The White House News

Alaska Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom is joining the race for the state’s only U.S. House seat, which is currently held by Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.

Dahlstrom, who announced her campaign Tuesday, joins Republican Nick Begich III in seeking to challenge Peltola next year.

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Peltola won a special election and a regular election last year for the seat, becoming the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. The seat had been held for 49 years by Republican Don Young, who died in March 2022. Begich unsuccessfully ran in the 2022 House races, which also featured former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Alaska has an open primary system in which the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. Ranked choice voting is used in the general election. Voters approved the change to the elections process in 2020, and the first elections under that system were held last year.

Dahlstrom, a former state lawmaker, plans to continue in her role as lieutenant governor, which she was elected to last year as part of a ticket with Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Part of the lieutenant governor’s job is overseeing elections.

In a statement, Dahlstrom said Alaska “needs a proven tough fighter to stop the assault on Alaska from Joe Biden and Washington D.C. liberals.” Alaska political leaders have often been at odds with the administration on resource development issues.

The owner of a Mississippi medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising.

After Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions in 2022, Clarence Cocroft II opened Tru Source Medical Cannabis in Olive Branch, Mississippi. But he says he has struggled to reach customers because Mississippi’s Department of Health has banned medical marijuana businesses from advertising in any media.

That violates business owners’ First Amendment rights, Cocroft’s attorneys wrote in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

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“All I want to do, like any other business owner, is have the opportunity to advertise. If I pay taxes in this business, which I do, I should be able to advertise,” Cocroft said at a news conference. “All I’m asking from this state is to provide us with the same liberty that they’ve provided other businesses.”

Cocroft, who is represented by the Institute for Justice, sued the leaders of the state’s Department of Health, Department of Revenue and Alcoholic Beverage Control Bureau. The lawsuit accuses state regulations of prohibiting business owners from engaging in truthful commercial speech to promote their legal businesses, which attorneys argue violates the First Amendment.

“Under the ban, Clarence can’t advertise in any media. He cannot place ads in newspapers or magazines, on television or radio, or even on billboards that he already owns,” said Katrin Marquez, one of Cocroft’s attorneys. “The First Amendment does not allow a state to completely censor a legal business. If it is legal to sell a product, it is legal to talk about that product.”

A spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Health did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment Tuesday. A spokesperson for the Department of Revenue said the agency had not heard about the lawsuit.

Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama also have regulations that prohibit dispensaries from advertising through public mediums. But Cocroft’s attorneys said Mississippi’s regulations are more stringent than those in neighboring states.

Mississippi law allows patients to buy up to 3.5 grams of cannabis per day, up to six days a week.

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The state Health Department cannot prevent dispensaries from placing “appropriate signs” on their properties or displaying products they sell on their websites. All other advertising restrictions are up to the Health Department, which prohibits dispensaries from advertising or marketing “in any media.”

“The state government cannot simultaneously authorize the legal sale of a product or service, while forbidding the truthful advertising of said product,” Marquez said. “No law, state or federal, justifies the censorship in this case.”

When Cocroft started Tru Source, he says he budgeted for advertising and purchased a few billboards in highly trafficked areas in northern Mississippi. He has been leasing the billboards to other businesses and relied instead on word-of-mouth recommendations to reach potential customers.

“It’s simply unfair that every other legal business in Mississippi is allowed to advertise, while I have to rely on word of mouth,” Cocroft said.

A new House Homeland Security Committee report has found that the ongoing migrant crisis at the southern border could cos taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars each year, as Republicans blame what they say are “open borders” policies from the Biden administration.

The report is the committee’s fourth interim report on DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of the border crisis, which saw more than 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southern border in FY 23. The report focuses on the financial costs of the crisis, which it attributes to the Biden administration’s policies.

“Only a small fraction [of the costs] is ever recouped from the taxes paid by illegal aliens, with the rest falling on the shoulders of American citizens and lawful residents,” the report says. “Mass illegal immigration, accelerated by Mayorkas’ open-borders policies, now represents a massive cost to the federal government and state governments alike, as well as the pocketbooks of private citizens and businesses.

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It cites studies by the hawkish Center for Immigration Studies, which found that the annual cost to care for and house illegal immigrants could reach up to $451 billion. It separately cites estimates from the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for lower immigration levels, that the annual net burden as of 2022 is more than $150 billion.

