Trump says he’d ‘love’ to have Sen. John Fetterman as a Republican amid growing speculation
President Donald Trump praised Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as a “great guy” on Saturday, saying he would welcome the Pennsylvania Democrat into the Republican Party. Trump was asked by a reporter after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews whether he had spoken to Fetterman — who has repeatedly broken with Democrats during the current session of Congress — about becoming a Republican and whether he would welcome such a switch. “I’d love to see it. I think he’s great,” Trump responded. “It’s going to be hard for him to get the nomination as a Democrat, but I’d love to have him as a Republican,” he continued. REPUBLICANS SAY THEY’D WELCOME FETTERMAN AS GOP EYES BIGGER SENATE MAJORITY Trump described Fetterman as a “great guy” with “magnificent parents,” whom he said he had spoken with previously. “He’s a very solid person,” Trump added. “He’s smart and all that, but he’s got great common sense.” Trump also suggested that switching parties could benefit Fetterman politically. “If you look at the polls, he does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat,” he said. MAVERICK DEMOCRAT SURGES WITH REPUBLICANS AS HIS OWN PARTY TURNS ON HIM, STOKING TALK OF GOP SWITCH Trump’s comments come as Fetterman has repeatedly broken with Democrats on key issues, including the Iran war and immigration, although he continues to vote with his party the vast majority of the time. Since joining the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has voted with Senate Democrats nearly 90% of the time. During the current session of Congress, however, that figure has fallen to just under 81%, Fox News Digital previously reported. Fetterman’s occasional breaks with his party have fueled speculation in recent months about whether he might eventually become a Republican. He has also reportedly used Republican fundraising platforms to solicit donations and maintains a close friendship with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. Last month, Fetterman recorded a video introducing Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., at the Republican Midterm Convention. FETTERMAN TEASES WHERE HIS TRUE LOYALTY LIES AFTER SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT GOP CONVENTION He also mistakenly referred to himself as a lifelong Republican during an appearance at the Texas Tribune’s TribFest last month. An attendee at the event asked why Fetterman did not run as an independent. “Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” he said, before realizing his mistake. “I guarantee you that will break through. That will get clipped.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Trump says he will ‘make a decision’ on Pentagon’s plans to livestream Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution
President Donald Trump said Saturday he had not decided whether the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed, saying he will ultimately “make a decision.” The Pentagon confirmed to Fox News Digital earlier this week that the execution of Hasan – a former Army major who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009 – was scheduled to be livestreamed on Dec. 3. Trump, however, said he had not decided whether to allow the military’s first execution in more than six decades to be broadcast from Fort Hood. “He was vicious, he was violent,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Hasan’s execution. VETERAN SHOT 7 TIMES IN FORT HOOD MASSACRE HAS A WARNING FOR AMERICANS PLANNING TO WATCH EXECUTION “There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it,” he continued. “Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did.” “I’ll make a decision, ultimately,” Trump added. “I know what the military would like to do, but we’ll make a decision.” Fox News Digital previously reported that Trump approved the use of an Army firing squad following a recommendation from War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump’s comments came one day after he was asked whether he had approved the decision to livestream the execution. MULTIPLE DEATH SENTENCES IN DIFFERENT STATES ARE SET TO BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS: ‘NOT VERY COMMON’ “I wasn’t involved in that decision, but I understand the decision,” Trump said during an interview Friday with CNY Central following a rally in Syracuse. Trump added that the military wanted the execution to “serve as an example, and I understand that very well.” Vice President JD Vance said Friday that he wasn’t sure whether the execution would be livestreamed. “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it,” he told reporters. If Hasan’s execution is carried out, it would be the first conducted by the U.S. military since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad since 1945. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
President talks ‘Trump Ocean,’ trades jokes with Tennessee crowd as Kid Rock kicks off sprawling rally
