INTERNACIONAL
Party of ‘crazies’: Dems comply with outrageous redistricting stunts due to primary threats, state rep says
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Many of the Texas Democrats who fled the Lone Star State to Democrat-stronghold states amid a Republican redistricting effort are complying with the political stunt out of fear of being primaried by «someone even crazier» within the party, Republican Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain told Fox News Digital in a Thursday interview.
«If they were to come back, they would lose in a primary to someone even more socialistic than they are,» Cain told Fox News Digital in a Thursday Zoom interview. «So yeah, they’re actually there out of fear, not out of fear of the Republican legislation, but out of fear of their own people. And so they’ll continue to sit out of state at their own detriment, all because of the fear of being primaried by someone even crazier than they are.»
«I can tell you that many of them don’t want to be there. They know that ultimately they’re going to lose, but because their party’s run by a bunch of crazies, they have to be there,» he continued of the Democrats who left the state ahead of Monday.
Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers fled Texas for liberal bastions such as Illinois, Massachusetts and New York to prevent a quorum for a special session as state lawmakers prepared to vote on a redrawn congressional map for the state ahead of the 2026 midterms.
State lawmakers have reported they plan to be absent from the state until the end of August, when the special session ends.
ABBOTT, PAXTON LAUNCH LEGAL BLITZ ON FLEEING DEMOCRATS IN REDISTRICTING SHOWDOWN
Texas Democrats stood next to Illinois lawmakers on Aug. 4, 2025 to oppose redistricting measures proposed by Texas Republicans. (Fox News)
Texas law requires at least two-thirds of lawmakers in either chamber be present to proceed with legislative matters, with the Democrat minority party currently holding 62 seats in the Texas house to the GOP’s 88.
The Texas House has been at a standstill since the Democrats fled over the weekend. Six Democrats are in the Austin area this week, Cain explained, meaning six more Democrats are required before the body can reach a quorum.
Cain said that he heard three additional Democrats are in the Houston area and likely «taunting» Republicans to potentially arrest them over their absence.
«They’re older members, and they’re kind of taunting us to arrest them with the idea that ‘who would arrest grandma?’ It’s kind of a clever play by the Democrats,» he said.
Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows signed arrest warrants for the absent Democrats on Monday, following the state House approving of such warrants and Gov. Greg Abbott calling on the Texas Department of Public Safety to arrest the «delinquent Texas House Democrats.» The arrest warrants are largely viewed as symbolic as they only apply to those within state lines.
TEXAS RESIDENTS SAY ‘THERE SHOULD BE CONSEQUENCES’ FOR DEMS FLEEING STATE TO AVOID VOTE
Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu speaks to reporters on Aug. 3, 2025 as Democrats fled Texas to prevent a quorum. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) reported Thursday that the FBI agreed to his request to help assist in locating the whereabouts of the derelict lawmakers as Republicans work to reach a quorum upon the Democrats’ returns.
«I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas,» Cornyn said in a Thursday news release. «We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities.»
Cain told Fox Digital that Republicans are doing «everything in our power» after Democrats fled the state, including launching investigations into potential bribery. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation Wednesday into former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s nonprofit, Powered by People, over claims it was helping fund the Democratic exodus from the state, which he described as a political bribe.
«They’re being investigated for potential bribery,» Cain told Fox Digital. «And the Attorney General has launched an investigation into Beto O’Rourke’s organization for bribery as well. I’ll tell you, under the Texas Penal Code, offering or accepting or knowingly doing … a benefit to an elected official in exchange for their vote or some kind of discretionary action, like showing up to work, is considered bribery here in Texas. And it kind of looks like that and we need to launch an investigation.»
In response to the investigation, O’Rourke described Republicans in Texas as «thugs» who are attempting to «steal our country» and accused Paxton of bribery himself.
TEXAS DEMS ALSO SKIPPED TOWN IN 2021 TO AVOID A VOTE, AND SEVERAL CAUGHT COVID-19 IN DC
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has slammed lawmakers who fled the state as «delinquent Texas House Democrats.» (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Democratic governors, such as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, have since opened their proverbial doors to the Texas Democrats who fled the Lone Star State.
