Meet the AI, crypto executive cozying up to Trump while also backing resistance movement: ‘Won’t be fooled’
FIRST ON FOX: One of the major players in the crypto and artificial intelligence (AI) industries attempting to cozy up to the Trump administration is a longtime Democratic operative and donor who has backed anti-Trump efforts and candidates while working for companies stacked with Democratic activists. Chris Lehane, a veteran political strategist dating back to the Clinton administration, has donated over $150,000 to Democrats, FEC records show, and many of those Democrats have been outspoken Trump critics for several years. Lehane has been a major backer of Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial in 2021 and against several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees. He also hosted a San Francisco fundraiser for the Virginia senator, along with Open AI’s Sam Altman, in March. Warner has been a key figure in the resistance to the Trump administration, including being a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s “sloppy” Signal chat controversy and pushing back on the administration’s DOGE push against waste, fraud and abuse in government. Lehane also donated thousands of dollars to the Biden and Harris campaigns. TRUMP CRYPTO CHIEF SAYS WE ARE IN THE ‘GOLDEN AGE’ FOR DIGITAL ASSETS, ‘CLEARING THE DECK’ OF BIDEN BARRIERS In 2024, Lehane joined the board of Coinbase, which operates one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world, and has taken an active role influencing crypto and AI policy in recent months. Coinbase’s Board of Directors has donated more than $22 million to Democratic candidates and committees while donating less than $5 million to Republicans, FEC records show. Those donations include almost $50,000 to Kamala Harris’ campaign since 2009, including to her presidential campaign, from board member and top Democratic donor Ron Conway. Conway has donated over $300,000 to the DNC, over $1.5 million to the DCCC and millions to the House Majority PAC and Senate Majority PAC, FEC records show. Since 1999, board member Fred Wilson has given over $2 million to political campaigns and committees, and only $17,600 of that went to Republicans, FEC records show. MR. WONDERFUL TALKS ‘EXCITEMENT’ AROUND CRYPTOCURRENCY UNDER TRUMP: AMERICA IS IN A ‘NEW PHASE’ Additionally, Coinbase’s Global Advisory Council is laden with Trump critics, including John Anzelone, a pollster for Biden, Obama and Hillary Clinton; former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper; former Democratic mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa; former GOP Sen. Pat Toomey, who said in September he would not vote for Trump; and former Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, who served on the January 6th Select Committee. Julia Krieger, Coinbase’s head of U.S. public affairs, previously worked for American Bridge, a Democratic opposition research firm, and Media Matters, known for organizing pressure campaigns against conservative voices it opposes. She also held multiple roles in the Biden administration and the 2020 Biden campaign. Coinbase does have two Trump allies on its advisory board — David Urban and recently appointed Chris LaCivita, who served as the Republican National Committee’s chief operating officer and held multiple titles on the successful 2024 Trump campaign. Additionally, several members of Coinbase’s executive team have donated to Republicans, including Brian Armstrong and Paul Grewal. Armstrong, the company’s CEO, was present at the Trump White House crypto summit earlier this year. Open Secrets data from the 2024 election cycle shows a roughly 50-50 split between Coinbase’s donations to congressional Democrats and Republicans. “Our focus has always been mission first, to support candidates that support crypto and blockchain innovation, and we’re proud to do so,” Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad, a former top NSC official under President George W. Bush, told Fox News Digital. Lehane also serves as the vice president of global affairs at OpenAI, a company that Fox News Digital reported on recently. It partnered with a new AI initiative led by a group co-founded with outgoing Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry that has pushed left-wing causes and has several board members aligned with Democrats. The longtime Democratic operative is also an operating partner at Haun Ventures, which is staffed by employees who appear to donate almost exclusively to Democrats. Since 2022, individuals listed as being employed by Haun Ventures have made 43 separate political contributions totaling over $110,000. All 43 of those were to Democratic candidates or organizations. Lehane is credited with coining the phrase “vast right-wing conspiracy” to describe the Monica Lewinsky scandal while he was working for the Clinton administration and has been labeled in the media as a “master of the political dark arts.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Shocking, another Trump hater is trying to cozy up to Trump for business purposes,” a person close to the Trump administration told Fox News Digital. “Trump won’t be fooled.” Lately, Lehane has been vocal about efforts to cozy up to the incoming administration, which has made advancing crypto and AI technology a priority, and even visited the White House in March. He “has had many meetings with Trump administration officials about AI policy, and expects a full strategy to be released by the summer,” Axios reported. “There’s a real focus from the administration on developing an AI strategy to ensure U.S. economic competitiveness and national security are prioritized,” Lehane told the outlet. “Our work stream is intersecting with where the administration is going.” Lehane penned an op-ed for Fox News in March, “Securing the AI future: How President Trump’s action plan can position America for success.”
