Jackson-Kavanaugh tensions surface in candid exchange over Supreme Court ‘shadow docket’
Supreme Court Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Brett Kavanaugh had a dispute over the high court’s approach to its emergency docket in a rare, candid discussion during an event Monday night. Jackson, a Biden appointee, signaled that the high court’s willingness to side with President Donald Trump most of the time when it comes to the emergency docket, sometimes known as the “shadow docket,” was a “problem.” The liberal justice is one of three, and all have frequently sided against Trump in emergency decisions, which have often broken 6-3 in favor of the president. “The administration is making new policy … and then insisting the new policy take effect immediately, before the challenge is decided,” Jackson said, according to reports from The Associated Press and NBC News. “This uptick in the court’s willingness to get involved in cases on the emergency docket is a real unfortunate problem.” SUPREME COURT’S EMERGENCY DOCKET DELIVERS TRUMP STRING OF WINS AS FINAL TESTS LOOM Jackson said: “It’s not serving the court or this country well.” Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, countered that the Supreme Court’s approach to emergency requests was not unique to the Trump administration and that the high court handled the Biden administration the same way despite there being fewer interim requests under the former president. Kavanaugh said presidents “push the envelope” more with executive orders because Congress is passing less legislation. “Some are lawful, some are not,” Kavanaugh said, later adding, “None of us enjoy this.” The pair spoke in a courtroom during an annual lecture honoring the late Judge Thomas Flannery of the U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C., while several federal judges, including high-profile ones like Judge James Boasberg, looked on. Jackson’s criticism is not new; she has been perhaps the most vocal dissenter in emergency docket cases. In August, she lambasted the Supreme Court majority for “lawmaking” from the bench in a dissent to an emergency decision to temporarily allow the National Institutes of Health’s cancellation of about $738 million in grant money. “This is Calvinball jurisprudence with a twist. Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins,” Jackson wrote. The Trump administration has faced hundreds of lawsuits and adverse rulings in the lower courts, and the Department of Justice’s solicitor general’s office, which represents the government before the Supreme Court, often does not elevate cases to that level. JACKSON’S SCATHING DISSENT LEVELS PARTISAN CHARGE AT COLLEAGUES AFTER HIGH-PROFILE RULING Such emergency requests allow the government to bypass the lengthy court process, involving extensive briefings and oral arguments, to seek immediate relief in the face of restraining orders and injunctions in the lower courts. The Trump administration has brought about 30 emergency applications to the Supreme Court and secured victories about 80% of the time, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Through the emergency docket, the Supreme Court has greenlit Trump’s mass firings and curtailed nationwide injunctions. The high court has also cleared the way for deportations and immigration stops viewed as controversial by critics of the administration. The justices have also found that the government can, for now, discharge transgender service members from the military. But Trump has not won out all the time by taking this route. The justices required the administration to give more notice to alleged illegal immigrants being deported under the Alien Enemies Act and agreed with a lower court that the president improperly federalized the National Guard as part of his immigration crackdown in Chicago.
