Trump rescinds Biden-era policy declaring DEI an ‘integral’ part of scientific process
FIRST ON FOX: As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to peel back Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rescinded the agency’s “Scientific Integrity Policy” implemented under President Joe Biden. A “Final Scientific Integrity Policy” was unveiled by the Biden administration during the last few weeks of its term. The policy posited that DEI was an “integral” part of “the entire scientific process,” and pushed NIH’s chief scientist and top scientific integrity official to “promote agency efforts regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.” It also instituted agency-wide policy directives ordering supervisors at the NIH to “support” scientists and researchers who are “asexual” or “intersex,” while imploring NIH leadership to “confer with relevant offices” when additional DEI expertise is needed. In addition to the amended scientific integrity policy, the Biden administration also took other steps to infuse DEI into the scientific process throughout its term. This included compelling scientists seeking to work with the NIH to submit statements expressing their commitment to DEI, including when seeking certain grant funding for research projects. “The Biden administration weaponized NIH’s scientific integrity policy to inject harmful DEI and gender ideology into research,” said Health and Human Services Department spokesperson, Andrew Nixon. “Rescinding this [scientific integrity] policy will allow NIH to restore science to its golden standard and protect the integrity of science.” HHS EMPLOYEES OFFERED $25K AS ‘INCENTIVE TO VOLUNTARILY SEPARATE’ According to an HHS source, during the Biden administration, a member of NIH’s DEI office was placed on every search committee for scientists and leadership. The source also noted that under Biden, scientists who submitted work to the NIH’s “Board of Scientific Counselors,” which oversees agency research, were also required to include a statement pledging their commitment to DEI. The Biden administration also funded grants related to DEI, such as one for roughly $165,000 that was focused on “queering the curriculum” for family medicine doctors to guide them in their treatment of transgender patients. A similar project sought to use taxpayer funds from NIH to instruct nurses on the standards of care from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH). MILLIONS SPENT BY BIDEN ON COVID ‘VACCINE HESITANCY’ CAMPAIGN SLASHED BY TRUMP NIH: REPORT WPATH’s standards of care for transgender patients, which support the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-reassignment surgery for minors, have been rebuked globally. One controversial part of WPATH’s guidelines is the inclusion of “enuch” as a valid gender-identity. Several European countries, such as the U.K., Sweden and Finland, have taken steps to steer clear of the treatment modalities suggested by WPATH. TRUMP ADMIN PLANNING TO CONSOLIDATE HIV PROGRAMS, SLASHING ‘OVERHEAD’ AND DEI: OFFICIAL Under Biden, the NIH also brought DEI activist Ibram Kendi to speak with more than 1,200 staff members about “anti-racism.” In a recap of the 2022 speech, the NIH pointed out how Kendi “states unequivocally” that “policies are either racist or antiracist.” The Trump administration’s move to rescind the Biden-era scientific integrity policy follows other actions taken to extinguish DEI programs from the public and private sectors, calling such initiatives a civil rights violation. In addition to slashing DEI programs at the NIH, Trump has also moved to slim down its workforce. Shortly after he took office, the president implemented a funding cap for facilities and administrative fees associated with NIH research to help clear room for additional projects.
