EXCLUSIVE: Inside Trump’s private schedule as media fixates on his health
EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Digital obtained a copy of President Donald Trump’s personal schedule since Dec. 1, showing back-to-back calls and meetings that frequently drag into the evening. The president has come under heightened scrutiny in recent months from the media over his health and age, including the New York Times reporting last month that Trump, 79, is “facing the realities of aging” while in office. The concern surrounding Trump’s stamina follows the media’s silence on the topic when the then-oldest sitting president, Joe Biden, led from the Oval Office – a health saga that has continued long after Biden dropped out of the 2024 federal election and exited 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Jan. 20. Over the 12 days covered in the internal schedule obtained by Fox Digital, Trump is on the books for roughly 10 hours a day, averaging around 21 separate meetings, calls or events per day – while some days pack in more than 30 such events. A copy of the president’s schedule shows Trump begins most scheduled calls and meetings around 8:30 or 9 a.m., with his days typically not wrapping up until after 8 p.m. TRUMP TORCHES BIDEN’S SHUTOUT PRESS RECORD — OPENS FLOODGATES OF MEDIA ACCESS IN FIRST YEAR BACK On Monday, Dec. 1, for example, Trump kicked off his day at 8:30 am with a phone call to his chief of staff Susie Wiles, which was followed by a 9:30 call to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and a 9:35 a.m. call into a rally. Across 10 minutes, Trump then held a series of rapid-fire meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Wiles, before holding calls with a member of Congress and a political advisor. The day continued with 18 other meetings, phone calls and events, including a bill signing, remarks at a Christmas reception, additional meetings with the secretary of state, Leavitt and his trade team. According to Trump’s schedule, his busiest day so far this month was on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when he held 32 events, meetings and phone calls. He began the day at 9 a.m. with a call to senior staff members, and wrapped the day up at 7:30 p.m., when he met with a “television personality.” TRUMP’S LONG-RUNNING FEUD WITH NEW YORK TIMES ESCALATES WITH NEW INSULTS, LAWSUITS Every hour between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. that day included a scheduled event or meeting or call. Trump’s longest work day this month fell on Tuesday, Dec. 9, according to the schedule, at 13 hours and 9 minutes. Trump began his day at 9:46 a.m. with a call to a Cabinet secretary, before holding five other meetings, and one other call. He wrapped up the day at 10:55 p.m. after traveling to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, where he delivered a speech focused on his economic policies. The schedule overall showed a heightened focus on foreign policy and business, including 11 separate meetings or calls with his secretary of state, eight head-of-state sessions, three meetings with a special envoy and two with an ambassador. Trump had at least one CEO or business-focused engagement on 10 of the 12 days, including 17 direct CEO calls or meetings, a call with “business leaders,” and other events on the economy or technology. One of Trump’s lightest days was on the weekend, when Saturday, Dec. 6, recorded 5 hours and 51 minutes of scheduled events, including meetings with Kennedy Center leadership and Secret Service leadership, meeting with the Kennedy Center Honorees, and taking part in the Kennedy Center’s Honors Dinner. Trump entered his second term as the oldest person ever inaugurated at 78, with the media becoming increasingly focused on his health, including when he was spotted with swollen legs in July while attending the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, as well as other photos stretching back to February showing bruising on his hand. DEMS, MEDIA CREDIBILITY IN SHAMBLES AS PRESS FIXATES ON TRUMP MRI AFTER YEARS DOWNPLAYING BIDEN HEALTH ISSUES The White House attributed the bruising to frequent handshakes and said the swelling stemmed from chronic venous insufficiency — “a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70,” according to previous comments from Leavitt. The media most recently focused on an MRI scan Trump received during a checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in October, which was described as routine by the administration. The checkup was Trump’s second in 2025, following an April visit that Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said found Trump “remains in excellent health.” Trump pledged to release the results of the scan when pressed about it by the media, with the White House releasing the report a day after Trump’s pledge. The report found Trump was in normal and good health. SCOTT BESSENT CALLS OUT NY TIMES’ TRUMP REPORTING