Politics
Impeached Homeland Security secretary navigates working with Republicans who want him out
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas was expected to be testifying about his agency’s 2025 budget Wednesday just as House Republicans advanced impeachment articles against him to the Senate.
Instead, Republicans held off, choosing to wait until next week while they attempt to make the case for a full Senate trial of the first U.S. Cabinet official impeached in nearly 150 years.
It has been two months since Mayorkas, a California native and the highest-ranking Latino in the federal government, was narrowly impeached by a single-vote margin.
House Republicans, eyeing chaos at the southern border as a path to regain control of the White House and Senate, have said his failure to prevent record arrivals of migrants meets the constitutional bar for impeachment of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” They’ve accused him of refusing to enforce existing immigration laws and breaching the public trust by lying to Congress and saying the border was secure.
On Wednesday, Mayorkas carried on, testifying before the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees on homeland security. The at times tense back-and-forth of the hearings demonstrated the precarious position of the embattled secretary, who must find a way to work with Republicans who want him gone.
Mayorkas testified that his agency needs funding for more Border Patrol agents, asylum officers, detention capacity and deportation flights, while reiterating calls for Congress to pass the bipartisan national security bill that failed earlier this year.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), echoing the arguments behind the impeachment case, told Mayorkas he was pointing fingers at Congress for a crisis of his own making.
“I called for your resignation last year and I stand by my request,” she told him.
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) recalled Mayorkas referencing expanding lawful pathways to the U.S. and asked him, “Who makes laws?”
“Congressman, if you must ask me questions the answers to which you know, allow me to answer: Congress,” Mayorkas replied.
Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) brought up reports that Biden is exploring an executive order to shut down the border without congressional authorization. Guest asked if Mayorkas was involved in those discussions.
“We are consistently evaluating what options are available to us,” Mayorkas replied. “I will share with you that executive action, which is inevitably challenged in the courts, is no substitute for the enduring solution of legislation that will fix what everyone agrees is a broken immigration system.”
Still, Republican lawmakers were pleased to hear Mayorkas refer to the situation at the southern border as a crisis. He told NBC News it was a crisis in February, after Biden did so, but in previous congressional hearings had stopped short of using that word.
Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Fla.), referencing what she called a “baseless impeachment effort,” thanked Mayorkas for his commitment to the job.
“You’ve faced an unprecedented, vicious and personal campaign against you and your staff at the Department of Homeland Security from my colleagues on the right,” she said.
At the onset of the Senate appropriations hearing Wednesday afternoon, Chair Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.) called out the impeachment articles as an elephant in the room.
“There’s not a single act of impeachable misconduct alleged by these articles,” he said. “The process was an embarrassment to the House of Representatives. These articles are laughable on their face.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), meanwhile, criticized Democrats for, as he sees it, trying to sweep the impeachment under the rug.
“Most Republicans don’t trust you, and a vast majority of the American people don’t trust you,” Kennedy said to Mayorkas. “That’s why you’ve been impeached.”
Republicans hoping for a full Senate trial are likely to be disappointed. Democrats hold the Senate majority and appear poised to immediately dismiss the case when it reaches the upper chamber next week. Democrats’ majority in the Senate is narrow, though, creating the possibility that the plan to dismiss the case may fall short if just a couple of Democrats defect.
Even if it did go to trial, Mayorkas is sure to be acquitted because it would take two-thirds of the Senate to convict him, and no Democrats have signaled support for the impeachment effort. Several Republican senators have also criticized it.
“We want to address this issue as expeditiously as possible,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in floor remarks Wednesday. “And as I said yesterday, impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements. That sets an awful precedent. So, when the time comes for the Senate to receive the articles of impeachment from the House, we’ll be ready.”
Democrats have called the impeachment effort a politically motivated overreach and say Mayorkas is being used as a pawn in the upcoming presidential race.
Mayorkas narrowly escaped the House’s first impeachment attempt when three GOP lawmakers, including one from California, broke ranks with their party and joined Democrats to vote against it. House Republican leaders succeeded on their second attempt.
“When I say that I am not focused on the impeachment proceedings, I actually mean it,” Mayorkas told reporters Friday. “It is my hope that my time is not taken away from my work.”
Politics
US military announces another deadly strike against ‘narco-terrorists’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The U.S. military announced another deadly strike against a vessel that it alleges was involved in “narco-trafficking” efforts.
“On April 19, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” U.S. Southern Command indicated in a post on X.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the post continued.
US MILITARY KILLS 2 SUSPECTED CARTEL OPERATIVES IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL STRIKE, SOUTHCOM SAYS
The U.S. military announced that it killed three “narco-terrorists” in a strike in the Caribbean on Sunday, April 19, 2026. (@Soutcom via X)
SOUTHCOM indicated that the attack killed three men.
“Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” the post noted.
President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out dozens of deadly strikes against vessels of alleged “narco-terrorists.”
US MILITARY CONDUCTS MORE DEADLY STRIKES AGAINST VESSELS OF ALLEGED ‘NARCO-TERRORISTS’
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, nominee for commander of U.S. Southern Command, testifies during his Senate confirmatino hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
In a completely different part of the world, amid ongoing tensions between America and Iran, the U.S. attacked an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19.
“Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” U.S. Central Command noted.
US SEIZES IRANIAN SHIP AFTER OPENING FIRE; PAKISTAN TALKS IN DOUBT
President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody,” CENTCOM noted.
Politics
Uproar over mama bear killing could help launch a state wildlife coexistence program
SACRAMENTO — A month after a public uproar over a mama bear being euthanized after swiping at a resident in Monrovia, state lawmakers are considering mandating the use of nonlethal ways to help allow wildlife and humans to coexist.
Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas) said she believes the bear’s death, and the state’s decision to kill four wolves last year that were preying on cattle, raised public concern.
“That made everybody realize we have to do better here,” she told The Times on Thursday. “We need to recognize the importance of seeing ourselves, humans, as part of a larger ecosystem that includes animals and plants and our world and trying to protect it.”
Senate Bill 1135, introduced by Blakespear, would direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to create the Wildlife Coexistence Program, which would provide public education, offer technical assistance and maintain a statewide incident reporting system. It would help communities deploy nonlethal devices to deter predators, like barriers or noise and light machines.
At a legislative hearing on Tuesday, Blakespear told the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water that a three-year state initiative offering similar services was seeing positive results — until it was discontinued two years ago after funding ran dry. She said it was time to implement a permanent program.
“Human population growth, habitat loss and the growth of industry across California inevitably leads to interaction between humans and wildlife,” Blakespear told legislators. “No two animal species are the same and each has unique behavior patterns and territories. SB 1135 recognizes these differences and gives communities the tools to prevent conflict and respond when it occurs.”
The bill would also rename a state program that reimburses ranchers who lose livestock to wolves, calling it the Wolf-Livestock Coexistence and Compensation Program. It would require ranchers seeking compensation to show they were using nonlethal deterrents approved by the department.
Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) stressed that life in rural areas is different than living in a city. She said some families and cattle ranchers have a genuine fear of predators.
“When these baby calves drop on the ground and then two wolves start ripping them apart, it’s not the prettiest thing you’ve ever witnessed,” said Grove, who abstained from voting on the measure. “These wolves are not puppies.”
More than 30 organizations are supporting the legislation, including the National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, California State Assn. of Counties, Animal Legal Defense Fund and Citizens for Los Angeles Wildlife.
The California Farm Bureau and the California Cattlemen’s Assn. are in opposition due to concerns over funding.
Last month, Blakespear sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review requesting $48.8 million to implement the legislation, with $25 million earmarked for addressing wolf encounters. Half of the money for wolf conflicts would go toward deterrents; the remainder would compensate ranchers for their losses.
Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs cattlemen’s association, said the organization is concerned about that division of funding — especially if funding is reduced.
Wilbur told legislators Tuesday that the organization supports some aspects of the bill and was having productive conversations with Blakespear to address their concerns.
The bill ultimately passed the committee with a 5-to-1 vote and now heads to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Human wildlife conflicts have made headlines in California recently, with a bear refusing to leave a basement for weeks in Altadena and a mama bear dubbed Blondie crossing paths last month with a woman walking her dog in Monrovia.
Blondie swiped the woman’s leg, and was subsequently euthanized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Her two cubs were sent to the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. The bear’s death upset many in the community, as thousands had signed a petition calling for other solutions, like relocation.
Deadly wildlife attacks on humans, however, are rare in California.
There have been six reported human fatalities from mountain lions since 1890, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Department. The agency recorded one human fatality from a coyote in 1981 and another fatality from a black bear in 2023. The department has no recorded human fatalities from gray wolves.
Politics
Trump ally diGenova tapped to lead DOJ probe into Brennan over Russia probe origins
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Justice Department is turning to former Trump attorney Joeseph diGenova to spearhead a probe into ex-CIA Director John Brennan and others over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, as the department reshuffles leadership of the sprawling inquiry.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has tapped diGenova to serve as counsel overseeing the matter, according to a New York Times report, putting a former Trump attorney in a key role in the high-profile probe. A federal grand jury seated in Miami has been impaneled since late last year.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DOJ ACTIVELY PREPARING TO ISSUE GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS RELATING TO JOHN BRENNAN INVESTIGATION: SOURCES
Joseph diGenova represented President Donald Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
DiGenova, a former U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., who represented Trump during special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, has repeatedly accused Brennan of misconduct tied to the origins of the Russia probe—allegations that have not resulted in criminal charges.
He also said in a 2018 appearance on Fox News that Brennan colluded with the FBI and DOJ to frame Trump.
The origins of the Russia investigation have been the subject of ongoing scrutiny by Trump allies, who have argued that intelligence and law enforcement officials improperly launched the probe.
BRENNAN INDICTMENT COULD COME WITHIN ‘WEEKS’ AS PROSECUTORS REQUEST OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS
Joseph diGenova has previously said that ex-CIA chief John Brennan colluded with the FBI and DOJ to frame Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images)
DiGenova’s appointment follows the ouster of Maria Medetis Long, a national security prosecutor in the South Florida U.S. attorney’s office. She had been overseeing the inquiry, including a false statements probe related to Brennan and broader conspiracy-related investigations.
As the investigation continues, federal investigators have issued subpoenas seeking information related to intelligence assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
John Brennan has denied any wrongdoing related to the Russia investigation. (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Brennan has previously denied wrongdoing related to the Russia investigation and has defended the intelligence community’s assessment that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election.
-
Idaho6 minutes ago
The Camas Prairie is Biblical Idaho
-
Illinois11 minutes agoHas Trump’s approval dropped in Illinois amid Pope Leo feud? See polls
-
Indiana18 minutes agoOp-ed: Healthy rural communities strengthen all of Indiana
-
Iowa23 minutes agoSen. Chuck Grassley shares he’s recovering from gallstone surgery
-
Kentucky36 minutes agoKentucky will get a visit from a forward with three-point upside
-
Louisiana42 minutes agoOfficials probing how Louisiana gunman who killed 8 children got the weapon
-
Maine48 minutes agoJudy Camuso named new president of Maine Audubon
-
Maryland53 minutes agoMaryland State Police charge Queen Anne’s County man in trooper-involved shooting