Transgender activists’ National Mall rally to be joined by a dozen members of Congress: organizers
The Trans Day of Visibility Rally will take place on the National Mall Monday afternoon, with organizers prepared to tell the Trump administration, “We’re not going anywhere,” according to the organizers’ flyer. A dozen congressional lawmakers are expected to make an appearance at the rally. The rally, organized “after relentless attacks from the Trump administration on the transgender community,” is one of several large-scale protests and marches held for Trans Day of Visibility on March 31, which was officially designated by former President Biden annually beginning in 2021. The event, organized by the Christopher Street Project — a nonprofit with a PAC focused on electing “champions for the transgender community” — is also supported by a dozen other organizations. TRANS ACTIVISTS SET ‘SURVIVAL SKILLS’ FOCUS AMID TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS FOR TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY WEEKEND Tensions remain high as transgender issues remain a focal point in U.S. politics and the culture war, with several high-profile Democrats, like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, coming out in recent weeks against biological men in women’s sports. The U.S. Supreme Court will also either decide or hear oral arguments on a number of LGBTQ-related cases this year, while both red and blue states pass their own laws to either limit or expand transgender medical treatments for minors. While Trans Day of Visibility has typically been a celebration in recent years, this year’s mood shifted to one of protest against President Donald Trump’s gender-related executive orders. Trump signed a series of executive orders aimed at limiting gender ideology’s influence in federal policies and education since taking back the White House. In February, Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” banning biological males from participating in female-designated athletic competitions. Trump also signed the “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” executive order establishing a binary definition of sex as male and female, determined at conception. HIDING KIDS’ ‘GENDER IDENTITY’ FROM PARENTS IS COMMON IN BLUE STATE FIGHTING TRUMP ON TRANS ISSUES: WATCHDOG Over the weekend, several blue cities hosted rallies and festivals, including Trans Fest, which featured an indigenous prayer led by activist Angel C. Fabian, who uses he/she/they pronouns and is known in “ceremonial spaces” as Tlahuizpapalotl, or “Butterfly of Light.” The event also offered legal assistance, workshops on rights, political education classes, survival skills and self-defense sessions, according to its advertisement on social media. The National Mall rally is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. ET.
‘A birth is more expensive than an abortion’: CO Dems argue fiscal virtues of liberal health care bill
The speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives argued in a recent committee hearing on a new “pregnancy-related services” bill that “averted births” could lead to cost savings for the state and its Medicaid program. Rep. Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, seated as a bill-sponsor witness during a Health and Human Services Committee hearing in Denver last week, was pressed on her argument that the bill would “decrease costs for our health care policy and financing department [and] Medicaid expenditures.” “[T]he savings from averted births outweigh the cost of covering reproductive health care for all Coloradans,” McCluskie said, adding the bill will require abortions to be state-funded so as to avoid “potential interference” from the feds. McCluskie claimed the bill is a response to voters approving a 2024 ballot referendum that repealed a state constitutional amendment banning public funds for abortion procedures and instead recognized the operation as a right. MORE NEWS FROM COLORADO Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Lone Tree, questioned McCluskie’s cost argument from a pro-life perspective, and lamented the fact Colorado allows abortion up until the day of delivery. Bradley countered that McCluskie’s cost-centric position ignores the high price of third-trimester abortions, which she calculated to be as much as $25,000, and asked General Assembly nonpartisan fiscal analyst Bill Zepernick to weigh-in on official figures. “So help me understand: From a fiscal point of view, you say there’s a decrease of $1.7 million from federal funds — but if there are no federal funds, you would say there’s no money coming from federal funds,” Bradley asked McCluskie. “Can you walk me through why it just says a decrease, and not that there’s zero money coming from federal funds, because if there is, the Hyde Amendment covers that,” she said, referring to the practice of adding such a rider to health care appropriations bills since the late Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., first did in 1976 to prohibit abortion funding via federal dollars. DEM GOVS URGE TRUMP TO LET STATES PLAY ROLE IN IMMIGRATION DECISIONS McCluskie responded that the savings she referenced comes from “averted births that will not occur because abortions happened instead.” “So, a birth is more expensive than an abortion,” she said. “So, the savings comes in Medicaid births that will not occur — since both federal and state general funds are used through Medicaid for other health care services.” Meanwhile, Bradley pressed McCluskie on the mental health and substance abuse complications some women who undergo abortions may develop. Bill co-sponsor Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Westminster, chimed in, calling Bradley’s concern one that “assumes misinformation” and instead claimed women denied abortions are at risk of suffering longer-term mental health complications. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Cimarron Hills, rejected Garcia’s claim. “You know that that definitely isn’t misinformation,” he said. “CDC and NIH both — I stated these statistics three weeks ago, but they were ignored. Those statistics are wrong. Suicide goes up drastically, specifically second and third trimester. As I mentioned, if they have an abortion, as mental health issues goes up quite a bit.” A pro-life obstetrician later told the committee it seemed proponents of the bill “are saying that if more babies die by abortion it will be cheaper for the state.” Fox News Digital reached out to McCluskie, Bradley and House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, for comment. The full audio was posted in a legislative hearing depository.
NJ lawmakers urge schools to follow Trump’s order against ‘radical indoctrination’
Schools should be following President Donald Trump’s executive order “ending radical indoctrination in K-12,” say two New Jersey lawmakers who put forward a bill to repeal the Garden State’s countervailing law. Assembs. Gregory McGuckin, R-Brick, and Paul Kanitra, R-Point Pleasant Beach, have put forward bill A-5560, which would repeal the 2021 state law requiring instruction on DEI and topics like unconscious bias, gender identity tolerance and disability tolerance. Meanwhile, the state’s Democratic attorney general remains party to multi-state legal guidance countering Trump’s order. “DEI is not appropriate in any part of our children’s curriculum. It is nothing more than rebranded Marxist ideology that destroys people, relationships and communities,” McGuckin said in a statement announcing the repeal effort. GREEN NEW HEADACHE: NJ DEMS FLEE GOV’S ENERGY MASTER PLAN AS ELECTION APPROACHES “[I]n schools, [it] wrecks merit-based rewards and an ambition to excel. True diversity, equity and inclusion leads to free associations which foster innovation and progress.” McGuckin went on to call DEI lessons “garbage” that don’t belong in New Jersey schools. Kanitra said it “boggles the mind” why “telling students their skin color determines their success or failure is true or helpful.” “They are either stupid or evil, or maybe brilliant, because the experts pushing this stuff are quite wealthy, I hear,” he said. Both lawmakers highlighted the decline in state education and test scores since the COVID-era school lock-outs ordered by Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat. McGuckin said students have yet to collectively return to 2019-level proficiency scores. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin characterized Trump’s order to end DEI curricula as having little effect on established law and pledged to continue to fight purported federal overreach. In a statement last week, Platkin said New Jersey’s schools are excelling because of the system’s ability to embrace the state’s diversity. ‘DOGE FEVER’ STATES FROM NJ TO TX ADOPT DOGE INITIATIVES “No toothless threats from the Trump administration will change that,” he said. “Along with my [AG] colleagues across the country, we are issuing legal guidance to schools so that they can continue to foster diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments that benefit all students.” Platkin added he and the other state AGs will continue to fight any effort by the White House to withhold federal funding from schools or special-needs students. He was backed up by neighboring New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said in a statement that the Trump administration “cannot ban diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts with a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter.” New Jersey’s DEI law, spearheaded by former Gov. Richard Codey — now a Democratic state senator from West Orange — mandated school districts incorporate such instruction beginning in the 2021 school year. “The instruction shall highlight and promote diversity, including economic diversity, equity, inclusion, tolerance, and belonging in connection with gender and sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and religious tolerance,” the bill reads. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP It also “examine[s] the impact that unconscious bias and economic disparities have at both an individual level and on society as a whole; and encourage safe, welcoming, and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical disabilities, and religious beliefs.” Assemb. Carol Murphy, D-Burlington, said in 2020 it guarantees students will be “accepted and understanding of what each student goes through in life and making sure there is no stigma attached to that student, regardless of what culture… race… sexuality or where they are in life.” As of Monday afternoon, the repeal effort had gained three additional co-sponsors: Assembs. Gregory Myhre of Barnegat, Brian Rumpf of Little Egg Harbor and Erik Peterson of Readington, all Republicans. Fox News Digital reached out to Platkin and GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Jack Ciattarelli for additional comment for purposes of this story.
