Eric Adams gets surprise GOP ally in Congress as rumors swirl Gov. Hochul could oust him
Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams is getting support from an unusual corner this week — the Big Apple’s lone Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., warned New York Gov. Kathy Hochul against moving to oust Adams over the criminal charges he was recently facing. Hochul and Adams are both Democrats. “As often as I’ve criticized Mayor Adams and disagreed with his policies, the Governor is wrong here and is being motivated by politics not law,” Malliotakis said in a statement late Tuesday night. “She is rushing to remove him because he is working with the Trump Administration to rid our city of dangerous foreign criminals and gangs. The real question is why is Governor Hochul going to such great lengths to protect criminals in our country unlawfully who have preyed on New Yorkers?” BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS Hochul reportedly met with multiple New York leaders this week while considering removing Adams from his job. Senior prosecutors in New York and Washington have reportedly resigned after refusing to follow a Department of Justice (DOJ) order to drop charges against Adams. The former police officer-turned-politician was indicted on charges linked to wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting campaign funds from foreign sources. The indictment was unsealed in September 2024. Adams’ fellow Democrats have accused him of trying to cozy up to the Trump administration in order to get out of his criminal charges. Some Republicans, meanwhile, had argued the Biden administration prosecuted Adams because he was critical of the left’s handling of the border and crime. Adams sat for a joint interview with Trump administration border czar Tom Homan on “Fox & Friends” last week, where both vowed to work together to crack down on the migrant crisis in New York City. “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on the couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?’” Homan said during the interview. SCOOP: KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN Adams denied leveraging his cooperation with the Trump administration into dropping charges, however. He said in a written statement on Friday, “I want to be crystal clear with New Yorkers: I never offered — nor did anyone offer on my behalf — any trade of my authority as your mayor for an end to my case. Never.” Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for a response to Malliotakis.
Robert Roberson files first new appeal since his execution was delayed
The appeal includes new testimony from experts who say Roberson’s daughter died of natural causes, and cites the court’s exoneration of a man in another shaken baby syndrome case out of Dallas County.
SCOOP: Top GOP Sen. Cotton to meet with embattled Trump defense nominee as doubts swirl
FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republican conference Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is set to meet with an embattled Trump nominee for a key position in the Department of Defense (DOD) after Cotton faced backlash from some MAGA-aligned figures over the weekend. Cotton will meet with President Donald Trump’s nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge “Bridge” Colby, in the coming days, a source familiar shared with Fox News Digital. According to the source, senators on the Senate Committee on Armed Services (SASC) had come to Cotton with concerns regarding some of Colby’s stances, particularly past comments on Iran potentially obtaining a nuclear weapon. BATTLE OF THE CHAMBERS: TRUMP BUDGET TEST VOTE CLEARED IN SENATE AS HOUSE GOP LAGS BEHIND Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement, “I’m very happy to hear that Sen. Cotton is willing to meet with Bridge,” touting the nominee’s accomplishments and “thoughtful” approach. Whether his own public pressure on the senator via X played a part in the meeting, he said, “Both public and private pressure are important. Ideally, these debates don’t play out in public, but sometimes it’s necessary.” “What has become very clear to me in recent days is that the base is paying close attention to this confirmation, and there will be political consequences for any senator who stands in the way of the personnel President Trump wants,” Kirk continued, adding that he hopes Cotton will ultimately back Colby. The source told Fox News Digital that issues with Colby’s positions on the war between Russia and Ukraine had surfaced from some members. But what was ultimately fostering hesitance was his previously stated stance on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and whether the U.S. should contain a nuclear Iran. As for Cotton, a source familiar explained that the GOP Conference and Intel Committee chairman is “comfortable” with nominees