US agriculture supply chain to be protected from Chinese Communist Party in Hinson, Ricketts bipartisan bill
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Ashley Hinson and Sen. Pete Ricketts are rolling out a bicameral bill with bipartisan support that would secure agriculture supply chains in the United States from vulnerabilities and potential Chinese Communist Party exploitation, Fox News Digital has learned. Hinson, R-Iowa, will introduce the Securing American Agriculture Act in the House of Representatives, while Ricketts, R-Neb., will introduce the measure in the Senate. FLASHBACK: HOUSE DEMS, REPUBLICANS TEAM UP TO BLOCK CCP ENCROACHMENT ON US FOOD SUPPLY The Securing American Agriculture Act would require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an annual assessment to identify supply chain vulnerabilities, domestic production gaps and potential CCP exploitation. It also would direct the secretary of Agriculture to recommend ways to strengthen U.S. reliance and reduce China’s influence in the industry to mitigate potential threats. The bill would ensure that the USDA accurately accounts for U.S. dependence on China for critical agricultural inputs and guarantee access for American producers. “China has intentionally captured a significant market share of America’s agricultural inputs — which is vital to our food supply chain — ceding leverage to our top adversary,” Hinson told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “Iowa farmers have told me firsthand that if China decides to shut off U.S. access to these critical inputs, our food production would be in jeopardy. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill that exposes and counters China’s grip on agricultural inputs to strengthen domestic manufacturing and food security.” Hinson added: “Plain and simple: We should bring our agriculture supply chain home.” And Ricketts told Fox News Digital Tuesday that “Communist China’s strategic control over crucial sectors of our food and agricultural supply chains poses a serious national security threat.” CHINA THREATENS OUR FARMERS AND FOOD SUPPLY. STATES NEED TO STEP UP “Losing access to key inputs could reduce productivity, increase food prices and undermine food security,” Ricketts told Fox News Digital. “My bill will bolster and protect these supply chains and reduce our reliance on foreign adversaries.” The bill is also supported by House China Committee Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., who said the bipartisan bill is “a critical step forward in protecting our nation’s food supply and farmers from foreign adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party, who threaten our agricultural security.” “America’s farmers are the backbone of our economy, and we must ensure they have the resources and safeguards needed to compete on a level playing field while securing our nation’s agricultural supply chains,” Krishnamoorthi told Fox News Digital. The bill is also supported by House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich.; Rep, Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii; Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas; and Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Fla., among others. In the Senate, Democrat Sen. Elissa Slotkin; Republican Sens. James Risch, R-Idaho; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., also support the bill. Slotkin told Fox News Digital that “food security is national security.” “We need to treat threats to our food supply chain just like any other security risk,” Slotkin said. “This legislation requires us to assess those risks so we can protect our food supply. Bottom line: We need to make sure America’s agriculture supply chain is secure and stays right here at home.”
High-profile Dem jumps into crowded California governor’s race amid past office controversies
Democratic former Rep. Katie Porter announced her bid for governor of California on Tuesday via an Instagram video saying the Golden State needs “a little bit of hope and a whole lot of grit, fresh blood and new ideas [and] leaders with the backbone to fight for what’s right.” Porter, 51, served three terms in Congress – winning her Orange County seat by upsetting GOP Rep. Mimi Walters in 2018. She ran unsuccessfully for the Senate seat now held by Sen. Adam Schiff, D–Calif., and her district is now represented by Dave Min, a Democrat. The former congresswoman was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and grew up on a farm before moving to the Pacific coast. Gov. Gavin Newsom is term-limited, though all eyes in California are on whether former Vice President Kamala Harris also jumps into the race. PORTER DENIES FIRING STAFFER FOR CATCHING COVID-19 AS TEXT MESSAGES SURFACE AND GO VIRAL Porter told the Los Angeles Times that a Harris bid could clear the left flank of those assembled thus far. “If Vice President Harris were to choose to run, I am certain that that would have a near field-clearing effect on the Democratic side,” Porter said. Harris is said to be seriously considering a run in Sacramento after losing the 2024 presidential election. A source close to Harris previously told Fox News Digital the ex-veep has told allies she will decide by the end of summer on whether to launch a gubernatorial campaign. The Times also described Porter as a prolific fundraiser, while the former lawmaker’s gregarious nature was projected to make inroads among Californians upset at President Donald Trump’s election. In her announcement, Porter referenced Trump and alleged he would seek to enrich himself and his circle while in the White House. California has a unique “jungle primary” system where the two top vote-getters, regardless of party, will face off in the general. Sometimes that results in two Democrats competing in November. In Schiff’s case, former MLB star Steve Garvey gained enough Republican support to challenge the Burbank Democrat – only to strike out in the end. Porter’s entry also brings with it her colorful history in the House of Representatives. Sasha Georgiades, a Wounded Warrior fellow who had worked in Porter’s office, alleged she had made rude and racist comments to staff and “ridiculed people for reporting sexual harassment.” KATIE PORTER USED ‘RACIST LANGUAGE’, RIDICULED PEOPLE FOR REPORTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT, EX-STAFFER CLAIMS Georgiades also said Porter ridiculed people after they had reported sexual harassment in her office as well as “made fun of individuals whose parents passed away from COVID.” “Basically told the individual to grow up,” Georgiades said regarding the case of a staffer who had reported sexual harassment in Porter’s office. Reports also surfaced in late 2022 that Porter “made multiple staffers cry” and that one staffer was allegedly fired after she and the lawmaker caught COVID-19. “Sasha – I cannot allow you back in the office, given your failure to follow office policies,” Porter wrote the next day on July 9, in texts shared on a “Dear White Staffers” X page and previously reported by Fox News Digital. “Cody will be in touch about having your personal effects shipped or delivered to your home, and will lay out your remote work schedule and responsibilities for your last few weeks.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Porter reportedly denied the allegations at the time. Porter also wore a “Batgirl” costume to the House of Representatives while lawmakers were voting on Trump’s first impeachment on Oct. 31, 2019 – Halloween. Other top names include Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on the Democratic side and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco as the first major Republican – amid a dozen or so candidates total. When reached for comment, the Porter campaign directed Fox News Digital to its previous statements on the matter. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
White House: Rubio reserves the right to revoke green card or visa of anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio reserves the right to revoke former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil’s green card or visa. Leavitt said that under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the secretary of state has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America.” “And Mahmoud Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities and colleges, and he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege, by siding with terrorists, Hamas terrorists, who have killed innocent men, women and children,” Leavitt said at the White House press briefing. “This is an individual who organized group protests that not only disrupted college campus classes and harassed Jewish American students and made them feel unsafe on their own college campus, but also distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas. That is the behavior and activity that this individual engaged in.” Leavitt said the Department of Homeland Security provided her with those fliers, which she says were distributed with the help of Khalil on the Columbia University campus and are now on her desk. TRUMP VOWS ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST MAHMOUD KHALIL WAS ‘FIRST ARREST OF MANY TO COME’ She said she considered bringing them to the briefing but decided against it because she “didn’t think it was worth the dignity of this room to bring that pro-Hamas propaganda.” “This administration is not going to tolerate individuals having the privilege of studying in our country and then siding with pro-terrorist organizations that have killed Americans,” Leavitt said. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for siding with terrorists. Period.” A senior State Department official told Fox News that Rubio found Khalil’s “presence and activities in the U.S. would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States and would compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest, rendering him deportable under Section 237 (a)(4)(C) of the INA [Immigration & Nationality Act].” The official said Section 237 of the Immigration and Nationality Act broadly contains grounds for which an alien who is in the U.S. after having been admitted or having had his or her status adjusted to that of lawful permanent resident may be removed. Fox News is told that Section 237 (a)(4)(C) is a rarely used provision of the law that gives the secretary of state the power to seek to deport “[a]n alien whose presence or activities in the United States the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States…” The senior State Department official stressed this is about national security, not free speech. Khalil, who was a graduate student at Columbia until December, was taken into custody Saturday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his university-owned apartment in New York and transported to a detention center in Louisiana. Khalil was born in Syria to Palestinian parents and entered the U.S. to attend Columbia in 2022. He subsequently got married to an American citizen, who is now eight months pregnant, according to the Associated Press. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was asked at his own media availability earlier Tuesday about Khalil’s “due process,” but the Democrat said he wishes his own due process was considered when the Biden Justice Department brought a corruption case against him. “What I’m finding surprising is the level of support you’re all displaying. But I didn’t see that support for me,” Adams told reporters. “Even after we saw the emails and text messages that there’s a potential [that] this is politically motivated.” ICE AGENTS ARREST ANTI-ISRAEL ACTIVIST WHO LED PROTESTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS FOR MONTHS Adams told reporters, “Don’t be inconsistent in your call for justice, cover those text messages.” “That shows that it was potentially politically motivated,” Adams said of his own case, which the Trump DOJ asked a judge to drop. “The same enthusiasm I’m getting for you, we should be enthusiastic for everyone. And again, the federal government does immigration and they’re doing the investigations, and we need to make sure that it is done in a fair way. That is done.” A federal judge in New York City on Monday blocked Khalil’s deportation. A hearing is set for Wednesday to weigh motions from his lawyers claiming ICE violated his constitutional rights and asking for him to be moved back to New York. Trump applauded Khalil’s apprehension, saying it is “the first arrest of many to come,” while some Democrats are criticizing the move. “We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country — never to return again.” Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the second-highest ranking Democrat in the chamber, called Khalil’s detention “straight-up authoritarianism.” Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in New York City on Monday night demanding Khalil’s release and calling for a nationwide walkout of classes is set for noon Tuesday to protest what they deem “genocide” against the Palestinian people and the Trump administration’s plan to cut federal funding to colleges that permit “illegal” protests. That student walkout failed to materialize as of early Tuesday afternoon, but a small group of protesters were seen on the steps of Columbia’s campus chanting in favor of Khalil’s release. The U.S. Department of Education, meanwhile, sent letters to 60 colleges and universities on Monday saying they were under investigation for alleged “antisemitic discrimination” and could lose funding. The Trump administration recently canceled $400 million in grant funding for Columbia. “Cutting funding to @Columbia’s cancer research doesn’t fight antisemitism, but it does advance Trump’s fight to control higher education in the United States,” House Judiciary Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler, of
Risch, GOP lawmakers demand Olympic committee comply with Trump order to ban trans athletes in women’s sports
EXCLUSIVE: More than two dozen Senate and House Republicans are demanding the International Olympic Committee (IOC) align its policies with President Donald Trump’s executive order to safeguard the opportunities of female athletes on the Olympic stage, Fox News Digital has learned. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, along with more than two dozen Republican lawmakers, penned a letter, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, to IOC President Thomas Bach Tuesday. Their letter comes just a week before the committee is scheduled to meet to elect its next president and discuss the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic Games, which are set to take place in Los Angeles. BONDI WARNS THREE STATES TO COMPLY WITH LAW KEEPING BOYS OUT OF GIRLS SPORTS OR FACE LEGAL ACTION “The United States looks forward to hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and to welcoming the accomplished athletes who have worked and sacrificed to reach the pinnacle of their respective sports,” the lawmakers wrote. “As the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prepares to elect new leadership, we write to express the critical need for increased protection of the rights of female athletes to fair, safe competition.” “In the United States, we honor our female Olympians,” the lawmakers continued. “These athletes, and so many others, have inspired generations of young women around the world to compete and excel. Their legacy underscores the vital importance of fairness in women’s sports at every level of competition. Future Olympians are counting on the IOC to protect the opportunities of women and girls to contribute to this proud tradition.” “To do so, the IOC must base eligibility for women’s athletic competitions on biological sex,” they wrote. “Allowing biological males to compete in women’s categories undermines competitive opportunities, safety, and respect for female athletes.” TRUMP VOWS HOMELAND SECURITY WILL PREVENT TRANSGENDER ATHLETES FROM ENTERING THE COUNTRY FOR 2028 LA OLYMPICS In February, Trump issued an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” and affirmed the position that the U.S. “must preserve fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for female athletes.” “In preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics, commitment from the IOC to protect women’s sports is paramount,” the lawmakers wrote. “As members of Congress, we stand united with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump in calling on the IOC to amend its standards and safeguard the opportunities of female athletes on the Olympic stage.” The lawmakers urged the IOC to “reaffirm” its commitment to “upholding the integrity of women’s Olympic competitions and ensure that only biological women and girls are allowed to compete in female sports categories.” “The Olympic Games should be a model for integrity in sports, and