Southwest
EXCLUSIVE: Republicans in key red state launch campaign to elect ‘true’ conservatives ahead of Trump return

EXCLUSIVE – Ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration, conservatives in the most populous red state in America are launching a new Texas Republican Leadership Fund (TRLF) to elect “true” conservatives to crucial leadership roles.
Despite being led by a strongly conservative Republican governor and having a commanding majority in the legislature, the last four Texas House speakers have been elected through the support of Democrats. The result has been Democrats exercising an outsized level of power and influence in the largest Republican state in the nation. An inside track with the Texas speaker also gives Democrats significant control over some of the most important issues affecting the nation, such as enforcement of Texas’ more than 1,250 miles of border.
Alex Fairly, the TRLF’s principal donor, told Fox News Digital it is time for that to change.
TRLF, which is officially registering with the Texas Ethics Commission Tuesday and launching with $20 million of initial funding, has the support of many of Texas’ most influential leaders who are intent on making the state the definitive leader in conservative politics.
ELON MUSK MOVES TO MAKE STARBASE, TEXAS, THE OFFICIAL ‘GATEWAY TO MARS’
A Texas flag attached to a bike waves in downtown Austin with the state Capitol dome in the background. (Reuters)
While he hopes that all Republicans in the Texas House will stand with the caucus to elect a conservative leader, Fairly said the $20 million will be available for use in the primaries and upcoming 2026 general election to hold elected officials “accountable” if they side with a Democratic-backed speaker.
According to Fairly, Texas conservatives are fed up with lukewarm Republicans cutting backroom deals with Democrats in the state legislature. And as Trump prepares to return to the White House in January, he said it will be more important than ever for Texas to support the new administration’s agenda through strong conservative leadership at the state level.
“Texas leads the way on many of the biggest conservative issues,” he said. “I don’t think there’s any question that having a Republican majority in the House… has a massive impact on what happens across the country and supporting President Trump and his agenda.”
This comes amid an ongoing battle in the Texas legislature over who will be the next speaker of the House. The most recent speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan, who came to power in 2021, dropped out from consideration after facing intense criticism from Republicans for failing to pass key conservative priorities such as school choice and for his role in the unsuccessful impeachment effort against vocal Trump ally Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
TEXAS BLOCKS SCHOOL CHOICE AS OTHER REPUBLICAN-LED STATES GO ALL-IN

Speaker Dade Phelan presides over the House, Aug. 26, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Now, the Texas House of Representatives is set to elect a new speaker on Jan. 14. There are two frontrunners: Phelan ally Rep. Dustin Burrows and Rep. David Cook, who is backed by more hardline conservatives.
After going to the Democratic side of the aisle to help him secure the necessary 76 votes to win the speakership, Burrows declared the race over.
However, Burrows’ attempt to bargain with Democrats has caused outrage from many conservatives, even including Donald Trump Jr., who said the move was not in line with voters’ election night “mandate” to Republicans.
“It’s unbelievable what is happening in Texas right now,” he said on X. “There is a group of so-called Republicans cutting a deal with liberal Democrats to elect a speaker instead of uniting behind the Republican nominee, @DavidCookTexas! Unbelievable! Republicans have a mandate!”
LONGTIME DEMOCRAT TEXAS JUDGE SWITCHES PARTIES IN MONUMENTAL MOVE

Fairly said that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “carried the load for most of the nation” on the border security issue during the “darker years” of the Biden administration. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Fairly, who is an entrepreneur and health care executive who has been a vocal supporter of school choice, says the race for the speakership is not set in stone. This time, he believes there is strong resolve among Texas Republicans to stop moderates from handing over control to the Democrats.
“In spite of the progress made in this past election cycle toward… conservative priorities, there may still be work to do in the next primary cycle,” he said. “These funds will be available to help expand a true Republican majority.”
“Democrats don’t give their votes away for free, they want things in return,” he went on. “So, we end up with a House that’s not really run by the majority, it’s co-run by Democrats and a minority of Republicans. It just puts Texas in just such a weak position to accomplish what we could if we really were led by a majority of Republicans.”
“This time we’re bringing this out into the light.”
Read the full article from Here

Southwest
Suspected Austin Metcalf killer allowed to graduate from high school despite murder charge: report