Cain remarked the irony is not lost on him that the Democrats fled to states that have long histories embracing gerrymandered voting lines.
«The irony of this entire walkout, of course, they go to states that are some of the worst gerrymandered states that we’ve seen.
«We’re now being able to expose and show the world the maps of these hypocrites. And they also call themselves brave. But as to quote Governor Greg Abbott, they’re very un-Texan, Texans don’t run from a fight,» he continued.
TEXAS DEMOCRATS FLEE STATE TO BLOCK TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING VOTE IN DRAMATIC LEGISLATIVE MOVE
Texas lawmakers have used quorum breaking as a political strategy going back to 1870, and last unfolded in 2021, when Democratic state lawmakers fled to Washington, D.C., out of an attempt to block the passage of voting and election integrity legislation, as well as the 2004 walk-out also over redistricting.
Cain said history shows such stunts have not proven fruitful for Democrats.
«Democrats lost seats every time they came back – might be a hint that the voters don’t appreciate those things. We also still passed the legislation. So it’s really a costly, futile move whereby it’s just pure theater, a chance to go and fundraise, but really they’re not standing up for democracy at all. Rather, they’re just being pure obstructionists and obstructing the will of the people that have elected them,» he said.
President Donald Trump has encouraged redistricting in Texas, including remarking on Tuesday that efforts to redistrict in Texas could lead to the GOP picking up five seats.
«In California, it’s all gerrymandered,» Trump said during an interview with CNBC Tuesday. «And we have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.»
For Cain, redistricting in Texas is needed as its demographics have shifted since 2020, when the state last redrew its voting maps.
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«Over the last few years, Texas has drastically changed, our population has tremendously changed, not just from the open border policies of Joe Biden, but also because of our great economic conditions that have caused people to flee California and Illinois and Boston to come and want to live here. In order to reflect that population change, we need to update our map,» he said.
Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
texas,elections,donald trump,voting,democratic party
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Iran could have hit Washington, D.C., and other major U.S. cities with intermediate-range ballistic missiles through proxies in Venezuela if the administration had not intervened in both countries.
Speaking at the CERAWeek oil and energy conference in Houston on Wednesday, Burgum pushed back on the narrative that Iran and Venezuela do not represent an imminent threat to the U.S. and global supply chains. He said the threat was demonstrated by Iran’s attempt to strike the U.S. military base Diego Garcia in the central Indian Ocean, more than 2,000 miles from the Middle Eastern country.
«That means, you know, Venezuela was a hotbed of Iranian-funded terror groups, including Hamas. If there was an Iranian ballistic missile placed in Venezuela, it could not just reach Houston; it can reach Washington, D.C.,» said Burgum.
«So, again, the actions that the United States is taking to make the world safer is lowering the risk premium that I think was missing from the [oil and energy] market. Because, maybe, the market wasn’t recognizing the risk.»
WHITE HOUSE WARNS IRAN AGAINST BALKING AT DEAL: TRUMP READY TO ‘UNLEASH HELL’
Left: Israeli air defense systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 16, 2025. Right: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Menahem Kahanna/AFP via Getty Images; Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Burgum accused Iran, whose government he said is in shambles following intense U.S.-Israeli bombardment, of lying to the world about its missile capability.
«They said during negotiations last year, they told the international agencies, they said it right before the negotiations broke down, ‘Oh, don’t worry, we could only go 1,200 miles.’ And then they launched two missiles at Diego Garcia at 2,400 miles. That means they can hit London,» he explained.
The Islamic Republic of Iran escalated its conflict with the U.S. by launching two intermediate-range ballistic missiles Friday toward Diego Garcia, a key U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean. Targeting Diego Garcia, roughly 2,500 miles from Iran, suggests Tehran’s missile capabilities may exceed previously acknowledged limits.
IRAN-LINKED INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN PUSHES ANTI-ISRAEL MESSAGING DISGUISED AS US VOICES: REPORT
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks after meeting with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on March 4, 2026. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
Houston, where Burgum was speaking, is roughly 2,200 miles from Venezuela, while the nation’s capital is just over 2,000 miles away, placing both cities within range of intermediate-range ballistic missiles fired from Venezuela. Other major U.S. cities within range include Miami, roughly 1,300 miles away; New York City, about 2,100 miles; and possibly Chicago, slightly more than 2,600 miles.