DURING PAPER’S SUMMIT, SAYS IT’S NOT PAPER OF RECORD “The purpose of this imaging is preventative to identify any issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure the president maintains long-term vitality and function,” Leavitt said during a press conference while reading Trump’s MRI report. “… Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health.” The White House has been quick to challenge reporters’ focus on Trump’s health, pointing to his health reports and the lack of media coverage Biden received over his mental acuity concerns. Biden’s mental acuity had been under conservatives’ microscope since before the 2020 election. Concerns among the mainstream media, however, did not heighten until February 2024, when special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents as vice president, announced he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” “I can tell you there was certainly a lack of transparency from the former president, from the entire former administration,” Leavitt told reporters in April. “And frankly, a lot of people in this room,
Republican House leader signals plan to begin contempt proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton
GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he plans to commence contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton for ignoring the committee’s subpoenas related to its ongoing probe into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. In July, a bipartisan House Oversight Subcommittee approved motions to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton and a slew of other high-profile political figures to aid its investigation looking into how the federal government handled Epstein’s sex trafficking case. The subpoenas were then sent out in early August, and the Clinton’s were scheduled to testify Dec. 17-18. “It has been more than four months since Bill and Hillary Clinton were subpoenaed to sit for depositions related to our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s horrific crimes. Throughout that time, the former president and former secretary of state have delayed, obstructed, and largely ignored the committee staff’s efforts to schedule their testimony,” Comer said in a press release issued Friday evening. DOJ CLEARED TO RELEASE SECRET JEFFREY EPSTEIN CASE GRAND JURY MATERIALS “If the Clintons fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January, the Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings to hold them accountable.” When reached for comment, the Clinton Foundation told Fox News Digital, “Ask the Chairman for the letter we sent him, and why he won’t respond to it.” The foundation did not immediately provide a copy of the letter. A spokesperson from Comer’s office told Fox News Digital that the Clintons “think they are above the law and are trying to get out of their depositions by using dilatory tactics.” “We communicated to the Clintons’ attorney today that they must appear next week or provide a date in early January to appear for their depositions or we will begin contempt of Congress proceedings,” the spokesperson added. “They’ve been dragging their feet for over four months. Time’s up.” FEDERAL JUDGE APPROVES RELEASING GHISLAINE MAXWELL CASE GRAND JURY MATERIAL Comer’s threats come as Democrats from the House Oversight Committee released a new batch of photos obtained from Epstein’s estate, which included further images of the disgraced financier with powerful figures like President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Thousands of images were reportedly released, with potentially more to come. Other high-profile figures subpoenaed by the Oversight Committee include James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Merrick Garland, Robert Mueller, William Barr, Jeff Sessions and Alberto Gonzales. In addition to testimony from these individuals, Comer and the Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for all documents and communications pertaining to the case against Epstein. In September, the committee released tens of thousands of pages of Epstein-related records in compliance with the subpoena, and the Oversight Committee indicated the DOJ would continue producing even more records as it works through needed redactions and other measures that must occur before they are released.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Omar accused of opening door to massive Minneapolis fraud