President Donald Trump touted billions of dollars in manufacturing investments and his administration’s efforts to combat crime in Tennessee on Saturday, while calling Iranian leaders “crazy” and floating the idea of a “Trump Ocean” during a wide-ranging rally featuring musician Kid Rock. The president appeared in Clarksville ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, campaigning for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn while mixing economic talking points, foreign policy and off-script humor. Kid Rock opened the event with a religious-themed introduction, praising Trump’s leadership while taking aim at the news media. TRUMP TOUTS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AT OHIO RALLY, URGES VOTERS TO DELIVER GOP MIDTERM WINS “Literally, President Trump could walk across the Cumberland River, and tomorrow the headline would say President Trump refuses to swim,” the musician joked. The rocker also condemned Islamist extremism and defended religious freedom, arguing that Americans should not be forced to live under religious laws that override the Constitution. “We are not, and we will never be, one nation under Mohammed, because we are, and we always will be, one nation under God,” Kid Rock told the crowd. Trump later thanked his longtime supporter and friend by his given name, Bob, before turning to an array of domestic and international issues. The president addressed tensions with Iran, calling the country’s leaders “crazy” while claiming that Tehran’s rhetoric had softened following U.S. military operations. AFTER ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO “They don’t talk that way anymore, by the way,” Trump said after recounting previous threats from Iranian leaders. Trump described what he characterized as extensive damage to Iran’s military capabilities, claiming 159 ships had been sunk and its air force and air-defense systems destroyed. “They have no Navy. They have no Air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump said. The president then pivoted from the Strait of Hormuz to an unexpected geography lesson, suggesting it could one day be called the “Trump Strait.” He also revisited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America before floating additional changes to the map. “We need a river. We need an ocean,” Trump said, suggesting the Atlantic or Pacific could become the “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of the Americas.” TRUMP RALLIES NEW YORK CROWD FOR REPUBLICAN BRUCE BLAKEMAN’S BID TO REPLACE GOV KATHY HOCHUL “Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean,” he added, without yet announcing any formal renaming plans. On the economy, Trump promoted Korea Zinc’s planned investment of more than $6 billion in Tennessee, a project expected to create 740 jobs across Montgomery and Smith counties. Tennessee officials announced the $6.6 billion project in December, describing it as the largest single private corporate investment in state history. The plans include a new critical-minerals smelter in Clarksville and the reopening of a former mine in Gordonsville. “And your state will soon be home to the first new mineral smelter in the United States, first one built since 1979,” Trump said. The project is intended to strengthen domestic supplies of minerals used in semiconductors, defense technology and advanced manufacturing. TRUMP NAMES LEAVITT SUCCESSOR AFTER WEEKS OF SPECULATION — AND SHE’S NO STRANGER TO MAGA Trump also cited General Motors’ previously announced $275 million investment in its Spring Hill manufacturing facility to support production of next-generation turbocharged Cadillac engines. The president credited his tariff policies with encouraging domestic investment, arguing that companies were expanding American manufacturing to avoid import duties. In a Tennessee-focused fact sheet released as the rally began, the White House asserted that Republican-backed tax policies had preserved $23 billion in economic activity in the state. The administration also cited an average $3,674 tax refund for Tennesseans in 2026. Public safety was another focal point of his address, with Trump praising federal law-enforcement operations in Memphis and claiming approximately 12,000 dangerous criminals had been removed. The White House separately asserted that murders and overall crime in Memphis had declined approximately 36%, crediting the Memphis Safe Task Force. The president also shared some lighter moments about first lady Melania Trump, describing her objections to his theatrical impersonations of athletes during discussions about transgender participation in women’s sports. “She said it’s not presidential,” Trump recalled, before joking about her film career. “There is only room for one star in a family, so I don’t need this movie stuff. I don’t need it.” Trump, who carried Tennessee in all three of his presidential campaigns, said the visit was also an opportunity to thank supporters in a state where he had enjoyed strong electoral backing. “Sometimes it’s nice to go to a place where you don’t have to be, but you’re there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times in record time,” Trump said. Trump repeatedly returned to the November elections, urging supporters to back Republican candidates even though his name will not appear on the ballot. “In this election, I’m asking you to do me a favor. Pretend. Just pretend that I’m running,” Trump said.
