INTERNACIONAL
Soros-backed prosecutor set for Capitol Hill grilling as sanctuary policies face reckoning
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Steve Descano, the George Soros-backed prosecutor in Fairfax County, Virginia, will make his first Capitol Hill appearance next month as House Republicans press him on the county’s immigration policies following a murder tied to a repeat illegal immigrant offender.
Descano and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid are set to appear May 14 before the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee, according to letters provided to Fox News Digital confirming their participation. The hearing, titled «Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies,» will examine whether the county’s policy limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities threatens public safety.
The hearing will put new federal scrutiny on Descano and Fairfax County’s limits on cooperation with immigration authorities as Republicans argue the county’s policies and prosecutorial decisions helped allow accused killer Abdul Jalloh — whom the Department of Homeland Security says had been arrested 30 times — to remain free before Stephanie Minter’s fatal stabbing.
Minter’s case spurred the federal oversight and calls for legislative reforms, and Minter’s family is now also backing a recall effort against Descano that could threaten his tenure, according to local reporting.
ANGEL MOM, GOP BLAME SPANBERGER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 30 ARRESTS CHARGED IN KILLING
Steve Descano, Commonwealth’s Attorney of Fairfax County, Virginia, speaks at an event at the Center for American Progress about Virginia’s Newly Elected Progressive Prosecutors on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. (Getty Images)
Descano has previously testified in state-level legislative hearings, including before the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, but the May 14 hearing would mark his first known appearance before a congressional committee.
«CA Descano is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss Fairfax’s record as one of the safest large jurisdictions in the country,» Descano’s office told Fox News Digital on Monday when asked about his upcoming testimony.
Upon first announcing the hearing in April, prior to the committee confirming Descano’s attendance and a finalized date, Republican leaders said Descano’s testimony would help inform possible reforms targeting sanctuary jurisdictions.
The scrutiny was driven largely by the murder of Minter, a Fredericksburg mother who was stabbed to death at a Fairfax County bus stop earlier this year. Jalloh, her alleged killer and a Sierra Leone national, is an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal history whose prior encounters with law enforcement had raised concerns.
Fairfax County police had previously warned Descano’s office multiple times, including last year, about Jalloh’s potential for violence, including one officer who cautioned in an email that it was «not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again.»
Despite those warnings, prosecutors dropped multiple charges against Jalloh, allowing him to remain free. DHS authorities said Jalloh had been arrested 30 times, including for violent offenses, before targeting Minter.
Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a bus stop in Virginia. (Fox 5 DC)
ILLEGAL ALIEN MURDER SUSPECT AVOIDED SYSTEM AS ICE PUSHES DEM GOVERNOR TO KEEP HIM LOCKED UP
Descano has also faced criticism for his broader posture on immigration after campaigning on what he said was a two-tiered justice system that disadvantaged noncitizens, who could also see deportation as a consequence for their crimes.
Descano, for his part, has received more than $600,000 in campaign support from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, a committee primarily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros that supports progressive prosecutors, according to public records.
George Soros, Founder and Chairman of the Open Society Foundations, arrives for a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on April 27, 2017. (Olivier Hoslet/AFP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
DHS and House Republicans have also pointed to Fairfax County plea deals involving noncitizens, including a high-profile 2024 murder case where two defendants received five-year sentences, which they linked to Descano’s avoidance of immigration-related outcomes.
Kincaid, who will also testify, has drawn separate scrutiny for declining to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers and instead requiring judicial warrants before transferring inmates to federal custody once they leave local jails, a policy federal officials have said conflicts with how ICE operates.
immigration, migrant crime, illegal immigrants, sanctuary cities
INTERNACIONAL
Trump hails America as ‘most exceptional nation ever to exist’ in Mount Rushmore speech
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump marked the eve of America’s 250th anniversary with a sweeping patriotic address at Mount Rushmore on Friday, declaring the United States the «most exceptional nation ever to exist» and vowing that it would «never be a Communist country.»
Speaking beneath the granite likenesses of four of his predecessors — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt — Trump touted American exceptionalism as festivities marking the nation’s 250th anniversary ramped up across the country.
«In all the chronicles of the ages, never before has any nation celebrated so magnificent a triumph as this one,» Trump told the crowd.
