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Ex-Trump officials launch forum to oppose left-leaning European policies ‘infiltrating’ US

Former Trump officials are joining together to form a non-profit that aims to shine a light on what its founders say are dangerous policies in place in Europe that are “infiltrating” into the U.S. — including censorship and illegal immigration. The EU-US Forum is being set up by Matt Mowers, a former senior White House advisor at the State Department, and Josh Grogan — a former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. The forum aims to focus on EU policies that it fears are spreading socialism across the globe and into the U.S. It will focus on five areas of policy: business and corporate taxation, environmental regulation and policy, the “erosion of meritocracy,” political censorship and immigration policy. TRUMP SAYS US WILL 100% STAY IN NATO IF ALLIANCE TREATS AMERICA ‘FAIRLY’  “Thanks to the European Union’s left-wing dangerous agenda, Europe has become a hotbed for illegal immigration, the home to mass censorship of free speech, and a case study for the failures of socialism,” Mowers, who will serve as Founding Board Member, said in a statement.  “The EU-US Forum was formed to expose the radical policies originating in Brussels and stop them from infiltrating into the United States. The future of America and the world is hanging in the balance and there is no time to waste,” he said. Policies that the group believes have been fueled by the EU include Medicare for all, the banning of gas-powered cars and “mass censorship of free speech.” The group says it will use “rigorous” research and publica awareness campaigns to expose the threat of the “extreme liberal agenda” being pushed by the EU. NATO MEMBERS BRACE FOR TRUMP WIN AS RECORD NUMBER OF MEMBERS MOVE TO MEET SPENDING PLEDGES An accompanying video of the non-profit’s launch points to Democratic primary politicians pledging to give government health care coverage to illegal immigrants, and moves by states to ban gas-powered cars. It highlights reports of struggles European countries are having related to those issues. Grogan said that there needs to be a watchdog to hold Brussels accountable “and keep their radical ideas away from the U.S.” “I look forward to working with my colleagues at the EU-US Forum to fight back against the EU’s leftward shift so we can protect freedom and economic prosperity for future generations on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. was more Eurosceptic than prior administrations, with former President Trump very supportive of the United Kingdom’s efforts to leave the EU in the wake of the 2016 Brexit vote. That vote was widely seen as part of a populist wave sweeping through the West that also resulted in his own election.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Biden administration has since moved to draw closer ties to the bloc. In October, President Biden said his administration is “committed to revitalizing the partnership between the EU and the United States.”  “And over the last two years, we made good on that commitment, I think,” he said.

NY AG asks court to ignore Trump claim that posting $464M bond is ‘practical impossibility’

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office is pushing back against former President Trump’s claim that securing a bond in his civil case is a “practical impossibility.” In a document filed by Senior Assistant Solicitor General Dennis Fan, the attorney general urged the court to disregard Trump’s request for a stay on his $464 million civil fraud judgment, calling his demand “extraordinary” and “improper.” “[T]he Court should not consider defendants’ new allegations and arguments – which contend that a full bond or deposit is a ‘practical impossibility’ […] because they are procedurally improper,” the document states.  TRUMP UNABLE TO GET $464M APPEAL BOND TO STOP COLLECTION, ATTORNEYS SAY: ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ It continues, “Indeed, defendants here had no reason to wait for their reply to raise their allegations and arguments about the difficulty of obtaining a bond, as their efforts to obtain that bond began before their stay motion was filed and indeed before judgment was even entered.” Trump’s filing on Monday said, “ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is ‘a practical impossibility.’” NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL TAUNTS TRUMP ABOUT INTEREST HE OWES ON CIVIL FRAUD JUDGMENT The filing also said efforts were made to approach about 30 surety companies through four separate brokers. “A bond requirement of this enormous magnitude – effectively requiring cash reserves approaching $1 billion […] is unprecedented for a private company,” the Trump filing read. The Wednesday filing from the New York Attorney General’s Office pushed back on that claim. “There is nothing unusual about even billion-dollar judgments being fully bonded on appeal,” the document states. “Defendants object to a possible ‘fire sale’ if they were to sell assets to generate cash to use as collateral for a bond or as a deposit – but the alternative would be to shift the risk of executing on defendants’ illiquid assets to OAG.” The New York district attorney argued that Trump has only shown an inability to secure a single bond for the entirety of the cash amount. Instead, the office argues, Trump should be able to secure the entire value via multiple sureties or offer his real-estate holdings as collateral. “[D]efendants’ new factual allegations and legal arguments fail to support their extraordinary request for a stay based on a bond or deposit of less than one-fourth of the money-judgment amount. Defendants’ argument that obtaining a full bond is purportedly impossible is based on the false premise that they must obtain a single bond from a single surety for the entire judgment amount of $464 million,” the document states. It adds, “But appealing parties may bond large judgments by dividing the bond amount among multiple sureties, thereby limiting any individual surety’s risk to a smaller sum, such as $100 or $200 million apiece.” Trump has until Monday to secure the bonds required by the court, or else face the possibility of the attorney general beginning to seize assets. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Jared Kushner defends call for Palestinians to build ‘waterfront property’ instead of terror tunnels in Gaza

