Court order halting deportation flights ‘unconstitutionally impedes’ on executive branch, Trump allies argue
FIRST ON FOX: America First Legal (AFL) and Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill are supporting President Donald Trump‘s invocation of a 1798 wartime law, arguing a previous order blocking Trump’s deportation plans “unconstitutionally impedes” his presidential authority. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg came under fire this past week after blocking the Trump administration on Saturday from invoking the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), for 14 days. In his order, Boasberg ordered any flights in the air to return to U.S. soil immediately. ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO “This law was passed by Congress in 1798,” America First Legal Senior Counsel James Rogers said in a statement released. “Until now — for more than 226 years — courts have universally held that they do not have the power to interfere with the President’s authority as Commander in Chief to decide when to invoke the Act and expel aliens under its terms.” In its amicus filing, AFL states that Gill “believes that Tren de Aragua poses a clear and present danger to the United States,” saying he supports the president’s efforts to “neutralize this threat quickly and efficiently.” “He sees the President’s use of the Enemy Aliens Act as vital to ensuring the safety of his constituents,” the filing reads. SCOOP: IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES HIT JUDGE WHO ORDERED TRUMP TO STOP TREN DE ARAGUA DEPORTATION FLIGHTS AFL argues that the AEA “confers on the President the power to invoke the Act’s provisions in cases of invasion or predatory incursion,” saying such authority is not reviewable by the courts. The filing notes the president’s commander in chief post, as vested by the Constitution, saying that the AEA “statutorily grants the President wartime powers,” and courts cannot appropriately “second-guess” the president’s decisions and discretion over the AEA’s implementation. “At best, the Plaintiffs seek to use the federal courts to deliver a political victory,” the filing reads. “There is no dispute that the Plaintiffs are here illegally. Enjoining implementation of the TdA Proclamation unconstitutionally impedes the President’s ability to respond to national security threats.” On Thursday, Boasberg said the administration had missed a previously-set court deadline to disclose information on the deportation flights to El Salvador. Boasberg noted in an order issued that day that the government “again evaded its obligations” to submit the requested information even after he had allowed them to submit it under seal. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? The filing they submitted hours after the deadline failed to answer his questions. Boasberg said the court had received a six-paragraph declaration from a regional ICE office director in Harlingen, Texas, that stated Cabinet secretaries are “actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets [act] privileges over the other facts requested by the Court’s order.” “This is woefully insufficient,” Boasberg said. Following Boasberg’s Saturday emergency order siding with the plaintiffs, Democracy Forward and the ACLU, Fox News Digital was first to learn that Gill had filed impeachment articles against Boasberg, saying at the time, “This is another example of a rogue judge overstepping his…authority.” “For the past several weeks, we’ve seen several rogue activist judges try to impede the president from exercising, not only the mandate voters gave him, but his democratic and constitutional authority to keep the American people safe,” Gill told Fox News Digital. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Gill’s resolution accuses Boasberg of abusing his power in levying an emergency pause on the Trump administration’s deportation plans. The resolution text says the order “jeopardizes the safety of the nation, represents an abuse of judicial power, and is detrimental to the orderly functioning of the judiciary. Using the powers of his office, Chief Judge Boasberg has attempted to seize power from the Executive Branch and interfere with the will of the American people.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Musk PAC steps deeper into Wisconsin Supreme Court election with $100 offer to voters
