicited nude photos from minors and even his fellow human traffickers told him to knock it off. He was so sick in what he was doing and how he was treating small children. So, he needs to never be in the United States of America, and our administration is making sure we’re doing all that we can,” Noem said. 

CBS insists the process met the network’s standards. 

“Secretary Noem’s ‘Face The Nation’ interview was edited for time and met all CBS News standards. The entire interview is publicly available on YouTube, and the full transcript was posted earlier this morning on CBSNews.com,” a CBS News spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

ABREGO GARCIA’S LAWYERS ASK JUDGE FOR GAG ORDER AGAINST TRUMP OFFICIALS

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Thursday to prohibit top Trump administration officials from making remarks about their client that could bias the jury against him.

His defense team said that administration officials have repeatedly accused Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national facing human smuggling charges, of being a criminal gang member and made other negative claims about him that pose a “substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing this proceeding.”

The attorneys pointed to numerous recent instances, including Noem calling Abrego Garcia an “MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.”

Abrego Garcia was erroneously deported by the Trump administration to a prison in El Salvador in March. The government claimed for nearly two months in combative hearings and court papers that it could not return him, despite an order from the Supreme Court to attempt to do so.

The Salvadoran migrant entered the country illegally more than a decade ago, but an immigration judge previously barred the government from sending him back to El Salvador, citing his fears of persecution if he were sent there.

In a surprise move in June, the DOJ returned Abrego Garcia to the United States and brought an indictment against him for two counts of conspiring to transport illegal immigrants within the country.

He was released from jail last week while he awaits trial, but immigration authorities promptly re-detained him in Maryland, fulfilling fears previously expressed in court by Abrego Garcia and his lawyers. He has denied all the allegations against him.

Noem’s claims are not the first time CBS has faced accusations of editing critical rhetoric out of an answer. 

Paramount Global and CBS settled President Donald Trump’s “election interference” lawsuit in July after he accused CBS News of deceitful editing. 

PARAMOUNT, CBS FORCED TO PAY EIGHT FIGURES, CHANGE EDITORIAL POLICY IN SETTLEMENT WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP

Trump was seeking $20 billion in his lawsuit against CBS over its handling of a “60 Minutes” interview last year with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing the network of election interference leading up to the 2024 contest.

The lawsuit alleged CBS News deceitfully edited an exchange Harris had with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t “listening” to the Biden administration. Harris was widely mocked for the “word salad” answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on “Face the Nation.” 

However, when the same question aired during a primetime special on the network, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of deceitfully editing Harris’ answer to shield the Democratic nominee from backlash leading up to Election Day.

Trump agreed to receive $16 million upfront to cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes. The president has said another allocation in the eight figures has been set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network in the future. 

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Major city faces rising homelessness as officials cite poor plan despite funds

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump is aiming to combat crime involving homelessness throughout the country, with cities such as Las Vegas seeing a crisis surrounding encampments overtaking communities and crippling the local area. 

Sin City has seen an uptick in homelessness throughout the community, with a 20% increase within Clark County in 2024, according to the most recent data from the Southern Nevada Homeless Continuum of Care. 

“It’s progressively gotten worse and worse and worse,” Robert Marbut, the former federal homelessness czar under Trump’s first administration, told Fox News Digital. “And there was sort of an idea that they tried a lot of gimmicks in the beginning.” 

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT ADOPTS NO-TOLERANCE POLICY FOR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS IN WASHINGTON, DC

The increase comes as Clark County officials are looking to combat homelessness, but have reportedly hit roadblocks while acknowledging the city possesses the funding, yet lacks a concrete plan.

“I mean, we have the resources but we do not have a specific plan,” Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said, according to News 3 Las Vegas. 

“We have lots of resources. But we are not proactive, we really respond. So, unless somebody calls and tells us what is going on, a lot of times we have so much going on in the county that we do not have the ability to be there.”

Segerblom did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL VOWS TO END ‘CYCLE OF GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCY’ IN HOMELESS CRACKDOWN

The concept of a city having resources, but no concrete way of executing an effective plan, is not new, according to Marbut. 

“I only lost one project [in two decades] because of money,” Marbut told Fox News Digital. “Every other city that decides not to do something, it’s the lack of political will of the leadership.”