Hegseth, Signal questions dog Waltz as potentially perilous UN ambassador confirmation hearings loom
The same day that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz exited his job at the White House, President Donald Trump announced a new job offer for the former Florida congressman: United Nations ambassador. But there are some hurdles Waltz must clear first before the New York job is his — including undergoing a Senate confirmation process amid scrutiny after the Atlantic magazine exposed a Signal group chat that his team had set up to discuss strikes against the Houthis in March. And receiving full support from the slim Republican majority in the Senate isn’t guaranteed, and not all Republicans got on board backing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Vice President JD Vance ultimately cast the tie-breaking vote securing Hegseth’s nomination. Democrats appear hungry to use Waltz’s nomination as a forum to air grievances against other foreign policy leaders in the Trump administration — particularly Hegseth. NEXT US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR? HERE’S WHOM TRUMP MIGHT PICK TO REPLACE WALTZ Still, Waltz’s nomination to represent the U.S. at the U.N. will likely attract support from establishment Republicans in the Senate who weren’t on board with Hegseth in the Pentagon, given that the ideological divide between these Republicans and Waltz is much smaller than it was in Hegseth’s case, according to one Florida GOP source. “He’s been able to thread the needle really, really well between traditional conservative foreign policy voices and the more populist America First policy voices,” the Florida GOP source said of Waltz. Waltz, who previously represented Florida’s 6th congressional district, is a retired Army National Guard colonel and former Green Beret who served four deployments to Afghanistan and earned four Bronze Stars — the fourth-highest military combat award, issued for heroic service against an armed enemy. While Waltz and Hegseth both were embroiled in the Signal chat discussing strike plans against the Houthis, Hegseth has attracted more of the heat, at least publicly, stemming from the incident. Democrats have called for Hegseth’s resignation as a result of the chat, but staffers at the White House — including Waltz — have openly backed Hegseth and shut down reports that the administration is seeking his replacement. But Waltz could get his turn attracting the ire of lawmakers as Democrats find an opportunity to openly grill him in front of the Senate, amid displeasure with Trump’s foreign policy and national security agenda. “The second hundred days of national security under President Trump will apparently be just as chaotic as the first hundred,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said in a statement to Fox News Digital about Waltz’s departure from the White House. “President Trump’s consistent hirings, firings and upheaval sap morale from our warfighters and intelligence officers, degrade our military readiness, and leave us less prepared to respond to threats from our adversaries,” Coons said. “American citizens at home and around the world are less safe because of President Trump’s non-existent national security strategy.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., also took aim at Waltz — although she labeled Hegseth the worst offender affiliated with “Signalgate.” MIKE WALTZ, OTHER NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFFERS OUT IN LATEST TRUMP PURGE FOLLOWING SIGNAL CHAT LEAK “Took them long enough. Mike Waltz knowingly made an unclassified chain to discuss classified matters,” Duckworth said in a Thursday X post ahead of Waltz’s U.N. ambassador nomination. “But of all the idiots in that chat, Hegseth is the biggest security risk of all—he leaked the info that put our troops in greater danger. Fire and investigate them all.” In addition to the Signal chat, Waltz’s exit from the White House was tied to several other issues. For example, Axios reports that Waltz treated White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles like “staff,” and his disrespect rubbed her the wrong way. “He treated her like staff and didn’t realize he’s the staff, she’s the embodiment of the president,” a White House official told Axios. “Susie is a deeply loyal person and the disrespect was made all the worse because it was disloyal.” Waltz reportedly discussed different roles he could take on following his stint at the White House with