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Year: 2025

Scoop: Anti-Chinese government group launches plan to track CCP-backed legislation in statehouses

Scoop: Anti-Chinese government group launches plan to track CCP-backed legislation in statehouses

EXCLUSIVE: State Armor Action is releasing a new tool that will allow people to track anti-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) legislation across the country. “China’s communist government targets American state governments in order to undermine our homeland security. Protecting the United States from the Chinese Communist Party requires working on the front lines in statehouses across the country to combat CCP aggression and oppression,” Michael Lucci, the founder and CEO of State Armor Action, told Fox News Digital. The comment comes as Lucci’s organization, which aims to help U.S. states confront emerging global security threats, releases a new tracker that allows users to see all the legislation regarding China currently making its way through state legislatures. TRUMP: CHINA CALLING ‘A LOT’ SINCE LAST WEEK’S TARIFF INCREASE, DEAL COULD HAPPEN AS SOON AS 3 WEEKS According to the tracker, their organization is currently keeping tabs on 461 bills across the country aimed at addressing the threat posed by the CCP. The tracker also keeps tabs on where those bills stand, with a graphic showing that 11 of the bills have been killed, 43 have been adopted, 25 have passed both chambers, 43 have crossed over from one chamber to another, and 339 have been introduced. “State Armor Action’s legislation tracker will serve as a crucial tool in the fight against Communist China and its nefarious partners,” Lucci said. “The tracker will help educate policy leaders and inform the American public about the legislation that will stop the CCP across the country, and it will help spread legislative concepts between states.” GORDON CHANG: TRUMP TARIFFING CHINA AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME FOR XI JINPING The tracker contains graphics that track the party in control of each state government where bills have been introduced or enacted, while also displaying a U.S. map showing which states have the highest concentration of anti-CCP bills. While the threat posed by China may traditionally be seen as in the sphere of the federal government’s control, Alex Gray, deputy assistant to the president and chief of staff of the White House National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that it is critical that states also set themselves up to combat China. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The Chinese Communist Party has its sights set on the states,” Gray said. “Now more than ever, we need state leaders to step up and harden themselves against Communist China. State Armor Action’s new China legislation tracker will help inform and educate leaders on legislation across the country, allow them to monitor progress, and make it easier to join the fight against the CCP’s encroachment in our homeland. State and local leaders can use the tracker to model their legislation based on other successful counter-CCP bills around the country. I urge all leaders to use this tool and help counter China’s malign influence.”

White House rips alleged Pentagon leakers’ ‘shattered egos,’ brushes off Hegseth second Signal chat report

White House rips alleged Pentagon leakers’ ‘shattered egos,’ brushes off Hegseth second Signal chat report

The White House hit back at recent news reports detailing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s reported involvement in a second Signal group chat where he discussed military strikes on Yemen as a “nonstory” while also slamming recently fired Department of Defense staffers.  “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same nonstory, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital Monday morning. “Recently fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.”  Kelly’s response followed Fox News Digital inquiring about media reports Sunday reporting that Hegseth was part of another Signal group chat that allegedly included his wife, personal attorney and brother where he discussed upcoming military strikes on Yemen. The chat was reportedly created by Hegseth, the New York Times reported Sunday, citing four people will knowledge of the chat. The White House “stands strongly” behind Hegseth, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, despite a week of dramatic high-level firings in addition to Signal chat reports.  “The President stands strongly behind Secretary Hegseth, who is doing a phenomenal job leading the Pentagon,” Leavitt said on Fox News Monday.  “This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement.” Hegseth also brushed off the reporting on the Signal chat Monday, blaming it on “disgruntled employees” and “anonymous smears.” PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE “This is why we’re fighting the fake news media,” he said when pressed on the chat by reporters at the White House Easter Egg roll. “This group right here is full of hoaxsters.” Hegseth gestured to his wife and children and said he was there to enjoy the day with them. He added that he had spoken to Trump and planned to keep fighting all the way. The Trump administration came under scrutiny from Democrats and other critics after the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in an article published March 24 that he was added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Hegseth, national security advisor Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussing upcoming military strikes in Yemen.  PENTAGON FIRES GREENLAND US BASE COMMANDER WHO ‘UNDERMINED’ JD VANCE AFTER PITUFFIK VISIT Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence.  The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting “war plans” regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.  The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. The strikes on Houthi rebels unfolded on March 15.  Leavitt told the media in March that the White House considered the Signal group chat leak case “closed” while continuing to offer support to Waltz, whose office allegedly mistakenly added the journalist to the chat.  THIRD TOP PENTAGON AIDE COLIN CARROLL ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE OVER LEAKS PROBE “As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,” Leavitt told the media in brief remarks during a gaggle outside of the White House’s press room March 31. “And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.”  “There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,” she continued. “And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.”  PENTAGON DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF IS SECOND HEGSETH ADVISOR REMOVED AMID DOD LEAK PROBE Reports of a second Signal chat involving Hegseth follows highly publicized departures at the Pentagon last week following leaks.  Top aides to Hegseth were placed on leave and escorted out of the building as the Pentagon probed unauthorized leaks: senior advisor Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg. On Friday evening, those three employees were fired, two defense officials confirmed to Fox News Digital, along with chief of staff Joe Kasper.  Another press aide, John Ullyot, parted ways with the Pentagon because he did not want to be second-in-command of the communications shop.  Officials denied that the three men were placed on leave because of their foreign policy views and said they saw no connection to their positions on Iran and Israel — even as reports surfaced that President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Pentagon would not intervene if Israel attacked Iran. Ullyot notably published a scathing opinion piece in Politico Sunday predicting Hegseth would not remain as secretary of defense.  “It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon,” he wrote. “From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.” “Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account,” he wrote. “Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Hegseth shared details of Yemen strikes in second Signal chat: report