who say they support Trump’s position in preventing Iran from accessing nuclear weapons. The anticipated meeting between the top Republican and Colby comes after Cotton was the target of “MAGA” ire over the weekend for his hesitance to get behind the nominee. MCCONNELL’S MENTAL ACUITY TARGETED BY TRUMP AFTER EX-SENATE LEADER JOINS DEMS AGAINST CABINET NOMINEES Figures such as billionaire White House advisor Elon Musk and Kirk, a fierce MAGA ally, took to X to discuss Colby’s nomination and Cotton’s purported hesitance. DEMS TORCHED OVER DOGE SECURITY CLAIMS AFTER ALLOWING ‘WIDE-OPEN’ BORDER, ‘EMPOWERING IRAN’ “The effort to undermine President Trump continues in the US Senate,” Kirk wrote. He further claimed Cotton “is working behind the scenes to stop Trump’s pick, Elbridge Colby, from getting confirmed at DOD.” “Colby is one of the most important pieces to stop the Bush/Cheney cabal at DOD. Why is Tom Cotton doing this? Comment below your theories,” he added. TRUMP AGRICULTURE PICK CONFIRMED AS PRESIDENT RACKS UP CABINET WINS X owner Musk replied, “Why the opposition to Bridge? What does he think Bridge will do?” “Senator Cotton is focused on ensuring all defense nominees commit to supporting President Trump’s position that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, and Cotton will be addressing this in meetings and hearings with the nominees,” a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital earlier this week as they awaited Colby’s paperwork to proceed with the nomination process. The White House did not provide comment when asked by Fox News Digital whether Colby’s stance on a nuclear Iran had changed. Colby had written in an op-ed in 2010 that “[c]ontaining a nuclear Iran is an eminently plausible and practical objective.” He did, however, cede that “preventing an Iranian nuclear capability should be the objective of Washington and the international community.”
CA post-wildfire beef heats up as state insurance chief accuses Dem congressman of ‘White mansplaining’
Allegations of coziness between California’s elected state insurance commissioner and the insurance industry led to accusations flying between him, critics in Sacramento and Washington, and frustrated Californians who lost everything in the Pacific Palisades fires. Commissioner Ricardo Lara accused Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., of trying to “White mansplain” the role of insurance commissioner after the Los Angeles Times reported his criticisms of the agency. Garamendi, who was California’s first insurance commissioner after the position became an elected one in the 1990 contests, had said Lara’s intended reforms are ones that “clearly… the insurance industry wants.” “Your job is to hold the companies accountable, and he seems to be doing the exact opposite, and that is giving the companies whatever they want,” he said of Lara to the Times. LONGTIME CA DEM LEADER SAYS ‘ADIOS’ TO HER PARTY, REGISTERS GOP Lara claimed in response that he does not have the power to compel companies to write insurance policies, and that Garamendi’s suggestions would “exacerbate the problem at a time when insurance companies are pulling out of California.” “[Q]uite honestly… this is not going to be the first or last time that I get White mansplained on how to do my job,” Lara, who is the son of Mexican immigrants, told the Times. With six years in his current role under his belt and several prior in the state legislature, Lara’s reform plan seeks to help Californians following the weekslong conflagration of Los Angeles County that destroyed untold numbers of homes. Insurance companies may be on the hook for about $45 billion, and State Farm reportedly asked for an emergency rate hike following the blazes, which Lara rejected, according to the Times. The paper described Lara’s plan as a “carrot-and-stick” effort to offer concessions to insurers who agree to help underwrite customers in areas prone to natural disasters. A representative for Lara expounded on the controversy to Fox News Digital, saying that it is entirely normal for an insurance commissioner to meet regularly with insurance companies. “The California Department of Real Estate [also] meets with Realtors. The California Public Utilities Commission meets with SCE and SoCalGas. If they didn’t, they would be rightly criticized for failing to do their job,” the representative said. “The same standard applies to the Department of Insurance.” He also took aim at a prominent critic cited in the original report, a group called Consumer Watchdog that had claimed Lara and associated entities “attempted to conceal” $122,000 in contributions from the insurance industry to support his re-election. A state commission later found “insufficient evidence” to support the complaint as a violation of state law and closed the case in January, according to the Times. The Lara representative called those allegations “baseless,” when reached Tuesday by Fox News Digital. CA VOTERS NARROWLY REJECT $18 MINIMUM WAGE The Lara representative characterized Garamendi as a “member of Congress who has failed to act in his current position to protect consumers.” The representative added Lara is committed to holding insurers accountable in the rate-making process and met with residents at 900 town halls covering every Golden State county. “Californians want solutions, not distractions. Commissioner Lara is battling the status quo that has failed consumers for decades, while his critics have done nothing of merit to help consumers and make insurance more available and more affordable.