The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) a police union that represents more than 8,900 members of the LAPD is calling for the resignation and prosecution of a local official after she seemingly encouraged gangs to defend their territory from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Cynthia Gonzalez, the vice mayor of Cudahy in southeast Los Angeles County, allegedly shared a video on social media late last week in which she appeared to urge 18th Street and Florencia 13 gang members to protect their turf from ICE agents. The LAPPL said Gonzalezs video put law enforcement officers at greater risk of harm.LA COUNTY OFFICIAL ALLEGEDLY URGED GANG MEMBERS TO DEFEND TERRITORY FROM ICE, TRIGGERING FBI PROBE"It's dangerous," Richard Mendoza, a director withthe LAPPL, told Fox News Digital. " She should definitely resign from her position, and the district attorney or U.S. Attorney should bring charges against her if she crossed any legal lines."The 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs are based out of LA and rule different areas, or turfs, through violence, intimidation and murder. Both gangs also have a known history of murdering police officers, according to a news release from the LAPPL."These gang members are known to be violent,"Mendoza said. "They've killed law enforcement officers in the past, and it's completely irresponsible and reprehensible for [Gonzalez] to even engage in that kind of talk or behavior."In the now-deleted video that Gonzalez allegedly posted online, she appeared to tell LA gang members they need to organize and help out with local resistance efforts against ICE. Toward the end of the video, the LA County official even seemingly calls on the leaders of the LA street gangs to "get your f***ing members in order."LA ANTI-ICE RIOTERS WILL BE MET WITH FORCE AS IDIOT GOV NEWSOM FUELS FIRE: POLICE UNION BOSS"Not for nothing, but I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles,"Gonzalez said in the video. "18th Street, Florencia Where's the leadership at? Because you guys are all about territory You guys tag everything up claiming hood. And now that your hood's being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there aint a peep out of you."When Mendoza first saw the video the Cudahy vice mayor allegedly posted on social media, he said he thought it must have been generated by artificial intelligence because he could not believe "an elected official of a city would speak like that."I was like, 'This is ridiculous," he said. "With the things that are going on right now it's dangerous."GOP LAWMAKER DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR LAPD'S DELAYED RESPONSE TIME HELPING ASSAULTED ICE OFFICERSEarlier this month, anti-ICE protests in LA resulted in nearly a dozen deputies suffering injuries as protesters launched rocks, Molotov cocktails and "high-grade pyrotechnics" at them, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna announced recently."In the last riots within the city of Los Angeles, we had 52 officers that were injured 12 that are still recovering at home from their injuries," Mendoza said. "And now [Mendoza's] calling on these [gang members] as a call to action. It's irresponsible."After posting the video, Gonzalez was visited by FBI agents at her home and is now allegedly under federal investigation, according to federal sources.FBI Los Angeles told Fox News they could not confirm or deny an investigation was underway, but said they condemn any call for gang violence.In an X post on Tuesday night, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called the comments made by Gonzalez "despicable.""She calls for criminal gangs including the vicious 18th street gang to commit violence against our brave ICE law enforcement," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote. "This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500 percent increase in assaults against our ICE law enforcement officers. Secretary Noem has been clear: If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."Cynthia Gonzalez and the City of Cudahy did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The New York Mets' struggles continued Tuesday night when they hosted their NL East division rivals.New York lost its third straight as temperatures soared to a record high at Citi Field. It was 97 degrees at first pitch, and the Braves' 7-4 win over the Mets turned out to be the hottest game on record at the Mets' home ballpark.Atlanta starter Spencer Strider pitched five innings, and he managed to strike out Juan Soto before he exited the game.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMSoto quickly expressed his displeasure after the home plate umpire called a third strike in the fifth inning.METS' NEWEST PITCHER CAPTURES ATTENTION OF BASEBALL FANSStrider tried to make it clear Soto had nothing to gripe about. As the Braves pitcher made his way to the dugout, he took a moment to inform Soto that the fastball he threw on a 3-2 count that appeared to land in the inside corner of the strike zone was "right down the middle."Strider repeated his argument three times.Soto drew a pair of walks in his two plate appearances before the fifth-inning strikeout. He grounded out in the eighth inning.Strider got the win Tuesday, improving to 3-5 on the season. After leading the National League in wins and receiving Cy Young Award votes in 2023, Strider appeared in just two games last season.He injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and underwent surgery last year. He missed the beginning of the 2025 campaign but has made eight starts since returning to the Braves rotation.In the offseason, Soto agreed to a historic 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets, the most lucrative contract in professional sports history. He's delivered 17 home runs and 43 RBIs in 79 games this season.