It also points to the costs of housing and sheltering — particularly in the enormous costs seen in cities like New York City where tens of thousands of migrants have traveled after being released into the U.S., and the costs to ranchers and local businesses near the border. New York City Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year estimated the city’s crisis alone could cost $12 billion by 2025. 

“It is morally unacceptable that American taxpayer dollars should be funneled to those who violate our laws and demand expansive, taxpayer-funded benefits like education, health care, housing, and more. Many of these individuals will likely represent a drain on American society for the remainder of their days in the United States, constantly absorbing more benefits from the state than they ever contribute — to say nothing of the fact that they have no lawful basis to remain in the country to begin with,” the report says.

“Mayorkas’ policies have enabled this mass waste and abuse of taxpayer resources. His policies and actions have encouraged millions of people to cross our borders illegally. His department has released millions of illegal aliens into the United States rather than detaining or removing them, as required by law. And there is no end in sight,” it says.

The report drew criticism from DHS, which accused Republicans of wasting time on attacking Mayorkas.

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“While the House Majority has wasted months trying to score points with baseless attacks, Secretary Mayorkas has been doing his job and working to keep Americans safe,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Under his leadership, the Department of Homeland Security is stopping unprecedented amounts of fentanyl from entering the country, countering threats from the Chinese government, helping communities recover from natural disasters, and working to protect our nation from cyberattacks, terrorism, and targeted violence.” 

“Instead of continuing their reckless impeachment charades and attacks on law enforcement, Congress should work with us to keep our country safe, build on the progress DHS is making, and deliver desperately needed reforms for our broken immigration system that only legislation can fix,” they said.

DHS has also previously highlighted its efforts to support states and communities hit by the migrant crisis, including $770 million to 69 organizations in the last fiscal year to support those receiving migrants, as well as moves including speeding up work permit applications and teams of experts to provide services in cities like New York and Boston.

Democrats on the committee were similarly critical of the report. Ranking Member Bennie Thompson said it is a “bald-faced lie that immigrants are a financial burden on our country — a claim that has been consistently debunked by immigration experts on both the right and left for decades.”

“This report, full of racist rhetoric for the extreme MAGA base of the Republican Party, is just the latest attempt to get support for Republicans’ completely baseless attempt to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. Instead of politically motivated attacks on the Secretary, Republicans should support Democrats’ efforts to provide border personnel the resources they need,” he said.

The White House has requested $14 billion for border operations, which includes grants to local governments, and more immigration officers to speed up work documents for migrants. The Biden administration has also called for a comprehensive immigration reform bill to be passed in Congress — but Republicans have rejected it due to the inclusion of a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.

Republicans, meanwhile, have passed their own immigration and border security legislation — which includes border wall construction and limits on parole and asylum — but that has so far been rejected by Democrats.

Democrat senators on the Rules Committee advanced a resolution Tuesday to confirm more than 350 military promotions that have been held up for months due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s, R-Ala., protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy. The resolution will now head to a full floor vote. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that once the resolution was approved, he would bring it to a full vote “as soon as possible.” Nine Republicans will have to vote with Democrats in the upper chamber to codify the proposal. 

“What Sen. Tuberville has done is truly an anomaly that does much harm and requires a response,” Schumer said before the vote on Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of negativity and dysfunction in the Senate these days, but Sen. Tuberville has single-handedly brought the Senate to a new low for months.”

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., chairwoman of the committee, said military families – a handful were present at the markup – have been suffering due to the holds, leaving positions vacant. 

“We are here today because one of our colleagues has used the Senate’s rules to hold the entire military chain of command hostage,” Klobuchar said.

Every Republican member on the committee – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a critic of the holds – voted against the resolution, but Sen. Ted Cruz’s, R-Texas, vote by proxy did not count in the final tally. 

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The DOD’s abortion policy – which pays for some expenses incurred by an abortion procedure for service members – was implemented after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. 

Tuberville, a retired college football coach, previously told Fox News Digital he doesn’t think the Senate will approve a rule change. It would need 60 votes to pass. Republicans currently hold 49 seats in the Senate while Democrats hold the majority at 51.

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“I think that we’ll be able to hold her in the line and force them to eventually vote on this,” Tuberville said.

Earlier this month, several GOP lawmakers – Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska – took turns on the floor urging Tuberville to rescind his opposition before selecting nominees one by one to be confirmed. Tuberville objected to each one.