On Jan. 3, Trump launched a covert military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Burgum said that, because of the administration’s military action, Venezuela is no longer a serious missile threat to the U.S. and is now a potentially significant oil and energy partner.
TRUMP ENERGY CZAR SAYS IRAN CONFLICT GAS SPIKE IS ‘TEMPORARY BLIP’ AS DRILLING PUSH RAMPS UP
President Donald Trump with military members after the capture of Venezuela’s Maduro in January. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
The secretary said that during a recent trip to Venezuela with oil executives, interim President Delcy Rodríguez signaled the country has the capacity and is eager for U.S. investment in developing its oil and gas reserves.
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«The resources there are quite amazing,» he said. «And from that trip we did… we were able to bring home $100 million of gold, physically, the gold, to bring back for U.S. refiners for commercial and consumer purposes. So, the level of cooperation is going.»
war with iran, iran, venezuelan political crisis, conflicts, donald trump, washington dc
INTERNACIONAL
Ministro de Economía advierte que frenar de golpe el crecimiento de la deuda sería traumático para Panamá
El ministro de Economía y Finanzas, Felipe Chapman, advirtió que, aunque el fenómeno inflacionario y el encarecimiento del combustible responden a factores externos, el impacto sobre la economía panameña podría intensificarse si se prolonga el conflicto en Medio Oriente entre Irán, Estados Unidos e Israel, obligando al Estado a incrementar el gasto en subsidios para evitar un golpe directo al costo de vida.
Según explicó, se trata de una situación que exige prudencia fiscal, disciplina en el manejo del presupuesto y evitar decisiones impulsivas que comprometan la sostenibilidad económica.
Chapman fue claro en que el país no debe caer en medidas desesperadas ni en desviaciones de su hoja de ruta económica, insistiendo en que Panamá mantiene una estrategia definida para reducir el déficit y desacelerar el crecimiento de la deuda.
“No es una sorpresa que la deuda haya alcanzado ciertos niveles, forma parte de un plan estructurado”, sostuvo, al reiterar que la prioridad es reducir gradualmente su ritmo de crecimiento sin provocar un choque abrupto en la economía.
Para febrero de 2026 la deuda alcanzó cerca de $60,059 millones, lo que implicó un incremento de más de $8,100 millones en poco más de año y medio.
Este aumento, aunque menor en ritmo frente al registrado en el quinquenio anterior, evidencia que la presión fiscal sigue presente y que la estrategia actual se ha centrado más en reordenar el perfil de la deuda que en reducir su saldo de forma inmediata.
El titular del MEF explicó que el conflicto internacional ya está teniendo efectos concretos en el país, especialmente en el costo de los combustibles, lo que obliga al gobierno a aumentar el subsidio al transporte público, incluyendo MiBus y el Metro de Panamá, así como al tanque de gas de 25 libras, utilizado por la mayoría de los hogares.
“Si el Estado no absorbe ese impacto, el costo del pasaje subiría y también el precio del gas y la electricidad”, advirtió, dejando claro que el gasto público ya está aumentando para contener esos efectos.
En años recientes, el subsidio al transporte público ha representado más de $300 millones anuales, considerando los aportes al Metro de Panamá y al sistema MiBus, mientras que el subsidio al tanque de gas de 25 libras ha superado los $80 millones al año, dependiendo del comportamiento del precio internacional del petróleo.
Bajo el escenario actual, estas cifras podrían incrementarse de forma significativa si el conflicto geopolítico se extiende y presiona aún más los mercados energéticos.
Chapman enfatizó que el costo de estos subsidios es altamente variable y depende directamente del precio del petróleo, el cual puede cambiar de forma drástica en cuestión de días.
“No es lo mismo un barril a $80 que a $120 o $150”, explicó, subrayando que el Estado no puede proyectar con precisión el gasto total en este contexto. En ese sentido, insistió en que sería irresponsable fijar cifras estáticas cuando el entorno internacional es tan volátil.
