Trump says public entitlements like Social Security, Medicaid won’t be touched in GOP budget bill
President Donald Trump said public entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicaid, will not be touched in the GOP’s contentious new budget bill currently working its way through Congress, during a town hall Tuesday night hosted by NewsNation. Earlier this month, the Republican-led House of Representatives approved $2 trillion in spending cuts. Those cuts did not include any slashes to Social Security, but it did pave the way for cuts to Medicaid. However, in the Senate, Republicans have proposed implementing just $4 billion in cuts, a fraction of what House Republicans have called for. Meanwhile, a number of GOP senators have also expressed hesitancy over making cuts to Medicaid, setting up a potential intra-party battle over the matter. SCOOP: REPUBLICANS ROLL OUT $69B FUNDING PLAN FOR NEW CBP AGENTS, BUILDING BORDER WALL IN TRUMP BUDGET BILL “We’re not doing anything with entitlements,” Trump told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo, who was moderating the event alongside Bill O’Reilly and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith. “If you look at Social Security – and by the way – I think I’m better to say this than anybody, because I did nothing with entitlements that would hurt people for four years. I could have done that. If I was going to do that, I would have done it, five years ago, six years ago or seven years ago. I’m not doing anything.” However, Trump did say that he is undeterred from reforming public entitlements, like Medicaid, to ensure they are free of waste, fraud and abuse. “There are a lot of illegal aliens that are getting Medicaid that shouldn’t be getting it. And nobody objects to taking people off Medicaid that aren’t allowed to be there,” Trump added. “But we are doing absolutely nothing to hurt Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. Nothing at all.” TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ OPPOSING BUDGET BILL, PREDICTS MASSIVE US TAX INCREASES IF IT FAILS Republicans, who are using a process known as reconciliation to bypass a senate filibuster, are hoping to finalize their plans for a new budget by Memorial Day, according to media reports. However, the GOP must come to a deal on where to cut funding to pay for many of the tax cuts they want to provide. “Guess what, boys? It’s game time. We’re here, and you’ve got mandatory spending sitting in front of you, and it’s Medicaid,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told NBC News this week. “If they’re not going to vote for Medicaid reform, which is very much possible, and frankly, it’s our duty, then I want them to explain to me why they are for allowing the tax cuts to snap back in place. Because it’s the only math that will actually work. So anyone who is against Medicaid reform is for a tax increase.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, centrist Republicans like Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Don Bacon, R-Neb., have indicated to Speaker Mike Johnson that they will not vote for any GOP budget bill that proposes deep cuts to Medicaid.
John Bash, first candidate to enter Texas attorney general’s race, exits
The former federal prosecutor cited shifting priorities after a family health scare for his withdrawal, which comes less than a month after his entry into the race.
Blue city’s Democratic committee prints thousands of ‘red cards’ urging immigrants to know their rights
Democrats in one Massachusetts city have purchased thousands of red cards intended to remind immigrants of their constitutional rights if approached by ICE or related agencies. The Medford City Democratic Committee, based about six miles northwest of Boston, has already bought 4,000 cards, intended for use by citizens and noncitizens alike. The cards list their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights: protecting them from warrantless searches, seizures, and having to speak to authorities without legal counsel. They are printed in English on one side, with translations in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Haitian on the other, Medford City Councilor Matthew Leming notes on the committee’s website. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SEEK TO STRIP DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OF ITS SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES Four-thousand more cards have also been approved for purchase, he said, writing, “Red cards are like helpful business cards that a holder can hand to an officer if they approach in public.” The cost of the initiative was $826, according to WFXT, a Boston FOX affiliate. Leming told Fox News Digital that taxpayer funds are not being used to subsidize the program. Rather, he said, the Democratic City Committee footed the bill. “We’re just trying to find things we can do that are feasible to resist what’s happening at the federal level,” Leming told WFXT. “It’s a way to protect our immigrant communities from the actions of the current administration.” TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER CRACKING DOWN ON ‘SANCTUARY’ CITIES, THREATENS THEIR FEDERAL FUNDING “The cards list basic constitutional protections that apply to everybody, and everybody in the U.S. should be aware of their constitutional rights,” he further noted when asked by Fox News Digital. The legal complexities of such an initiative are apparent — and whether constitutional rights apply to illegal immigrants can be a hot point of debate among legal scholars. Leming hopes to take the initiative even further. “What we’re trying to do is find nonprofits who would be willing to sign up and give us a receipt for finance purposes so we can mail them out,” he said. “A lot of our actions are restricted by campaign finance laws.” The Medford “red card” initiative comes amid widespread pushback by blue-state officials regarding the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown — including visits by members of Congress to El Salvador to protest the detention of suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and recent court rulings attempting to restrict Border Patrol agents’ ability to detain suspected illegal immigrants.