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -Waltz hails ‘night-and-day’ Middle East shift as Trump’s Gaza plan reshapes region -Duffy threatens to yank New York federal funds over illegally issued commercial driver’s licenses -Democrats ramp up calls to release Jack Smith’s special counsel report on Trump classified documents case MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Republican John Nagel, who is running against Dem. Rep. Ilhan Omar in her Minneapolis district, spoke to Fox News Digital about the responsibility she holds in the unfolding massive fraud scandal that has garnered national headlines. “Where did this actually start?” Nagel told Fox News Digital. “She passed legislation. Her legislation actually started and it allowed people to get into Feeding Our Future. If you look at where the fraud is, it’s primarily her [5th Congressional District], the district that I’m running in against her. And it’s really odd to think that you know all the fraud just happened in a particular area, and it was a bill that she, you know, particularly put together.” Nagel is referring to allegations that the free meals at the center of the massive fraud scandal were made possible by the 2020 MEALS Act, introduced by Omar and passed with bipartisan support. He told Fox News Digital the public deserves to know who helped her craft that legislation…READ MORE. ‘CHERRY-PICKED’: White House slams House Dems releasing Epstein photos showing Trump, Clinton, Woody Allen STOCKPILE SQUEEZE: Gas prices are falling — so why isn’t Trump refilling the oil reserve faster? WH blames Biden ‘damage’ DEFIANT MESSAGE: Kilmar Abrego Garcia seen for first time since release, pledges to ‘continue to fight’ Trump admin LINES DRAWN: High-stakes map fight: Here are the next battlegrounds in the Trump vs. Democrats redistricting showdown SEIZED AT SEA: Why the US could snatch a Venezuelan tanker — and not under ‘wartime’ authority used in cartel strikes SHOW THE TAPES: Bipartisan push grows in Senate to force release of unedited Caribbean strike footage TECH WAR GAMBLE: Trump’s green light for NVIDIA sales to China sparks alarm on Capitol Hill CARE CLIFF: Senate mulls next steps after dueling Obamacare fixes go up in flames ‘LOOPHOLE’: Whistleblower says massive fraud happening in Ohio Somali community, Minnesota ‘just tip of the spear’ ‘MUST-SEE TV’: ‘Must-see TV’: Texas Senate candidate challenges Jasmine Crockett to public debate DIGITAL DIRT: Latin Grammy winner and Texas Dem star recruit hits House campaign with years of porn-linked posts GAME ON: Husted files for 2026 Senate race, launching aggressive statewide re-election push ‘TOUGH ROAD’: Extreme sports star lashes out at Newsom for killing the California dream: ‘What happened?’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Gabbard blasts Democrat Bennie Thompson for calling National Guard shooting an ‘unfortunate accident’
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard slammed Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Friday for referring to the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., as an “unfortunate accident” during a hearing this week. Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, made the remarks during a “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland” hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill while speaking to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “It is absolutely infuriating,” Gabbard said on Fox & Friends. “He cannot and refuses to directly identify this attack for what it was, a terrorist attack on our own soil against our National Guard, men and women in this case, who are putting their lives on the line.” On Thanksgiving Eve, two national guard members were shot blocks from the White House, allegedly by an Afghan refugee. Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was critically wounded. TOP HOMELAND SECURITY DEM BLASTED FOR CALLING WV NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING ‘UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT’ Thompson said during the hearing, “Madam Secretary, you and the gentleman from NCTC (Joe Kent) reference the unfortunate accident that occurred with the National Guardsman being killed.” Noem responded, “You think that was an unfortunate accident? It was a terrorist attack.” Gabbard said the guard members’ “direct mission was to keep the American people safe,” and that the exchange between Thompson and Noem “points to the egregious and longstanding problem.” SEN TOM COTTON: ALLEGED AFGHAN ATTACK ON GUARDSMEN WAS PREVENTABLE. WE MUST DO BETTER NEXT TIME The director said leaders on both sides of the political aisle “have refused to identify this Islamist terrorist threat for exactly what it is, which is one of the reasons why we find ourselves in the position that we’re in today.” Thompson was asked Friday on “CNN News Central” by co-host Kate Bolduan if he stood by his assertion that the shooting was an “unfortunate accident.” “Oh, absolutely not,” the Democratic representative replied. “And obviously, let me be clear, I was moving toward the discussion that [Kristi Noem] could not blame Joe Biden on the situation because she approved this person’s asylum application and that’s where we were headed and so the issue is…” Bolduan then interrupted Thompson, asking him, “You’re saying you misspoke?” “Oh, absolutely. Absolutely,” he responded. Fox News Digital’s Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.