Supreme Court climate case could bankrupt oil companies, send gas prices soaring, experts warn
A Supreme Court showdown over climate change lawsuits could leave oil companies bankrupt, gas stations facing financial ruin and Americans paying more at the pump if the justices allow cities and states to pursue billions in damages against the fossil fuel industry, energy policy experts warn. “You would see mass exodus and that would create more scarcity with fuel, more so than we’re seeing already today, higher prices,” Jason Isaac, CEO of American Energy Institute, told Fox News Digital. “And that’s really what this is about. It’s about controlling these companies and stopping the use of hydrocarbons.” The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Suncor v. Boulder, a dispute over whether federal law prevents cities and states from suing oil companies under state law for alleged climate damage linked to emissions that cross state borders. During oral arguments, Justice Clarence Thomas pressed Boulder’s attorney, Kevin Russell, on whether the legal theory could expose businesses beyond oil producers to similar lawsuits, including large retailers. WAVE OF OVERLOOKED ‘LEFT-WING’ LAWSUITS COULD COME WITH AN UNEXPECTED PRICE TAG FOR AMERICANS “Nothing in our theory prevents that,” Russell acknowledged, although he noted that state tort law could impose additional limitations. Justice Brett Kavanaugh separately raised concerns about the potential financial consequences of widespread litigation, warning that enough lawsuits could “bankrupt” defendants and questioning whether virtually any manufacturer or business could face similar claims. The city and county of Boulder, Colo., sued oil giants ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy in 2018, accusing the companies of knowingly contributing to climate change while misleading the public about the alleged dangers of fossil fuels. The municipalities are seeking damages to help cover the mounting costs of climate-related harms. There are roughly 30 similar lawsuits pending in jurisdictions across the country, including cases in Portland and Baltimore. Boulder’s lawsuit alleged ExxonMobil and Suncor knew for decades about the climate risks associated with fossil fuels but misled the public about those risks. The complaint pointed to a 1977 internal memo from ExxonMobil that circulated among the company’s highest-level managers. The memo reported that “current scientific opinion overwhelmingly favors” that fossil fuels contribute to the rise in CO2 emissions. David Bookbinder, who previously served as counsel of record for Boulder but is no longer involved in the case, described the lawsuit as a way to implement an “indirect carbon tax” during a Federalist Society forum last year. But Boulder has maintained that the case is not an attempt to regulate national climate policy, arguing instead that Colorado has the authority to hold companies accountable under state law for alleged harms suffered within its borders. “Since the founding, states have had the power to provide tort remedies for injuries occurring within their borders even when the conduct causing those injuries occurred elsewhere,” Russell told the justices. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, BANNED RIFLES AND ‘CLIMATE LAWFARE’: BLOCKBUSTER FIGHTS AWAIT SUPREME COURT O.H. Skinner, executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, argued that the lawsuits are an attempt to accomplish through the courts what climate advocates have been unable to achieve through Congress. “When you really boil it down, and you separate it from all the legal arguments, the advocates who push these cases are very clear,” Skinner told Fox News Digital. “That it’s an effort to get a backdoor carbon tax, because carbon taxes have never passed in Congress, or to bankrupt the energy industry.” Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from the case without providing an explanation. Isaac warned that a Supreme Court ruling in Boulder’s favor could open “Pandora’s box,” allowing thousands of jurisdictions to pursue similar lawsuits. He said a 4-4 split could have a similar practical effect by leaving the lower court’s ruling in place, although a tie would not establish nationwide precedent. “There are over 90,000 levels of government — government entities just in the United States alone — that could also begin lawsuits against energy companies,” Isaac told Fox News Digital. “Driving up cost to consumers because the cost to defend those would be astronomical.” LAWSUITS COST EVERY AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SUPREME COURT CAN HELP Skinner argued that who could be sued could extend beyond oil producers to businesses across the energy supply chain, including gas stations, automakers and utilities that sell or use fossil fuels. “From Boulder’s perspective, anybody who’s contributed to climate change would reliable, any sort of company, big or small, and the problem here is that to the left, climate change is everything and everything is climate change,” Skinner told Fox News Digital. “So it’s very hard to find a line for who isn’t contributing to climate change.” But Isaac said the case is different from lawsuits against tobacco or opioid companies because greenhouse gas emissions come from countless sources around the world and cross state and national borders, making it difficult to isolate responsibility for climate-related damage. “Emissions are a global phenomenon,” Isaac told Fox News Digital. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS SAY JUSTICE KAGAN CANNOT BE IMPARTIAL IN UPCOMING SUPREME COURT CLIMATE LITIGATION ExxonMobil and Suncor argue that because greenhouse gas emissions travel globally, Colorado cannot use state law to hold companies liable for emissions originating outside its borders. The companies contend that such disputes should instead be governed by federal law. Meanwhile, other states such as Utah have barred these types of state tort lawsuits from being pursued. “If the energy companies were to lose and Colorado were to win, this would in effect drive up the prices of gas all across the country,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown told Fox News Digital. “And so those kind of decisions ultimately, it’s the province of Congress.”
