Trump inherited FAA rocked by staffing issues that earned little attention from Dems shifting blame
Many of the same Democrats slamming the Trump administration for several ongoing transportation issues were silent as the Biden administration oversaw an understaffed, outdated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that resulted in dangerous travel conditions across the country. Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have accused the Trump administration of “breaking the federal government” and having “decimated the FAA.” Jeffries blamed the Trump administration for a spate of cancellations at Newark Airport this week. However, a month-over-month comparison of air accidents under the Biden administration and the first few months of the Trump administration shows a significantly lower number of accidents in March and April. Throughout former President Joe Biden’s four years in office, there were an average of 115 air accidents in April. Under Trump, there were just 67 air accidents in the month of April. A report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in March shows that the Trump administration inherited an outdated system from Biden with “severe shortcomings.” DUFFY BLASTS BIDEN, BUTTIGIEG FOR IGNORING REPORT ABOUT FAILING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM: ‘DID NOTHING!’ After Trump’s return to the White House, GAO advised the administration that it had made nine recommendations to the FAA under the Biden administration that remain open, and that “urgent attention” is needed to remedy the safety issues left by Biden. GAO said that under the Biden administration the FAA “did not prioritize or establish near-term plans to modernize unsustainable and critical systems.” Other government reports revealed that the Biden FAA was further hindered by severe staffing issues. A June 2023 report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Transportation Department revealed that the FAA “made limited efforts to ensure adequate controller staffing at critical air traffic control facilities.” AMERICANS DESERVE TO HAVE A ‘STATE-OF-THE-ART’ AIR TRAVEL SYSTEM: SEAN DUFFY The report said that “as a result, FAA continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them, which in turn poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations.” The office said it had determined that 20 of 26 (77%) critical facilities were staffed below the FAA’s 85% threshold. Even major facilities like the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control and the Miami Tower were staffed well below the threshold at just 54% and 66%, respectively. Another report by the office released later that year said the FAA’s “lengthy hiring process and COVID-19 restrictions” slowed the agency’s onboarding and training activities, resulting in few new hires having completed their training and obtained certification. The issues had real-world consequences. Politico reported that during January and February 2023, “commercial jets experienced close calls with other aircraft at a faster pace than they had during all of the previous five years combined.” On Jan. 11, 2023, the FAA had to issue a nationwide ground stop due to a system outage of the aging air traffic control system. The pause was described as the first of its kind since 9/11. The GAO’s 2025 report said the 2023 national airspace prompted an operational risk assessment, which found that of the 138 air traffic control systems, “51 (37%) were deemed unsustainable by FAA and 54 (39%) were potentially unsustainable.” TRUMP TO REQUIRE TRUCK DRIVERS TO SPEAK ENGLISH, PASS LITERACY TESTS AS ‘COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS’ MOUNT In 2024, the GAO found that nearly 40% of FAA control systems were still severely antiquated, requiring “urgent updates.” “This is not a new problem,” Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We’ve known this problem has existed. There have been multiple GAO reports over the last four years saying you have real problems with Air Traffic Control and you should do something with it before it actually fails. The last Administration spent $1.2 trillion. The largest infrastructure package known to man. Joe Biden signed this at this White House, and how much was spent to rebuild Air Traffic Control? $5 billion. And of the $5 billion that was given, only $1 billion was actually spent.” “The Biden Administration had made no investments in the system that we now see having issues in Newark. On top of that, they were focused on things like renaming racists roads and changing cockpit to flight deck. This Administration has come in and started looking at the Air Traffic Control system after the DCA crash. Very quickly I saw one piece of the pie where there were issues and then scratched further and there is another piece of the pie. As we looked at it, we see that the whole system needs to be redone and we need to build a brand-new air traffic control system.” In a Tuesday thread on X, GOP Sen. Mike Lee called out the FAA’s past practices and called out the agency’s “woke” approach. “I started calling out the FAA’s hiring practices at Air Traffic Control an entire decade ago, pointing out that they were drifting from their longstanding pattern of hiring people with a solid math and science background and / or experience in aviation — recognizing that such people perform better in these important positions,” Lee said. “But the ATC’s hiring decisions under Obama and later Biden prioritized basically everything else in favor of woke hiring practices,” he continued. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Biden and Jeffries for comment.
