WH may reverse decision to kill Biden-Maduro oil deal, apply tariffs instead to avoid hurting US firms
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump has signaled an openness to holding off on killing an oil deal forged between former President Joe Biden and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, after he previously ordered Chevron and other U.S. firms to close up shop in oil-rich Venezuela. Several Cabinet secretaries, including the Department of Energy’s Chris Wright, the Department of the Interior’s Doug Burgum and the Department of Commerce’s Howard Lutnick, were present during a meeting at the White House yesterday, which also featured several oil executives and representatives of energy advocacy groups. A source familiar with the events told Fox News Digital there was a brainstorming session as to how best to deal with Maduro and also help grow U.S. energy dominance and strengthen U.S. oil firms. Trump reportedly explored ways to incentivize oil imports that would align with U.S. foreign policy goals while benefiting American consumers and workers. VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBAN-BORN GOP LAWMAKER IN PRAISING TRUMP ON VENEZUELA STANCE Lutnick reportedly floated the idea of increasing pressure on Maduro by tariffing Venezuela instead of revoking leases for what are U.S. oil firms, Fox News Digital has learned. Trump was warm to the idea, as he has long advocated a hardline stance against the Caracas dictatorship, said the source, who declined to be identified. Trump charged in February that the Maduro regime had not lived up to its end of the deal forged by his Delawarean predecessor, particularly in the form of election reform after the dictator “won” the latest disputed contest last year. “We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022,” Trump announced on Truth Social. “Additionally, the regime has not been transporting the violent criminals that they sent into our Country (the Good Ole’ U.S.A.) back to Venezuela at the rapid pace that they had agreed to.” RUBIO: MADURO A ‘HORRIBLE DICTATOR’ Trump called Biden’s agreement “ineffective and unmet” and ordered U.S. oil firms to begin winding down their presence in the country starting March 1. Maduro deputy Delcy Rodriguez called the move “damaging and inexplicable.” The source familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital that Trump has indicated he wants to balance U.S. foreign policy challenges while seeing that the U.S. benefits from the heavy crude that Venezuela produces – which is tailor-made for the types of refineries that dot the Gulf Coast domestically and create U.S. jobs. Fox News Digital reached out to Lutnick, Wright and the White House for comment. Wright previously told Reuters after the meeting that Trump’s “whole economic agenda is to lower prices in the United States and grow job opportunities in the United States.” Earlier this month in Miami, Fox News Digital was one of a few media outlets on hand when Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. – whose family fled the Castro dictatorship in the 1960s – hosted Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó at an event praising the Trump administration’s hardline stance toward dictatorship. In an exclusive interview, Gimenez said Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are “all pretty much tied together” in the fact they are dictatorial regimes repressing their own people. “I expect this is just the first step in trying to liberate these countries. The people of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua deserve freedom,” he said of Trump’s initial overtures toward Venezuela. During the event, Guaidó also offered remarks in Spanish praising Trump and slamming Central American despots. “[W]e need a strong, prosperous and safe Latin America – and one that will be safe, with democracy and freedom,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have no doubt in President Trump, and in the message that he is sending directly to the heart of those who financed the coup d’état perpetrated by the dictatorship on July 28, 2024 (the disputed/corrupt re-election of Maduro)…” he said. “It is accurate, correct and timely to confront that dictatorship and also [send] a message to those who today usurp [power] in Cuba and Nicaragua that they will not have impunity,” Guaidó added. Venezuela had long been a friendly oil-trading partner of the U.S. until the leftist regime took root following the 1998 and 2000 elections under the rule of the late Hugo Chavez and foreign policy challenges arose.
