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Falwell: ‘If you hold Biblical values’ you will vote ‘no’ on Virginia redistricting

2026-04-20T16:21:38-04:00 / Fox News

Falwell claims proponents want to change Virginia’s congressional makeup from 6-5 Republican to 10-1 liberal

By Charles Creitz Fox News

Published April 20, 2026 4:21pm EDT | Updated April 20, 2026 6:01pm EDT

Rev. Jonathan Falwell says voting ‘no’ on Virginia redistricting aligns with ‘biblical values’

Thomas Road Baptist Church senior pastor and Liberty University chancellor Jonathan Falwell sounds off from the pulpit on Virginia’s redistricting referendum. (Credit: @WendellWalkerVA/X – April 19, 2026)

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Opponents of Virginia’s redistricting referendum hitting ballot boxes on Tuesday got an assist from on high after the son of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell spoke out on the “Biblical values” behind opposing the controversial measure.

Rev. Jonathan Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg and pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (founded by his father), has been a prominent conservative religious voice for decades.

In remarks shared by Virginia Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, Falwell told congregants that while he has never and will never advise anyone on who to vote for or against, Tuesday’s ballot measure is not to be ignored.

“Tuesday is an election day here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It shouldn’t be, but it is. And we have an election coming up. There’s no body on the ballot. There are no individuals running for any office. It is simply a decision that was made by some people in Richmond to subvert the common way and the right way to do things,” Falwell said.

OBAMA URGES VIRGINIANS TO VOTE YES ON REDISTRICTING MEASURE THAT COULD GIVE DEMOCRATS 4 MORE HOUSE SEATS

Youngkin calls proposed Virginia congressional map the ‘most gerrymandered’ in AmericaVideo

Falwell explained how redistricting proponents crafted the ballot language to say that a “yes” vote would “restore fairness” and that their definition of such was to change the congressional makeup of Virginia from 6-5 to 10 “leaning to the liberal [side] and one leaning to the conservative [side].”

“I don’t quite think the Restore Fairness is exactly what they’re trying to do. I think what they are trying to do is to completely take over.”

Falwell underlined that he has only ever encouraged congregants to “vote your values” and described what Biblical values translate to in a political context.

“Today, I’m going to do the exact same thing, but it’s a little bit different because today I know that if you hold Biblical values, if you believe in the sanctity of life, if you believe in the right of having this idea that there is man and woman period. If you believe clearly in all the freedoms and the values and the principles upon which this nation was founded, there is only one way to vote on Tuesday and that is to vote no.”

SOROS-BACKED GROUP AMONG LIBERAL ORGS PUMPING EYE-POPPING CASH INTO VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING EFFORT

Rev. Jonathan Falwell comforts sister Jeannie and brother Jerry Jr. after the passing of their father Rev. Jerry Falwell in 2007.(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

He noted that he expects blowback for speaking out on the topic, adding that he anticipates angry letters and emails.

“I don’t care,” Falwell said. “We cannot allow the Commonwealth of Virginia to be taken over by a simple group of people who just simply believe that their way is the only way.”

“If we truly believe that voting matters, if we truly believe that our values matter, if you truly believe that we have the right to let our voices be heard, then let your voice be heard and vote.”

Walker later praised Falwell for speaking out, calling his decision a “courageous stand.”

“Leadership like this matters — speak up and make your voice heard. Vote NO,” Walker said.

DAVID MARCUS: DESPERATE DEMS TAP OBAMA TO PITCH VIRGINIA GERRYMANDERING LIES

At least one respondent to another repost of Falwell’s remarks was, however, nonplussed.

A woman casts her vote at a polling place in Burke, Fairfax County, Virginia, in 2026.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)

“If pastors like Jonathan Falwell want to start telling people how to vote from the pulpit, then megachurches like Thomas Road Baptist Church should start paying taxes,” the critic said.

Falwell succeeded his father, Rev. Jerry Falwell, as senior pastor of Thomas Road in 2007, and became chancellor of Liberty University in 2023.

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Falwell Sr. was leader of the conservative “Moral Majority” during the Reagan era.

Fox News Digital reached out to Falwell and Thomas Road for further comment.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393482120112

Democrat Betty Yee exits California governor’s race

2026-04-20T20:52:16.908Z / CNN

By Associated Press

3 hr ago

PUBLISHED Apr 20, 2026, 4:52 PM ET

US elections Gubernatorial elections State & local races

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Betty Yee attends the SEIU-United Service Workers West Gubernatorial Candidate Worker Forum at Meruelo Studios in Los Angeles, California, on January 10, 2026.

Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images/File

Los Angeles AP—

Another Democrat is exiting the crowded contest for California governor.

Betty Yee — a former state controller — announced Monday she was suspending her campaign, just over a week after fellow Democrat and former US Rep. Eric Swalwell left the race following sexual assault allegations that he denies.

Yee was vying to be the first woman to hold the state’s highest office. But she lagged in fundraising and failed to break into the leading tier of candidates in polling since entering the contest in 2024. In a fluid race that many voters have ignored, she tried to pitch herself as a candidate “who focuses on solutions rather than soundbites” or a levelheaded “boring Betty.”

Still, with Yee out, the contest to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom remains crowded and unpredictable, with no clear leader. Yee’s withdrawal leaves six established Democrats and two leading Republicans on a ballot with more than 50 names.

Mail ballots are scheduled to go to voters in early May, in advance of the June 2 primary election. At this stage of the campaign, Yee’s name cannot be removed.

Swalwell’s exit dramatically reordered the race, since he was among the leading Democrats. Yee, however, had been frozen at the bottom of the field with scant voter support.

Democrats have feared the party’s large number of candidates could lead to them getting shut out of the general election in November. That’s because California has a primary system in which only the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party.

Polling in late March and early April by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found a cluster of candidates in close competition: Democrats Tom Steyer and former US Rep. Katie Porter, Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, and Swalwell. Other candidates were trailing. The polling was conducted before Swalwell withdrew.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer leaving Trump administration, in latest exit from Cabinet

April 20, 2026 / 6:14 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration, the White House confirmed Monday.

White House communications director Steven Cheung said Chavez-DeRemer is taking a position in the private sector. After the White House announcement, Chavez-DeRemer called it “an honor and a privilege” to serve in the administration.

The department’s Deputy Secretary Keith Sonderling will take on the role of acting secretary, Cheung said.

Her departure marks the latest member of President Trump’s Cabinet to exit the administration in recent weeks. Mr. Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was replaced in March.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer arrives for a congressional hearing on June 5, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP

Chavez-DeRemer had been under scrutiny, with several news outlets reporting that her conduct was under investigation by the Labor Department’s internal watchdog. CBS News has not confirmed the existence of the investigation. The Labor Department inspector general’s office declined to comment on Monday, and an official would not confirm the existence of an investigation or a status of a report.

The New York Times reported last week that the department’s inspector general was looking at text messages sent by Chavez-DeRemer, her top aides and family members to young staffers.

Chavez-DeRemer’s husband was barred from the department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., after two women who work there reported that he had touched them inappropriately, sources familiar with the situation told CBS News earlier this year.

Chavez-DeRemer previously served one term as a Republican congresswoman from Oregon before losing her bid for reelection.

While in Congress, Chavez-DeRemer was one of a handful of Republicans to cosponsor the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, a suite of changes to federal union protections backed by Democrats and major labor groups. The AFL-CIO, a large federation of unions, praised Chavez-DeRemer’s record when she was nominated, but was skeptical of Mr. Trump’s views on organized labor.

Kristin Brown contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-resigns/

研究：加沙战后需714亿美元重建 六成居民无家可归

2026年4月21日 07:54 / 联合早报

一项最新研究显示，加沙在未来十年内预计需要714亿美元（约906亿新元）用于战后重建。4月20日，在加沙南部城市汗尤尼斯，巴勒斯坦武装分子与以色列支持的民兵发生冲突。 （路透社）

一项最新研究显示，加沙在未来十年内预计需要714亿美元（约906亿新元）用于战后重建。

由欧盟、联合国和世界银行星期一（4月20日）发布的联合报告称，其中约263亿美元资金需要在前18个月内到位，用于恢复基本公共服务和建设关键基础设施。

哈马斯于2023年10月7日突袭以色列，引发以哈冲突，双方达成的停火协议已生效六个月。

尽管美国总统特朗普去年10月高调宣布达成这项停火协议，但协议从未进入第二阶段，即哈马斯解除武装、建立新的治理机构并启动重建工作。国际关注的重心已转向2月28日爆发的伊朗战争。

