Scoop: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s allies unleash $10M campaign to spotlight Trump tax cuts
FIRST ON FOX – A leading conservative issue advocacy group aligned with House Speaker Mike Johnson is shelling out big bucks to highlight the tax cuts in the so-called “Working Families Tax Cuts Act.” The American Action Network (AAN) on Tuesday is launching what it says is a $10 million ad blitz that will run nationally through April 15, which is the tax filing deadline. The campaign, which was shared first with Fox News Digital, spotlights the tax cuts in the massive domestic policy measure, which was passed nearly entirely along party lines by the GOP-controlled House and Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump last summer. The law is stuffed full of Trump’s 2024 campaign trail promises and second-term priorities, including extending the president’s signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay. FIRST ON FOX: HOUSE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH MAGA MAJORITY PROGRAM IN MIDTERM BATTLE With tax filing season in full swing, Republicans are spotlighting the cuts, which they insist will give them a political bounce with voters as they aim to hold their fragile congressional majorities in this autumn’s midterm elections. “Republicans secured the largest tax cut in history and stood up for working families—a win that will be reflected in tax returns nationwide. American Action Network will continue to showcase the conservative policies that lower costs for the hardworking men and women across this country,” AAN President Chris Winkelman told Fox News Digital. TRUMP BOOSTS HOUSE GOP’S WARCHEST AS MIDTERMS IN BATTLE FOR CHAMBER’S MAJORITY And Winkelman added, “As Tax Day approaches, we are reminding Americans that every single Democrat voted to raise their taxes.” Highlighting the tax cuts has become a major part of the congressional Republicans’ messaging as the midterms heat up. “Hardworking families will see the LARGEST tax cuts in American history….putting more money in their pockets, thanks to Congressional Republicans and President Donald J. Trump Working Families Tax Cuts,” Johnson touted recently in a social media post. And National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Rep. Richard Hudson told Fox News Digital a month ago that “as we move into tax season…folks who work overtime, folks who work for tips, they’re going to see a lot more money in their pocket thanks to no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.” GOP lawmakers and the White House rebranded the measure, which was originally known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to emphasize the tax cut provisions in the law. HOUSE DEMOCRATS EXPAND REPUBLICAN TARGET LIST IN MIDTERM SHOWDOWN Republicans are battling stiff political headwinds as the party in power in the nation’s capital traditionally loses seats in the midterms. And they also face a rough political climate fueled by economic concerns over persistent inflation, an unpopular war with Iran and Trump’s underwater approval ratings. Democrats have repeatedly taken aim at the law, which they call the GOP’s “big ugly bill.” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene told Fox News Digital that “the policies that Republicans have prioritized have been favoring the wealthy and the well-connected, tax breaks for the wealthy and the well-connected, but hurting working families across the country. People are feeling that, and we’re going to continue to call that out and stand up against it.” And CJ Warnke, communications director for the House Majority PAC, argued that “House Republicans voted to give the elite a massive tax break — all while raising prices, cutting healthcare, and hiding the Epstein Files. Americans won’t forget their betrayal, and Democrats will take back the House in November.” AAN says its national ad campaign includes broadcast, digital advertising and streaming across 37 congressional districts. One of the spots will thank Republicans for passing the tax cuts. It will run in the districts of GOP Reps. Nick Begich of Alaska, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, David Valadao of California, Jeff Crank and Gabe Evans of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna, Laurel Lee and Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa, Bill Huizenga and Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brad Finstad of Minnesota, Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey, Nick LaLota and Mike Lawler of New York, Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Michael Baumgartner of Washington State, and Bryan Steil and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin. A separate spot criticizes Democratic lawmakers for voting for what AAN calls “the largest tax hike in American history.” It will run in the districts of Democratic Reps. Adam Gray of California, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, Kristen McDonald Rivet of Michigan, Dina Titus and Susie Lee of Nevada, Nellie Pou of New Jersey, Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, Tom Suozzi, Laura Gillen, and Josh Riley of New York, Don Davis of North Carolina, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, and Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez of Washington State.
Dem Senate candidate’s job listing invites applicants of any ‘citizenship status’ to apply for top role
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., who is running in a crowded Democratic primary for Senate, posted a job listing for her campaign, encouraging applicants of “any … immigration” or “citizenship status” to apply. The position listed is for a political chief of staff position. Like many application portals, the listing notes that the campaign is an “equal opportunity employer,” encouraging applications from individuals of all educational backgrounds and from diverse racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation groups. INTERNET ERUPTS OVER ‘DISQUALIFYING’ LEAKED AUDIO FROM DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE RACE DISCUSSING KHAMENEI’S DEATH When asked if the office would consider hiring an illegal alien, a spokesperson for the campaign said they would follow U.S. law. “Haley’s campaign is happy to consider any applicants who are eligible to work in the United States,” the spokesperson said. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, it is illegal for any “person or other entity” to hire an unauthorized alien. Violators can face civil and criminal penalties of up to $3,000 per unauthorized worker and up to six months of imprisonment. TOP DEMS BRUSH OFF TIES TO IMAM WHO HELD MEMORIAL FOR IRANIAN LEADER WHO VOWED ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ Those laws are enforced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It’s unclear if the Stevens campaign has used similar language in past job listings. Stevens, a four-term U.S. representative for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District, is pursuing a bid to the U.S. Senate to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich. She faces a crowded field as the race has drawn out notable challengers, including progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow.
