RFK Jr spent weekend talking to key senator who could make or break his confirmation
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent the weekend speaking with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who could effectively stop his confirmation process for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) in its tracks. The Louisiana senator’s office confirmed Sunday evening that the two men had been speaking that day. Cassidy is a doctor and also one of the few remaining Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. SEN. TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH’S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW’S ALLEGATIONS His vote on the 27-member Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday could decide whether Kennedy’s nomination to be Trump’s HHS secretary moves forward to the Senate floor or is left to potentially die in committee. Cassidy has yet to indicate how he plans to vote on the nomination. During one of Kennedy’s hearings last week, he admitted, “I have been struggling with your nomination.” He explained that there are areas of alignment between them, but that his criticism and claims regarding vaccination have given him pause. “But if there is someone that is not vaccinated because of policies or attitudes you bring to the department and there is another 18-year-old who dies of a vaccine-preventable disease, helicoptered away, God forbid dies, it’ll be blown up in the press,” Cassidy said. DEMS DISMISS CALLS FOR APOLOGY AFTER JEFFRIES VOWS ‘FIGHT’ AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA ‘IN THE STREETS’ “The greatest tragedy will be her death, but I can also tell you an associated tragedy that will cast a shadow over President Trump’s legacy, which I want to be the absolute best legacy it can be.” He added that this was his “dilemma,” and foreshadowed their conversations, saying, “you may be hearing from me over the weekend.” Representatives for Cassidy and Kennedy did not divulge specifics of their conversations. Whether he was decided yet on how he will vote, Cassidy’s office declined to comment. Kennedy has managed to get the support of other sometimes hesitant lawmakers, such as Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who said on X, “[Kennedy’s] unique leadership on healthy lifestyle choices will benefit countless Americans, and he understands the critical importance of rebuilding trust in our public health institutions.” “I’ve also received assurances from him that strong pro-life policies will continue to be reinstituted at HHS under his leadership,” Young wrote. “We spoke extensively about the importance of supporting innovation in health care to both bring down costs and improve treatment. I look forward to working with him to make positive changes for the American people.” ELIZABETH WARREN GRILLED RFK JR ON DRUG COMPANY MONEY, BUT RECEIVED OVER $5M FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., did not fully endorse Kennedy either but said he was pleased with his hearing and indicated the nominee was on the right track. Kennedy will likely need the support of every Republican on the committee, assuming he does not receive any Democratic support. No committee Democrats have come out to say they will back him. The committee vote will take place Tuesday morning.
Record breaking haul for Senate Republican campaign committee as it aims to expand majority
The Senate Republican campaign committee is touting that it is off to a strong fundraising start as it aims to defend and expand its majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) announced on Monday that it raked in a record $8.5 million in January, which the committee says is its best ever off-year January haul. “To deliver on the promises President Trump made to the American people, we must protect and grow our Republican Senate Majority,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the new NRSC chair, said in a statement. TRUMP-BACKED 2024 GOP SENATE NOMINEE IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE MOVING TOWARDS ANOTHER RUN IN 2026 Scott teased that “the NRSC’s record-breaking January is just the beginning. We will work tirelessly to ensure Republicans have the resources and operations needed to win in battleground states across the Senate map.” MEET THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR TASKED WITH DEFENDING THE GOP’S SENATE MAJORITY IN 2026 However, in a memo sent to Senate Republican chiefs of staff, NRSC Executive Director Jennifer DeCasper noted that the committee will “enter this cycle with nearly $24 million in debt and unpaid bills from last cycle and limited cash on hand.” The NRSC ended 2024 with $2.7 million in its coffers. The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has yet to announce its January fundraising. Republicans won control of the Senate in November’s elections by flipping an open seat in West Virginia, and ousting Democratic incumbents in Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The GOP currently holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate. DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026 Senate Republicans enjoyed a very favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they won back control of the majority. An early read of the 2026 map shows they will continue to play offense in some states, but will be forced to play defense in others. The GOP will target an open Democrat-held seat in battleground Michigan, where Sen. Gary Peters announced last week that he would not seek re-election in 2026. They will also target first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff in battleground Georgia and longtime Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in swing state New Hampshire. However, Democrats plan to go on offense in blue-leaning Maine, where GOP Sen. Susan Collins is up for re-election, as well as in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is also up in 2026.