House GOP unveils healthcare plan ahead of vote next week as cost hike looms for millions
House Republicans have released a 111-page plan for reforming healthcare that they hope to vote on next week. House GOP leadership aides also told reporters on Friday afternoon that they expected a vote on extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies to also happen next week as part of the amendment process to the final bill, called the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.” The subsidies have been the subject of fierce inter-party debate for Republicans. “We expect that there will be an amendment that I believe is being worked on, so the process will allow for that amendment,” aides said. The plan as-is includes provisions to codify association health plans, which allow small businesses and people who are self-employed to band together to purchase healthcare coverage plans, giving them access to greater bargaining power. SENATE DEMS’ OBAMACARE FIX FAILS AS SENATE LOOKS FOR OFF-RAMP FROM HEALTHCARE CLIFF Republicans also plan to appropriate funding for cost-sharing reductions beginning in 2027, which are designed to lower out-of-pocket medical costs in the individual healthcare market. House GOP leadership aides said it would bring down the cost of premiums by 12%. New transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are also in the legislation, aimed at forcing PBMs to be more upfront about costs to employers. GOP UNVEILS PLAN FOR ‘TRUMP HEALTH FREEDOM ACCOUNTS’ TO REPLACE OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES WITH STATE WAIVERS PBMs are third parties that act as intermediaries between pharmaceutical companies and those responsible for insurance coverage, often responsible for administrative tasks and negotiating drug prices. PBMs have also been the subject of bipartisan ire in Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats accusing them of being part of a broken system to inflate health costs. But the most divisive measure for Republicans is likely not yet fleshed out. A majority of House Republicans are against extending the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which were designed to get affordable health insurance for more Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Democrats voted to pass the enhanced subsidies in 2021 and extended them through 2022 when they controlled Congress. A group of moderate House Republicans has joined Democrats now in vehemently pushing for those subsidies to be extended again, as millions of Americans face near-certain healthcare price hikes beginning in January. Two separate bipartisan efforts have been launched to force a vote on extending the subsidies in some form. But any such push would require support from virtually all House Democrats to succeed, and their leaders have not given their blessing to either plan. “We’re going to evaluate every single good faith proposal. But it has to meaningfully provide certainty to the American people who are at risk of having their health care ripped away from them,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters on Friday. But conservatives have warned they would not support any such extension unless paired with significant reforms to what they view as a long-broken system that fuels healthcare price inflation. “I think that would be a disastrous plan. I mean, we’ve clearly seen that Obamacare is the Titanic. It’s going down. I think throwing money after it is just going to be wasteful,” House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News’ Chad Pergram on Friday.
Cruz says Rep Ilhan Omar could face jail time, deportation if marriage allegation proves true
A top Senate Republican argued that if allegations against “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., that she married her brother to enter the U.S. were true, she’d be breaking several laws. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined the long-standing scrutiny against Omar Friday after President Donald Trump revived the allegations during a rally pushing his affordability agenda in Pennsylvania earlier this week. In a post on X responding to a White House social media account that charged, “Yes, [Omar] married her brother,” Cruz listed a trio of federal and state laws the progressive lawmaker may have violated. ILHAN OMAR’S EX APPEARS ON ‘DIRTY DANDY’ SOCIAL ACCOUNT AS TRUMP REVIVES MARRIED SIBLINGS CLAIM “If this is true, then Omar faces criminal liability under three different statutes,” Cruz said. Cruz argued that Omar could have committed federal marriage fraud, which stipulates that it is a felony to knowingly enter into a marriage to evade immigration laws, and could lead to up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and deportation. Omar was born in Somalia and came to the U.S. in 1995 after her family was granted asylum. She became a citizen in 2000. Omar, who is Muslim, has been married legally three times, first in a religious marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi in 2002, then to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009 before later divorcing and legally marrying Hirsi. In 2020, she married political aide Tim Mynett. SCOOP: ILHAN OMAR HIT WITH HOUSE ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER RESPONSE TO CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION Cruz noted that Omar could also be breaking Minnesota’s state incest law, a felony in the state punishable by jail time up to 10 years. He also contended that she could be liable for tax fraud, specifically if joint tax returns were filed while she was not legally married. That violation would levy up to a $100,000 fine and up to three years in prison. MINNESOTA HOUSE HOPEFUL CALLS MARRIAGE, FRAUD CLAIMS ‘LIES’ The Senate Republican’s legal analysis of the situation comes after Trump resurrected the unsubstantiated claims that Omar had married her brother for immigration purposes that have dogged the lawmaker since she entered politics nearly a decade ago. She has denied the allegations. Still, Trump charged, “She married her brother to get in, right?” “If I married my sister to get my citizenship, do you think I’d last for about two hours or something less than that? She married her brother to get in,” he said. “Therefore, she’s here illegally. She should get the hell out.” Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back for comment from Omar’s office.