Marbut pointed to two key groups within the city’s homeless population serving as the cause of concern for local officials: individuals who remain unhoused on the streets, and those who are often in and out of hospitals. 

“They’ll move from the street to jail, to the emergency room, back to the street, under a river, into a rescue mission, back to the street, back to jail,” Marbut said. “And that group has a lot of people trying to say, ‘We just need more housing, we need affordable housing.’ This is a group [that], even with affordable housing, can’t keep their house.”

WATCH: DC HOMELESS WEIGH IN ON TRUMP CLEANING UP CITY STREETS

The issue of maintaining a rental is reflected in the numbers, with Clark County accounting for over 26,000 evictions since the start of this year, according to data from Eviction Lab. The county currently has about 371,000 rental households, the organization reported. 

Marbut looked to his own experience addressing homelessness throughout the area within the last four years. 

“They were saying, ‘We just want to keep building more affordable housing and we want to keep giving away free housing to people who are experiencing homelessness,’” Marbut said. “But it didn’t work.” 

TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS

According to Marbut, street-level homelessness within Las Vegas continues to rise on an annual basis, with local leaders putting the bulk of their efforts into combating the crisis within the city’s highly-trafficked tourism areas. 

“They are putting money into the street-level because of their self-interest,” Marbut said. “That’s what’s motivating them, and if that’s what it takes to get funding – to fund a good model – OK, go for it.” 

The city reportedly pivoted to offering vouchers for free food and housing in past attempts to fight homelessness – an attempt that Marbut believes proved futile. 

HOMELESS PEOPLE CAN BE REMOVED FROM STREETS BY CITIES, STATES IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER

“Clark County and Las Vegas kept doubling down on a program that wouldn’t work,” Marbut said. “They kept doubling down, they kept putting more money in. They kept, from my understanding, counting on the federal government money and some of their local money – there was somewhere between two and a half to four times more funding, depending on how you measure it, and it didn’t make a dent. In fact, homelessness went up. And sometimes when you have a bad program and you fund it with more money, it actually makes things worse.” 

The issue has been exacerbated in recent weeks, with a local neighborhood on edge after a previously removed homeless encampment located in an empty parking lot across the street reportedly returned within days. 

“Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas,” a neighbor living at Casa Bonita Apartments said, according to KLAS. “We are filled with trash, garbage and homeless people sleeping in the streets. We’re so fabulous. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt the state to fix this problem.”

TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS

The apartment complex’s tenants are reportedly fed up with the encampment, pointing to instances of fires being lit, trash being left out and even confrontations between homeless individuals and residents. 

“There was a dumpster fire at 3 a.m,” Briana Talbot, property manager for Casa Bonita Apartments, told the outlet. “Someone was walking through the parking lot, lit something on fire in the trash and the whole dumpster caught on fire.” 

Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and Talbot did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

In light of the crisis sweeping the nation, Trump issued an executive order titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” in an effort to cut down on instances of violence involving homeless individuals. 

SANTA MONICA BUSINESS OWNER OFFERING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO GET HOMELESS OUT OF CALIFORNIA

“Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,” the order states. 

The order authorizes the federal government to work with local and state offices throughout the country to implement treatment for homeless individuals, while targeting specific issues – such as squatting and illegal drug use – within communities. 

Trump’s administration is also looking to ensure federal funding does not enable “safe consumption” policies, which allow homeless individuals to consume illegal drugs while supervised. 

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The move is celebrated by Marbut, who believes it is a step in the right direction toward a federal policy on combating and treating homelessness. 

“What the president’s order – and I applaud him for doing this – is saying, we’re going to take a zero-tolerance approach to encampments,” Marbut said.

“So what the executive order is trying to do is stop these encampments under bridges, rivers, out in the open, downtown, back alleys, and get people in the real world. Real programs that really work and not doing gimmicks.”

Father’s eerie last message to wife revealed before mountain tragedy

A Minnesota hiker was found deceased in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains nearly a month after he sent a final text message to his wife and was not heard from again, authorities said Thursday.

