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Former blue state GOP lawmaker reveals why she’s not seeking re-election: ‘I have other goals’
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Former California Republican Congresswoman Michelle Steel will not be seeking another term in Congress.
The Republican, who lost by just over 600 votes in November to Rep. Derek Tran after serving two terms in the House, said she’s pursuing other political goals.
«I have other goals that, you know what, I’m having so much fun, and I work on President Trump’s agenda right now. And I was appointed by Speaker Mike Johnson to that Asian-American coalition, so I want to help Asian-Americans in this country and then plus other Asian countries,» the Republican, who sits on the board of directors of the Lincoln Club, said.
‘NO ONE’ EXCITED ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS’ POTENTIAL GUBERNATORIAL RUN, SAY CALIFORNIA DONORS
GOP Rep. Michelle Steel, left, and challenger Derek Tran, right (Getty Images)
Her decision not to run will likely open the door to a competitive Republican primary and a multimillion-dollar general election race in 2026.
«I can serve much better [with] what I’m doing right now,» she said, turning down the possibility of seeking another elected office.
Steel, along with Reps. Young Kim and Marilyn Strickland, were the first Korean-American women in Congress, and Steel is a first-generation American. Steel said fundraising and connecting with the different ethnic communities in the district is key to a Republican seeking to win the seat back, noting that a large portion are «first generations» like her.
DEM GOVERNOR HOPEFULS VOW TO RESIST TRUMP AS CALIFORNIA CHAOS BECOMES NJ CAMPAIGN ISSUE
Migrants arrive at a makeshift camp after crossing the nearby border with Mexico near the Jacumba Hot Springs Feb. 23, 2024, in San Diego. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
«I totally understand what they have to go through as a first generation, so that’s really important. Go through community by community, and you have to listen exactly what they are asking for to settle in America. This is a great country. You know what, as long as you work really hard, your dream comes true,» she said.
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Steel also called out anti-ICE sentiment in California and by Democrats around the country as people misunderstanding the underlying issues that come with illegal immigration.
«People were accusing me that, ‘You are the first-generation immigrant, and then you are actually trying to abuse and trying to arrest first-generations.’ I said, ‘No, this is the illegal criminals we’re talking about.’ And, you know, when they get arrested and if they are not going to get deported, guess what happened? They are actually committing another crime. So very dangerous people,» Steel said.
«And I know President Trump is doing a great job in deporting these criminals, and that’s what has to be done for American safety.
ASSAULTS ON ICE OFFICERS SURGE 830% AS DEMOCRATS CAUGHT ‘DOXING AND PHYSICALLY ASSAULTING’ AGENTS: DHS
Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., attends a hearing, «Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos» before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on Capitol Hill May 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)
«We really have to do the better message because, especially first generations, and you know what I heard few calling from outside of this country. They said, ‘Oh my God, they’re arresting all these immigrants, even their citizens.’ I said, ‘That’s not really true. When they commit serious crimes, yes, we kick them out because that’s for the safety, and, you know, safety for the Americans.’ That’s the reason that we are doing.»
Her decision comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom is floating the possibility of redistricting in the Golden State to thwart any potential Republican seat gains in Texas.
«Two can play this game,» he posted to X July 15.
Rep. Michelle Steel speaks to supporters at her campaign office in Buena Park, Calif., Sept. 26, 2022. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
«I just read this morning that all the Democrats are coming into California, and all the Republicans are leaving. You know, they have to really see this trade that exactly what’s going to be helpful for Californians. California is such a beautiful state. And I live in California. I still want to save California,» Steel said.
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«She doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand exactly what they have to do to make California better,» she said of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom.
«So, I really want to stop those people that they are hurting. Not just California, but Californian people, that they are very much against these politicians. I hope they already hit the bottom, so in next year’s election, hopefully, a Republican is going to win.»
congress,california,politics,house of representatives politics
INTERNACIONAL
Trump ignites conservative backlash after opening door to 600,000 Chinese students: ‘What is this madness?’
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President Donald Trump’s plan to allow 600,000 Chinese student visas to be issued sparked backlash from the right on Monday and Tuesday.
«I hear so many stories that we’re not going to allow their students,» Trump told reporters as trade talks with China are ongoing.
«We’re going to allow their students to come in. It’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important. But we’re going to get along with China,» he continued.
