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Padilla cuffed, McIver indicted: Can Congress come back from the brink?

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You have lots of places to choose from to get your message out to the press if you’re House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
It’s best to get your message out succinctly, clearly and free of interference.
So when Johnson decided to boast about the House making good on the first bill to codify DOGE cuts and slash $9.4 billion from USAID and public broadcasting, he stepped just outside the House chamber and into a throng of reporters gathered by the Will Rogers Statue.
«Republicans will continue to deliver real accountability and restore fiscal discipline,» said Johnson.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP LAWMAKERS PREPARE TO SLASH $9.1B FROM USAID, NPR AND PBS IN RARE VOTE
But the Will Rogers Statue area is a major thoroughfare in the Capitol. At the moment Johnson spoke Thursday, dozens of House Democrats were headed toward the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. They were demanding answers about why federal agents tossed Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., to the ground and handcuffed him during a press conference in Los Angeles with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
When Johnson finished talking about reeling in the money for public broadcasting and USAID, reporters only wanted to ask about Padilla.
Yours truly included.
Despite all the talk of Republican spending cuts, there was only one thing on the minds of reporters in the halls of Congress on Thursday: what had just happened to Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)
«Did the federal agents go too far,» I asked. «Was that a bridge too far?»
A long line of angry House Democrats squeezed past Johnson in the Will Rogers corridor. But because Johnson chose to speak in such a heavily-trafficked locale, Democrats hectored Johnson as they marched to the Senate.
«Yes it was!» shouted an unidentified Democrat as she strode past the scrum, answering my question for Johnson.
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But Johnson immediately pivoted to what Padilla did, standing up at Noem’s press conference to holler questions at her from the back of the room.
«It was wildly inappropriate,» said Johnson of Padilla as he spoke to the Capitol press corps. «You don’t charge a sitting cabinet secretary…»
«That’s a lie!» shouted another unidentified Democrat.
«A lie!» yelled someone else.

Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., was among the members of Congress who appeared to heckle House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. (Dai Sugano/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images)
Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., stopped to snarl something at the Speaker. But it was impossible to hear over the din.
«He was acting like a senator,» charged Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. «Why don’t you stand up for Congress!»
«Can you respond to these people heckling you Mr. Speaker?» I asked.
«I’m not going to respond to that,» replied Johnson.
The Capitol was pulsing at this point. The crush of House Democrats barged into the office of Thune, who was at the White House.
Lucky him.
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The Democrats then trooped back across the Rotunda and poured into Johnson’s office.
«When the Speaker of the House refers to a sitting Member of the U.S. Senate who simply tried to exercise his First Amendment rights as acting like a thug, we’re very concerned about that,» said Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. «Both the Speaker and Leader Thune should step up to the moment and preserve the institution of Congress, which are a balance in democracy and important balance in democracy.»
One lawmaker who didn’t join the angry Democratic mob was Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa. Dean stood apprehensively just beyond the wall of reporters and outside the invisible bubble created by Johnson’s security detail. When Johnson concluded speaking, Dean tried to pierce the security ring to have a civil conversation with the Speaker.