Fired state employees breached the personal data of 33,529 more Texans
So far, nine Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees have been fired for improperly accessing Texans’ data.
Comedian Rachel Bloom says finding humor isn’t hard despite industry’s political correctness fears
Comedian and actress Rachel Bloom told Fox News Digital that she doesn’t find it hard to be funny, despite concerns from other comedians that political correctness has taken over the industry. Bloom acknowledged that “culturally” comedy changes over time, but she said that – in her opinion – the fear of being “canceled” does not impact her jokes. “For me, the way I approach writing and comedy is, ‘What can I say about the world that I haven’t seen another person say. Or what’s a show I want to see – what’s a joke I want to see that I haven’t seen, and usually servicing that – there are things to navigate – but as long as I’m servicing that, that’s my North Star,” Bloom told Fox News during an event over the weekend focused on preserving funding for the arts. CHRISTOPHER RUFO: CANCEL CULTURE’S RULES ARE CHANGING AND CONSERVATIVES CAN SEIZE THE DAY “I’m never be the comedian that was like, ‘Let me make people angry.’ That’s just not my thing,” Bloom added. “I kind of, almost look at it like ‘Shark Tank,’ where it’s like, ‘What’s a need? What’s a need I can fill?’ Which is why I went into musical comedy in the first place.” While Bloom seems less fazed by the thought of being canceled over her jokes, other comedians like Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais, Bill Burr, Chris Rock and others have been outspoken with their complaints about the current environment for comedians. “It started off with something everyone could agree on, and then quickly it just spun out of control. I remember whenever that cancel culture got to the point of where it was, ‘I don’t like some of the topics in your stand up act,’ right? That’s when it got weird,” Burr told fellow comedian Bill Maher on an episode of his “Club Random” podcast. EX-NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALIST RECALLS BEING ‘DISGUSTED’ BY NEWSROOM CANCEL CULTURE, SAYS THE PAPER ALLOWED IT “Everybody’s scared to make a move,” Rock said on an episode on “The Breakfast Club” morning radio show. “That’s not a place to be. You know, we should have the right to fail because failure, failure is a part of art.” For Bloom, however, cancel culture is less of a concern, she says, because her focus is not on making people angry but rather trying “to make audiences understand where I’m coming from.” “I just finished working on my Netflix special which was all about death, so it was more me telling a candid story about what happened to me in 2020 when I gave birth during COVID and my writing partner passed away,” Bloom recounted. “I’ve had a really good experience, because, again, I’ve been sharing my stories and that’s why I really love connecting with live audiences and sharing where I’m at. I’ve always – I always really – I don’t know I’m candid with my own journey. I try to make audiences understand where I’m coming from and that’s always been my style.”
Vance breaks key tie after Senate fails to reject Trump’s national emergency on tariffs
The Senate failed Wednesday to pass a resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff agenda, as several Republicans signaled beforehand they favored halting the relatively new levies, and Vice President JD Vance was called in to break an ensuing procedural tie. The disapproval resolution failed 49-49, with three Republicans joining all Democrats present in attempting to throw a wrench in Trump’s tariff plans. After that, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., put forward a motion to reconsider the resolution, then moved to table – or kill – the initial motion, which procedurally would prevent Democrats from forcing such a vote again. That vote also deadlocked, but after about 80 minutes, Vice President Vance cast a tie-breaking vote in his dual role as president of the Senate. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., had introduced the resolution to end Trump’s “national emergency” as a “privileged” one – meaning it would require a vote regardless of the upper chamber being in Republican hands. The House, however, has signaled it is not inclined to pursue the same. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., split from the rest of the GOP and sought to end the national emergency that backs the tariffs. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., did not vote. CHINA IS ‘CAVING’ TO TRUMP’S TRADE WAR STRATEGY, EXPERT SIGNALS Whitehouse was reportedly on a plane back from South Korea and wouldn’t make the gavel, according to Providence’s CBS affiliate. Before the vote, there was chatter about key absences that could swing the vote one way or another, as key tallies are all about the math. One tariff critic told reporters earlier Wednesday that the disapproval motion sent “the message I want to send” that tariffs must be more “discriminatory.” “It’s not perfect, I think it’s too broad,” Collins said, according to Politico. In remarks on the Senate floor earlier in the day, Paul, – one of the most vocal opponents to tariffs and proponents of free trade – who suggested conservatives may want to reconsider their support for the tariffs. “You know, there was an old-fashioned conservative principle that believed that less taxes were better than more taxes,” Paul said. “That if you tax something, you got less of it. So that if you place a new tax on trade, you’ll get less trade.” TRUMP WAGERS US ECONOMY IN HIGH-STAKES TARIFF GAMBLE AT 100-DAY MARK “There was also this idea that you didn’t do taxation without representation. That idea goes not only back to our American Revolution, it goes back to the English Civil War as well. It goes back probably to Magna Carta,” he said of the phrase, which for some time was the District of Columbia’s official slogan, given its lack of full-vote representation in Congress. Paul said the Constitution forbids taxation being implemented in a way that circumvents Congress and laid out why he thought that was the case today. “An emergency has been declared, as the Senator from Virginia remarked,” he said. “Everywhere, there’s an emergency everywhere. Sounds like an emergency everywhere is really an emergency nowhere.