Jared Kushner, former President Trump’s son-in-law, said the Palestinian people’s lives could be greatly improved if they focused on building “valuable” infrastructure instead of terrorist tunnels. Kushner made the statement in an interview with the Harvard Kennedy School published by the Middle East Initiative earlier this month. The interview focused on the future for Gaza and Palestinians after the end of Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas “Gaza’s waterfront property, it could be very valuable if people would focus on building up livelihoods,” Kushner said. “If you think about all the money that’s gone into this tunnel network and into all the munitions, if that would have gone into education or innovation, what could have been done?” “It’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there, but I think from Israel’s perspective, I would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up,” Kushner added. “But I don’t think that Israel has stated that they don’t want the people to move back there afterwards.” KIRBY DODGES ANSWERING POINT-BLANK IF BIDEN BELIEVES NETANYAHU IMPEDES PEACE: ‘KNOWN EACH OTHER A LONG TIME’ Kushner clarified and defended his comments on Tuesday after a wave of criticism accusing him of being callous toward the Palestinians’ situation. BIDEN SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU AS US-ISRAEL TENSIONS ESCALATE OVER DIRECTION OF HAMAS WAR “I expressed my dismay that the Palestinian people have watched their leaders squander decades of Western aid on tunnels and weapons rather than on improving their lives,” he wrote. “I stand by this and believe the Palestinian people’s lives will improve ONLY when the international community and their citizenry start demanding accountability from their leadership,” he added. Kushner’s comments come as Israel is poised to deal the final blow against Hamas in Gaza with an invasion of the border town of Rafah. President Biden’s administration has pushed against those plans, however, saying the cost in civilian lives would be too great.

