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From TikTok to Tulsi: How Mike Pence is taking aim at Trump 2.0

From TikTok to Tulsi: How Mike Pence is taking aim at Trump 2.0

It’s the second week of the second Trump presidency, and Mike Pence has some concerns.  Coming off a trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, the former vice president is more convinced than ever of the need for the U.S. to stand strong against China and bolster Taiwan’s defenses.  “There seems to be this suggestion on both sides of a certain thawing in relations, which in principle I welcome, but not compromising on principles,” he told a small group of reporters at the Advancing American Freedom office in Washington, D.C.  And in the new Trump 2.0, Pence is convinced that his brand of neoconservatism is not dead, at least not yet.  “There have been voices of isolationism that have been emerging in our party of late,” he said. “I’m not yet convinced that they represent the president’s views.”  The former vice president does not believe the 2024 election was a referendum on interventionist policy.  TRUMP’S ‘BLACKLIST’: PRESIDENT-ELECT DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF PEOPLE HE DOESN’T WANT TO HIRE “I don’t think people were voting for isolationism in 2024.” But Pence refused to endorse President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Pence and Trump fell out after the January 6th Capitol riot, and Trump, in turn, recently suggested that he wouldn’t hire anyone who had worked for his former second-in-command. “There are loud voices, both inside and outside the administration that are calling on America to pull back from, whether it be Eastern Europe, the Asia Pacific, and even some are calling for us to pull back on our longstanding support for Israel,” Pence went on. “One of the things we want to be, Advancing American Freedom and whatever remains of my bully pulpit, is to be an anchor to windward for traditional conservatism within the Republican Party.” In Hong Kong, Pence stood in front of 2,000 people and called for authorities to release Jimmy Lai, an imprisoned media mogul and pro-democracy activist, to the audible gasps of the crowd.  Back at home, he’s calling on Trump to “reconsider” the U.S.-Nippon Steel merger that Biden stopped. He is also worried his former boss does not fully grasp the dangers of TikTok, after Trump’s newfound embrace of the video-sharing platform where he enjoys 15 million followers. He signed an executive order this week giving TikTok another 75 days in operation after Congress passed a law last year forcing them to divest from Chinese-owned ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S.  “I am concerned that the administration doesn’t fully appreciate the issues that animated the need for divestment,” said Pence.  “People that are in their 20s and 30s today could be in the Senate – in the House in 10 years. The fact that the Chinese Communist Party is collecting data on Americans, whatever their age or experience is, is not something to be dismissed.” The former vice president said that China is trying to infiltrate public opinion in Taiwan ahead of a possible invasion to try to take over the island.  “The CCP thinks the principal value of TikTok is the ability to impact public opinion at a critical moment,” he said. “When I met with leadership in Taiwan, on TikTok they said, in effect, they’re dealing with an onslaught of social media propaganda coming out of China into Taiwan, trying to set the stage for whatever action, economic, political or hard power may be coming their way.”  It was the first Trump administration that made tough-on-China policies go mainstream, according to Pence.  TRUMP’S LATEST HIRES AND FIRES RANKLE IRAN HAWKS AS NEW PRESIDENT SUGGESTS NUCLEAR DEAL “I am convinced that our administration changed the national consensus on China,” he said. “I would point out that President Biden never undid the $250 billion in tariffs that we imposed.” Pence said he is also worried about Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman-turned Republican whom Trump has nominated to be his director of national intelligence.  She has “at times over the last two years, been an apologist for Putin. And, you know, has a history of being critical of the use of American power,” said Pence. “I think, if memory serves, she actually criticized when we took out [top Iranian general] Qassem Soleimani.” Trump suggested that he might want to sit down with Iran and work on a new nuclear deal on Thursday. But Pence said he trusts the new administration, particularly officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Michael Waltz, not to get taken for a ride by Iran.  “The first order of business is to go back to isolating around economically, and diplomatically, and making it clear that different from the Iran nuclear deal there, there would have to be a sea change in any policy regarding nuclear weapons or the state of Israel.” “I trust that the administration will be very cautious in any of those interactions.”   Pence’s group has already come out with a campaign in opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.  To do that, the former vice president said he would be anything but retired from public life. He plans to continue to advocate for increasing defense spending – 5% of GDP is his current goal – and to use his voice to convince elected officials to stand strong with America’s friends and boost deterrent measures to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.  The U.S. has a longstanding policy of ambiguity when it comes to whether it would actually stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground with Taiwan if China were to invade. Even in private life, Pence isn’t ready to say whether that would be the right move.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “There’s an old saying, ‘Never say what you’ll never do,’” he said.  “We ought to have one hand extended in friendship in exchange, and the other hand resting comfortably on the holster of the arsenal of democracy.”