En cuanto al crecimiento económico, el ministro señaló que antes del estallido del conflicto, proyecciones de entidades internacionales situaban el crecimiento del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) de Panamá alrededor del 5% para 2026, pero reconoció que ese escenario ahora debe ser revisado. Aunque mantiene una visión moderadamente optimista, admitió que el resultado final dependerá de la duración del conflicto y su impacto sobre la inflación y la economía global.
Sin embargo, Chapman también advirtió que un crecimiento económico demasiado acelerado podría ser contraproducente. “Si Panamá crece por encima del 6%, se podría generar inflación interna, y el país no cuenta con herramientas monetarias para contenerla”, explicó.
Por ello, planteó que el rango óptimo para la economía panameña se sitúa en un crecimiento superior al 5%, pero por debajo del 6%, lo que permitiría expandir la actividad sin presionar excesivamente los precios.
El ministro defendió que la estrategia del gobierno es mantener un equilibrio entre crecimiento y estabilidad, evitando medidas populistas como aumentar el déficit fiscal sin respaldo.
“No vamos a prometer cosas que no se pueden cumplir”, sostuvo, al referirse a propuestas de ampliar subsidios sin un sustento financiero claro. En ese sentido, reiteró que cualquier apoyo adicional deberá estar acompañado de recortes en otras áreas del gasto público, ya que los recursos del Estado son limitados.
Además, señaló que el gobierno ya ha logrado incrementar los ingresos en cerca de 14%, lo que forma parte del esfuerzo por mejorar la sostenibilidad fiscal. No obstante, insistió en que el crecimiento económico sigue siendo clave para mejorar la calidad de vida de la población, incluso si sus efectos no se perciben de forma inmediata.
“Si la economía no crece, la situación sería peor”, afirmó, al reconocer que muchos ciudadanos aún no sienten los beneficios de esa expansión.
En paralelo, Chapman descartó escenarios de desabastecimiento de combustible en Panamá, asegurando que en el continente americano existe suficiente oferta para cubrir la demanda. No obstante, reiteró que el verdadero riesgo no es la disponibilidad, sino el precio, que seguirá sujeto a la evolución del conflicto en Medio Oriente y a las tensiones en los mercados internacionales.
Finalmente, el ministro subrayó que el país debe mantenerse en una línea de cautela, disciplina y planificación, evitando decisiones improvisadas en un contexto global incierto. A su juicio, el reto no es solo enfrentar el impacto inmediato del alza en los combustibles, sino garantizar que las finanzas públicas se mantengan sostenibles en el mediano plazo, sin comprometer la estabilidad económica ni trasladar el costo de la crisis a los ciudadanos.
Las palabras de Felipe Chapman se dieron durante su intervención en el Foro Económico 2026, organizado por la Asociación Panameña de Ejecutivos de Empresa (APEDE), un espacio que reunió a autoridades, expertos y líderes empresariales para analizar el rumbo de la economía panameña en un contexto marcado por cambios geopolíticos, desafíos estructurales y nuevas oportunidades de inversión.
Desde este escenario, se planteó la necesidad de tomar decisiones estratégicas que permitan sostener el crecimiento en los próximos años.
La presidenta de APEDE, Giulia De Sanctis, subrayó que este tipo de foros son clave para elevar la calidad del debate económico en el país y generar propuestas concretas.
A su juicio, Panamá tiene el potencial de seguir creciendo, pero advirtió que ese crecimiento debe traducirse en bienestar real para la población, lo que requiere decisiones basadas en datos, instituciones sólidas y una visión de largo plazo que fortalezca la confianza y promueva la inversión.
En la misma línea, el presidente de la Comisión de Asuntos Económicos y Finanzas Nacionales de APEDE, Jorge Nicolau, explicó que el foro buscó abrir un espacio de análisis informado y diálogo técnico que permita identificar oportunidades reales para el país.
El enfoque, según indicó, está en orientar decisiones económicas sostenibles, tomando en cuenta un entorno global cada vez más dinámico y competitivo, donde Panamá debe redefinir su posicionamiento.
El evento también incorporó una agenda enfocada en temas clave como la inversión extranjera directa, las perspectivas económicas y el rol de Panamá en la región, incluyendo la participación de expertos nacionales e internacionales.
