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Supreme Court deals setback to Muslims suing FBI over spying in an O.C. mosque

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Supreme Court deals setback to Muslims suing FBI over spying in an O.C. mosque

The U.S. Supreme Courtroom dealt a setback Friday to a few Muslim males in Orange County who’ve sued the FBI for spying on their mosques within the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, assaults.

In a unanimous however narrowly written opinion, the excessive court docket stated the federal government could invoke the “state secrets and techniques” privilege to dam such a lawsuit from continuing, and dominated the present regulation doesn’t authorize a choose to look at the supposedly secret data pertaining to the case to find out whether or not it could be related.

The ruling in FBI vs. Fazaga rejects a compromise set out by the ninth Circuit Courtroom of Appeals, which stated a choose performing underneath the Overseas Intelligence Surveillance Act could weigh the proof behind closed doorways. This was seen as a solution to enable the lawsuit in opposition to the FBI to proceed with out revealing intelligence on the premise for the surveillance.

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However Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the court docket, stated that was a mistake.

“We conclude that Congress didn’t get rid of, curtail, or modify the state secrets and techniques privilege when it enacted” FISA, the regulation that regulates digital surveillance.

He referred to as the choice “slim.” The court docket’s opinion didn’t block or finish the long-running lawsuit, however despatched the case again to the ninth Circuit to rethink the core situation of whether or not “privileged” and secret proof is essential to the case, as the federal government maintains.

“The ninth didn’t determine these questions, and we don’t resolve them right here,” Alito stated.

UCLA regulation professor Ahilan Arulanantham, who has represented the Muslim males, stated the choice means they “can proceed to pursue their claims that the FBI spied on them due to their spiritual beliefs.”

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“My shoppers and plenty of different members of Southern California’s Muslim American communities have been ready 15 years for justice,” he stated. “The choice right this moment brings us one step nearer to attaining it.”

However the ruling additionally reveals once more the power of the “state secrets and techniques” doctrine as a protect for the U.S. authorities.

On Thursday, the court docket by a 6-3 vote blocked two former CIA contractors from testifying earlier than a Polish tribunal concerning the CIA’s waterboarding and torture of supposedly “excessive worth” prisoners within the Bush administration’s warfare on terrorism. The justices stated their testimony might reveal state secrets and techniques, despite the fact that the essential details have been public data for years.

For a decade, the Justice Division underneath Presidents Obama, Trump and now Biden has insisted the lawsuit involving the Orange County mosques needs to be blocked as a result of it might reveal nationwide safety secrets and techniques.

In November, the justices sounded divided and unsure once they heard arguments within the Orange County case. On Friday, they stopped wanting saying whether or not the lawsuit might proceed, and as an alternative determined solely that the FISA compromise was inappropriate.

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The case started in 2006, when the FBI in Los Angeles employed Craig Monteilh and paid him to pose as a convert to Islam. For 2 years, he recorded hundreds of hours of conversations and compiled names and telephone numbers.

When he started to speak within the mosques about violent jihad, a number of of the Muslim males reported him to the FBI. After his story was revealed, Monteilh broke with the FBI and cooperated with the American Civil Liberties Union in bringing a lawsuit in opposition to the FBI.

The lead plaintiff, Yassir Fazaga, was an imam on the Orange County Islamic Basis, a mosque in Mission Viejo. The swimsuit alleged the FBI’s so-called Operation Flex was a “dragnet surveillance” program designed to “collect data on Muslims.”

The FBI stated the intention of Operation Flex “was to find out whether or not specific people have been concerned within the recruitment and coaching of people in the US or abroad for attainable terrorist exercise.” However the FBI and U.S. attorneys didn’t clarify why they focused a number of mosques in Orange County for surveillance. That was a “state secret,” they stated.

For greater than a decade, the lawsuit has been caught at a preliminary stage within the federal courts in California. Starting with Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. in 2012, high Justice Division officers have stated the swimsuit needs to be dismissed on the grounds it might reveal nationwide safety secrets and techniques.

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In 2019, the ninth Circuit Courtroom, in a 2-1 determination, devised what appeared like a compromise. It stated the judges who meet in secret to listen to the federal government’s requests to conduct “international intelligence surveillance” ought to look at the FBI’s foundation for enterprise the surveillance of the mosques and determine whether or not the swimsuit could proceed.