Gas prices surge, pinching Americans and handing the GOP a new midterm headache
President Donald Trump, who rode promises of affordability back to the White House, is now confronting Iran-driven volatility that’s undermining that message as fuel costs rise nationwide — and putting fresh pressure on Republicans heading into the midterms. With the Iran conflict rattling oil markets and raising fears of supply disruptions, gas prices are climbing again, squeezing Americans already worn down by inflation. This week, oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022 as fallout from the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continued to roil global markets and investors priced in the risk of tighter supply. With oil higher, gasoline and diesel prices are rising fast. TRAVEL IS ABOUT TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE AS IRAN CONFLICT SPARKS JET FUEL CRUNCH The national average gas price climbed to $3.53 per gallon, up 59 cents over the past week, according to GasBuddy. Diesel prices also jumped, with the national average up 97 cents to $4.72 per gallon. With control of Congress at stake, uneven gas price spikes are becoming a new midterm flashpoint, especially in hard-hit battleground states. The steepest week-over-week increases were in Indiana (up 58 cents), Florida (up 57 cents), Michigan (up 55 cents), Ohio (up 54 cents), and California (up 51 cents). The lowest average prices were in Kansas ($2.90), Oklahoma ($2.95) and Arkansas ($2.98), while the highest were in California ($5.14), Washington ($4.58), and Hawaii ($4.33) — a regional divide that could sharpen midterm attacks over energy costs and inflation. THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT That kind of pocketbook pressure is exactly what Democrats have been eager to exploit. Last fall, Democrats leaned heavily on affordability themes in state and local elections, and it paid off. In places like Virginia, New York and New Jersey, where voters have been squeezed by high housing costs and utility bills, Democratic candidates seized on Trump’s early economic moves, including his trade policy, to argue that his policies were worsening the affordability crisis rather than easing it. They promised to rein in energy costs, expand affordable housing and protect middle-class wages, a message that resonated with voters. BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGERY OFFERS A RARE LOOK AT DAMAGE INSIDE IRAN With the ongoing conflict driving gasoline prices higher, the White House is weighing steps to protect shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and keep prices from climbing further. That waterway is critical to global energy supply. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman, carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day and about one-fifth of the global supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). When conflict flares in the region, even the threat of disruption can rattle markets because so much of the world’s energy moves through that single corridor. Asked about the risk of disruptions, Trump said Monday evening he would keep the route open and threatened retaliation if Iran tried to interfere. “I will not allow a terrorist regime to hold the world hostage and attempt to stop the globe’s oil supply. And if Iran does anything to do that, they’ll get hit at a much, much harder level,” Trump said during a press conference in Florida. “In the long run, oil supplies will be dramatically more secure without the threat of Iranian ships, drones, missiles,” he added.
Trump appoints Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika to Air Force Academy Board of Visitors
President Donald Trump appointed Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to serve on the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors. Kirk, who serves as CEO and board chair of Turning Point USA, is listed among those appointed by the president on the academy’s website. “The Board inquires into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy which the Board decides to consider,” the site explains. ARIZONA GOVERNOR VETOES CHARLIE KIRK MEMORIAL LICENSE PLATE, SPARKING GOP OUTRAGE: ‘THIS BILL FALLS SHORT’ Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September, had been tapped by Trump to serve on the board last year. “President Trump made the perfect choice in appointing Erika Kirk to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “Charlie Kirk served proudly on the Board, inspiring not only the next generation of servicemembers, but millions around the world with his bold Christian faith, defense of the truth, and deep love of country. Erika Kirk will continue his legacy, and will be a fearless advocate for the most elite airpower force in the history of the world whose warriors keep our Nation safe, strong, and free,” Wales added. ‘WE ARE NOT AFRAID’: ERIKA KIRK VOWS TPUSA WILL CONTINUE CAMPUS DEBATES NATIONWIDE “I applaud President Trump for appointing Erika Kirk to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital. “I encouraged this appointment as Erika is the right person to fill Charlie’s place on the Board and continue his work of inspiring the next generation of service members and advancing the Academy. I look forward to working alongside her to carry on Charlie’s legacy,” Pfluger added. Pfluger, a graduate of the academy, is the board’s chair. ERIKA KIRK OPENS UP ABOUT ‘GUT-WRENCHING’ GRIEF AFTER HER HUSBAND’S KILLING AND HOW FAITH SUSTAINED HER Fox News Digital reached out to Turning Point USA on Tuesday.