The body of Grant Gardner, 38, was found underneath a ledge near the summit of the 13,000-foot Cloud Peak by a professional climbing team from North Carolina, the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“While it’s not the outcome we hoped for, we are hopeful this will provide much needed peace and closure to the family,” the sheriff’s office said.

Gardner went missing on July 29 in the Cloud Peak Wilderness, where he had planned a three-day hike through the Misty Moon Lake area before eventually summiting Cloud Peak. 

MISSING FLORIDA MAN WHO WANDERED AWAY AT POPULAR NEW ENGLAND TOURIST DESTINATION FOUND DEAD

Phone records showed Gardner’s last known contact was a message to his wife on that day, “letting her know he’d made it to the summit,” the sheriff’s office has said. Authorities said the text indicated “the climb was more taxing than he expected and he was tired.”

In the weeks that followed, the sheriff’s office, search and rescue teams and volunteers tirelessly combed the wilderness for signs of Gardner without success.

On Tuesday, the professional climbing team had summited Cloud Peak and began to descend on the northern route of the peak when they made a high-altitude camp and noticed “a slight reflection a few hundred feet above them underneath a ledge,” the sheriff’s office said.

The climbers believed it was a backpack and notified the sheriff’s office via satellite. They agreed to postpone their plans and wait for rescuers to arrive.

When the rescuers arrived at daylight, they found Gardner’s remains near the backpack, the sheriff’s office said, adding that his clothing “very closely” matched the terrain where he was climbing and was difficult to notice.

TRAGEDY STRIKES AT POPULAR NATIONAL PARK AS CLIMBER MEETS FATAL END ON MOUNTAIN

Gardner’s body was recovered from the mountain and was brought home to his family.

The 38-year-old is a father of two children, ages 13 and 11, Cowboy State Daily reported. His wife, Lauren, previously told the outlet that her husband had been hiking for over a decade and liked to go solo.

“It’s all definitely surreal,” she told the outlet as the search was still ongoing. “And I’m in shock, I think, and trying to stay strong for the kids. This has never happened in all the years he’s gone out. He knows what he’s doing and has the skills. I’m just hoping right now.” 

The sheriff’s office noted that the case was given to the Big Horn County Coroner’s Office to determine time, manner and cause of death, as is routine.

“Nothing should be read into this transition,” the sheriff’s office said. “We believe Gardner succumbed to a tragic accident as we all have surmised.”

The sheriff’s office also thanked the professional climbing team for their help, saying they were in the right place at the right time.

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“Special thanks to a spectacular professional group of technical climbers who were in exactly the right spot, at the right moment, with the right light, to notice a small piece of fabric on a pack that was otherwise undetectable, for selflessly aborting their plans and working with SAR Teams to find Gardner, providing closure to his family,” it said.

India’s leader embraces Putin, Xi – Trump responds with ‘simple facts’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held warm meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, sending Washington a clear message after President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs against India went into effect last week.

Xi hosted Modi, Putin and other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the port city of Tianjin. China has long sought to build up the group in a challenge to U.S. and NATO dominance. Modi was pictured having friendly exchanges and holding hands with both leaders, and he emphasized that India sees itself as a “partner” of China’s rather than a “rival.”

Modi’s trip was his first time visiting China in seven years. He also took a ride in Putin’s presidential limo, echoing Putin’s own visit with Trump in Alaska last month. The two leaders held a separate bilateral meeting after the summit.

“Conversations with him are always insightful,” Modi wrote on X, posting a picture of himself with Putin.

TRUMP’S DEADLINE ON SECONDARY TARIFFS ARRIVES; US-RUSSIAN RELATIONS HANG IN THE BALANCE

Putin in turn called Modi his “dear friend” and expressed gratitude that India and Russia share “friendly and trusting” relations.

While Modi never criticized Trump or the U.S. outright, his warming up to U.S. adversaries is a clear rebuke amid India’s tariff strife with Trump. The U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods beginning last week. Xi also stopped short of naming Washington, but condemned “bullying behavior” by countries during his summit address.

Trump appeared to receive the message on Monday, reacting to the trio’s meeting in a post on social media. He argued India had much more to lose in an economic standoff with the U.S.

