INTERNACIONAL
‘Mass surveillance’: Conservatives sound alarm over Trump admin’s REAL ID rollout
Conservatives are speaking out against the Trump administration’s plans to finally enact long-expected REAL ID laws in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.
«If you think REAL ID is about election integrity, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Someone has lied to you, or you’re engaged in wishful thinking. Please don’t shoot the messenger,» Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X earlier this week.
Responding to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s video announcing the May 7 REAL ID deadline, the former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin questioned in a lengthy post: «Or what?? Evidently, existing ID requirements for American citizens just aren’t adequate now, so Big Brother is forcing us through more hoops for the ‘right’ to travel within our own country.»
Palin continued: «Other administrations delayed this newfangled, burdensome REAL ID requirement. Are you curious why its implementation is imperative now?? And who came up with this?»
NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: ‘GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., right, is critical of the Trump administration’s REAL ID rollout. (AFP via Getty Images | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The REAL ID Act was passed in 2005, but the federal government has yet to implement it 20 years later. It requires all U.S. travelers to be REAL ID compliant when boarding domestic flights.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced last week that REAL ID would go into effect May 7, and that no other state-issued ID cards would be accepted for air travel.
TSA senior official Adam Stahl said in the announcement that REAL ID «bolsters safety by making fraudulent IDs harder to forge, thwarting criminals and terrorists.»
While an overwhelming majority of Republicans appear to have few issues with the change, some on the right have cried foul.
Massie argued in an X post, «As long as the pilot’s door is locked and no one has weapons, why do you care that someone who flies has government permission? REAL ID provides no benefit, yet presents a serious risk to freedom. If a person can’t be trusted to fly without weapons, why are they roaming free?»
REAL ID DEADLINE FOR TRAVELERS, SOME FEDERAL BUILDING ACCESS QUICKLY APPROACHING
Massie targeted President Donald Trump more directly in response to another X user who asked whether he was opposed simply because of his differences with the commander in chief. The Kentucky Republican has been known for multiple public spats with Trump.
«REAL ID is a 2005 George Bush-era Patriot Act overreach that went completely unenforced until Trump got into office. Let me guess: he’s playing 4D chess and I should just go along with it?» Massie wrote.
President Donald Trump waves from his vehicle as he arrives at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 17. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
Former presidential candidate and ex-House Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, wrote on X, «Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem announced Friday that the notorious PATRIOT Act-era REAL ID scheme would go into effect at the end of the month. REAL ID is one of the greatest threats to Americans’ civil liberties in decades.»
Kentucky state Rep. TJ Roberts, a Republican, agreed with Paul on social media, writing, «Repeal REAL ID!!»
New Hampshire state Rep. Joe Alexander, a Republican, added on the accusations, calling REAL ID a «violation of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution,» and writing, «the Federal Government should not be mandating ID for its citizens to travel between states. Just say NO.»
Cato Institute senior fellow Patrick Eddington told Fox News Digital, «I’m not aware of a single post-9/11 instance of an alleged or actual terrorist being apprehended, much less successfully boarding an airliner, with false ID credentials — which is the entire-stated rationale for REAL ID.»
Eddington argued it imposed unconstitutional burdens on people who are seeking to travel by air versus train.
«If you got word that your mother had just had a stroke and her prognosis was uncertain, and you wanted to quickly fly home to be with her but couldn’t because you didn’t have a REAL ID-compliant ID card, that would be one very real-world example of a tangible harm this insane law could cause on literally a daily basis,» he said.
«The REAL ID Act effectively institutes a form of mass surveillance and verification that doesn’t discriminate between those who have given reason for suspicion and those who haven’t, which is why it should never have been enacted in the first place.»
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visits the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, on March 15. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Meanwhile, Trump ally Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., targeted critics in his own public statement.
«The REAL ID Act was passed way back in 2005, 20 years ago!!!! It’s about time everyone stop dragging their feet. Quit scrolling through social media, quit complaining, get your info together, and get down to the DMV to get your REAL ID,» Alford said Wednesday.
The DHS has argued that implementing REAL ID now will help the Trump administration further its goals in cracking down on illegal immigration.