加沙地带的状况依然严峻，大多数居民缺乏合适的住所、基本服务以及充足的食物和药品。国际救援委员会警告称，这场多重危机正“逐渐淡出全球视线”。

报告估计，加沙有190万人流离失所，占战前总人口的逾80%，其中超过六成的人失去了家园。

报告作者呼吁，应在发放人道主义援助的同时推进重建工作，并强调救援和重建应与联合国安理会第2803号决议保持一致。这项决议强调，重建进程应由巴勒斯坦人主导，且具有透明度和问责制。

国际救援委员会说，许多流离失所的加沙居民只能居住在临时搭建的帐篷中，约77%的人口面临急性粮食不安全风险。约94%的医院被毁或受损，约半数基本药品据称已经耗尽。

加沙卫生部门称，自停火协议生效以来，已有777名巴勒斯坦人死于以色列空袭，使以哈冲突爆发以来的总死亡人数超过7万2000人。

For Jewish Iranians, war with Israel brings a flood of mixed emotions

April 20, 2026 / 12:40 PM EDT / CBS News

Tehran — Iran’s significant Jewish population has been caught in the crossfire along with the rest of the Islamic Republic’s population amid the U.S.-Israeli war with their country. For some, it’s brought a unique sense of internal struggle.

Iranian officials allowed CBS News and some other foreign media outlets access to visit one of the main synagogues in central Tehran last week, where a few Iranian Jews — who asked not to be identified by their real names — shared their anger and anxiety about the seven-week war.

There are believed to be some 12,000 Jewish Iranians in the country. It is one of the biggest Jewish communities, if not the biggest, in the Middle East outside of Israel.

Senior Iranian Rabbi Younes Hamami Lalezar speaks with news reporters during an organized media event at the Sukkat Shalom Synagogue in central Tehran, April 16, 2026. CBS News/Seyed Bathaei

It’s a significantly smaller number than the estimated 100,000 or more who lived in the country before the Islamic Republic came to power with the 1979 revolution. From that time, the community has shrunk for various reasons, including anxiety over unequal treatment — which the government denies, insisting that Jews are allowed to practice their religion openly and without fear of persecution.

Yacub, 71, a grandfather who owns a small shop in the Iranian capital, was initially reluctant to speak with an American news outlet, but he eventually agreed to share his perspective.

He said there are restrictions facing Jewish people “everywhere, and naturally there are in this country, too. Things like not being able to get employed within the government or armed forces.”

Iran’s judiciary system doesn’t treat Jewish and Muslim citizens equally, with monetary compensation for Muslims victimized by crimes being higher, for instance. Due to the longstanding animosity between Iran and Israel, travel restrictions mean Jewish Iranians are also unable to visit Israel to attend religious festivals.

But Yacub told CBS News, “All in all, I am happy and satisfied to be living in Iran.”

When Israel and the U.S. launched their war with Iran at the end of February, Yacub said “it was a very strange feeling, and full of contradictory ideas in my mind about which side I belonged to and which one I should support, but at the end I had very strong feelings toward my country, my birthplace and the roots of mine.”

He said his father had told him years ago that “we are Iranian Jews, and not some Jews who just live in Iran.”

A view inside the Sukkat Shalom Synagogue in central Tehran, Iran, shows a photo of Iran’s late Supreme Leader on the platform from which the rabbi delivers sermons, during a media event on April 16, 2026. CBS News/Seyed Bathaei

For Deborah, a 37-year-old mother in Tehran, the intertwining of antisemitism with anti-Israel rhetoric from her country’s government has been troubling during the war.

“I can’t support this war, but the anti-Jewish rhetoric that is creeping in amid the anti-Israel propaganda is hurting my feelings,” Deborah, who works in Iran’s health care industry, told CBS News. “The official Iran government narrative is that they are against Israel and Zionism, but I hear a nonstop narrative against Jews and Judaism that is in their propaganda songs and their religious gatherings, and the state TV and other state media are airing it 24/7.”

“Of course, I am not happy that Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, since I consider myself as an Iranian not an Israeli,” said Deborah, who added that she and her family might have left Tehran when the U.S.-Israeli strikes started, but they couldn’t due to an elderly family member needing ongoing medical treatment.

“I also had to work as there were shortages of medical staff,” she said. “I felt like, when all the bombs were coming down, that they would not distinguish between the followers of any religion, and Jews could be killed just as easily as Muslims or Christians or Zoroastrians or basically any other faith.”