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When asked for further response, a representative for Garamendi pointed to recent remarks he made on the subject. “The commissioner must really stand up for consumers, and that is the challenge that the current commissioner (Lara) must address in the days ahead.” “Unfortunately, in the months and years past, he basically rolled over and let the insurance companies cancel policies which they did in the Palisades area, and he allowed the insurance companies to double and, in many cases, triple and quadruple homeowner insurance rates without the normal and the required public hearings and detailed investigation,” Garamendi said. Meanwhile, in the state legislature, Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom as well as Lara and Sacramento Democrats for putting off serious reform to the insurance structure. “Waiting this long leaves us now with the current system waiting for major reforms to take effect, and could result in the total failure of the insurance market during these catastrophic events like those we are seeing in Los Angeles,” said Jones, R-San Diego. “Sadly, if the FAIR Plan collapses, every Californian will be paying the price with a surcharge on their homeowner policies to cover the state’s failures to act.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Newsom for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Trump administration orders lawyers for unaccompanied migrant minors to stop their work
The primary contractor providing the legal services said it helps 26,000 unaccompanied minors who are seeking permission to remain in the country legally.
‘Devasted farms’: Bipartisan Senate letter calls for ‘new urgency’ to address crippling virus
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter to newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins calling for cooperation on key measures to address the bird flu epidemic ravaging farms across the country. “We know many pressing concerns await you as you begin your new role. We write to ask that you enhance the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) response to the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in our nation’s animal agriculture sector, which we greatly appreciate you announcing as a top priority in your testimony before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry,” the letter from Ernst, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, states. “The United States is now entering the fourth year of an outbreak of HPAI that has devastated farms, required the depopulation of more than 136 million birds on commercial poultry operations, and infected a small but growing number of farm workers. A new urgency is required from the USDA to address the evolving situation.” The letter promotes ways to address the crisis that have been outlined by egg and turkey farmers, including an aggressive vaccination strategy for hens and turkeys, stockpiling vaccines, and outreach to trading partners to ensure that trade is not negatively impacted. MINNESOTA DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AS DISEASES CRIPPLE MIDWESTERN FARMS The senators also called on the USDA to shift attention to a Biden order in 2024 that requires biosecurity audits on previously infected farms, or farms placed within a buffer zone of a control area, to be eligible for indemnities. “In principle, this change would appear to enhance biosecurity measures and accountability for indemnity, but the rule was rushed,” the letter states. “As a result, nearly no auditors have been trained to complete these audits, and the audit itself was posted in draft form. USDA should provide adequate numbers of qualified auditors prior to enforcement of the rule.” The letter explains that “current indemnity rates for laying hens and pullets are based on inaccurate data and are artificially low” and offers solutions on how to address that, including an egg industry proposal to revise the calculations relying on data from USDA and land grant institutions that would make the indemnities “fairer.” BIRD FLU FOUND IN ARIZONA DAIRY CATTLE MILK AFTER BEING FIRST DETECTED IN NEIGHBORING NEVADA “Even