Cali Rep. Chu says ‘wildfires have no political affiliations’ after Trump floated conditions for federal aid

Cali Rep. Chu says ‘wildfires have no political affiliations’ after Trump floated conditions for federal aid

U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional. The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire. “There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America,” Chu told Inside California Politics. “I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. “I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party.” TRUMP MEETS WITH CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, FIRE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO SEE LA WILDFIRE DAMAGE FIRST HAND This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state. “I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state,” Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. “Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen.” Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents. Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions. “I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices,” Chu said. “I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump’s comments about conditional aid. The governor’s office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom’s office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term. LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE “Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong,” Newsom’s office said on X. Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.

Trump’s most vulnerable nominees RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard get back-to-back hearings

Trump’s most vulnerable nominees RFK Jr, Tulsi Gabbard get back-to-back hearings

Two of President Donald Trump’s most vulnerable administration picks will get back-to-back confirmation hearings in the Senate this week.  Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump nominated to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom he selected to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI), will have committee confirmation hearings on Wednesday and Thursday.  REPUBLICANS REACT TO PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AS DEFENSE SECRETARY: ‘HE IS THE CHANGE AGENT’ On Wednesday, Kennedy will have his first hearing with the Senate Finance Committee, who will eventually vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. He will have an additional hearing on Thursday with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), but that committee will not have a vote on the nomination.  Gabbard’s hearing with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will take place Thursday morning.  The two Trump picks were some of the more controversial administration selections. Both Kennedy and Gabbard are former Democrats with histories of policy positions that clash with what many Republican senators believe.  At issue for lawmakers on both sides is Kennedy’s history of significant criticism of vaccines and vaccination programs. For some Republicans whose states have a large farming constituency, his positions on further regulating agriculture and food production have been cause for concern.  TIM SCOTT EMPHASIZES ‘RESULTS’ OVER RECONCILIATION PROCESS AS HE STAYS OUT OF DEBATE Gabbard’s past policy stances as they relate to national security have given bipartisan lawmakers some reason for pause, since the role she is nominated for is critical to the nation’s safety and defense.  Both of the nominees have taken steps to moderate themselves amid the confirmation process. Kennedy has pushed back on suggestions that he is “anti-vaccine” and explained, “If vaccines are working for somebody, I’m not going to take them away.” DEM WHO CALLED TRUMP ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO DEMOCRACY’ NOW BLOCKING HIS NOMINEES “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information,” he said in an interview with NBC News. “So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them.” Gabbard recently made a remarkable reversal on a controversial intelligence tool used by the government. And her choice to change her position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s (FISA) section 702 managed to win her the backing of a Republican senator on the intel committee that she will need to advance out of.  HEGSETH LAWYER SLAMS ‘FLAWED AND QUESTIONABLE AFFIDAVIT’ FROM EX-SISTER-IN-LAW Recently asked whether her change of heart on section 702 had earned his vote, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said, “Yeah, I am, and that was a very important piece for me.” While both nominees have gotten some necessary Republican backing in the relevant committees, not everyone has said whether they will vote to advance the selections. And even if they are voted out of the committees, they could still face an uphill battle to be confirmed by the full Senate. 

Biden’s controversial pardons shine new light on power, as PA lawmakers take next step to strip Joe’s name

Biden’s controversial pardons shine new light on power, as PA lawmakers take next step to strip Joe’s name