GOP lawmaker says Republicans ‘don’t have the guts’ to impeach Biden

A Republican on the House Oversight Committee is convinced the panel’s Wednesday hearing will not sway his fellow lawmakers into supporting President Biden’s possible impeachment, he told Fox News Digital. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., emphatically said “no,” when asked if he thought the committee’s second impeachment inquiry hearing would change any minds. He also accused his fellow Republicans of telling Washington lobbyists and their constituents back home two different opinions about impeaching Biden. HOUSE HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING ON BIDEN FAMILY ‘INFLUENCE PEDDLING’ WITH EX-HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATES “Everybody’s gonna vote how they know they’re gonna vote. What a lot of people are worried about [is] if we do have a vote. I want to vote on it up or down,” Burchett said. When asked why they could be worried, he said, “They told some of their K Street buddies, ‘I’m not going to vote for this thing,’ because they don’t think they’re gonna have to vote on it…. They told people back home, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m gonna impeach.’ But the reality is, they don’t have the guts to do it.” House Republicans are investigating Biden over accusations he used his former position as vice president to enrich himself and his family. Of particular concern are foreign business dealings by his son, Hunter Biden, with companies in China and Ukraine. While there is near-universal belief within the House GOP Conference that Biden at least appears to have acted improperly, it is not clear if enough believe those issues reach the threshold needed for an impeachment. House Republicans are navigating a perilously thin majority, and more than two defectors would likely be enough to sink the effort. Multiple GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital last week that they are pessimistic about the chances their conference will actually hold a vote. “I don’t think we have the will to impeach Joe Biden. … We just don’t. We’ve got a two-seat majority. You’ve got some guys in these tough districts that don’t want to alienate maybe independents or moderates,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital at the time. “They’ve laid out a good case for impeaching Joe Biden … but I just don’t think we have the will to do it.” Another GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely agreed the impeachment push has lost momentum, chalking it up to the hectic environment of a presidential election year. “I think it was always going to lose steam. I think as soon as we transitioned into a formal presidential election, I don’t know that it was going to continue with the same fervor,” the GOP lawmaker said. When asked about the amount of skepticism within the conference over actually voting to impeach Biden, they said, “I’m not the one to worry about, but there are dozens of others.” Wednesday’s hearing, titled, “Influence Peddling: Examining Joe Biden’s Abuse of Public Office,” kicked off with testimony from GOP witnesses and former Hunter Biden business associates Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, who testified virtually from prison, as well as Democratic witness and former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas.

California special election to replace McCarthy heads to runoff, extending House GOP vacancy another 2 months

A special election in California to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the House ended in a runoff Tuesday, meaning there will be another two months of vacancy in the heavily Republican-leaning district as the GOP holds onto a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber of Congress.  State Assemblyman Vince Fong, a former McCarthy aide endorsed by both McCarthy and former President Trump, failed to reach the 50% threshold on Tuesday, meaning he, Republican Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux,, and Democrat Marisa Wood will compete in a May 21 runoff election in California’s 20th Congressional District.  Fong received 42% of votes compared to Boudreaux’s 24%, with 98% of votes counted, The Associated Press reported.  The district, which cuts through the Central Valley farm belt, including parts of Bakersfield and Fresno, is the most strongly Republican House seat in heavily Democratic California. Trump largely carried CA-20 in 2020 and McCarthy represented the district from 2007 until his resignation in late 2023.  TRUMP ENDORSES EX-KEVIN MCCARTHY AIDE VINCE FONG TO FILL VACANT SEAT AS HIS FORMER AIDES BACK FONG’S OPPONENT Because of Trump’s involvement, the race will be watched as a bellwether for the former president’s viability as he heads toward a likely rematch against President Biden in November. McCarthy’s dramatic fall in the House – he is the only speaker in history to be voted out of the job – left behind a messy race to succeed him that has included an ongoing lawsuit and exposed rivalries within the GOP. With nine names on the ballot, it appeared unlikely any candidate would surpass that threshold to claim the seat outright. In California’s jungle primary system, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election.  In the recent March 5 primary for the full 20th District term that begins in January, Fong and Boudreaux had already advanced to the November election in that contest. Tuesday’s special election was meant to determine who will serve out the rest of McCarthy’s term that ends at the start of next year.  MCCARTHY EXIT UNDERSCORES HOUSE GOP’S PERILOUSLY SLIM MAJORITY Republicans occupy only 11 of the state’s 52 House seats, with the one held by McCarthy currently vacant since he resigned.  His resignation came after McCarthy was historically booted from the speakership after a motion brought by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.  Eight House Republicans broke party lines in voting to oust McCarthy.  Trump endorsed Fong in February, calling him “a true Republican.” Boudreaux’s supporters include Ric Grenell, a former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, and Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, Fong’s home turf. Fong and Boudreaux occupy much of the same policy terrain, and both are Trump-supporting conservatives. There is, however, an insider-outsider aspect to the race: Fong is McCarthy’s handpicked choice and a product of his political operation, while the sheriff is not. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Biden finalizes crackdown on gas cars, forcing more than half of new car sales to be electric by 2030

