FIRST ON FOX – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested a Jamaican national for allegedly attempting to purchase a firearm illegally while employed as a reserve police officer in Old Orchard Beach.

According to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Boston, Jon Luke Evans was taken into custody with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after his firearm purchase attempt raised concerns tied to his immigration status on July 25 in Biddeford. 

Federal authorities say Evans legally entered the United States through Miami International Airport on Sept. 24, 2023, under a visa that required his departure by Oct. 1, 2023. He failed to leave as required and has remained in the country unlawfully since.

During the investigation, Evans reportedly claimed he was seeking to purchase the firearm for use in his role with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.

MAN DEPORTED 3 TIMES NOW CONVICTED AFTER ILLEGAL US REENTRY DURING BIDEN ADMIN

ICE officials are now questioning how an individual without lawful immigration status was hired by a local police agency and possibly issued a department-issued weapon.

“This case raises serious concerns,” said Patricia H. Hyde, acting field office director for ERO Boston. “We will continue working to ensure that individuals who violate immigration laws and pose potential threats to public safety are held accountable.”

ICE MAKES SEVERAL ARRESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

The arrest of Evans follows a similar case from April, in which ICE officers detained another illegal immigrant law enforcement employee in Falmouth, Maine.

Gratien Milandou Wamba, a 32-year-old Congolese national, was working as a corrections officer when he was apprehended by ICE for immigration violations after allegedly attempting to purchase a firearm illegally.

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL ALIENS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED IN ‘SANCTUARY’ MASSACHUSETTS

“Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston field office arrested Gratien Milandou Wamba, an illegally present, 32-year-old citizen of Congo,” ICE Spokesperson James Covington, noting the arrest stemmed from an unlawful firearm purchase attempt.

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ICE emphasized that it will continue enforcement efforts across New England, working in coordination with other federal agencies to identify and apprehend individuals in violation of U.S. immigration laws, especially those employed in sensitive public safety positions.

Michael Lewis, a 55-year-old man from Texas, was sentenced to more than 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to stalking and harassing Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark. 

Lewis was arrested in January at an Indianapolis hotel and charged with felony stalking after allegedly sending repeated threats and violent messages to Clark through social media, per court records. 

Lewis’ sentence includes time served at Marion County Adult Detention Center, where he’s been since his arrest. 

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“This resolution ensures that the defendant is held accountable for his threatening actions, the fear he instilled, and the disruption he caused,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said, per WTHR Ch. 13 in Indianapolis following the sentence of Lewis. “He will now spend the next two and a half years in the Department of Correction, and the victim will be able to have peace of mind while focusing on what matters to her.”

Lewis was also ordered to avoid any contact with Clark, to stay away from Fever or Indiana Pacers games and the team’s properties, and not to use the internet as part of his sentence, per WTHR. 

CAITLIN CLARK NEEDS TO BE HELD BACK IN HEATED CONFRONTATION WITH WNBA REF

He was also recommended to receive mental health treatment. 

“You can’t help yourself until you get help,” the judge told Lewis, who said during Monday’s hearing that the end of the world was coming.

Lewis was sending Clark messages through his X account, with one of them saying he’d been driving around her house multiple times, encouraging her “not to call the law just yet.” He also sent that he purchased tickets to a game right behind the bench. 

“They said I was sending threatening texts. But the only though [sic] on my mind was….CAITLIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNN,” another message to Clark read. 

Clark had told authorities she feared for her safety before Lewis had entered Indianapolis, adding that she’d alter her appearance before going out in public. 

When questioned about the message on Jan. 8, Lewis reportedly told police he was going to Indianapolis for vacation and downplayed the number of messages he sent Clark. He added that it was a “fantasy-type thing” and a “joke.”

“It takes a lot of courage for women to come forward in these cases, which is why many don’t,” Mears said when Lewis was arrested, via FOX 59. “In doing so, the victim is setting an example for all women who deserve to live and work in Indy without the threat of sexual violence.”

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FIRST ON FOX: After Belmont University in Tennessee was accused of attempting to rebrand its DEI initiatives in an effort to skirt President Donald Trump’s demands to get rid of them, the university denied the allegations, telling Fox News Digital that the school was “in compliance with federal laws.” 