Trump expanded on his comments during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
«I think it’s very insulting to say students can’t come here because they’ll go out and start building schools and they’ll be able to survive it. But I like that their students come here. I like that other countries’ students come here. And you know what would happen if they didn’t? Our college system would go to hell very quickly. And it wouldn’t be the top colleges, so it’d be colleges that struggle on the bottom. And you take out 300,000 or 600,000 students out of the system,» Trump said.
«I like having, and I told this to President Xi that we’re honored to have their students here. Now, with that, we check in with careful and we see who’s there,» he added.
TRUMP OPENS DOOR TO 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS AMID BEIJING TRADE TALKS
Donald Trump says 600,000 Chinese students could be allowed into the U.S. to study at its colleges pending a potential trade agreement with China. (Fox News)
Some immigration groups and conservative voices on social media voiced their opposition to the proposal.
«We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP,» Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X late Monday night. «If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15% of them to fail then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP.»
«Granting 600,000 student visas to Chinese nationals threatens to put foreign students ahead of U.S. graduates,» Joe Chatham, director of government relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
«The focus now must be on reforms to limit access to sectors crucial to our economy and national security that have repeatedly been the target of corporate espionage and intellectual property theft—not expanding access to hostile countries. Educating foreign nationals should never be put before the interests of U.S. citizens and ensuring that our nation thrives,» he continued.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delved further into the Trump administration’s view on the matter when pressed on «The Ingraham Angle.»
TRUMP SUSPENDS FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AMID NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug. 6, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«The president’s point of view is that what would happen if you didn’t have those 600K students is that you’d empty them from the top, all the students would go up to better schools, and the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America.»
«He’s taking a rational economic view, which is classic Donald Trump,» Lutnick added.
Many suggested that the free market should come into play with these colleges that could be at a potential financial risk.
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«Let them go under, then! What is this madness? NO. WE DON’T WANT MORE CHINESE STUDENTS. We actually don’t want any,» conservative commentator Kira Davis wrote.
«15% going under isn’t a bad thing,» writer Ryan Girdusky posted to X.
«Trump’s team is not capable of defending his Chinese student visa program,» conservative lawyer Marina Medvin posted on X. «That’s because they don’t actually want it either. It’s hard to sell something you don’t like.»
TRUMP SAYS HE WANTS FOREIGN STUDENTS WHO DON’T ‘CAUSE TROUBLE,’ SLAMS HARVARD FOR BEING ‘A BIG SHOT’
Banners on the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)
«So this is essentially a subsidy for academia. Got it. American universities shouldn’t need an influx of foreign students in order to stay afloat. If they can’t survive on American enrollment, then let them go under. Plus, Chinese students steal our research and send it home,» Josh Peterson, a full stack developer and investigative journalist, posted.
Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler unleashed on the Trump White House, saying these Chinese students should be banned.
«Chinese ‘students’ are all spies for the Chinese Communist Party. They’re forced to be. They steal our intellectual property. They steal our tech. They steal our intel. They cozy up to our military,» Wheeler posted on X. «Trump should ban all Chinese students from U.S. universities. Deport them all.»
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«This is the dumbest explanation I’ve heard. By all means, put colleges & universities out of business!» Wheeler said in response to Lutnick’s defense of Trump’s policy. «Their business is indoctrinating students into hardened revolutionary Marxists. If you want to save America, you’ll have to raze the university system. Perfect chance to start.»
Others agreed with Lutnick’s perspective on the issue, saying that it could actually help the United States bring in more talent domestically.
«This is not as horrible as people are making it out to be. Chinese students on U.S. visas aren’t average kids. They represent the top tier of China’s youth,» podcast host Joshua Reid posted to X.
«On the other side, we are hosting China’s future leaders, scientists, and innovators. Which also means that American culture returns home with them. When you start to think about emergent tech, this is actually a great idea. Bring the top level students over the US. This is talent that is pulled away from China and now becomes a national asset,» Reid added.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
immigration,china,education
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A United Nations-backed report declaring famine in areas of Gaza has sparked a war of words over the conditions in the enclave.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released a report on Friday in which it declared for the first time that the Gaza Governorate is experiencing a famine. Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis are meanwhile in severe crisis. Conditions in Northern Gaza are estimated to be as severe as those in the Gaza Governorate or worse. The IPC report does not touch on conditions in Rafah, as it is largely considered to be depopulated.