Iran war, 11 days in: US controls skies, oil surges and the region braces for what’s next
One week into the war with Iran, U.S. officials say American and Israeli forces are moving toward “complete control” of Iranian airspace — clearing the way for deeper strikes, a broader target list and a conflict that appears to be expanding rather than winding down. In briefings this week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine described what they called near-uncontested airspace over key corridors, a shift that allows sustained bombing operations deep inside Iran. “We are winning with an overwhelming and unrelenting focus on our objectives,” Hegseth said in a press briefing Tuesday morning. AFTER THE STRIKES, HOW WOULD THE US SECURE IRAN’S ENRICHED URANIUM? Caine said U.S. forces have now struck more than 5,000 targets in the first 10 days of operations, including dozens of deeply buried missile launchers hit with 2,000-pound penetrating bombs. The message from Washington is one of overwhelming military advantage. But the broader picture, rising oil prices, expanding drone warfare, strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure, and regional spillover touching NATO territory, suggests a conflict that is growing in scope even as U.S. officials project confidence in its trajectory. Amid the intensifying conflict, Iran’s Assembly of Experts has selected Mojtaba Khamenei — son of the recently deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — as the country’s new supreme leader, consolidating authority within the clerical establishment and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at a pivotal moment. The succession, only the second since the 1979 revolution, signals continuity rather than recalibration in Iran’s posture. Mojtaba Khamenei had long been viewed as a potential successor and is closely aligned with hard-line factions inside Iran’s security apparatus. President Donald Trump criticized the selection, saying the leadership change would not alter U.S. objectives and suggesting it reflects the same entrenched power structure Washington has sought to weaken. The administration has made clear that military operations will continue regardless of who occupies the supreme leader’s office. Rather than opening a diplomatic off-ramp, the transition appears to reinforce the likelihood of a prolonged confrontation. Hegseth said Tuesday that the U.S. and Israel had achieved “total air dominance” over Iran and were “winning decisively with brutal efficiency.” “That doesn’t mean they won’t be able to project,” Hegseth said. “It doesn’t mean our air defenders still don’t have to defend. They do. But that is strong evidence of degradation.” “Most of their higher-end surface-to-air missile systems are not factors at this point in time,” Caine said. “Fighters are moving deeper with relative impunity,” he added, noting there is “always some risk.” Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, also reported that Iranian ballistic missile launches had dropped by roughly 90% from the opening days of the conflict, while drone attacks had fallen by more than 80%, attributing the decline to sustained strikes on launchers and infrastructure. Still, officials have cautioned that air superiority does not mean every threat can be stopped. Iranian missiles and drones continue to be launched, and some have required interception across the region. Hegseth said the campaign is transitioning from expensive standoff weapons like Tomahawk cruise missiles to 500-, 1,000- and 2,000-pound precision gravity bombs — a shift he said reflects confidence that Iranian surface-to-air missile systems have been suppressed in key areas. He described the U.S. stockpile of such bombs as “nearly unlimited” and warned that Washington’s timeline “is ours and ours alone to control.” The emphasis on gravity bombs is more than rhetorical. It signals a move toward sustained, high-tempo operations designed not only to hit active threats, but to degrade Iran’s ability to regenerate its missile force. US SIGNALS READINESS TO ESCORT TANKERS THROUGH HORMUZ AS TRAFFIC THINS, BUT NO MISSION HAS BEEN LAUNCHED Even as missile launches decline, unmanned systems remain central to the war. Iran has leaned heavily on drones — including Shahed-style loitering munitions — to strike energy facilities, pressure U.S. bases and disrupt shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. Compared to ballistic missiles, drones are cheaper and easier to deploy in volume, allowing Tehran to sustain pressure despite losses elsewhere. In response, the United States has deployed a Ukraine-tested counter-drone interceptor system to the region. Ukrainian specialists, drawing on experience defending against Iranian-designed drones used in the Russia-Ukraine war, are assisting in strengthening base protection. The drone fight underscores a key dynamic: while U.S. forces may dominate the skies, lower-cost unmanned systems can still impose risk and strain air defenses. The Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and major liquefied natural gas shipments transit — has become one of the most consequential flash points of the war. Drone attacks and Iranian threats have sharply reduced commercial traffic, driving up insurance costs and forcing some vessels to reroute. Oil prices have climbed above $100 per barrel amid fears that disruptions could persist. Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, and Iran’s retaliatory targeting of regional energy infrastructure, signal that energy assets are now active targets. Reports of strikes affecting water and desalination plants further suggest the war is expanding beyond strictly military sites. If instability on Hormuz stretches for weeks, analysts warn global energy markets could tighten quickly, translating into higher gasoline prices and renewed inflation pressure in the United States. Trump warned Monday that Iran will be hit “20 times harder” than it already has if it threatens ships in the Strait. The war has edged closer to NATO territory. Two Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted near Turkish airspace, raising the risk of broader alliance involvement. Iran has also struck Azerbaijan, drawing sharp condemnation from Baku and angering Turkey, Azerbaijan’s closest ally. Notably, Iran has not seen a unified regional bloc mobilize in its defense, highlighting its relative diplomatic isolation even as it escalates militarily. Despite Hegseth’s assertion that certain offensive munitions are plentiful, sustaining air and missile defense operations is resource-intensive, and inventories of high-end interceptors were already under strain before the conflict began. Iran has attempted to degrade radar systems tied to platforms such as THAAD and Patriot
Longtime House Dem swats down attack ad from millennial challenger: ‘I trust the voters’
Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., pushed back against accusations of having been in office too long ahead of a primary race against challenger Evan Turnage and amid broader conversations in the Democratic Party on age and leadership. Turnage, 33, needled Thompson’s extensive tenure in Congress, noting in a campaign ad that the incumbent had served in office for the vast majority of his life. “We live in the poorest district in the poorest state in the country. That was true when I was one when our congressman was first elected. It’s true today,” Turnage said. “If our congressman’s 33 years in office had helped build up this district, built health and wealth in this district, there would be no need for change.” GABBARD BLASTS DEMOCRAT BENNIE THOMPSON FOR CALLING NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING AN ‘UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT’ Thompson, 78, fired back on Monday. “Elections are about giving people a choice, and I respect that process,” Thompson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I have always run my campaigns by focusing on the needs of the people of Mississippi’s Second Congressional District and the work we’ve done together.” FIVE SLEEPER RACES THAT COULD UPEND 2026 – FROM PENNSYLVANIA’S ALLEGHENIES TO NEW MEXICO Turnage’s focus on Thompson’s tenure comes as several senior Democrats have announced that 2026 will be their last year in office. Among them, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her second in command, Steny Hoyer, D-Md., have both announced they will not pursue another term come the November midterm elections. Other notable departures include Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. ‘PEOPLE ARE SICK OF THE SAME OLD THING’: MAXINE WATERS FACES PRIMARY FROM DEMOCRAT 34 YEARS HER JUNIOR Among that group, their average age is 81 years old. Although the crowd of resignations also includes members who have given up their seats to pursue a higher office, Capitol Hill has seen a historic number of departures in the 119th Congress — the highest rate since 2018. But Thompson, the ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, doesn’t intend to join them. If Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in the midterms, Thompson would likely find himself the chairman of Homeland Security. “There is always more to be done, and I remain committed to continuing that progress. Ultimately, I trust the voters of the district to look at the record and make the choice they believe is best for their communities,” Thompson said.