US slaps sanctions on top Chinese, Hong Kong officials for rights abuses
Secretary of State Rubio says Beijing ‘broke promises’ to Hong Kong residents, depriving them of their freedoms. The United States has imposed sanctions on six Chinese and Hong Kong officials to punish China for its ongoing crackdown on democracy advocates in the financial hub, which was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The US Department of State announced the sanctions on Monday. They target prominent figures, including Hong Kong Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam for playing a role in efforts to “intimidate, silence and harass 19 pro-democracy activists”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Beijing had “broken its promises” after pledging to allow the territory a high degree of autonomy, “depriving Hong Kongers of freedoms” and engaging in “acts of transnational repression targeting activists on US soil”. .@StateDept’s latest Hong Kong Policy Act Report demonstrates that Beijing has broken its promises to the people of Hong Kong. The United States is imposing sanctions on six individuals for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, depriving Hong Kongers of freedoms, and in being… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 31, 2025 Advertisement The sanctions, marking a rare foray into human rights by the administration of President Donald Trump, will block any interests held by the six individuals in the US and generally criminalise financial transactions with them under US law. They also target Dong Jingwei, a former senior official at China’s main civilian intelligence agency who is now the director of Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; along with senior security and police officials Sonny Au; Dick Wong; and Margaret Chiu. ‘Aggressive’ crackdown Beijing promised a separate system for Hong Kong when Britain handed over the financial hub in 1997. But it then went on to launch major crackdowns on dissent, imposing draconian national security rules after large and at times destructive protests in favour of democracy swept the city in 2019. The State Department’s latest Hong Kong Policy Act Report, published on Monday, pointed to two laws – the Beijing-imposed 2020 National Security Law and the Hong Kong government’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – which it said had been used to “aggressively” prosecute pro‑democracy and media freedom advocates. Targets included the two former chief editors of the now-defunct independent news outlet Stand News – Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam – who were last year jailed on charges of conspiring to publish seditious publications. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities said the National Security Law – which punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with up to life in prison – has brought stability to the Chinese-controlled territory since the 2019 protests. Advertisement The six sanctioned officials were targeted in line with a US law that champions Hong Kong democracy. Hong Kong’s top official, Chief Executive John Lee, is already under US sanctions. Adblock test (Why?)