Speaker Johnson says GOP looking at ‘all available options’ to address ‘activist judges’ opposing Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republicans in the lower chamber are reviewing tools available to take on “activist judges” as President Donald Trump sees resistance from the judiciary in implementing his agenda. “Activist judges with political agendas pose a significant threat to the rule of law, equal justice, and the separation of powers. The Speaker looks forward to working with the Judiciary Committee as they review all available options under the Constitution to address this urgent matter,” a spokesperson for Johnson’s office told Fox News Digital in a statement. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? News that the House is considering possible actions to rein in the federal judiciary comes after the latest Trump restriction, wherein U.S. District Judge James Boasberg granted an emergency order to temporarily halt the administration’s deportation flights of illegal immigrants. The judge granted the order to review the 1798 wartime-era Alien Enemies Act being invoked by the administration in order to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS Trump appeared to call for Boasberg’s impeachment after the order. “This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he remarked in a post to Truth Social. HERE’S WHY DOZENS OF LAWSUITS SEEKING TO QUASH TRUMP’S EARLY ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT ARE FAILING In a separate post, Trump said, “If a President doesn’t have the right to throw murderers, and other criminals, out of our Country because a Radical Left Lunatic Judge wants to assume the role of President, then our Country is in very big trouble, and destined to fail!” JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM TARGETING DEMOCRATIC LAW FIRM AFTER ATTORNEYS WARN OF FIRM’S DEMISE Republicans have continued to criticize the flow of temporary restraining orders against Trump’s administration from judges across the country. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor, wrote on X on Thursday, “Under what theory of the Constitution does a single Marxist judge in San Francisco have the same executive power as the Commander-in-Chief elected by the whole nation to lead the executive branch? No such theory exists. It is merely naked judicial tyranny.” As the House explores options to address the issue, the Senate is also expected to investigate. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the subject in the coming weeks.
Pentagon to appeal judge’s decision blocking transgender ban, Hegseth says
The Pentagon will appeal a federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday night. Biden-appointed Washington, D.C., Judge Ana Reyes ruled the ban unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex, saying it was “soaked in animus” and “dripping with pretext.” “We are appealing this decision, and we will win,” Hegseth posted on X. In her opinion, Reyes savaged the policy and issued an order that blocks the Defense Department from removing transgender service members from the military. VA RESCINDS 2018 DIRECTIVE ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS, ALIGNING WITH TRUMP ‘TWO SEXES’ EO “Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact,” she said. “The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed – some risking their lives – to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them.” Reyes’ order gives the Trump administration until Friday to file an appeal. “The ban at bottom invokes derogatory language to target a vulnerable group in violation of the Fifth Amendment,” Reyes said. “The President has the power – indeed the obligation – to ensure military readiness,” she wrote in her 79-page opinion. “At times, however, leaders have used concern for military readiness to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.” The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed a complaint against Reyes, accusing her of potential bias and misconduct. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY EXECUTIVE ORDER “This is the latest example of an activist judge attempting to seize power at the expense of the American people who overwhelmingly voted to elect President Trump,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Defending Women Executive Order, and will continue to do so.” Around 4,200 service members, 0.2%, are transgender, according to DOD. In a January executive order, President Donald Trump argued the Pentagon had been afflicted with “radical gender ideology”and the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” “The Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion,” the executive order read. TRANSGENDER SAILORS, MARINES OFFERED BENEFITS TO VOLUNTARILY LEAVE SERVICE OR FACE BEING KICKED OUT Service members filed suit when the Pentagon in February issued new policy guidance warning that transgender troops would be pushed out of the military. It had not yet forced any troops out, but encouraged them to voluntarily separate. Reyes said plaintiffs “face a violation of their constitutional rights, which constitutes irreparable harm.” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller condemned Reyes’ ruling on X, writing, “District court judges have now decided they are in command of the Armed Forces… is there no end to this madness?” In 2016, a DOD policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military, but Trump, during his first term, reversed that order. The Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. President Joe Biden reversed the ban. Six service members and two people wanting to enlist in the military sued the government in January over Trump’s executive order. Later, about a dozen others, including nine on active duty, joined the suit. Their attorneys, from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLAD Law, said transgender troops “seek nothing more than the opportunity to continue dedicating their lives to defending the Nation.” Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Dem senator refuses to address relationship with founder of Soros-funded ‘propaganda’ news network
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is refusing to address reports he is romantically involved with a former Democratic political operative running a Soros-funded media network masquerading as independent media. Murphy, who recently announced separation from his wife after nearly two decades together, was recently photographed having a cozy dinner with Tara McGowan, the founder and publisher of Courier Newsroom, a progressive media group that has received millions of dollars in funding from liberal mega-donors such as George Soros. Fox News Digital recently asked Murphy on Capitol Hill about his involvement with McGowan. “I’m not going to talk about that,” Murphy responded. SEVERAL DEMOCRATS TO BOYCOTT TRUMP’S ‘PEP RALLY’ SPEECH TO CONGRESS McGowan has long held ties with the Democratic Party, working on former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign before serving in top positions at Priorities Action USA, a Democratic super PAC, and ACRONYM, a Democrat-focused digital advocacy group. The Murphy-tied strategist founded Courier Newsroom, a left-leaning media group that has received millions from the Fund for Policy Reform, an advocacy group founded by Soros. In 2021, Gabby Deutch, who the Washington Post described as “the Washington correspondent for NewsGuard, a New York-based nonpartisan organization that reviews news sites to combat misinformation,” penned an op-ed criticizing Courier Newsroom as a “political operation” and argued it is “exploiting the widespread loss of local journalism to create and disseminate something we really don’t need: hyperlocal partisan propaganda.” ‘STUNNING AND BRAVE’: DEM SENATOR MOCKED AFTER HYPING ALL-NIGHTER STUNT IN PROTEST OF TRUMP NOMINEE Fund for Policy Reform provided Courier Newsroom with three grants totaling $5 million in 2021 and 2022 to “support its non-partisan journalism, which aims to further the common good and general welfare of U.S. communities by providing access to information,” its grant database shows, as previously reported by Fox News Digital. McGowan was also in close quarters with former President Joe Biden’s administration, visiting the Biden White House nearly 20 times by April 2024. Murphy and McGowan were spotted getting close at a Washington, D.C., watering hole earlier this month, according to the New York Post, with a source telling the outlet the pair was getting “cutesy.” The outlet reported that Murphy is still married to his wife, Washington, D.C., lawyer Cathy Holahan, and that neither has filed for divorce in Connecticut nor Washington, D.C. The couple did announce they were separating in November, shortly after Murphy won re-election. Murphy has positioned himself as one of the most prominent Democrat critics of President Donald Trump, which has caused many to speculate he is interested in a run for the White House in the future. “Chris Murphy Emerges as a Clear Voice for Democrats Countering Trump,” a recent New York Times headline read with an article that was reposted on Murphy’s website. Fox News Digital reached out to McGowan for comment. Fox News Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this post.
1-year-old among victims of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Video shows a Palestinian father’s last moments with his child after his pregnant wife and 1-year-old son were killed.