Trump calls for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy after clash over Russia diesel deal: ‘Get a new president’
President Donald Trump said Saturday it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president,” warning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian oil refineries as the two leaders clashed over a U.S. deal with Moscow. “It’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before heading to a rally in Tennessee. Trump accused Zelenskyy of making global fuel problems worse by continuing to authorize strikes on Russian refineries. TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA HAS AGREED TO DELIVER MILLIONS IN DIESEL FUEL AFTER ‘HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DISCUSSION’ “He’d better d— well stop,” Trump said. The president argued that Ukraine should avoid targeting Russian refineries because of the potential impact on global energy supplies. “We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don’t hit the refineries’ because that’s a world problem that’s caused,” Trump said. Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for failing to reach an agreement to end the war, which began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. ZELENSKYY TO SEEK OFFRAMP FOR YEARS-LONG RUSSIA WAR IN UN SPEECH AFTER TRUMP REVEALS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE “He could have made many deals and, for some reason, he never does,” Trump said. The remarks came after Zelenskyy criticized a new American agreement with Russia that would temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Trump confirmed Friday that Washington had reached an agreement with Moscow to suspend restrictions on Russian diesel exports until April 7. TRUMP TELLS ZELENSKYY TO STOP DOING ‘ONE THING’ DURING ATTACKS ON RUSSIA The agreement would allow Russia to release millions of tons of diesel into the U.S. and global markets, potentially increasing fuel supplies at a time when Americans are paying more at the pump. But Zelenskyy warned that the deal could give Russia additional money to buy weapons and continue its war against Ukraine. The dispute comes as Russia and Ukraine have stepped up strikes on energy sites, transportation systems and other key infrastructure. Trump has been seeking ways to lower fuel prices as the U.S. faces rising energy costs tied to the conflict with Iran. Trump’s warning puts fresh pressure on Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
President Trump blasts Nobel Peace Prize snub with blistering list of accomplishments: ‘WOW!’
President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized the Norwegian Nobel Committee for not selecting him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing a long list of accomplishments. “I settled 8 WARS, am close to ending or settling 2 more, got all of the Israeli hostages back, including the final 28, both living and dead, had hundreds of hostages, from countries all over the World, released and sent back home, won a war in Venezuela, and captured the violent dictator who so viciously ran that country, and stopped the number one state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon — AND MUCH MORE! Yet, with all of that I, or the United States of America, did not get the Noble Peace Prize. WOW!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday morning. Trump has long openly pined for the prize, first receiving a nomination in 2018 from Norwegian lawmakers for diplomatic efforts involving North Korea and nuclear disarmament. In 2019, he told reporters during a news conference, “I think I’m going to get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t.” TRUMP TEASES POTENTIAL KIM JONG UN MEETING LATER THIS YEAR While the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publicly release a list of nominees for the Peace Prize, Trump has been nominated at least five times, according to the people who nominated him. That list includes former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who nominated Trump in 2019, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who nominated him in 2025. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AWARDED TO UN JURIST WHO ACCUSED ISRAEL OF COMMITTING GENOCIDE IN GAZA Despite being nominated again this year by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others, Trump was passed over yet again, this time in favor of South African jurist Navi Pillay. The 85-year-old Pillay was the first non-White woman appointed to South Africa’s high court, and she later served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SANCTIONS SITTING PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR ‘ABUSES OF POWER’ She also served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. However, her nomination was not without controversy. The Nobel Committee’s announcement highlighted her work as the chair of the U.N.’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian Territory and Israel. Skeptics, however, claimed her work on the commission displayed anti-Israel bias. WAR CRIMES COURT TURNS ‘BLIND EYE’ TO TOP WORLD THREATS WHILE TARGETING AMERICANS, TRUMP ADMIN ACCUSES “Navi Pillay is indeed a world leader, an individual at the forefront of the international spread of the poisonous forms of antisemitism that beset the 21st century,” Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights, told Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter. TRUMP TO ZERO-IN ON IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, GAZA PLAN AND UN OVERHAUL IN WORLD STAGE SPEECH The U.N., however, praised her work and career as “steadfast.” “For decades, she has been a champion of international law and human rights and a steadfast, independent voice of justice amidst some of the most historic international legal cases of our time,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Friday. Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