Johnson’s talks of spending cuts were quickly dashed by reporters demanding an explanation about Padilla. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
«Mike! Mike!» said Dean, trying to capture Johnson’s attention. «It’s Madeline.»
Johnson finally realized that «Madeleine» wasn’t some reporter trying to squeeze in an extra question for the Speaker. But someone he obviously knew. A fellow lawmaker. Someone from across the aisle with whom he must have a friendship and working relationship.
Johnson and Dean spoke in hushed tones as they walked quietly across Statuary Hall. Some in the press corps followed, trying to divine what they were saying. This wasn’t an offstage chat back in the Speaker’s Suite or on a private telephone call. But it went down in a very public part of the U.S. Capitol.
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The conversation continued as the duo stopped adjacent to the «British Steps» near the Speaker’s Office. Dean clenched both of her hands into fists as she and the Speaker were about to part ways. She lightly touched Johnson on the right arm as he ducked into the Speaker’s Office.
«Thank you, sir,» said Dean.
«What were you speaking to the Speaker about?» I asked the Congresswoman.
«I just want to keep that to myself,» answered Dean. «But the one thing I wanted to say is that it’s up to the President to turn the temperature down. Everyone is inflamed. And agitated. But it starts with the President. He said ‘I’m talking to the President,’» said Dean.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., told me «it’s up to the President to turn the temperature down» after a quiet conversation with Johnson in Statuary Hall. (Andrew Harrer/Pool via Reuters)
But other Republicans may have tried to dial up the temperature by blasting Padilla.
Padilla left Washington earlier in the week to be in LA during the riots. The senator was supposed to start at first base for the Democrats in the Congressional Baseball Game on Wednesday night.
Republicans charged that Padilla should have stayed moored in Washington.
«He has a responsibility to show up at work not to go make a spectacle,» said Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
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«The fact that he’s in California and not in D.C. while the Senate is voting means he’s not as concerned about doing his job here,» said Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
Scalise conceded he had gone home to Louisiana when hurricanes threatened the state. He argued that he «wouldn’t go back home to try to stir angst against the federal agents that were coming and help us get back on our feet.»
Outraged Democrats thundered on the Senate floor, railing against the plight of Padilla.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Padilla’s plight «despicable» and «disgusting.» (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
«This is the stuff of dictatorships. It is actually happening,» said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
«It’s despicable. It’s disgusting. It is so un-American,» said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
«I think it’s unprecedented,» said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. «It’s obnoxious, and it’s rather escalatory.»
But the outrage wasn’t limited to Democrats.
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«I’ve seen that one clip. It’s horrible. It is shocking at every level. And it’s not the America I know,» said Sen. Lisa Murkowski,» R-Alaska.
The band of Democrats who ran over to Thune’s office never did find him. But by nightfall, Thune said he spoke to Padilla, Senate Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway and tried to contact Noem.
«We want to get the full scope of what happened,» said Thune.
This falls against the backdrop of the feds charging Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., for assaulting federal agents at a Newark detention facility earlier this spring. These episodes have shaken Congress.
Lawmakers wonder what would happen if the shoe were on the other foot. And despite the partisan chasms, they’re all lawmakers. They know that if something like this can happen to Padilla, well, they could be next.
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Confidence and trust are waning.
«I remain hopeful that Leader Thune and other Republicans can walk us back from the brink,» said Schatz. «But I am not so sure anymore.»
INTERNACIONAL
Tim Walz leading Dem effort to turn bipartisan group against President Trump: report

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Progressive governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is leading a Democratic effort to turn one of the country’s most influential bipartisan groups against President Donald Trump, according to a report by a mainstream media outlet.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic.
The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people «familiar with the governors’ thinking» shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month.
The two governors will not renew their membership in the organization out of frustration with its inaction against perceived violations of states’ rights by the Trump administration.
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Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic. (Getty Images)
The concerns raised included the Office of Management and Budget briefly pausing disbursements of federal funds in January, the clash with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes and Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard to respond to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles.
The outlet reported three other unnamed sources saying that Walz and Kelly are not alone and that the offices of other Democratic governors are similarly frustrated with the NGA.
One of the unnamed sources said «when you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that. Right now, they are not doing that,» the outlet reported.
The source also claimed «there have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years.»
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The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people «familiar with the governors’ thinking» shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Gov. Laura Kelly, head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The NGA has existed as a forum for bipartisan collaboration among governors since 1908. The organization lists all 50 governors as well as leaders of five U.S. territories as members.
Eric Wohlschlegel, NGA communications director, told Fox News Digital the group «exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities.»
Amid the Walz-led controversy, Wohlschlegel said NGA’s «mission hasn’t changed.»
«Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus,» he said. «So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don’t agree, we simply don’t issue one. That’s how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener, a principle we won’t compromise.»
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A source familiar with the situation blamed the controversy on «Democratic infighting, unspoken campaign jockeying and a few anonymous voices looking to reshape a nonpartisan institution into a political one.»
That source pointed out that, despite all the noise about controversy, the NGA’s summer meeting in Colorado Springs this weekend is expected to have «record turnout» with 13 Republican and seven Democratic leaders attending.
They also noted that «no governors are on the record expressing discontent with the NGA. No allegations of misconduct, governance failure or mismanagement have been raised.»

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly enters the House chamber for the State of the State address at the Kansas State Capitol Jan. 10, 2024, in Topeka, Kan. (Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
«What’s behind the noise?» the source added. «There’s an internal power struggle currently and no consensus among Democrats right now on how to lead, how to message or how to govern in a divided environment.
«Several Democratic governors are vying for national attention, testing messages for future campaigns rather than collaborating on consensus governance,» the source added. «The NGA’s bipartisan model is working exactly as it’s supposed to.
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«When a party can’t agree with itself, it becomes easy to take shots at bipartisan institutions that don’t serve short-term political goals.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the outgoing NGA chair, and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the incoming chair, for comment on the Walz mutiny.
Though not addressing the controversy directly, Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis, told Fox News Digital the governor «has been honored» to lead the NGA and to «work across the aisle with governors on education, permitting reform, standing up to federal efforts to strip away gubernatorial authority around the National Guard and elevating the priorities of states.»