But, according to an email sent to faculty and staff last week, from Belmont’s Office of the President, the school has decided to tap an “external partner” to ensure its compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders demanding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives be terminated across all institutions of higher education. The review also aims to ensure the university is abiding by all state and federal immigration laws, after evidence was also uncovered that the school was allegedly admitting illegal immigrants and hiding such information from outside entities.

“I am reaching out to update you about next steps in response to the concerns raised by elected officials regarding Belmont’s compliance with state and federal immigration laws, as well as executive orders addressing DEI in higher education,” the letter, penned by Belmont University President Greg Jones, stated. “While we make every effort to ensure compliance and continue to maintain our belief that Belmont complies with all applicable laws, we take these concerns seriously. With this in mind, we are bringing in an external partner to initiate an independent compliance review.”

WATCH: DEI EFFORTS WERE REBRANDED AT 2 RED-STATE COLLEGES TO SKIRT TRUMP ORDERS, STAFFERS ADMIT

The effort to hold Belmont accountable for allegedly maintaining its DEI policies in light of federal directives to terminate them has been spearheaded by Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, who has been receiving information from whistle-blowers at the school. 

Ogles sounded the alarm earlier this month, after obtaining undercover recordings showing a student services faculty member in Belmont’s “Division of Student Success and Flourishing” admitting the school has maintained its DEI initiatives but “just change[d] on how we talk about it.”

“The HUB is hope, unity and belonging. That’s DEI. Let’s be real,” Jozef Lukey, Belmont’s assistant director of student success and flourishing, says in the recording. “We always try to just adapt to what’s happening around us. But that doesn’t mean, like, what we’re focusing on completely stops. We just changed the terminology and the language that we keep moving forward.”

In the same recording, Lukey can also be heard admitting that Belmont enrolls illegal immigrants and hides that information from external entities, which Ogles suggested could violate state law against knowingly harboring illegal aliens for profit.

FEDERAL JUDGE SLAPS TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ON MISSISSIPPI DEI BAN

“I want to be clear — I think the world of Belmont. My daughter applied to Belmont. She was accepted at Belmont,” Ogles said in a recorded video updating folks on the ongoing situation at the Christian university based in Nashville. “Nashville is unique — we have Vanderbilt, we have Belmont, we have David Lipscomb, we have Meharry [Medical College], we have TSU — we have all these amazing institutions, to include Belmont, which now has a new medical school, so I want to sing their praises, but I also have to hold them accountable, and this wokeness is in violation of President Trump’s executive order.”

Ogles also likened Belmont to Harvard in the video, adding that the school will be “held accountable if they don’t correct course.”

Besides the undercover recordings, Ogles has received other whistle-blower documents and information about Belmont’s continuance of its DEI initiatives under Trump. For example, Ogles has cited official documents from Belmont he received, which show that professors must fill out a mandatory form if they wish to revise or propose a new course, which requires a “Diversity Impact Statement” outlining how the course supports “historically underrepresented populations.”

Another source, according to Ogles’ office, shared screenshots of an email chain showing Belmont intends to keep its faculty DEI committee for the next academic year. Ogles also received a document outlining Belmont’s faculty hiring procedures for deans, which compels the completion of multiple DEI “assessment[s]” when engaging in “pre-search activities.” 

The hiring document adds that search committees tasked with seeking out new potential hires must be “diverse across race and gender and preferably include faculty of color.” 

A litany of other DEI requirements, such as required discussions among search committees about “ways to advertise and attract candidates from a diverse population” and “paying special attention to recruiting minority candidates,” are required as well. The document also instructs search committees to engage in a post-mortem for any positions for which a “diverse candidate” does not apply to “revisit how to best advertise the position to attract qualified, diverse applicants.”

The amount of whistle-blower tips that Ogles office has been getting has prompted the congressman to launch a new web page on his congressional website that will provide an easy avenue for people to continue providing his office with inside information about the DEI efforts at Belmont. The website has not launched yet, but is expected to be live soon.

When reached for comment, officials at Belmont pointed Fox News Digital to its July 22 email sent to faculty and staff, indicating the expected compliance review.

Jamie Lee Curtis plans to leave Hollywood on her own terms.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Jamie Lee, 67, discussed how she feels about aging in Hollywood and what her plans are for her career moving forward. 