Wiles, according to CBS News. Waltz was reportedly offered jobs, including the ambassador to Saudi Arabia, but ultimately settled on U.N. ambassador. A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. With Waltz out as national security advisor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will temporarily step into that role. While Trump originally nominated Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to represent the U.S. at the U.N., he rescinded her nomination in March, citing that the House could not afford to lose another Republican seat. Stefanik’s nomination lagged in the Senate in comparison to other U.N. ambassador nominees, including Trump’s first U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. The Senate confirmed Haley in January, just after Trump’s first inauguration. While the exact timeline for a potential confirmation vote in the Senate is unclear, the first hurdle that Waltz must clear is a confirmation vote out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Although it is uncertain when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will schedule the nomination hearing for Waltz and the subsequent vote, the committee said his nomination is a “priority.” “The committee has been working at a historically fast pace and this nomination will be a priority moving forward,” a GOP staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told Fox News Digital. The 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly is scheduled for September 9, so there are a few months for Waltz’s confirmation to play out, the Florida GOP source said. That means that Waltz could take a few months off, start the confirmation process in June or July and wrap up his confirmation by September at the latest, the source said. “He’s got plenty of time. So, this isn’t a looming fight that’s going to happen next week,” the Florida GOP source said. “This is going to play out probably in June or July, which by then, people are going to
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Another Ivy League School Faces GOP Ire
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – China open to talks with Trump admin on lowering tariffs, ministry says – Top Senate Armed Services Republican says Trump OMB’s budget ‘shreds to the bone’ military capabilities – Former Trump official slams UN reform efforts as ‘eight and a half years late’ A brewing controversy over a “DOGE-like” email at one of America’s top universities has gotten the attention of Capitol Hill. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wrote to Brown University on Friday morning urging the school to reconsider any disciplinary action against Alex Shieh, a sophomore who sent an email mirroring the style of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that asked non-faculty university workers what they did “all day.” “Reports indicate that Mr. Shieh engaged in a journalistic act of contacting university administrative employees to inquire about their roles and responsibilities. This action, it appears, stemmed from his perspective as a student paying a substantial tuition fee and experiencing concerns regarding university facilities, leading him to question the allocation of administrative resources,” Nehls wrote…READ MORE ‘FIERCE’ MAHA FIGHTER: Trump’s surgeon general pick touted as ‘fierce’ MAHA advocate before confirmation hearing ‘CELEBRATING OUR VICTORIES’: Trump declares May 8 as ‘Victory Day’ for World War II: ‘Going to start celebrating our victories again!’ GULF SHIFT: Trump’s interior chief to unleash Gulf drilling with major rule change ‘WHAT THEY DESERVE’: Trump says he’ll revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status ‘FIGHTING THE FAKE NEWS’: DHS pushes back against claims of immigration enforcement at elementary schools MILITARY MESS: Billions spent, warfighters wait: Inside the Pentagon’s broken buying system and the plan to fix it ‘100 DAYS’: Buttigieg ‘got nothing done,’ Duffy declares: ‘Pete appears unburdened by no longer being a cabinet secretary’ TRUMP V COURTS: Trump asks SCOTUS to strip protected status for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants GOP CLAPS BACK: ‘Protect’ the majority: Senate GOP’s campaign arm takes opposite tact to DNC’s Hogg ‘OUT OF CONTROL’: Trump dubs Dems ‘out of control,’ suggests GOP consider kicking them out of Congress for ‘REAL crimes’ CAMPAIGN BUZZ: AOC draws spotlight with Queens town hall as 2028 White House talk swirls ‘GREEN NEW SCAM’: Trump’s tax overhaul hits GOP turbulence over Biden-era green incentives TAKE A NUMBER: REAL ID renews America’s age-old dread of the DMV ‘MANUFACTURING BOOM’: ‘Mississippi’s moment’: Gov Tate Reeves on economic growth from eliminating state income tax ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’: California lawmaker demands ‘accountability’ after illegal immigrant’s planned early release stopped by feds IMMIGRATION BATTLE: Fla. AG to rebuff judge who ordered halt to state immigration enforcement: ‘The court has overstepped’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Ex-Pelosi aide accuses Hakeem Jeffries of ‘squandering’ anti-Trump opportunities in stunning rebuke