Hegseth shared details of Yemen strikes in second Signal chat: report

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared details of a March military airstrike against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in another Signal message chat that included his wife and brother, according to a report. The New York Times first reported the revelation of a second Signal chat surrounding the military strike on Sunday. Those same attack plans had also been shared in another chat with top Trump administration leaders and only came to light last month because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to the group. The Pentagon pushed back on the story, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told “FOX & Friends” that President Donald Trump stands by Hegseth. The second chat had the same warplane launch times that were included in the first chat, operational details that, if shared before a strike, could have put pilots in danger, multiple former and current officials have said. Four people with knowledge of the second chat told the paper that Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, his brother Phil and his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, were included in the chat. NSA MIKE WALTZ TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR SIGNAL CHAT LEAK Jennifer Hegseth is not a Defense Department employee, though she has traveled with her husband overseas to meetings with foreign leaders. Phil Hegseth and Parlatore are both employed by the Pentagon. It is unclear why any of them would need to be informed of any upcoming military strikes. The second chat included 13 people, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. They also confirmed the chat was dubbed “Defense ‘ Team Huddle.” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the reporting as “another old story—back from the dead.” “The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda,” Parnell said. “This time, the New York Times — and all other Fake News that repeat their garbage — are enthusiastically taking the grievances of disgruntled former employees as the sole sources for their article.” AXED PENTAGON AIDES CLAIM THEIR CHARACTER WAS ‘SLANDERED,’ LITTLE DETAILS WERE SHARED ABOUT LEAK INVESTIGATION Parnell claimed that The Times’ sources were people fired from the Pentagon last week who “appear to have a motive to sabotage the Secretary and the President’s agenda.” Parnell contended that there was no classified information in any Signal chat, a response that Hegseth previously asserted regarding the first chat. The White House late Sunday similarly dismissed the report as a “non-story,” suggesting that disgruntled former Pentagon employees were spreading false claims. “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” said Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary. “Recently-fired ‘leakers’ are continuing to misrepresent the truth to soothe their shattered egos and undermine the President’s agenda, but the administration will continue to hold them accountable.” PENTAGON’S WEEK OF POWER STRUGGLES: LEAK FALLOUT AND SHOUTING MATCHES HIT HEGSETH’S INNER CIRCLE Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, who announced he was resigning last week unrelated to the leaks, penned an op-ed published in Politico on Sunday that detailed what he called “the Month from Hell” inside the agency. “President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” Ullyot wrote. He wrote that “the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership” after the defense secretary “followed horrible crisis-communications advice from his new public affairs team” regarding the first Signal chat. Ullyot wrote that Trump “deserves better from his senior leadership.” The first chat, set up by national security adviser Mike Waltz, included several Cabinet members. The contents of that chat, which The Atlantic published, shows that Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for the attack on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen last month. The revelation of the second chat group brought fresh criticism against Hegseth and President Donald Trump’s wider administration after it failed to take action against the top national security officials who discussed plans for the military strike in Signal. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump’s 14th week will be dominated by crucial trade talks