Mexico agrees to deploy 10,000 troops to US border in exchange for tariff pause
Mexico has agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay on President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday. Sheinbaum made the announcement on social media Monday morning, roughly 12 hours before the tariffs were set to take effect. Trump and Sheinbaum spoke on Monday and agreed that Mexico will do more to combat drug trafficking into the U.S., and that the U.S. will step up efforts to block the flow of firearms into Mexico. Sheinbaum also said officials with the U.S. and Mexico were beginning talks on wider trade and security issues. Trump confirmed the deal in his own post on Truth Social, describing the call with Sheinbaum as a “very friendly conversation.” RNC CHAIR, AFTER CRUISING TO RE-ELECTION, VOWS TO BE ‘TIP OF SPEAR’ TO PROTECT TRUMP “I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country,” Trump wrote. TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’ “We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico. I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries,” he added. The deal comes just days after Trump announced 25% tariffs on both Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on China. Trump says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, but the pair did not reach an agreement. He says they will speak again later Monday. The tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on Tuesday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to “buy Canada” in response to the tariffs. “Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada,” Trudeau wrote on X. “Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP During Sunday’s exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.
Trump admin deporting illegal immigrants convicted of a crime is wildly popular among New York voters: poll
A resounding majority of New York State registered voters support President Donald Trump’s effort to deport illegal aliens who have been convicted of a crime, according to a Siena College poll. The poll of Empire State registered voters found that 79% support deporting such individuals, while just 11% oppose removing them. The poll results indicate that the issue represents an area of significant bipartisan agreement. CHICAGO LEADERS ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO EXERCISE ‘THEIR RIGHTS’ IN RESISTING TRUMP’S DEPORTATION POLICIES While 69% of Democrats support expulsion of illegal aliens convicted of a crime, according to the poll, a whopping 91% of Republicans also support it — just 16% of Democrats and 4% of Republicans oppose it. The poll found that just 39% support the deportation of illegal aliens who do not have a criminal record, while 42% oppose it. A majority of Republicans (64%) support the idea, while just 24% of Democrats back it. And while 15% of Republicans oppose the notion, 59% of Democrats oppose it. MORE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS BUSTED RUNNING MASSIVE GUN-RUNNING OPERATIONS Regarding the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, 48% believe New York should support federal efforts to deport aliens living unlawfully in the Empire State, while 31% think the state should oppose federal deportation efforts. There is a significant partisan divide on the issue, with 81% of Republicans indicating the state should support federal deportation efforts, but just 28% of Democrats holding that position. While 50% of Democrats indicated the state should oppose federal deportation efforts, just 6% of Republicans shared that view. ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS HOLD LOS ANGELES DEMONSTRATION Prior to winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump pledged to launch the “largest mass deportation” in the nation’s history.
Social media roasts Noem over unique style choices
New Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has raised eyebrows on social media for some of her unique style choices. “Kristi Noem seems to think that serving as a Cabinet secretary is akin to attending a Halloween party,” one user on social media said in response to Noem appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with a cowboy hat. “These costumes are just getting ridiculous.” The post comes after Noem was gifted a Border Patrol cowboy hat by agents in Texas on Sunday, according to a report from News Nation, where the new Homeland Security secretary went on a ride-along with the Horse Patrol unit and was later seen shaking hands and posing for photos with agents while sporting the hat. SEC. NOEM SAYS HOMELAND SECURITY WILL FREEZE GRANTS TO NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS But some users on social media believed her choice of attire on television Sunday was questionable. “Cosplay Kristi is at it again on Meet the Press,” quipped journalist Aaron Rupar in response to Noem’s appearance on the program. “Fascists are always so obsessed with aesthetics [sic] I don’t get it,” wrote one user. “So cringe,” wrote another. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TOUTS 969 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS IN ONE DAY: ‘HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORST’ “We are not a serious country,” one user on X added. Other social media users rushed to Noem’s defense, with many pointing out that the attire is normal in her home state of South Dakota. “Across America people – in places like Kristi’s ranch – those hats aren’t costumes as you know them. People actually wear them every day for work and whenever they are outdoors,” one X user said. “She’s from South Dakota, owns farmland and runs a ranch,” added another. “Stands to reason she would have a cowboy hat.” “She posts pics on her farm all the time. She can’t wear one of her hats? Y’all are so weird,” added another user. Noem’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