DISTURBING CONTENT WARNING: Illegal accused of killing Georgia grandmother faces new disturbing charges
DISTURBING CONTENT WARNING: The illegal immigrant accused of killing an Atlanta-area grandmother has been indicted and now faces additional disturbing charges related to the brutal murder. Hector David Sagastume-Rivas, a 21-year-old Honduran illegal alien, was caught and released at the border by the Biden administration in March 2021 and has had an active deportation order since July 2023 after he ignored a deportation order. Cobb County Police say Sagastume-Rivas killed Camillia Williams, a 51-year-old mother of five and a grandmother, then dumped her body in the woods in a neighborhood, drawing parallels to the tragic murder of nursing student Laken Riley, who was also killed by a caught-and-released illegal and left in the woods in Georgia. In addition to felony and malice murder, Sagastume-Rivas is now being charged with aggravated assault, aggravated sexual battery, rape and necrophilia. BLUE STATE SANCTUARY LAWS ENABLED ILLEGAL ‘ABOLISH ICE’ ACTIVIST TO EVADE CAPTURE, SAYS LOCAL DA Authorities say Sagastume-Rivas choked Williams until she was unconscious and then put his knees on her neck and used his full body weight to kill her. Williams was later found in the bushes of a neighborhood yard in Marietta, a popular Atlanta suburb. The new charges were released in an indictment published last Friday. According to the woman’s family, she had been worried about being followed in the days leading up to her murder. Her family is now left shocked and devastated by the killing. Speaking with Fox News, the victim’s brother, Arsene Williams said: “[We] just have problems with people in this country that are murderers, rapists, abusers… we don’t need that over here, we’ve already got enough of that in our own society.” BLUE STATE LEADER SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF DEM IMMIGRATION POLICIES DECIMATING PUBLIC SAFETY There is no indication of a plea by the defendant on the indictment. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Sagastume-Rivas entered the United States illegally on March 17, 2021, and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “He was issued a notice to appear and paroled into the country by the previous administration,” the statement said. “A judge ordered him removed on July 11, 2023. On March 18, 2025, he was arrested by the Cobb County Police Department for capital murder and other crimes.” The statement said, “ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Cobb County Jail. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens – including accused murderers – to be loose on America’s streets.” HOMAN BLASTS BLUE STATE AS REPORT SHOWS IT RELEASING ILLEGALS CHARGED WITH ‘HORRIFIC’ CRIMES ON LOW BAILS Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has denounced the Biden administration for enabling the “gruesome attack.” “This illegal alien should have never been in our country in the first place,” said Noem. “President Trump and I are putting the safety of Americans FIRST.”
Zeldin shutters multimillion-dollar Biden EPA museum that ‘scarcely’ saw visitors
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is shuttering the Biden-era EPA museum located near the White House that “scarcely” saw visitors since it opened in 2024, Fox News Digital learned. Zeldin announced Monday afternoon that the National Environmental Museum and Education Center, which opened last year under the Biden administration, will shutter after costing taxpayers millions to build and subsequently drew a lackluster number of visitors. “The scarcely visited museum cost a whopping $4 million taxpayer dollars to build in accordance with Smithsonian standards and more than $600,000 annually to operate,” the EPA said of the museum in Monday comment provided to Fox News Digital, describing the museum as the “Biden EPA’s pet project.” “It had less than 2,000 external visitors between May 2024-February 2025 and while the museum was free, the cost to taxpayers per external visitor amounted to nearly $315 per person.” The EPA museum opened in May 2024 within the William Jefferson Clinton federal building, which is home to the EPA’s headquarters and sits just blocks from the White House. A smaller EPA exhibit previously was showcased in a neighboring federal building ahead of the construction and opening of the National Environmental Museum and Education Center in 2024. EPA TERMINATES BIDEN ADMIN’S GREEN GRANTS WORTH $20B, ZELDIN SAYS “From Love Canal and the founding of EPA more than 50 years ago to the historic funding of our Investing in America agenda, our new museum chronicles our nation’s work to protect public health and the environment – a movement that has transcended political and geographic divides,” Biden-era EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the museum last year. “Our work with state, local and Tribal partners has changed people’s lives, it has restored our connection with the environment and our planet, and it will ensure that future