Southwest
House Republicans blast Biden admin for allowing CBS to film at border facility but not Congress
House Republicans are slamming the Biden administration for what they say is a “clear double standard” in how it treated lawmakers versus members of the media following their recent trip to the southern border.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio and Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., penned a scathing letter Thursday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the ongoing migrant crisis.
Mentioned in the letter was how the Johnson-led deligation in Eagle Pass, Texas last week was blocked from taking photos and videos of the border facility they toured. Except that same facility was featured in a report that aired on Sunday’s installment of CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks while standing with Republican members of Congress, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
“Even as CBP refused to allow Members of Congress to take photographs, House Republicans learned that CBP later gave CBS’s Face the Nation access to the same Eagle Pass facility. Face the Nation was also permitted to take photographs and record video while on the premises. This is a clear double standard designed to hide the truth of the crisis you have created at the southern border,” the Republicans told Mayorkas.
BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER
The “Face the Nation” segment showed host Margaret Brennan touring the Eagle Pass facility, telling viewers about the food and care provided to illegal immigrants who are processed.
A source close to GOP leadership told Fox News Digital that the border patrol agents seen escorting Brennan in the report were the same ones who led the Republican lawmakers during their visit.
CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan was able to tour a border facility with cameras rolling. (Screenshot/CBS News)
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., who was among the lawmakers who toured the border facility last week, blasted the move.
“We need to be able to show the American People what’s happening on our border, and our government agencies shouldn’t be precluding that. What are they hiding?” Perry told Fox News Digital. “The leftist media is given a ‘God bless you, take all pictures you want!’ [tour] of a facility that’s at a fraction of the capacity it was at just days before. When Congress arrives, it’s down to ‘manageable levels.’ Congress can’t show our constituents, but the media is given permission to go in and take pictures to show its viewers that there’s ‘nothing to see here.’ The enormity of this disaster knows no bounds.”
JUSTICE DEPT SUES TEXAS OVER LAW TO LET POLICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Speaker Johnson’s deputy communications chief Raj Shah similarly told Fox News Digital, “They provided the media with access they refused members of Congress engaged in oversight. That’s a problem.”
Neither DHS nor CBP immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
GOP lawmakers sounded off at the Biden administration for blocking them from filming inside the border facility in Eagle Pass, Texas but allowing CBS News to film inside. (Screenshot/CBS News)
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House Republicans continue to hold President Biden’s feet to fire over his handling of the border, which has seen a record number of border crossings under his watch.
Impeachment hearings are underway for DHS Secretary Mayorkas, who has repeatedly downplayed the dire conditions at the border and refuses to call it a crisis.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
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