Minnesota judge’s ‘highly unusual’ decision tossing $7.2 million fraud verdict draws mounting scrutiny
Lawmakers and the legal community are raising questions after a Minnesota judge took the uncommon step of overturning a unanimous jury verdict in a massive $7.2 million Medicaid fraud case, a move experts say is rarely seen in white-collar prosecutions. The ruling, handed down late last month by Hennepin County Judge Sarah West, comes as Minnesota is engulfed in a series of major welfare and human services fraud scandals that have drawn national attention and shaken confidence in the state’s oversight systems. West’s decision has triggered broader doubts about Minnesota’s resolve to prosecute white-collar and welfare fraud at a time when billions in public funds could be vulnerable. JaneAnne Murray, a University of Minnesota law professor who studies criminal procedure, said she was surprised by the decision. COMER TARGETS WALZ IN NEW HOUSE INVESTIGATION, CITING NEARLY $1B IN ALLEGED MINNESOTA FRAUD “It is highly unusual for a judge to reject a jury’s verdict in any case, much less a white-collar one, where issues of intent will almost always be circumstantial,” Murray told Fox News Digital. Minnesota’s circumstantial-evidence standard, she noted, is among the strictest in the country and requires prosecutors to “exclude any reasonable hypothesis of innocence.” Legal experts say Minnesota’s unusually stringent rule gives judges broader authority to vacate convictions if prosecutors cannot rule out every reasonable alternative explanation for the defendant’s conduct. The Minnesota Supreme Court is reviewing the decades-old standard, but Murray said West was applying the law as it stands today. “The judge in the Medicaid fraud case was applying the current law,” Murray said. Until now, West had maintained a low profile on the bench with no prior rulings that attracted substantial controversy. But last month’s decision was derided by Republican Minnesota Sen. Michael Holmstrom, who labeled her a “true extremist.” West, a former public defender appointed to the bench in 2018 by Gov. Mark Dayton, previously handled juvenile and child protection cases in Hennepin County. She also held leadership roles in the Hennepin County Bar Foundation, which funds legal aid and community justice programs. She presided over the prosecution of Abdifatah Yusuf, found guilty by a jury of six counts of aiding and abetting theft after he and his wife were accused of stealing $7.2 million from the state’s Medicaid program while running a home healthcare business, according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. ‘SCHEMES STACKED UPON SCHEMES’: $1B HUMAN-SERVICES FRAUD FUELS SCRUTINY OF MINNESOTA’S SOMALI COMMUNITY Prosecutors said the business lacked a real office, operated “for years out of a mailbox” and that Yusuf allegedly used the money to fund a “lavish lifestyle” that included shopping sprees at luxury retailers such as Coach, Canada Goose, Michael Kors, Nike and Nordstrom. But West tossed the conviction, ruling that the state’s case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence and failed to eliminate other reasonable inferences about Yusuf’s personal involvement in the billing scheme. “There is a reasonable, rational inference that Mr. Yusuf was the owner … but that his brother, Mohamed Yusuf, was committing the fraud … without Mr. Yusuf’s knowledge or involvement,” West wrote in her ruling. She said the scale and nature of the fraud was “of great concern” but ruled the state failed to prove Yusuf knowingly participated in it. Andy McCarthy, a former assistant U.S. attorney and Fox News contributor, said the ruling veered far beyond what trial judges are normally permitted to do, underscoring how exceptional the move was. MINNESOTA FRAUD SCHEME UNEARTHS MILLIONS IN LUXURY PROPERTY, CARS: DOJ “It is highly unusual for a judge to overturn a jury verdict in a criminal case,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital, noting that a judge who believes the evidence is legally insufficient is supposed to stop the case before it ever reaches the jury. McCarthy said the reported rationale for vacating the verdict “seems untenable,” arguing circumstantial evidence is routinely strong enough to sustain convictions. “The fact that a case is circumstantial — meaning there is no central witness who saw the crime — is not a reason to overturn it,” he said. “Very often, circumstantial cases are much stronger than cases that rise or fall on the testimony of witnesses of dubious credibility.” He added that judges are required to instruct jurors to view evidence as a whole rather than in isolation. “The judge is only permitted to vacate a guilty verdict if it is obviously irrational and against the full weight of the evidence,” McCarthy said. Because West waited until after deliberations to overturn the verdict, McCarthy said the state may still have the ability to appeal, a procedural opening that does not exist when a judge tosses a case before the jury deliberates. Ben Walfoort, the jury foreperson, told KARE he was “shocked” by West’s decision and said the jury’s conclusion “was not a difficult decision whatsoever.” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed an appeal. The decision has also triggered a political fight, with Holmstrom sending a formal letter to Judge West demanding she unseal key exhibits — and the entire case record — arguing that the public “must know what is happening in their courts and in their welfare programs.” Holmstrom called the ruling “unprecedented” and said locking away documents produced in open court violates Minnesota’s tradition of transparency. Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