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The teenager suspected of killing high school track star Austin Metcalf will be allowed to graduate from his Frisco, Texas, high school despite being charged with first-degree murder, according to a report.
Karmelo Anthony will graduate from Centennial High School, part of the Frisco Independent School District, according to WFAA. Students from that high school are set to graduate on May 22.
Anthony will not be part of the graduation ceremony, according to the report.
“We are proud to share that Karmelo Anthony will graduate and receive his high school diploma, and that his academic achievements will not be disrupted,” Next Generation Action Network (NGAN) President Dominique Alexander, a spokesman for Anthony’s family, reportedly said.
Karmelo Anthony, left, is charged with murdering Austin Metcalf, right. (FOX 4/Jeff Metcalf)
“NGAN has worked diligently alongside the Anthony family’s legal team to bring about this fair and student-focused resolution,” he said. “This is a moment of dignity for Karmelo and a reminder of the power of advocacy done right.”
SUSPECT IN AUSTIN METCALF KILLING MOVED TO ‘UNDISCLOSED LOCATION’ FOR PROTECTION: FAMILY SPOKESMAN
Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip addressed what he said were false rumors that Anthony would be able to attend the graduation ceremony.
“Frisco ISD has learned that misinformation is being shared regarding Centennial High School’s graduation via several media outlets and perpetuated through social media,” he told WFAA. “It is disheartening that the incredible accomplishments and achievements of our Centennial seniors may be dampened by needless fearmongering, attention-seeking and media vitriol. Our students, staff and community deserve better.
“I want to be clear. No student who commits a serious criminal offense (Title V felony) is permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony. Additionally, anyone who trespasses on Frisco ISD property or at a District event will be subject to immediate removal and possible arrest by law enforcement,” he said, adding that the school district does not condone violence.

File photo of Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, who was stabbed in the chest, allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, a student-athlete from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)
“We work to ensure every student is safe to learn and feels part of our culture of respect, honor and integrity,” he said.
“Let’s come together as a community to honor and support our students and staff. This moment is about their success, and they deserve our full attention and encouragement. Congratulations to the Centennial Class of 2025!”
Anthony, now 18, is accused of stabbing and killing Metcalf over a dispute regarding Anthony’s presence in the Memorial High School tent at the April 2 track meet.
ACCUSED AUSTIN METCALF KILLER WON’T FACE DEATH PENALTY OR LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: DA
He and his supporters claim that he acted in self-defense, and that Metcalf pushed him out of the tent.
That claim is tenuous, according to Julie Rendelman, a former homicide prosecutor from New York who now runs a private criminal defense firm.

File photo of Jeff Metcalf with his son, Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, who was stabbed in the chest allegedly by 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, a student-athlete from Frisco Centennial High School. (Courtesy Jeff Metcalf)
“If the evidence is what it is right now, I think he’s going to have an uphill battle claiming self-defense,” she previously told Fox News Digital. “If the scenario is… that the victim told [Anthony] to leave, and then in some way physically touched him without more, then I’m not comfortable – I don’t believe that a self-defense claim will work.”
Meanwhile, Alexander has compared Anthony to figures like Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny, who have won self-defense cases in criminal court.
“Nobody in the public media has one video, but we got the video of Kyle Rittenhouse with an AK-47 shooting three people in the back,” he said in a chaotic April 17 news conference before which Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father, was escorted off the property. “We got that, and he raised more than $2 million publicly, and nobody said anything about that.”
TEXAS TRACK MEET STABBING SUSPECT TOLD RESPONDING OFFICER HE ‘DID IT’: DOCS
He also called Anthony’s detractors bigots, in what has become a racially charged public discussion.

Dominique Alexander of the Next Generation Action Network hosted a news conference on behalf of Karmelo Anthony’s family on April 17. (Next Generation Action Network via Facebook)
“Because these racist bigots try to prevent us from standing up for our baby, our boy, he should be afforded the same rights that Kyle Rittenhouse had, Daniel Penny and all the people who have claimed whatever their defense was. He should be afforded the same right,” Alexander said.
“What [Jeff Metcalf] has felled [sic] into is the political operatives that want to make this thing a political thing of hate and yet bigotry and yet racism,” he said of Austin’s father. “We have conservative operatives that have been posting nonstop about this case.”
NGAN and Frisco ISD declined to comment.
Anthony’s attorney, Mike Howard, did not return a comment request.
Jeff Metcalf did not return a comment request.
Read the full article from Here
Southwest
Judge orders release of Georgetown researcher arrested by ICE after allegedly spreading Hamas propaganda