TRUMP AND PUTIN’S RELATIONSHIP TURNS SOUR AS PRESIDENT PUSHES FOR RESOLUTION WITH UKRAINE

“What few people understand is that we do very little business with India, but they do a tremendous amount of business with us,” Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. is India’s “biggest client.”

“They have offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago. Just some simple facts for people to ponder!” he continued.

INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MODI TAKES PAGE FROM TRUMP, SAYS ‘MAKE INDIA GREAT AGAIN,’ OR ‘MIGA’

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Modi’s visits with Putin and Xi are only the latest sign of cooling relations between Washington and New Delhi, however. India’s national security advisor traveled to Moscow last month, its foreign minister visited last week and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded talks in Delhi in mid-August. Putin is also expected to host Modi in Moscow before the end of the year.

Trump cancels federal union contracts as Democrats ignore FDR’s warning

President Donald Trump recently canceled public-employee union contracts for thousands of federal workers. The employees worked in agencies tied to national security, allowing Trump to invoke a national security exemption to the normal rules governing federal employees. Trump’s decision builds on his March executive order expanding the agencies covered by the exemption. 

It is the latest step in a series of battles over public-sector unionism at the federal level that goes back more than a century — a debate that touches on key aspects of democratic governance.

In 1902, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt issued an order barring federal workers and postal employees from lobbying Congress. His successor, William Howard Taft, took a similar action in 1909 with Executive Order 1142, which focused on preventing lobbying by members of the military. Congress overturned these orders in 1912 with the Lloyd-La Follette Act, but the move did not lead to widespread public-sector unionism.

In 1919, Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge put himself on the political map when he fired striking Boston police officers. When he made this decision, Coolidge famously declared: “There is no right to strike against the public safety, anywhere, anytime.” Coolidge’s action was an important factor in Warren Harding choosing Coolidge as his vice presidential nominee in 1920.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN IN LAWSUIT AGAINST GOVERNMENT LABOR UNIONS

The Harding-Coolidge ticket defeated Ohio Gov. James Cox and New York’s Franklin Roosevelt. Coolidge became president when Harding died in 1923. Roosevelt eventually made it to the White House in 1932. But as president, Roosevelt recognized the dangers of public-sector unionism and opposed it. The 1935 Wagner Act, which boosted the power of private-sector unions, specifically exempted public-sector unions from its protections, stating that federal, state and local governments were not to be considered “employers” with the same obligations Wagner imposed on the private sector.

In 1937, Roosevelt wrote a pivotal letter to the president of the Federation of Federal Employees. According to Roosevelt: “All government employees should realize that the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.” 

Roosevelt’s reasoning was crystal clear and has been frequently cited by conservatives — and conveniently ignored by liberals. He warned: “The very nature and purposes of government make it impossible for administrative officials to represent fully or to bind the employer in mutual discussions with government employee organizations.”

TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL PLAN TO FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FINDS FAVOR WITH SUPREME COURT

In 1939, the Hatch Act included language limiting political activity by public-sector workers. The act, passed by a Democratic Congress under a Democratic president, stemmed from concerns about political activity by employees at Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration during the 1936 election. Roosevelt aide Harry Hopkins, director of the WPA, had been accused of promising jobs for votes, leading to congressional outcry and the passage of the law.

A big change toward the acceptance of public-sector unions came during the John F. Kennedy administration. In 1962, Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988, explicitly allowing federal employees to form unions and bargain collectively. But as Ira Stoll points out in his book “JFK, Conservative,” Kennedy also recognized important limitations. His order did not include the words “collective bargaining.” 

He understood, like FDR, the inherent conflict of interest in granting those rights to government employees. In addition, the order said the government should not recognize any union “which asserts the right to strike against the government of the United States or any agency thereof… or which advocates the overthrow of the constitutional form of the government in the United States.”

This language showed disapproval of strikes by public-sector unions and concerns about communist influence. Kennedy also exempted the FBI and CIA from public-sector unionism because of national security concerns — a precursor to Trump’s recent actions.

If there was one president who did the most to promote public-sector unionism in the federal government, it was Jimmy Carter. Public-sector unionism had already been rising at the local level when Carter was elected in 1976. Recognizing this trend, Victor Gotbaum, head of New York’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), bragged in 1975, “We have the power, in a sense, to elect our own boss.”