“I just hope that peace will be restored between all engaged countries, and I will be deeply thankful if the Iranian government and Israeli governments could forget their differences and sit at a table to discuss and finally solve their problems through dialogue, not guns,” Deborah said. “I know it’s wishful thinking, but that is my dream anyway!”

Sarah, 31, said she had a good job as a medical technician repairing hospitals’ CT scan machines.

“I am not a fan of war, and as far as I hear people around me, nobody else is pro-war either, but I don’t understand those people who come to the streets to chant for the destruction of a country, even if it is Israel, even if it is an enemy,” Sarah told CBS News at the Sukkat Shalom synagogue, in central Tehran. “I definitely consider myself to be 100% Iranian, and don’t want to leave my country. However, I cannot approve of the endless war-mongering against any people or country. I just don’t understand why they can’t resolve their problems peacefully instead.”

“I am not a dreamer, and I understand that the political issues are serious matters and the resentment among both countries are deeply rooted in ideology,” she said. “I am begging both governments, just calm down and let us live in peace.”

GOP strategists called to DC as Trump team confronts rising midterm headwinds

April 20, 2026 1:35pm EDT / Fox News

Susie Wiles organized the gathering as the party battles inflation, rising gas prices and Trump’s underwater approval ratings

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Sen John Kennedy addresses GOP concerns ahead of midterms

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., addresses GOP concerns ahead of the midterm elections, highlighting market momentum and President Donald Trump’s gas price predictions on ‘The Big Weekend Show.’

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With the six-month mark until Election Day 2026 closing fast, President Donald Trump’s top political advisers are meeting behind closed doors Monday with dozens of leading Republican political consultants from across the country for a strategy session as the party defends its razor-thin House and slim Senate majorities in the midterms.

The meeting, organized by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was co-chair of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, comes as the party in power in the nation’s capital faces traditional political headwinds and is expected to lose congressional seats. Republicans are also battling a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation, rising gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and the president’s underwater approval ratings.

The gathering, which was first reported by Politico, is aimed at establishing better coordination and sharing of data and strategy between the White House political team and consultants advising candidates in midterm showdowns.

STRATEGY SESSION: TRUMP’S TEAM HUDDLES ON MIDTERM MESSAGING

President Donald Trump hosts a lunch with the Kennedy Center Board members as chief of staff Susie Wiles looks on at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 2026.(Annabelle Gordon/AFP)

The meeting also comes two weeks after Trump announced that Blair would temporarily step down from his White House role to steer midterm strategy from the outside. The president said in a social media post that Blair would take “a short leave of absence to lead the charge from the outside” against Democrats, and after the midterms would “return again to the White House, so we can finish the job.”

This is the second major gathering ahead of the midterms. Wiles, Blair and other top Trump political advisers met in February at the party’s Capitol Hill Club with Cabinet officials and their top aides to discuss promoting the Trump agenda and other midterm messaging.

Trump made a two-day swing last week to Nevada and Arizona, two crucial swing states in this year’s elections, to highlight the tax cuts that congressional Republicans passed, and which he signed into law last summer.

BACK ON THE TRAIL: TRUMP HITS BATTLEGROUND STATES TO TOUT TAX CUTS

President Donald Trump gestures at a roundtable event about no tax on tips, Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Las Vegas(Lucas Peltier/AP Photo)

The president’s stops were part of a full-court press last week by Republicans, around last Wednesday’s tax filing deadline, to spotlight the tax cuts, which they insist will give them a political boost with voters in the midterms.

The tax cuts were a key component of Republicans’ massive domestic policy measure, which passed almost entirely along party lines in the GOP-controlled House and Senate.

The law, originally titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act but rebranded as the Working Families Tax Cuts, is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay.

FIRST ON FOX: GOP TAKES AIM AT DEMOCRATS FOR OPPOSING TRUMP TAX CUTS

President Donald Trump signs sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” during a picnic with military families to mark Independence Day, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2025.(Reuters/Ken Cedeno)

But much of the GOP messaging last week was overshadowed by coverage of the war with Iran and Trump’s very public spat with the pope.

Republicans in Congress are increasingly concerned about the political climate ahead of the midterms.

“If we lose the midterms, it’ll be because we didn’t talk about what moms and dads are worried about when they lie down to sleep at night…and that’s primarily the cost of living, GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said Saturday in an appearance on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.”