Legal professionals for the outgoing Trump administration in December 2020 requested the excessive court docket to take up the case and order the dismissal of the swimsuit, saying the ninth Circuit’s method “poses a considerable danger that state secrets and techniques will likely be disclosed.”

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Trump supporting California sheriff to launch GOP run for governor in race to succeed Newsom: sources

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Trump supporting California sheriff to launch GOP run for governor in race to succeed Newsom: sources

A tough-on-crime Republican sheriff in southern California who was a supporter of President Trump in last year’s election will launch a campaign for Golden State governor, a source familiar confirms to Fox News.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is expected to announce his candidacy at a scheduled event Monday in Riverside, California, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Bianco, a vocal critic of Newsom and other state Democratic leaders when it comes to the issues of crime and punishment, was one of the leaders who helped push California’s Proposition 36 ballot measure to a landslide victory in last November’s elections.

WHAT SHERIFF CHAD BIANCO TOLD FOX NEWS

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

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The measure, which took effect in December, mandates stiffer penalties and longer sentences in California for certain drug and theft crimes.

MAJOR CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT PREEDICTS FORMER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS WOULD CLEAR GUBERNATORIAL FIELD

Bianco, who has worked in law enforcement for more than three decades, was first elected sheriff in 2018. He’s been openly flirting with a 2026 gubernatorial run since at least last spring.

House Speaker Mike Johnson listens to Sheriff Chad Bianco speak during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

House Speaker Mike Johnson listens to Sheriff Chad Bianco speak during a news conference in the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

When asked late last year in a Fox News interview if he knew of anyone who might be capable of producing change in Sacramento – California’s capital city – Bianco responded, “I might, I might know someone that would go there with nothing but common sense and the betterment of the citizens of California rather than some crazy ideological agenda that truly makes absolutely no sense to any of us.”

It’s been nearly two decades since a Republican won statewide office in heavily blue California. You have to go all the way back to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election victory.

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Gov Gavin Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited and cannot seek re-election in 2026. (California Governor Gavin Newsom YouTube channel)

There has been plenty of speculation since former Vice President Kamala Harris’ election defeat last November to Trump regarding her next political move, with the two potential options likely being launching a 2026 gubernatorial run in her home state of California or seeking the presidency again in 2028.

Harris served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general and U.S. senator before becoming vice president.

Sources in the former vice president’s political orbit say no decisions have been made about any next steps.

Vice President Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the Democratic National Committee’s holiday reception in Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

The Democrats’ field for governor in the heavily blue-leaning state is already crowded.

Among the more than half-dozen candidates already running for governor are Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Harris ally, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

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Former Rep. Katie Porter, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic Senate nomination last year, has expressed interest in launching a campaign.

Additionally, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who served in Congress and as California attorney general before joining the Biden administration, is also seen as a potential contender.

Former Fox News Channel host and conservative commentator Steve Hilton is considering a Republican run for California governor.

In California, unlike most other states, the top two finishers in a primary, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election.

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FCC launches effort to 'root out' DEI programs, beginning with Comcast

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FCC launches effort to 'root out' DEI programs, beginning with Comcast

The Federal Communications Commission has opened an inquiry into Comcast Corp.’s employee programs, stepping up efforts to “root out” diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that it said may violate equal employment laws.

Comcast is the first media company to face such an inquiry. The Philadelphia cable and television giant said in a statement that it would be “cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions.”

The move comes less than a month after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr took the helm of the agency that oversees communications policy and broadcast licenses.

Carr, who was elevated to the top role by President Trump, immediately dismantled the agency’s DEI programs, pulling the plug on budget expenditures and staff members dedicated to promoting inclusion.

In a letter to Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts on Tuesday, Carr wrote that his goal was to “ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of FCC regulations and civil rights laws.”

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The landmark Communications Act and FCC rules forbid companies from “discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, or gender,” Carr reminded Roberts in the letter. The FCC chief acknowledged the probe was part of a broader effort to scrutinize workplace incentives within the companies he regulates to end “the scourge of DEI.”

Eliminating DEI efforts has been a top priority of the Trump administration. Trump has signed an executive order to demand merit-based opportunity across the private sector.

This week, Walt Disney Co. acknowledged softening some of its DEI policies, including retiring a “diversity and inclusion” performance factor in its executive compensation calculations.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, left, and FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, right, in a file photo.

(Jonathan Newton / Associated Press)

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The FCC review is starting at Comcast.