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INTERNACIONAL
Iran-linked influence campaign pushes anti-Israel messaging disguised as US voices: report
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A new analysis of social media activity during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online backlash and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all.
The report identified recurring narratives pushed by foreign-based accounts, including claims that the operation was a «betrayal of MAGA,» «highly unpopular with the American people» and carried out «on behalf of Israel.»
Sixty percent of the most viral posts on X mentioning «Iran» during the first week of the operation originated from accounts based outside the United States — despite often presenting themselves as American voices, according to research conducted by Argyle Consulting Group, a private intelligence and data analysis firm.
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«These aren’t just random opinions,» Eran Vasker, CEO and co-founder of Argyle Consulting Group, told Fox News Digital.
«What we’re seeing is discourse that looks American — written in English, using U.S. political language — but is actually coming from outside the country … almost impossible for a regular user to detect,» Vasker said, explaining that the accounts «look very American» and mirror domestic political language and debates.
A new analysis of social media activity during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury suggests that much of the online backlash and anti-Israel content may not have been driven by Americans at all. (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
The analysis examined 100 highly X viral posts — each with more than 10,000 shares — between Feb. 28 and March 7. In total, posts containing the word «Iran» generated 98 million posts, 696.4 million interactions, and an estimated 1.5 trillion potential views, making it one of the largest online information events on record.
Foreign accounts alone generated 155.6 million views, compared to 93.4 million from U.S.-based accounts, outpacing them by more than 60 million views in the sample.
Even more striking, every single foreign-based post in the dataset was negative toward the operation, while the only supportive content came from U.S.-based users, Argyle found.
WHY TRUMP IS DENOUNCING THE MEDIA’S IRAN WAR COVERAGE AS TOO NEGATIVE – BOOSTED BY RHETORICAL FCC BACKING
Among the most influential voices driving engagement, seven of the top 10 accounts were based outside the United States, including accounts linked to Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and South Asia, Argyle found. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
JP Castellanos, Binary Defense director of threat intelligence and a former member of U.S. Central Command’s Active Cyber Defense Team, said much of the activity is focused on Israel and combines disruption with messaging.
«About 42% of the attacks that we’re seeing or the claims that we’re seeing online are directed toward Israel,» Castellanos said.
He also pointed to doxing campaigns and AI-generated videos «trying to basically shape the information space.»
Much of the challenge, Castellanos said, is distinguishing real cyber incidents from inflated online claims by hacktivist groups seeking attention.
«A lot of times, these are just claims that they put online,» he said.
BLOODY NYC KHAMENEI VIGIL REVEALS ANTI-US PROTEST NETWORK LINKED TO IRAN
Cyber threat analysts say that an online narrative campaign is unfolding alongside broader activity by pro-Iranian and aligned groups across the digital space. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
Researchers said the scale, consistency and geographic spread of the messaging point to a coordinated effort rather than organic global debate.
Cyber threat analysts say that an online narrative campaign is unfolding alongside broader activity by pro-Iranian and aligned groups across the digital space.
One of the most prominent groups to emerge in the current conflict, Castellanos said, is Handala, an Iran-linked hacking operation that has claimed responsibility for attacks on both U.S. and Israeli targets.
Among the most influential voices driving engagement, seven of the top 10 accounts were based outside the United States, including accounts linked to Russia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and South Asia.
U.S. authorities and cybersecurity firms have linked Handala to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, describing it as part of a broader effort combining cyberattacks with psychological and information operations.
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The report identified recurring narratives pushed by foreign-based accounts, including claims that the operation was a «betrayal of MAGA,» «highly unpopular with the American people» and carried out «on behalf of Israel.» (Asra Q. Nomani/Fox News Digital)
The cybersecurity researchers told Fox News Digital Handala is part of a wider network of Iran-aligned and pro-Russian hacktivist groups that have mobilized since the start of the war, blending disruptive cyber activity with narrative-shaping campaigns online.
Fox News Digital reached out to X multiple times, providing a list of the accounts in question per their request, but has not yet received a response.
war with iran, cybercrime, terrorism, anti semitism
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