ICE chief will continue to permit mask use by agents
In an interview on CBS's 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, Lyons defended the practice despite some misgivings, citing rising threats against ICE agents.
'I've said it publicly before, I'm not a proponent of the masks. However, if that's a tool that the men and women of ICE to keep themselves and their family safe, then I will allow it,' he said.
Lyons said some ICE agents have been 'severely doxxed,' while there has also been a sharp uptick in assaults on officers.
ICE has faced significant criticism for wearing masks, as well as carrying out more operations with plainclothes officers.
In Los Angeles, where ICE raids sparked widespread protests, Mayor Karen Bass (D) has condemned the practice, saying 'for the average citizen, it looks like it's a violent kidnapping.'
Masked, plainclothes officers have also been conducting arrests at immigration courthouses. ICE attorneys will move to dismiss a case, a practice that most migrants interpret as the agency dropping efforts to deport them but opens the agency to then arrest them and place them in expedited removal proceedings that largely receive no court review.
Lyons disputed that agents are not identifiable, saying they should be wearing clothing with some kind of ICE insignia.
But he also said he wants more backing from critical lawmakers as ICE agents have faced doxxing.
'I would push back on the notion that we aren't identifying themselves. Now, what I would advocate for, and I've said this many times, is I know a lot of elected officials have put forward legislation or proposed legislation about banning of the masks, things like that. I would also want, you know, elected officials to help us hold those people accountable that do doxx or threaten an ICE officer or agent or their family,' Lyons said.
'If we had that kind of support and had those laws or regulations in place, that we can hold those folks accountable to give ICE agents and officers and other law enforcement officers the peace of mind that someone that does threaten their life or their families or doxxes them will be held accountable. I think that'd go a long way.'
Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, both New York Democrats, have introduced legislation that would ban ICE agents from using masks.
'If you uphold the peace of a democratic society, you should not be anonymous. DHS and ICE agents wearing masks and hiding identification echoes the tactics of secret police authoritarian regimes – and deviates from the practices of local law enforcement, which contributes to confusion in communities,' Espaillat said in a statement at the time.
'Many immigrants come to America seeking opportunities, hope, and freedom to escape Draconian practices, and under no circumstance should they, or anyone, fear being disappeared by masked and armed individuals in unmarked vehicles. If you are upholding the law, you should not be anonymous, and our bill aims to safeguard from tyranny while upholding the values of our nation.'
Lyons also confirmed that ICE has been given access to Medicaid databases, a set that includes information like addresses of the limited number of non-U.S. citizens eligible for the program in some states.
'Under the last administration, we have so many known got-aways, or individuals that came into the United States and just totally disappeared off the grid. What ICE is doing is working with all of our other federal partners to try to gain intelligence, to locate these individuals that have been ordered deported by a judge or have been released from a sanctuary jurisdiction like we talked about,' he said.
'That is what ICE is using that data for, whether it be data from the Department of Labor, data from health and service- Health and Human Services, Medicaid, we are using that data to try to locate, again, the worst of the worst, those people that have been lawfully deported. So I think that's what you're going to see that data used for.'
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Newsweek
28 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Trump Gets Silver Lining in New Poll As More Voters Approve of Economy
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump can take heart from a new Fox News poll that shows rating for the economy improving and feelings on the economic direction inching up even though a majority of voters disapprove of the job he is doing, dislike his new budget law, and doubt his dealings with Iran are making the U.S. safer. The poll was conducted from July 18-21 and is based on interviews with a sample of 1,000 randomly selected voters. Why It Matters The poll is a wide-ranging survey of voter feelings six months after Trump began his second term and comes as his administration is engulfed in a political crisis over the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The poll found that only 13 percent of respondents think the government has been open and transparent about the case. President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing the "Big Beautiful Bill Act" at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2025. President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing the "Big Beautiful Bill Act" at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 4, 2025. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP/Getty Images What To Know Thirty-two percent of voters rate economic conditions positively, the Fox poll shows. That is the highest number, by one percentage point, in about a year. On a personal level, 44 percent rate their financial situation positively, up from 39 percent in March and 38 percent in December. The poll found that 71 percent of respondents said inflation caused them financial hardship in the last six months but that is the lowest number since 2021, and down from a high of 78 percent in 2022, Fox said. The hardship is evenly distributed with large shares of Democrats (79 percent), independents (74 percent), and Republicans (62 percent) saying they felt it. "Overall, 56 percent are dissatisfied with the direction the country is taking. The silver lining is that's an improvement: 68 percent were dissatisfied at the end of last year, and it was 66 percent last summer," Fox said. On the president's key budget legislation, the "The One Big Beautiful Bill," or OBBB, Fox said "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." More respondents disapprove (58 percent) of the legislation than approve (39 percent) and more than twice as many think the law will hurt rather than help their family. Unsurprisingly, opposition to the budget comes from a large majority of Democrats, (89 percent) and independents (70 percent), but also one in five Republicans (21 percent). The poll found that significant shares of Trump's base oppose the bill, including 52 percent of rural voters, 46 percent of white men without a college degree, and 37 percent of white evangelical Christians, Fox said. The elements of the law that voters most dislike are increasing the debt ceiling (74 percent), reducing food stamp funding (65 percent), and making tax cuts permanent for those with higher incomes (64 percent). The most popular elements include removing taxes on tips (70 percent), making tax cuts permanent for those with yearly income of less than $250,000 (68 percent), and increasing military spending (61 percent), Fox said. "The survey reveals the greatest ideological agreement is on ending taxes on tips and making tax cuts to lower-income individuals permanent, as majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents approve—as well as on increasing the debt limit, as majorities of each disapprove," Fox said. Trump gets his best marks on border security with 56 percent approval compared with 44 percent disapproval. Voters are more disapproving of the job he is doing on other top issues such as immigration (48 percent approve and 51 percent disapprove), foreign policy (45 percent approve and 54 percent disapprove), the economy (44 percent approval, 55 percent disapproval), and inflation and tariffs (36 approve while 62 percent disapprove on both). "Currently, 46 percent of voters approve of Trump's performance, while 54 percent disapprove. That's exactly where things stood last month, and better than at this point eight years ago when 41 percent approved," Fox said. Attitudes on the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were mixed, with 47 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving. On whether the strikes were mostly successful or mostly a failure, 31 percent thought the former and 27 percent the latter with the highest share, 42 percent, saying it was too soon to say. On the Epstein case, only 13 percent think the government has been open and transparent about it, with more than five times as many, 67 percent disagreeing with that, including 60 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of MAGA supporters. One voter in five says they haven't been following the case, Fox said. What People Are Saying Fox News said: "Six months into Donald Trump's second presidency, the political tea leaves are muddled." On Iran, Fox said: "Bottom line, 43 percent think Trump's dealings with Iran have made the U.S. less safe, which is 15 points higher than the 28 percent who say the country is safer," Fox said. What Happens Next The poll indicates that the Epstein case could sap Trump's support but sustained perceptions of an improving economy should help him.
2 hours ago
Texas AG claimed three homes as primary residence. Democrats are being probed for similar issue
WASHINGTON -- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, are longtime owners of a $1.5 million house in a gated community outside Dallas. In 2015, they snapped up a second home in Austin. Then another. The problem: Mortgages signed by the Paxtons contained inaccurate statements declaring that each of those three houses was their primary residence, enabling the now-estranged couple to improperly lock in low interest rates, according to an Associated Press review of public records. The lower rates will save the Paxtons tens of thousands of dollars in payments over the life of the loan, legal experts say. The records also revealed that the Paxtons collected an impermissible homestead tax break on two of those homes, and they have routinely flouted lending agreements on some of their other properties. It is a federal and state crime to knowingly make false statements on mortgage documents. It's also against the law in Texas to collect a homestead tax break on two separate properties. Violating the terms of a mortgage could allow lenders recourse to seek full payment of a loan, according to legal experts. The mortgage revelations are likely to become fodder in the Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat in which Paxton is seeking to topple the incumbent, John Cornyn. The situation is further complicated by the Trump administration's criminal pursuit of Democrats over similar issues. President Donald Trump has accused two of his political foes — Sen. Adam Schiff of California and New York Attorney General Letitia James — of committing mortgage fraud, though legal experts say the circumstances are less serious. The Democrats have long been objects of Trump's ire for having led various investigations into his conduct as president and as a business executive. Paxton, himself, has weighed in on the investigation of James, saying he hoped authorities would look into her conduct. 'I hope that if she's done something wrong, I hope that she's actually held accountable,' he told supporters last month. The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation of James, FBI director Kash Patel told Fox News in May. The department received a criminal referral for Schiff last week from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, its director William Pulte confirmed in a social media post. Neither the Justice Department nor the FHFA responded to an inquiry about whether they may investigate Paxton, too. James' attorney, Abbe Lowell, urged the Trump administration to investigate Paxton instead. 