The IPC, a U.N.-backed initiative involving U.N. agencies, NGOs and technical experts, has been widely considered to be the global standard for classifying food crises.
Israel has fiercely pushed back against the report’s findings, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying it was «an outright lie.» While Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oren Marmorstein claimed the report was «tailor-made» based on «Hamas lies laundered through organizations with vested interests» and denied that a famine exists in Gaza.
DEIR AL BALAH, GAZA – AUGUST 10: Palestinians wait with pots in their hands as a charitable organization distributes food.
ISRAEL SAYS UN MISLEADS WORLD AS GAZA AID STOLEN AND DIVERTED FROM CIVILIANS
«Israel does not have a policy of starvation. Israel has a policy of preventing starvation,» the prime minister’s office wrote in a thread on X that included Israeli data on the situation in Gaza.
Marmorstein also claimed that IPC «twisted its own rules and ignored its own criteria just to produce false accusations against Israel.»
In its Aug. 22 report, the IPC projected that by the end of September the famine will expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, leaving 641,000 people in famine conditions. The report predicts that the number of people in IPC Phase 4 (emergency) conditions will rise to 1.14 million while 198,000 will be in crisis.
In its recommendations, the IPC calls for an immediate ceasefire, a guarantee of unconditional and safe humanitarian access, protection of civilian infrastructure and large-scale humanitarian assistance.
APP USERS READ THE IPC REPORT HERE
GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE US-BACKED AID GROUP
After the report was released, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Jewish state on X.
«This is not a mystery — it is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment and a failure of humanity itself. Famine is not only about food; it is the deliberate collapse of the systems needed for human survival,» Guterres wrote on X. «As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law — including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population. We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.»
Guterres ended his message with calls for a ceasefire, unfettered humanitarian access and the return of the hostages.
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Aug. 25, 2025. (Leo Correa/AP Photo)
UNICEF OFFICIAL SAYS GAZA MALNUTRITION REACHES ‘FAMINE LEVELS’ AS HUMANITARIAN AID TRICKLES IN
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UNICEF, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), all of which participate in the IPC, reiterated their call for an immediate humanitarian response and ceasefire.
Israel’s Coordination for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), slammed the IPC for relying on Hamas-run entities, UNRWA assessments and «unverifiable sources,» while ignoring the data from Jerusalem.
A Palestinian carries a box of food from the World Food Program as others carry sacks of flour unloaded from a humanitarian aid convoy that reached Gaza City from the northern Gaza Strip, Aug. 24, 2025. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Photo)
AS ISRAEL FACES BLAME FOR THE HUNGER CRISIS IN GAZA, UN’S OWN DATA SHOWS MOST OF ITS AID IS LOOTED
Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a former White House and National Security Council official during both Trump administrations, took issue with the report’s findings, calling them politically motivated.
«The ideology of destroying Israel and saving Hamas is widespread within the U.N. and far-left NGOs, leading them to change their own guidelines for declaring a famine in Gaza while they ignore an actual famine in Sudan. The data doesn’t support a famine declaration in Gaza, but that doesn’t matter when the conclusion is politically pre-ordained,» Goldberg told Fox News Digital.
Palestinians run towards parachutes carrying aid packages, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip Aug. 18, 2025. (Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
Goldberg also noted the timing of the report, which came just days after Israel said it would enter Gaza City — which is in the Gaza Governorate — was «the most telling part of it all.»
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee shared a statement from Netanyahu’s office and said that «tons of food has gone into Gaza but Hamas savages stole it, ate lots of it to become corpulent, sold it on the black market but they didn’t give it to the hostages.»
Hamas terrorists carrying clubs and firearms secure humanitarian aid trucks in the northern Gaza area of Jabaliya on June 25, 2025. (TPS-IL)
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Fifty hostages have been held in Gaza for nearly 700 days. Of those, 20 are believed to be alive while the rest are confirmed dead. Hamas is holding onto their remains. Earlier this month, the terror group released a video of hostage Evyatar David who appeared extremely thin and said he had not eaten in days.
israel,terrorism,united nations,human rights united nations
Funcionarios del Gobierno de Nicolás Maduro están señalados como miembros del Cartel de los Soles, un grupo criminal que, según Washington, ha corrompido las altas esferas políticas, militares y judiciales en Venezuela desde la década de 1990 para enviar drogas a Estados Unidos.