When Carter signed the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act, he expanded union power at the federal level. The law granted most federal employees the right to join unions and bargain over the “conditions of [their] employment.” Even though it included a national security exemption, the CSRA was a major step toward the current era in which, according to Philip Howard’s 2023 book “Not Accountable,” “the abuse of power by public employee unions is the main story of public failure in America — worse even, I believe, than polarization or red tape.”

Carter also created the Department of Education, long sought by teachers’ unions. They have been paying back Democrats ever since. A new report shows the top two teachers’ unions have given almost $50 million to left-wing groups since 2022.

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Carter’s successor, Ronald Reagan, pushed back in August 1981 when he fired 11,345 illegally striking air traffic controllers. Reagan issued a statement he wrote himself: “We cannot compare labor-management relations in the private sector with government. Government cannot close down the assembly line. It has to provide without interruption the protective services which are government’s reason for being.… Those who fail to report for duty… are in violation of the law, and if they do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated.”

Reagan’s move had far-reaching implications. It showed the Soviets he was a man of his word, helped him maneuver more effectively on the world stage and boosted his political standing at home. Most importantly, it demonstrated that the federal government could limit the right of federal employees to strike. There had been two dozen strikes by federal workers in the two decades before Reagan’s action. There have been none since.

Since then, political organizing — not striking — has been the main battleground for public-sector unions. They overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, using dues to fund campaigns.

In 1988, the Supreme Court in Communications Workers v. Beck required unions to give workers the ability to opt out of the portion of mandatory dues spent on politics. In April 1992, in the midst of a tough re-election campaign, President George H.W. Bush issued an executive order implementing Beck by requiring federal contractors to notify employees of their Beck rights. Bush said: “Full implementation… will guarantee that no American will have his job or livelihood threatened for refusing to contribute to political activities against his will.”

Bill Clinton, Bush’s Democratic opponent, denounced the order on the campaign trail. According to a Bush White House estimate, if every eligible worker requested a refund, union funds for campaign activities would be reduced by $2.4 billion — nearly all of it aiding Democrats. As president, Clinton revoked the order. When George W. Bush took office, he reinstated it, showing how partisan the issue had become.

Another key fight has been over the scope of public-sector union coverage. During the creation of the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks, George W. Bush sought to exempt DHS employees from union requirements. He won legislatively, but court decisions later limited many of those exemptions. Trump’s recent actions echo that battle as he seeks to extend exemptions to agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs. Courts will decide whether his moves fall within the law.

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Looking back, presidents as different as Theodore Roosevelt, Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Trump all agreed on one thing: limiting the scope of public-sector unions, especially in national security. Unfortunately, today the issue is highly partisan, with Democrats staunchly in favor of public-sector unions and Republicans looking to curtail their power.

On this Labor Day, we should celebrate American workers while recognizing the difference between hardworking citizens and public-sector unions that use their power to elect their own bosses.

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Miami star’s shocking behavior mars Sounders’ victory as tensions boil over

Inter Miami forward Luis Suárez appeared to spit on a Seattle Sounders staff member amid heightened tensions following Seattle’s 3-0 rout to win the 2025 Leagues Cup final on Sunday. 

A shoving match between the two teams broke out almost immediately after the final whistle. 

Videos posted on social media showed Suárez grab Sounders midfielder Obed Vargas around the neck as they walked on the pitch. Several other players joined the skirmish, including Miami’s Sergio Busquets, who appeared to punch Vargas in the face. 

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But the scuffle escalated when clips posted on social media showed Suárez arguing with a Sounders staff member before appearing to spit in his face. 

Suárez, 38, was eventually separated from the man. The Athletic identified the staff member as Sounders security director Gene Ramirez. 

Fox News Digital requested comment from Inter Miami and the Sounders regarding Suárez’s actions. 

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer lamented the post-match “frustrations” but insisted he would not allow that to be “the story.” 

MESSI’S LAST GAME IN ARGENTINA? ‘WE’RE GOING TO LIVE IT LIKE THAT’

“Unfortunately, that is going to take some of the attention away from a great performance by the Seattle Sounders,” Schmetzer said, via ESPN. “Their players were frustrated and that led to some things happening on the field that shouldn’t happen on the field.