A DHS memo obtained by Fox News Digital earlier this week argued in favor of its implementation, that REAL ID «closes the gaping vulnerabilities Biden’s policies created, preventing criminals and potential terrorists from exploiting our aviation system, as seen during 9/11 when fraudulent IDs enabled attacks.»
Former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks at the Bitcoin convention, a cryptocurrency conference held at the Mana Convention Center in Miami on June 4, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Trump administration allies have also pointed out that it is carrying out a directive by Congress that’s long been stalled, but that the current White House took no part in deciding.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and TSA for further comment. Massie’s spokesman said he was not available for an interview when reached by Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand contributed to this report.
House Of Representatives,Republicans,Donald Trump,Politics
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address «a mentally incapacitated president.»
Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen.
In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in «deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.»
TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL
Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, testified for more than five hours Tuesday behind closed doors as part of House Republicans’ investigation into the former president’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool. (Getty Images)
«In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,» he wrote.
Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage.
SENATE HEARING ON WHO WAS ‘REALLY RUNNING’ BIDEN WHITE HOUSE KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Dirksen building Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Getty Images)
He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1.
«With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,» Schmitt wrote.
«It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.»
Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office.
EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, late Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week.
A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had «minimal interaction with President Biden» in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle.
She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval.
However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for «handling the flow of documents to and from the President» and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be «affixed to certain categories of documents.»
«We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,» Tanden said. «We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.»
She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen.
«I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,» she said. «I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.»
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16.
«It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,» he wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
China confirmó el acuerdo sobre tierras raras y exportaciones con EEUU tras una nueva ronda de negociaciones en Londres
China y Estados Unidos alcanzaron un acuerdo definitivo sobre la exportación de bienes estratégicos, incluidas las tierras raras, tras concluir su última ronda de negociaciones en Londres. Así lo confirmó este viernes el Ministerio de Comercio chino mediante un comunicado oficial, en el que informó que ambos gobiernos “mantuvieron una comunicación cercana” tras el encuentro y que “con aprobación, ambas partes confirmaron los detalles del acuerdo”.
El documento aclara que, como parte del entendimiento, “China revisará y aprobará las solicitudes de exportación de bienes controlados que cumplan con las condiciones con arreglo a la ley”, en una clara referencia a las restricciones impuestas por Beijing a principios de abril sobre la venta de minerales críticos como las tierras raras. Estos recursos son fundamentales para industrias clave, como la defensa, la tecnología avanzada o el sector automotriz.
A cambio, Estados Unidos se compromete a eliminar “una serie de medidas restrictivas” adoptadas contra China, aunque el comunicado no detalla cuáles serán levantadas ni en qué plazos. Esta medida corresponde a lo pactado en la conversación del 5 de junio entre el presidente chino Xi Jinping y su homólogo estadounidense Donald Trump, que habilitó la reanudación de los contactos comerciales a nivel técnico.
“Se espera que EEUU y China encuentren un término medio y cumplan con los importantes consensos y requisitos alcanzados por los jefes de Estado”, señala el comunicado, refiriéndose al diálogo presidencial que facilitó la reactivación de las negociaciones formales en la capital británica.
La confirmación de este acuerdo por parte del gobierno chino se produce un día después de que Trump asegurara que “Estados Unidos firmó un acuerdo con China” en una declaración pública, aunque sin ofrecer precisiones. Según había adelantado el mandatario republicano a mediados de junio, el pacto incluye un arancel del 55 % impuesto por EEUU a productos chinos y un 10 % recíproco por parte de Beijing sobre bienes estadounidenses.
El acuerdo de Londres sella un marco de cooperación basado en el “consenso” alcanzado en la llamada presidencial, pero se mantenía pendiente de la ratificación final de ambos líderes. La firma llega tras una serie de tensiones renovadas, motivadas por acusaciones cruzadas de incumplimiento del pacto alcanzado en mayo en Ginebra, que dio origen a una tregua comercial de 90 días.
En el marco de ese entendimiento previo, China había reducido sus aranceles a productos estadounidenses del 125% al 10%, mientras que Washington rebajó los suyos del 145% al 30% sobre bienes chinos. Sin embargo, ambas partes se acusaron mutuamente de violar el acuerdo: Beijing denunció restricciones estadounidenses sobre la exportación de chips de inteligencia artificial y software de diseño de semiconductores, así como medidas migratorias contra estudiantes chinos. Washington, por su parte, criticó las limitaciones chinas sobre la exportación de tierras raras.