President Trump announces multiple judicial nominees, accuses court system of blocking him from doing his job
President Donald Trump – whose second-term agenda has been bogged down by judicial roadblocks – announced several judicial picks in Truth Social posts on Tuesday, and complained in a post on Wednesday that the judiciary is preventing him from executing the job Americans elected him to do. “Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do. Activist judges must let the Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!” he declared in a Wednesday post. Trump announced Missouri Principal Deputy Solicitor General Maria Lanahan as a nominee to sit as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, calling her “a true patriot” in a Tuesday post. He also picked Judge Cristian Stevens to serve on the same court, calling Stevens, who currently serves on the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, “a Great Patriot,” in another post. TRUMP FIELDS QUESTION ABOUT HIS TIMELINE FOR JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS: ‘WE’RE PUTTING ‘EM IN RAPIDLY’ The president also selected Zachary Bluestone to sit on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, referring to him as “a True Legal Warrior” in a Tuesday post. A Tuesday White House press release notes that “Zachary Bluestone is appellate chief and a violent crimes prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.” Trump is tapping Show-Me State Solicitor General Joshua Divine for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri as well as the Western District of Missouri. TILLIS PUTS ONUS ON TRUMP TO AVOID BOASBERG PICKING US ATTORNEY AFTER MARTIN’S NOMINATION APPEARS SUNK “I am proud to nominate Edward Aloysius O’Connell to serve as Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Eddie will help fix Violent Crime in the City by restoring the RULE OF LAW to Washington, D.C.,” Trump declared in a post on Tuesday. According to the White House release, “Edward Aloysius O’Connell is Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel of the Office of the Inspector General of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.” The president’s judicial picks will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS RETURN OF DEPORTED MIGRANT TO US, REJECTING TRUMP REQUEST Last week, Trump announced his pick of Whitney Hermandorfer to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, calling her “a Fighter who will inspire confidence in our Legal System.” She is the Strategic Litigation Unit director with the office of the Tennessee state attorney general. Fox News’ Luke Trevisan contributed to this report
Top House committees accuse Dem fundraising giant of facilitating ‘bad actors’ in bombshell DOJ letter
FIRST ON FOX: Three top committees within the House of Representatives are delivering an update to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday about Republicans’ ongoing investigation into ActBlue. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., have been probing the Democratic fundraising platform for years. “The Committees write today to draw your attention to our ongoing investigation into ActBlue, a political action committee and fundraising platform for the Democrat Party,” the letter said. “The oversight has uncovered that ActBlue has weak fraud-prevention practices and overlooks bad actors, including foreign actors, who take advantage of the platform to make illicit political donations.” SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING ‘BIG ABORTION’ LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILL They said the platform’s “concerning activities” could even have a “direct effect on U.S. political campaigns and elections.” Steil first raised concerns about ActBlue in late 2023 after accusations surfaced that it did not require a card verification value (CVV) number to accept donations via credit card, something lawmakers said made donations significantly less secure. The letter said ActBlue delivered a “lackluster response” to queries on the matter. As recently as August 2024, however, the site had required CVV numbers for donations on pages observed by Fox News Digital, including former Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House campaign. However, Republicans pressed ActBlue further, the letter pointed out. Steil’s panel subpoenaed ActBlue for “documents relating to ActBlue’s donor verification policies, contributions originating outside of the United States, deplatformed entities, and reported unauthorized or fraudulent donations.” “ActBlue’s responsive documents confirmed that the platform accepted unverified payments during a period of record campaign fundraising,” the letter said. “Although ActBlue has since updated its policies to reject donations without safeguards such as a CVV requirement, the Committees’ oversight found that ActBlue implemented these changes only after ensuring that they would not negatively impact Democrat donations.” Subsequent inquiries into whether ActBlue and related entities were meaningfully deterring foreign actors “have shed some light on the nature of their operations, but many questions remain.” The committees released a report last month, claiming “ActBlue executives and staff are aware that both foreign and domestic fraudulent actors are exploiting the platform but do not take the threat seriously.” BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue with a request for comment. The platform previously dismissed Steil’s accusations as “inaccuracies and misrepresentations.” “We rigorously protect donors’ security and maintain strict anti-fraud compliance practices. We have zero tolerance for fraud on our platform,” an ActBlue spokesperson said late last year. A DOJ spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment further.