‘Serious concerns’: GOP sounds alarm on taxpayer funds going to ‘high risk’ universities vulnerable to CCP
FIRST ON FOX: The House Select Committee on China is calling on the National Science Foundation (NSF) to pause a $67 million research security initiative, citing concerns that the universities leading the effort have engaged in problematic collaborations with Chinese military-linked institutions. In a Tuesday letter to NSF Interim Director Brian Stone obtained by Fox News Digital, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, urged the agency to suspend funding for the “Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem” (SECURE) initiative and conduct a comprehensive review of the participating institutions. Moolenaar’s concern, expressed in the letter, is that several of those participating institutions, including Texas A&M University and the University of Washington, receive tens of millions from the grant despite ties to the CCP that the committee finds concerning. “The program is intended to develop tools, data infrastructure, and analytic capabilities for assessing research-security risks,” Moolenaar wrote. “Faculty from UW and TAMU – the same institutions now charged with designing systems and processes to protect taxpayer-funded research – have been collaborating with People’s Republic of China (PRC) defense research and industrial base entities, many of which are on various U.S. government national security entity lists, as detailed in this letter.” NEW REPORT SOUNDS ALARM ON ‘STAGGERING’ AMOUNT OF FOREIGN MONEY POURING INTO US UNIVERSITIES The committee alleges the University of Washington collaborated on research with Chinese institutions tied to the CCP’s military and defense sector, including entities on U.S. government watchlists. The committee cited joint publications with PLA-linked organizations, China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and universities known as the “Seven Sons of National Defense,” involving work in AI, advanced materials and other dual-use technologies. The letter describes the university’s ties as “high-risk research relationships with PRC military- and defense-linked institutions.” The University of Washington is designated to be awarded $50 million from the grant. Additionally, the note claims that Texas A&M partnered with Chinese defense-affiliated institutions, including the PLA’s National University of Defense Technology and Harbin Institute of Technology. They argue these collaborations, some involving federally funded research, raise national security concerns and could conflict with U.S. research security and export control laws. Texas A&M is designated to be awarded $17 million from the grant. HOUSE REPUBLICANS SOUND ALARM OVER CCP-LINKED FAKE RESEARCH THREATENING US TAXPAYER-FUNDED SCIENCE “Institutions entrusted with U.S. taxpayer dollars to safeguard the nation’s research enterprise should not simultaneously enable foreign adversaries to access and exploit sensitive research and taxpayer-funded scientific advances,” Moolenaar wrote. “These joint research projects detailed above raise serious concerns about allocating taxpayer dollars for research security initiatives to institutions like TAMU and UW—institutions with documented and ongoing failures in safeguarding U.S. research from PRC defense entities,” Moolenaar said, adding that it is “troubling that U.S. institutions that collaborate with China’s defense research and industrial base, its nuclear weapons programs, its mass surveillance infrastructure, and institutions on U.S. government national security lists are being entrusted to co-lead the development of national research security frameworks.” Moolenaar’s letter urges NSF to assess whether the institutions are complying with a range of federal requirements, including National Security Presidential Memorandum 33 (NSPM-33) Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, and U.S. export control laws. Moolenaar also raised concerns about potential violations of the Wolf Amendment, an appropriations restriction in effect since 2012 that prohibits NASA from engaging in bilateral cooperation with the Chinese government or Chinese government-affiliated organizations in NASA-funded research without specific certification. Moolenaar’s letter concludes with four requests for NSF to respond to by March 31. First, the congressman asks if NSF will pause its SECURE contract funding to conduct a “full review” and also requests that NSF provide the committee with the results of that review. The letter also requests that NSF “provide the award and contract details for the SECURE Initiative” and asks whether NSF believes that “it is appropriate for universities to use U.S. taxpayer funds to conduct research in collaboration with known Chinese defense research and industrial base entities or entities implicated in human rights violations?” “Will NSF update its terms and conditions to expressly prohibit the use of award funds to conduct research with, or for the benefit of, any entity that appears on a publicly available U.S. government entity list?” the last question in the letter asks. “If not, please explain why.” Fox News Digital reached out to Texas A&M University for comment, as well as Stanford University, who is mentioned in the letter as being a participant in the program. “NSF will respond directly to the Committee’s letter,” an NSF spokesperson told Fox News Digital. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a University of Washington spokesperson said, “SECURE is a dynamic program that is not prescriptive but can assist universities of all sizes and other research entities to address research security concerns. The University of Washington takes research security and integrity very seriously. The UW directs significant effort and resources toward being leaders in research security and integrity, and goes above and beyond SECURE’s guidance and recommendations. Given the evolving landscape, we are regularly reviewing our guidelines and protocols.” Fox News Digital has extensively reported on rising concerns about the CCP’s attempts to infiltrate the education system in the United States, including a sweeping report last year warning that America’s top universities have been quietly partnering with Chinese artificial intelligence labs deeply embedded in Beijing’s surveillance and security state and in some cases co-authoring thousands of papers with entities tied to oppressive efforts against Uyghur Muslims.