With a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat on the line in a state election, Elon Musk’s America PAC is offering registered state voters $100 to sign a petition to express “Opposition to Activist Judges.” Registered Wisconsin voters can also score $100 for referring registered state voters to sign. “Wisconsin registered voters receive $100 for signing the petition & $100 for each signer they refer,” a tweet on the PAC’s X account states. Signers must provide their name, email address, phone number, and mailing address. “Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas,” the petition reads. “By signing below, I’m rejecting the actions of activist judges who impose their own views and demanding a judiciary that respects its role—interpreting, not legislating.” SOROS-BACKED JUDGE DEFENDS REDUCED SENTENCE FOR REPEAT CHILD MOLESTER AT DEBATE IN STATE SUPREME COURT RACE Early voting ahead of the April 1 election is already underway in the state. While reports indicate that the Wisconsin race is technically nonpartisan, there is a clear partisan divide in the contest. The state’s former GOP attorney general, Brad Schimel, is running for the seat against Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, who is backed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. LIBERAL JUDGE RECRUITS SANCTUARY SHERIFFS WHO DEFIED ICE FOR AD TOUTING CRIME RECORD IN PIVOTAL RACE Even before the petition signing offer, America PAC had already spent millions ahead of the state’s Supreme Court contest, a filing available on the Wisconsin Campaign Finance Information System website shows. Liberal megadonor George Soros donated $1 million to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in January, according to a filing — the Democratic Party of Wisconsin gave $2 million to Crawford’s campaign in January, according to another filing. “Very important to vote Republican for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent voting fraud!” Musk tweeted in January. DON JR. CAMPAIGNS IN WI FOR GOP-BACKED SUPREME COURT CANDIDATE AS EARLY VOTING BEGINS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The @america X account states, “PAC Founded by @ElonMusk to support candidates who champion Secure Borders, Sensible Spending, Safe Cities, Fair Justice System, Free Speech and Self-Protection.”
GOP bill would ban use of autopen to sign pardons after Trump deems Biden’s ‘void’
FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is launching an effort to ban the “irresponsible” use of the autopen to sign presidential pardons, just days after President Donald Trump declared former President Joe Biden’s pardons “void” after they were allegedly signed via a mechanical device. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., will introduce the Signature Integrity for Granting National Pardons (SIGN) Act on Friday, shared first with Fox News Digital, to require that a sitting president personally sign any pardon or reprieve, prohibiting the use of a mechanical-signed signature, such as the autopen. “Biden’s use of an autopen should automatically void his presidential pardons,” Carter told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The SIGN Pardons Act will restore the integrity of this important role in our justice system, ensuring that all pardons are physically signed by the Commander-in-Chief.” The Republican-led legislation comes just days after Trump declared Biden’s 11th-hour presidential pardons “vacant” after allegedly being signed via autopen, a mechanical device that can replicate signatures. WHAT IS AN AUTOPEN? THE SIGNING DEVICE AT THE HEART OF TRUMP’S ATTACKS ON BIDEN PARDONS “This irresponsible use of technology raises questions about who was really running the country during Biden’s term,” Carter added. “If Biden outsourced this constitutional duty to staff and machines, what other major decisions was he absent for?” A report published by an arm of the Heritage Foundation claimed that the majority of official documents signed by Biden allegedly an autopen signature. Trump, in a Truth Social post on Sunday night, claimed that Biden was unaware of the pardons signed in the final days of his term, which included pardoning members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. PRO-ENERGY GROUP URGES AG BONDI TO PROBE BIDEN’S AUTOPEN ON CRUCIAL DECISION THAT DEVASTATED INDUSTRY “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them! The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime,” the president added. Trump does not use an autopen to sign legally binding documents such as pardons, according to the White House. Fox News Digital learned this week that an energy watchdog group, Power the Future, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi calling on her to investigate whether Biden also signed energy-related executive orders via autopen and if such actions “were instituted with the president’s knowledge.” The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel determined in 2005 that the president is permitted to use an autopen to sign bills into law, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a ruling in February that said the absence of “a writing does not equate to proof that a commutation did not occur.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News’ Diana Stancy, Andrew Mark Miller and Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Bucking big-city trend: Major Texas cities now alerting ICE of illegal immigrant encounters