“I witnessed my parents lose the very thing that gave them their fame and their life and their livelihood, when the industry rejected them at a certain age,” she explained. “I watched them reach incredible success and then have it slowly erode to where it was gone. And that’s very painful.”

Having watched her parents struggle in the industry as they got older, she has taken a proactive approach, telling the outlet, “I have been self-retiring for 30 years.” She explains she has “been prepping to get out” of the industry in order to not “have to suffer the same as my family did.”

HELEN HUNT OPENS UP ABOUT REJECTING HOLLYWOOD’S BEAUTY STANDARDS AFTER YEARS OF ‘MISERY AND SHAME’

“I want to leave the party before I’m no longer invited,” she added. 

Jamie Lee made her big-screen debut in 1978 when she starred as Laurie in “Halloween.” After evading Michael Myers, the actress went on to star in successful films, including “Trading Places” and “A Fish Called Wanda,” before eventually winning an Oscar in 2023 for her role as Deirdre Beaubeirdre in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

The Academy Award-winning actress is the daughter of Hollywood icons, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis.

Throughout his career in Hollywood, Tony appeared in over 150 films, including 1957’s “Sweet Smell of Success” and the 1959 comedy “Some Like It Hot” alongside Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon. Leigh began her film career in 1947, and starred in classics including “Touch of Evil” and “The Manchurian Candidate.”

Both Leigh and Tony received Academy Award nominations: Tony for his role in “The Defiant Ones,” and Leigh for her supporting role as Marion Crane in “Psycho,” the role for which she is most well-known.

The couple got married in 1951 and welcomed two daughters; Jamie Lee and Kelly. They later divorced in 1962, with Tony going on to get married five more times, and Leigh going on to marry stockbroker Robert Brandt, whom she was with until her death in 2004.

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Leigh died in October 2004 due to complications associated with vasculitis, and Tony died in September 2010 from cardiac arrest. They were 77 and 85 years old, respectively, when they passed.

Jamie Lee weighed in on the harsh criticism surrounding nepo babies in a December 2022 Instagram post, in which she called herself “an OG Nepo Baby.”

“I’ve never understood, nor will I, what qualities got me hired that day, but since my first two lines on ‘Quincy’ as a contract player at Universal Studios to this last spectacular creative year some 44 years later, there’s not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars,” she captioned the post.

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Within the lengthy caption she challenged the idea that just because someone is “related to someone else who is famous in their field for their art, would somehow have no talent whatsoever.”

“I’ve tried to bring integrity and professionalism and love and community and art to my work,” she wrote. “I am not alone. There are many of us. Dedicated to our craft. Proud of our lineage. Strong in our belief in our right to exist.”

Comedian Bill Maher slammed the “stupid woke” during his “Club Random” podcast posted Monday, specifically referencing “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg’s recent remarks about Iran. 

“That is something that, again, is infuriating about the far left, I would say. Call them whatever they wanted. Not the woke, the stupid woke, like Whoopi Goldberg, love her, but when she said a couple weeks ago that being Black was the same as being a woman in Iran, it’s like, yeah, in 1920, but not today,” Maher said, suggesting she watch the Apple series “Tehran” to learn more on the subject.

Goldberg said during an episode of “The View” that being Black in the U.S. in 2025 was essentially the same as being a woman in Iran. 

Maher sat down with liberal YouTube personality Brian Tyler Cohen for his latest podcast, during which they talked about the film industry and Maher’s motto, “let’s live in the year we’re living in.” 

BILL MAHER SAYS DEMOCRATS NEED TO ‘DO SOMETHING’ ABOUT ‘THE VIEW’ AFTER WHOOPI GOLDBERG’S IRAN COMMENTS

Cohen then brought up President Donald Trump‘s decision to send the National Guard to Los Angeles during the protests against ICE. 

“You know, it’s interesting, like I mean, look, we’re in Los Angeles. There’s, you know, a military force deployed in the city. And granted, you know–” Cohen began. 

Maher cut in and said, “not on the same level at all.” 

“No, not on the same level, of course. But you know, I’ve seen them, I’ve seen them in the city, and it’s weird,” Cohen said.

Maher also slammed Zohran Mamdani during the conversation, the Democratic candidate for mayor in New York City, a race that Cohen said he wasn’t focusing on.