generations will continue to have clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and clean land to live, work and play on,” he continued. Zeldin’s EPA said the museum did not spotlight bipartisan achievements and efforts protecting Americans’ health and the environment, but instead, “the Biden administration chose to curate the museum with a massive gap of recognition between 2014 and January 20, 2021.” STACEY ABRAMS SLAMMED AFTER DEFENDING $2 BILLION IN BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDS TO BUY GREEN ENERGY APPLIANCES “There is also a higher priority placed on Democrat Administrations’ work compared to Republican Administrations,” an EPA spokesperson said of the museum. “Biden’s EPA favored the incorporation of a slew of ‘environmental justice’ and climate change content to proliferate the fearmongering tactics of the radical left instead of focusing on the statutory work EPA does daily to deliver clean air, land and water to Americans.” LEE ZELDIN LIKENS BIDEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME’ CONNECTED TO STACEY ABRAMS TO ‘THROWING GOLD BARS OFF THE TITANIC’ A breakdown of estimated annual costs to operate the museum, which was provided to Fox Digital, shows taxpayers were expected to foot the bill for an estimated: $123,766.29 in annual cleaning and landscaping costs, $37,899 for audio and visual maintenance, $54,292.99 in annual “artifact storage” costs, $8,900 for “Magnetometer maintenance,” $46,000 for X-ray maintenance, an estimated $123,000 in utility costs, and $207,326 in annual costs to fund two security guards for the museum during operating hours. The total annual operating costs totaled just more than $600,000. The Functional Government Initiative, a government watchdog focused on broadening the public’s awareness of government officials and decisions, celebrated Zeldin’s announcement as a win for taxpayers as funds will return to it intended use for the agency: protecting the environment. COMER PROBES NGOS THAT RECEIVED $20B IN BIDEN EPA GRANTS DESPITE ALMOST NO REVENUE: ‘SHADY DEAL’ Rod Law, Functional Government Initiative’s communications director, said in comment to Fox News Digital Monday. “There is something ironic about the EPA wasting money on a museum about itself when it is supposed to be focused on toxic waste.” “Sadly, promoting special interest climate activism and growing the out-of-touch bureaucracy were hallmarks of the EPA in the Biden administration, and this museum was an unfortunate result of such policy. Administrator Zeldin closing it protects taxpayers, helps return the EPA to its statutory mission of protecting the environment, and abandons past dysfunction and bureaucratic self-promotion,” Law continued. TRUMP EPA CHIEF TO ‘CONFRONT CRISIS’ OF MEXICAN SEWAGE POLLUTING SAN DIEGO AREA BEACHES The New York Times previewed in February that the museum’s fate hung in the balance as the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency went through various federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud, and mismanagement. Zeldin, a staunch Trump ally, has been on a cost-cutting mission at the agency since he was sworn-in back in January. Zeldin has uncovered and cut $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects; put the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0, which cracked down on power plants, on the chopping block; and terminated hundreds of employees amid the Trump administration’s mission to trim and streamline the federal government of overspending.
‘Blindsided’: How Stefanik’s Trump nomination as UN ambassador imploded
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., saw her nomination to serve as ambassador to the United Nations under President Donald Trump crumble last week before she ultimately withdrew her name from consideration. The saga unfolded quickly, with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, only being informed of Stefanik’s withdrawal by the White House roughly two hours before Trump shared it on social media. Two senior House GOP aides told Fox News Digital that even Republican leaders were blindsided by the decision. “Trump pulling Stefanik’s nomination for ambassador to the U.N. blindsided seemingly everyone on Capitol Hill,” one senior House GOP aide said Thursday. “As early as yesterday, representatives were praising her as the ‘soon-to-be-ambassador.’” HOW TRUMP-BLOCKING JUDGES MANAGED TO GET PAST SENATE JUDICIARY HAWKS A White House official told Fox News Digital it was about the GOP’s shrinking majority in the House: “The season for needing votes is upon us – reconciliation, debt ceiling. Every vote counts.” Trump himself was reportedly concerned about the slim House majority and Democrats over-performing in special elections in Florida. Stefanik, who had been poised for a bipartisan confirmation process, said she’d spoken with Trump multiple times since Thursday. “It was a combination of the New York corruption that we’re seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin,” Stefanik said on “Hannity” Friday. “I’ve been in the House. It’s tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country.” “The president knows that. He and I had multiple conversations today, and we are committed to delivering results on behalf of the American people. And as always, I’m committed to delivering results on behalf of my constituents,” she added. Upon hearing the news, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters, “The only reason they would do it is because of the House,” referring to the lower chamber’s slim majority. “Because everybody likes her [and] thinks she’s qualified.” JOSH HAWLEY BELIEVES HIS BILL CAN STOP ‘RESISTANCE’ JUDGES FROM ‘PROVOKING A CRISIS’ “But I could understand why that would be a problem,” he explained. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., wasn’t even aware of her looming withdrawal when reporters first asked him. “It’s probably something to do with political realities,” he said. The Republicans’ House majority is crucial to getting Trump agenda priorities done through the key budget reconciliation process, which the GOP has been trying to expedite. With an already fragile majority, Republicans also faced potential trouble on two fronts in special elections prior to Stefanik stepping back. For Stefanik’s New York district, Republican-on-Republican infighting was threatening the party’s hold on the seat. One of the candidates even threatened to run as a third-party candidate if he didn’t get the GOP nod. That could have put the possibility of splitting the Republican base in play, giving a Democratic candidate a prime opportunity to prevail – though GOP elections sources denied concerns over her seat. REPUBLICANS LOOK TO ABOLISH TSA IN FAVOR OF PRIVATE SECURITY AT AIRPORTS Another point of concern for the GOP majority is the election to replace national security advisor and former Rep. Mike Waltz in Florida’s 6th District on Tuesday. The Democratic candidate, Josh Weil, and Democrats have poured money into the race to flip the red seat. If Weil is successful, Republicans in the House would have one less vote to advance Trump’s agenda items, particularly his hallmark tax cuts. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP As the reality of these concerns set in, Trump took to Truth Social last week to confirm that Stefanik was withdrawing as U.N. ambassador nominee. “I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he said.
Top financial officials sound alarm on ‘unconscionable’ economic impact of DOGE protest violence: letter
FIRST ON FOX: A group of more than two dozen financial officers from across the United States has sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi warning how the “domestic terrorism” attacks carried out against Tesla dealerships in recent weeks “have led to significant financial losses affecting millions of Americans.” “These attacks are not just politically charged, they undermine the financial well-being of the public servants who dedicate their lives to the betterment of our society and affect the long-term financial growth of our state pension systems and other state treasury investments,” the letter to Bondi, signed by 26 state financial officers nationwide, explains. “Many state investment funds, including public pensions that hold the retirement savings of our public school teachers, first responders, and police officers, are invested in Tesla for good reason. As of December 31, 2024, Tesla employs over 125,000 workers, and, before these incidents began in late January 2025, was valued at roughly $1.3 trillion and trading at over $400 per share,” the letter continued. “Since these attacks started, Tesla’s stock has plummeted. It is unconscionable that the financial well-being of our public school teachers and police officers, and all beneficiaries of our state treasury funds – to say nothing of those whose personal property has been vandalized – has become collateral damage of rage politics and violent actions.” What began as protests against Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have escalated into violent incidents against the Trump ally’s company, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows and charging stations set on fire. TESLA TAKEDOWN: ANTI-MUSK PROTESTERS MOBILIZE FOR GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST AT HUNDREDS OF TESLA LOCATIONS The rise in incidents has caused the FBI to launch a task force to crack down on Tesla crime, and the Justice Department to announce charges against arson suspects, with Bondi labeling the attacks “domestic terrorism.” The letter commends the actions the administration has taken, including “swift” action by the FBI and says it is “our responsibility to call out radical elements of society that seek to use violence as a form of political and economic persuasion.” “The despicable attacks being carried out on Tesla vehicles across the nation are driven by radical political hatred and must not be tolerated. Not only are the attacks a threat to innocent people’s physical safety – they have also caused considerable financial harm, not