As many Democratic-run major cities across America double down on resisting the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown, law enforcement agencies in Texas’ two largest cities are now alerting ICE of encounters with illegal immigrants. This comes after ICE filed administrative warrants in the National Crime Information Center to arrest and deport some 700,000 illegal immigrants. The Houston Chronicle first reported that police officers in Texas’ largest city will call federal immigration authorities whenever they encounter an illegal immigrant with a federal administrative warrant against them. In line with this policy, Houston Police Department officers are directed to communicate with ICE once an illegal immigrant with an administrative warrant is detected. Officers are then directed to discuss options for transferring the illegal immigrant to ICE custody, which could include holding them on the scene until ICE arrives. BLUE SANCTUARY STATE OPERATING AS ‘CONTROL’ CENTER FOR VICIOUS MIGRANT GANG: ACTING DEA CHIEF According to the Chronicle, this policy is already being implemented. The outlet reported that Jose Armando Lainez Argueta, a 40-year-old Salvadoran national illegally present in the country, was arrested by ICE after his name came up in the system during a routine traffic stop by Houston police. Meanwhile, local outlet News 4 San Antonio reported that the police in San Antonio, the second-largest city in Texas and seventh largest in the U.S., will also be following a similar policy, alerting local ICE officials of encounters with illegal immigrants who come up in the National Crime Information Center system as having federal administrative warrants against them. The outlet obtained an email sent to San Antonio Police Department officers in which officers were told to “contact the ICE Law Enforcement Service Center … and request an ICE officer come to the scene to arrest the individual.” The email said the types of illegals who may come up in the system include previously deported felons, aliens who have been previously ordered deported or removed, and individuals with civil immigration detainer orders against them. ‘OPERATION TAKE BACK AMERICA’ RESULTS IN OVER 80 ILLEGAL ALIEN ARRESTS The San Antonio Police Department did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication. However, the department’s sister agency, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital that while it does not directly alert ICE of illegal immigrant encounters, it does have a policy of coordinating with ICE and regularly has immigration officials visit county jails to conduct interviews. Bexar Deputy Sheriff Johnny Garcia told Fox News Digital that ICE officials enter county jails to conduct interviews as often as “every three hours.” The sheriff’s office also gives ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials 48-hour notice of when an illegal immigrant with an immigration detainer is set to be released from jail. ‘BRING IT ON’: SHERIFF PUSHES BACK AFTER BLUE-STATE LEADERS SUE TO STOP IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT “They’re visiting the jail just to make contact with any new persons that may be arrested. So there’s no obstruction in that regard,” he explained. “They come in just like any other officer of law enforcement official who has access and authority to enter the jail for official purposes. They, too, have that ability to come into the jail and conduct their business as needed.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Garcia told Fox News Digital that their policy of cooperating with ICE is simply in line with all state and federal laws. “We do what is required of us by the law,” he said. ‘CLOSING TIME’: WHITE HOUSE, BORDER PATROL TROLL WITH DEPORTATION MEME VIDEO An ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital that though the agency “does not comment on the agency’s internal methods for operational security reasons,” he said the use of administrative arrest warrants is a “vital tool to protect public safety and reduce the amount of taxpayer resources needed to fund law enforcement at all levels of government.” “ICE is leveraging all available law enforcement resources to aggressively pursue these aliens to restore law and order in our communities and integrity to our nation’s immigration laws,” he said. “By taking advantage of all lawful means to carry out our critical mission, it not only bolsters public safety, national security and border security, it also lessens the threat that our officers face each day when they bravely go out into the community to apprehend these violent criminal aliens.”