Delhi cabinet passes historic decision, proposes to conduct cloud seeding to reduce pollution
The Delhi cabinet on Wednesday passed a historic decision to conduct cloud seeding, also known as artificial rain, in the national capital to mitigate pollution. Pollution has been a serious concern for the state for quite some time, and to help curb it.
Frio County public officials among six indicted after elections investigation, Paxton says
A county judge, two city council members and others are accused of vote harvesting.
Trump to rename Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf ahead of US-Iran nuclear talks, Middle East trip: report
President Donald Trump is reportedly to rename the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf ahead of his trip to the Middle East in the coming days. The expected announcement was first reported Wednesday by the Associated Press, which clashed with the Trump administration earlier this year over the president renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. The AP cited two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Iran’s foreign minister slammed the reported change, writing that, “politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned.” VANCE PREVIEWS US-IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS, SAYS TRUMP ‘OPEN’ TO SITTING DOWN WITH RUSSIANS, CHINESE IN FUTURE “Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence. Let’s hope that the absurd rumors about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by ‘forever warriors’ to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them,” Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. The foreign minister said the name Persian Gulf “is deeply rooted in human history” and that Iran “has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea.” “The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity,” Abbas Araghchi wrote, adding that he is confident Trump “is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognized by all cartographers and international bodies and was even used by all leaders of the region in their official communications until as recently as 1960’s.” “While any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world,” he said. Trump is traveling in the coming days to the Middle East, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which all lie on the body of water. TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’ U.S. and Iranian officials are also expected to meet for the fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the U.S. was negotiating toward a “complete cessation” of Tehran’s nuclear program. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf under the Persian Empire. The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East, according to the AP. The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as the “Persian Gulf” followed by “Arabian Gulf” in parentheses. Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf. The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography.” “Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Potential adoption roadblocks could soon be removed as GOP ramps up pressure: ‘Safe, loving homes’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are re-introducing legislation to make sure parents seeking to only raise a child of their biological sex do not face extra roadblocks in the adoption and fostering process. The “SAFE Home Act” would prevent agencies that receive federal funding from rejecting those parents or placing additional hurdles or oversight on them. The legislation introduced by Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, as well as House Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, would ensure that adoptive parents would not be obligated to do any “medical, surgical, or psychological treatments” that would try to make changes to a child’s gender identity. CENSURED MAINE REP. LIBBY RIPS GOVERNOR AFTER TRANSGENDER ATHLETE REPORTEDLY WINS TRACK EVENTS “Kids deserve safe, loving homes and parents shouldn’t be blocked from adopting or fostering just because they oppose irreversible sex-change procedures on children. This bill makes sure families aren’t punished for using common sense,” Banks told Fox News Digital in a statement. Sen. Cotton said the legislation helps tackle “radical gender policies.” Part of the bill’s inspiration comes from a Biden-era Department of Health and Human Services rule that makes sure children are put into homes that affirm their sexual orientation or gender identity in 2023. When that rule came out, Banks first introduced the legislation when he was in the House of Representatives, but it did not move forward. AMBASSADOR OF RILEY GAINES CENTER DISCUSSES ‘VIOLENT’ PROTESTS DURING FAIRNESS IN WOMEN’S SPORTS RALLY President Donald Trump has taken multiple executive actions related to transgender policies, including seeking to limit “medical interventions” for people under 19 years old and ensuring federally funded institutions only allow biological women in women’s sports programs. The actions have faced legal opposition, including a transgender military ban that the Supreme Court ruled could go for now on as lawsuits are ongoing. “We must defend the rights of parents to raise their children in a way that reflects reality and safeguards their future. The SAFE Home Act ensures that parents are not excluded from adopting simply for having common sense and standing against dangerous gender ideologies that threaten the well-being of children,” Miller stated. USA FENCING PREPARES TO CHANGE TRANSGENDER POLICY AMID FEDERAL PROBE, BACKLASH AFTER ATHLETE’S KNEEL PROTEST As of fiscal year 2022, there were over 368,000 children in the foster care system, and nearly 109,000 children were “waiting to be adopted” nationwide, according to the most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System report from 2023. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Mock drills in India: Several cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, observe blackout as part of security drill
The nationwide mock drills were conducted to assess emergency preparedness and to evaluate local response capabilities to security challenges.