Pritzker approves physician-assisted suicide law for terminally ill patients despite Catholic opposition
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday signed legislation that will allow eligible terminally ill adult patients to obtain life-ending medication in consultation with their doctors, making Illinois the latest state to authorize physician-assisted suicide for people with a prognosis of six months or less. The law, known as the Medical Aid in Dying bill or “Deb’s Law,” will take effect in September 2026 to allow participating healthcare providers and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) time to implement stringent processes and protections. Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident with a rare terminal illness who the bill was named after, said in a statement she “know[s] the end for me could be near. But I’m pleased to have been able to play some role in ensuring that terminally ill Illinoisans have access to medical aid in dying.” ‘LOVE YOU FOREVER’ AUTHOR MAY SOON DIE BY ASSISTED SUICIDE, PRO-LIFE GROUPS CALL DECISION ‘HEARTBREAKING’ Pritzker, a Democrat, wrote in a news release the legislation will help terminal patients “avoid unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives,” and will be “thoughtfully implemented so that physicians can consult patients on making deeply personal decisions with authority, autonomy and empathy.” The ACLU of Illinois applauded the new measure, saying terminally ill patients living in Illinois will “no longer have to agonize about spending their remaining days fearful of a painful death.” While Pritzker’s office included a quote from Chicago Episcopalian minister Rev. Judith Doran supporting the law, other groups, including the Catholic Conference of Illinois, released statements opposing any legislation that would legalize assisted suicide. “Proponents argue that this legislation will end suffering at the end-of-life,” the Catholic Bishops of Illinois wrote in a September statement. “Assisted suicide is not the compassionate solution for those who are suffering. Through palliative care, expanded access to mental health care, and stronger family and community support, providers and families are finding better ways to accompany these people compassionately that truly confer the love for, and dignity of, each human life.” ‘UNTOLD DAMAGE’: GLOBAL ASSISTED SUICIDE MOVEMENT TARGETS CHILDREN They added “unintended consequences” of legalized assisted suicide include documented cases of people being denied life-saving medical treatment by insurance companies in lieu of the much cheaper option of life-ending drugs. “The poor and those with disabilities are particularly in jeopardy as they are the most vulnerable to such abuses,” the Catholic Conference of Illinois wrote. “In response, every major national organization that represents people with disabilities is opposed to assisted suicide.” Patients must self-administer the medication, with the legislation making it a felony to coerce anyone to request the medication or forge a request. Patients who qualify and receive medication have the right to withdraw their request at any time or choose not to ingest it, according to the release. The death certificates of those who commit physician-assisted suicide under the bill will list their cause of death as an underlying terminal disease. The Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm, claimed in a statement Friday that Illinois has “crossed a moral and legal red line.” “This is a dark and sorrowful day for Illinois. When the state signals that some lives are no longer worth living, the most vulnerable pay the price,” Thomas More Society executive vice president Thomas Olp wrote in a statement. “Instead of offering true compassion, support, and care, this law offers a fatal prescription. That is not mercy. It is abandonment.” In addition to its “grave social and moral implications,” the law firm noted the law threatens the conscience rights of physicians opposed to facilitating assisted suicide, as well as the freedom of association of religious medical institutions. While physicians, health care providers and pharmacists are not required to participate, the bill requires physicians who object to assisted suicide on moral or religious grounds to refer patients to providers who will participate in ending their lives. “The State is forcing doctors to become active participants and cooperators in a patient’s suicide—no matter if their faith, ethics, or Hippocratic Oath