BILL MAHER’S GUEST APPLAUDS HOST’S TIRADE AGAINST ‘WEAK AND WOKE’ DEMS WHO THINK AMERICA IS ‘CRINGE’

Cohen asked Maher if Mamdani, a democratic socialist, would really have the power to usher in socialism as the mayor of New York City.

“He definitely has the power and influence to elect JD Vance or whoever is the Republican candidate next time. It is a walking commercial for the Republican Party nationally,” Maher argued. 

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Maher revealed his top three potential Democratic candidates for the next election. 

The comedian listed California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. 

The liberal comedian also admitted he was wrong about Trump’s tariffs and their effect on the economy during the interview, saying he was incorrect to agree with assertions they would be ruinous.

As the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, or ICE, continues to crackdown on illegal immigration, about half of voters say the department is too aggressive in its deportation efforts. Furthermore, while support for deportation is high, it depends on who is being targeted.

The latest Fox News survey, released Monday, finds 3 in 10 back deporting all illegal immigrants, while 6 in 10 supports only deporting those charged with crimes but would allow others to stay and apply for citizenship. One in 10 favors letting all illegal immigrants remain in the U.S.

Since 2015, a majority has generally favored the deportation of illegal immigrants.

FOX NEWS POLL: THE GOP IS SEEN AS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A CLEAR PLAN FOR THE COUNTRY

Republicans (54%) are about eight times more likely than Democrats (7%) to say all illegal immigrants should be deported, and one-quarter of independents agree (25%).

Roughly 8 in 10 Democrats, 6 in 10 independents, and 4 in 10 Republicans agree that at least illegal immigrants charged with crimes should be deported, while others should be offered a path to stay.

On the current approach to deportation, however, views are divided. Half, 49%, feel ICE has been too aggressive in its efforts to deport illegal immigrants while a quarter (24%) say it has not been aggressive enough. Nearly 3 in 10 say deportation efforts are about right (27%).

Most Democrats think ICE is too aggressive (81%), while Republicans are split between saying its actions are about right (43%) or not aggressive enough (40%). Some 17% of Republicans think ICE has been too aggressive.

Independents are more likely to say the agency is too aggressive (49%) than about right (28%) or not aggressive enough (23%).

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP FACING HEADWINDS AT SIX-MONTH MARK  

When asked what concerns them about illegal immigration, the largest number of voters say that it overburdens government programs (39%). Fewer worry whether it leads to an increase in crime (16%) or terrorism (10%), takes jobs from U.S. citizens (14%), or changes the country’s culture (9%).

Concerns about illegal immigration have shifted somewhat compared to 15 years ago. At that time, by a 10-point margin, a greater share were worried about economic issues like overburdening government programs or taking away jobs from citizens (63% in 2010 vs. 53% now), and fewer were concerned about increasing crime (6% in 2010 vs. 16% now). 

Meanwhile, majorities oppose immigration-related elements included in the new budget legislation, the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” as 55% are against increasing spending on the border wall and 59% oppose spending more on immigrant detention centers.

By a 6-point margin, voters think the Republican Party is better able to handle immigration than the Democratic Party, and President Donald Trump’s best job ratings are on border security (56% approve, 44% disapprove) and immigration (48%, 51%). Fewer voters approve on foreign policy (45%, 54%), the economy (44%, 55%), and inflation and tariffs (36%, 62% for both). Overall, 46% approve of his job performance, while 54% disapprove. 

One reason Trump does so well on border security is that 1 in 5 Democrats approve of the job he’s doing – their highest rating on any issue tested. The same is true of independents as more than half approve, making border security his best issue.

A look at Hispanic voters…

On illegal immigration, attitudes among Hispanic voters look similar to those among voters overall: 60% support deporting illegal immigrants charged with crimes while 15% support deporting all those here illegally (23% say let all stay).

The majority thinks ICE has been too aggressive (57%) with a quarter (24%) saying about right, and 1 in 5 not aggressive enough (19%).

More than half of Hispanic voters like Trump’s performance on border security (54% approve) but dislike it on immigration (60% disapprove).  Overall, 42% approve and 58% disapprove.

And like voters overall, the biggest concern on illegal immigration among Hispanic voters is overburdening government (35%). Otherwise, concern spreads across other issues such as crime (15%), jobs (14%), culture (14%), and terrorism (11%).