“I’m going to shut that down, because that shouldn’t be the story. The story of the game is not what happened after the game. I had a quiet moment with [Lionel] Messi on the field [after the game] and we talked and we tried to push it aside.

“That’s the story.”

Messi was not involved in the post-match scuffle. 

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Sunday was not Suárez’s first controversy. He has bitten players on several occasions, most notably Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during the group stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

FIFA banned him as a result, ending his participation in that World Cup. 

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Country star Carly Pearce knocked out her front teeth days before CMA debut

Carly Pearce recalled showing up at the 2020 CMA Awards looking “beat up” after knocking out her two front teeth.

“I had seven stitches in my lip because I almost bit through my lip seven days before I was up for my first CMA Award,” Pearce recalled during an appearance on Bunnie XO’s podcast, “Dumb Blonde.” “And it was during the pandemic when, like… only the artist got to go.”

“I don’t tell anyone,” she said. “I do all my interviews at my house. My face looks insane. I had to get like bonding and stitches and the whole thing. And I ended up going to the award show. I took my best girlfriend. She’s still my best friend from childhood. And I’m sitting there and like my lip starts bleeding because it’s like so messed up. She’s like, ‘You gotta, like, pat your lip.'”

“I looked like I got beat up,” Pearce added.

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Pearce won her first CMA that year, taking home the musical event of the year award for her collaboration with Lee Brice on the song “I Hope You’re Happy Now.” She also performed at the award show.

She didn’t speak publicly about her injury at the time, despite speculation over the cause of her swollen lips.

“I fell and knocked my two front teeth out,” she eventually told E! News. “I had a bunch of stitches in my mouth, looked completely different than what I looked like right now, and it was kind of scary because I knew I was going into the biggest week of my life.”

“It looked really bad. It was scary,” she added. “I was just really fortunate to get doctors that helped and knew the pressure I was under. But with every day, I was like, ‘Please Lord, let my face heal so I can do this,’ because this is such a huge moment.”

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Five years later, Pearce recalled the buzz surrounding her facial injury. “Of course, I wake up the next day and all these radio stations are like, ‘Carly Pearce had a bad botched job of her lips being done.’”

“And I’m like, ‘No, I don’t. No, you have no idea. You have no idea what I’ve gone through.’ Like my teeth were moving,” Pearce told Bunnie XO.

The country star explained she didn’t clarify what actually happened to her mouth because she didn’t want to “rock the boat.”

“I think for so long, I’ve been afraid to like, rock the boat. And I didn’t – I just didn’t want to feed into it. But if you saw these pictures, they were insane.”

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Pearce has since been more open about her health.

The “Should’ve Known Better” singer announced she had been diagnosed with an “intense” heart condition called pericarditis in May 2024. Pearce claimed that her health condition was initially “dismissed” by medical professionals, but she continued to press doctors until she received answers.

“My biggest piece of advice for anybody is: Listen to your body, and be your own advocate … a lot of doctors dismissed me, and I was persistent until I got a diagnosis,” she told Fox News Digital at the time.

Pearce has been living with the heart condition for nearly five years and has been experiencing flare-ups since 2020.

“I had a really debilitating chest pain that was only relieved if I bent over like this (leaning forward), and that’s a classic symptom of pericarditis,” she previously explained to “Today.”

“And then when you lay back, it gets way worse, because that wall is kind of inflamed around your heart.”

She added: “I just had a really intense shortness of breath, like almost having to suck through, like, a straw.”

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Amazon’s Labor Day deals: Save up to 53% on luggage, grills and more

Snag fall must-haves, tech gadgets and home and garden essentials at a discount during Amazon’s Labor Day event. 