forbid it,” Olp wote. “This is unconscionable coercion, plain and simple. No doctor should be ordered by the government to participate, directly or indirectly, in a process that deliberately ends a human life.” Beyond the law’s compelled-referral mandate, the law also forces religious hospitals and clinics to retain staff who promote assisted deaths on-site, as long as those staff provide lethal drugs off-site. “This is a Trojan horse designed to violate and undermine the missions of religious healthcare institutions,” Olp wrote. “Gov. Pritzker’s assisted suicide law threatens the integrity of Catholic and Christian medical institutions statewide. . . . State law should never endorse the idea that suffering or sickness makes a life disposable.” If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Dem lawmakers cry foul as Hochul guts AI safety bill amid Big Tech pressure
New York State Assemblyman Alex Bores, D-73, who is leading an effort to enact tighter safety regulations in the state for the country’s largest artificial intelligence developers, has attributed pressure from Big Tech to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to rewrite his bill. Just before President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at undercutting state-level AI regulations, news broke that Hochul had severely watered down a state-level bill targeting some of the industry’s biggest players, attempting to force them to implement stricter safety measures. Her amendments reportedly mirrored a California measure more favorable to major AI firms. In response to Bores’ work on the bill, the RAISE Act, the progressive state lawmaker who is running for Congress to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., says he has been the target of a $100 million ad campaign bankrolled by some of the biggest leaders in the AI industry, such as OpenAI President Greg Brockman and the major AI venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. TRUMP SAYS EVERY AI PLANT BEING BUILT IN US WILL BE SELF-SUSTAINING WITH THEIR OWN ELECTRICITY “My reaction was, ‘Oh, this is a message to the governor’ — this is not just about defeating me,” Bores told Rolling Stone after Hochul amended his bill. “They want the governor to be intimidated by the idea they might target her next.” “NY can be a leader on critical AI safety, or we can cave to the pressure of the same Big Tech and VC bullies pushing Trump’s AI safety ban,” New York State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-26, the Senate sponsor of the RAISE Act, said on X. “I know which side I’m fighting on.” The RAISE Act, in its original form, sought to compel a select few of the most advanced AI developers to implement specific safety protocols, including requirements to write detailed safety and security protocols that must then be followed, report incidents of serious harm within 72 hours to the New York attorney general and a prohibition on the release of new models that could pose “unreasonable risk.” But Hochul’s rewrite removed the prohibition on new AI models that could pose “unreasonable” risk, extended the reporting threshold to 15 days and weakened penalties against AI companies, among other revisions that scaled back the bill’s restrictions. KYRSTEN SINEMA WARNS US ADVERSARY WILL PROGRAM AI WITH ‘CHINESE VALUES’ IF AMERICA FALLS BEHIND IN TECH RACE “AI oligarchs want to take over our safety, our workforce and our minds for their own personal profit and power,” Bores told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. “They’ve already bought the White House and are trying very aggressively to try to buy statehouses, too. That can’t happen, and I won’t let it.” Some tech experts, including TechNYC’s Julie Samuels, argue that aligning the RAISE Act with California’s standards is actually a wise move because it will “help create a de facto national standard” that does not exist. When reached for comment, Hochul’s office pointed to an “absence of federal leadership on responsible AI” and asserted that New York has been “leading with commonsense laws to protect children, families and consumers.” “Our approach should be a model for the nation,” a Hochul spokesperson said. “Gov. Hochul has been at the forefront of the innovation economy and remains committed to advancing AI responsibly as she reviews the legislation.” On Thursday, not long after news broke of Hochul’s rewrite, Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a federal regulatory framework that would undercut state regulatory efforts on AI. During the signing ceremony from the White House Thursday evening, Trump said he thinks there will only be “one winner” in the global AI arms race, likely the U.S. or China. Trump said China holds an advantage because of its centralized regulatory structure, while the U.S. “has to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states,” slowing development of new AI centers. “We want to have one central source of approval,” Trump said. According to senior Trump advisor Will Scharf, more than 1,000 bills aimed at regulating artificial intelligence are moving through state legislatures.
