New report reveals how Trump admin will eliminate paper straws: ‘Not rocket science’
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump’s executive order against paper straws that was signed in February is already beginning to “use all levers available” to cut back on them. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a domestic policy council report outlining that the White House wants the Food and Drug Administration to look into the PFAS risk of paper straws and “consider restricting their use.” It is also pivoting away from using straws in federal government cafeterias, stopping the purchasing of them in federal contracts across a variety of agencies, and having the United States Department of Agriculture “not promote the development or manufacturing of paper straws in the future.” “Paper straws are a laughable supposition. They are bad for the environment, they are unhygienic, they are expensive, they contain dangerous forever chemicals, and—as with most things advanced by the previous Administration—they do not work,” the president wrote in a letter included in the report. SENATE CONFIRMS DR MARTY MAKARY AS TRUMP’S FDA CHIEF “This is not rocket science—water and other drinks dissolve paper, rendering these straws useless for their sole purpose. A product of a fictitious yet frequently cited statistic, they are inefficient and wasteful. It is ludicrous that anyone saw fit to enforce their use and that these useless implements have infiltrated our marketplaces as much as they have. Among the many things that my Administration is having to roll back, this is among the most absurd,” Trump continued. The Executive Order came just months after the Biden administration announced plans in July to phase out single-use plastic in the federal government. HHS AXES MORE THAN $300M IN GENDER, DEI-RELATED HEALTH GRANTS TO CALIFORNIA ALONE “The Trump Administration has undone this weaponization of government and will use all available levers to bring back common sense, end the use of paper straws, and restore functional utensils for the American people,” the report’s conclusion states, arguing not only that research does not back up the widespread use of paper straws, but also that it may “pose safety risks to children and people with disabilities.” Blue states such as California and New York currently have laws in place limiting the use of single-use plastic straws in full-service restaurants, unless customers request them. ‘BACK TO PLASTIC!’: TRUMP VOWS EXECUTIVE ORDER ENDING ‘RIDICULOUS’ PUSH FOR PAPER STRAWS Democratic states have also touted the use of paper straws as a more environmentally friendly alternative. Trump has criticized them for years, writing in a 2019 social media post that “liberal paper straws don’t work.” Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
Statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud expires; bipartisan coalition seeks extension
Federal law enforcement’s hands are tied now that the statute of limitations for prosecuting fraud in COVID-era unemployment programs has expired. While Congress extended the statute of limitations for pandemic-era business relief fraud in 2022, the window to prosecute fraud in individual relief programs closed Thursday. “There’s huge amounts of fraud that law enforcement officials are still trying to track down,” said Andrew Moylan, a public finance policy expert at the for-profit philanthropy group Arnold Ventures. “Every day that goes by from today, we lose the ability to prosecute fraud day by day. That’s a huge problem, and this should be something that’s an easy fix for Congress.” HUSBAND OF FORMER ‘SQUAD’ REP. CORI BUSH CHARGED WITH WIRE FRAUD LINKED TO RELIEF FUNDS: DOJ Despite opposition from 127 House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the House passed a bipartisan bill earlier this month to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud from five to 10 years. The move mirrored what lawmakers did for the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury and Disaster Loans program in 2022. However, the Senate has yet to take up a companion bill needed to cement the extension, leading House lawmakers to call on their colleagues on Capitol Hill to make it a priority. “We can’t afford to let these fraudsters get away with the largest heist of tax dollars in American history,” Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, said Wednesday. “Not only do we have an obligation to taxpayers to recover as much of this money as possible — up to $135 billion — we also need to send a message that we will never falter in going after criminals who take advantage of our support for those in need. … There is no time to waste.” ‘DOGE’ SENATOR SEEKS TO ENSURE FEDS CAN CONTINUE PURSUING COVID FRAUDSTERS, DEBTORS, AS IG SOUNDS ALARM According to estimates from the Government Accountability Office, as much as $135 billion in pandemic unemployment insurance programs was lost to fraud during the pandemic. So far, only $5 billion, or less than 4%, has been recovered. Between the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, there are more than 2,500 uncharged criminal matters or ongoing field investigations related to COVID-era criminal unemployment fraud, according to a fact sheet released by Smith. Unless the statute of limitations is extended by Congress, federal law enforcement will be unable to prosecute these cases. Moylan noted the majority of unemployment fraud during COVID stemmed from “loopholes” so big “you could drive a truck through” them in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. THIS LEVEL OF FRAUD CAN ONLY EXIST WHEN GOVERNMENT IS WASTING THAT MUCH MONEY, SAYS VIVEK RAMASWAMY “They didn’t have strict enough paperwork requirements, and, so, basically anybody could apply for it and just attest that they were engaged in self-employed activity … and claim significant amounts of unemployment benefits in the process,” Moylan said. He also pointed out how people were applying for financial assistance under the names of dead people or prison inmates. “In California, about a billion dollars worth of fraud was facilitated by making claims on behalf of prisoners in prisons in California,” he said. This month, GOP lawmakers, including Smith, called on their Senate colleagues to take up the House’s legislation to extend the statute of limitations related to pandemic unemployment fraud. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP When asked why he thought the Senate had not yet taken up a bill to extend the statute of limitations for pandemic unemployment fraud, Moylan posited that it was “an attention span thing.” “This hasn’t been top of mind the way that nominations have been in the first part of the year for the Senate, or budget resolution, or now tax conversations, or, you know, whatever the scandal of the day may be,” Moylan said. “Those are the things that seem to dominate proceedings in the Senate. We now are in a situation where, if they don’t act soon, we’re going to lose the ability to prosecute more fraud in this program.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: South Carolina Firing Squad
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… -State Department will absorb remaining USAID programming as independent agency is dismantled -Trump administration asks Supreme Court to review El Salvador deportation flight case -Vance’s ‘America First’ approach goes global, takes hardline message to Greenland A second South Carolina death row inmate has chosen execution by firing squad. Mikal Mahdi, 41, will be put to death on April 11 after pleading guilty to murder for killing a police officer in 2004. “Faced with barbaric and inhumane choices, Mikal Mahdi has chosen the lesser of three evils,” one of his lawyers, David Weiss, said in a statement. “Mikal chose the firing squad instead of being burned and mutilated in the electric chair, or suffering a lingering death on the lethal injection gurney.”…Read more ‘WE AGREE ON MANY THINGS’: Trump holds ‘extremely productive call’ with Canadian prime minister ‘DUMB AND DANGEROUS’: Hillary Clinton blasts Trump administration ‘stupidity’ in blistering NY Times essay ICE COLD DIPLOMACY: US accuses Denmark of treating Greenlanders as ‘second-class citizens’ during Vance visit to Arctic base VLAD AIN’T MAD: Putin says Trump plans for Greenland ‘has nothing to do’ with Russia TO THE FRONT: House Judiciary calls on Biden DOJ prosecutor to testify in Dr. Eithan Haim case CORRALLING THE COURTS: Josh Hawley believes his bill can stop ‘resistance’ judges from ‘provoking a crisis’ IT’S A ‘SNAP’: RFK Jr. backs WV push for SNAP waivers, work mandates under ‘MAHA’ ‘ACTIVIST JUDGE’: Two trans inmates ordered back to women’s prisons in Reagan-appointed judge’s injunction TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY:Trans activists set ‘survival skills’ focus amid Trump’s executive orders for Trans Day of Visibility weekend ‘ONLY PRIORITY’: HUD chief puts illegal aliens living in govt-funded housing on notice: Americans are ‘our only priority’ ‘UNPRECEDENTED’: IRS sharing info with ICE would put illegal immigrants between ‘rock and a hard place’: expert ‘YOU BREAK HIS NECK’: Dem candidate caught on camera applauding notorious antisemite’s violent rhetoric: ‘You break his neck’ CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: Trump ally Donalds kicking off campaign in race to succeed Florida Gov. DeSantis PARTY ON FIRE: Democratic Party insiders dismayed after DNC meeting goes off the rails in ‘Titanic’- style anti-Trump forum GOLDEN TICKET: Newsom-backed San Francisco speed camera program fines certain drivers more than others Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump admin’s first oil and gas-lease sales nets nearly $40 million for U.S. coffers
The Interior Department announced Thursday that in the first three months of 2025, the federal government brought in nearly $40 million in revenue from oil and gas lease sales on public land. The development proves the worth of President Donald Trump’s vision to unleash American energy dominance, a top official said. “This quarter’s lease sales demonstrate Interior’s unwavering commitment to fostering American Energy Dominance, and we are grateful to those who produce energy on federal lands,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “By building on the commonsense, pro-growth policies of the Trump administration, we’re ensuring public lands are being used to their fullest potential to support national security, economic strength and livelihood of the American people.” AZ SENATE LEADER URGES BURGUM TO END BIDEN-OBAMA LAND GRABS OF URANIUM SITES The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which falls under Burgum’s auspices, leased 34 land parcels for fossil fuel development since January. Those 25,038 acres brought in $39,007,609 in total receipts. The revenues will be divided between the feds and each particular state where the leases were sold. RFK JR BACKS WV PUSH FOR SNAP WAIVERS, WORK MANDATES UNDER ‘MAHA’ States receiving the windfalls include Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada. The Interior Department said in a statement that the sales were in concert with Trump’s Executive Order 14154: “Unleashing American Energy.” The department assured that the various parcels will be developed in alignment with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 – an environmental quality and impact law spearheaded by former Sen. Scoop Jackson, D-Wash. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The leases have a one-decade lifespan and “as long thereafter as there is production of oil and gas in paying quantities.” The feds will are also entitled to a 16.67% royalty.