A former top advisor to ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is not meeting the moment in the current Trump era. “Trump is just giving us all this incredible red meat. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like the biggest gift any party has been given by the opposition, and we’re just squandering it, to a degree,” former Pelosi advisor Ashley Etienne told Politico’s Deep Dive podcast. Etienne helped Pelosi oversee Democrats’ messaging during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. She also previously worked for former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. She said Jeffries was “doing well” in many areas and said she had “a tremendous amount of respect” for the New York Democrat but signaled that he was missing opportunities on anti-Trump messaging. WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS “He gave a speech this morning. I don’t have any talking points in my phone about what he said. And I’m going to be doing TV and this interview all day. That’s a failure,” Etienne said. “How do you get to discipline if you’re not telling people what the hell you want them to say? At least emphatically, at least tonally.” Jeffries’ allies pushed back against that characterization, pointing out that intraparty friction was taking attention away from Trump’s low poll numbers and Republicans’ policies. “Donald Trump’s approval ratings are plummeting, and he’s bringing House Republicans down with him. Extreme MAGA Republicans have been forced to delay their plans to advance Trump’s centerpiece legislative priority due to intense backlash against their scheme to enact the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and food assistance. Let’s keep the main thing, the main thing,” Jeffries spokesperson Christiana Stephenson told Fox News Digital. Just Friday morning, Jeffries released a statement hammering House Republicans for having to delay part of their legislative work to advance Trump’s agenda. But Etienne’s comments are a notable rebuke from a former senior Democratic leadership aide to one of the party’s most powerful current officials, which comes after months of Democrats being plagued by infighting over messaging woes. Etienne noted that Democrats had scored several wins on the messaging front, like having “successfully demonized Elon Musk” and Sen. Cory Booker’s recent record-breaking filibuster speech. But she singled out liberals’ protests during Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress as an “embarrassing” setback for the party and Jeffries. “If you look at the headlines post-the speech, even during the speech, it was more about Democrats and Democrats protesting rather than what Trump was actually saying. And in those kind of moments, you don’t want to become the story. You want Trump to be the story,” Etienne said. “And I also thought it was a problem for Mr. Jeffries. I mean, it really says a lot about how people value his leadership. He asked for no protest. And what did they do? They protest 50 different ways.” AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS Both Pelosi and Jeffries’ offices told Politico that the latter often seeks the former’s input, and Jeffries’ spokesperson pushed back on Politico’s reporting that House Democratic leaders were seeking to move past Pelosi and that Jeffries was not doing enough to help Democratic groups with messaging. One of those groups, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), pushed back on the assertion they were not hearing enough from Jeffries. PCCC sent out a press release that read, “Today, in a POLITICO article we are not interested in dwelling on, a former Pelosi staffer attacked Hakeem Jeffries. PCCC co-founder Adam Green said, ‘We hear more from Jeffries than we ever heard from Pelosi.’” Meanwhile, a House