with revisions to indemnity formulas proposed by egg farmers, these payments will not come close to making producers whole for their losses. In reviewing indemnity activities, we would also urge you to ensure proper outreach to all farmers,” the letter says. The bipartisan letter was signed by Democratic Sens. John Fetterman, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Raphael Warnock, Mark Warner and Jon Ossoff, and Republicans Sens. Bernie Moreno, Jerry Moran, Roger Marshall, Todd Young, Dave McCormick, Ted Budd, Thom Tillis and Chuck Grassley. “I’m working to protect and preserve the livelihoods of our farmers, the stability of our local economies, and our food supply chain impacted by the spread of HPAI,” Ernst told Fox News Digital in a statement. “By partnering with the Trump administration to identify solutions, we can ensure our producers have the tools they need to stop avian flu.” American farmers and those in the agricultural business continue to reel over the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which apparently shows no sign of slowing to “disaster” status, FOX Business previously reported. “The real crisis is that we’re going through the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve had in the last 10 years since 2015, potentially the worst bird flu outbreak that we’ve ever had in the history of this country,” Eggs Unlimited Vice President Brian Moscogiuri said on “Fox & Friends” last week. “We’ve lost 120 million birds since the beginning of 2022. In the last few months alone, since the middle of October, we’ve lost 45 million egg-laying hens,” he added. “We’ve lost a significant amount of production, more than 13%. So we’re just dealing with supply shortages. And it’s just a disaster right now because this virus is in three of the top egg-laying states in the country. It doesn’t seem like it’s stopping anytime soon.” During her confirmation hearing, Rollins said she is “hyper focused” on finding the team to combat bird flu and other diseases. “Secretary Rollins received the letter from Sen. Ernst and her colleagues yesterday,” a USDA spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “She will respond in short order and is looking forward to working with Sen. Ernst and her colleagues to tackle this critical issue. The Biden administration failed to sufficiently address the avian flu, and his inflationary economic policies only made the problem worse. The American people deserve affordable eggs, and Secretary Rollins is fully committed to taking aggressive action to combat the avian flu and help lower the price of eggs. She is working with the White House to implement a comprehensive strategy that will be rolled out very soon.” Fox News Digital’s Kristen Altus contributed to this report
FLASHBACK: Trump seeks to expand fertility coverage, after Tim Walz once accused him of being ‘anti-IVF’
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday requesting the Domestic Policy Council examine ways to make in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, more affordable and accessible for Americans – despite the fact Democrats cautioned that Trump would seek to ban the procedure. “Americans need reliable access to IVF and more affordable treatment options, as the cost per cycle can range from $12,000 to $25,000,” the executive order said. “Providing support, awareness, and access to affordable fertility treatments can help these families navigate their path to parenthood with hope and confidence.” Specifically, the order requires the assistant to the president for domestic policy to provide a list of policy recommendations aimed at “protecting IVF access and aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment” within 90 days, according to the order. ‘PROMISES KEPT’: TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ MAKE IVF MORE AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE The directive comes months after former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 election against Trump, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accused the Trump administration of being “anti-IVF.” Specifically, Walz singled out Trump’s running mate, then-Sen. JD Vance, a practicing Catholic who voted in June against the Right to IVF Act. The Catholic Church opposes IVF, saying unused embryos pose a moral dilemma. But Vance said in August 2024 he doesn’t believe all his religious views should translate to public policy since the U.S. is a “democratic society,” he told the New York Post. “Catholic social teaching is obviously very robust,” he told the Post. “I think that no person who, or at least no one I know who’s Catholic, doesn’t accept that just because the Catholic Church teaches something, doesn’t mean you necessarily as a legislator need to affect that to public policy.” The Right to IVF measure would establish a nationwide