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GOP lawmaker shocked after anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by ‘fifth-grade civics’ question

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GOP lawmaker shocked after anti-ICE sheriff was stumped by ‘fifth-grade civics’ question

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North Carolina Republican state Rep. Allen Chesser said he was taken by surprise when a Democratic sheriff who has long opposed cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could not answer a basic question about how the government works.

A North Carolina House Oversight Committee hearing spurred on by the recent killing of a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, in Charlotte, took an unexpected turn when Chesser asked Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, “What branch of government do you operate under?”

McFadden, who is the top law enforcement officer in the county where Zarutska was killed, simply answered, “Mecklenburg County,” prompting Chesser to repeat, “What branch of government do you operate under, sheriff?”

The sheriff answered, “The Constitution of the United States,” to which Chesser responded, “That is what establishes the branches of government; I’m asking what branch you fall under.”

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After McFadden answered, “Mecklenburg County” again, Chesser remarked, “This is not where I was anticipating getting stuck. Um, are you aware of how many branches of government there are?” The sheriff quickly shot back, “No.”

CHARLOTTE LIGHT-RAIL STABBING MURDER SPURS LANDMARK CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM FROM NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICANS

Left: The skyline of the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, which sits in Mecklenburg County. Right: Sheriff Garry McFadden. (Andrea Evangelo-Giamou / EyeEm via Getty Images; The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)

After a long pause, Chesser continued, “For the sake of debate, let’s say there are three branches of government: legislative, executive, judicial. Of those three, which do you fall under?”

The sheriff answered, “I believe I fall under the last one … judicial.”

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“You are incorrect, sir. You fall under the executive,” said Chesser.

After this, Chesser continued to press McFadden about how he reconciles his responsibility as an officer under the executive branch to enforce the law with his opposition to cooperation with ICE. Chesser asked McFadden how he reconciled his responsibility with a previous statement in which the sheriff said, “We do not have a role in enforcement whatsoever, we do not have to follow the rules and the laws that are governed by our lawmakers in Raleigh.”

The sheriff said that Chesser was taking his quote out of context, saying it was strictly in reference to immigration enforcement.

Though declining to offer more context on the statement, McFadden affirmed his office is now abiding by state law requiring cooperation with ICE, saying, “We follow the law, when the law is produced, we follow the law.”

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Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her during a disturbing attack on a Charlotte, N.C. light rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)

In an interview with Fox News Digital the day after the hearing, Chesser, who is an Army veteran and former police officer, said that, “Obviously, those weren’t the cache of questions that I was thinking we were going to get him on.”

“I had several statements that he had made to the media and to the local press and in different interviews that kind of conflicted with some of the testimony that he provided yesterday about following the law. We made it to [only] one of those statements because we got held up on what I thought was baseline, just kind of setting a baseline of how we were to establish that his role is to enforce the law,” he explained, adding, “I was not expecting to have to get into a fifth-grade civics lesson with a duly elected sheriff.”

He said that McFadden has “decided to make himself kind of a centerpiece in the refusal to enforce immigration law here in North Carolina, adding, “It’s not so much the refusal to enforce immigration law, but it’s the refusal to enforce state law that says he must cooperate with ICE and ICE detainers when people are in custody in his facilities.”

WHO IS IRYNA ZARUTSKA, UKRAINIAN REFUGEE KILLED IN CHARLOTTE TRAIN ATTACK?

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Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska came to the U.S. to escape war but was stabbed to death in Charlotte. (Evgeniya Rush/GoFundMe)

“Last summer, we had the unfortunate death of a young Ukrainian national that had sought refuge in our country and in our state,” Chesser went on. “I think that all North Carolinians, and all people who find themselves in North Carolina, should be able to count on one thing when it comes to public safety, and that is whether or not you are safe and whether or not the law will be enforced is not dependent on what county you find yourself in.”

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“North Carolina is a safe state for all the people who choose to come here, and that is the point of the Oversight Committee [hearing] that we were having was, making sure that the law is equally applied and fairly applied across all imaginary lines in our state,” he said.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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Video: Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud

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Video: Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud

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Democrats Confront RFK Jr. on Vaccines and Health Care Fraud

Lawmakers confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine messaging and the Trump administration’s handling of health care fraud. The health secretary was also criticized over comments he made about psychiatric medications and Black children, which he denied.

“A deadly measles outbreak in Texas killed an unvaccinated 6-year-old, the first such death in a decade. Do you agree with the majority of doctors that the measles vaccine could have saved that child’s life in Texas?” “It’s possible, certainly.” “President Trump approved your decision to end the C.D.C.’S pro-vaccine public messaging campaign?” “We’ve done better at preventing —” “That’s not answering my question. You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you’re spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock.” “Our nation has a long and painful history of separating Black children from their families. During slavery, Black children were taken from their parents and sold with no regard for their humanity. When you suggested re-parenting Black children, when you sow doubt about the safety of vaccines and when you promote unproven statements that have no basis in science, you endanger the lives of everyone across this nation.” “If we’re going to pursue fraudsters, it’s not just the people who might make simple, honest mistakes that could be corrected. It’s the people at the top that help to perpetuate this fraud. And the administration’s position seems to be that it’s only the recipients and not the providers that commit fraud. We want an even-handed approach to these fraud investigations, including those whose schemes have cost the American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”

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Lawmakers confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine messaging and the Trump administration’s handling of health care fraud. The health secretary was also criticized over comments he made about psychiatric medications and Black children, which he denied.