TRUMP KICKS OFF FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND WITH SYMBOLIC SALUTE TO AMERICA’S LEGACY
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mount Rushmore on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«At 250 years, America is the oldest republic on earth,» he continued. «We are the freest people on earth. We have the most righteous and enduring Constitution on earth. We are the strongest and most powerful country on earth. And by the grace of God, the United States of America is the most successful, most accomplished, most exceptional nation ever to exist in human history.»
Trump praised the nation’s history and argued that no other country had achieved as much as the United States.
«The birth and survival of the American nation under God is, quite simply, the best and most incredible thing ever to happen on this planet by human hands, ever,» he said. «No other country has done more good for this world than the United States of America.»
AMERICA’S NEXT 250 YEARS DEPEND ON PASSING FAITH AND FREEDOM TO OUR CHILDREN
Fireworks explode after President Donald Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Matt Gade)
Before Trump took the stage, the new Air Force One flew over Mount Rushmore as spectators cheered. After his remarks, the president stayed to watch a fireworks display over the Black Hills.
Trump argued the country was facing what he described as a growing communist movement that sought to undermine America’s «exceptional character» and «alienate us from our history.»
The president said the movement had raised the question, «What does it mean to be an American?»
MAMDANI BLASTS ICE AGENTS, ELON MUSK AND ‘SUPREMACY’ IN AMERICA 250 SPEECH AHEAD OF JULY 4 WEEKEND
President Donald Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Friday, July 3, 2026, near Keystone, South Dakota. (AP Photo/Matt Gade)
Trump described communism as «the greatest threat» facing the United States.
«It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, or even 9/11,» Trump said. «We’re not going to let this happen to us. Believe me, we’re not letting it happen, because communism is the enemy of free people.»
«Communism is the exact opposite of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — it is death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil,» he continued.
«But we will not let them win,» he added. «They have no chance against us.»
Trump issued a clear directive: «You can be loyal to Karl Marx, or you can be loyal to America. You can be a communist, or you can be a patriot. You cannot be both.»
President Donald Trump speaks beneath Mount Rushmore during a celebration ahead of America’s 250th anniversary. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
As Americans face those choices, Trump pointed to the nation’s past sacrifices as a guide for its future.
«Our American ancestors did not shed their blood at Concord and Trenton, Gettysburg and Shiloh, Midway and Normandy, just so that a band of thieves, radicals and lunatics could come in and loot, pillage our nation,» he said.
Trump also highlighted the four presidents carved into the mountain behind him, saying they represented America’s founding ideals.
«They were men of action, men of ambition, men of daring, men of destiny, and men of truly great intelligence,» he said. «Above all, they were great men of history. Tonight, on the threshold of our 250th year, we stand beneath the monument of these heroes, a true group of unbelievable people. And we rededicate ourselves to being a nation as big, bold, noble, and as great as these American giants.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump is scheduled to deliver another speech Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a fireworks display celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary.
«We know that this is not an ending,» Trump said. «This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.»
fox business proud american, donald trump, politics, patriotism, america 250
INTERNACIONAL
Francia y Reino Unido desplegarán fuerzas militares para proteger la libre navegación por el estrecho de Ormuz
El presidente de Francia, Emmanuel Macron, y el primer ministro de Reino Unido, Keir Starmer, confirmaron un acuerdo con Omán para garantizar la seguridad de la navegación en el estrecho de Ormuz, tras la reapertura del paso marítimo luego del alto el fuego acordado entre Estados Unidos e Irén. Según un comunicado conjunto, Mascate aceptó colaborar con ambos países europeos para asegurar la protección de sus aguas jurisdiccionales.
El anuncio marca un punto de inflexión tras el conflicto que mantuvo prácticamente cerrado el estrecho, considerado por las autoridades como “una arteria vital para la economía mundial”. De acuerdo con el pronunciamiento recogido en el documento oficial, “restablecer un tránsito seguro para los barcos de todas las naciones por el estrecho es un tema de preocupación mundial”.
Francia y Reino Unido expresaron su disposición a desplegar una misión militar multinacional diseñada para “apoyar la libertad de navegación en el estrecho de Ormuz”, iniciativa que llevan preparando desde hace semanas. La propuesta de la coalición, que contempla operaciones de desminado y garantías de seguridad para la libre circulación de embarcaciones, dependía del consentimiento de las partes involucradas.
Desde el alto el fuego alcanzado el 17 de junio, el tráfico marítimo comenzó a normalizarse, aunque persisten tensiones debido a la voluntad de Irán de mantener cierto nivel de control sobre el paso. En este contexto, se han reportado diferentes incidentes, lo que mantiene la atención internacional sobre la estabilidad de la región.