Democratic aide told Fox News Digital that Jeffries held “multiple calls” previewing his earlier speech on Trump’s first 100 days in office, as well as talking points “emphasizing the Leader’s message that President Trump’s first 100 days have been a disaster for the American people.” Stephenson, Jeffries’ spokesperson, also posted on X of Politico’s report, “Can anyone tell me how grandstanding like this is anything other than a gift to Republicans?” But House Republicans’ elections arm was quick to pounce on the discord as well. “Hakeem Jeffries is the so-called leader of a team that doesn’t fear him, doesn’t follow him, and now, doesn’t even pretend to respect him,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. And Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, a former chief counsel of the House Judiciary Committee, criticized Jeffries’ leadership but said that Trump was not Democrats’ main problem. “He’s not a particularly effective speaker, gives no sense of direction or purpose, seems intent on not offending anyone, and has a leadership style that seems extremely passive,” Epstein said. “The Democrats in the House just seem like a big blob that goes wherever gravity takes them, and right now gravity is taking them to the hard protest left. But no matter who the leader is, if the Democrats are selling a product that voters don’t like, it won’t matter.” Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
House Freedom Caucus embraces Trump budget proposal ‘paradigm shift’
The House Freedom Caucus described President Donald Trump’s budget proposal as “a paradigm shift,” and members of the conservative group expressed support for the president’s plan. “This is how you break the Swamp. Passing MAGA Republican priorities in reconciliation with Republican votes — ending Democrats’s leverage against the President in appropriations to fund the Left’s wasteful, woke and weaponized bureaucracy. The FY26 budget is a paradigm shift,” the Freedom Caucus declared in a post on X. The president is seeking to decrease non-defense discretionary spending and boost funding for defense. TRUMP ADMIN RELEASES BUDGET BLUEPRINT IN PUSH FOR DEFENSE SPENDING BOOST Trump “is proposing base non-defense discretionary budget authority (of) $163 billion, 22.6 percent below current-year spending, while still protecting funding for homeland security, veterans, seniors, law enforcement, and infrastructure,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought indicated in a message to Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “For Defense spending, the President proposes an increase of 13 percent to $1.01 trillion for FY 2026; for Homeland Security, the Budget commits a historic $175 billion investment to, at long last, fully secure our border. Under the proposal, a portion of these increases — at least $325 billion assumed in the budget resolution recently agreed to by the Congress — would be provided through reconciliation, to ensure that our military and other agencies repelling the invasion of our border have the resources needed to complete the mission,” he explained. TOP SENATE ARMED SERVICES REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP OMB’S BUDGET ‘SHREDS TO THE BONE’ MILITARY CAPABILITIES Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has expressed support for the president’s proposal. “This budget re-aligns federal spending to the priorities of the people: a secure nation, making America healthy again, a Justice Department combatting crime and not weaponized against the people, and common sense,” the congressman declared in a statement. TRUMP SAYS PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID WON’T BE TOUCHED IN GOP BUDGET BILL “Combined with our joint efforts to rescind other wasteful spending and deliver a reconciliation bill that will extend and expand the Trump tax cuts while reforming Medicaid and other programs to reduce deficits, we are poised to deliver prosperity, freedom, and strength to the American people,” he said. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., another member of the House Freedom Caucus, referred to Trump’s proposal as “a game-changing budget,” in a post on X, asserting it “is exactly what Republicans were elected to deliver: securing the homeland, cutting the federal government, and crippling the deep state.” Freedom Caucus member Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., described the president’s budget as “a bold step toward fiscal responsibility.”