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The mediator involved in President Donald Trump's lawsuit against Paramount and CBS News reportedly proposed a $20 million settlement to end the high-stakes legal battle.The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Trump and Paramount's legal teams were presented with a proposal to end the president's $20 billion lawsuit with a $20 million settlement, according to sources familiar with the matter.The proposal, per the WSJ, would have Paramount making a $17 million donation to a Trump presidential foundation or museum and paying millions more in legal fees and public service announcements on Paramount-owned networks to combat antisemitism.CBS BLASTS TRUMP'S LAWSUIT AS MERITLESS DESPITE RECENT $15 MILLION SETTLEMENT OFFERLast month, Trump rejected Paramount's $15 million settlement offer as he sought at least a $25 million payout as well as an apology. According to the Wall Street Journal, Paramount "isnt prepared" to give one."President Trump is committed to holding those who traffic in fake news, hoaxes, and lies to account," Trump attorney Ed Paltzik told Fox News Digital in a statement. "CBS and Paramount targeted the President in an attempt to harm his reputation while committing the worst kind of election interference and fraud in the closing days of the most important presidential election in history. President Trump will pursue this vital matter to its just and rightful conclusion."Paramount did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.60 MINUTES PRODUCERS RAIL AGAINST TRUMP'S BULLS--- LAWSUIT, DREAD PROPSECTS OF PARAMOUNT MAKING SETTLEMENTLast October, Trump sued CBS News and Paramount for $10 billion over allegations of election interference involving the "60 Minutes" interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris that aired weeks before the presidential election (the amount has since jumped to $20 billion).The lawsuit alleges CBS News deceitfully edited an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. Harris was widely mockedfor the "word salad" answer that aired in a preview clip of the interview on "Face the Nation."However, when the same question aired during a primetime special on the network, Harris had a different, more concise response. Critics at the time accused CBS News of deceitfully editingHarris' "word salad" answerto shield the Democratic nominee from further backlash leading up to Election Day.'60 MINUTES' KAMALA HARRIS INTERVIEW AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP'S CBS LAWSUIT RECEIVES EMMY NOMINATIONThe raw transcript and footage released earlier this year by the FCC showed that both sets of Harris' comments came from the same response, but CBS News had aired only the first half of her response in the "Face the Nation" preview clip and aired the second half during the primetime special.CBS News has denied any wrongdoing and stands by the broadcast and its reporting.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPShari Redstone, Paramount's controlling shareholder who recused herself from settlement discussions in February, made clear that she wanted to settle Trump's lawsuit in hopes of clearing the pathway for Paramount's multibillion-dollar planned merger with Skydance Media, which needs approval from the Trump administration's FCC.However, there has been newsroom drama in recent months involving Redstone's efforts to "keep tabs" on the network's reporting of Trump, at least until the merger closes. That led to the abrupt resignations of "60 Minutes" executive producer Bill Owens, who claimed he could no longer maintain editorial independence, in April, and CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon in May.

A Mississippi man who had been on death row for nearly five decades for the murder of the wife of a bank loan officer in a ransom scheme was executed Wednesday.Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran with PTSD, received a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.The U.S. Supreme Court denied Jordan's remaining appeals Wednesday afternoon without comment, and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves had denied Jordan's request for clemency.'CASANOVA KILLER' SET TO BE EXECUTED NEARLY 30 YEARS AFTER MURDER SPREEJordan visited with family, lawyers and spiritual advisers Wednesday, said Marc McClure, Mississippi State Penitentiary superintendent.Jordan was sentenced to death in 1976 for kidnapping and killing Edwina Marter, a mother of two young children, earlier that year. He is one of 22 people across the country sentenced for crimes in the 1970s who are still on death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.Eric Marter, who was 11 when his mother was killed, said neither he, his brother nor his father would attend the execution."It should have happened a long time ago," he said of the execution. "Im not really interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt."UTAH KILLER WITH DEMENTIA IS COMPETENT ENOUGH FOR DEATH SENTENCE TO BE CARRIED OUT, JUDGE RULESIn January 1976, Jordan called the Gulf National Bank in Gulfport and asked to speak with a loan officer. After he was told Charles Marter could speak to him, he hung up.He then looked up the Marters home address in a telephone book and kidnapped Edwina Marter. Jordan took her to a forest and fatally shot her before calling