Pentagon denies that Hegseth’s broker sought investment before Iran war
US Department of Defense demands retraction of report alleging broker sought multimillion-dollar investment for Hegseth. Published On 31 Mar 202631 Mar 2026 The United States Department of Defense has demanded the retraction of a newspaper report alleging that a broker for defence chief Pete Hegseth attempted to make a large investment in weapons companies in the run-up to the war on Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell demanded the “immediate” retraction on Monday after The Financial Times reported that a wealth manager for the defence secretary contacted BlackRock about making a multimillion-dollar investment in a defence-related fund in the weeks leading up to the war. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Hegseth’s broker at Morgan Stanley ultimately did not go ahead with the investment in the exchange-traded fund, whose holdings include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, because it was not yet available for purchase at the time, The Financial Times reported, citing three unnamed sources. “This allegation is entirely false and fabricated. Neither Secretary Hegseth nor any of his representatives approached BlackRock about any such investment,” Parnell said in a post on social media. “This is yet another baseless, dishonest smear designed to mislead the public.” Hegseth and his department “remain unwavering in their commitment to the highest standards of ethics and strict adherence to all applicable laws and regulations,” Parnell said. Al Jazeera could not independently confirm the Financial Times report. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of usual business hours. The Financial Times and Morgan Stanley also did not immediately respond to inquiries. Advertisement BlackRock declined to comment. The report comes amid scrutiny of well-timed trades in financial and prediction markets that have fuelled speculation that figures with insider knowledge may be profiting off of US President Donald Trump’s war plans. While The Financial Times reported that the attempted investment by Hesgeth’s broker did not go ahead, the defence chief would not have made money on such a purchase in the month since the war began. While the iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF has risen more than 25 percent over the past year, it has fallen nearly 13 percent since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28. Adblock test (Why?)
Activist Nerdeen Kiswani: ‘I feel more threatened than ever before’
NewsFeed Days after the FBI foiled an alleged assassination plot, Palestinian-American activist Nerdeen Kiswani says she feels ‘more threatened than ever before’. But she’s vowed to continue her advocacy because the Palestinian ‘struggle for justice and liberation matters’. Published On 31 Mar 202631 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
What we learned from Al Jazeera’s interview with Marco Rubio
NewsFeed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera that the US war on Iran will be over in a matter of ‘weeks’, but some experts cast doubt on that timeframe along with other claims he made in our exclusive interview. Published On 31 Mar 202631 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Federal trial over air conditioning in Texas prisons starts with dispute over alleged heat-related deaths
The plaintiffs are asking for the entire Texas prison system to be air-conditioned by the end of 2029 in a trial that is expected to last two weeks.
Student shoots a teacher and then fatally shoots himself at a Texas high school, authorities say
No other injuries were reported in the Monday morning incident at Hill Country College Preparatory High School in Bulverde.
Fugitive illegal alien convict on the run after attempting to strike ICE officer with vehicle: DHS
An illegal alien with a long criminal history remains on the run after he attempted to hit a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer with his vehicle in California as authorities were trying to arrest him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Monday. ICE was attempting to take Xa Lee, a fugitive and Laotian citizen, into custody on March 25 in Sacramento. Lee was driving when he was pulled over, according to DHS. LEAVITT CALLS ON CONGRESS TO END EASTER RECESS TO WORK ON DHS SHUTDOWN During the vehicle stop, Lee attempted to flee and tried to strike an ICE officer with his car. “The officer, thankfully, did not sustain injuries. During the incident, ICE officers deployed their tasers. He fled the scene and remains at large,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “This is just the latest in a disturbing trend of vehicle attacks.” COLLEGE STUDENT’S ALLEGED MURDER BY ILLEGAL WENT EXACTLY AS DEMS ‘INTENDED,’ HOUSE SPEAKER SAYS A federal immigration judge issued a deportation order for Lee in 2010. His criminal record includes convictions for vehicle theft, stolen property, conspiracy, petty theft, two DUIs, resisting an officer, battery, and felony possession of a firearm. DHS noted that Lee’s evasion of arrest came amid a history of webinars by Democratic elected officials who advised undocumented immigrants on how to evade ICE and report encounters with federal immigration authorities. The agency cited California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Dan Goldman, both Democrats. All four politicians have repeatedly called for the Trump administration to halt its deportation campaign targeting criminal illegal immigrants. “DHS is once again calling on sanctuary politicians, agitators, and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement,” the agency said. DHS requests that if the public has any information about Lee’s whereabouts, contact the ICE tip line at 866-347-2423 or online.