Trump to host military parade to celebrate Army’s 250th birthday, honor active-duty service members, veterans
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump will host a military parade in June to honor military veterans and active-duty service members and commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday, Fox News Digital has learned. The parade is expected to take place on June 14 — the 250th birthday of the United States Army and also Trump’s birthday. TRUMP TO CREATE TASK FORCE TO PLAN ‘EXTRAORDINARY CELEBRATION’ FOR 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICA’S INDEPENDENCE The parade will have reenactors, equipment and more from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War/Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror (Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria). It’s also slated to feature active-duty service members and students at U.S. military academies. “The President is planning an historic celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday that will honor generations of selfless Americans who have risked everything for our freedom,” White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley told Fox News Digital. “Exactly 250 years ago, the first American Patriots died for the cause of Independence. We owe our freedom to them, and to every solider who has given their life for our nation in the two and half centuries since.” The parade comes after Trump, in January, signed an executive order creating “Task Force 250,” which is focused on coordinating the plans and activities surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The 250th anniversary of America’s founding is July 4, 2026. “As one of the first events of the year-long celebration of our 250th anniversary, this commemorative parade will be a fitting tribute to the service, sacrifice, and selflessness of the brave men and women who have worn the uniform and devoted their lives to defending the greatest experiment in liberty known to man,” Vance told Fox News Digital. TRUMP WHITE HOUSE RELEASES VIDEO SERIES LEADING UP TO AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY: ‘ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE’ The White House is coordinating closely with the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Parks Service and a number of other agencies to execute “this spectacular event honoring our Veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and military history,” an official told Fox News Digital. “We love our military and take great pride in honoring our warfighters,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News Digital. “In celebration of 250 years of the U.S. Army, we will throw the biggest and most beautiful military parade in our nation’s history.” Meanwhile, the task force is coordinating “the plans and activities of federal agencies for an extraordinary celebration of the 250thh Anniversary of American Independence.” Task Force 250 builds upon the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration half a century ago. The celebration “emphasized national renewal of our founding ideals after a period of national unrest and division,” the White House told Fox News Digital. AHEAD OF TRUMP SPEECH TO CONGRESS, FLASHBACK TO 2017 ADDRESS ASKING ‘WHAT WILL AMERICA LOOK LIKE’ AT 250 In the lead-up to the major 2026 celebration, the White House has celebrated the anniversaries of major events in America’s founding, including the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give me Death” speech in March; the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s famous ride in April; and the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The executive order that established the task force also reinstated executive orders from Trump’s first administration, establishing the National Garden of American Heroes, a statuary park memorializing 250 historically significant Americans, and commissioning artists for the first 100 statues. The National Garden of American Heroes honors “American heroism” after dozens of monuments to Americans, including presidents and Founding Fathers, were toppled or destroyed and never restored. The order also reinstated an order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism. The White House said America’s 250th anniversary will “afford an opportunity to unite the American people around their shared history and common future as a nation.” During Trump’s first term, he held a unique “Salute To America” event on the Fourth of July in 2019, which was different from typical Independence Day celebrations put on by past presidents. The event included a prominent display of military hardware with tanks parked near the National Mall and military flyovers by an array of aircraft. It also included an address on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial from the president and the typical fireworks display.
A US judge partially blocked Trump’s election integrity order from taking force. Is that legal?
Last month, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., blocked key parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order on election integrity – a move that underscores how deeply divided the country remains over what “election integrity” really means.. Though the executive order Trump signed was titled, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” the Democratic National Party (DNC), which led a group of plaintiffs in challenging the order in federal court, argued that it was an attempt to encroach on elections and disenfranchise voters. In the end, both sides won out – sort of, and at least for now. Here’s what to know about the case in question: TRUMP ASKS SCOTUS TO STRIP PROTECTED STATUS FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ultimately left in place three key parts of Trump’s executive order, including a provision requiring states not to count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, in a partial victory for the Trump administration. But she sided with Democratic plaintiffs in blocking, for now, both a new proof-of-citizenship requirement for federal voter registration forms and a provision directing election officials to verify the citizenship of would-be voters. Unequivocally, yes. That’s exactly the problem modern presidents face when trying to make lasting policy changes through executive orders – a tactic increasingly favored by both Democrats and Republicans. It’s a risky way to govern for two reasons. The first is that these orders can just as easily be overturned by the next commander-in-chief (as has been on display under the last four administrations). They also risk being halted in federal courts, where U.S. judges are explicitly tasked with serving as a check on the president, and are free to pause or halt such orders from taking force, should they determine they are outside the scope of the executive branch’s authorities. That also doesn’t mean that district courts need to have the final say on the matter. TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER ON VOTING BLOCKED BY FEDERAL JUDGES AMID FLURRY OF LEGAL SETBACKS Kollar-Kotelly stressed last month that voter registration laws and the ability to regulate elections are set by Congress and by individual states, not the executive branch. Both states and Congress can pass laws so long as they do not “needlessly impose” an undue burden on voters under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But the executive branch, which does not share in these abilities to make and pass election-related laws, is not entitled to the same standard of legal review, according to the judge. “Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States – not the President – with the authority to regulate federal elections,” Kollar-Kotelly said in her ruling. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA The Trump administration is, of course, free to appeal the decision to higher courts, should it choose to do so. “President Trump will keep fighting for election integrity, despite Democrat objections that reveal their disdain for commonsense safeguards like verifying citizenship,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in response to the ruling last month. But its next steps remain unclear. To date, the administration has not appealed the matter, and officials have not said definitively whether they plan to do so.