Judicial Watch’s Thomas Fitton slams FBI’s ‘drip-drip’ release of 75,000 pages of Trump Butler shooting files
Judicial Watch President Thomas Fitton slammed the FBI for slow-walking the release of documents related to Thomas Matthew Crooks’ 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. “They are telling us that, at current processing rates, the process will take 12 years. Under the FBI’s timeline, we won’t even be able to challenge what they withheld until 12 years from now. That is obviously unacceptable, and I would like to know what leadership at the FBI and DOJ think about that position,” Fitton told Fox News Digital. Judicial Watch sued the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2025 after the FBI initially rejected a July 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents pertaining to the FBI investigation of Thomas Matthew Crooks’ assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. TRUMP’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN SENT MYSTERIOUS TEXTS ABOUT 3D PRINTER LEADING UP TO BUTLER, PA, SHOOTING: REPORT The lawsuit forced the release of multiple batches of documents to Judicial Watch, the most recent of which revealed a series of text messages Crooks sent to an unknown recipient, whose name the FBI redacted before sending to Judicial Watch. “We’re receiving these documents because they’re part of the investigation, yet we’re not being told who he was talking to,” Fitton told Fox News Digital. GOP LAWMAKERS BLINDSIDED BY NEW REVELATIONS ABOUT TRUMP BUTLER SHOOTER: ‘AWFULLY STRANGE’ “Withholding that information is a very concerning decision. The American people want to be certain this isn’t another JFK situation. By handling it this way, authorities are creating the appearance of a cover-up. In part, that’s true, because they aren’t providing details about who Crooks was talking to, who was texting him, what they were saying or who witnessed specific actions. It makes no sense to withhold this,” he said. The documents revealed a series of one- or two-word texts Crooks sent to the redacted recipient between May 2023 and January 2024. The words appear unrelated and somewhat nonsensical. WOULD-BE TRUMP ASSASSIN THOMAS CROOKS HAD SNAPCHAT, WHICH MAY HOLD EVIDENCE ‘TREASURE TROVE’: FORMER FBI AGENT “Hello … Hello red …Hello red … Hdudhdbdbbd … 7888ejdj … Yolo … Ddodjjf … 890 … Hdjd … Djdj … red … Yup red … Hello … Jhhhuuh … Hhdj … Jjjjjjjjjjjj … Hello red … Red red,” Crooks’ messages said. Fitton, acknowledging that any potential correspondents with Crooks have a reasonable expectation of privacy, argued that the FBI “must weigh that expectation of privacy against the public interest.” SECRET SERVICE MISSED ‘MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES’ TO PREVENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: WATCHDOG “The public interest in understanding how a former president was nearly killed — and two American citizens were killed — outweighs the privacy interests of anyone being protected in these documents. Unless the court speeds up the process, all we can do is speak out publicly to pressure the FBI and the Department of Justice to take ownership and stop stringing the American people along regarding the Butler assassination investigation,” he told Fox News Digital. A previous batch of documents Judicial Watch obtained through FOIA also revealed that, shortly before Crooks climbed onto the roof of the AGR International building where he fired his weapon from, he engaged in a heated argument with rally attendees on the ground. TWO MEN SHOT AT TRUMP’S BUTLER RALLY SUE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVER SECRET SERVICE ‘PREVENTABLE FAILURES’ “Thomas Crooks was behaving erratically in a very public way at the rally. This wasn’t a case of someone furtively running around; he was getting into a verbal altercation with individuals about Trump and then immediately went up onto the roof. That just blows my mind,” Fitton told Fox News Digital. Fitton complained that the shear numbers of the documents involved in the shooting call for a faster release process. “The entire release process involves approximately 75,000 pages. At 500 pages per month, it will take well over 12 years to review them all. To me, that is unacceptable,” he told Fox News Digital. “It isn’t that hard. I believe the president wants it done, and it’s frustrating that the FBI is taking its typical approach to transparency, which is to offer very little,” he said. Fox News Digital contacted the FBI and U.S. Secret Service for comment.