DHS slams California ‘sanctuary’ county after mom allegedly murdered by 2 Honduran nationals
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed a California county for not honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer requests for two illegal aliens accused of murdering a 24-year-old mother earlier this month. Franquin Inestroza-Martinez, a Honduran national, and Gerzon Jose Chirinos-Munguia, also of Honduras, were arrested in Santa Clara County for allegedly killing Kembery Chirinos-Flores with a shotgun in early January. Chirinos-Munguia is the father of Chirinos-Flores’ 5-year-old son, and was previously arrested in 2018 for battery and false imprisonment, and subsequently in 2019 for domestic battery and threatening crime with the intent of terrorizing, DHS said. He was released back into California without ICE being notified in both 2018 and 2019, according to DHS. ANGEL MOM, GOP BLAME SPANBERGER AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WITH 30 ARRESTS CHARGED IN KILLING “A man lost his life, and a child is now without a mother. These illegal aliens should have never been able to commit these horrific killings and must NEVER be released from jail into American communities,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital in a statement. Inestroza-Martinez, the alleged accomplice of the boy’s father, also had an outstanding arrest warrant from New Jersey for the homicide of a 55-year-old in March 2025, according to DHS. DHS said he was deported from the U.S. in 2013, then again in 2018. He illegally re-entered the country at an unknown date and time before allegedly murdering both the man in New Jersey and Chirinos-Flores. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF FATAL HIT AND RUN THAT KILLED NORTH CAROLINA MOTORCYCLIST DHS pointed to the California Value Act (CVA), a “sanctuary” law which prohibits local police from asking suspects about immigration status and limits cooperation between federal immigration agents and local authorities. “Instead of cooperating with ICE, Santa Clara sanctuary politicians REFUSED to honor ICE’s arrest detainer and will not notify ICE when these murderers are released from jail,” Bis added. “This insanity of refusing to turn cold-blooded killers over to ICE must end.” The CVA was signed into law in 2017 in response to the immigration efforts of President Donald Trump during his first term. DHS CALLS RAPE OF AUTISTIC TEEN ‘MOST HEINOUS WE’VE SEEN’ AS ICE DETAINER TESTS CALIFORNIA SANCTUARY LAWS The Trump administration sued California over the law throughout 2017-18, though the suit was dismissed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. The suit failed again during appeal and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2020. CBS News reported that the child was not harmed in the incident and has since been placed in the custody of child protective services. “Kembery was in the prime of her life. She was working two jobs, and she was the loving mother of a 5-year-old son,” Santa Clara Department of Public Safety Chief Dan Pistor said at a press briefing following the arrests. Fox News Digital reached out to the Board President of Santa Clara County but did not receive a response. The Santa Clara County Board president did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Jayapal floats reparations for illegal immigrants impacted by Trump crackdown, demands prosecutions
Amid President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, one congressional Democrat is calling for reparations for foreign nationals who are affected. “We are going to have some form of reparation for the kids and the families that have been traumatized through all of this,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said Friday during a congressional hearing, referring to illegal immigrants. “You talked about how there’s no support for people even once they’re released. We need to make sure that we are funding that kind of work to continue to provide relief.” Jayapal, the former chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), made the comments during the seventh installment of a hearing series titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Attack on Children.” The left-wing lawmaker said reparations for illegal immigrants affected by Trump’s crackdown efforts would be just one item in a series of reforms she would push Democrats to pursue if they retake House control in November. HOUSE DEM COMPARES TRUMP’S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN TO ‘TERRORISM,’ VOWS TO ABOLISH ICE Jayapal, who was born in India and became a U.S. citizen in 2000, also said she wants “offensive action” regarding those who are carrying out Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown. “We need real accountability, because at the end of the day, the people that have been inflicting this harm need to be prosecuted,” Jayapal said. “They need to be brought before us, and they need to be held to account for the trauma that they have created.” A spokesperson for Jayapal did not respond to a Fox Digital inquiry about who specifically she wants to see prosecuted or who would be eligible for reparations. Reparations refer to financial compensation for a specific group intended to address reputed economic harms. Many progressive Democrats have long advocated for reparations for the descendants of American slaves. JAYAPAL DOUBLES DOWN ON ANTI-ICE TERROR CLAIMS AS DHS SHUTDOWN TRIGGERS HISTORIC TRAVEL CHAOS Throughout the hearing, congressional Democrats repeatedly called attention to the children of deported illegal immigrants, while saying little about the victims of illegal immigrant crime. The group of Democratic lawmakers did not discuss 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, who was allegedly shot and killed by a Venezuelan national illegally living in the United States in Chicago earlier this month. Jayapal’s comments came during the record-breaking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has continued to drag on with no end in sight. She and nearly all House Democrats have refused to fund the department until the Trump administration agrees to various proposals that could rein in immigration enforcement. “I have been clear since the start of the appropriations process: I will not vote to give Trump’s ICE or CBP another cent without major reforms,” Jayapal said Friday following her vote against a two-month DHS funding extension. Though Democrats have been willing to fund the non-immigration parts of DHS, most Republicans have rejected that idea because it would effectively defund law enforcement. Zeroing out appropriations for ICE and the Border Patrol would continue to force support staff employed by those agencies — have not received a full paycheck during the seven-week funding lapse — to keep working without pay.