Top Senate Armed Services Republican says Trump OMB’s budget ‘shreds to the bone’ military capabilities
The Senate’s top Armed Services Republican eviscerated President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shortly after the White House released details of its government funding proposal for fiscal year 2026. “President Trump successfully campaigned on a Peace Through Strength agenda, but his advisers at the Office of Management and Budget were apparently not listening,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement. “The Big, Beautiful Reconciliation Bill was always meant to change fundamentally the direction of the Pentagon on programs like Golden Dome, border support, and unmanned capabilities – not to paper over OMB’s intent to shred to the bone our military capabilities and our support to service members. BILLIONS SPENT, WARFIGHTERS WAIT: INSIDE THE PENTAGON’S BROKEN BUYING SYSTEM AND THE PLAN TO FIX IT The Trump OMB’s “skinny budget,” released on Friday, proposes cuts to non-defense funding by $163 billion but increases defense funding from $893 billion to $1.01 trillion – a 13% increase. That includes $892.6 billion in discretionary spending, but will be supplemented by $119.3 billion in mandatory spending that is expected to be passed in the upcoming reconciliation bill. Senior officials told Fox News the Trump administration needed to get creative to get a $1 trillion-plus budget over the finish line: Republican majorities have historically been forced to offer one-to-one increases in non-defense spending to secure increases in defense spending. However, by keeping discretionary defense spending at $892.6 billion, the same level as fiscal year 2025, the budget that would be presented to Democrats would essentially reflect an unchanged defense discretionary budget with a smaller non-defense discretionary budget of about $557 billion – a 22.6% decrease. The White House and congressional Republicans would then pursue the reset of the defense spending through the budget reconciliation process that is linked to the tax cut package. HEGSETH ORDERS SWEEPING ARMY OVERHAUL AND CONSOLIDATION AIMED AT COUNTERING CHINA AND GOLDEN DOME CAPABILITIES But Wicker isn’t satisfied. “OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms. This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage,” he said. “I have said for months that reconciliation defense spending does not replace the need for real growth in the military’s base budget.” OMB Director Russ Vought said in a post on X: “The President wants to increase defense spending to $1 trillion, a 13% increase to keep our country secure. This budget provides that level while ensuring that only Republican-votes are needed by using reconciliation to secure those increases without Democrats insisting on increasing wasteful government.” To account for spending decreases across government, all departments were asked to provide recommended budget cuts except for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Transportation, which were excluded to protect veterans’ services as well as NASA and space exploration programs. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Congress will have to hammer out its own budget plan – which could take months – with the White House’s framework as a suggestion. Wicker has long aimed to grow U.S. defense spending to 5% of the GDP, up from around 3.5 percent. The Mississippi senator suggested he would ignore the OMB guidelines and work to achieve “real growth” within the defense budget. Fox Business’ Edward Lawrence and Eric Revell contributed to this report.
India bans YouTube channels, social media accounts of these cricketers, list includes Shoaib Akhtar, Hasan Ali
India has blocked social media accounts of famous current and former Pakistani cricketers and actors. These include Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Wasim Akram and Shaheen Afridi have been added to the list of social media accounts of Pakistani cricketers banned in India.