School choice activists warn parents about blue state’s homeschool bill with jail-time provision
From one blue-state parent to another, activists in California are warning Illinois families about a bill advancing through their state legislature that would create more regulations, and penalties, for homeschooling parents. It’s the latest high-profile battle dealing with school choice, a campaign issue President Donald Trump ran on. “Illinois, California, Colorado, they all compete with each other. They’re coming after homeschooling, just like they’ve been coming after public schools,” California parents rights activist Sonja Shaw said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “They’re attacking families, stripping parental rights, and pushing their radical agendas while our kids are failing at reading, writing and math.” At issue is HB2827, the Homeschool Act, which would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. Failure to do so would be considered truancy, and parents could face up to 30 days in jail with fines. The bill passed a major hurdle passing out of the Democrat-dominated House education committee in a party-line vote on Wednesday, despite having upward of 50,000 witness slips in opposition and only 1,000 in support, including the Illinois State Board of Education. ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL: ‘DIRECT ASSAULT ON FAMILIES’ California parents opposed a similar bill that failed to make it out of committee in the state legislature in 2018, AB 2756, only after hearing three hours of testimony from parents and homeschoolers. Opponents say the Democrat-led bill would have mandated all homeschooling families in the state to adhere to involuntary home inspections, after the Turpin-family child abuse case. “This is calculated. This is how they do it. They do it in increments, slowly taking control away while people sit back thinking that their kids are safe and it doesn’t affect them,” said Shaw, who is a school board member in Chino and running for state superintendent of public instruction. “Every parent needs to be in this fight. If we don’t stand up now together, there will be nothing left to fight for our kids in their future. Please get involved. Please speak up. Please show up, because our children are worth this fight.” KAROLINE LEAVITT VOWS TRUMP WILL KEEP MALES OUT OF GIRLS LOCKER ROOMS AMID ILLINOIS SCHOOL CONTROVERSY Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News on Wednesday that the bill’s language was left “open-ended for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to be able to write different sections of regulations.” “If this bill is passed into law, it’s going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families,” Estrada said after testifying at Wednesday’s hearing. “The record of homeschoolers shows that we do well academically, socially, emotionally and so why are we messing with them? That’s the question. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.” HHS’ CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE FINDS MAINE IN VIOLATION OF TITLE IX FOR ALLOWING BIOLOGICAL MALES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if its suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by Pro Publica, which has a left-leaning bias according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. But opponents of the bill pushed back, saying in the hearing that there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. “I believe this bill will help protect abused and neglected children and leave in place the freedom of parents to decide how to best meet the educational needs of their children,” Tanner Lovett, an opponent of the bill, said Wednesday. The Illinois homeschool bill will now head to the state House of Representatives for a floor vote. If passed by the House and Senate, it would land on the desk of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat considered a potential 2028 presidential hopeful. The bill passed out of the committee as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dismantling the federal Department of Education.
Dem senator on Schumer future: ‘Important’ to know ‘when it’s time to go’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faces potentially losing the confidence of his caucus after a controversial decision to advance the Republicans’ stopgap spending bill earlier this month and avoid a government shutdown. “Let me just say it’s important for people to know when it’s time to go,” Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., reportedly told constituents during a town hall on Wednesday. “We’re going to have conversations, I’m sure, in the foreseeable future, about all the Democratic leadership.” The senator had been asked if he would call for Schumer to step aside, which he did not commit to. SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS GOP LOOKING AT ‘ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS’ TO ADDRESS ‘ACTIVIST JUDGES’ OPPOSING TRUMP “I do think on the leadership question, it’s always better to examine whether folks are in the right place, and we’re certainly going to have that conversation,” he explained, per NPR. The comments come after Schumer faced swift backlash for his shutdown vote, during which he was in the minority of his caucus, most of whom opposed moving the stopgap spending measure forward. Despite claiming his caucus was unified just one day prior, Schumer revealed his decision to vote to advance the bill, to the dismay of many of his colleagues. “I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” he explained at the time. DEM SENATOR REFUSES TO ADDRESS RELATIONSHIP WITH FOUNDER OF SOROS-FUNDED ‘PROPAGANDA’ NEWS NETWORK House Democrats, nearly all of whom voted against the measure, slammed the move. Dozens of the lower chamber Democrats even signed last-minute letters to Schumer to urge him not to go forward with his vote, to no avail. In a striking statement, House Democratic leaders came out against Schumer’s decision, without mentioning him by name. During a press conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused to answer a question about whether he was confident in his New York colleague. “Next question,” he responded. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also released a statement during the controversy, urging the Senate to listen to the female appropriators. The prominent Democrats appearing at odds with Schumer publicly only further intensified the scrutiny he faced afterward. Jeffries later clarified his feelings on Schumer, however. “Yes, I do,” he said when asked if he was confident in Schumer during a different press conference. According to the House Democratic leader, “we are all aligned on the fights that are in front of us.” Jeffries and Schumer had a “good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to making sure we all speak with one voice,” he added. What was already considered an identity crisis for Democrats following the 2024 election has appeared to evolve into a crisis of leadership, with senators, such as Bennet, entertaining the idea of discussions about the caucus and its direction. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS “I think that Leader Schumer has been very effective in a lot of battles, but we also need to—these are new times, and we need to all come together,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told reporters directly after the shutdown votes. “And so, you know, second-guessing Leader Schumer out here isn’t going to accomplish the kind of unity that we’re going to need to be able to stand up to the president. So we’ll have that conversation inside caucus.”