In September, Tuberville followed a Senate rule enabling a minority member to bring a cloture vote with 16 signatures. However, once Schumer received the petition on Wednesday, he changed course and opted to sidestep Tuberville, proceeding directly to the floor votes for those promotions. 

As such, the Senate confirmed Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, Democrats remained unwavering on teeing up votes one-by-one for each member.

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What’s happening:

– The House readies vote on a spending package to fund the government through the holiday season…

– Biden admin staffers revolt over president’s calls for a ceasefire… 

– RFK receives endorsements from three all-star athletes… 

Congress has plenty of political battles, but Tuesday saw several incidents that nearly resulted in literal fights. 

Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin almost got in a physical altercation with Teamster President Sean O’Brien in a health, education and labor committee hearing. 

“Sir this is a time, this is a place, you want to run your mouth we can be two consenting adults, and we can finish it here,” Mullin told O’Brien after reading a tweet where O’Brien said he could take the senator “any time” or “any place.” 

“I would love to do it right now,” O’Brien said, prompting Mullin to say, “Well, stand your butt up then.”

“You stand your butt up, big guy,” O’Brien said. Then Mullin, a former MMA fighter, rose from his chair and appeared ready to take on the union boss before committee Chairman Bernie Sanders told the pair to knock it off.

‘CHEAP SHOT’: On the other side of Capitol Hill, ex-Speaker McCarthy was accused of throwing an elbow into a Republican who helped oust him …Read more

SHUTDOWN LOOMING: Republicans talking with Democrats to gauge where votes may lie to pass spending bill, avoid shutdown …Read more

BLOCKED: Bid to impeach Mayorkas halted as eight Republicans join Democrats in opposition …Read more

JOHNSON’S FIRST TEST: House readies vote on new speaker’s plan to avoid government shutdown …Read more

‘WE NEED BOLD CHANGE’: House Freedom Caucus comes out swinging against Johnson plan to avert shutdown …Read more

‘MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’: These 8 Republicans joined with Dems to kill Mayorkas impeachment …Read more

‘SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS’: Turner, Stefanik call for DOJ probe into Michael Cohen after recent testimony …Read more

‘REASSERT AUTHORITY’: Freedom Caucus chair shares warning for Johnson as Republicans rebel on CR …Read more

‘WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?’: Distraught mother of American wrongfully on death row in China calls on Biden to confront Xi …Read more

‘NOT GOING TO COMMENT’: White House refuses to say it will support subpoena cooperation in Biden classified docs investigation …Read more

CLEAN UP FOR A DICTATOR: WH dismisses question about blue city’s sudden makeover …Read more

DISSENT LETTER: Biden officials rebel against president on Israel-Hamas war …Read more

TROUBLE BREWING: Biden supports ‘decent paying job’ for ‘average citizen in China’; won’t surrender US trade secrets …Read more

UNSOLVED MYSTERY: Photo of the mysterious White House cocaine emerges …Read more

TIME’S ALMOST UP: GOP Presidential field keeps shrinking but Trump still leads the pack …Read more

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: Vulnerable Dem attended Hollywood fundraiser with donors linked to corruption, discrimination scandals …Read more

TRIPLE THREAT: NFL Hall-of-Famer, mountain biking champion, NBA legend endorse RFK Jr for president …Read more

TICKING CLOCK: Kansas senator calls on Senate Dems to pass Israel funding bill …Read more

PAYBACK: Georgia man threatens to kill Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff, now faces federal charges …Read more

ANOTHER RECORD: Migrant encounters broke prior October highs …Read more

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is calling for a House ethics investigation into former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for allegedly assaulting another GOP lawmaker, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., in a U.S. Capitol hallway earlier Tuesday.

Burchett had accused McCarthy of having “elbowed [him] in the kidneys” when walking past him along with his security detail at the end of a members-only House GOP Conference meeting. McCarthy said any contact they made was an accident. Burchett said it was “a cheap shot by a bully.”

“Needless to say, this incident deserves immediate and swift investigation by the Ethics Committee. This Congress has seen a substantial increase in breaches of decorum unlike anything we have seen since the pre-Civil War era,” Gaetz wrote in a letter to House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss.

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“I myself have been a victim of outrageous conduct on the House floor as well, but nothing like an open and public assault on a Member, committed by another Member. The rot starts at the top.”