Satanic group defies Kansas officials, plans ‘black mass’ at state Capitol
A group of self-described Satanists plans to stage a “black mass” inside the Kansas State Capitol, despite recent attempts by the governor and a group of bipartisan lawmakers to block it. The Satanic Grotto, a registered nonprofit that describes itself as an “independent and non-denominational Satanic church,” intends to hold its demonstration at the state Capitol on March 28. According to founder Michael Stewart, the event initially drew little attention, until allegations surfaced that he stole consecrated bread from a local Catholic church for use in the “black mass” ceremony. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, issued an order on March 12 barring The Satanic Grotto from entering the State House for its planned March 28 demonstration. That order was subsequently followed up by a modification of the State House’s building and grounds policies, led by a group of bipartisan state legislators. FAITH LEADERS GATHER AROUND TRUMP TO PRAY IN OVAL OFFICE: ‘INCREDIBLE DAY’ “There are more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols,” Kelly said in an announcement about The Satanic Grotto’s “black mass” event. In Satanist traditions, a “black mass” ceremony sometimes involves the desecration of the consecrated Eucharist, as was recounted online by Monsignor Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 2014. Landry pointed out that, at the time, the New York Satanic Temple’s website described the black mass as a “perversion of the Catholic Mass” and posited that a consecrated host gets “corrupted by sexual fluids” during the ritual. A lawsuit brought by the bishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Joseph Naumann, alleged Stewart admitted on social media to stealing the consecrated Eucharist. The lawsuit also alleged members of The Satanic Grotto sent threatening letters to lawmakers. “The First Amendment does not protect criminal conduct,” Senate President Ty Masterson told the Kansas Reflector this week. “Recent statements from an organization – which pledged to engage in such conduct – necessitated a thoughtful review of policies to ensure the safety of all those visiting our State Capitol.” VANCE VOWS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL BE ‘BIGGEST DEFENDERS OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES,’ CATHOLICS Stewart, in an interview with Fox News Digital, did not deny the accusations that he was the owner of a social media account that admitted to taking the host. Stewart said that while he and his group may have sent rude letters to lawmakers in the past, none of them were threatening. An evidentiary hearing in the case took place Thursday, and it was ultimately dismissed after Stewart denied the allegations, he said. Stewart promised to proceed with his demonstration at the Capitol on March 28, despite orders attempting to block it, even if it leads to his arrest. He expects to be joined by two or three other members of The Satanic Grotto but has urged unaffiliated supporters looking to confront public officials or law enforcement to stay back. “It’s come up a lot lately that we’re going to storm the Capitol. And because [critics] see that one of our specific laws of the grotto speaks to violence, that we’re a violent organization. Neither one of those things are true,” Stewart said. “We’re going to the Capitol non-violently. This is not going to be January 6th. This is going to be a 1960s civil rights act. We’re not going to be literally slinging fecal matter on the walls.” DYLAN MULVANEY SAYS ‘RELIGION AND FAITH USED AGAINST’ RANS COMMUNITY, HOPES PEOPLE WILL FEEL ASHAMED Stewart said that the idea of the “black mass” demonstration in Topeka stemmed from the group wanting “to build a church that matches how Kansans define Satanism.” “Part of that is activism,” Stewart said. “We started following different groups and counterprotests, and inevitably they all ended up at the Capitol, one way or another.” However, Stewart noted, the groups making use of their First Amendment rights by protesting at the Capitol were mostly all Christian groups “holding pictures of mutilated babies inside of our Capitol, holding prayers, holding praise and worship sessions, very openly, very boldly, consistently.” “I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anybody else do anything. And it just occurred to me, I was like, ‘Man, these guys are the only ones taking advantage of their rights.’” Kelly’s office declined to comment on the situation when reached for comment, pointing Fox News Digital to a March 12 statement about the event.