And pointing to the tax cuts, Kennedy said the “One Big Beautiful Bill is going to help a lot of people in terms of their taxes and a lot of small businesses. And that’s what I wish the president would talk more about. If we talk about it, we’ll win the midterms.”

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Despite the Democratic Party’s poll numbers hitting all-time lows over the past year, Democrats are energized heading into the midterms thanks to a slew of off-year-election and special election victories and over performances, thanks in part to their laser focus on affordability since Trump returned to the White House.

The Democratic National Committee, in an email release Monday to supporters, claimed that “Republicans are in trouble ahead of the midterms — and they know it.”

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

Tariff refund portal off to bumpy start as some businesses report glitches

April 20, 2026 / 3:01 PM EDT / CBS News

Some businesses experienced problems accessing the U.S. government’s new tariff refund portal after the system launched on Monday.

Rick Woldenberg, CEO of educational toy maker Learning Resources, told CBS News he received an error message when the company tried to file a claim for a tariff refund using the new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, platform.

“The system is currently experiencing high volume, please try again later,” the message stated.

“The system seems to have gone blinky,” said Woldenberg, whose Vernon Hills, Illinois-based company filed the 2025 lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court striking downthe Trump administration’s emergency tariffs in February. “It seems like the system is overwhelmed.”

The federal agency that operates CAPE, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), told CBS News it’s looking into reports of problems using the system.

The U.S. government now owes tens of thousands of importers a total ofup to $175 billionin refunds for the tariffs imposed by President Trump last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

Beth Benike, co-founder of Busy Baby, a Minnesota-based maker of baby products, told CBS News that she spent more than four hours on hold with CBP over the weekend trying to resolve an issue with an account that businesses need to file tariff refund claims.

CAPE requires importers to have an account in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the centralized platform that Customs and Border Patrol uses for processing imports and exports as well as collecting tariff revenue.

“I got an error message saying ‘Duplicate tax ID,’ which means my importer account is tied to someone else’s,” said Benike, who is seeking to submit a refund claim for $50,000 in tariffs. “CBP gave me a ticket number, but there’s been no response.”

“I can’t even get to the point where I’d receive an error message because the portal is down,” she added.

“It would be such a relief”

Shawn Phetteplace, national campaigns director for Main Street Alliance, a network of small business owners, told CBS News that some of the group’s members experienced difficulty submitting or were unable to file refund claims on Monday.

“We are deeply disappointed that the portal seems to be having major issues,” he told CBS News, emphasizing the importance of processing tariff refunds quickly.

“Some people went out of business. Many of our members stopped hiring and growing and experienced real and severe consequences from the chaotic tariffs,” he told CBS News. “We need those refunds to be processed as soon as humanly possible.”

Al Fine, founder and CEO of Dame, a sexual health and wellness company, also told CBS News that she plans to submit a tariff refund claim on Monday.

“If this money comes in, it would be such a relief,” she said. “I would definitely reinvest it in Dame and bring more products to market faster.”

As of April 9, more than 56,000 U.S. importers had registered to receive refunds, according to CBP. Up to 82% of IEEPA duty payments, amounting to $127 billion, are eligible for refunds in CAPE’s initial deployment.

Only IEEPA tariffs are eligible for refunds. Initially, CAPE will accept requests for estimated tariffs, along with those finalized by CBP within the past 80 days. The agency has said it will issue tariff refunds for valid claims within 60 to 90 days of approving them, although it could take longer if claims contain errors or inaccuracies that require fixing.

WATCH: Houston faces $110M hit as Texas gov lays down law on ‘sanctuary’ policies

April 20, 2026 12:20pm EDT / Fox News

Abbott says Houston is ‘in breach of contract’ after city council voted to end a policy aiding ICE agents

By Peter Pinedo Fox News

Texas governor lays out ultimatum for major city to reverse sanctuary policy or pay hefty fine

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott laid out an ultimatum for the Houston City Council to pay the state back approximately $110 million if it does not reverse a sanctuary type policy. (Credit: KRIV)

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Houston, a major red-state city run by Democrats, is in “crisis” mode as it faces an ultimatum to repay the State of Texas approximately $110 million if it does not repeal a “sanctuary”-type ordinance limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Houston City Council recently voted to end a policy requiring police to wait at least 30 minutes for ICE to arrive if a suspect had an immigration warrant. Afterward, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, drew a line in the sand, telling the city to immediately reverse its policy or face “extraordinarily difficult financial choices.”