In Yemen’s Sanaa, fear and defiance after US bombs
Sanaa, Yemen – Mukhtar Ahmed was riding his bike in northern Sanaa’s al-Jiraf area when the ground trembled beneath him. Thunderous explosions echoed through the air, followed by the sound of terrified screams. It was Saturday just after sunset, a time when people were home for iftar during the holy month of Ramadan “I got off the bike and darted towards an alley. I thought it would be impossible to survive,” the 26-year-old restaurant delivery courier told Al Jazeera. “The sheer terror of those explosions could kill.” Mukhtar had no idea what had caused the deafening roar heard across Yemen’s densely populated capital. But he later came to realise, the United States was bombing Yemen. A wave of American air strikes had killed more than 50 people. The bombs pounded the vicinity of the political office of the Houthi rebel group (officially known as Ansar Allah), the de facto rulers of Yemen’s populous northwest. It marked the beginning of an ongoing US bombing campaign that may usher in a new phase of war and instability for Yemen. Advertisement Who can stop the US? On March 7, a week before the US strikes began, the Houthis gave Israel a four-day deadline to lift its blockade on the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. If it did not, the Yemeni group promised to resume attacking Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks had stopped when the now-broken Gaza ceasefire began in January but for the 15 months before that, the Houthis had paralysed shipping in one of the world’s most important waterways and fired projectiles towards Israel. The United Kingdom and the US launched hundreds of air strikes on what were reportedly Houthi targets, including weapons depots, missile launch pads and airports. Israel has also attacked Yemen. The ostensible purpose of these attacks was to “degrade” the military capabilities of the Iran-allied Houthis. But the renewed US air strikes have hit residential areas where senior Houthi members are believed to reside, showing little regard for civilian lives. Second, the Houthis had not carried out any attacks despite their threat. With this shift under US President Donald Trump, fears of war, shortages, and displacement haunt Yemeni civilians, who have endured years of hardship since the beginning of the country’s civil war in 2014 between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed, United Nations-recognised government. The conflict on the ground in Yemen has been largely frozen since 2022 with the Houthis and Saudi Arabia involved in negotiations. But those talks have done little to end the humanitarian crisis in the country, where millions of people are hungry. Advertisement Many Yemenis now believe things are going to get worse, a fear strengthened by Trump’s rhetoric. “Hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” the US president said in a threat to the Houthis. And for Mukhtar, he fears Gaza has set a precedent for how bombing campaigns are conducted in the region. “The US is like Israel, and Hamas is like the Houthis,” Mukhtar said, “so if the US-Houthi war continues, the US will do to Sanaa like what Israel has done to Gaza. Who will stop them?” Fear of chaos In a bustling street in Maeen in western Sanaa, Faisal Mohammed carried a blue bag filled with new clothes for his five children, purchased in preparation for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which is expected to fall on March 30. But 38-year-old Faisal says Eid will be overshadowed by the US attacks. He is afraid of what is to come. “The Americans aim to kill Houthi officials who run Sanaa and other provinces,” he said. “Killing the [Houthi] leadership will spark chaos, and this will hurt us.” The Houthis took control of Sanaa in September 2014. Since then, the group has firmly embedded itself and proven itself on the battlefield. But as the US intensifies its attacks on Yemen, the Houthis rivals may see the tide turning in their favour – and that worries Faisal. “Pro-government forces could be motivated by the American air strikes and begin pushing towards Houthi-controlled provinces,” Faisal said. “This will mean an all-out civil war and an additional cycle of misery.” Advertisement Faisal has thought about leaving Sanaa and moving to a safer area. “The Houthis will not surrender, and their Yemeni rivals, if supported by America, will not back down,” Faisal said. “It will be disastrous.” Prices and explosions In Bani Hushaish on the northeastern outskirts of Sanaa, Ali Abdullah filled his gas cylinder at a cooking gas station, but he did not plan to use it. He was stocking up in anticipation of a potential price rise. “We fear sudden price hikes. They are an ugly companion of war,” the 48-year-old told Al Jazeera. Even before the renewed US bombing, Washington’s actions have left Yemen – and particularly its Houthi-controlled regions – in a precarious position. In January, Trump redesignated the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation” (FTO) over their attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel. “The FTO squeezes the larger economy, limiting access to international financing, making it difficult for traders to acquire letters of credit and insurance to import everything from food, fuel to household goods and beyond,” wrote April Longley Alley, a senior expert on the Gulf and Yemen at the US Institute of Peace. Defiant The Houthis, having ridden out a years-long bombing campaign and motivated by belief in their ultimate victory, are unlikely to back down – at least not in the short term. The group’s supporters massed in Sanaa on Monday in defiance of the US, many of them brandishing firearms. Mohammed, a Houthi fighter who only wanted to give his first name, said the US bombing of Yemen was proof the US is “a habitual aggressor”. Advertisement “Americans seek to intimidate and humiliate us. But that won’t happen,” he said, standing with a rifle on his shoulder near a market in central Sanaa. “We were not born to
Mass protests in Turkiye over arrest of Istanbul mayor
NewsFeed Thousands of people in Turkiye are protesting the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Erdogan, on corruption and terror charges. The government has denied opposition claims that it’s staging ‘a coup’. Published On 20 Mar 202520 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Madras High Court: Senior citizens can revoke gifts, settlement deeds if children neglect them
Delivering the landmark judgment, the Madras High Court bench comprising of Justices S M Subramaniam and K Rajasekar, dismissed the appeal made by S Mala, the daughter-in-law of the late S Nagalakshmi.