Lawmakers at the state and federal levels are responding to President Joe Biden’s record presidential pardon spree – as more than 3,000 people found their sentences commuted or pardoned. The pardons, some of which came in the final hours of Biden’s presidency, were issued to many members of his own family. The last-minute tranche on Sunday that included James Biden, Hunter Biden and Valerie Biden-Owens came only weeks after a record 1,500 commutations in a single day – notably including that of disgraced Pennsylvania Judge Michael Conahan. Conahan, of Wilkes-Barre, was dubbed the “kids for cash judge” after he was charged in connection with a scheme to send juvenile offenders to for-profit prisons in exchange for kickbacks. Pennsylvania state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, represents the area where Conahan once sat on the bench. LAWMAKERS DEMAND SCRANTON CHANGE ‘BIDEN EXPRESSWAY’ NAME AFTER JUDGE PARDONED Baker told Fox News Digital the former president’s pardon in that case was “disrespectful to the victims, their families, the juvenile justice system, and to all the officials who have worked to reform the system so that this kind of scandal cannot happen again.” She and other lawmakers are also trying to bring new attention to victim notification processes that exist at the federal level and in many states, including Pennsylvania. A source familiar with the federal process said the system is a voluntary construct, in that victims may sign up for notifications but are not automatically informed if convicts are pardoned, transferred or released. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said he was troubled by much of Biden’s pardon spree, including those given preemptively to family and President Donald Trump critics, as well as convicts like Conahan – whose “kids for cash” scandal greatly affected his constituents – and added that the former president may have damaged the pardon process. “These preemptive actions amount to an implicit admission of wrongdoing,” Meuser said of pardons given to Biden family members. ECONOMY BORDER & ABORTION DIVIDE BIDEN’S HOMETOWN AS RESIDENTS LOOK BACK ON NATIVE SON’S FIRST TERM “This sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the long-standing purpose of the presidential pardon power. Historically, pardons have been used to offer clemency or correct injustices—not to shield one’s family members from potential accountability before any charges are even brought.” Unfortunately for Biden critics, Meuser said the presidential pardon power is enshrined in Article II of the Constitution, and Congress has no power to intervene or change it. “While I vehemently disagree with Biden’s decision to preemptively pardon members of his family, the presidential pardon power is established [therein]. That means, absent the ratification of a constitutional amendment, Congress does not have the power to review, alter, or pass legislation limiting a president’s pardon power.” Meuser pointed to the 1974 Supreme Court case Schick v. Reed, which confirmed Congress cannot have a role. “Nevertheless, our Founding Fathers never could have conceived that a president would pardon a son who broke countless laws and utilized the White House to defraud and leverage millions of dollars in a pay-to-play scheme that also involved other family members.” Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., who flipped Biden’s home district in November, has also expressed concern over Biden’s use of presidential pardons. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I think what’s discouraging is that you heard time and time again along the campaign trail that he wasn’t going to do something like this, but I’m certainly not surprised,” Bresnahan recently told WBRE. “I’m sure much of America is not surprised.” While countless Americans who fell victim to those pardoned, including Conahan, may have little recourse, Baker said she is participating in the drafting of legislation in Harrisburg late Friday that will attempt to remove Biden’s likeness from part of his home area. While the former Spruce Street in Scranton – since renamed Biden Avenue – is city property, Baker said the “President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Expressway” splitting off Interstate 81 into his hometown is within PennDOT’s bounds. “The reaction has been so strong that many have called for renaming the President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Expressway, which was designated by Scranton City Council in 2021,” Baker said. The lawmaker added Biden’s legacy is forever “stained” by Conahan’s “inexplicable and infamous commutation.” “We owe it to the juvenile victims, their families, and all the believers in equal justice to remove the name of Joe Biden and replace it with someone truly deserving of the honor.”

House Republicans fly down to Trump’s backyard for annual working retreat

House Republicans fly down to Trump’s backyard for annual working retreat

House Republicans are flying down to South Florida this week for their annual issues conference, where President Donald Trump is expected to speak with lawmakers hashing out the GOP agenda for the next two years. It’s another sign of the House GOP conference’s push for unity with Trump that the conference is being held at Trump National Doral, his golf course and resort near Miami. “He’s going to come and address the Republicans there, and we’re looking forward to that,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., confirmed to reporters last week. Trump has made no secret of his intent to keep a close eye on the Republican majorities in the House and Senate this year, particularly as they discuss how to use their numbers to pass a massive conservative policy overhaul via the budget reconciliation process. REPUBLICANS REACT TO PETE HEGSETH’S CONFIRMATION AS DEFENSE SECRETARY: ‘HE IS THE CHANGE AGENT’ By reducing the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to a 51-seat simple majority, reconciliation allows a party in control of both congressional chambers to enact sweeping changes, provided they’re relevant to budgetary and fiscal policy. Meanwhile, lawmakers are also contending with the debt ceiling being reinstated this month after it was temporarily suspended in a bipartisan deal during the Trump administration. And coming on March 14 is the deadline to avert a partial government shutdown, which Congress has extended twice since the end of the previous fiscal year on Oct. 1. “I think obviously everyone is ready to get to work,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “With President Trump’s inauguration behind us, now we’re focused on the task at hand – everything from the border to the tax package, energy and defense and national security, and our debt. What we need to do over the next two years to really fulfill the agenda that we laid out for the American people.” Lawler said he anticipated reconciliation would be a key focus of Trump’s remarks. With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, Republicans can afford few dissenters if they are going to get to the finish line.  REPUBLICAN SENATORS ISSUE WARNING TO HISTORIC MUSEUMS AHEAD OF PRO-LIFE MARCH  Lawler is one of several Republicans who have drawn red lines in the discussions, vowing not to vote for a reconciliation bill that does not lift state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps – limits that have put a strain on suburban districts outside major cities. He was realistic about setting expectations for their short Florida trip but was optimistic Republicans would eventually come together. “I think we’re in the middle of the process and, you know, this is obviously not going to be resolved over these three days,” Lawler said. “But this is, I think, an important opportunity for everyone to really sit down and spend their time going through a lot of these issues.”