Abbott asserted that Houston is “trying to renege on their obligations” after signing onto a public safety agreement to receive state funding that required it to cooperate with immigration enforcement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“The City of Houston right now is in breach of contract,” Abbott told reporters last week. “That’s going to require the City of Houston to immediately provide $110 million to the State of Texas.”

GOP WARNS DEMOCRATS’ DHS SHUTDOWN COULD JEOPARDIZE WORLD CUP SECURITY

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott (right) has issued an ultimatum to the City of Houston to reverse its new policy limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers or pay a hefty fine.(U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

Regardless of whether the city council cooperates, Abbott said city officials will face the consequences of their noncompliance. If officials refuse to repay Texas, Abbott said the state comptroller will withhold sales tax revenue that would otherwise go to the city.

“It’s not as if they’re going to say, ‘Well, we may or may not get around to writing a check,’” he said. “Know this, the way the law works… the comptroller will withhold the sales tax revenue that otherwise will go to the City of Houston and will be retained by the State of Texas until the State of Texas is fully repaid the $110 million that is owed by Houston to the state.”

Abbott shot down a reporter’s question on whether his ultimatum contradicts his public safety goals.

“Let’s be clear about a couple things,” he said. “If the city council was serious about public safety, they would not allow illegal immigrants to roam their streets and kill people like Jocelyn Nungaray.”

He added that “there are other people like that in Houston who have been raped, assaulted and victimized by people who are here illegally and allowed to roam the streets.”

STATE TOP COP MOVES TO CRUSH ALLEGED DHS RECORDS RESTRICTION AS COUNTY DENIES ICE-OUT

ICE officers take a suspect into custody in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 28, 2025.(ICE)

He further cautioned that the city council will have to find an alternate method of funding its police force, or it will be in violation of Texas law requiring cities to fully fund law enforcement forces.

“Houston will still be obligated to come up with the additional funds to fully fund their police,” he said.

He stressed to the city council that it is “in breach of contract,” adding, “We’ve given the opportunity to what’s called ‘cure’ that breach.”

“Failure to do so will lead to extraordinarily difficult financial choices that are purposefully made by the city council of Houston,” he concluded.

TEXAS AG SUES HOUSTON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OVER NEW SANCTUARY CITY ORDINANCE LIMITING ICE COOPERATION

Mayor John Whitmore speaks during a press conference on March 13, 2024, in Houston.(Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

In response to the ultimatum, Houston Democratic Mayor John Whitmire has called on the city council to reexamine the policy and vote on possibly repealing it. Whitmire called the situation a “crisis” that affects the Houston police and fire departments, public safety services across the city and even preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

According to Whitmire, Abbott has given the city a deadline of this Wednesday before the state moves to enforce the contract. He said a special session of the Houston City Council has been called for that day, giving his office “additional time to continue productive discussions with the Governor’s office, City Council members, law enforcement, and the community.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the city council for comment.

Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

Fed chief nominee Warsh commits to central bank’s independence, with limits

2026-04-20 16:24:32 UTC / Reuters

By Ann Saphir and Doina Chiacu

April 20, 2026 4:24 PM UTC Updated 2 hours ago

节点运行失败

Kevin Warsh, Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, speaks during the Sohn Investment Conference in New York City, U.S., May 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• Warsh pledges to work with the administration, Congress on non-monetary Fed matters
• He reprises criticisms of Fed overreach
• Warsh says Fed independence is threatened by its failure to maintain price stability

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) – Kevin Warsh, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, will tell lawmakers at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he is “committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent,” according to prepared remarks released on Monday.

“I am equally committed to working with the Administration and Congress on non-monetary matters that are part of the Fed’s remit,” the 56-year-old financier and former Fed governor will tell members of the Senate Banking Committee.

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Fed independence is “at its peak in the operational conduct of monetary policy,” Warsh said in his prepared remarks. “That degree of independence does not extend to the full range of its congressionally mandated functions,” he said, adding that U.S. central bank policymakers are not entitled to the same “special deference” in their stewardship of public monies, bank regulation and supervision, “or in areas affecting international finance, among other matters.”

Warsh, who has been nominated to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell as head of the central bank, also pledged to push through change at the monetary policy agency, saying the tendency of large and complex institutions to stick with the status quo is “harmful” when the world is changing fast.