Ted Cruz funds ads supporting pro-voucher lawmakers
The ads praise 14 Texas Republicans, including House Speaker Dustin Burrows, for their support of education savings accounts.
Trump still needs Congress’ help with plan to abolish Education Department
President Donald Trump could begin to dismantle the Department of Education via an executive order, but he would need congressional approval in order to officially abolish the agency. Trump is expected to sign the order to start dissolving the department in an effort to “turn over education to families instead of bureaucracies,” according to a White House fact sheet previously reported by Fox News Digital. If Trump signs such an order, expected as soon as Thursday, he can significantly diminish the department. However, the entire agency cannot be outright abolished unless Congress passes legislation that addresses the laws establishing the department. The Education Department was established in 1979 after Congress passed the Department of Education Organization Act, signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter. Republicans, including former President Ronald Reagan, have since spent decades calling for the department to be dismantled in an effort to allow educational decisions to be determined at the state and local level. EDUCATION LEADERS SAY TRUMP DISMANTLING KEY GOVERNMENT AGENCY ‘SAVED EDUCATION’ Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reintroduced legislation in January to abolish the department, stating, “the Department of Education shall terminate on December 31, 2026.” EDUCATION DEPT LAUNCHES WIDESPREAD CIVIL RIGHTS PROBE: A LOOK AT WHAT THE AGENCY AS TRUMP EYES SHUTDOWN In order to pass any legislation, Trump would need congressional approval from a supermajority in Congress to eliminate the department, according to Andrew Stoltmann, an attorney and law professor. “President Trump does not have the ability to eliminate a federal department. Eliminating it would require congressional action, including a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate,” Stoltmann told Fox News Digital. “So, even if Trump can follow through with what he says, he has to pull in some Democrats in the Senate, and that will likely be impossible.” Jamie E. Wright, a political pundit and founder of the Wright Law Firm, also previously told Fox News Digital that there could be obstacles to passing such a bill. “To pass such a bill successfully into law would require backing from members of Congress for the president’s agenda to advance smoothly through the legislative process — an endeavor that may present obstacles should opposition arise from legislators who consider the Department of Education crucial in ensuring consistent national educational guidelines and federal funding allocation for education initiatives,” Wright told Fox. Trump has promised since his 2024 presidential campaign that he would work to close the department during his second term, tapping Education Secretary Linda McMahon to head the agency to quickly “put herself out of a job.” During her confirmation hearing in February, McMahon acknowledged that the administration would need approval from Congress to move forward with actions to abolish the agency. “Certainly, President Trump understands that we’ll be working with Congress,” McMahon told the members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “We’d like to do this right. We’d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education, but it certainly does require congressional action.” The administration has already taken steps to gut the department, beginning with the canceling of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants funding diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools and cutting nearly half its workforce. Savannah Newhouse, a Department of Education spokesperson, previously told Fox News Digital amid cuts to the department, that “President Trump’s goal is to cut federal bureaucracy and return education authority to the states because the dollars and decision-making should be closest to students.” The department currently oversees some funding, managing student loans, financial aid and enforcing nondiscrimination policies in schools, while most education itself is dealt with at the state level. Newhouse added that “despite misconceptions, the Department of Education does not control school curricula, decide teacher pay, set who qualifies for student aid and how much they receive, operate schools, or serve as the primary source of funding for schools.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Education for further comment but did not immediately receive a response.