Trump says he’s ‘not happy’ with Iran’s choice of new supreme leader
President Donald Trump said he is “not happy” with Iran’s choice of a new supreme leader but that early results from Operation Epic Fury have been “way beyond expectation.” Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been installed as the next supreme leader. “I don’t believe he can live in peace,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst. TRUMP SAYS HE’S ‘NOT HAPPY’ WITH IRAN’S CHOICE OF NEW SUPREME LEADER The president touted what he described as the success of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation. “Way beyond expectation in terms of result this early,” Trump told Fox News. More than 5,000 targets have been hit by the U.S. military since the operation was launched on Feb. 28, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Monday. “When we attacked them first, we knocked out 50% of their missiles and if we didn’t, it would have been a much harder fight,” Trump said. HEGSETH BLASTS BRITS, SAYS IRAN’S CHAOTIC RETALIATION HAS DRIVEN ITS OWN ALLIES ‘INTO THE AMERICAN ORBIT’ He framed the opening strike as decisive and necessary. “No other President had the guts to do it… I don’t want some president who hasn’t got the courage in five years or in ten years to go in. It’s like a gun slinger, where he draws his gun first,” Trump told Yingst. “If we waited three days, I believe we would have been attacked,” he added. Trump described what he called a surprise element in the timing of the operation. “Breakfast attacks are unusual, and they were misled because they thought we weren’t going at that time and all that… And they just met. It was very, very surprising. And they all met together, and it was open,” he said. “If they would’ve had a bomb, they’d have used it on Israel and other parts of the Middle East, Trump said. “I think, and probably us, if they could get it there, but it would have been tough.” Trump said U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told him Iran claimed it had enough enriched uranium to build 11 nuclear bombs. “I said, you know, they’re not playing this smart. Because they’re basically saying that I have to attack them. They should have just said, ‘We’re not going to build a nuclear missile’,” Trump said. LIZ PEEK: IRAN WAR COULD BECOME THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT ENSURES TRUMP’S LEGACY Asked whether he would be willing to speak with Iranian leaders, Trump said: “I’m hearing they want to talk badly.” “It’s possible, depends on what terms, possible, only possible… You know, we sort of don’t have to speak anymore, you know, if you really think about it, but it’s possible,” he told Fox News. Trump also said he was taken aback by Iran targeting Gulf countries in response to the American and Israeli attacks. “One of the things that surprised me most was when they attacked countries that were not attacking them,” he said. The president also weighed in on reports of a strike hitting a girls’ school. Iranian state media and UNICEF estimates put the death toll at roughly 165 to 180 people, most of them young schoolgirls, with dozens more injured. The figures have not been independently verified. “It’s only under investigation, but we are not the only ones with that particular rocket,” Trump said.
Republican says ‘Muslims don’t belong in American society,’ draws fierce Democratic backlash
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee declared in a post on X that “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” and later defended his remarks as Democrats condemned them. “Pluralism is a lie,” Ogles also wrote in his controversial post. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., slammed the GOP lawmaker. MAGA HARDLINER PUSHES BAN ON IMMIGRATION FROM ISLAMIC COUNTRIES, US ADVERSARIES IN WAKE OF TEXAS SHOOTING “Andy Ogles is a malignant clown and pathological liar who has fabricated his whole life story. Disgusting Islamophobes like you do not belong in Congress or in civilized society. And that’s why House Democrats will defeat you in November,” Jeffries wrote on X. ‘UNDER SIEGE’: INSIDE THE GROWING RADICAL ISLAM THREAT CRITICS SAY IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IN DEEP RED TEXAS House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., also condemned Ogles’ comments. “This disgusting s— doesn’t belong in American society. And Republicans who support it don’t belong in Congress,” Clark wrote. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office also decried Ogles’ post, writing: “Disgusting comments. America was founded on the idea of religious freedom. Republicans must denounce this now!” Ogles was unmoved by the barrage of Democratic criticism. EXPERT WARNS RADICAL ISLAMIST NETWORKS COULD SHIFT WEST AFTER IRAN REGIME SHAKEUP “To Hakeem Jeffries, Gavin Newsom, and the high-ranking Democrats flooding X to condemn me: A Muslim shot and killed three Americans in Texas. Two Muslims tried to blow up New York City…again. Meanwhile, all DHS counterterrorism programs are unfunded because you shut them down,” he wrote in a post.