her husband.He claimed Marter was safe and demanded $25,000. The road to Jordan's execution included four trials and numerous appeals.Lawyers for Jordan, who served three tours in Vietnam, argued he never received due process."He was never given what, for a long time, the law has entitled him to, which is a mental health professional that is independent of the prosecution and can assist his defense," said Krissy Nobile, the director of Mississippis Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel, who represented Jordan."Because of that, his jury never got to hear about his Vietnam experiences."The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More than a year after Suzanne Somers death, her widower, Alan Hamel, is dating again.Hamel recently reconnected with Joanna Cassidy, Somers former "Hollywood Wives" costar, whom he told Fox News Digital he has known for more than 45 years."Joanna was a guest star on The Alan Hamel Show in Canada in the 70s," he explained. "She was a great guest, and it was a dynamic show, and we liked each other, not romantically, but mainly with respect. Both of us were married at the time."Hamel married Somers in 1977 after they met in the late 1960s while working on the game show "The Anniversary Game," and were married for 46 years until Somers died.SUZANNE SOMERS' HUSBAND CREATES LATE WIFE'S AI TWIN MODELED AFTER THREES COMPANY' CHARACTERHamel said his producer, son Stephen Hamel, met Cassidy at a film screening recently, "and after a long conversation, suggested to Joanna that she and me would get along and should meet. Stephen did not know we knew each other."CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER"We got together and I told Joanna Id never been with an 80-year-old," he said. "She replied that shed never been with an 89-year-old. But it was certainly age appropriate. Joanna is extremely accomplished. She is easily the hardest working and most active actress in Hollywood for well over 50 years."'During the production of "Hollywood Wives" in the 1980s, Hamel said he ran into Cassidy many times. "It was very cordial," he added of the meetings on the set.Somers and Cassidy costarred in the 1985 miniseries, which was based on a Jackie Collins book. It also starred Anthony Hopkins, Candice Bergen and Angie Dickinson.THREES COMPANY' STAR SUZANNE SOMERS, HUSBAND ONCE FOUGHT LIEK MAD DOGS BUT THEIR PASSIONATE LOVE ENDUREDHamel also praised Cassidy as a mother and for her fundraising work for first responders."She is No Hollywood BS and we laugh a lot," he said. "During Suzannes last few days, she told me twice to dont mope around. Live your life.We will see one another after you cross over. Im fortunate to have Joanna in my life. Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life."LIKE WHAT YOURE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSHe said he doesnt know where the relationship is going, "but what I do know is that being in the cocktail hour of my life, I am blessed with a magnificent family thanks to incredible Suzanne, a privileged life, and our business that we created 50 years ago."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPSomers died in October 2023, a day before her 77th birthday, following a battle with breast cancer.

In response to accusations from Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the Trump Department of Homeland Security is pushing back against an "absolutely false" media report about a pregnant immigrant who was allegedly denied prenatal care while she was detained by ICE.The Nashville Banner reported in May that Iris Dayana Monterroso-Lemus, a Guatemalan illegal immigrant in her thirties, gave birth to a stillborn baby boy mid-term "after pleading for medical help for days."According to the outlet, Monterroso-Lemus had a September due date but was arrested by ICE in Lenoir City, Tennessee, in April. After being arrested, Monterroso-Lemus was transferred several times to facilities in Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama and finally to the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, according to the Banner.The outlet claims that the Richwood center has a "long history of documented abuse" and that Monterroso-Lemus account of her treatment while there "echoed many of those issues." In the article, Monterroso-Lemus claims that she was malnourished while incarcerated and that rather than helping her when she voiced concerns about her pregnancy, she was mocked by the guards who gave only minimal medical intervention.HOSPITALS IN SANCTUARY CITIES COULD BE MOST VULNERABLE TO IRAN TERROR ATTACKS, WARNS EXPERTThe outlet reported that Monterroso-Lemus was eventually given a regimen of 12 pills to take daily. A few days later, she began experiencing contractions, and days after that, she delivered a stillborn baby while at the Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Medical Center.Monterroso-Lemus is now residing in Guatemala, according to the outlet.Commenting on the story, Jayapal said, "This is absolutely disgusting and we should all be outraged."LA POLICE UNION DEMANDS RESIGNATION OF LOCAL OFFICIAL WHO ALLEGEDLY INCITED GANGS AGAINST ICE"A pregnant woman lost her baby after ICE refused to give her prenatal care," said Jayapal. "She begged for help and was denied. She was fed food full of cockroaches. She was forced to sleep on the floor."However, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, responded to Jayapals post by saying her claims were "absolutely FALSE."According to McLaughlin, Monterroso-Lemus "had FULL medical, prenatal care."BORDER PATROL COULD FACE KEY RECRUITMENT CHANGE AS CONGRESS DEBATES NEXT IMMIGRATION MOVESMcLaughlin said that DHS has documentation proving her claims. The DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request to see the documentation.McLaughlin further stated that Monterroso-Lemus has been arrested multiple times for child abuse and is wanted on an active warrant for homicide.Abigail Jackson, a spokeswoman for the White House, also chimed in, telling Fox News Digital that "well call out their bogus narratives every time.""President Trumps immigration policies are popular - its why the American people elected him. Democrats know the facts arent on their side, so they resort to lying," said Jackson.Neither Jayapal nor the Nashville Banner immediately responded to Fox News Digitals request for comment.