La disputa comercial entre ambos países se intensificó desde el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, con una renovada ofensiva arancelaria que reactivó la guerra comercial iniciada en 2018. Esta escalada ha derivado en una situación de embargo parcial, con efectos globales sobre cadenas de suministro y mercados estratégicos.
Con este nuevo acuerdo, China y Estados Unidos buscan desescalar las tensiones mediante compromisos mutuos en comercio y exportaciones clave. No obstante, aún queda por determinar cómo se implementarán las medidas anunciadas y si ambas partes cumplirán los plazos y condiciones fijados. Por ahora, el entendimiento representa un paso más en la volátil relación bilateral entre las dos principales economías del mundo.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
Asia / Pacific,LIANYUNGANG
INTERNACIONAL
El gigantesco resort de playa de Corea del Norte para 20 mil personas, con hoteles y cafés: ¿Qué turistas espera Kim Jong-un?
Primero, los turistas nacionales y los rusos después
Kim Jong-un (L), junto a su hija Kim Ju Ae en la playa del nuevo complejo. Foto: EFESe espera la llegada de turistas rusos
Imagen del complejo compartida por el régimen comunista norcoreano. Foto: AP
La ceremonia del martes marcó la finalización de las obras de construcción del complejo.Foto: EFE
El parque acuático del resort bajo la observación de Kim. Foto: ReutersTours surcoreanos y estadounidenses, poco probables
Kim Jong Un y su hija visitan uno de los hoteles. Foto: Reuters¿Cómo es el resort de Wonsan-Kalma, en Corea del Norte?
Kim y su hija vistian las instalaciones. Foto: Reuters
El resort de Wonsan. Foto: EFE
Si pensabas que la era de los despidos había llegado a su fin, el junio de Disney, Google y Microsoft ha encontrado una nueva excusa
A qué hora habla Javier Milei en el Congreso Libertario
‘Presidential incapacity’: Senate Republican seeks paper trail of Biden’s autopen use
El PJ se reúne para cerrar la estrategia electoral, pero las diferencias entre Axel Kicillof y Máximo Kirchner complican un acuerdo
La impactante historia de Benjamín, el joven que deslumbró en La Voz Argentina
China confirmó el acuerdo sobre tierras raras y exportaciones con EEUU tras una nueva ronda de negociaciones en Londres
La China Suárez padece la peor traición de parte de Benjamín Vicuña
En el kirchnerismo insisten en que CFK recupere la libertad con el próximo gobierno: “Incluso puede ser antes”
Estados Unidos bombardeó tres instalaciones nucleares en Irán y escala el conflicto en Medio Oriente
La CGT llega a su punto máximo de ebullición interna y surge el “modelo Ubaldini” para elegir a su futuro líder
La Justicia rechazó el pedido de Cristina Kirchner para recibir visitas sin solicitar autorización previa
Nueve días de ataques de Israel abrieron paso al bombardeo de EEUU sobre la central nuclear de Fordow
A qué hora habla Javier Milei en el Congreso Libertario
La ciudad de La Plata se prepara para recibir este jueves a Javier Milei en el congreso organizado por La...
Qué es el Congreso Libertario donde hablará Milei
El presidente Javier Milei será el encargado de cerrar el congreso organizado por La Libertad Avanza (LLA). El evento generó...
Qué es el doxeo: así es la batalla por ser anónimo en redes
“¿Os gustaría saber quién se esconde tras @CapitanBitcoin?”, preguntó en X la cuenta @Wiesenthal1632. Era el anuncio de un doxeo,...
-
INTERNACIONAL2 días agoLa guerra en Oriente Medio: el Pentágono contradice a Donald Trump y asegura que el bombardeo a Irán solo retrasó su plan nuclear un par de meses
-
POLITICA2 días agoCon un desempate de Magario, el Senado bonaerense aprobó la reelección indefinida de los legisladores provinciales
-
POLITICA3 días agoRenunció la jueza Julieta Makintach en la antesala de un juicio político en su contra