Trump-backed military right to repair plan stripped from Congress’ final defense bill
The final legislation governing Pentagon spending dropped a bipartisan provision that would have guaranteed the military the right to repair its own equipment, prompting immediate criticism from its authors, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, and Tim Sheehy, R-MT, who accused Congress of siding with defense contractors over service members. Both chambers had passed versions of the reform, and the White House publicly supported the measure, which would have required contractors to provide the Pentagon with the technical data needed to perform repairs in-house — rather than flying out manufacturer technicians at added cost. The final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) omits that mandate, a move Warren and Sheehy say will leave troops facing the same barriers to fixing equipment whenever contractors assert proprietary rights. “For decades, the Pentagon has relied on a broken acquisition system that is routinely defended by career bureaucrats and corporate interests. Military right to repair reforms are supported by the Trump White House, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and our brave servicemembers,” Warren and Sheehy said after the text of the legislation was released. “The only ones against this common-sense reform are those taking advantage of a broken status quo at the expense of our warfighters and taxpayers.” The Government Accountability Office (GAO) repeatedly has warned that the Pentagon’s lack of access to technical data is one of the biggest drivers of soaring sustainment costs, estimating that broader repair rights could save the department “billions” of dollars over the life cycles of major weapons systems. SEN ROGER WICKER: THE PENTAGON NEEDS MAJOR REFORM. NOW IS OUR CHANCE GAO reviews of aircraft, ships and ground vehicles have found that when contractors retain exclusive control over repair information, the military is forced into long-term vendor support arrangements that are far more expensive than in-house maintenance. In several cases, GAO concluded that obtaining necessary data earlier in the acquisition process would have given the Pentagon more flexibility, reduced downtime, and lowered costs for everything from software fixes to depot-level repairs. Sources familiar with the NDAA negotiations claimed that, behind closed doors, lobbyists had persuaded leaders on the House and Senate Armed Services Committee to drop the more aggressive right to repair language. “This is a textbook case of the swamp prevailing at the expense of our warfighters and government efficiency,” one source said. “Does (War Secretary Pete) Hegseth realize that Boeing just knocked the legs out from our warriors?” A spokesperson for the House Armed Services Committee said: “The Committee is committed to addressing the right to repair issue in a manner that ensures our warfighters have the data they need to effectuate repairs while preserving the intellectual property of private industry.” “The FY26 NDAA requires the Department to audit its contracts to determine where they are missing data rights they need and determine whether any missing data rights is the result of a defective law or a defective contract. If the law is defective, the department needs to make recommendations to Congress on how to fix it.” Watchdogs also questioned the weaker compromise. “The provisions are nowhere near strong enough,” said Greg Williams of the Project on Government Oversight. “They help catalog the problem, but they don’t really do anything to solve it.” Williams added that the original proposals “acknowledged the cost and committed to paying fair, reasonable prices to vendors for that intellectual property,” countering industry arguments that the bill would have seized or devalued contractors’ data. CONGRESS UNVEILS $900B DEFENSE BILL TARGETING CHINA WITH TECH BANS, INVESTMENT CRACKDOWN, US TROOP PAY RAISE Industry groups defended their opposition. “This debate is not about ensuring equipment and technology can be repaired in contested environments; commanders already have broad authority to keep mission-critical systems operational,” said Marta Hernandez, spokesperson for the Aerospace Industries Association. “Our concern with the Senate proposal is its sweeping mandate for government takeover of IP — without regard to necessity or cost. ‘One size fits all’ doesn’t work for our troops or for the industry that equips them.” But military officials and watchdogs say that while commanders can authorize emergency fixes, that authority does not give units the technical data, software access, or parts needed to actually perform repairs. They argue that crews remain dependent on contractors even when they have the skills to fix the equipment themselves. Instead of requiring contractors to provide repair data, the final NDAA directs the Pentagon to create a database cataloging what technical information it currently has and to “request options” from contractors when data is missing. Critics say the language has no enforcement mechanism and leaves manufacturers free to refuse, preserving the contractor-controlled repair model the reform sought to change. The Trump administration had backed the reform, with Statements of Administration Policy supporting both the House and Senate versions earlier in the fall. Service secretaries also endorsed the effort, and War Secretary Pete Hegseth issued new acquisition guidance in November instructing the military to plan for “organic depot-level maintenance and repair” in major systems. US COULD LOSE NEXT MAJOR WAR DUE TO PENTAGON’S ‘BROKEN’ ACQUISITION SYSTEM In May 2025, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll publicly pledged that the Army would ensure right-to-repair provisions were included in future Army contracts — aligning the service with the broader congressional push for greater access to technical data. But advocates said a service-by-service approach wasn’t enough and pushed to codify and expand right to repair across all branches to prevent contractors from controlling critical maintenance information. The F-35 program offers one of the clearest examples of how restricted repair rights drive up costs. GAO has found that the Pentagon still lacks key technical data needed to perform many F-35 repairs organically, forcing the services to rely on Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors for everything from software maintenance to component overhauls. That dependence has helped push sustainment costs so high that the Pentagon warns it cannot afford to operate the planned fleet without major changes. GAO reported that greater access to repair