‘America First’: Largest steel producer in US announces support of Trump tariffs
FIRST ON FOX: The CEO of the largest steel producer in the U.S., Nucor Corp., endorsed President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, Fox News Digital learned. “Nucor applauds the first steps taken by President Trump in his America First Trade Agenda,” Leon J. Topalian, the chair, president and CEO Nucor Corp., wrote in a statement dated Friday that was obtained by Fox News Digital. “We look forward to working with President Trump to enforce our trade laws and strengthen American manufacturing!” The subject line of the letter reads, “Presidential Executive Orders on Canada, Mexico, and the People’s Republic of China.” Nucor is based out of North Carolina and serves as the nation’s largest steel producer and scrap metal recycler. TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING ‘VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’: VIDEO The company’s CEO recently joined CNBC’s Jim Cramer and celebrated Trump’s then-upcoming tariffs as tools to end “currency manipulation” and the “subsidization” of steel coming to the U.S. from abroad. “We saw the memo last Monday on tariffs and what they’re going to do,” Topalian said Tuesday. “And I think they’re going to be far-reaching, and I think they’re going to be very broad to, again, stop the illegal dumping, the manipulation, currency manipulation and subsidization of steels coming into the shores of the U.S.” “We’re the largest steel company in North America, so, of course, we took a look a year and a half ago and, and, we’ll continue to look and see if those assets come back,” he said. “But, part of the reason we didn’t move forward is valuation. We’re not going to overpay for assets.” NUCOR ONCE THWARTED A CHINESE ATTEMPT TO STEAL ITS TECHNOLOGY Trump signed an executive order on Saturday authorizing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China through the new International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The tariffs take effect on Tuesday and include 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on imports from China. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff. The tariffs were created in light of “extraordinary” threats stemming from “illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl,” according to the order. NUCOR CEO ON TARIFFS: WE’VE BEEN IN A TRADE WAR FOR 30 YEARS “This challenge threatens the fabric of our society,” the executive order states. “Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds have poured across our borders and into our communities. “Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.” Foreign leaders have railed against the tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday that her country “categorically reject[s] the White House’s slander against the Mexican government of having alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of intervention in our territory.” Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encouraged residents to “buy Canada” by checking labels at stores to ensure a product is made in the Great White North. TRUMP SAYS CANADA WOULD HAVE NO TARIFFS AS 51ST STATE, AS OBSERVERS BRACE FOR TRADE WAR Trump defended the tariffs Sunday evening while talking to reporters gathered at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. “Canada has been very abusive of the United States for many years. They don’t allow our banks,” Trump said. “And you know that Canada does not allow banks to go in, if you think about it. That’s pretty amazing. If we have a U.S. bank, they don’t allow them to go in.” “Canada has been very tough for oil on energy. They don’t allow our farm products in, essentially. They don’t allow a lot of things in. And we allow everything to come in as being a one-way street.” Former President Joe Biden also imposed tariffs during his administration, including on steel and aluminum shipped from Mexico to the U.S. but made elsewhere. Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
Flashback: Biden admin repeatedly used USAID to push abortion in Africa
President Donald Trump’s administration is facing scrutiny this week after working with billionaire Elon Musk to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization Musk called a “viper’s nest” of mismanaged funding. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) worked with the Trump administration to shut down USAID on Monday. While the agency’s long-term future remains unclear, lawmakers and activists have repeatedly accused USAID of using funding to leverage policy changes across the globe. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the organization was frequently used to push abortion in Africa, critics say. Biden cleared the path for U.S. funding to flow toward pro-abortion groups across the globe just days after entering office. He signed an executive order rescinding the Reagan-era “Mexico City Rule” on Jan. 28, 2021. The rule, first rescinded by President Barack Obama and then reinstated during Trump’s first term, prevented foreign aid from going to nongovernmental organizations that promote abortion or provide abortion services. “These excessive conditions on foreign and development assistance undermine the United States’ efforts to advance gender equality globally by restricting our ability to support women’s health,” Biden said at the time. HIV INFECTIONS HAVE DROPPED IN RECENT YEARS, CDC SAYS, BUT AGENCY CALLS FOR GREATER EQUITY Biden’s rule change cleared USAID to send millions in funding to aggressive abortion organizations like Marie Stopes International (MSI). MSI said it relied on USAID for 17% of its total donor income under the Obama administration, adding that the lack of U.S. support created an $80-million “funding gap” over the final three years of Trump’s term. The group said the countries most heavily impacted by the lack of funding were Madagascar, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., accused