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt speaks as Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado listens at the NGA in Washington (Fox News/Charlie Creitz)
He added that «during this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors’ opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government.»
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Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Stitt, who will become NGA chair this weekend, told Fox News Digital «people seem to forget NGA is a bipartisan organization, not a political one.»
«Coming to bipartisan consensus is difficult, but governors from across the political spectrum are addressing the real challenges facing Americans every day,» Cave said.
She said that Stitt «looks forward to leading this organization and finding more areas of collaboration in the coming year.»
Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Walz and Kelly but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
INTERNACIONAL
Tensión en el sudeste asiático: Tailandia bombardea Camboya, en una disputa que deja una decena de muertos

El ejército tailandés bombardeó este jueves objetivos militares en Camboya y reportó la muerte de al menos 12 personas en su territorio por disparos del país vecino, en los peores enfrentamientos en 15 años entre estos dos reinos del sudeste asiático.
Los dos países mantienen desde hace décadas una disputa territorial en el Triángulo de Esmeralda, una zona donde confluyen sus fronteras y la de Laos y donde se conservan varios templos antiguos.
En mayo estallaron enfrentamientos armados en los que murió un soldado camboyano. Desde entonces, los dos bandos intercambiaron críticas, provocaciones y represalias, como la restricción de los cruces fronterizos o las importaciones.
Las hostilidades se desataron nuevamente el jueves. Camboya disparó cohetes y proyectiles de artillería sobre Tailandia, que desplegó de su lado seis aviones de combate para bombardear dos objetivos militares en el país vecino.
El Ministerio de Salud tailandés señaló que los ataques camboyanos habían matado a 12 personas, un soldado y 11 civiles. La mayoría de las víctimas murieron cerca de una estación de servicio en la provincia de Sisaket, dos en la provincia de Surin y una en Ubon Ratchathani, todas en el noreste.
Imágenes publicadas en las redes sociales muestran un minimercado consumido por las llamas.
Responsables provinciales informaron que la mayoría de las víctimas son estudiantes, mientras que un niño de ocho años falleció en Surin.
China, que suele mantener buenas relaciones con ambos países, expresó el jueves estar «profundamente preocupada» por estos choques e invitó a las dos partes a «resolver el problema de forma adecuada mediante el diálogo y la consultación», dijo su portavoz diplomático Guo Jiakun.
La Unión Europea hizo un llamado a la desescalada y pidió a ambas partes a que «resuelvan las disputas a través del diálogo y otros medios pacíficos, en línea con el derecho internacional».
En tanto, el primer ministro malasio y actual presidente temporal de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN), Anwar Ibrahim, pidió a ambos países a «moderación» y manifestó su deseo de que se inicien negociaciones.
Bangkok y Phnom Penh reanudaron las hostilidades tras la muerte de un soldado jémer a fines de mayo, en medio de un tiroteo en la zona fronteriza disputada.
Diferentes medidas de represalia, decretadas por ambos bandos pese a los llamados a la calma, ya han afectado a la economía y el destino de numerosos habitantes en las regiones involucradas.
Por su parte, el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Camboya denunció este jueves la «agresión militar» tailandesa.
Ambas naciones se acusaron mutuamente de abrir fuego primero el jueves por la mañana en las cercanías de dos templos disputados en la frontera entre la provincia tailandesa de Surin y la camboyana de Oddar Meanchey.
El primer ministro interino de Tailandia, Phumtham Wechayachai, afirmó que la situación precisa de «una gestión cuidadosa» y «dentro del derecho internacional». «Haremos lo mejor para proteger nuestra soberanía», dijo.
La embajada de Tailandia urgió a sus nacionales a salir de Camboya «lo antes posible», a menos que tengan razones urgentes para permanecer. China también instó a sus ciudadanos a salir de ese país.
El primer ministro de Camboya, Hun Manet, pidió una reunión de «urgencia» del Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU ante los ataques «no provocados, premeditados y deliberados» de Tailandia.
El enfrentamiento se dio un día después de que Tailandia expulsara al embajador camboyano y llamara de vuelta a su enviado en Phnom Penh, en respuesta al estallido de una mina terrestre que hirió a un soldado tailandés.
El primer ministro tailandés afirmó que una investigación del ejército de su país encontró evidencia de que Camboya había colocado minas terrestres en la zona disputada, algo que Phnom Penh niega.
Camboya rechazó estas acusaciones y aseguró que en las zonas fronterizas están todavía infestadas de minas activas de «guerras del pasado».
El jueves por la mañana, Phnom Phen degradó las relaciones con su vecino «al nivel más bajo», retirando a todos sus diplomáticos en Bangkok excepto uno y expulsando a sus equivalentes tailandeses en su territorio.
Estas son las hostilidades más graves en la frontera de ambos reinos desde unos enfrentamientos alrededor del templo Preah Vihear que dejaron al menos 28 muertos y decenas de miles de desplazados entre 2008 y 2011.
Tailandia,Camboya
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Fox News Politics Newsletter: A Big, Beautiful Clawback