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the release of Badar Khan Suri, the Georgetown University postdoctoral researcher detained by immigration officials in March for allegedly spreading propaganda in support of Hamas.
Federal Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles issued her order from the bench during a court hearing in Virginia, saying that the government presented no evidence to refute Suri’s claims that he was being punished for his views on the war in Gaza.
Suri, who is married to an American citizen, was being held in federal detention in Texas following his arrest.
Suri, an Indian national in the U.S. on a student visa, was accused of “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official said in a statement in March.
MILWAUKEE JUDGE INDICTED FOR HELPING IMMIGRANT EVADE ICE FACES UP TO 6 YEARS IN PRISON
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national and postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University, was arrested by ICE on Monday over allegations claiming that he spread Hamas propaganda on social media. (Georgetown University)
“Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas,” the DHS statement continued. DHS did not name the suspected terrorist or Hamas advisor.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined on March 15 that Suri’s activities and presence in the U.S. “rendered him deportable” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the senior official said. The act is a rarely used legal statute that gives Rubio sweeping power to deport those who pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rendered Badar Khan Suri “deportable” under the Immigration and Nationality Act, a senior DHS official said in March. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool, File)
Suri was duly granted a visa to enter the U.S. to perform doctoral research on peace building in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Georgetown University spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News following his March arrest.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
Southwest
Hiker, 33, dies after hiking Arizona mountains in extreme heat, 4 others rescued

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A 33-year-old hiker died and four others were rescued from a mountain range in Arizona during extreme heat on Sunday, authorities said.
The hikers were trekking along the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix when they suffered heat-related issues at around 1 p.m. local time on Sunday, Superstition Fire and Medical said in a social media post.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that 33-year-old Noah Farabaugh died during the rescue. The sheriff’s office said no further updates surrounding the death were expected, pending results from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The other four hikers were helped down the mountain and refused to be taken to a hospital, Superstition Fire and Medical said.
FATAL FALL IN WASHINGTON’S NORTH CASCADES KILLS 3, LEAVES 1 SURVIVOR
First responders said one hiker died during the rescue. Four others were helped down the mountain and refused medical attention. (Superstition Fire and Medical )
The five hikers had been on the trail near the Wave Cave trailhead for about six hours when they experienced heat issues, the Arizona Republic reported, citing the Superstition fire officials.

The Superstition Mountains are located about 40 miles from Phoenix. (Superstition Fire and Medical )
Temperatures in the area exceeded 100 degrees on Sunday, heat that is around 10 to 15 degrees above normal for this time of year, the National Weather Service in Phoenix said.
HIKERS UNCOVER MYSTERIOUS GOLD-FILLED TREASURE TROVE IN OVERGROWN FIELD: ‘UNUSUALLY LARGE’
Authorities warned hikers to avoid hiking in extreme heat or excessive heat warnings.

Temperatures in the area exceeded 100 degrees on Sunday, the National Weather Service said. (Superstition Fire and Medical )
“As temperatures climb, so does the risk. Heat illness can set in fast, even for experienced hikers,” Superstition Fire and Medical said in the social media post. “Please stay safe and plan wisely. No hike is worth your life.”
The Superstition Mountains are located about 40 miles from Phoenix.
Read the full article from Here
-
Finance1 week ago
Here's what will boost your feeling of financial well-being the most, researchers say
-
West4 days ago
Battle over Space Command HQ location heats up as lawmakers press new Air Force secretary
-
World1 week ago
Ncuti Gatwa Bids Doctor Who Farewell as Finale Ends With a Most Surprising Twist — Grade It!
-
News1 week ago
Trump administration continues to target international students. What to know and what could be next.
-
Vermont1 week ago
MMU’s Bea Molson returns to glory, CVU girls claim doubles at tennis championships
-
Politics1 week ago
California beach ‘Resist!’ protest pushes ‘kindness’ while calling to ‘86 47’ in anti-Trump message
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week ago
Caitlin Clark among stars at Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Game 6
-
Education1 week ago
Video: Inside Trump’s Attack on Harvard