En el comunicado, Macron y Starmer reiteraron el compromiso de sus países de defender la estabilidad regional, la soberanía de los Estados y la cooperación con todos los socios para preservar la seguridad global, la libertad de navegación y el derecho internacional.
En paralelo, la empresa de seguimiento de buques Kpler reportó que el tráfico marítimo por Ormuz continúa su recuperación, aunque permanece en una situación frágil. Según los datos divulgados por la compañía, el 2 de julio se registraron 38 cruces a través de la vía, cifra que representa un 10% menos respecto al día anterior, aunque se mantiene “dentro del rango emergente de 30 a 60 cruces por día”.
De acuerdo con Kpler, la actividad de buques con bandera de Irán experimentó un aumento drástico en las últimas jornadas. Además, la firma advirtió que varios operadores navieros modificaron sus trayectorias habituales y se desplazaron hacia rutas consideradas “iraníes y oscuras o desconocidas” en el cruce del estrecho.
Un vocero de la empresa señaló: “El patrón sugiere que la confianza sigue siendo incompleta, y que la aprobación está cada vez más condicionada por la aceptación política, la exposición al riesgo de incumplimiento normativo y las negociaciones pendientes sobre las tasas y la gobernanza de la ruta”.
El régimen persa rechazó el lunes pasado la posibilidad de que Francia participe en las operaciones de desminado en Ormuz, luego del anuncio realizado por el presidente francés, Emmanuel Macron, sobre la intervención de su país en esas tareas.
El viceministro de Exteriores para Asuntos Jurídicos e Internacionales de Irán, Kazem Gharibabadi, afirmó en la red social X: “Macron ha afirmado que cooperará en la retirada de minas del estrecho de Ormuz en coordinación con sus socios. Según el memorando de entendimiento de Islamabad, la retirada de minas la lleva a cabo exclusivamente Irán y ningún otro país; en principio, no permitimos una operación de este tipo”.
El funcionario iraní advirtió sobre la complejidad actual en la región y transmitió una amenaza directa al gobierno francés. “La situación es delicada y compleja. Recomendamos encarecidamente a Francia que no la complique aún más con sus provocaciones”, sostuvo Gharibabadi.
El Ejército de Irán advirtió que los buques que no sigan las rutas establecidas por la República Islámica en el estrecho de Ormuz enfrentarán una respuesta inmediata y contundente. El Comando Unificado de Operaciones Khatam al-Anbiya de las Fuerzas Armadas iraníes indicó en un comunicado difundido por medios locales: “Todos los petroleros y buques comerciales están obligados a utilizar la ruta designada por Irán para cualquier tránsito seguro por el estrecho de Ormuz”.
La autoridad militar subrayó que cualquier “desviación de la ruta designada o incumplimiento de los protocolos de navegación de la República Islámica” será motivo de reacción militar. “Recibirá una respuesta inmediata y contundente por parte de las fuerzas armadas, lo que pondrá en peligro la seguridad de los buques infractores”, precisó el comunicado.
El mensaje incluyó una advertencia dirigida a Estados Unidos para evitar cualquier tipo de interferencia en este paso marítimo estratégico.
(Con información de EFE)
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
INTERNACIONAL
Massachusetts woman steps in after ‘shameful’ Dem governor boycotts Great American State Fair
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A patriotic woman from Massachusetts took matters into her own hands after leaders in her state decided to boycott the Great American State Fair out of anger at President Donald Trump — and she showed no mercy to those who made that decision.
«I came here to represent Massachusetts because I didn’t want the public to walk into an empty room. I wanted somebody to be there,» said Donna Festinger, who paid her own way from the Bay State to the nation’s capital to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
Festinger is manning her state’s booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, part of the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 event that began on June 25 and ends on July 10.
Massachusetts resident Donna Festinger speaks with Fox News Digital at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
DAVID MARCUS: LIBERAL ELITES SEETHE OVER AMERICA’S STATE FAIR
She had a clear message for Massachusetts leadership, along with the leadership of other states who also declined to participate in the celebration.
«I’m very disappointed that Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts decided — their governments decided not to support this effort to celebrate our American heritage,» she said. «It’s actually shameful.»
«It makes me feel like they really don’t love America or Massachusetts — my governor,» she said of Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who has had some very public spats with Trump.