Who is Sally Yates? Cornell rape-review pick was fired by Trump after refusing to defend travel ban
Cornell University has tapped Sally Yates, a former Obama administration deputy attorney general fired by President Donald Trump during his first term, to lead an independent review of the Ivy League school’s handling of sexual assault allegations. Yates’ appointment comes as Cornell faces scrutiny over its response to an alleged gang rape at a fraternity house in October 2024. As part of the independent review, Yates and her employer, King & Spalding, will have access to Cornell’s internal documents, including case files, oversight records for Greek organizations, communications with law enforcement and disciplinary hearing records. Yates brings decades of Justice Department experience to Cornell’s review, along with a public profile shaped by her confrontation with Trump and subsequent involvement in the Russia investigation. President Barack Obama nominated Yates as deputy attorney general in January 2015, and the Senate confirmed her four months later in an 84-12 vote. She previously served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, a position Obama appointed her to in 2010. CORNELL PRESIDENT SAYS UNIVERSITY ‘MUST DO BETTER’ ON HANDLING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS During the presidential transition, Trump’s incoming administration asked Yates to remain as acting attorney general while his nominee, Jeff Sessions, awaited Senate confirmation. But her tenure lasted just 10 days. Trump fired Yates on Jan. 30, 2017, after she instructed Justice Department lawyers not to defend his executive order restricting travel and refugee admissions from seven predominantly Muslim countries. “The acting Attorney General, Sally Yates, has betrayed the Department of Justice by refusing to enforce a legal order designed to protect the citizens of the United States,” the White House said in a statement announcing her firing. Yates maintained that she was not convinced the directive was lawful. “My responsibility is to ensure that the position of the Department of Justice is not only legally defensible, but is informed by our best view of what the law is after consideration of all the facts,” Yates said in a letter. “In addition, I am responsible for ensuring that the positions we take in court remain consistent with this institution’s solemn obligation to always seek justice and stand for what is right.” Yates returned to the national spotlight in May 2017, testifying before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Her testimony detailed warnings she had given White House Counsel Don McGahn about Trump’s national security advisor at the time, Michael Flynn, shortly before her dismissal. CORNELL RAPE ALLEGATIONS PROMPT NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES TO OPEN ‘ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION’ Flynn had discussed Obama administration sanctions against Russia with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016, despite Vice President-elect Mike Pence publicly denying that sanctions were discussed at the time. After reviewing FBI intelligence, Yates warned McGahn that Flynn had misled administration officials and could be vulnerable to Russian blackmail because Moscow knew what had actually been discussed. Flynn resigned in February 2017, 18 days after Yates’ initial warning. He later pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about his conversations with Kislyak. Before her confrontation with Trump, Yates spent 27 years at the Justice Department, prosecuting white-collar fraud and public corruption cases. She also served as lead prosecutor in the case against Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph, a prosecution then-Attorney General Eric Holder highlighted when Obama selected her as deputy attorney general. Yates returned to King & Spalding as a partner in May 2018, later leading an independent investigation into sexual misconduct and abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League. Commissioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation in October 2021, the investigation included more than 200 interviews and uncovered widespread verbal and emotional abuse, sexual misconduct and repeated failures by teams and league officials to address complaints. The findings, released in October 2022, documented how coaches accused of misconduct continued working despite previous complaints. Yates’ report recommended stronger background checks, clearer reporting procedures and greater accountability for teams and league officials. Cornell said it selected Yates and her firm because of “their expertise in higher education and extensive experience conducting independent investigations for boards and institutions.” INSIDE EXPLOSIVE CORNELL RAPE ALLEGATIONS: 7 MEN ACCUSED, CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS AND A POLITICAL FIRESTORM Yates’ involvement in the case brings another prominent Trump adversary into the controversy, days after New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously brought a civil fraud case against Trump and has faced his calls for her prosecution, was appointed to oversee a separate state investigation. Cornell previously investigated the alleged assault and imposed suspensions and expulsions on several students accused of involvement. A lawsuit filed against the university by the alleged victim has since brought renewed national attention to the case and raised questions about the school’s response. The two investigations have separate mandates. James’ investigation will examine the case at the center of the controversy, while Yates’ review will assess Cornell’s broader policies and handling of sexual assault and dating violence allegations. “As part of that broader mandate, Yates and her team will conduct a detailed review of the university’s response to the allegations involving Jane Doe and members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024, including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to the matter,” the school said in a statement. Fox News Digital reached out to Yates for comment.