By Jorge Mitssunaga

April 16, 2026

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Tennessee governor signs nuclear family month resolution as critics push back on exclusions

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Tennessee governor signs nuclear family month resolution as critics push back on exclusions

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Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed a resolution declaring June Nuclear Family Month as an alternative to the usual LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Lee, a Republican, signed House Joint Resolution 182 April 9 after it passed the House in April 2025 and the Senate last month.

The legislation highlights the importance of celebrating the traditional family unit, described as “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children.”

“The nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee prosper,” the resolution adds.

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NASHVILLE TEACHER HAS RECORD CLEARED AFTER REFUSING TO READ SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BOOK TO FIRST-GRADERS

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a resolution declaring June “Nuclear Family Month,” promoting traditional family structures as an alternative to Pride Month. (Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have begun to speak out against the resolution, and a representative for GLAAD gave Fox News Digital its opinion on the bill.

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LGBTQ community members hold flags and placards during a rally. (Roy De La Cruz/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“The strongest families are grounded in love, not legislative definitions. It is disturbing to see lawmakers use their platform to intentionally exclude their own constituents,” the organization wrote in a statement.

“Instead of drafting resolutions that aim to divide Tennessee families, Gov. Lee should be focused on building a state where every family is treated fairly, and every child has the opportunity to succeed.”

The news of the legislation comes a few days after the pride flag at Stonewall National Monument’s federal flagpole in New York City, a well-known symbol for the LGBTQ+ community, was restored after a two-month legal battle and settlement with the Trump administration.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee responds to questions during a news conference Tuesday, April 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (George Walker IV/AP)

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“This is a victory for the LGBTQ+ community and for our entire city,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in an X post Monday. “It’s a reminder that New Yorkers won’t let our history be rewritten.

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“Our administration will keep working to ensure LGBTQ+ New Yorkers can live safely and with dignity in our city.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.

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Hegseth recites ‘Pulp Fiction’ speech at Pentagon prayer service

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Hegseth recites ‘Pulp Fiction’ speech at Pentagon prayer service

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leading a Pentagon prayer meeting, quoted a fictional bible verse taken from a violent monologue in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction,” originally delivered by actor Samuel L. Jackson just before his character shoots a helpless man to death.

The secretary used the prayer to frame the war in Iran as an act of divine justice, the same justification Jackson’s character cites in the film before pulling the trigger.

Hegseth told the audience at a monthly Pentagon worship service held Wednesday that he learned the prayer from the lead mission planner of a team called “Sandy 1,” which recently rescued downed Air Force crew members in Iran.

Hegseth said the verse is frequently spoken by combat search-and-rescue crews, who call the prayer “CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17” from the Bible.

“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother,” Hegseth recited. “And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

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The infamous Ezekiel 25:17 speech from “Pulp Fiction” is almost entirely a screenwriter’s creation; only the final refrain is loosely inspired by the actual biblical verse. The majority of the monologue in Tarantino’s film is adapted from the opening of the 1976 Japanese martial arts film “The Bodyguard,” with action star Sonny Chiba.

Hegseth’s minute-long prayer closely followed those scripts, with only the last two lines resembling language from the Bible. In Hegseth’s version, he replaced “and they shall know that I am the Lord,” from the book of Ezekiel with the call sign for a U.S. A-10 Warthog aircraft.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said some outlets accused Hegseth of mistaking Jackson’s Golden Globe-winning performance with actual scripture, and called that narrative “fake news.”

“Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday shared a custom prayer, referenced as the CSAR prayer, used by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue mission of Dude 44 Alpha out of Iran, which was obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction,” Parnell wrote on X. “However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality.”

“Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary, who shared the Academy Award for Original Screenplay with Tarantino, weighed in Thursday, posting on X: “I am perfectly fine with @SecWar
quoting Jules in Pulp Fiction if it keeps bullets from hitting our soldiers.”

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Hegseth has frequently used his prayer sessions to call for violence in the ongoing Iran war. In last month’s sermon, he asked God to “grant this task force clear and righteous targets for violence.”

The services are not mandatory, a senior defense analyst with knowledge of Pentagon operations told The Times, but some who work closely with Hegseth’s office feel an “implied pressure” to attend and “fill seats.”

The effect — some feel — is less attention on the Pentagon’s wartime efforts, and more on supporting political stunts, according to the source, who is not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity.

“We have managers and leaders that are missing mission critical work to go listen to ‘Pulp Fiction’ quotes,” the source said. “It delays our ability to make operational, mission related war-fighting decisions.”

The prayer came amid an ongoing clash between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken out in recent weeks against the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Statements from the Vatican were met with a series of reprisals from President Trump, who said he doesn’t “want a pope” who criticizes the president of the United States.

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On Thursday, the pope released a statement against military leaders who conflate war with divinity.

“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic, and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.

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