Florida Dems stage town halls in GOP districts featuring ‘missing’ posters of their colleagues
Florida Democrats launched statewide town halls as part of a coordinated effort by the Democratic Party to host “People’s Town Halls” in all 50 states. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the hundreds of bipartisan Floridians who are attending these town halls are frustrated but appreciative that “if Republicans aren’t going to show up – we are.” Fried told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that leadership is critical during this moment of “constitutional crisis.” She urged both Democrat and Republican leaders to show up, listen and fight for their constituents in Washington, D.C. “[There] is a disconnect between what is happening in Washington, D.C., and the frustrations and the fears and the anger of the people on the ground. I’m always going to challenge my Democratic electeds to step up and do more. That is our job,” Fried said. “The people of this nation are expecting their elected officials to stand up right now, whether it is fighting in Washington, D.C., or it is coming home and giving answers to your constituents or finding ways to provide services to your constituents that may be cut by the federal level or even here in the state of Florida.” One by one, at a Clearwater town hall on Saturday, Pinellas County constituents took turns addressing a “missing” poster of Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, R-Fla., expressing discontent with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Conservatives on social media slammed the “missing” posters as “nothing authentic or compelling.” DEM LEADER SWINGS THROUGH GOP-HELD DISTRICTS AFTER ‘CLOWN SHOW PROTESTS’ HALTED TOWN HALLS “I have never seen the national Democratic Party in such chaos and confusion. Whether it’s childish stunts on the floor of Congress or performance art with their fake town halls, there is nothing authentic or compelling about their message, their tactics, or their delivery,” Republican consultant Frank Luntz replied on X to photos from the event. Luntz compared the Democrats’ latest move to holding posters during Trump’s joint address to Congress and the coordinated effort by protest groups to disrupt Republican town halls. Others on social media called it “embarrassing.” Luna’s spokesperson said she has been available at “numerous events” and the Florida representative doesn’t “work for the leftist mob.” HEAR THE DEATH THREATS REPUBLICAN SENATOR RECEIVED ABOUT TRUMP “Congresswoman Luna is not scared of leftist carpetbaggers,” a spokesperson for Luna’s office told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Outside groups have been using robo-callers and non-constituent activists to scream profanities and sexist slurs at her office. Meanwhile, Tim Walz’s vaunted ‘town hall’ was closed to the public.” “The reality is that Congresswoman Luna is hard at work for the people of Florida’s 13th district, tackling issues from beach renourishment to preparations for hurricane season. Additionally, she is actively working with the Trump administration to fix FEMA and waive the 50% rule. She is being awarded a key to the county because of her efforts. Congresswoman Luna has been publicly available at numerous events where constituents can freely talk with her, regardless of who they voted for. She doesn’t work for the leftist mob and doesn’t answer to the fake, billionaire-funded “grassroots” groups that pay people to be their pawns,” the spokesperson added. “Obviously, they’re not missing,” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been in Washington voting. I felt the one in Miami was particularly tasteless when they put Mario Díaz-Balart on a missing poster. I mean, he buried his brother seven days before that. So I thought it was pretty tasteless that they did it that way.” Rep. Díaz-Balart represents Florida’s 26th Congressional District. He delivered the eulogy for his brother, former Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, at a Memorial Mass at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Saturday, March 8. His photo appeared on a “missing” poster during a town hall in Miami-Dade County the following Saturday. Other “missing” posters included images of Reps. Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar. Florida Democrats have planned about a dozen town halls since the statewide campaign launched last Friday. “While Florida Dems do townhalls, Florida Republicans win elections. Being present on the ground is what matters and that is why the Florida GOP has a historic 1.2 million voter registration advantage, two mind blowing Republican super majorities in the state legislature, and a full Republican cabinet. While Florida Dems talk, Florida Republicans walk the walk. It works for us!” Power told Fox News Digital in a statement. CHAOS ERUPTS AT GOP LAWMAKER’S TOWN HALL AFTER LEFT-WING GROUPS PROMOTE PROTESTS The Florida GOP Chair touted their November success and said Congressional Republicans are “doing their job” while Democrats are hosting “fake town halls.” “They’re not leaving Floridians because they know that these people were elected by wide margins, and they’re doing their job in Congress. Just because they’re not coming to do fake town halls does not mean they’re not doing their jobs,” Power said. Fried shut down the Republican critics who called the town hall “stunts.” “These aren’t stunts,” she said. “These are people with real issues that have real concerns. The fact that the Republican Party of Florida is saying that their voices don’t matter and want to play partisan politics – we invited them too. This is something where the community has to come together, and if the Republicans that are elected into office won’t listen to their constituents and understand the impact that their complacency of these moments are having on their everyday lives, then they don’t deserve to be in office.” Fried told Fox News Digital “shame on” Republicans for not returning home to have the “uncomfortable” conversations. “The fact that they’re not coming back to listen to those individuals and the people that put them into office, shame on them,” Fried said. “Even if it’s going to be uncomfortable, that’s okay. You get through these moments, and you make a better society when you’re able to talk to your constituents and there’s a partnership between the electeds and the people
SCOOP: Bill preventing activist judges from blocking Trump’s agenda backed by White House
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump has shown interest in a House GOP bill that would block federal judges from issuing nationwide injunctions, two sources familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital. Top White House aides communicated to senior Capitol Hill staff this week that “the president wants this,” the sources said. They said the White House felt that time was of the essence in the matter and that Trump wanted Congress to move swiftly. It comes after various U.S. district court judges issued more than a dozen nationwide orders at least temporarily blocking Trump’s executive orders. The bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., if it passed Congress and was signed into law, would bar such judges in most cases from blocking Trump policies on a national scale. INJUNCTION LIFTED ON TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS SLASHING FEDERAL DEI SUPPORT Issa’s office did not directly confirm whether or not the exchange occurred but told Fox News Digital, “President Trump knows we need a national solution to this major malfunction in the federal judiciary, and we think we have the momentum to get this done.” A White House official told Fox News Digital they would not get ahead of the president on legislative matters. But the idea has appeared to gain traction in the upper levels of the White House. Trump Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller complained on X twice on Thursday about federal district judges having the ability to affect policies for the entire country, though he did not mention Issa’s bill specifically. “It takes 5 Supreme Court justices to issue a ruling that affects the whole nation. Yet lone District Court judges assume the authority to unilaterally dictate the policies of the entire executive branch of government,” Miller posted. TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW BAN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP He posted again later, “Under what theory of the constitution does a single Marxist judge in San Francisco have the same executive power as the Commander-in-Chief elected by the whole nation to lead the executive branch? No such theory exists. It is merely naked judicial tyranny.” Issa’s legislation reads, “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no United States district court shall issue any order providing for injunctive relief, except in the case of such an order that is applicable only to limit the actions of a party to the case before such district court with respect to the party seeking injunctive relief from such district court.” The bill advanced through the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month. Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told CNN on Wednesday, “We think that’s good. We passed it through the committee. We’ll try to look to pass it on the House floor and move it through the process.” Jordan told Fox News Digital last month he thought Issa’s bill “makes sense” and the committee would “try to move fairly quick on that bill.” Fox News Digital reached out to the House Judiciary Committee for comment on Trump’s backing of Issa’s bill but did not hear back by press time. But it comes amid some disagreements among congressional Republicans about how to heed Trump’s call to deal with “activist” judges. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, recently introduced a resolution to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg after he ordered a 14-day emergency stop to Trump’s plans to deport suspected Tren De Aragua gang members to El Salvador. Gill argued that Boasberg abused his power in doing so, and told Fox News Digital this week that he hoped the resolution would go through the regular committee process – something Jordan seemed open to. TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERY Jordan told multiple outlets he would potentially hold hearings on Gill’s resolution, which is a traditional step in the impeachment inquiry process. Trump posted on Truth Social earlier this week that he wanted Boasberg impeached as well. But multiple sources told Fox News Digital that House GOP leaders are more wary of the impeachment route, given the virtual guarantee that such a move would not get the necessary Democrats to pass the Senate. “It’s another intense whipping process for something that won’t move at all in the Senate,” one senior House GOP aide said. “I think the White House is trying to find something easier to do.” Speaker Mike Johnson’s office told Fox News Digital that he was looking at all available options when reached for comment on House Republicans’ path forward on Thursday morning. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Activist judges with political agendas pose a significant threat to the rule of law, equal justice, and the separation of powers. The Speaker looks forward to working with the Judiciary Committee as they review all available options under the Constitution to address this urgent matter,” a spokesperson for Johnson, R-La., said. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Senate Judiciary Committee on whether it would take up the legislation. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report
Feds accuse Minnesota state senator of soliciting a minor for sex
Republican Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn has been charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota noted in a press release. An affidavit signed by an FBI special agent details how Eichorn, who had actually been corresponding with law enforcement, allegedly arranged to pay for sex. “Bloomington Police Department detectives communicated with the man who thought he was talking to a 17-year-old female. On March 17, a detective arranged to meet with the male at a location near the 8300 block of Normandale Avenue in Bloomington,” a press release on the bloomingtonmn.gov website states. “The male, identified as Justin David Eichorn, age 40, of Grand Rapids, Minn. was observed arriving in the area by pickup truck. Eichorn was arrested without incident outside of his vehicle by uniformed Bloomington Police Officers.” MINNESOTA REPUBLICANS TO INTRODUCE BILL DEFINING ‘TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME’ AS MENTAL ILLNESS Fox News Digital reached out to Eichorn’s office on Thursday to request a comment from the state lawmaker, but no comment was provided by publication time. The affidavit notes that “the undercover law enforcement phone number received text messages from XXX-XXX-9711 (hereinafter, the Suspect). These texts included, ‘Hey [fictitious name] I saw your post and [sic] chance you are still available tonight?’ and later, ‘What’s a guy gota [sic]do to get with the hottest girl online tonight.’” The suspect continued communication even after an undercover law enforcement officer posing as the girl said she was 17 years old. The affidavit states that “after again inquiring about the undercover officer’s age, the Suspect wrote, ‘Ok will ya send me a naught pic of you to show me your real?’” SANCTUARY CITY LAWYERS PLOT TO HELP ILLEGAL MIGRANTS EVADE ICE IN EXPOSED GROUP EMAIL Other texts showed the suspect asking about pricing and setting up a meeting. Police found cash and an unopened condom in Eichorn’s truck, the affidavit notes. “As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone’s child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,” Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said, according to the press release. PROPOSED BILL WOULD REQUIRE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN BLUE STATE TO COOPERATE WITH ICE: ‘A LINE OF COMMUNICATION’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have always advocated stiffer penalties for these types of offenses. The recent case involving Michael Gillis who was arrested in Bloomington is a prime example of why we need stronger penalties. We need our state legislature to take this case and this type of conduct more seriously.” Senate Republicans planned to move on Thursday morning to expel Eichorn from the state Senate, according to a Senate Republican statement provided to Fox News Digital by the caucus spokesperson. “There is no question that these charges merit expulsion,” Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson noted. “We owe it to the public to hold our members to the highest standards, and this violation of the public trust is so severe we must act. It is my hope that this quick resolution gives Senator Eichorn time to focus on his family.”