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
President Donald Trump outlined five key items he believes will tip the upcoming midterm elections in the GOP’s favor — if Republicans can muscle them through Congress. “No transgender mutilation surgery for our children,” Trump told an audience at the Republican Members’ Issues Conference. “Voter ID, citizenship [verification], mail-in ballots, we don’t want men playing in women’s sports.” “It’s the best of Trump. Those are the best of Trump. This is the number one priority, it should be, for the House,” Trump said. Trump’s exhortations to Republican lawmakers come as the GOP wages an uphill campaign to hang on to a controlling majority in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. He framed his legislative priorities as a way for Republicans to capitalize on popular demands within the GOP base that would increase their chances of preserving a Republican governing trifecta. HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH ELECTION OVERHAUL WITH VOTER ID, MAIL-IN BALLOT CHANGES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS Currently, Republicans hold just four more seats than Democrats in the House of Representatives. The GOP holds six more than Democrats in the Senate. To keep the numbers in their favor, Republicans will need to beat historical trends. In the vast majority of past cases, parties that capture the White House in presidential elections face blowback in the midterms. Notably, the last time a majority party gained seats in both chambers of Congress in the midterms came under the Bush administration in 2002, following devastating attacks on the World Trade Center. REPUBLICANS, TRUMP RUN INTO SENATE ROADBLOCK ON VOTER ID BILL Trump said he believes Republicans have a shot at bucking the trend come November if they focus on his list. “It’ll guarantee the midterms,” Trump said of his legislative priorities. Republicans have already taken strikes towards two of them through the SAVE America Act, a piece of legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and cast a ballot. That bill cleared the House last month for a second time in the 119th Congress. Its future is uncertain in the Senate, where Republicans would need the assistance of seven Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold to defeat a filibuster. Democrats, for their part, believe the legislation would disenfranchise voters who cannot readily provide documented proof of citizenship through a passport, REAL ID, or birth certificate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. has promised a vote on the package despite its long odds. Several members have introduced bills on transgender issues, although none of them have cleared either chamber. “I’ve never been more confident that if we keep these promises and deliver on this popular agenda, the American people will stand with us in overwhelming numbers, just as they did in 2024,” Trump said.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the ‘talking filibuster’ and the SAVE Act
Passage of the SAVE Act is of paramount importance to President Trump and many congressional Republicans. In his State of the Union speech, the president implored lawmakers “to approve the SAVE America Act to stop illegal aliens and other unpermitted persons from voting in our sacred American elections.” The House approved the plan to require proof of citizenship to vote last month, 218-213. But, as is often the case, the hurdle is the Senate. Specifically the Senate filibuster. So some Republicans are trying to save the SAVE Act. TRUMP PUSHES CONGRESS TO PASS SAVE ACT DURING STATE OF THE UNION; NO MEDDLING WITH TARIFFS It’s important to note that President Trump never called for the Senate to alter the filibuster in his State of the Union address. But in a post last week on Truth Social, President Trump declared that “The Republicans MUST DO, with PASSION, and at the expense of everything else, THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.” Again, the president didn’t wade into questions about overcoming a filibuster. But “MUST DO” and “at the expense of everything else” is a pretty clear directive from the Commander in Chief. That’s why there’s a big push by House Republicans and some GOP senators to alter the filibuster – or handle the filibuster differently in the Senate. TRUMP VOWS BLOCK ON SIGNING NEW LAWS UNTIL SAVE AMERICA ACT PASSES SENATE It’s rare for members of one body of Congress to