Key American industry seeing blue-collar jobs boom as Trump’s re-shoring policies pay off
FIRST ON FOX: Critical blue collar manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are making inroads after years of Biden-era offshoring hollowed out the workforce, according to a new economic report. A Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) report says 72,000 manufacturing jobs have been added in 2026 alone, many of them due to a rise in the manufacturing of durable goods like metal and transportation equipment. The advisors say this is a reverse of a Biden-era trend that saw 200,000 manufacturing jobs disappear in the last two years of the former president’s administration. Not only is the current administration’s focus on re-shoring jobs contributing to the uptick, but so are his tariff policies, according to the CEA, a White House agency responsible for providing President Donald Trump with economic analysis. AMERICA’S NEW BLUE-COLLAR JOB BOOM IS ONE NOBODY SAW COMING — AND IT’S JUST GETTING STARTED In particular, Trump’s landmark One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) has laid the groundwork for American companies to expand in the United States, instead of shipping jobs overseas, according to the report. The bill’s provisions include allowing manufacturers an immediate 100% tax deduction on expenses related to new factory building, and purchasing machinery and equipment. The report highlights success stories from corporations that are reinvesting in Americans and expanding their businesses. LARGEST-EVER US STEEL PLANT IS COMING TO A KEY RED STATE AS TRUMP UNVEILS $15B INVESTMENT For example, the 100% expensing provision in the OBBB has helped Jergens, a manufacturing company based in Ohio, expand to Illinois. “Since the passage of the bill [OBBB], our employees are voluntarily working additional hours,” the company’s CEO, Jack Schron, said. “They are keeping more of what they earn, putting more money back into the American economy and Jergens has a ready workforce. It is a win-win-win: a win for the employee, for Jergens and for the United States economy.” BESSENT CREDITS TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICIES WITH HELPING RETURN JOBS TO AMERICANS AS WAGE GAINS RESUME Schron added that 83% of his workers are picking up overtime after the OBBB provision established no taxes for overtime work. In another example touted in the CEA report, a company in North Carolina, Ketchie Inc., has expanded its workforce by 25% after taking advantage of the 100% expensing provision to purchase new machinery. The report says the company waited to buy the equipment until the OBBB passed. As for wages, manufacturing workers are seeing benefits, too, with their pay increasing by 7.9% since January 2025. “Adjusted for inflation, this means that blue-collar manufacturing workers are earning nearly $2,500 more per year, on average, since President Trump took office,” the report says. It also touts figures from the construction industry, including 100,000 construction jobs added since Trump took office. Semiconductor chip manufacturing, an industry in which the United States typically competes with China, is on the rise in the United States too. Micron is building memory chip plants in Idaho, Virginia and New York, which the report says is a $250 billion investment in the United States. Apple is investing $600 billion in American semiconductor production, too. The report also says that major pharmaceutical companies like GSK and Gilead are investing billions of dollars in the United States, along with automakers like Stellantis. PESSIMISTS SAY THE ECONOMY IS WEAK. THE GOOD NEWS IS, THEY ARE WRONG All told, the reshoring and tariff policies have resulted in $11 trillion in investments in the United States during Trump’s second term in office, according to the report. Meanwhile, the economy is on everyone’s mind with only a few weeks left until the midterm elections. Inflation, particularly high gas and grocery prices, continue to impact Americans before they head to the polls. According to a Fox News Poll, the cost of everyday items is a hardship for voters: 61% say gas prices are a major problem, up from 48% two years ago, while 52% say the same for healthcare costs, up from 44%. Majorities also view housing costs (54%, down from 60%) and grocery prices (62%, down from 66%) as major problems. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the economy is worse under the Trump administration than before.