WH may reverse decision to kill Biden-Maduro oil deal, apply tariffs instead to avoid hurting US firms
FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump has signaled an openness to holding off on killing an oil deal forged between former President Joe Biden and Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, after he previously ordered Chevron and other U.S. firms to close up shop in oil-rich Venezuela. Several Cabinet secretaries, including the Department of Energy’s Chris Wright, the Department of the Interior’s Doug Burgum and the Department of Commerce’s Howard Lutnick, were present during a meeting at the White House yesterday, which also featured several oil executives and representatives of energy advocacy groups. A source familiar with the events told Fox News Digital there was a brainstorming session as to how best to deal with Maduro and also help grow U.S. energy dominance and strengthen U.S. oil firms. Trump reportedly explored ways to incentivize oil imports that would align with U.S. foreign policy goals while benefiting American consumers and workers. VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBAN-BORN GOP LAWMAKER IN PRAISING TRUMP ON VENEZUELA STANCE Lutnick reportedly floated the idea of increasing pressure on Maduro by tariffing Venezuela instead of revoking leases for what are U.S. oil firms, Fox News Digital has learned. Trump was warm to the idea, as he has long advocated a hardline stance against the Caracas dictatorship, said the source, who declined to be identified. Trump charged in February that the Maduro regime had not lived up to its end of the deal forged by his Delawarean predecessor, particularly in the form of election reform after the dictator “won” the latest disputed contest last year. “We are hereby reversing the concessions that Crooked Joe Biden gave to Nicolás Maduro, of Venezuela, on the oil transaction agreement, dated November 26, 2022,” Trump announced on Truth Social. “Additionally, the regime has not been transporting the violent criminals that they sent into our Country (the Good Ole’ U.S.A.) back to Venezuela at the rapid pace that they had agreed to.” RUBIO: MADURO A ‘HORRIBLE DICTATOR’ Trump called Biden’s agreement “ineffective and unmet” and ordered U.S. oil firms to begin winding down their presence in the country starting March 1. Maduro deputy Delcy Rodriguez called the move “damaging and inexplicable.” The source familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital that Trump has indicated he wants to balance U.S. foreign policy challenges while seeing that the U.S. benefits from the heavy crude that Venezuela produces – which is tailor-made for the types of refineries that dot the Gulf Coast domestically and create U.S. jobs. Fox News Digital reached out to Lutnick, Wright and the White House for comment. Wright previously told Reuters after the meeting that Trump’s “whole economic agenda is to lower prices in the United States and grow job opportunities in the United States.” Earlier this month in Miami, Fox News Digital was one of a few media outlets on hand when Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. – whose family fled the Castro dictatorship in the 1960s – hosted Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó at an event praising the Trump administration’s hardline stance toward dictatorship. In an exclusive interview, Gimenez said Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are “all pretty much tied together” in the fact they are dictatorial regimes repressing their own people. “I expect this is just the first step in trying to liberate these countries. The people of Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua deserve freedom,” he said of Trump’s initial overtures toward Venezuela. During the event, Guaidó also offered remarks in Spanish praising Trump and slamming Central American despots. “[W]e need a strong, prosperous and safe Latin America – and one that will be safe, with democracy and freedom,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I have no doubt in President Trump, and in the message that he is sending directly to the heart of those who financed the coup d’état perpetrated by the dictatorship on July 28, 2024 (the disputed/corrupt re-election of Maduro)…” he said. “It is accurate, correct and timely to confront that dictatorship and also [send] a message to those who today usurp [power] in Cuba and Nicaragua that they will not have impunity,” Guaidó added. Venezuela had long been a friendly oil-trading partner of the U.S. until the leftist regime took root following the 1998 and 2000 elections under the rule of the late Hugo Chavez and foreign policy challenges arose.