Trump cautions ‘bad things’ in store if Iran won’t negotiate as Islamic Republic touts ‘Missile City’
President Donald Trump promised that ‘bad things’ would happen to Iran if the regime does not come to the table for nuclear negotiations. “My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don’t work it out, bad things are gonna happen to Iran,” the president said Friday. Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, just shy of the 90% weapons-grade. Experts say it could have a nuclear weapon within weeks if it were to take the final steps to building one. In response to U.S. sanctions threats, Iran showed off a sprawling underground tunnel system replete with missiles, launchers, engines and other advanced weapons. WALTZ TELLS IRAN TO GIVE UP NUCLEAR PROGRAM OR ‘THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES’ A video released this week by state media shows two Iranian military leaders, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, riding in a vehicle through long, weapons-packed tunnels that Tehran has dubbed “Missile City.” The 85-second clip, which has not been independently verified, is set to menacing music and suggests that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stands ready to respond to threats of an attack from the U.S. and Israel. “Iran’s ballistic missile force remains the largest in the Middle East,” said Behnam Taleblu, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This is all part of the regime’s deterrent strategy to cement the idea of any conflict with Tehran being a costly and protracted one.” The move comes as U.S. is bolstering its forces in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently sent a second aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman‘s carrier strike group, whose deployment was also extended. The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen’s Houthi militia. The planes are capable of carrying 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs and are now situated within range of Iran. Weeks ago, Trump wrote a letter to Iran urging the regime to engage in talks on its nuclear program. Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that the regime would engage in “indirect” talks, according to local news reports. IRAN’S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S THREATS TO HOUTHIS “The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States.” “Our policy is to not negotiate directly while there is maximum pressure policy and threats of military strikes,” foreign minister Abbas Aragchi explained. “But indirect negotiations can take place as they have in the past.” If talks falter, the U.S. and Israel have floated the possibility of targeted strikes on underground nuclear facilities. In recent weeks, the Trump administration launched a series of offensive attacks on the Houthis in Yemen to send a message to Tehran, which supports them. “Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” he continued. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, “Intelligence.’”
Trump reveals why he pulled Stefanik’s UN ambassador nomination: ‘Cannot take a chance’
Facing a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, President Donald Trump says he pulled GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as United Nations ambassador because he doesn’t “want to take any chances.” The president made his comments Friday as he answered questions at the White House, one day after announcing in a social media post that he was pulling the nomination of Stefanik, a Republican from New York and top Trump ally in the House, due to concerns about passing his agenda through the chamber. “I said, ‘Elise, would you do me a favor? We cannot take a chance. We have a slim margin,’” Trump told reporters. WHAT STEFANIK TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT HER ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS Trump’s move comes amid concerns by the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill over next week’s special congressional elections in Florida. Voters in two congressional districts in Florida will head to the polls on Tuesday, as Republicans aim to keep control of both solidly red seats and give themselves slightly more breathing room in the House. The elections are in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election. ‘SHOW OF FORCE’ – TRUMP ALLY KICKING OFF CAMPAIGN IN RACE TO SUCCEED FLORIDA GOV. DESANTIS But the Democratic candidates have vastly outraised the Republican nominees, and polling in recent days suggested that the race in the 6th District was within the margin of error. The GOP currently holds a 218-213 majority in the House, with two vacant seats where Republicans stepped down and two where Democratic lawmakers died in March. “When it comes to Florida, you have two races, and they seem to be good,” Trump said. But pointing to the massive fundraising advantage by the Democrat candidates over the GOP contenders, Trump raised concerns, saying “You never know what happens in a case like that.” Jimmy Patronis, the Florida Chief Financial Officer, is favored over Democrat Gay Valimont in a multi-candidate field in the race to fill the vacant seat in the 1st CD, which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida in the Panhandle region. Republican Matt Gaetz, who won re-election in the district in last November’s elections, resigned from office weeks later after Trump selected him to be his nominee for attorney general in his second administration. Gaetz later withdrew himself from cabinet consideration amid controversy. But it’s the race in the 6th CD, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, that is really raising concerns among some in the GOP. The race is to succeed Republican Michael Waltz, who stepped down from the seat on Jan. 20 after Trump named him his national security adviser. DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE Republican state Sen. Randy Fine is facing off against teacher Josh Weil, a Democrat, in a multi-candidate field. Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by topping Fine in the campaign cash battle by roughly a ten-to-one margin. The cash discrepancy in the 6th CD race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine in the closing days of the campaign, with conservative super PACs launching ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine. “I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters earlier this week. But Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now.” And he emphasized, “We’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.” Trump, pointing to Fine, on Friday acknowledged that “our candidate doesn’t have that kind of money.” There’s been criticism of Fine by some fellow Republicans. Former top Trump political adviser and conservative host Steve Bannon warned that Fine “isn’t winning.” And two-term Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week that the GOP would underperform in the race, arguing that “it’s a reflection of the candidate running in that race.” But it’s worth pointing out the contentious history between DeSantis and Fine, who was the first Florida Republican to flip his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential nomination battle. In the 1st District, where there is less concern by Republicans about losing the seat, Valimont topped Patronis in fundraising by roughly a five-to-one margin. While the races in the two Republican-dominated districts are far from ideal for the Democrats to try and flip, the elections are the first opportunity for voters and donors to try and make a difference since Trump’s return to power in the White House. And Democrats say the surge in fundraising for their candidates is a sign their party is motivated amid voters’ frustrations with the sweeping and controversial moves made by Trump in his opening weeks back in office. “The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters earlier this week. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jeffries and other Democrats aren’t predicting victory. But Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, highlighted that “these districts are so Republican, there would ordinarily be no reason to believe that the races will be close, but what I can say, almost guaranteed, is that the Democratic candidate in both of these Florida special elections will significantly overperform.” Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional Distirct, a large, mostly rural, district in the northernmost reaches of the state that includes most of the Adirondack Mountains and the Thousand Islands region. She cruised to re-election last November by 24 points. “We don’t want to take any chances. We don’t want to experiment,” Trump said as he pointed to what would have been a special election later this year to fill Stefanik’s seat if she had resigned if confirmed
Judges extend orders against deportation flights, including wartime act on violent Venezuelan gang members
A D.C. federal judge on Friday extended a restraining order against the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law the Trump administration enacted to deport Venezuelan nationals who are Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members in the U.S. illegally. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled the extension will run through April 12. Also on Friday, in a separate ruling, a federal judge in Boston blocked the deportation of migrants to countries where they have no existing relationship without a chance to go into court to contest that move. Last week, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining blocked the president from using the act to deport Venezuelan nationals, stating he needed more time to consider the merits of the case. TRUMP DOJ HAMMERS JUDGE’S ‘DIGRESSIVE MICROMANAGEMENT,’ SEEKS MORE TIME TO ANSWER 5 QUESTIONS In a bench ruling, he ordered all planes carrying Venezuelan nationals or other deportees under the Alien Enemies Act be returned. The administration later filed an emergency request for the U.S. appeals court to intervene. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Trump doubles down on acquiring Greenland for ‘world peace’ amid Vance visit
President Donald Trump stressed the need to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes Friday, as Vice President JD Vance conducted a trip there with second lady Usha Vance. Although the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly offered, dating back to his first administration, a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic. “If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.” VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP The Vances, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, arrived in Greenland on Friday to visit Pituffik Space Base, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation. The base is home to the Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations. Despite the Trump administration’s push to secure Greenland, leaders in Denmark and Greenland remain staunchly against the president’s wishes, even as Greenland’s prime minister has called for independence from Copenhagen. But the Trump administration has pointed out that Denmark has faced backlash for its treatment of indigenous people from Greenland. A group of indigenous women from Greenland sued the Danish government in May 2024 and accused Danish health officials of fitting them with intrauterine devices without their knowledge between the 1960s and 1970s. TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ Both Denmark and Greenland initiated an investigation into the matter in 2022, and the report is expected for release this year. A senior White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Denmark’s treatment of the people of Greenland will receive ample attention during Vance’s visit. “Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second-class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well,” the official said Thursday. Greenland is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, and both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years.