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Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…
– Trump admin readies for fight after judges block Abrego Garcia removal for now
– Thailand, Cambodia troops open fire on each other, killing at least 12
– Senate Republicans call on DOJ to appoint special counsel to probe Obama-Russia intel
Trump Privately Signs $9 Billion Clawback Package of Spending Cuts
President Donald Trump signed into law his roughly $9 billion rescissions package to scale back already approved federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting Thursday, after both chambers of Congress approved the legislation earlier in the month, sources familiar to the matter have confirmed.
The signing marks another legislative victory for the Trump administration just two weeks after the president signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy measure, dubbed the «big, beautiful bill.»
The rescissions package pulls back nearly $8 billion in funding Congress already approved for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a previously independent agency that provided impoverished countries aid and offered development assistance… READ MORE
President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to reporters as he walks on the South Lawn upon arriving at the White House on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jose Luis Magana)
White House
‘LAWLESS AND INSANE’: Trump admin readies for fight after judges block Abrego Garcia removal for now
CLASH OVER AUTHORITY: Trump foe Boasberg to grill DOJ over migrant flights in heated hearing
REVERSING COURSE: Trump says he wants Elon Musk to ‘thrive’ after suggesting DOGE could investigate him
POWER STRUGGLE: Trump stands by Alina Habba as DOJ clashes with judges over her replacement
LEGAL SCRUTINY: DOJ forms Russiagate ‘strike force’ to investigate declassified Obama-era evidence
LEGAL SETBACK: Federal appeals court rules against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order
‘I AM RECOVERING’: Pam Bondi cancels appearance at anti-trafficking summit over medical issue
World Stage
ACCOUNTABILITY TEST: Zelenskyy forced to rethink anti-corruption law after public backlash
MAN MACHINE MERGER: China experimenting with brain-computer interfaces in global race for AI dominance: report
BORDER BATTLE ERUPTS: Thailand, Cambodia troops open fire on each other, killing at least 12
BEACH BLAST: Battle over the Black Sea: Russia, Ukraine strike top resort cities

Russia launched a terrifying assault on Ukrainian Black Sea city Odesa, hitting a nine-floor residential building and destroying the iconic Privoz Market, which has existed since 1827, Odessa, Ukraine 7/24/25. (East2West via Ukraine Ministry of Defense)
Capitol Hill
EYES IN THE SKIES: Rules keeping drones on leash could loosen with deregulation proposal from Congress
COLLUSION CHAOS: Trump-foe Adam Schiff dismisses Tulsi Gabbard’s declassified Russia collusion intelligence as ‘dishonest’
BEG YOUR PARDON: WATCH: House Republicans zero in on Biden autopen pardons after bombshell report
EPSTEIN SECRETS: Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell to see how feds meeting plays out amid subpoena: brother
CREATING OPPORTUNITY: EXCLUSIVE: GOP proposal seeks to end ‘backdoor hiring practices’ at American universities
INTEL DECEPTION: Senate Republicans call on DOJ to appoint special counsel to probe Obama-Russia intel
BRIDGING THE DIVIDE: ‘Shirts and Skins’: How one Republican bridged the gap to pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
NOT WELCOME: House Republican introduces companion bill to end China’s buying of American farmland
‘GOOD LUCK’: House to vote on censuring Dem rep charged in ICE facility incident

New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged on Monday for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers outside of an ICE detention facility earlier this month. (Getty Images/Department of Homeland Security)
KLAIN TO FAME: Ex-Biden chief of staff Ron Klain faces grilling in House GOP’s cover-up probe
ANTI-ANTISEMITISM: Pro-Israel Dem says those who won’t decry Hamas over Oct. 7 attack ‘have no business’ posing as humanitarians
FINDING THE FORCE: ‘Star Wars bar of leftists’: Weingarten, Hunter, Mamdani prove Democrat Party lead by extreme figures
Across America
‘SEVER’ CONNECTIONS: West Point Bible crest controversy spurs lawsuit from conservative watchdog
THE CHOSEN ONE: RNC Chair Michael Whatley to seek open Republican-held Senate seat in battleground North Carolina: sources
HATE SPEECH SILENCE: Dem governor criticizes Mamdani for not condemning ‘blatantly antisemitic’ rhetoric
WAKE UP CALL: Mamdani’s former Dem colleague rails against his signature campaign promise: ‘Nail in the coffin’
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
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