'If this administration was genuinely interested in rooting out fraud, it appears they should stop wasting their time on the baseless and discredited allegations against the New York Attorney General James and turn their attention to Texas,' said Lowell, a prominent Washington attorney whose past clients include Hunter Biden, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. In a statement, Marisol Samayoa, a Schiff spokeswoman, blasted the criminal referral as 'a transparent attempt' by Trump 'to punish a perceived political foe who is committed to holding him to account.' She added that Schiff disclosed to his lenders that he owned another home that was a principal residence and sought guidance from an attorney. It is unlikely that Paxton, a staunch Trump ally, will face the same federal scrutiny as James and Schiff. It's equally doubtful that Paxton will face much legal trouble in Texas: His office is one of the primary agencies tasked with investigating allegations of mortgage fraud. Ken Paxton and his spokesman did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Angela Paxton, who is a state senator in Texas, did not respond to requests made through her office. Documents reviewed by the AP show the Paxtons hold mortgages on three homes — one in suburban Dallas, two in Austin — that are each listed as their primary residence. The designation comes with a considerable financial upside. Interest rates on primary homes are significantly lower than those for mortgages on secondary homes or investment properties, saving buyers tens of thousands of dollars — if not more — over the life of a loan. Making a case against Paxton would require "establishing both that Paxton was aware of the contents of the mortgage document, and also that he was actively aware at the time that he signed it that this was not going to be a primary residence,' said Jennifer E. Laurin, a professor at the University of Texas Law School in Austin. Legal experts say it is possible that the Paxtons' lenders prepared the documents and that the couple did not carefully review them before signing. Even if that were the case, some legal experts say that Paxton, as an attorney and Texas' top law enforcement officer, ought to have known better. 'If he filled out lender documents knowing that they were false, then that is a false statement to obtain a mortgage on favorable terms. That would be actionable,' said Arif Lawji, a veteran Texas real estate attorney. 'He's the chief enforcement officer. You have to be accountable for stuff you do that's wrong.' Low interest rates are not the only perk the Paxtons secured, records show. In 2018, they simultaneously collected homestead property tax breaks on their family's home in suburban Dallas, as well as on a $1.1 million home in Austin, property records and tax statements show. A homestead tax break is a property tax reduction that a homeowner is only eligible to collect on one property that is also their primary home. The suburban Dallas home is where the Paxtons' family has long resided. It's where Ken and Angela Paxton are registered to vote. It is located in the state Senate district that Angela Paxton represents in the Legislature, which Ken Paxton held before his election in 2014 to be attorney general. It's also where Ken Paxton's Senate campaign website until recently said he lived. Lawji said the Paxtons' simultaneous collection of two homestead tax breaks appears to be a more clearcut violation. That is because one must obtain a form and submit it to taxing authorities to receive such a tax break, making it an 'intentional act,' he said. The tax break was worth several thousand dollars, a fact that confounded real estate lawyers. 'Why would you try to do all of this,' Lawji said, 'when you are the attorney general? That's a bigger question to me than the money, when you are AG and have to enforce this law.' Separately, land records indicate the Paxtons may have violated the terms of at least two mortgages on other houses they own. The mortgage on a home in College Station, Texas, says the property is for the Paxtons' exclusive use and cannot be rented out. Doing so would be grounds for terminating the mortgage, the document states. The home has been listed for rent on real estate websites on-and-off since at least 2022. Ken Paxton also holds a $1.2 million mortgage on a '5 bedroom luxury cabin' in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, that is for rent on Airbnb and other short-term rental sites, records show. The property's mortgage stipulates that it cannot be rented out. Representatives for Stifel Bank, Cornerstone Home Lending and Benchmark Mortgage, which issued the mortgages in question, did not respond to requests for comment. Paxton's real estate dealings are in many ways distinct from those of James and Schiff, the Democrats targeted by the Trump administration. The investigation of James centers on forms she signed in 2023 while helping a niece buy a home in Virginia. One form stated that James intended to occupy the home as her 'principal residence.' But in other documents, the New York attorney general made clear she had no intention of living there. An email to the mortgage loan broker two weeks before she signed the documents stated the property 'WILL NOT be my primary residence.' 