Puerto Rico no longer safe bet for illegal migrants as Trump crackdown expands to US territory
Puerto Rico, which for years was seen as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, is now facing increased attention under the Trump administration, and an immigration expert tells Fox News Digital the U.S. island territory has long been a favored jurisdiction for evading immigration restrictions. More than 200 people have been arrested since deportation operations in Puerto Rico ramped up on Jan. 26, 149 of which have been citizens of the Dominican Republic, according to U.S. Customs and Immigration data provided to the Associated Press. Local migrants are “panicking,” Jose Rodriguez, the president of the Dominican Committee of Human Rights, told the AP. “They’re afraid to go out; they’re afraid to take their children to school.” Illegal migrants have lived in Puerto Rico “for decades,” according to the report, which added that many had been staying in the U.S. territory “without fear of arrest” while many have been allowed to open bank accounts, obtain driver’s licenses and even open their own businesses. But Heritage Foundation Border Security and Immigration Center director Lora Ries tells Fox that’s long been a problem with island territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. TRUMP POLICY ON BORDER JUMPERS EMPOWERS USE OF ‘MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES,’ BORDER AGENT TELLS FOX “These localities allow them to open bank accounts, give driver’s licenses, allow them to open businesses, it’s just facilitating and prolonging this illegal immigration,” Ries said. “And then, of course, the immigrants, the aliens, if they are put into removal proceedings by ICE, then they use that as a shield, a defense, saying, ‘You can’t deport me because I’ve been here so many years, and I have a business here, and I have these financial ties.’” The recent raids have “shattered the perception” that the island territory is a sanctuary for illegal immigrants, causing many to live in fear about their own fate. Ries said that despite the perception of safety, illegal migrants in any U.S. territory face the same potential consequences as those on the mainland United States. “They always skip over personal responsibility. They knew they broke the law. They knew they were continuing to break the law. They knew that they could be arrested and removed and detained for breaking the law … don’t try to shift responsibility to the U.S. government and then play victim,” Ries said. Ries noted that U.S. territories, including those in the Pacific such as Guam, are often jumping-off points for illegal migrants, who first enter there and then find easier travel to the mainland United States. Meanwhile, others start a life that they try to later use as a “shield” from immigration authorities. INFLUX OF ILLEGAL CHINESE MIGRANTS THREATENS US TERRITORY; ISLAND MUST SHOW ‘STRENGTH OF THE NATION’ A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told the AP that the agency has focused its efforts in Puerto Rico on those with a criminal record or those who have received a final court ruling to leave the country. Nevertheless, the AP report said there has been a surge in support for Puerto Rico’s illegal immigrant population, noting that volunteers have been working to provide meals to families too afraid to leave their house, while government officials from multiple jurisdictions have moved to limit cooperation with federal authorities. Ries argued the situation is no different from those that have played out in many areas of the U.S., where so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions have severely limited cooperation with federal authorities and prioritized illegal migrants over their native citizens. TRUMP PUTTING TROOPS ON BORDER WAS GAME CHANGER, SAN DIEGO SECTOR CHIEF SAYS: ‘FORCE MULTIPLIER’ “It’s the same thing,” Ries said. “It’s local officials not cooperating with federal agents, or local officials dedicating very limited resources and time and attention to illegal aliens rather than their own constituents. They need to do a better job representing their citizens to giving their resources to citizens.” ICE did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Greene calls for yanking FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccines: ‘Causing permanent harm and deaths’
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., declared that U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for COVID-19 vaccines should be yanked, asserting that the jabs “are causing permanent harm and deaths.” “FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccines needs to be pulled and they need taken off the childhood vaccine schedule ASAP,” she said Thursday in a post on X. “I’ve been saying this ever since they were created and my personal Twitter account was permanently banned for my outspoken stance against the vaccines until Elon Musk bought Twitter, changed it to X, and restored my account along with thousands of people who were censored and silenced.” The child and adolescent immunization schedule on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website includes COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children 6 months old and above. FIVE YEARS AFTER COVID LOCKDOWNS: THE 5 MOST BIZARRE ‘STOP-THE-SPREAD’ MOMENTS Greene contends that the jabs should never have been approved in the first place. “COVID-19 vaccines should have never received approval and they’ve known the entire time how bad the side effects are and deaths caused by them. It’s time to do the right thing. Stop the COVID-19 vaccines,” she declared in her post. PUBLIC WAS MISLED BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY ABOUT COVID ORIGINS, NY TIMES COLUMNIST ARGUES But the CDC notes, “COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older in the United States for the prevention of COVID-19. There is currently no FDA-approved or FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine for children younger than age 6 months. CDC recommends that people stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccination.” “Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have rarely been observed following receipt of COVID-19 vaccines used in the United States,” the CDC indicates. “Evidence from multiple monitoring systems support a causal association for mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) and myocarditis and pericarditis. Cases have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech); however, cases have also been observed in females and after other doses.” LINGERING LUNG DISORDERS 5 YEARS POST-COVID: HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Thomas Massie has also expressed the view that the FDA should nix approval for the COVID-19 vaccines. “FDA should immediately revoke approval of these shots,” he tweeted last month.