Según expertos consultados por CNN, este grupo criminal fue identificado en los noventa luego de que en causas judiciales se involucrara a dos generales de división venezolanos en el tráfico de droga colombiana a través de las FARC.
“A partir de ese caso, se comenzó a identificar a una red de militares y de (agentes de la) Guardia Nacional que estaban involucrados, primero, en el tráfico de cocaína hacia el norte usando infraestructura militar venezolana o de la Guardia Nacional, y, después, en el tráfico de oro, de minerales diversos, a través de minas informales que estaban siendo organizadas ilícitamente por el ejército venezolano”, dijo en entrevista a CNN Edgardo Buscaglia, asesor internacional contra terrorismo y delincuencia organizada, director de Save Democracy y académico principal de la Universidad de Columbia en EE.UU.
Buscaglia añadió que, cuando Hugo Chávez llegó al poder en Venezuela, el mandatario trató de negociar con los militares que formaban la red ilícita, pero finalmente el grupo se expandió hasta funcionarios civiles del Estado y ya no solo militares.
“De alguna manera Maduro hereda la estructura criminal que le deja Chávez y la expande de manera enorme a funcionarios civiles como el ministro del Interior (Diosdado) Cabello, como fue en su momento el jefe de inteligencia Hugo Carvajal, que eran parte de la organización criminal”, aseguró el experto en temas de seguridad.
El Cartel de los Soles se convirtió eventualmente en un sistema de corrupción que se beneficia de las actividades del crimen organizado y que “a menudo” se asocia con cárteles internacionales, señaló por correo electrónico Imdat Oner, ex diplomático turco que estuvo basado en Venezuela y hoy es analista político en la Universidad Internacional de Florida.
Según Insight Crime, un grupo de expertos dedicado a temas de crimen organizado, basado en EE.UU. y Colombia, el nombre de Cartel de los Soles proviene de la vestimenta de los militares señalados de actividades ilícitas.
El nombre “Cartel de los Soles” comenzó a utilizarse en 1993 luego de que se se conocieron denuncias de participación en narcotráfico contra generales de la Guardia Nacional y luego comandantes de división, que llevaban en el uniforme soles dobles por su rango, explica el grupo.
El Cartel de los Soles, dice Insight Crime, no es una organización tradicional de crimen organizado donde hay un líder y abajo están los subordinados, sino de una red compuesta por muchas células dentro de las ramas castrenses venezolanas y del gobierno.
Debido a que el Cartel de los Soles se compondría de células dispersas, la idea de que Maduro lidera a este supuesto grupo criminal es una “simplificación excesiva” por parte de Estados Unidos, menciona Insight Crime.
“Más que una organización jerárquica con Maduro al mando de las operaciones de tráfico de drogas, el Cartel de los Soles se asemeja más a una red de corrupción en el que funcionarios militares y políticos se benefician de los acuerdos establecidos con narcotraficantes”, detalla el grupo de expertos.
El gobierno de Maduro, sin embargo, insiste que en Venezuela no operan grupos del crimen organizado. La semana pasada, luego de que la administración Trump aumentara la recompensa sobre Maduro, Vladimiro Padrino López, ministro del Poder Popular para la Defensa de Venezuela, también rechazó el vínculo del presidente con cárteles de la droga.
“La Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana rechaza categóricamente las bufonescas declaraciones de la fiscal general del Gobierno norteamericano, efectuadas ayer 7 de agosto, en las cuales anuncia el incremento de la recompensa ofrecida por los departamentos de Justicia y de Estado a quien brinde información que conduzca al arresto del ciudadano Nicolás Maduro Moros”, dijo Padrino en un evento desde Caracas.
“Esos mismos inmorales están tratando aquí de decir que nuestro comandante en jefe es un narcotraficante, que el ministro de la Defensa es un narcotraficante. Es una falta de respeto a Venezuela”, agregó.
Padrino aseguró que en Venezuela “no operan ni bandas criminales… ni tampoco existen cárteles ni capos” y dijo que Maduro es un “héroe”.
“Se desarticularon absolutamente (estos grupos)… Podemos decir que nuestro comandante en jefe (Maduro) ha sido un héroe en esta tarea”, señaló el ministro Padrino.
Estados Unidos,Venezuela,Nicolás Maduro,Narcotráfico
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