Biden in 2023 of “hijacking” a successful AIDS relief program to push an international abortion agenda. Smith’s accusations centered on PREPFAR, a funding program within USAID that, at the time, had already allocated some $100 billion toward fighting AIDS across the world, saving 25 million lives and preventing millions of infections. Smith says two groups, Population Services International (PSI) and Village Reach, had received $96.5 million and $10.1 million, respectively, from PEPFAR under Biden, and both groups have a track record of pushing abortion. “PSI proudly proclaims it provides abortion and lobbies to eliminate pro-life laws,” Smith said at the time. “PSI provides comprehensive abortion and post-abortion care services in nearly 20 countries throughout the world.” BIDEN POLITICAL APPOINTEES TO HIV COUNCIL HAVE ‘WOKE’ PASTS TIED TO DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR, PLANNED PARENTHOOD Smith alleged Village Reach used PEPFAR funds “to promote abortion in Malawi and lobby for changes in pro-life laws” and also “helped Malawi establish a government-funded hotline (that included providing information and referrals for ‘sexual and reproductive health,’ i.e., abortion).” A third group, Pathfinder International, received $5 million in PEPFAR funding from 2021 to 2023. Smith said the group “lobbies to weaken or eliminate pro-life laws in nations around the world” and is “explicit in its promotion of abortion in other countries, stating it is “committed to expanding access to … safe abortion.” Biden’s administration was accused in December of pressuring the government of Sierra Leone to adopt more permissive abortion policies in exchange for foreign assistance. A report from the Daily Signal stated that The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government-run funding allocator, was threatening to withhold hundreds of millions in foreign assistance funding if the nation didn’t relax its policies, a former senior U.S. government official told the outlet. The MCC CEO Alice Albright signed an agreement with Sierra Leone’s finance minister, Sheku Bangura, in late September. The agreement called for the country to receive $480 million in foreign assistance so long as it met the MCC’s “rigorous standards for good governance, fighting corruption and respecting democratic rights.” The organization denied any effort to influence Sierra Leone’s abortion policies in a statement to Fox News Digital in December. “The Millennium Challenge Corporation is unaware of any Sierra Leonean abortion legislation and has never made any requests to the Government of Sierra Leone regarding abortion policies. Any such legislation would be an internal matter for Sierra Leone with no U.S. government developments fund made contingent on its passage,” the organization said in a statement. Footage circulating on social media showed raucous pro-life protesters demonstrating inside Sierra Leone’s parliament at the time as lawmakers debated legislation detailing more permissive abortion rules. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Delhi Metro train timings changed for THESE 2 days, to start from…
Delhi Metro will start services at THIS time on February 5 (election day) and February 8 (results day), with trains running every 30 minutes until 6 AM.
As Germany braces for election, backing the far-right AfD no longer a taboo
Berlin, Germany – For Susanne, a nursery teacher in Berlin, there is no contest. She has decided to cast her vote for the hard-right populist party, the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), or Alternative for Germany, on February 23 in the country’s snap federal elections. The election follows the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party government in November. The ruling coalition, known as the traffic light alliance, consisted of Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP). Falling out of favour with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) for its pro-vaccine position since the COVID-19 pandemic, Susanne, in her 50s who requested Al Jazeera withhold her surname, said the AfD is the “only party doing something different on the issues that determine our everyday lives”. Eva Mueller, a 50-year-old mother of two who works as a careers coach in the German capital, also plans to back the AfD. “I live in a part of Berlin where around 80 percent of the population has a migration background, and I have no problem with it,” she said. Advertisement “But the migration policy is not effective and the way the AfD is presented, as completely hating foreigners and wanting to expel them all, is just not the case. What is the case is that they are worried about integration not being possible if there is an excess.” Several AfD party chapters have been officially labelled as “right-wing extremists” by intelligence authorities since its inception in 2013. But last week in Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, a taboo was broken. CDU leader Friedrich Merz – tipped to become Germany’s new chancellor – proposed a motion on tougher migration rules, known as the five-point plan, that passed with the backing of the AfD. While the draft law was ultimately rejected by the Bundestag on January 31, Merz’s decision to break ranks and work with the AfD cut through a longstanding firewall created by the country’s main political parties that blocked cooperation with the far right. Amid widespread public and political condemnation, the move drew thousands of protesters to the CDU headquarters in Berlin. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel and Scholz accused Merz of committing an “unforgivable mistake”. Meanwhile, Germany is still reeling from two deadly attacks within a matter of weeks of each other – most recently on January 22 in Bavaria when seven people were killed by men who had sought asylum in the country. Voter dissatisfaction with mainstream political parties for the war in Ukraine and the rising cost of living, analysts say, is also high. Advertisement ‘The party could attract more voters’ Recent polls indicate the AfD is likely to secure second place in the election, with 21 percent of the vote – 10 points behind the CDU and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). Analysts say the AfD – once considered a political outlier – is set for the biggest electoral gains in its 12-year history. Oliviero Angeli, a political scientist at the Technical University in Dresden, tells Al Jazeera that the recent tensions in parliament will likely boost the far right in terms of the party’s legitimacy and visibility. “What is remarkable at the moment is the firewall that was built over the last years against the AfD is now starting to break down. It was already breaking down on communal and regional levels, but last week shows that it’s now breaking down on a national level,” Angeli said. “Until recently, voting for the AfD could be considered a wasted vote because you could expect other parties not to cooperate with them. But now, people’s views may change and the party could attract more voters.” Further adding to the AfD’s perceived strength, tech billionaire Elon Musk – recently appointed by United States President Donald Trump to lead his administration’s Department of Government Efficiency – has waded heavily into the election with a series of interventions. He hosted a livestreamed interview on the X platform he owns with AfD chief Alice Wiedel. On January 25, he appeared via videolink at a party meeting; two days before Holocaust Remembrance Day, he told the delegates to move past Nazi-era guilt. Advertisement “It’s good to be proud of German culture, German values, and not to lose that in some sort of multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” he told a cheering crowd. But Jakub Guhl, a senior manager within the Digital Research Unit at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London, told Al Jazeera that he is not convinced of Musk’s influence. He acknowledged though, a “completely unprecedented dynamic” as a leading social media platform with powers to shape public discourse is “clearly throwing its weight behind one political party, and one that’s particularly controversial”. ‘Remigration’ Earlier in its election campaign, the AfD touted a “remigration” policy – a nationalist term used to describe sending people to their home nations. Other key parts of its manifesto, announced last month to a crowd of more than 600 delegates in the AfD stronghold state of Saxony, included the reintroduction of the Deutsche Mark as Germany’s national currency, a rejection of green transition policies, and education reforms linked to gender studies programmes. Analysts said while the party is unlikely to win, its position on heated subjects such as migration will politically shake Europe’s largest economy – possibly leading to turbulence across the continent. “They have an increasing influence on public opinion, and as we have seen last week, on politics, with other political parties moving more to the right,” says Angeli. “You won’t necessarily be considered an outlier any more, certainly in parts of the east, if you are between 18 to 24 years old and vote AfD,” added Guhl. “It’s also doing quite well among working-class voters who are concerned about the economy, and people who think we’re spending too much money on people coming in externally, and support for a war in Ukraine that they are likely to have been against in the first place.” Advertisement Back in Berlin, AfD supporter
Spain’s Hermoso says no consent given for World Cup kiss at Rubiales trial
Jenni Hermoso says at the trial of ex-Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales that the kiss ‘stained’ her 2023 World Cup victory. Spain star Jenni Hermoso told the trial of disgraced ex-football chief Luis Rubiales that the forced kiss he gave her in 2023 “shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting”. Prosecutors are seeking two and a half years in prison for Rubiales for sexual assault and coercion after his kiss on Hermoso following the 2023 Women’s World Cup final sparked global outrage. Rubiales, 47, denies the charges. He has called the kiss an innocuous “peck between friends celebrating” and denied any coercion. “I felt it was totally out of place and I then realised my boss was kissing me, and this shouldn’t happen in any social or work setting,” Hermoso told the court on the opening day of the trial on Monday. “A kiss on the lips is only given when I decide so,” she added. Luis Rubiales arrives at the court of San Fernando de Henares on February 3, 2025 [Thomas Coex/AFP] The scandal that rocked Spanish football and wrecked the career of Rubiales came moments after Hermoso and her teammates had clinched World Cup glory, beating England in the final in Sydney. Advertisement As Hermoso joined her teammates in collecting their winners’ medals, Rubiales clasped her head and kissed her on the lips before letting her go with two slaps on the back. The act unleashed a public outcry at what critics deemed an abuse of power and made Hermoso an icon of the fight against macho culture and sexism in sport. A recent reform of the Spanish criminal code classifies a nonconsensual kiss as sexual assault. “As a woman, I felt disrespected. It was a moment that stained one of the happiest days of my life,” Hermoso said at the trial. “For me, it is very important to say that at no point did I seek that act, let alone expect it.” The trial at the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid is scheduled to run until February 19. Rubiales (R) kisses Hermoso during the medal ceremony of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia 2023 final match between Spain and England on August 20, 2023, in Sydney [Noemi Llamas/Eurasia Sport Images via Getty Images] Adblock test (Why?)