tell the other how to execute their rules and procedures. But the strongest conservative advocates of the SAVE Act are now condemning Senate Republicans if they don’t do something drastic to change the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act. Some Senate Republicans are ready to push for changes. Or, at the very least, advocate that Senate Republicans insist that Democrats conduct what they’re referring to as a “talking filibuster” and not hold up the legislation from the sidelines. It takes 60 votes to terminate a filibuster. The Senate does that by “invoking cloture.” The Senate first used the cloture provision to halt a filibuster on March 8, 1917. Prior to that vote, the only method to end a filibuster was exhaustion – meaning that senators finally just run out of gas and quit debating. So let’s explore what a filibuster is and isn’t – and dive into what Republicans are talking about when they’re talking about a talking filibuster. The Senate’s leading feature is unlimited debate. But ironically the “debate” which holds up most bills is not debate. It’s simply a group of 60 lawmakers signaling to their leaders offstage that they’ll stymie things. No one has to go to the floor to do anything. Opponents of a bill will require the majority tee up a cloture vote even if legislation has 60 yeas. Each cloture vote takes parts of three to four days to process. So that inherently slows down the process – and is a de facto filibuster. But what about talking filibusters? Yes, senators sometimes take the floor and talk for a really long time. Hence, the “unlimited debate” provision in the Senate. Senators can generally speak as long as they want, unless there’s a time agreement, greenlit by all 100 members. That’s why a “filibuster” is hard to define. You won’t find the word “filibuster” anywhere in the Senate’s rules. And since senators can just talk as long as they want, they might argue that suggesting they are “filibustering” is pejorative. They’re just exercising their Senate rights to speak on the floor. However, a true filibuster is a delay. For instance, the record-breaking 25 hour and 8 minute speech last year by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., against the Trump administration was technically not a filibuster. Booker began his oratory on the evening of March 31, ending on the night of April 1. Once Booker concluded, the Senate voted to confirm Matt Whittaker as NATO Ambassador. The Senate was supposed to vote on the Whitaker nomination on April 1 anyway. So all Booker’s speech did was delay that confirmation vote by a few hours. But not much. FETTERMAN EXPECTS DHS SHUTDOWN AMID PARTISAN FUNDING FEUD, BREAKS WITH DEMOCRATS ON VOTER ID In 2013, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, held the floor for more than 21 hours, in his quest to defund Obamacare. But despite Cruz’s verbosity (and a recitation of “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Suess), the Senate was already locked in to take a procedural vote around 1 pm the next day. That automatically ended Cruz’s speech. Thus, that truly wasn’t a filibuster either. So, this brings us to the “talking” filibuster which actually gums up the Senate gearboxes. A talking filibuster is what most Americans think of, thanks to the iconic scenes with Jimmy Stewart in the Frank Capra classic, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Most senators “filibuster” by forcing the Senate to take two cloture votes – spread out by days – to handle even the simplest of matters. That elongates the process by close to a week. But if advocates of a given bill have the votes to break the filibuster via cloture, the gig is up. But what happens if a senator – or a group of senators – delays things with long speeches? That can only last for so long. And it could potentially truncate the Senate’s need to take ANY cloture vote, needing 60 yeas. Republicans who advocate for passage of the SAVE Act believe they can get around cloture – and thus the need for 60 votes – by making opponents of the SAVE Act talk. And talk. And talk. And once they’re done talking, the Senate can vote – up or down – on the SAVE Act. Passage requires a simple majority. Senate Rule XIX (19) states that “no senator shall speak more than twice upon any one question in debate on the same legislative day.” TRUMP, THUNE CLASH ON VOTER ID ULTIMATUM AS GOP REMAINS DIVIDED ON PATH FORWARD Easy enough, right? Two speeches per day. You speak twice