right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology, but it failed to pass in the Senate. “JD Vance opposing the miracle of IVF is a direct attack on my family and so many others,” Walz said in a social media post on X in July 2024. Walz previously claimed that he and his wife, Gwen, struggled to conceive and shared details during the 2024 campaign about the couple’s experience using IVF to become pregnant with their two children. But Gwen Walz later clarified in August 2024 in an interview with Glamour magazine that the couple actually used intrauterine insemination, known as IUI, to conceive. The process involves using a catheter to place the sperm directly into the uterus to increase odds of conception. DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES In contrast, IVF requires the removal of a woman’s eggs and injecting them with sperm to create embryos, which then are placed back into the woman’s uterus. More than 85,000 babies born in 2021 were from IVF, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Costly IVF treatments are rarely fully covered by health insurance, and only 25% of employers report providing coverage to their employees, according to the White House. Trump unveiled plans in August 2024 that he’d seek to require insurance companies to cover the cost of IVF, stating he was pushing the policy “because we want more babies, to put it nicely.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump: Founding Fathers ‘spinning in their graves’ because of birthright citizenship abuse
Following a fourth judge’s ruling blocking his executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say that the Founding Fathers are “spinning in their graves” and that the 14th Amendment was for former slaves, not illegals. “Our lawyers and Judges have to be tough, and protect America!” the president chided. “The 14th Amendment Right of American Citizenship never had anything to do with modern-day ‘gate crashers,’ illegal immigrants who break the Law by being in our Country, it had everything to do with giving Citizenship to former slaves,” he wrote. “Our Founding Fathers are ‘spinning in their graves”’ at the idea that our Country can be taken away from us,” he added. “No Nation in the World has anything like this.” TRUMP FREEZES APPLICATIONS FOR BIDEN-ERA MIGRANT PROGRAMS AMID FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS In what has become perhaps his most controversial move yet, Trump issued an executive order on his first day back in the Oval Office to end the practice of granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants. The order – titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” – states that “the privilege of United States citizenship does not automatically extend to persons born in the United States” when that person’s parents are either unlawfully present in the U.S. or when the parents’ presence is lawful but temporary. Since he signed the order, lawsuits have been filed by two dozen Democratic-led states and cities and several civil rights groups. Four federal district judges have issued rulings temporarily blocking the order as it works through the long judicial process. The latest ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin last week, said the “Constitution confers birthright citizenship broadly, including to persons within the categories described” in the order. ACTIVISTS IN MEXICO REPORT FLOW OF MIGRANTS HAS ‘ENORMOUSLY DECREASED’ ONE MONTH INTO TRUMP ADMIN In response, several Republican states and America First Legal have filed amicus briefs in favor of Trump’s order, arguing that it is entirely constitutional and well within the original meaning of the 14th Amendment and in line with previous rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 and was designed to extend citizenship to African American former slaves. The amendment states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” After filing two amicus briefs in support of Trump’s order, America First Vice President Dan Epstein told Fox News Digital that the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” means that citizens must owe their political allegiance to the U.S., not some foreign power or culture. TRUMP ADMIN REVEALS LIST OF CARTELS AND GANGS TO BE DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS Epstein believes Trump’s order would restore the constitutional principle that only those who are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. – that is loyal, law-abiding Americans – are citizens. He believes the case will likely end up in the Supreme Court, where he is confident it will ultimately be upheld. “My expectation is that this is a no-brainer. The law is clear, ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ has to mean something,” he said. “So, it’s not a very hard question. It’s a very clear question and the law has a very clear answer.”