Canadian politician claims Trump admin’s ’51st state’ rhetoric is an ‘act of war’
A liberal Canadian member of Parliament claimed the Trump administration has committed an “act of war” over President Donald Trump repeatedly referring to Canada as the U.S.’ “51st state” and for leveling tariffs on the nation. “Well, I think Marco Rubio probably needs to be sent back to school because when you say that someone doesn’t have a right to have a country, that’s an act of war. When you rip up, arbitrarily, trade agreements and threaten and say you’re going to break a country, that’s an act of war. And Canadians have responded in kind,” Canadian MP Charlie Angus, who is a member of the country’s liberal New Democratic Party, said Monday during an interview with the MeidasTouch Network. Angus was reacting to a clip of Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with reporters during his recent trip to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Rubio was repeatedly asked by the press to weigh in on Trump referring to Canada as the U.S.’ “51st state.” “The president has made his argument as to why he thinks Canada would be better off joining the United States… for economic purposes,” Rubio said on March 14 when asked about Trump’s “51st state” comments, explaining the issue was not addressed during the G7 meeting. “There’s a disagreement between the president’s position and the position of the Canadian government. I don’t think that’s a mystery coming in, and it wasn’t a topic of conversation, because that’s not what this summit was about.” Rubio further explained that the origin of the “51st state” rhetoric was born during a meeting between Trump and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump began using the “51st state” title for Canada in November 2024, following his election win. CANADA ‘RAGE ROOM’ LETS VISITORS SMASH TRUMP, VANCE, MUSK PORTRAITS TO RELEASE TARIFF ANGST Trump was meeting with Trudeau, “and Trudeau basically says that if the U.S. imposes tariffs on Canada, Canada couldn’t survive as a nation-state, at which point the president said, ‘Well, then you should become a state.’ And that’s where this began,” Rubio recounted of the Trump–Trudeau meeting. “He made an argument for why Canada would be better off joining the United States from an economic perspective and the like. He’s made that argument repeatedly, and I think it stands for itself.” Trudeau announced his resignation as the country’s prime minister in January after nine years in the position. Mark Carney was sworn-in as the nation’s next prime minister on March 14 after he was elected the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party earlier in the month. During his interview, Angus said that Canada’s boycott of U.S. products over tariffs leveled on the nation would be “punishing” to the U.S. STEVE MOORE: TARIFFS WILL BRING FREER AND FAIRER TRADE “The boycott that Canada has launched against the United States is punishing. We were told in January a 10% drop in Canadian travel to the United States would cost 140,000 jobs,” he continued. Trump leveled a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum from other nations on March 12, while Canada specifically is set to face a 25% tax on all imported goods beginning April 2. The tariffs have sparked boycotts of U.S. goods. NEW CANADIAN PM BLASTS TRUMP’S 51ST STATE IDEA: ‘CRAZY’ Trump joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Tuesday, where he railed against how the U.S. has subsidized “Canada by $200 billion a year.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Here’s my problem with Canada,” Trump said on Fox News. “Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year. We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we have a lot of lumber. … We don’t need their energy, we don’t need anything, we certainly don’t want their automobiles… millions of automobiles are sent in, I’d rather have them made in Michigan, I’d rather have them made in South Carolina.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Bernie Sanders, AOC, take aim at Trump and Musk, as well as Democrats, at western rallies
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont – champions of the left – repeatedly targeted President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk as they kicked off a three-day swing through three electorally important western states. But Sanders, and especially Ocasio-Cortez, also trained some of their fire on the Democratic Party, with the best-known member of the so-called “Squad” of diverse and progressive House members urging her own party to have “the courage to brawl” against Republicans. Trump has been on a tear since returning to the White House two months ago, flexing his political muscles to expand presidential powers as he’s upended longstanding government policy and made major cuts to the federal workforce through a flurry of executive orders and actions. And Sanders and Cortez took to the stage at their first stop in Las Vegas, Nevada, while Trump signed an executive order to begin the longstanding conservative goal of demolishing the Department of Education at a White House ceremony. BERNIE SANDERS SAYS THIS IS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S BIGGEST