2AM ET 09/03/2025 Newscast

Summary

Fox News Hourly Update – 2AM ET 09/03/2025

Host: Ted Lindner, FOX News Podcasts
Date: September 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

This Fox News Hourly Update delivers rapid-fire coverage of key political and national news events overnight. Key highlights include escalating federal-local tensions over crime in Chicago, a major U.S. military strike against Venezuelan drug traffickers, looming government shutdown concerns in Congress, significant changes at the CDC, and indictments related to threats against President Trump.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. President Trump’s Push for National Guard in Chicago

[00:02–00:47]

• Main Story: After a violent Labor Day weekend in Chicago (58 shot, 8 killed), President Trump announced consideration of deploying the National Guard to the city.
• Federal-Local Clash:
  • Chicago’s Mayor strongly resisted, organizing crowds to chant “no federal troops in Chicago.”
  • City leadership issued executive orders: no police support for potential federal troops, no face masks for law enforcement to limit confusion.
• Contextual Comparison:
  • Mike Tobin: "Compare that to the Fourth of July ... 44 people were shot, six people were killed." [00:23]

Notable Quotes:

• President Trump: “Well, we're going in. I didn't say when we're going in. When you lose.” [00:10]
• Chicago’s Mayor: Leading chants and signing executive orders, making clear the city’s opposition. [00:34]

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2. U.S. Strike on Venezuelan Drug Boat

[00:47–01:18]

• Breaking News: President Trump announced a lethal U.S. military strike on a Venezuelan drug boat, resulting in 11 deaths of Trende Aragua gang members.
• Broader Operation:
  • U.S. military ships were deployed to the Caribbean in the previous month to fight cartel trafficking.
  • Venezuela’s President Maduro accused the U.S. of seeking “regime change,” deployed thousands of troops to the Colombian border.
• Policy Statement:
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized a hard stance against drug importation and continued U.S. military engagement as long as Trump is in office.

Notable Quotes:

• Marco Rubio: “As those vessels are in the region and as long as the president is in the White House, he's made very clear he's not going to allow the United States to continue to be flooded with cocaine and fentanyl and other drugs... This one from Venezuela.” [01:08]

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3. Legal and Legislative Developments

[01:18–01:59]

• Immigration Backlog:
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hag approved sending 600 military lawyers to help as temporary immigration judges—courts face a ~3.5 million case backlog.
• Judicial Ruling:
  • A federal appeals court blocked President Trump’s attempt to use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, deciding it doesn’t apply in peacetime.
  • Expected Supreme Court battle on applicability of the Act.

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4. Looming Government Shutdown & Congressional Tensions

[03:10–03:45]

• Shutdown Warning:
  • Congress returns to session facing an October government shutdown deadline.
• Political Negotiations:
  • Chad Pergram, reporting from Capitol Hill, highlights critical talks between House Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
  • Democrats draw red lines against “partisan funding legislation.”
• Capitol Security & Healthcare:
  • Debated topics: Use of National Guard in D.C., Obamacare, and budget priorities.
  • Lawmakers also focus on abrupt CDC leadership change and narrowing eligibility for COVID shots.

Notable Quotes:

• Hakeem Jeffries: “We're not going to support partisan funding legislation.” [03:29]
• Discussion recap: “We had a general conversation as it relates to meeting the needs of the American people in a bipartisan way.” [03:38]

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5. CDC Shakeup and COVID Policy Changes

[03:45–04:02]

• CDC Leadership:
  • Former CDC director Susan Menarez abruptly fired; HHS Secretary RFK Jr. limits fall COVID shot eligibility.
  • RFK Jr. is scheduled to testify before the Senate; Jim O’Neill named interim CDC director.

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6. Grand Jury Decisions — Threats Against President Trump

[04:02–05:05]

• Cases Dismissed:
  • Grand juries declined to indict Edward Alexander Dana for a death threat and Natalie Rose Jones for alleged threats on social media and in a Secret Service interview.
  • Prosecutor Jeanine Pirro: The use of grand juries is becoming politicized.
• Related:
  • Previous refusal to indict a government attorney who allegedly assaulted a border agent.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeanine Pirro: “The refusal by a grand jury to indict somebody for threatening to kill the president is the essence of a politicized jury.” [04:48]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• President Trump: “Well, we're going in. I didn't say when we're going in. When you lose.” [00:10]
• Marco Rubio: “He's made very clear he's not going to allow the United States to continue to be flooded with cocaine and fentanyl...” [01:09]
• Hakeem Jeffries: “We're not going to support partisan funding legislation.” [03:29]
• Jeanine Pirro: “The refusal by a grand jury to indict somebody for threatening to kill the president is the essence of a politicized jury.” [04:48]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:02 – National Guard debate in Chicago
• 00:23 – Gun violence holiday comparison
• 00:47 – US strike on Venezuelan drug boat, Marco Rubio’s remarks
• 01:18 – Legal and immigration updates
• 03:10 – Congress returns; shutdown risk
• 03:45 – CDC director fired; RFK Jr. COVID shot policy
• 04:21 – Grand jury declines in Trump threat cases