Trump’s 14th week will be dominated by crucial trade talks

President Donald Trump’s post-Easter work week is set to include ongoing Easter celebrations, including hosting the White House’s famed Easter Egg Roll, as well as continuing trade negotiations following the reciprocal tariff pause earlier this month. Families, children and members of the Trump Cabinet will flock to the White House’s South Lawn on Monday, when first lady Melania Trump will host the annual Easter Egg Roll.  “As families across the nation gather to celebrate Easter,” Melania Trump shared in a message on Good Friday. “I extend my gratitude to the dedicated East Wing Staff for their tireless effort in preparing the upcoming White House Easter Egg Roll.”  FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP SHARES GOOD FRIDAY MESSAGE AHEAD OF EASTER “This cherished tradition, rooted in history since 1878, brings joy, storytelling and laughter to America’s children,” she continued.  TRUMP SHREDS BIDEN, ‘RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS’ IN EASTER MESSAGE The event, in its 147th year, dates back to Rutherford B. Hayes’ presidency in 1878, according to the White House website. This year’s event will feature thousands of eggs donated by American farmers.  The Trump administration is expected to meet with South Korean officials in Washington, D.C., this week as the nation looks to strike a tariff deal with Trump after the country was hit with a 25% reciprocal tariff during Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement.  “We’re working on the big 15 economies first, we had a fantastic meeting with Japan yesterday. I believe there have been calls with the EU already. And then we have, South Korea coming in next week. And I believe India is also, talking. That’s moving very quickly,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said of the negotiations last week.  WHAT THE FINANCIAL MARKETS ARE SCREAMING ABOUT TRUMP’S TARIFFS Trump put a 90-day pause on reciprocal, customized tariffs he had imposed on dozens of nations on April 9, which was an abrupt change of course after saying there would not be a pause to the tariffs, just negotiations. Simultaneously, the Trump administration upped the ante on its tariff on China to 125%.  Now, the administration, including Trump, is diving into negotiations with foreign nations to strike deals that are beneficial to the U.S. and lower the country’s chronic trade deficit.  South Korea confirmed on Sunday that officials would visit Washington, D.C., later this week. South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun are slated to meet specifically with Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Reuters reported.  TRUMP SAYS THERE’S A ‘REAL CHANCE’ TARIFFS COULD REPLACE INCOME TAX Trump signed an executive order last week intended to bolster the U.S. fishing industry and “restore American seafood competitiveness” by prioritizing commercial fishing while cutting red tape that handcuffs where fishermen cast their nets.  Trump previewed that an executive action related specifically to Maine’s lobster industry will land on his desk this week.  MAINE LOBSTERMEN CATCH BIG COURT VICTORY AGAINST BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ‘EGREGIOUS’ REGULATIONS “I did it last time in Maine and they [the Biden administration] undid it. That’s why we have to stay president for a long time,” Trump said from the Oval Office last week, previewing his next executive action related to fishing will focus on Maine’s lobster industry.  Under his first administration, Trump cut Obama-era regulations that prevented lobsterman from fishing in certain areas, including 5,000 square miles of federally protected waters off the coast of Cape Cod.  Trump has signed 130 executive orders since he took office on Jan. 20, dwarfing his predecessors’ EO counts by dozens of actions.  Trump’s 14th week back in the Oval comes just ahead of his 100th day as president on April 30. 

Vance was one of Pope Francis’ last visitors

Vance was one of Pope Francis’ last visitors

Vice President JD Vance was one of the last visitors of Pope Francis before the first Jesuit to lead the Catholic Church died at age 88.  Vance met with Francis briefly on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he’d been living since being released from Rome’s Gemmlli Hospital on March 23.  The pope had been hospitalized for five weeks after surviving a severe case of pneumonia.  The 88-year-old pope on Sunday offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance’s three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries. PHOTO GALLERY: POPE FRANCIS THROUGH THE YEARS “I know you have not been feeling great, but it’s good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope. “Thank you for seeing me.” Vance acknowledged news of the pope’s death early Monday.  “I just learned of the passing of Pope Francis,” the vice president wrote on X. “My heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him. I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul.”  Vance shared a link to the Vatican’s transcript of the March 27, 2020, homily delivered by Francis from St. Peter’s Basilica five years ago. In part, the pope said, “Embracing his cross means finding the courage to embrace all the hardships of the present time, abandoning for a moment our eagerness for power and possessions in order to make room for the creativity that only the Spirit is capable of inspiring.” “Rest in Peace, Pope Francis,” the White House also wrote on X.  Vance’s motorcade entered Vatican City on Sunday through a side gate while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. Francis had delegated the celebration of the Mass to another cardinal. The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta “to exchange Easter greetings.” Vance’s office said the vice president “expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family.” “I pray for you every day,” Vance said as he bid Francis farewell. “God bless you.” POPE FRANCIS DEAD AT 88, VATICAN SAYS In all, Vance’s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes, according to the Associated Press. The vice president later joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul, who is said to be located there. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and the pope have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans. Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis said the Trump administration’s plans would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies. Vance has acknowledged Francis’ criticism but has said he will continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn’t address the issue specifically but called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged there are “things about the faith that I don’t know.” Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Vance’s office said he and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.” The Vatican, for its part, said there was an “exchange of opinions,” including over migrants and refugees and current conflicts. The Associated Press contributed to this report.