One possible reason is because the FCC has tremendous sway over Comcast’s businesses, including the company’s core cable and high-speed internet service, its wireless phone offerings and NBC-owned television stations, which require FCC licenses to operate.

“I expect that this investigation into Comcast and its NBCUniversal operations will aid the commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all of the sectors the FCC regulates,” Carr wrote.

Carr took aim at Comcast’s statements about its embrace of diversity programs.

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“For instance, Comcast states on its website that promoting DEI is ‘a core value of our business’ and public reports state that Comcast has an entire ‘DEI infrastructure’ that includes annual ‘DEI day[s],’ ‘DEI training for company leaders,’ and similar initiatives,” Carr wrote. “NBCUniversal has similar DEI initiatives, including executives specifically dedicated to promoting DEI across the TV and programming side of the business.”

Comcast has a page on its website that outlines its philosophy on inclusion:

“We believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company is a more innovative and successful one,” the company said. “Across our workforce, products, and content, we embrace diversity of background, perspective, culture, and experience, and together with our partners, we are working to fight injustice against any race, ethnicity, gender or sexual identity, disability, or veteran status.”

Following the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd in 2020, senior NBCUniversal executive Cesar Conde set a goal of having a 50% nonwhite workforce within NBC News.

“We want to increase diversity and inclusion both in front of and behind the camera, and earn the trust of every community in America that relies on us for exceptional journalism,” Conde said at the time.

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Last month, Carr revived complaints that alleged liberal media bias at CBS, NBC and ABC. Throughout the campaign, Trump railed against certain broadcasters, saying the FCC should yank their broadcast licenses.

One of the complaints targeted NBC for featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris in a “Saturday Night Live” skit four days before the November election, saying the network wasn’t providing equal access to Trump. A second complaint took issue with ABC News’ handling of the September Trump-Harris debate. Trump complained that ABC anchors were unfair to him.

The FCC inquiry has raised the stakes in a separate dispute between Trump and CBS. Trump and his supporters cried foul over the Harris “60 Minutes” interview in October, pointing to discrepancies between Harris’ answers in the two interview segments. CBS has defended its edits, saying they routinely condense quotes.

Trump has sued CBS for $20 billion. Paramount Global Chairwoman Shari Redstone has advocated settling the Trump lawsuit. The issue has clouded Paramount’s proposed $8-billion sale to David Ellison’s Skydance Media firm, a deal that hinges on the approval of the FCC’s Carr.

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USAID inspector general fired days after publishing report critical of aid pause

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USAID inspector general fired days after publishing report critical of aid pause

The White House has fired the inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Fox News has learned.

USAID Inspector General Paul Martin was fired Tuesday, though rather than coming from USAID acting administrator and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the firing reportedly came from the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

The dismissal comes days after the USAID inspector general published a report that was critical of the Trump administration’s pause on aid.

It also comes a day after USAID warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in humanitarian funds.

DESIGNATED TERRORISTS, EXTREMIST GROUPS RAKED IN MILLIONS FROM USAID, MULTIYEAR STUDY REVEALS

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A United States Agency for International Development (USAID) flag in front of the agency’s offices in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

USAID is under fire from the Trump administration as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its chair, Elon Musk, investigate the agency’s spending practices and prepare to revamp and potentially shutter the agency. 

The agency announced on its website Feb. 4, that nearly all personnel would be placed on leave by Friday, making a few exceptions for those in roles related to “mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs.” 

Its overseas missions reportedly had also been told to shut down.

USAID EMPLOYEE SAYS STAFFERS HID PRIDE FLAGS, ‘INCRIMINATING’ BOOKS WHEN DOGE ARRIVED

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USAID food split image with President Trump

The Trump administration fired USAID’s inspector general on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File/Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Lawmakers, news outlets and think tanks have dug into past reports related to USAID spending amid the apparent dismantling of the agency, finding countless examples of money channeled to questionable organizations or programs, such as creating a version of “Sesame Street” in Iraq, or funding pottery classes in Morocco.

This week, it was discovered that USAID provided millions of dollars in funding to extremist groups tied to designated terrorist organizations and their allies, according to a report published by Middle East Forum, a U.S. think tank.

USAID was established in 1961 under the Kennedy administration, operating as an independent agency that works closely with the State Department to allocate civilian foreign aid. 

Under Rubio, the agency could be abolished after its reorganization over the coming days, he said in a letter to bipartisan lawmakers on Feb. 3.

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Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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