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Conducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher (among Hispanic voters it is ±9 percentage points). In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data. 

The Department of Homeland Security is bashing Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and other Democrats for attempting to “squeeze” out headlines by demanding to enter and staging a sit-in at an ICE facility in Baltimore on Monday.

Van Hollen has been making headlines for much of this year due to his outspoken support for suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who is a Salvadoran illegal immigrant currently on trial for human trafficking charges.

Van Hollen and several other House and Senate Democrats from Maryland showed up in Baltimore at the Fallon Federal Building on Monday but were denied entry into an ICE detainment facility in the building. The group of lawmakers also included Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and four members of Maryland’s House delegation: Reps. Glenn Ivey, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth and Kweisi Mfume.

In a video captured by the Baltimore Sun, Mfume can be heard telling a federal employee, “We expect, quite frankly, that we will be allowed entrance.”

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After being denied access to the facility, the group held a press conference outside the building in which Mfume said, “We had to stand outside, bang on the door, and ultimately sit in front of the door.”

After the incident, Olszewski posted on his X, “My Maryland colleagues and I were DENIED ENTRY to the Baltimore ICE detention center—despite following all legal requirements.”

He claimed that “Congress has a legal right to inspect ICE facilities,” adding that “amid reports of inhumane conditions, this refusal is alarming.”

In response, DHS released a statement saying, “Congressman, if you need a photo op with the violent criminal illegal aliens you are protecting—schedule a TOUR.”

DEMS’ SANCTUARY POLICIES SHIELD ‘GANGBANGERS,’ HARM LATINO FAMILIES, BUSINESSES, SAYS HISPANIC GOP LAWMAKER

The agency said that requests to visit detention facilities “should be made with sufficient time to prevent interference with the President’s Article II authority to oversee executive department functions.”

The statement said that a week “is sufficient to ensure no intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority” and that “any request to shorten that time must be approved” by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The agency released another statement asking: “How much publicity can sanctuary politicians squeeze out of one terrorist and suspected human trafficker?”

The statement explained that visits to facilities have to be approved by the secretary due to a “surge in assaults, disruptions and obstructions to enforcement, including by politicians themselves.”

ICE ARRESTS OVER 200 ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SEX OFFENDERS IN HOUSTON AREA IN PAST 6 MONTHS

For her part, Noem posted pictures of several illegal immigrant criminals in Maryland she claimed are charged with heinous crimes such as rape, possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of a minor and conspiracy to commit murder.

“These are the monsters that @ChrisVanHollen is protecting over Americans victims,” said Noem.

In response, Van Hollen’s office directed Fox News Digital to a statement he made on social media in which he said, “Noem lies almost as much as her boss.” 

Van Hollen said he supports ICE targeting “the worst of the worst” but he claimed that “ICE’s OWN data shows that 72% of people held by ICE have no criminal records and 84% pose NO threat.” 

He also said that the delegation had requested a visit, while adding “but we didn’t need to—they’re required by LAW to let us conduct oversight.” 

“This is BS, plain and simple,” said Van Hollen.

TRUMP DOJ SUES NEW YORK CITY OVER LONG-STANDING SANCTUARY IMMIGRATION POLICIES

According to a DHS statement last week, 70% of U.S. ICE arrests have been of illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes. This comes as the agency is facing intense criticism for its enforcement of immigration laws and officers are dealing with an 830% increase in assaults.

Olszewski’s office also directed Fox News Digital to a statement the congressman made on X, in which he said the delegation was “not looking for a ‘tour,’ nor your permission to do our jobs.” 

“This is oversight. Congress has the legal authority to enter ICE facilities — with or without notice. But to be clear: we gave the week’s notice you claim to need. Why move goalposts? What are you hiding? This isn’t about any one person, it’s about due process — for everyone,” he said. 

Ivey’s office shared a letter with Fox News Digital dated July 21 in which the delegation informed Noem and acting ICE Director Todd Lyons of their intent to visit the Baltimore facility. The letter did not appear to be making any request. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ranking Member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., were also included in the letter. 

The congressman also shared a letter he and Elfreth sent to Noem on July 23 in which the two requested the immediate release of Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a Honduran immigrant and pastor they claimed was wrongfully arrested by ICE. 