Trump’s nominee for Labor secretary walks back support for PRO Act, embraces Republican Right-to-Work laws
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the pro-union Republican tapped by President Donald Trump for Labor secretary, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday, fielding questions from senators about her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Chavez-DeRemer supported the PRO Act as a representative for Oregon’s 5th congressional district. She told senators on Wednesday she no longer supports the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned Republican-backed Right-to-Work laws, which could earn her the favor of some Republican senators who were reluctant to confirm her nomination. The PRO Act would effectively kill state-level laws that prevent employers and unions from requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of their employment. Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., opposed the PRO Act for overturning Right-to-Work laws. Paul said he would not support her if she continued to support the PRO Act. “If she wanted to make a public statement saying that her support for the PRO Act was incorrect and she no longer does, then I’d think about her nomination,” Paul told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of Chavez-DeRemer’s hearing. PRO-UNION TRUMP NOMINEE FACES SENATE GRILLING AS AT LEAST ONE REPUBLICAN VOWS TO OPPOSE HER As a member of the HELP committee, Paul had the opportunity to question Chavez-DeRemer about the PRO Act on Wednesday. SENATE ADVANCES NOMINATION OF KASH PATEL, TRUMP’S PICK FOR FBI DIRECTOR “So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned state Right-to-Work laws?” Paul asked during the hearing. Chavez-DeRemer agreed she no longer supports the aspect of the PRO Act that would have overturned the state’s Right-to-Work laws, replying, “Yes, sir.” “Like President Trump, I believe our labor laws need to be updated and modernized to reflect today’s workforce and the business environment,” Chavez-DeRemer said on Wednesday. “As a member of Congress, the PRO Act was the bill to have those conversations that mattered deeply to the people of Oregon’s 5th congressional district. I recognize that that bill was imperfect, and I also recognize that I am no longer representing Oregon as a lawmaker.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also queried Chavez-DeRemer about the PRO Act, questioning if she would change Alabama’s Right-to-Work laws. “My constituents at home want to know that. Are you going to try to change our status as Right-to-Work?” Tuberville asked during the hearing. “I respect the fact that you are from a Right-to-Work state, and I respect the fact that you can continue to be a Right-to-Work state,” Chavez-DeRemer said. Chavez-DeRemer highlighted the distinction between representing Oregon as a congresswoman and representing Trump’s agenda as Labor secretary. “I signed on to the PRO Act because I was representing Oregon’s 5th district, but I also signed on to the PRO Act because I wanted to be at that table and have those conversations. I fully, fairly support states who want to protect their Right-to-Work,” Chavez-DeRemer said. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-V.T.) began the hearing by questioning if Chavez-DeRemer would stand by her pro-union values or bend the knee to Trump’s “authoritarian” rule. “You will have to make a choice. Will you be a rubber stamp for the anti-worker agenda of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other multi-billionaires who are blatantly anti-union?” Sanders asked. “Or will you stand with working families all over the country? So that is really the main issue. It’s not just your record. This is a very unusual administration. In my view, we are moving toward an authoritarian society where one person has enormous power,” Sanders added. Chavez-DeRemer was joined by her husband, Dr. Shawn DeRemer, father Richard Chavez, mother Patricia Chavez, daughter Annie DeRemer and other extended family members. In her opening statement, Chavez-DeRemer thanked Trump and credited him with the “single greatest political achievement of our time” – a new coalition of working-class Americans. “President Trump has united a new coalition of working-class Americans like never before. With 59.6% of Teamsters backing him, historic support from African American and Latino voters, and record-breaking turnout in once-solid blue cities and states—Americans are speaking loud and clear. They are calling for action, progress, and leadership that puts the American worker first,” Chavez-DeRemer said. Chavez-DeRemer advocated for trade school investments to expand “educational pathways beyond the traditional four-year degree” programs that will strengthen the American workforce. She committed to leveling the playing field for American businesses, workers and unions. “My record of collaboration demonstrates a shared belief that, under President Trump’s leadership, we can deliver real solutions. Putting American Workers First is not just a vision but a promise to fight for every working mom, single dad, small business owner, and every American striving for their fair shot at the American Dream,” Chavez-DeRemer said. Less than three weeks after he was elected president, Trump nominated Chavez-DeRemer for U.S. secretary of Labor. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America,” Trump said. “I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand training and apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”
Trump admin moves to block NYC congestion toll program
President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to block the New York City congestion pricing toll program. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy penned a letter informing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday that the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of the pilot program was “not authorized by law.” “New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” Duffy also said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.” “The program also hurts small businesses in New York that rely on customers from New Jersey and Connecticut,” he added. “Finally, it impedes the flow of commerce into New York by increasing costs for trucks, which in turn could make goods more expensive for consumer. Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.” This is a developing news story. Check back for updates.