PROBLEM Ocasio-Cortez accused Trump and his GOP allies of “lying to and screwing over working and middle-class Americans so that they can steal our health care, social security and veterans benefits in order to pay for their tax cuts for the billionaires and bailouts for their crypto friends.” And Sanders charged that “every day Trump is trying to take power away from Congress. He is trying to take power away from the judiciary.” “We have a message for Mr. Trump and that is, we will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy,” Sanders emphasized.”We’re not going to allow you and your friend Mr. Musk and the other billionaires to wreak havoc on this country.” But the inability of Democrats in Congress, who are out of power in the White House as well as the House and Senate, to stop the majority Republicans is causing tensions within the party amid increasing calls for leaders to come up with a stronger strategy to resist Trump. “This isn’t just about Republicans,” Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd in Arizona. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us. That means each and every one of us choosing and voting for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class…I want you to look at every level of office around and support Democrats who fight, because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans.” The Sanders-Ocasio-Cortez stops are drawing large crowds. The fire marshal in Tempe, Arizona said 11,300 packed the Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University, with thousands in an overflow section outside the arena. The tour, dubbed by Sanders as “Fighting Oligarchy,” continues Friday in Denver and Greeley, Colorado and concludes Saturday with a rally in Tucson, Arizona. It comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, is facing increasing fire from his own party for his support last week for a Republican-crafted federal funding bill that averted a government shutdown. WHAT THIS PROGRESSIVE LEADER TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHUCK SCHUMER Neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Sanders mentioned Schumer during their speeches in Las Vegas or Tempe. And Sanders, an independent who has long caucused with the Democrats and who is part of Schumer’s leadership team in the Senate, declined in an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the Tempe rally, to answer whether he agreed with calls for Schumer to step down from his leadership position. “That’s kind of inside the Beltway stuff,” Sanders said. But it was on the minds of some of those attending the rallies. There were chants of “primary Chuck” directed at Ocasio-Cortez at the Las Vegas rally. And in Tempe, Cindy Garman and Pat Robinson, both of Prescott, Arizona, told Fox News that they were “really disappointed” with Schumer’s move. And Amanda Ratloff of Gilbert, Arizona, said Schumer “is not the leader we need right now. We need somebody that will actually fight back and fight for the American people and not just give in to Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” Sanders, in his speech, vowed to fight. “We are going to fight Trump and his oligarchy friends,” he emphasized. “From the bottom of my heart I am convinced that they can be defeated.”
Husband of former ‘Squad’ Rep. Cori Bush charged with wire fraud linked to COVID relief funds: DOJ
The husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, has been charged with defrauding the government after allegedly accepting $20,000 in payments from the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, the Justice Department said. Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, falsified details about his purported businesses to obtain loans from the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021, federal prosecutors said Thursday. He was charged with two counts of wire fraud. CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN PAYS $17,500 MORE TO HER HUSBAND, BRINGING HIS TOTAL TO $120K, NEW FILINGS SHOW “Mr. Merritts intends to plead not guilty to the charges,” Merritts’ lawyer, Justin Gelfand of Margulis Gelfand DiRuzzo & Lambson, said in a statement. “As with any indictment, this is only the government’s version of the story. We look forward to litigating this case in federal court in Washington, D.C.” Merritts repeatedly applied for business loans for a company he said he operated while also allegedly misrepresenting his revenue and number of people he employed, authorities said. CORI BUSH’S CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HER HUSBAND FOR PRIVATE SECURITY One July 2020 application for a loan was rejected because it was nearly identical to one he submitted previously, prosecutors said. Merritts was indicted a year after the Justice Department opened an investigation into Bush, a former member of the “Squad,” over campaign payments to her husband. Bush was defeated in a primary last year amid controversy over her criticism of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on its citizens by Hamas terrorists. The so-called “Squad” Bush formerly belonged to is an informal group of progressive lawmakers in Congress that includes representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.