Ivey told Fox News Digital that Noem “doesn’t explain why kids are being arrested at a baseball camp in New York or going to JV Volleyball practice in Massachusetts and a Christian pastor from Maryland’s Eastern Shore is being swept up by ICE.  But Trump’s DOJ is dropping murder charges in New York against high level MS-13 gang leaders and deporting them before Justice is done.”

Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of Sen. Alsobrooks as well as the offices of Reps. Elfreth and Mfume for comment, but did not receive responses by the time of publication.

When the ambulance arrived in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia two years ago, an angry EMT got out and barked at the crowd, “Who called this in?” 

Standing next to my cameraman and above the prone body of a shirtless soul bedecked in boils and not moving, I said, “I did.” He didn’t say a word, he looked at me, then down the street at the dozens of strung out bodies, then back at me as if to say, “Look at all this, what do you want me to do?”

I had no answer.

HOMELESS PEOPLE CAN BE REMOVED FROM STREETS BY CITIES, STATES IN NEW TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDER

Last week, President Donald Trump did answer that question with a much-welcome executive order (EO) intended to bring back civil commitment, in other words, the ability to put people who are a danger to themselves or others in institutions, even against their will.

Civil libertarians are in a tizzy over the EO. They insist this is an abuse of due process and harkens to the bad old days, when hundreds of thousands of Americans were committed to mental institutions, sometimes for dubious reasons.

But in examining and judging Trump’s proposed policy here, it is important to understand and accept what the status quo on the ground is right now, and it is nothing short of horrific.

I’ve traveled to homeless encampments all over America, from tucked-away Manhattan underpasses to the sprawling chaos of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, a place you literally smell a block before you enter.

SANTA MONICA BUSINESS OWNER OFFERING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO GET HOMELESS OUT OF CALIFORNIA

In these encampments, your gag reflex is challenged by needles sticking out of necks and mountains of human detritus, but the real soul-crushing, existential sadness comes from knowing that these human beings are just being left to die.

For decades now, Democrats have spent endless dollars on fruitless efforts to fix the homeless problem. In California alone, Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent $20 billion on failing to fix it, and only recently admitted the encampments have to go.

What the Trump administration realizes is that Democrats refuse to accept is that homelessness is, actually, two very distinct problems. One is financial, the other is a matter of addiction and mental health.

Financial homelessness is fairly easy to address. The evicted mother living in her car can be given temporary housing and job assistance. She really does just need a hand up.

Homelessness related to mental illness and addiction, however, isn’t really a homelessness problem at all, it’s an addiction and mental illness problem, and shockingly, just letting people in tents shoot up in what was once a thriving commercial district doesn’t solve it.

As I have wandered the streets of these hellscapes in city after city, my question hasn’t really been if these people would be better off in an institution, but rather, if they weren’t in a de facto open-air institution already.

What does it matter if these places lack walls and locks? They are cages nonetheless, cruel prisons whether voluntary or not.

Opponents of civil commitment insist you cannot take away people’s freedom! But freedom to do what? Shoot fentanyl every day until they die on a curbside, pockets rifled by another desperate junkie?

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If it was your child on these broken and brutal streets of death, would you want them to be left in freedom to waste away, or would you want them taken somewhere where they could be protected and helped?

Opponents will say that civil commitment can be abused. They will point to the 1950s when homosexuals were sent to institutions, but it’s not 1950. We aren’t going to institutionalize gay people, and we cannot be paralyzed by a bigoted past when trying to save lives today.

Could there be abuses or mistakes made regarding civil commitment? Sure, but people are dying in the streets right now, and we must trust ourselves to actively help them, without stepping over the line.

Annoyed with me, or not, that day in Kensington, the EMT revived the man at my feet, who, it turns out, wasn’t dead, after all. Instead, he was angry, because the Narcan that woke him up also negated the high he had paid for.

There are really only two sides to be on here: the side that says we are going to do everything we can to save that man’s life, even against his will, or the side that condemns him to an open-air prison of his own making.

President Trump has chosen wisely, and if local governments take heed, it is going to save a lot of lives across America.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DAVID MARCUS

Drew Barrymore sported a one-piece swimsuit while enjoying a family vacation in Saint-Tropez. 

