Fox News Hourly Update – 2AM ET 09/03/2025
Host: Ted Lindner, FOX News Podcasts
Date: September 3, 2025
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.
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]
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]
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.
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]
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.
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]
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]
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
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.