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was ebullient Tuesday afternoon.The South Dakota Republican just concluded a lengthy lunch meeting with fellow GOPers and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about the Big, Beautiful Bill."Good afternoon. Everybody having fun yet?" Thune asked the Congressional press corps as he approached the microphone in the Ohio Clock Corridor of the Capitol for his weekly exchange with reporters."Ask us around 3:45 Sunday morning," suggested yours truly. REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: MARATHON WEEKEND AWAITS SENATE AS JOHNSON PREPARES HOUSE FOR 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' BATTLEIf you are an insomniacOr dont want to see the National Symphony Orchestra Pops perform Dolly Partons musical canon at the Kennedy CenterOr you dont have tickets to see the Savannah Bananas play at Nats Park this weekendThe U.S. Senate may be the place for you.Action on the Big, Beautiful Bill could happen at any time of the day or night this weekend.The Senate is attempting to pass the Big, Beautiful Bill sometime on Saturday or Sunday. Maybe even early Monday.Presuming Senate Republicans can pass the bill."If the bill is going to pass, do you expect that you at least have two or three members on your side who would vote no?" I asked Thune."Could be," replied Thune."Why?" I countered."Well, we've got a lot of very independent thinking senators who have reasons and things that they'd like to have in this bill that would, in their view, make it stronger," answered Thune. "Hopefully when push comes to shove and everybody has to say yes or no, we'll get the number of votes that we need."HOUSE CONSERVATIVES GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'Theres more political pushing and shoving in the U.S. Senate than there is in a line of fourth graders waiting for the water fountain after recess. And senators may advance beyond pushing and shoving to actual fighting as Republicans grouse about the bills contents.Its about the math. Senate Republicans can still lose three votes and pass the bill with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Vance. Fox was told that the bill was in trouble if there are ten potential noes now. But if the universe of prospective nays is only five, they can probably whittle that down enough to pass the bill.Here are the GOP senators worth keeping an eye on because of possible problems they could have with particular provisions in the legislation:Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Mike Lee, R-Utah, John Kennedy, R-La., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Curtis, R-Utah and Jim Justice, R-W.V.Thats 11. And many of those on the list could vote yes. They may hold out until the end to either score a provision in the bill they want. Or, they want to understand the final product."We don't know what's in the bill. The parliamentarian has thrown out some provisions," said Kennedy. "Look, I'm labor. I'm not management. But I got one vote, the same as management does. And I'm willing to work nights. I'm willing to work weekends. But what I'm not willing to do is have someone pat me on the head and say shut up and just vote for it."Kennedy said he unearthed "a few things in this bill that we weren't told about. And I'm not happy."With hat tips to boxing analysts Al Bernstein and Larry Merchant, Thune reverted to discussing the physicality of senators."When push comes to shove, youre looking at whether or not you're going to allow the perfect to become the enemy," said Thune. "You have to recognize that this is a process whereby everybody doesn't get everything they want."SENATE GOP AIMS TO APPROVE MAJOR LEGISLATION NEXT WEEK AS TRUMP TOUTS PARTY UNITYOne of the most outstanding issues remains SALT, the deduction for state and local taxes in high-tax states."Well have a solution on that in 24 to 48 hours," said Bessent after his huddle with GOP senators."I know that there are a lot of conservatives who don't like it," said White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Fox Business. "A lot of very important people in the House, who want it as big as it can be. And, Secretary Bessent is in there working with people to find exactly the right number that'll land the bill."So when does the Senate finish?"The question of when will the Senate get it done, that's a great question," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. "They've had it for over six weeks. I'm waiting."The Senate will likely take a procedural vote to formally get on the bill on Friday. If the Senate votes to get on the bill, 20 hours of clock time starts to run under special Senate budget rules. The procedural vote only needs a simple majority.The 20 hours of time is split. Democrats will probably burn all 10 of their hours. Republicans will use a few of their hours. So, the