On Sunday, Barrymore, 50, was photographed on a yacht wearing a simple black one-piece during her France getaway.

The talk show host spent the day jumping off the side of the boat and relaxing with family members, including her children.

During “The Drew Barrymore Show” in April, the actress responded to a fan who asked for her “secret to aging gracefully and being so comfortable in your own skin.” 

JESSICA ALBA EMBRACES SELF-CARE AND SUMMER VIBES IN BIKINI PHOTOS

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Barrymore responded, “I haven’t done anything, and I want to try and stay that way.”

She expressed that she’s not knocking anyone for getting procedures done and promoted that people should “do whatever works for you.”

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“The only thing I do know is: Don’t judge other people because they do things differently. We’re all on our own path, and we have to support each other,” Barrymore noted.

Drew explained that as she has gotten older, she has become more self-conscious about certain parts of her body, including her “turkey neck.”

“I see a lot of turkey neck, or I have a lot of other times where I’m like, ‘Oh, wow! Wow, we’re there now,'” she said.

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Barrymore didn’t have an answer for the fan who asked her, but she did give the woman some advice on how to approach aging.

“I want to tell myself not to be so mean to myself. How many beautiful moments do we even get the privilege of seeing our reflection and that person looking back at us is us?

“So the kinder, more patient, more resilient, more loving, embracing, less dismissive that we can be, the better it is for our mental game and spiritual game, which affects the face,” Barrymore said.

The “Charlie’s Angels” star continued, “A smile is better than any lipstick you’ll buy, and internal dialog that isn’t so eviscerating of ourselves and so quick to catch a flaw — who says that’s the flaw? By the way, that might be someone else’s favorite thing about you… how ironic. It isn’t how you look. It’s how you feel.”

City officials in Kerrville were largely unprepared for the devastating floods that struck the Hill Country on July 4, according to newly released city communications, including emails and text messages obtained by KSAT through public records requests.

The documents include a text exchange involving Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, in which he appeared to mock U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Hours before a July 5 press conference, held alongside federal, state, and local officials to update the public on rescue efforts, a city employee texted Rice, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbie. How is she?” 

Rice replied, “Basically Homeland Barbie,” followed by a string of laughter. 

NOEM SAYS CRITICISM OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOODING IS ‘ALL POLITICS’: ‘DISSERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY’

The nickname, and similar terms like “ICE Barbie,” have circulated online to satirize Noem since her appointment as DHS Secretary earlier this year.

The exchange has raised eyebrows given the gravity of the disaster response and growing criticism of how it was handled.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has sharply criticized the federal response, alleging it was politically motivated. While not directly blaming Noem for the flooding itself, Murphy accused the Trump administration of undermining FEMA’s readiness, claiming FEMA personnel were fired while flood victims were actively calling the agency for help.

Noem defended the federal response in an interview on Fox News Sunday, earlier this month, pushing back on allegations of delay. 

She stated that more than 700 FEMA workers were on the ground within hours of a call with Texas officials. She also noted the Coast Guard was deployed immediately following that conversation.

Despite her defense, concerns persist at both the state and local levels.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM

At the state level, Texas officials have long resisted calls to implement a warning siren system along the Guadalupe River, where the flooding proved most fatal. Critics argue that such a system could have saved lives.

Separately, a controversial reorganization by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led to the dismissal of a key National Weather Service emergency coordination officer just months before the disaster, raising additional questions about institutional readiness.

The tragedy has left Kerrville and surrounding communities demanding accountability and systemic reform before the next storm strikes.

NOEM RIPS CNN REPORT CLAIMING SHE DELAYED DHS RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOOD AS ‘ABSOLUTELY TRASH’

The catastrophic flooding claimed at least 137 lives across Texas, with 108 fatalities reported in Kerr County alone. Among the dead were 27 campers and staff members at Camp Mystic, a century-old Christian summer camp for girls in the town of Hunt.

Authorities are now investigating whether Camp Mystic officials received and appropriately responded to flash flood warnings prior to the tragedy. 

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The incident has sparked broader questions about how youth camps and other vulnerable institutions assess and act on rapidly evolving weather threats.

Fox News Digital reached out to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice and the Kerrville city officials, but did not receive a response. 

Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Asher Redd contributed to this report.