'As I've said from the beginning, if prosecutors want to know that truth about Attorney General James' mortgage applications, we are ready and waiting with the facts,' said Lowell, James' attorney. For over a decade, Schiff owned homes in Maryland and California, the state he represents, that were both designated as his primary residence. In 2020, then a congressman, Schiff designated his Maryland property as a second home — a step Paxton has not taken. Paxton's real estate dealings are not the first time he has drawn scrutiny for his conduct while in office. Before his election as attorney general, Paxton, then a state senator, admitted in 2014 to violating Texas securities law and paid a fine. He spent roughly 10 years under state indictment on securities charges while serving as attorney general. The charges were eventually dropped in 2024. Other alleged misdeeds in office led to his impeachment by Texas' GOP-controlled House in 2023. He was acquitted in a trial by the Senate. Angela Paxton did not cast a vote in his impeachment trial and recently filed for divorce, citing Ken Paxton's infidelity and other 'recent discoveries.' She did not elaborate. What ultimately unleashed the impeachment push was Paxton's relationship with Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, who pleaded guilty this year to one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. In 2020, eight top aides in Paxton's office told the FBI they were concerned the state's top law enforcement official was misusing his office to help Paul over the developer's unproven claims about an elaborate conspiracy to steal $200 million of his properties. The House impeachment managers accused Paxton of attempting to interfere in foreclosure lawsuits and issuing legal opinions to benefit Paul. They also alleged that Paul employed a woman with whom Paxton had an affair in exchange for legal help and that the developer paid for expensive renovations to the attorney general's home in Austin. That would be the same house that he declared in mortgage documents was his third primary residence.
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Pam Bondi reportedly told Donald Trump in May that he's named in Epstein files
WASHINGTON − Attorney General Pam Bondi told President Donald Trump in May that he was named multiple times in the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and CNN. A White House official did not dispute Trump's name is mentioned in the Epstein files, telling USA TODAY that briefing binders Bondi prepared for MAGA influencers in February included the president's name. But the official rejected any suggestion that Trump engaged in wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. Bondi told the president that he and many other figures were named in the documents, according to the reports from the Journal and CNN. The Journal cited "senior administration officials," while CNN cited "sources familiar with the discussion." Being named in such documents doesn't mean the person broke the law. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep," said White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, referring to Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. "This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about," Cheung said. The reports offer potential additional context for the Justice Department's decision not to make the Epstein files public. In a memo released July 7, the department said a review of the documents failed to turn up any incriminating list of clients who may have been involved with Epstein in a sex-trafficking ring. The same review found no evidence that Epstein blackmailed prominent people, or that he was murdered while in custody, according to the memo. New York's chief medical examiner ruled in 2019 that Epstein died by suicide, but Trump himself has previously expressed suspicion about that conclusion. "Certainly about the way he (Epstein) died, it would be interesting to find out what happened there because that was a weird situation and the cameras didn't happen to be working, etcetera, etcetera," Trump said on Fox & Friends Weekend on June 3, 2024. The revelations come as the Trump administration has faced an intense backlash over the Justice Department's decision not to disclose the Epstein files. Earlier this year, Bondi made public statements that built up intrigue about the Epstein files. "It's a new day, it's a new administration, and everything's going to come out to the public," Bondi told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a March interview. Amid the scrutiny, Trump has tried to shift attention to other red-meat topics that resonate with his MAGA base, including unsubstantiated allegations that former President Barack Obama committed 'treason' during the 2016 election when intelligence agencies found Russia was attempting to influence the election in Trump's favor. 'It's time to go after people,' Trump said on July 22. Trump on July 15 alleged that his political enemies 'made up' the Epstein files when a reporter asked whether Bondi told the president that his name is in the files. "No no," Trump said. "She's given us just a very quick briefing. And in terms of the credibility of the different things that they've seen, I would say that these files were made up by Comey, Obama, they were made up by the Biden ‒ and we went through years of that with the 'Russia, Russia, Russia' hoax." Trump has said Bondi should release all 'credible' information from the Epstein files. Last week, Trump said he directed Bondi to ask a federal court to produce 'all pertinent Grand Jury testimony' from federal cases brought against Epstein and his associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. A federal judge in Florida rejected one of the administration's requests July 23. Two other requests are still pending in a Manhattan federal court. The Epstein files contain large volumes of images of Epstein and victims who were minors or appeared to be minors, the Justice Department and FBI said, as well as more than 10,000 videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography. The agencies' July 7 memo said federal authorities found "no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography." The Justice Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