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“In a time that will rank among the most consequential in our nation’s history, I believe a reform-oriented Federal Reserve can make a real difference to the American people,” he said in the prepared remarks.

Warsh, who was a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, used much of his speech to reprise critiques he has made of the central bank in the decade and a half since resigning. The Fed, he said, must “stay in its lane” rather than stray into fiscal and social policies, phrasing that in the past he has used to take the central bank to task for doing research into the economic implications of climate change and targeting “inclusive” full employment. The Fed in the last few years has largely abandoned any focus on climate change.

Warsh also said he views Fed independence as being under siege because the central bank has failed to ensure its congressionally assigned mandate of price stability.

“Low inflation is the Fed’s plot armor, its vital protection against slings and arrows,” Warsh said. “So, when inflation surges – as it has done in recent years – grievous harm is done to our citizens … (who) may also lose faith in our system of economic governance, raising doubts whether monetary policy independence is all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it,” said Warsh, who has repeatedly lambasted U.S. central bank policymakers for blaming the post-pandemic burst of inflation on supply shocks.

Warsh’s confirmation hearing before the Senate panel is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Tuesday.

Reporting by Ann Saphir, Doina Chiacu and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Swing-state Dem candidate’s ‘disgusting’ comments about JD, Usha Vance’s ‘Brown children’ sparks outrage

April 20, 2026 12:38pm EDT / Fox News

El-Sayed said of the second lady, ‘She’s like, damn, I have to sleep with him’ on a podcast appearance

By Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News

Published April 20, 2026 12:38pm EDT

WATCH: Michigan Dem. Senate candidate cites JD and Usha Vance’s ‘brown kids’ in personal attack

The clip from Dr. Abdul El-Sayed quickly generated pushback from conservatives on social media. (Credit: The Allen Analysis Show – April 17, 2026)

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Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, is facing online blowback over a podcast appearance where he took several pointed shots at Vice President JD Vance’s personal life, including his relationship with second lady Usha Vance.

“What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him,’” El-Sayed said on “The Allen Analysis Show” posted on Friday.

“I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening,” El-Sayed continued, “Can you imagine, he’s got Brown kids, at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different.”

Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing criticism over recent comments made about VP JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance.(Roberto Schmidt-Pool/Getty Images; Photo by Monica Morgan/Getty Images)

El-Sayed went on to say that Vance’s political philosophy is “incoherent” because of the racial makeup of his family and that the vice president’s soul is “corrupted” by power.

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“He’s got to look at his kids and be like, ‘Yeah, those are Brown kids, they’re mine,’” El-Sayed said. “‘You know what I mean? And I had Brown kids. I had Brown kids?’”

Sayed continued, “I love my Brown kids, and I think my Brown kids are just as American as everyone else. JD Vance has Brown kids who he thinks are less American than everyone else.”

El-Sayed also said on the podcast appearance that Vance has the “charisma of a doorknob” and the “aura of a toad” while urging Usha Vance to “get out” of the marriage.

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Dr. Abdul El-Sayed speaks during a coronavirus public health roundtable in Romulus, Michigan, on March 9, 2020.(Erin Kirkland/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Former Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon was one of several people who took issue with El-Sayed’s comments and told Fox News Digital she doesn’t believe most Michigan voters will react positively to his message.

“When you’re running on racial division, you have to keep stoking racism, especially if you’re the racist,” Dixon said. “Imagine smugly trying to break up a family because you don’t believe a White man can love his children. Pretty pathetic, and I think Michigan voters will agree.”

Conservatives on social media quickly reacted to the clip, accusing El-Sayed of taking his criticism of the Vance family too far.

“This isn’t politics,” Rev. Jordan Wells, founder of Christians Against Antisemitism Institute, posted on X, calling the comments a “low blow.”

“This is personal, cruel, and straight-up disgusting.”

Conservative influencer Laura Loomer blasted the “derogatory sexual comments” in a post on X.

“Democrats are trash,” Townhall writer Amy Curtis posted on X.

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Second lady Usha Vance and first lady Melania Trump smile as President Donald Trump delivers remarks in Emancipation Hall during inauguration ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025.(Greg Nash/AFP)

Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office and El-Sayed’s campaign for comment.

Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary will be held on Aug. 4 as El-Sayed squares off against Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens to advance to the general election in November against former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.