The Biden administration has finalized a slate of highly-anticipated environmental regulations curbing gas-powered vehicle tailpipe emissions as part of its broader efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming. In a joint announcement Wednesday, the White House and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the most aggressive multi-pollutant emission standards ever finalized. While the regulations target gas-powered vehicles, they are explicitly designed to push wider nationwide adoption of electric vehicles (EV) and, according to officials, are expected to ensure nearly 70% of all new car sales are zero-emissions within a few years. “President Biden is investing in America, in our workers, and in the unions that built our middle class and established the U.S. auto sector as a leader in the world,” White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said in a statement. “The President’s agenda is working.” “With transportation as the largest source of U.S. climate emissions, these strongest-ever pollution standards for cars solidify America’s leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating good-paying American jobs, all while advancing President Biden’s historic climate agenda,” added EPA administrator Michael Regan. NEW REPORT UNMASKS TRUE COSTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES: ‘REMAIN MORE EXPENSIVE’ Under the new regulations, which will be formally announced at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., later on Wednesday afternoon, automakers will be forced to rapidly curb the emissions of greenhouse gases, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks, and larger pickups and vans beginning with model year 2027 vehicles. According to administration officials, the regulations will help “tackle the climate crisis” by reducing the transportation sector’s carbon dioxide emissions by a staggering 7.2 billion metric tons over the course of the program, which will be in effect through 2032. Officials also told reporters on a press call that the regulations would reduce the amount of oil consumed in the U.S. by billions of barrels within three decades. 17 RETIRED MILITARY OFFICIALS RAISE ALARM ON BIDEN’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE PUSH When the tailpipe emissions rules kick in, automakers will be compelled to increase production and sales of EVs, plug-in hybrids, traditional hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Under one “low cost” model EPA outlined in the rule, officials said automakers would be forced to ensure 56% of light-duty car sales are battery electric and another 13% are hybrid by 2032. The regulations represent a version of the so-called “alternative C” approach detailed in EPA’s original proposal first publicized in April 2023. The White House originally projected last year that, under the rule, up to 67% of new vehicle sales would be battery electric by 2032, but after a lengthy public comment period and meetings with automakers and labor groups, it scaled down the regulations. “Three years ago, I set an ambitious target: that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission,” President Biden said in a statement. “I brought together American automakers. I brought together American autoworkers. Together, we’ve made historic progress. Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs. And we’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead.” While the EPA rule represents a scaled down version of what the agency proposed last year, especially in the early years of the regulations, industry groups and Republican lawmakers said the end result would remain unchanged. They argue the regulations reduce consumer choice and will lead to higher costs across the board. VULNERABLE HOUSE DEM BUCKS PARTY ORTHODOXY, BLASTING HIS STATE’S PROPOSED EV MANDATE In a joint statement on Wednesday, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers called on Congress to intervene and block the plan. “At a time when millions of Americans are struggling with high costs and inflation, the Biden administration has finalized a regulation that will unequivocally eliminate most new gas cars and traditional hybrids from the U.S. market in less than a decade,” they said. “As much as the President and EPA claim to have ‘eased’ their approach, nothing could be further from the truth.” “This regulation will make new gas-powered vehicles unavailable or prohibitively expensive for most Americans,” the two industry leaders continued. “For them, this wildly unpopular policy is going to feel and function like a ban.” In addition to energy groups, a wide slate of industry groups representing farmers, consumers and auto dealers have similarly warned of the consequences of the EPA’s regulations.  “This decision will not only severely hamper the administration’s ability to reach its own climate goals, but it will also hurt family farms and rural communities that rely heavily on the sale of biofuels. On top of that, it will remove consumer choice from the market,” said National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle. BIDEN ADMIN SET TO FINALIZE MAJOR GAS CAR CRACKDOWN OVER WARNINGS FROM AUTOMAKERS, ENERGY INDUSTRY According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group that represents major automakers, 9.3% of total car purchases in the U.S. last year were electric or plug-in hybrids – up from 7% in 2022. That uptick was driven largely by purchases in California and urban areas where the majority of EV purchases are made.  At the same time, EVs remain far more expensive than traditional, gas-powered cars. Even factoring in generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average subcompact car costs $24,000. Alliance for Automotive Innovation President and CEO John Bozzella noted Wednesday that, while the EPA’s adjusted EV targets are “still a stretch goal,” they were more reasonable than the ones first proposed.  “Moderating the pace of EV adoption in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few years of the EV transition,” he said. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS UPHOLD STATE’S EV MANDATE DESPITE GROWING OPPOSITION: ‘DEFY COMMON SENSE’ Additionally, a wide range of Republican lawmakers immediately blasted the regulations