Latest Deals

American Tourister hardside luggage with spinner wheels: on sale for $173.49 (50% off), originally $347
Apple AirPods 4: on sale for $89.99 (30% off), originally $129
Kitchen Mama electric can opener: on sale for $29.99 (25% off), originally $39.99
Anker SOLIX F2000 portable power station: on sale for $999.99 (50% off), originally $1,999
Apple Macbook Air laptop on sale for $799 (20% off), originally $999
Shark Vertex ultra lightweight cordless stick vacuum: on sale for $229.99 (47% off), originally $429.99
Airplane pocket organizer: on sale for $16 (33% off), originally $24
Ninja air fryer: on sale for $119.99 (33% off), originally $179.99
Wavytalk hair dryer with diffuser: on sale for $31.83 (31% off), originally $45.99
Carote non-stick pots and pans set: on sale for $69.99 (46% off), originally $129.99
Energizer LED rechargeable plug-in flashlights six-pack: on sale for $42.43 (31% off), originally $61.79

Apple iPad: on sale for $299 (14% off)

Original price $349

The 11-inch iPad (A16) is the ultimate affordable tablet, complete with a fast A16 chip and bright display that can automatically adjust to lighting conditions. It also sports 128 GB of storage, with options all the way up to 512 GB, and there are four colors to choose from.

The iPad is compatible with the Apple Pencil to help with drawing and note taking. The magic keyboard folio turns your iPad into a functional laptop and detaches and attaches with a simple click. A hard iPad case and a screen protector are also must-have additions to prevent cracks and scratches from everyday wear and tear. 

Jump starter: on sale for $59.99 (40% off)

Original price: $99.99

The HPBS jump starter is a portable lithium battery pack with a peak current of 4000A. It is designed to jump start large vehicles with up to 10.0L gas and 8.0L diesel engines, and it also functions as a power bank and flashlight.

Coleman RoadTrip 225 portable propane grill: on sale for $238.99 (35% off)

Original price: $364.99

The Coleman RoadTrip 225 is a portable propane grill ideal for camping or tailgating. It features 225 square inches of grilling space, two adjustable burners and a collapsible design with wheels for easy transport.

Medicube collagen jelly cream: on sale for $19.98 (39% off)

Original price: $33

The Medicube collagen jelly cream uses the key ingredients of niacinamide and freeze-dried hydrolyzed collagen to help boost the skin barrier and hydration, as well as improve elasticity.

Heating pad: on sale for $18.99 (53% off)

Original price: $39.99

Think of the RENPHO heating pad as a warm therapeutic hug for your back, shoulders, and neck. This pad is designed to stay put, so you can walk around and still get that soothing relief. It heats up in a flash and offers multiple heat settings.

BEST HAIR TOOLS FOR SALON-QUALITY BLOWOUTS, CURLS AND WAVES AT HOME

Shark air purifier: on sale for $299.99 (21% off)

Original price: $379.99

This Shark air purifier covers an impressive 1,300 square ft with a long-lasting HEPA filter. Its Clean Sense IQ feature automatically monitors air quality and adjusts the fan speed as needed. The model also includes odor neutralizer technology to combat smells.

Women’s hiking pants: on sale for $29.98 (41% off)

Original price: $50.99

With fall around the corner, it’s a great time to update your wardrobe with these top-rated hiking pants. These pants are lightweight, breathable and water-resistant. 

Sonos Roam 2: $139 (22% off)

Original price: $179

An easy way to turn the volume at any gathering is by adding music to the mix. The Sonos Roam 2 is a portable speaker that delivers impressive sound for its size and offers up to 10 hours of playtime on a single charge.

Ninja woodfire outdoor pizza oven: on sale for $299.99 (25% off)

Original price: $399.99

The Ninja woodfire outdoor pizza oven is perfect for mastering your pizza making. This versatile, all-in-one outdoor cooking appliance can make pizza but also roast, broil, bake, smoke, and dehydrate, giving you a wide range of cooking options. It’s a neat oven that can handle a variety of big meals, including a 12-pound turkey.

FIND YOUR NEXT BEAUTY FAVORITE ON AMAZON – NEW PRODUCTS FROM ESTÉE LAUDER TO BAREMINERALS

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Shark Flexstyle: on sale for $249 (29% off)

Original price: $349.99

The Shark FlexStyle is an all-in-one tool that acts as a blow-dryer, curler, straightener and hot brush. It comes with a bunch of interchangeable attachments that you can easily swap out to get the look you want. Plus, it uses powerful airflow instead of scorching heat, so it’s much gentler on your hair than traditional tools.

Most purchases can be delivered to your door in 24 hours if you’re an Amazon Prime member. You can join or start a 30-day free trial to start your holiday shopping today.