Senate probably begins its "vote-a-rama" on the bill late in the wee hours of Saturday morning.A "vote-a-rama" is where the Senate takes hours and hours of consecutive roll call votes on amendments to the package.It would culminate with passage of the Big, Beautiful Bill in the Senate late Saturday or early Sunday.SENATE REPUBLICANS LOOK TO SWEETEN MEDICAID POT TO SILENCE DISSENT ON TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL'Note that it is impossible to game out when this could happen. But frankly, a final vote could come at any time of the day or night all weekend long if not early Monday.Also, this scenario presumes everything goes swimmingly.The most recent vote-a-rama ran just under ten hours earlier this year. A 2021 vote-a-rama consumed 14 hours and 48 minutes, with the Senate considering a total of 40 amendments.We believe this vote-a-rama might be on the longer end.Heres the other wild card:How fast can the House pivot to pass the bill and align with the Senate?House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled the House may aim to vote on Tuesday.Also, the "72-hour rule" to allow the House to read the bill before voting does not apply. The Senate is sending back to the House an "amendment" to the original House plan. Thus, the "72-hour rule" is not in play under these circumstances.However, the question is if Johnson faces pressure to let the bill marinate for a few days.TRUMP PRESSURES CONGRESS TO PASS 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,' INSISTING 'NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL ITS DONE'But some House conservatives arent happy with the Senate measure."We're not going to get jammed on this. We're just not," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C.Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, believes the Senate should just accept the House measure since the House could barely pass its version in May."We did the hard work of threading a very tight needle with this legislation. So it does not need to come back looking too much different from what we ended up passing out of the House," said Pfluger.So the question is whether the Senate can pass its bill. And if the House can accept whatever the Senate passes.So, as I said, if you dont have a lot to do this weekend, Capitol Hill may be the spot to be.Especially at 3:45 Sunday morning.

Kari Lake isnt backing down.In blunt testimony before Congress Wednesday, Lake declared the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the $950 million agency for which she is the senior advisor overseeing Voice of America (VOA), is "rotten to the core" and on track to be gutted by 2026."This place is rotten. Its rotten to the core," Lake told the House Oversight Committee. "President Trump has asked me to go in and help clean it up, and hes also issued an executive order to reduce this agency down to its mandate, to what is mandated, statutorily required. Thats exactly what Im doing. I dont care if they attack me."Shes not acting alone. Lake provided Fox News Digital with a letter from House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., demanding records on USAGMs foreign hires, conflicts of interest and its handling of disinformation and national security.EXCLUSIVE: KARI LAKE SAYS VOA'S PERSIAN NEWS SERVICE 'RISING TO THE OCCASION' AMID IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICTPresident Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say, "Why would a Republican want Democrat mouthpiece,' Voice of America (VOA), to continue? Its a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!"Lake didnt hold back in describing what she found within USAGM."Its really like a rotten piece of fish," she said. "And youre looking at it, and youre saying, Is there anything we can pull out of here and eat? And its best to just scrap the whole thing and start over."APPEALS COURT BACKS VOA OVERHAUL KARI LAKE SAYS WILL 'MODERNIZE' AGENCY: HUGE VICTORY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMPShe argued that instead of defending American values abroad, the federally funded national and international news agency had become compromised with hostile actors potentially influencing what gets broadcast on the U.S. taxpayer's dime."The [Chinese Communist Party] has more control over what we put out editorially than people who are management at the agency," Lake said. "Are any of these VOA employees who acted on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party ... still employed? Its possible. Were working to try to figure that out."She accused the grantees including VOA, Radio Free Asia and the Open Technology Fund of resisting oversight and stonewalling basic financial reviews."Nearly $400 million, the hard-earned taxpayer dollars of hard-working American people, are going to these grantees, and theyve stonewalled us from getting any information until the eleventh hour," Lake said. "Finally, last night, knowing I would be sitting here, they finally agreed to say, Oh, well let you look at our books now. Its a joke whats going on."Lake found no shortage of support from Republicans on the committee, including Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who said the agency shouldve been shut down years ago."We might as well be riding a Model T down the middle of the street. It might be ... it looks good, and it brings back old memories, but, dadgum, its not very efficient," Burchett said.Lake agreed, adding, "Its a relic."Democrats accused Lake of dismantling a strategic asset and repeating anti-VOA rhetoric similar to that used by China.Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said, "You just want to reduce it to its statutory minimum. And then you said that it will be gone by 2026. You want it gone. The president wants it gone by 2026. ... Youre a propaganda machine for the Trump administration."Dean said she had "no questions" for Lake, adding, "You have misled this committee. ... Youve lost your credibility. You have poured it out in buckets."Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, claimed layoffs would "cede all of our soft power in the world to our adversaries," arguing, "354 million people listen to [VOA] every week."Lake replied bluntly, "Those are government numbers. And I dont trust those numbers."Johnson shot back, "Thats a sad state of affairs when you dont trust the government that youre representing."Lake defended the cuts, saying they follow the law and common sense."We are doing what is statutorily required," she said. "The statutory minimum President Trump put forth in his executive order ... and thats what were going to do."Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., expressed concern that cutting grantee staff could weaken U.S. influence in hot spots like Iran and North Korea."We can do it with a smaller staff.," Lake replied. "This newsroom should have been downsized a long time ago. Its over. Too many people were working in the newsroom, and weve shrunk that down."CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPShe added that many grantee roles were redundant."Why do we need RFA to be doing a Mandarin news service when we at VOA are doing Mandarin?" Lake said.Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., closed with a comparison. iHeartMedia runs a national operation at $90 million per year. USAGMs budget? Nearly $1 billion.Lakes closing message was direct."We can do this smarter, leaner and with loyalty to American values," she said.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres wrote the latest chapter in their rivalry when the dugouts cleared after Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit by a pitch last week.Padres manager Mike Shildt stormed out of the dugout and started yelling toward the Dodgers dugout, prompting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to confront Shildt. The two managers were nose to nose for a moment before being separated.Baseball Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman participated in the rivalry as a member of the Padres for nearly 16 seasons. Hoffman works as a senior advisor to baseball operations with the Padres.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMHoffman, 57, talked to Fox News Digital about how the rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres has an "old-school feel.""(The benches clearing is) an extension to how heated this rivalry has become. Its really a measuring stick of where your team is at. Its passionate, guys care about winning games on both sides and sometimes these things happen," Hoffman told Fox News Digital.BENCHES CLEAR AS DODGERS-PADRES RIVALRY BOILS OVER IN HEATED SHOWDOWN AFTER FERNANDO TATIS JR. GETS DRILLED"Its a little bit of an old-school feel, and I know there are rules in place to try and curtail some things like this going on. But when you are playing high-level baseball, and you are trying to win ballgames, these things will happen and, honestly, I think its good for the game."The Dodgers and Padres have matched up in the playoffs in three of the last five postseasons. The Dodgers swept the Padres 3-0 in the 2020 NLDS en route to a World Series title.In the 2022 NLDS, the Padres took down the Dodgers in four games to advance to the NLCS. In the 2024 NLDS, the Padres held a 2-1 series lead and pushed the Dodgers to the brink, but the Dodgers rallied to move on and win another World Series.The two teams have played seven regular-season games this season, and the Dodgers have won five. In those seven games, Tatis had been hit by a pitch three times.TREVOR HOFFMAN, RYAN KLESKO TO MANAGE TOP HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL TALENT AT PERFECT GAME ALL-AMERICAN CLASSICTwice after Tatis was drilled, the Padres pitchers hit the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani with a pitch in presumed retaliation."Its been a few too many times (Tatis had been hit), and when its your star player, at some point in time, you protect," Hoffman said."And there are other aspects to the game when you feel like someone is stealing signs in a place or someone goes hard into a base that you are going to police the game. But there are rules in place that try and prevent that sort of thing from happening."Hoffman said the bench-clearing incident between the two clubs can galvanize a team."You dont want a guy in your own uniform to feel like you are getting taken advantage of, and you certainly feel as if you are getting attacked, and Im sure that both sides did," Hoffman said."You use it as fuel to kind of galvanize your side. Hopefully, that energy stays with both ball clubs and they continue to play good baseball."Hoffman said to be successful, a pitcher has to pitch inside, but you have to know how to do it."You have to pitch in to be successful in this game. Its just you have to learn how to pitch in. You cant let some things get away from you, especially up above the shoulders," Hoffman said.The Dodgers are 48-31 and lead the NL West by 3 games over the second-place San Francisco Giants. The Padres are 42-26 and are 5 games behind the Dodgers.The next time the two NL West rivals will face off is Aug. 15-17 in Los Angeles and Aug. 22-24 in San Diego.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.