Two trans inmates ordered back to women’s prisons in Reagan-appointed judge’s injunction
Transgender inmates who were moved from a women’s prison to an all-male facility, after President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating inmates live in facilities corresponding to their biological sex, are now being sent back to the women’s prison after a judge issued a preliminary injunction. “This is the latest example of an activist judge attempting to seize power at the expense of the American people who overwhelmingly voted to elect President Trump,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Defending Women Executive Order, and will continue to do so.” U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington issued the injunction last week after the two inmates, identified in court documents as Rachel and Ellen Doe, were added as plaintiffs to a lawsuit against Trump’s executive order with nearly a dozen other inmates. TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE “The fact that they have already been transferred and, allegedly, have been abused at their new facilities can only strengthen their claims of irreparable harm,” Lamberth, a Reagan-appointed U.S. district court judge, wrote in the injunction. The court documents also allege that since being transferred to a male prison, “they have been unable to access bras and women’s underwear” while being subjected to “sexual harassment” at the new facilities. The Bureau of Prisons did not respond when reached for comment Friday. FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS PLANNED MOVE OF TRANS INMATES TO FACILITIES FOR THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX The original lawsuit the two new inmates were added to alleged that “the inmates, all of whom are transgender women, “will not be safe” if transferred to men’s facilities, the lawsuit states, and the inmates will be at risk of “sexual harassment, assault, and rape.” This injunction adds to a lengthy list of legal battles the Trump DOJ faces regarding the president’s executive orders. The first lawsuit against Trump’s “two sexes” executive order came from a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments just days after Trump signed the order in January. That inmate, anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says. TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB At least 15 trans prisoners are now protected by orders blocking or reversing the transfers, the Associated Press reported. Lamberth has not yet ruled on a lawsuit filed this month by three other inmates—a transgender woman in a men’s prison and two transgender men in women’s prisons—who are challenging the executive order’s ban on transgender medical treatments in prisons.
RFK Jr. backs WV push for SNAP waivers, work mandates under ‘MAHA’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., spoke Friday in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, as Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed the first letters of intent seeking waivers to allow the Mountain State to eliminate soda from SNAP benefit eligibility. “We have a public health crisis in this country, and, unfortunately, West Virginia is leading the way,” Kennedy said, surrounded by children and local dignitaries at a Catholic school in Martinsburg. Morrisey also signed landmark legislation banning food dyes in West Virginia in support of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. “I’m very, very grateful to Governor Morrisey for his visionary leadership and getting West Virginia to lead the way in transitioning off of processed foods. When my uncle was president, 3% of Americans had chronic disease, and we spent zero dollars on chronic disease in this country. There were no medications [for it].” Kennedy claimed that, by contrast, the government spends more on Americans’ health issues than the entire defense budget. WV GOV SIGNS RILEY GAINES ACT He said that Congress usually debates how to pay for these increased costs, not how to eliminate the health risks and systemic issues that lead to Americans’ globally-low-ranked collective health. Morrisey praised Kennedy for attending the ceremony, remarking that it proves the “MAHA” movement started “right here in West Virginia.” He signed HB 2354 on Monday, which bans the preservative butylated hydroxyanisole, as well as food dyes, from schools, beginning in August and for general sale, starting in 2028. COAL STILL KEY TO US ENERGY DOMINANCE: WV GOV “We’re cleaning up our foods, promoting exercise, and putting nutrition back into SNAP. I’m committed to Secretary Kennedy’s vision for America and raising health standards here in the Mountain State,” he said Friday from Berkeley County. Morrisey also plans to implement work requirements for most SNAP recipients, stating that able-bodied applicants must work—citing West Virginia’s last-place ranking in workforce participation as justification. State Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Martinsburg, who also helped to spearhead the food dye legislation in Charleston, thanked Kennedy for his leadership on the federal level on the issue of Americans’ deteriorating diets and health. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Our country is in debt to you for doing that.” Barrett said that when he and Del. Evan Worrell, R-Barboursville, began working on the food dye ban and other legislation, they were warned that food and beverage special interests would be coming after them politically. “My response to ‘big food’ and ‘big drink’ is: Big deal – the people of West Virginia are worth it.”