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Summary

This episode of Fox News Hourly Update underscores pressing national tensions: crime and federal intervention in Chicago, aggressive anti-drug operations abroad, political clashes and legal uncertainties on immigration, impending Congressional showdowns over budget and shutdown, and increased polarization in judicial proceedings regarding presidential threats. For listeners seeking a snapshot of both domestic and foreign policy drama overnight—with direct quotes and punchy reporting—this episode encapsulates it all.

Transcript

[A]

Looking to send the National Guard into Chicago. I'm Ted Lindner. Fox News. President Trump says he'll act to fight crime in the Windy City. Well, we're going in. I didn't say when we're going in. When you lose.

[B]

Look, I have an obligation. This isn't a political thing.

[A]

Announcement following 58 people being shot and eight killed in the Windy City over the Labor Day weekend. Fox's Mike Tobin with more.

[C]

Compare that to the Fourth of July holiday weekend in which 44 people were shot, six people were killed. President Trump has weighed in on Truth Social a couple of times. Chicago's mayor led a crowd chanting no federal troops in Chicago. He also signed an executive order prohibiting law enforcement from wearing face masks and declaring that Chicago police will not support their federal counterparts in the likely event they show up in Chicago.

[A]

And Democrat leaders pushing back on the president's push to send in the Guard, calling the move a threat to democracy. President Trump announcing Tuesday the US Military carried out a lethal strike on a drug boat from Venezuela that resulted in the deaths of 11 Trende Aragua gang members. Speaking with reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio promising the Trump administration as long.

[D]

As those vessels are in the region and as long as the president is in the White House, he's made very clear he's not going to allow the United States to continue to be flooded with cocaine and fentanyl and other drugs coming from different places. This one from Venezuela.

[A]

Ships were deployed to the Caribbean last month to crack down on cartel drug trafficking. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro accusing the US of seeking regime change and deployed thousands of troops to the country's border with Columbia. Defense Secretary Pete Hag said there's approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges. Immigration courts dealing with a massive backlog of roughly three and a half million cases. And a federal appeals court has blocked President Trump from using an 18th century Wartime law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. The panel ruling the Alien Enemies act does not apply in peacetime, setting the stage for a likely Supreme Court battle. America's listening to FOX News.

[B]

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[A]

Congress returns to session this week and lawmakers must move to prevent a government shutdown. Fox's Chad Pergram on Capitol Hill with more on that.

[E]

A government shutdown looms in October. Democratic votes may be essential. Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke in recent days. What is your red line?

[A]

We're not going to support partisan funding legislation.

[E]

Did you ask for the DC to be free of the National Guard? Did you ask Obamacare?

[A]

We had a general conversation as it relates to meeting the needs of the American people in a bipartisan way.

[E]

And lawmakers have plenty of questions about the abrupt firing of CDC Director Susan Menarez. Democrats are beside themselves after Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. Curbed who is eligible for Covid shots this fall.

[A]

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Scheduled to testify before the Senate Thursday. The White House has chosen his deputy, Jim o', Neill, to succeed Susan Monrez as CDC director. And a federal grand jury has refused to indict two people accused of making threats against President Trump. Fox's Lisa LaCera has more.

[F]

On this Tuesday, a grand jury declined to indict Edward Alexander Dana, who's accused of making a death threat against President Trump in August while in police custody. A different panel refused to indict. Natalie Rose Jones, also arrested in August in Washington on charges she made threats against the president on social media and during an interview with the Secret Service. U.S. attorney for D.C. jeanine Pirro, who was appointed by the president, said the refusal by a grand jury to indict somebody for threatening to kill the president is the essence of a politicized jury. Last month, the panel refused to hand up an indictment against a government attorney who was facing a felony assault charge for throwing a sub style sandwich at a Customs and Border Patrol agent. Lisa Lacera, FOX News and I'm Ted Lindner.

[A]

This is FOX News.

[B]

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