Gaetz and Burchett were two of eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to oust McCarthy from the speakership last month. 

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Burchett told reporters he believed McCarthy targeted him “100% on purpose,” adding, “He didn’t see any cameras. He didn’t think anybody was paying attention. But [Claudia Grisales] from NPR was paying attention.”

Gaetz wrote in his ethics complaint that Burchett “is within his rights to decline to press charges against Rep. McCarthy.”

“Given Rep. Burchett’s comments on the matter, and the statements of public witnesses, I request the House Committee on Ethics to proceed immediately with an investigation into the facts of today’s incident, including interviewing, under oath, the alleged assailant and assailee, and any witnesses,” Gaetz wrote.

The Florida congressman, meanwhile, is the subject of his own probe by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of his funding.

Burchett told reporters earlier that he would not take any action against McCarthy. 

Asked about the incident later, McCarthy told the press, “I guess our elbows hit as I walked by. I didn’t punch anyone.”

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Brianna O’Neill contributed to this report

Supporters of Wisconsin’s taxpayer-funded school choice and independent charter school programs urged the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject a lawsuit seeking to declare the programs unconstitutional, saying such a move would create chaos for tens of thousands of families with students currently enrolled.

Private schools, parents with students who attend them, advocacy groups and the state chamber of commerce argue in court filings that the 32-year-old program has benefitted families for a generation and the effort to undo it is politically motivated, after the Supreme Court’s majority shifted to liberal control earlier this year.

“A mere change in membership should not create an opportunity to challenge precedent,” supporters of school choice programs, being represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, contend. “A single election is not a mandate to radically change the law.”

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The lawsuit was filed two months after the state Supreme Court flipped to 4-3 liberal controlled. With that change, Democrats hope the court will rule in their favor in pending cases seeking to overturn Republican-drawn legislative electoral maps and undo the state’s ban on abortion.

The school choice lawsuit comes after decades of complaints from Democrats who have argued that the program is a drain on resources that would otherwise go to public schools.

The nation’s first school choice program began in Milwaukee in 1990. Then seen as an experiment to help low-income students in the state’s largest city, the program has expanded statewide and its income restrictions have been loosened, and it served more than 52,000 students at a cost of $444 million in the last school year.

Democrats including Gov. Tony Evers, who previously served as state superintendent of education, have been longtime critics of the program. But Evers this summer agreed to increase spending on the programs as part of a larger education funding package that was also tied to a deal sending more money to Milwaukee and local governments.

The first question for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to decide is whether to take the case directly or first have it work its way through lower courts. The plaintiffs want the high court to take it directly, which would mean a ruling could come in months rather than perhaps years if it had to go through the lower courts.

The lawsuit was brought by several Wisconsin residents and is being funded by the liberal Minocqua Brewing Super PAC. Kirk Bangstad, who owns the Minocqua Brewing Co., is a former Democratic candidate for U.S. House and state Assembly. His brewery produces beer with politically themed names that tout Democrats, such as “Evers Ale,” a nod to the governor.

Bangstad’s super PAC has funded previous lawsuits targeting Republicans.

The lawsuit asks the court to stop three state officials from continuing the choice programs: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly and Secretary of the Department of Administration Kathy Blumenfeld.

All three of them faced a Tuesday deadline to file arguments.

The lawsuit argues that the state’s revenue limit and funding mechanism for voucher school programs and charter schools violate the Wisconsin Constitution’s declaration that public funds be spent for public purposes.

It also contends that vouchers defund public schools, do not allow for adequate public oversight and do not hold private schools to the same standards as public schools.

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in 1992 that Milwaukee’s voucher program was legal. But the current lawsuit alleges that as the program has expanded, the situation has dramatically changed.

At the start of last school year, enrollment in choice programs was more than 29,000 in Milwaukee, 3,900 in Racine and 17,000 elsewhere in the state, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. Another 2,200 disabled students received vouchers under a special needs scholarship program.

Ending the programs now would cause “chaos,” for tens of thousands of families, argued 22 parents of voucher-enrolled students, private schools and choice advocacy groups.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a conservative activist law firm, on Tuesday released a report claiming that if the school choice program ended, the Milwaukee school district would have to open about 17 additional buildings to accommodate the influx of students. Statewide, more than 3,700 teachers would have to be hired in public schools, the report said.