Festinger, a former teacher who paid her own way to the event in Washington, D.C., and arrived at the beginning of the celebration, says she plans to stay through the entire 16-day event.
Massachusetts resident Donna Festinger occupies her state’s booth at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
BILL MAHER TELLS LIBERALS TO STOP ‘PARTISAN SULKING’ AND JOIN AMERICA 250 PARTY
She told Fox News Digital that she thinks the state boycotts are actually a point of unity for the American public, «because most people are upset about it and do not understand why a governor would do that.»
«And so that’s actually uniting people, Democrats, Republicans, independents, and agreeing that every state should be proud of our country,» Festinger speculated.
She added: «I think the Trump administration is working hard to bring the country together.»
MIKE MINOGUE HEADS TO MASS GOP CONVENTION READY TO TAKE ON MAURA HEALEY: ‘SHE’S BANKRUPTING OUR STATE’
Meanwhile, Healey, known for her rabid anti-Trump streak, mocked the fair in an interview with Boston Public Radio.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey also hosted a news conference on Thursday, pushing back on the Supreme Court’s decision. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Asked whether she would welcome Trump if he visited the state, she reportedly said the president is «too busy with his Great American State Fair down there that everybody’s bailing on.»
She also claimed, without evidence, that Trump is using the fair to «get money into his own pocket,» and falsely claimed that states were being charged to participate in the fair.
Festinger also recently garnered some backup at the Massachusetts booth.
Judith Kalaora, a Boston resident, stood at the state’s stand dressed to the nines in a Revolutionary War uniform to honor Deborah Sampson, a Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man to fight the British.
Judith Kalaora of Massachusetts honors female Continental Army soldier Deborah Sampson at the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. (Hannah Brennan/Fox News Digital)
«I’m hopeful that my being here will unite folks to realize that Boston and Massachusetts have a great spirit, and that that spirit can unite the United States through our nation’s heritage and through our military history,» said Kalaora.
«I believe that the United States, in 250 years, has accomplished many more achievements than other nations have accomplished in 400 and 500 years,»
Eleven states, all run by Democrats, decided to skip the fair.
Some had explicitly anti-Trump reasons for declining to participate, like Illinois Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker, citing what he said is Trump’s «politicization of America 250 activities.»
Oregon’s leadership expressed a similar sentiment, though did not mention Trump by name.
«The State of Oregon will not be participating in the Great American State Fair due to both the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented,» Democrat Gov. Tina Kotek’s office said in a statement.
People visit «The Great American State Fair» during a heatwave in Washington, D.C., on July 1, 2026. Tens of millions of Americans sweltered under furnace-like temperatures this week as central and eastern cities hunkered down for a heat wave set to last through the July 4 holiday weekend. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
Kalaora, however, remains optimistic.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
«Times change, and emotions change, and that’s okay, as long as we still remember that we’ve done great things,» she said.
«I’m happy to be here.»
american stories, massachusetts, washington dc, politics, fox business proud american
Lionel Messi habló tras la sufrida victoria ante Cabo Verde: «Sabiamos que iba a ser un partido duro»
Economía 2027: cómo es el plan del Gobierno para evitar la volatilidad cambiaria antes de las elecciones
Manuel Adorni y sus primeras 72 horas sin poder: ostracismo, custodia y sin un nuevo destino
Kicillof se blinda frente a la interna con los Kirchner: el silencio como protección y la cautela como sello
Trump hails America as ‘most exceptional nation ever to exist’ in Mount Rushmore speech
El horóscopo de hoy: sábado 4 de julio
En medio de su separación, Magui Bravi contó por primera vez su traumático embarazo: «El parto fue de emergencia y…»
Con la incorporación de Santilli al Gabinete, el Gobierno relanza su estrategia para las elecciones 2027
¿Se recupera el mercado de los autos?: qué muestran los números de las cinco marcas que más 0 km venden en el país
Construir los cimientos de la Inteligencia Artificial: los desafíos de la infraestructura del futuro
CHIMENTOS2 días agoEn medio de su separación, Magui Bravi contó por primera vez su traumático embarazo: «El parto fue de emergencia y…»
- POLITICA3 días ago
Con la incorporación de Santilli al Gabinete, el Gobierno relanza su estrategia para las elecciones 2027
- ECONOMIA2 días ago
¿Se recupera el mercado de los autos?: qué muestran los números de las cinco marcas que más 0 km venden en el país