Biden admin, Texas head back to appeals court over anti-illegal immigration law, hours after SCOTUS ruling

The Biden administration and the state of Texas on Wednesday are making oral arguments in a high-profile case over the state’s anti-illegal immigration law — hours after it was briefly blocked by the Supreme Court. The oral arguments over the law, known as Senate Bill 4, were set to begin at 11 a.m. ET. The law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in December, allows police to arrest those suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. It adds “improper border entry” as a new criminal offense and state judges would be allowed to order deportations to Mexico. The Biden administration sued over the law, which it said crossed into federal authority on matters related to immigration enforcement. It marks the most significant effort by a state to challenge federal enforcement since an Arizona law in 2012 — which was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court. MEXICO SLAMS TEXAS OVER IMMIGRATION LAW, WON’T ACCEPT REPATRIATIONS FROM STATE AFTER SCOTUS RULING “Its efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations,” the Department of Justice said in its January lawsuit. Texas, however, has said the law is necessary due to a void in immigration enforcement by the Biden administration amid a historic and ongoing crisis at the southern border, where Texas has been on the front line. GOVERNOR WHO CLASHED WITH OBAMA OVER ATTEMPTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN REACTS TO SCOTUS TEXAS RULING  “The President of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including laws already on the books that mandate the detention of illegal immigrants,” Abbott argued last month. “Texas has the right to defend itself because of President Biden’s ongoing failure to fulfill his duty to protect our state from the invasion at our southern border.”  The Fifth Circuit of Appeals had blocked the law from going into effect. The Supreme Court on Tuesday evening, not ruling on the merits of the case, allowed the law to go into effect and kicked it back to the Fifth Circuit. Hours later, the Fifth Circuit again put the law on hold, ahead of oral arguments on the merits of the case on Wednesday. SUPREME COURT OKS LAW LETTING TEXAS POLICE ARREST MIGRANTS SUSPECTED OF ILLEGALLY CROSSING BORDER The battle over the law is the latest legal feud between Texas and the administration over how to handle the crisis at the border. The two sides have also fought in the courts over the construction of razor wire by Texas and the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande.  In January, Texas seized Shelby Park — a key area of Eagle Pass for migrant crossings — and refused to allow federal officials into the area.  The Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday brought an immediate protest from Mexico as well, which said it would not accept any attempt to return migrants by state authorities. “Mexico recognizes the importance of a uniform migration policy and the bilateral efforts with the United States to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and respectful of human rights, and is not affected by state or local legislative decisions. In this regard, Mexico will not accept, under any circumstances, repatriations by the State of Texas,” Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said. It comes as the crisis at the border is set to be a top issue in the upcoming general election in November. Both President Biden and former President Trump visited Texas last month and made their respective pitches. Trump has called for mass deportations and has expressed his support for Abbott’s efforts to secure the border. Biden has urged Congress to pass a bipartisan border funding bill hashed out in the Senate, arguing that his administration needs reforms and more funding in order to be able to secure the border. Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

Georgia judge allows Trump, co-defendants to appeal Fani Willis disqualification decision

A Georgia judge presiding over the 2020 election interference case against former President Trump announced Wednesday that Trump and his co-defendants can appeal the order that denied the disqualification of embattled DA Fani Wills.  Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday issued a certificate of immediate review, allowing Trump and eight co-defendants to seek an appeal of the order.   The Georgia Court of Appeals has 45 days to decide whether they will hear the case from March 15, when the order was issued. Under Georgia law, the Georgia Court of Appeals is not required to hear the case.