Socialists set sights on the ground floor of government as GOP warns of bigger plan unfolding
FIRST ON FOX — Dozens of individuals backed by the Democratic Socialists of America are set to appear on ballots as candidates for state legislature seats on Election Day, something Republicans say could set in motion a trend that transforms the Democratic Party. At least 65 DSA-aligned candidates have advanced to contest state legislative seats in November’s general election. The Republican State Leadership Committee — the official GOP body responsible for ensuring state-level conservative victories — claimed that these races could very well determine the future of the Democratic Party, according to a memo obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital. “The statehouse trend is also relevant because several prominent DSA-aligned Congressional candidates in 2026 have emerged from state and local political organizing,” the memo reads. “These victories demonstrate one potential progression: movement organizations can help develop candidates locally and at the state level, provide them with political experience and organizational networks, and eventually support campaigns for Congress.” SOCIALISTS CHEER ‘SHOCKWAVE’ PRIMARY NIGHT AS DSA-BACKED CANDIDATES WIN, ADVANCE ACROSS THE MAP “The scale of that presence matters not only because DSA-aligned candidates could influence the direction of their state legislatures if elected, but because state legislative offices can provide a platform, governing experience, donor networks and organizational infrastructure for future campaigns for higher office,” it continues. The RSLC’s methodology included candidates who are DSA members, DSA endorsees or self-identified members of the organization. DSA-affiliated candidates identified by the RSLC take positions on a number of issues that crucial swing voters and independents may find extreme, including defunding or abolishing police departments, left-wing economic policies and demanding race-based reparations. Opposition to traditional policing has emerged as a prominent issue among some of the DSA-aligned state legislative candidates identified by Republicans. “As a State Senator I will continue to do everything I can to end policing and incarceration in New York State,” Democratic State Sen. Jabari Brisport’s campaign website reads. Brisport also supports decriminalizing prostitution, arguing that removing criminal penalties for sex workers while maintaining protections against trafficking and exploitation would help keep communities safe. TALARICO PUT ON DEFENSE AFTER 2020 COMMENTS ABOUT DEFUNDING POLICE RESURFACE: ‘WE MUST REPLACE’ Over in Wisconsin, Democratic State Rep. Ryan Clancy has stood by his statement that police work has “no dignity or value.” “It means that American policing has always been bad and it always will be,” Clancy told a local outlet in 2023, alleging that American police forces have their roots in slave patrols. “It’s not like we can get back to this to the early days… American policing… [is] epically racist and classist because that’s a dead end. That is the point of American policing.” Clancy told Fox News Digital that his comments concerned officers who abused their authority over sex workers, although his original remarks and subsequent 2023 interview criticized policing more broadly as an institution he argued was inherently racist and could not be reformed. He concurred with the RSLC’s assertion that DSA-aligned candidates are shaping the future of the Democratic Party. State Rep. Eleanor Chávez, running with the DSA’s backing in New Mexico, meanwhile has called Immigration and Customs Enforcement “fascist” and compared its agents to the KKK. Republicans in New Mexico have condemned such rhetoric, arguing that it could spur people to commit violence against law enforcement officers. Despite its propensity to draw attention to its stances on social issues, the DSA bills itself as an economically motivated organization. NEWSOM ADMITS DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST IDEAS ‘MAINSTREAM’ IN DEMOCRAT PARTY: ‘PRETTY ALIGNED’ To this end, some of its members running for state legislatures have called for reforms some have described as radical. New York Democratic Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha, who is running for re-election with the backing of the DSA, has pushed legislation that would allow the government to acquire the privately held Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., potentially through eminent domain if a negotiated purchase cannot be reached.Dylan Wegela, a DSA-backed state house candidate in Michigan, has similarly pushed for state acquisitions of utility companies. Shrestha agrees with the RSLC’s assessment that DSA-aligned state lawmakers could influence the Democratic Party’s trajectory. “The things DSA-aligned state lawmakers are fighting for are things that are extremely popular with voters, and have been for a long time,” she told Fox News Digital. “A majority of our constituents believe the energy sector should not be for profit, healthcare should be single-payer and universal, the government should play a positive role in building necessary infrastructure such as permanently affordable housing and public transit, and so on.” The DSA-affiliated lawmaker also defended her plan to take over the Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., citing a feasibility study commissioned by supporters of the bill that found it would lower costs for consumers. Sometimes, the stances of DSA clash with Democratic policy priorities. Gabriel Acevero, a DSA-backed lawmaker in Maryland, for instance, opposed a marijuana legalization measure he argued did not go far enough to address racial inequities, declaring that “cannabis legalization without reparations for communities harmed by the intentional drug war is not progressive policy.” Scores of DSA-affiliated candidates running in states such as New York, Minnesota and Massachusetts have thrown their support behind reparations for racial minorities. SOCIALISTS ARE HELPING GOP CAMPAIGNS HEADING INTO NOVEMBER Republicans have a vested interest in tying the mainstream Democratic Party to the DSA. A Fox News poll from September found that 55% of registered voters had an unfavorable opinion of the DSA. While some in the Democratic Party argue that Republican attempts to tie the Democratic Party to socialism are bad-faith campaign tricks, party leadership has recently made significant concessions to its left-wing flank. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed Abdul El-Sayed’s more moderate opponent in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, but a super PAC aligned with Schumer has since committed millions of dollars to supporting El-Sayed’s general-election campaign. El-Sayed is a progressive backed by prominent figures on the party’s left, but who has said he is not a socialist. Due to the disorganized nature of the DSA and the