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had previously balked at Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying that while fentanyl proliferation is an emergency as the president declared, it is not one that is germane to Canada. Reached for comment, the office of Sen. Mitch McConnell – Paul’s fellow Kentucky Republican – did not offer any further remarks after reports suggested he too is uncomfortable with Trump’s tariff agenda. Fox News Digital also reached out to Murkowski for comment in that regard. Schumer commented on the ultimate result, saying Republicans “voted to keep the Trump tariff-tax in place. They own the Trump tariffs and higher costs on America’s middle-class families.” Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
Senate fails to reject Trump’s national emergency on tariffs, as Republicans splinter
The Senate failed Wednesday to pass a resolution rejecting President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff agenda, as several Republicans signaled beforehand they favored halting the relatively new levies. The disapproval resolution failed 49-49, with three Republicans joining all Democrats present in attempting to throw a wrench in Trump’s tariff plans. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced the resolution to end Trump’s “national emergency” as a “privileged” one – meaning it would require a vote regardless of the upper chamber being in Republican hands. The House, however, has signaled it is not inclined to pursue the same. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., split from the rest of the GOP and sought to end the national emergency that backs the tariffs. Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., did not vote. CHINA IS ‘CAVING’ TO TRUMP’S TRADE WAR STRATEGY, EXPERT SIGNALS Whitehouse was reportedly on a plane back from South Korea and wouldn’t make the gavel, according to Providence’s CBS affiliate. Before the vote, there was chatter about key absences that could swing the vote one way or another, as key tallies are all about the math. One tariff critic told reporters earlier Wednesday that the disapproval motion sent “the message I want to send” that tariffs must be more “discriminatory.” “It’s not perfect, I think it’s too broad,” Collins said, according to Politico. In remarks on the Senate floor earlier in the day, Paul, – one of the most vocal opponents to tariffs and proponents of free trade – who suggested conservatives may want to reconsider their support for the tariffs. “You know, there was an old-fashioned conservative principle that believed that less taxes were better than more taxes,” Paul said. “That if you tax something, you got less of it. So that if you place a new tax on trade, you’ll get less trade.” TRUMP WAGERS US ECONOMY IN HIGH-STAKES TARIFF GAMBLE AT 100-DAY MARK “There was also this idea that you didn’t do taxation without representation. That idea goes not only back to our American Revolution, it goes back to the English Civil War as well. It goes back probably to Magna Carta,” he said of the phrase, which for some time was the District of Columbia’s official slogan, given its lack of full-vote representation in Congress. Paul said the Constitution forbids taxation being implemented in a way that circumvents Congress and laid out why he thought that was the case today. “An emergency has been declared, as the Senator from Virginia remarked,” he said. “Everywhere, there’s an emergency everywhere. Sounds like an emergency everywhere is really an emergency nowhere.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had previously balked at Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying that while fentanyl proliferation is an emergency as the president declared, it is not one that is germane to Canada. Reached for comment, the office of Sen. Mitch McConnell – Paul’s fellow Kentucky Republican – did not offer any further remarks after reports suggested he too is uncomfortable with Trump’s tariff agenda. Fox News Digital also reached out to Murkowski for comment in that regard.
With AI on the rise, Texas House passes bill requiring more transparency in political ads
The bill faced fierce opposition from hardline conservatives who say it is policing speech and could allow the state to jail people over silly political memes.
A 20-hour wait to speak: A pre-dawn House panel takes up Ten Commandments bill
Dozens of people who signed up to speak were ready at 4 a.m. to debate whether public school classrooms should have to display the Ten Commandments.
Ukraine signs deal to give US access to rare minerals
Ukraine has signed a deal with the United States, giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare minerals as it continues to work with the Trump administration in an effort to end its three-year war with Russia. Ukrainian Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko flew to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to help finalize the deal. “On behalf of the Government of Ukraine, I signed the Agreement on the Establishment of a United States–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund. Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment into our country,” she wrote on X. This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.