National security group launches 7-figure ad campaign targeting TikTok

FIRST ON FOX: A fledgling national security watchdog group launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign Wednesday, seeking to expose the popular social media platform TikTok as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). State Armor Action – the 501(c)(4) arm of the nonprofit State Armor – is spearheading the campaign, which will mainly feature targeted digital and national TV advertisements. The campaign warns that “TikTok is the CCP” and highlights the role of Zhang Fuping, a CCP official who appears to have assumed a senior role at TikTok parent company ByteDance, a billion-dollar tech firm based in Beijing. “TikTok is a dangerous, sophisticated communist propaganda and espionage tool. Zhang Fuping’s prominent role as propagandist-in-chief at ByteDance proves this,” State Armor founder and CEO Michael Lucci told Fox News Digital. “Through TikTok, Communist Party agents have direct access to over 100 million phones in America, leaving them well positioned to have a serious, malign influence on our everyday discourse and even our 2024 elections.” “TikTok routinely pushes propaganda that is designed to undermine everything Americans hold dear: our family values, our way of life, the mental health of our youth, and even the very basis for our constitutional government,” Lucci said. “Worse, this deluge of ideological brainwashing is directed specifically toward vulnerable young people.” UPENN, WHICH HOSTS BIDEN’S THINK TANK, SEES CHINESE DONATIONS SOAR, INCLUDING FROM CCP-LINKED SOURCES TikTok’s critics have long called the platform a national security threat. They have cited concerns about the Chinese government’s ability to leverage its power over ByteDance to access sensitive user data, even in the U.S., something the company has denied. And China hawks have warned that the app’s popularity among young Americans gives the ruling CCP a platform for a mass-influence campaign. EXCLUSIVE: CHINESE DONORS TO UNIVERSITY HOUSING BIDEN THINK TANK HAVE TIES TO HUNTER’S BUSINESS DEALS, CCP “As long as it remains under the control of Fuping, ByteDance, and the Communist Party, TikTok is a dangerous tool in the hands of a dangerous enemy, and it must be taken away before it is too late,” Lucci added. According to various Chinese media reports, Fuping has had a leadership role at ByteDance since 2017 and was once described as the company’s editor-in-chief.  In March 2023, TikTok CEO Shou Chew told lawmakers during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing that Fuping is not his boss and that the pair didn’t frequently work together. Chew added that Fuping “works on the Chinese business” of ByteDance – “not on TikTok.” “Zhang Fuping has no role at, or influence on, TikTok,” TikTok wrote in a May 2023 letter to the committee. KEVIN O’LEARY OFFERS TO BUY TIKTOK AND TURN IT INTO A ‘NEW AMERICAN COMPANY’ IF PROPOSED BAN ADVANCES Meanwhile, the ad campaign on Wednesday comes one week after the House passed a bipartisan bill in a 352-65 vote that could ultimately lead to TikTok being banned nationwide. Under the bill – which was crafted by House CCP Committee Chair Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. – TikTok would be blocked in the U.S. if ByteDance does not divest from it within 165 days of passage. ByteDance and TikTok didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. State Armor was launched in January as a national security group particularly focused on exposing China’s encroachment and ginning up support for bipartisan legislation aimed at curbing Chinese influence in the U.S. Fox News Digital reporter Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Indian student goes missing in US for 2 weeks, family gets ransom call demanding…

Mohammed Saleem, Abdul’s father, said his son last spoke to him on March 7, and since then he was not in touch with his family and his mobile phone has been switched off.