AOC draws spotlight with Queens town hall as 2028 White House talk swirls
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is hosting an in-person town hall in Jackson Heights, Queens, on Friday night amid speculation she is considering a 2028 presidential run. After speaking at a May Day protest in New York City on Thursday, rejecting Trump’s agenda and warning protesters that Republicans “are going after Medicaid next,” Ocasio-Cortez is returning home to New York’s 14th congressional district to “share updates on her work in D.C., provide important constituent updates, and take questions from the audience.” Ocasio-Cortez has been jet-setting across the United States with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital that Friday night’s town hall was originally scheduled for the April congressional recess, but had to be rescheduled because Ocasio-Cortez was sick. She posted an Instagram story two weeks ago apologizing for canceling. Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez did not rule out 2028 presidential aspirations when asked by Fox News Digital about the viral video that had pundits guessing whether she were soft-launching her campaign. WATCH: AOC LEAVES DOOR OPEN FOR 2028 PRESIDENTIAL BID AS CAMPAIGN BUZZ SOARS “I think what people should be most concerned about is the fact that Republicans are trying to cut Medicaid right now, and people’s healthcare is in danger. That’s really what my central focus is,” the New York Democrat said when asked whether she is considering a run for president, despite President Donald Trump’s assurances that he wouldn’t cut Medicaid. AOC CLAIMS ‘WE ARE ONE’ IN CAMPAIGN-STYLE VIDEO DESPITE YEARS OF INVOKING RACE, GENDER IN POLITICS “This moment isn’t about campaigns, or elections, or about politics. It’s about making sure people are protected, and we’ve got people that are getting locked up for exercising their First Amendment rights. We’re getting two-year-olds that are getting deported into cells in Honduras. We’re getting people that are about to get kicked off of Medicaid. That, to me, is most important,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Capitol Hill on Trump’s 100th day in office. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign account posted a video on X last week that invigorated those rumors as the four-term Democrat from New York City and a progressive leader proclaimed, “We are one.” “I’m a girl from the Bronx,” Ocasio-Cortez said on a campaign-style stage in Idaho. “To be welcomed here in this state, all of us together, seeing our common cause, this is what this country is all about.” Americans reposted Ocasio-Cortez’s video across X, pointing to the video as proof of her 2028 presidential ambitions. “Get ready America. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will almost undoubtedly run for president in 2028,” political reporter Eric Daugherty said in response to the video. ‘WE ARE ONE’: AOC CAMPAIGN VIDEO SWIRLS 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RUMORS As rumors swirl over Ocasio-Cortez’s ambition for higher office, back at home in New York, a Siena College poll found that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s favorability is down, at 39% among New York state voters questioned in the poll, which was conducted April 14 through 16. Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez’s favorability soared to 47%. The longtime senator from New York faced pushback from the Democratic Party in March for supporting the Republican budget bill backed by Trump that averted a government shutdown and stirred up outrage among congressional Democrats who planned to boycott the bill. POLLSTER NATE SILVER CALLS OCASIO-CORTEZ MOST LIKELY TO BE 2028 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE That growing disapproval among Democrats was reflected in the poll, and the shifting perception comes as DNC vice chair David Hogg, through his political arm, Leaders We Deserve, faced blowback from the DNC for investing $20 million into electing younger Democrats to safe House Democrat seats. Ocasio-Cortez raked in a massive $9.6 million over the past three months. The record-breaking fundraising haul was one of the biggest ever for any House lawmaker. Ocasio-Cortez’s team highlighted that the fundraising came from 266,000 individual donors, with an average contribution of just $21. “I cannot convey enough how grateful I am to the millions of people supporting us with your time, resources, & energy. Your support has allowed us to rally people together at record scale to organize their communities,” Ocasio-Cortez emphasized in a social media post. Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about the 2028 presidential speculation.