Speaker Johnson says GOP looking at ‘all available options’ to address ‘activist judges’ opposing Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Republicans in the lower chamber are reviewing tools available to take on “activist judges” as President Donald Trump sees resistance from the judiciary in implementing his agenda. “Activist judges with political agendas pose a significant threat to the rule of law, equal justice, and the separation of powers. The Speaker looks forward to working with the Judiciary Committee as they review all available options under the Constitution to address this urgent matter,” a spokesperson for Johnson’s office told Fox News Digital in a statement. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? News that the House is considering possible actions to rein in the federal judiciary comes after the latest Trump restriction, wherein U.S. District Judge James Boasberg granted an emergency order to temporarily halt the administration’s deportation flights of illegal immigrants. The judge granted the order to review the 1798 wartime-era Alien Enemies Act being invoked by the administration in order to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of the violent gang Tren de Aragua. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS Trump appeared to call for Boasberg’s impeachment after the order. “This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he remarked in a post to Truth Social. HERE’S WHY DOZENS OF LAWSUITS SEEKING TO QUASH TRUMP’S EARLY ACTIONS AS PRESIDENT ARE FAILING In a separate post, Trump said, “If a President doesn’t have the right to throw murderers, and other criminals, out of our Country because a Radical Left Lunatic Judge wants to assume the role of President, then our Country is in very big trouble, and destined to fail!” JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM TARGETING DEMOCRATIC LAW FIRM AFTER ATTORNEYS WARN OF FIRM’S DEMISE Republicans have continued to criticize the flow of temporary restraining orders against Trump’s administration from judges across the country. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor, wrote on X on Thursday, “Under what theory of the Constitution does a single Marxist judge in San Francisco have the same executive power as the Commander-in-Chief elected by the whole nation to lead the executive branch? No such theory exists. It is merely naked judicial tyranny.” As the House explores options to address the issue, the Senate is also expected to investigate. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the subject in the coming weeks.
Pentagon to appeal judge’s decision blocking transgender ban, Hegseth says
The Pentagon will appeal a federal judge’s decision to block the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday night. Biden-appointed Washington, D.C., Judge Ana Reyes ruled the ban unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex, saying it was “soaked in animus” and “dripping with pretext.” “We are appealing this decision, and we will win,” Hegseth posted on X. In her opinion, Reyes savaged the policy and issued an order that blocks the Defense Department from removing transgender service members from the military. VA RESCINDS 2018 DIRECTIVE ON TRANSGENDER TREATMENTS, ALIGNING WITH TRUMP ‘TWO SEXES’ EO “Its language is unabashedly demeaning, its policy stigmatizes transgender persons as inherently unfit, and its conclusions bear no relation to fact,” she said. “The cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed – some risking their lives – to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them.” Reyes’ order gives the Trump administration until Friday to file an appeal. “The ban at bottom invokes derogatory language to target a vulnerable group in violation of the Fifth Amendment,” Reyes said. “The President has the power – indeed the obligation – to ensure military readiness,” she wrote in her 79-page opinion. “At times, however, leaders have used concern for military readiness to deny marginalized persons the privilege of serving.” The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed a complaint against Reyes, accusing her of potential bias and misconduct. FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S TRANSGENDER MILITARY EXECUTIVE ORDER “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 DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Defending Women Executive Order, and will continue to do so.” Around 4,200 service members, 0.2%, are transgender, according to DOD. In a January executive order, President Donald Trump argued the Pentagon had been afflicted with “radical gender ideology”and the “adoption of a gender identity inconsistent with an individual’s sex conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life.” “The Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology to appease activists unconcerned with the requirements of military service like physical and mental health, selflessness, and unit cohesion,” the executive order read. TRANSGENDER SAILORS, MARINES OFFERED BENEFITS TO VOLUNTARILY LEAVE SERVICE OR FACE BEING KICKED OUT Service members filed suit when the Pentagon in February issued new policy guidance warning that transgender troops would be pushed out of the military. It had not yet forced any troops out, but encouraged them to voluntarily separate. Reyes said plaintiffs “face a violation of their constitutional rights, which constitutes irreparable harm.” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller condemned Reyes’ ruling on X, writing, “District court judges have now decided they are in command of the Armed Forces… is there no end to this madness?” In 2016, a DOD policy permitted transgender people to serve openly in the military, but Trump, during his first term, reversed that order. The Supreme Court allowed that ban to take effect. President Joe Biden reversed the ban. Six service members and two people wanting to enlist in the military sued the government in January over Trump’s executive order. Later, about a dozen others, including nine on active duty, joined the suit. Their attorneys, from the National Center for Lesbian Rights and GLAD Law, said transgender troops “seek nothing more than the opportunity to continue dedicating their lives to defending the Nation.” Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Dem senator refuses to address relationship with founder of Soros-funded ‘propaganda’ news network
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is refusing to address reports he is romantically involved with a former Democratic political operative running a Soros-funded media network masquerading as independent media. Murphy, who recently announced separation from his wife after nearly two decades together, was recently photographed having a cozy dinner with Tara McGowan, the founder and publisher of Courier Newsroom, a progressive media group that has received millions of dollars in funding from liberal mega-donors such as George Soros. Fox News Digital recently asked Murphy on Capitol Hill about his involvement with McGowan. “I’m not going to talk about that,” Murphy responded. SEVERAL DEMOCRATS TO BOYCOTT TRUMP’S ‘PEP RALLY’ SPEECH TO CONGRESS McGowan has long held ties with the Democratic Party, working on former President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign before serving in top positions at Priorities Action USA, a Democratic super PAC, and ACRONYM, a Democrat-focused digital advocacy group. The Murphy-tied strategist founded Courier Newsroom, a left-leaning media group that has received millions from the Fund for Policy Reform, an advocacy group founded by Soros. In 2021, Gabby Deutch, who the Washington Post described as “the Washington correspondent for NewsGuard, a New York-based nonpartisan organization that reviews news sites to combat misinformation,” penned an op-ed criticizing Courier Newsroom as a “political operation” and argued it is “exploiting the widespread loss of local journalism to create and disseminate something we really don’t need: hyperlocal partisan propaganda.” ‘STUNNING AND BRAVE’: DEM SENATOR MOCKED AFTER HYPING ALL-NIGHTER STUNT IN PROTEST OF TRUMP NOMINEE Fund for Policy Reform provided Courier Newsroom with three grants totaling $5 million in 2021 and 2022 to “support its non-partisan journalism, which aims to further the common good and general welfare of U.S. communities by providing access to information,” its grant database shows, as previously reported by Fox News Digital. McGowan was also in close quarters with former President Joe Biden’s administration, visiting the Biden White House nearly 20 times by April 2024. Murphy and McGowan were spotted getting close at a Washington, D.C., watering hole earlier this month, according to the New York Post, with a source telling the outlet the pair was getting “cutesy.” The outlet reported that Murphy is still married to his wife, Washington, D.C., lawyer Cathy Holahan, and that neither has filed for divorce in Connecticut nor Washington, D.C. The couple did announce they were separating in November, shortly after Murphy won re-election. Murphy has positioned himself as one of the most prominent Democrat critics of President Donald Trump, which has caused many to speculate he is interested in a run for the White House in the future. “Chris Murphy Emerges as a Clear Voice for Democrats Countering Trump,” a recent New York Times headline read with an article that was reposted on Murphy’s website. Fox News Digital reached out to McGowan for comment. Fox News Digital’s Cameron Cawthorne contributed to this post.