just for Tesla owners or the company itself, but for millions of everyday Americans whose pension funds are invested with Tesla,” Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity told Fox News Digital in a statement. PAM BONDI ISSUES NEW WARNING TO FAR-LEFT DEMOCRAT OVER ‘DANGEROUS’ RHETORIC TOWARD ELON MUSK, TED CRUZ “As a result, the retirement savings of schoolteachers, police officers, and other public servants are at serious risk. My co-signers and I thank the Justice Department for their swift and decisive action against the perpetrators and call on other elected officials to condemn this violence for exactly what it is: domestic terrorism meant to intimidate and destabilize society.” Prominent Democrats have been slow to condemn the violence at Tesla dealerships, including over a dozen Democrats who have previously warned about the dangers of domestic terrorism in the past. As the violence across the country continues, Elon Musk and other top Republicans have been increasingly calling out the protests and violence as being motivated by far-left groups and organizations. “The anti-Tesla attacks are dangerous, selfish, and completely indefensible,” O.J. Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, told Fox News Digital. “The radicals behind these crimes are dead wrong if they think they are victimless or merely symbolic. Those engaging in this domestic terrorism are putting human life at risk while also robbing hardworking Americans of their financial peace, especially those who depend on public pensions. No teacher or police officer or first responder should have to see their retirement savings suffer because hate-fueled violence was allowed to go on, or worse, shamefully encouraged by certain attention-hungry politicians. As this letter makes clear, our financial officers will support every necessary action to protect Americans, their property, and their financial future.” Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report
Spanish mine explosion kills five workers, injures four
Investigation launched as relatives accuse mining companies of doing ‘less and less’ to guarantee safety. A blast at a mine in Spain’s northern Asturias region has killed at least five workers and injured four others, according to local emergency services. The accident occurred Monday morning at the Cerredo mine in Degana, some 450km (280 miles) northwest of Madrid, killing five people from the neighbouring Leon region ranging from the ages of 32 to 54 years old. Adriana Lastra, a representative of the central government in Asturias, told reporters at the scene that initial indications showed the blast may have been caused by methane forming an explosive mixture in the mine, a phenomenon known as firedamp. “Police are already investigating what happened, they are already at the scene,” said Lastra. The injured were taken to hospitals in nearby cities, two of them by helicopter, suffering burns and, in one case, a head injury. As news of the blast spread, workers’ families flocked to the site, which was surrounded by police and emergency services vehicles. “It’s scandalous. Companies used to guarantee safety, but they are doing it less and less,” Jose Antonio Alvarez, a relative of one the miners who died, told regional newspaper El Comercio. Family members and workers gather following the accident at the Cerredo coal mine in Degana, Asturias [Cesar Manso/AFP] Local newspaper La Voz de Asturias said the mine is owned by a recently created local company called Blue Solving, which was trying to repurpose the site for the extraction of “high-performance minerals” for industrial use. Advertisement Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent his “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and wished a “speedy recovery” to the injured, in a message posted on X. The head of the regional government of Asturias, Adrian Barbon, declared two days of mourning “as a sign of respect for the deceased”. Mining has for centuries been a major industry in Asturias, a densely forested mountainous region. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s ‘America first’ policy is complicating business of making cars
United States President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on the auto sector have made one thing clear, experts say: The US is no longer a beacon of free market trade, and businesses need to switch to the reality of “America first”. On Wednesday, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs from this Thursday on all cars, light trucks and auto parts imported into the US, a move experts called “devastating” for the industry. Almost half of the 16 million cars sold in the US last year were imported with a total value exceeding $330bn, according to news reports quoting Goldman Sachs analysts. It is not clear whether the tariffs will go into effect as laid out in Trump’s latest announcement or if there will be exceptions or any rollback. “But one thing we know for sure”, said Ilhan Geckil, senior economist at the Anderson Economic Group (AEG), is that “Trump’s policies are protectionist and not free market and free trade the way that the US has done [things] for decades. Now that’s shifting. … That’s the new rule, and companies have to play accordingly and will have to increase business presence in the US.” Advertisement Some car manufacturers, including South Korea’s Hyundai and Kia, have announced plans to boost production in the US. While that gives the impression that Trump is right to argue tariffs will force manufacturers to produce more in the US, the full picture is more complicated, Geckil said. “The US really is the best in terms of the size of the market” and accounts for nearly 25 percent of global auto sales, Geckil said, explaining why automakers do not want to lose access to the US market. But the reason a lot of manufacturing moved out of the US was to take advantage of lower prices and cheaper goods. Bringing manufacturing back to the US will lead to higher prices for their products, hitting demand, he said. “Prices are going to go up significantly, and that will have a spillover effect,” Geckil said, adding that he expects to see higher sticker prices within a month or so of the tariffs kicking in. “A $50,000 vehicle will become a $75,000 to $80,000 vehicle in a couple of years, and that price hike is going to stay there forever,” he said. That, in turn, will eventually lead to job losses, contrary to Trump’s stated goal of protecting American workers, Geckil said. As per an earlier estimate by AEG, tariff proposals floated by Trump in February would raise the price of a car assembled in the US, Canada and Mexico from $4,000 to $10,000 for most vehicles and $12,000 or more for electric vehicles (EVs) The estimate did not include the impact of retaliatory tariffs that other countries might impose. Advertisement In addition, Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium, which kicked in on March 12, are expected to increase prices of conventional engine vehicles by $250 to $800 and those of EVs by $2,500 or more, AEG previously said. AEG said the measures unveiled on March 26 would be “much more costly” for European- and Asian-manufactured cars than its previous estimate and potentially more expensive or less expensive for North American-produced vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley told employees in an email on Friday that “the impacts of the tariffs are likely to be significant across our industry – affecting automakers, suppliers, dealers and customers,” the Reuters news agency reported. He gave the warning even though about 80 percent of Ford vehicles sold in the US are assembled domestically. Integrated industry One reason auto tariffs have such a wide-ranging impact is because the industries of different countries are so deeply intertwined. In North America, the US and Canadian auto industries have been broadly integrated since the 1965 signing of a pact that facilitated the duty-free movement of vehicles and parts, said David Adams, president and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada. That was followed by free trade agreements in 1989 and 1994 that bound the industries of the two countries and that of Mexico more closely together. Over the years, the three countries have built up specialisations for certain auto parts, partly driven by costs, Adams said. For instance, the Canadian dollar is typically lower than the US dollar and since Canada has a public healthcare system, employers usually do not have to bear health insurance costs for their workers, making it cheaper to do some work in Canada over the US. Advertisement For a vehicle made in Canada, half the parts would come from the US, and for one made in Mexico, 30 percent to 35 percent of its parts would be from the US on average. “By tariffing Canadian vehicles you’re effectively tariffing American suppliers,” Adams told Al Jazeera. Since Canada and Mexico – and all other nations that the latest tariffs apply to – are likely to retaliate, prices will almost certainly spiral further. “We don’t want to cut off our nose to spite our face, but what we’re looking at hurts everybody. … Because of the high degree of integration, the impact will be to a same degree on both sides,” Adams said. The tariffs on auto parts, which do not apply to components deemed to be “US content”, complicate things even further. In car production, raw materials are typically turned into a component in one jurisdiction before being folded into a larger component or components elsewhere. It is common for parts to cross borders three to five times per vehicle. In practice, this means the tariff burden may vary wildly for different companies and different vehicles. “It is highly confusing and complex,” Adams said. “Trump’s desire seems to be not to have a Canadian auto sector. But that would cost $50bn to $60bn to relocate everything to the US. This is not a short-term proposition. We’re ultimately looking for a long-term solution that creates stability not just in the auto sector but in the North American economy, so we can focus on doing business.” That