15 civilians killed, 43 injured in artillery firing by Pak army in J-K after ‘Operation Sindoor’
Fifteen innocent civilians have been killed and 43 injured in artillery firing by the Pakistan Army since yesterday night which has hit civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar, defence sources said on Wednesday. Pakistan Army has targeted civilian areas in the border areas.
Vance previews US-Iran nuclear talks, says Trump ‘open’ to sitting down with Russians, Chinese in future
Vice President JD Vance previewed the next round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump would be “open” to sitting down with Chinese and Russian officials in the future to prevent proliferation. U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled for a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Trump will visit the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. At the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, former German ambassador to the U.S., Wolfgang Ischinger, asked Vance if the administration would “go for zero enrichment” by Tehran and noted the unresolved “Gaza issue.” TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’ Vance cited “two big issues” with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the Iran nuclear deal secured in 2015 during the Obama administration. Trump has said the flawed deal did not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. The vice president on Wednesday added that former President Barack Obama’s agreement had “incredibly weak” enforcement regarding inspections, and he, therefore, didn’t believe “it actually served the function of preventing the Iranians from getting on the pathway to nuclear weapons.” Secondly, Vance said the Trump administration believes there were some elements of the Iranian nuclear program that were actually “preserved” under the JCPOA. “Yes, there weren’t nuclear weapons. Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said, arguing the deal “allowed Iran to sort of stay on this glide path towards a nuclear weapon if they flip the switch and press go.” “We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy,” Vance said ahead of the talks. “That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. And that’s what we’re negotiating towards. And as the president has said, that’s Option A.” If Option A is “very good for the Iranian people,” Vance offered that Option B “is very bad.” “It’s very bad for everybody. And it’s not what we want, but it’s better than Option C, which is Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That is what is completely off the table for the American administration. No ifs, ands or buts,” Vance said. ISRAEL SAYS TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST VISIT IS THE ‘WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY’ FOR HOSTAGE DEAL Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday that he would only accept “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program. The vice president on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s broader objective is to prevent nuclear proliferation, noting that he believes the president would be “open” to sitting down with China and Russia down the road. “If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, which country then next gets a nuclear weapon, and then when that country gets a nuclear weapon, which country after that? We really care not just about Iran, but about nuclear proliferation,” Vance said. “The president hates nuclear proliferation. I hate nuclear proliferation. And I think that the president would be very open to sitting down with the Russians and the Chinese and saying, ‘look, let’s get this thing in a much better place. Let’s reduce the number of nuclear weapons that are in the world writ large.’ That’s obviously not a conversation for tomorrow. That’s a conversation, God willing, for a few years from now.” “But there is no way you get to that conversation if you allow multiple regimes all over the world to enter this sprint for a nuclear weapon,” Vance added. “And we really think that if the Iran domino falls, you’re going to see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East. That’s very bad for us. It’s very bad for our friends. And it’s something that we don’t think can happen.” As for negotiations with Iran, Vance gave a grade of “so far, so good,” thanking intermediaries, including the Omanis, for ensuring that the talks are “on the right pathway.” “But this is going to end somewhere, and it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program — their nuclear weapons program,” Vance said. “They can have civil nuclear power. Okay. We don’t mind that. But let me ask this basic question – which regime in the world has civil nuclear power and enrichment without having a nuclear weapon? And the answer is no one.” “So our proposition is very simple. Yes, we don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that. But you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon. And that’s where we draw the line.” Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. military, which has been bombing Iran-backed Houthis since March 15 to defend freedom of navigation, would stop its strikes on the Yemen-based terror group, which communicated it does “not want to fight” anymore. The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile launched from Yemen that struck near the main terminal of an Israeli airport last weekend hours before the Israeli Cabinet voted to expand fighting in Gaza. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump also teased a “very, very big announcement” happened before his Middle East trip, but declined to clarify the subject, besides saying it “wasn’t necessarily about trade.”