the next IOC president must firmly defend the rights of dedicated female athletes,” they wrote. “We look forward to your leadership on this critical issue and demand that the next IOC president preserve the fundamental principles of fair competition.” GOP Sens. Mike Crapo, Jim Banks, Marsha Blackburn, Steve Daines, Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, Jim Justice, James Lankford, Tim Sheehy and Tommy Tuberville also signed onto the letter. GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert, Vern Buchanan, Tim Burchett, Kat Cammack, Dan Crenshaw, Brad Finstad, Craig Goldman, Mark Green, Ashley Hinson, Mike Kennedy, Nick LaLota, Blake Moore, Riley Moore, Austin Pfluger, John Rose and Claudia Tenney also signed onto the letter. In 2021, the IOC released a revised policy recommendation in which individual sports bodies were asked to apply certain parameters with a particular focus on “fostering gender equality and inclusion” when establishing policies. For the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the IOC rolled out its “Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations” policy. The framework included principles such as prevention of harm, nondiscrimination, fairness, no presumption of advantage, evidence-based approach, primacy of health and bodily autonomy, stakeholder-centered approach, right to privacy and periodic reviews. It replaced a 2015 policy that required athletes transitioning from male to female to declare their gender identity as female, which could not be changed for a minimum of four years, and show testosterone levels below 10 nmol/L for “at least 12 months prior to her first competition.” The previous policy replaced the IOC’s first policy on transgender athlete participation established ahead of the 2004 Games in Athens, which required athletes to undergo surgery in order to compete in events in line with their gender identity. The IOC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Meanwhile, Trump vowed that his executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports would also apply to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In February, during the signing ceremony, the president announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028. Trump said he will instruct Noem “to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes try and get into the Games.”
Pentagon clips civilian employees’ credit cards in line with DOGE cuts
The Defense Department effectively barred civilian employees from traveling or making taxpayer-funded purchases, according to new memos. The spending limit on government-issued travel and purchase cards for federal civilian employees was reduced to $1, according to instructions posted on the Defense Department’s website. “DoD civilian employees must cancel all future non-exempted official travel reservations, and those currently on non-exempted travel must return to their respective permanent duty stations as soon as feasible,” the memo states. Civilian employee travel that directly supports military operations or a permanent change in station is exempted, according to one memo. HEGSETH DIRECTS DOD CIVILIAN WORKFORCE TO COMPLY WITH MUSK’S DOGE PRODUCTIVITY EMAIL A parallel memo effectively froze civilian credit cards used to purchase anything from office supplies to items priced up to $10,000. It came after a Feb. 26 executive order from President Donald Trump that activated the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cost-saving efforts to make “government employees accountable to the public.” It stipulated that agencies would need to submit reports to justify travel needs for government employees. “Once an agency’s system is in place, the Agency Head shall prohibit agency employees from engaging in federally funded travel for conferences or other non-essential purposes unless the travel-approving official has submitted a brief, written justification for the federally funded travel within such system,” the order stated. PENTAGON LOSING CUTTING EDGE ON WEAPONS INNOVATION, NEEDS ‘MASSIVE KICK IN THE PANTS,’ SAY DEFENSE LEADERS It also called for agency credit cards to be frozen for 30 days except for the use of funds for “disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits or operations or other critical services as determined by the Agency Head.” The restrictions come as the Pentagon is firing 5,400 civilian employees still in their probationary period and instituting a hiring freeze to reduce 5-8% of the 764,000-member civilian workforce. The Pentagon, in coordination with DOGE, identified an initial $80 million in wasteful spending, according to chief spokesperson Sean Parnell. Most of the funds were related to DEI and climate initiatives. It’s a small fraction of the agency’s $840 billion budget, but DOGE efforts just began in recent weeks. The Pentagon last week initiated a review of its contracting practices and demanded agencies build a central system for contracts, grants and other expenditures. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “My staff and I are presently conducting this review to determine where we might achieve efficiencies to save American taxpayers’ money while executing contracting operations in support of our nation’s defense,” John Tenaglia, the Pentagon’s principal director of defense pricing, contracting and acquisition policy, wrote in a memo last week. “Per the EO, Components are directed to forgo issuing new contracting officer warrant appointments to DoD civilian staff members until March 28, 2025, the duration of the review period.”
‘He cannot buy an election here in Wisconsin’: Sanders slams Musk in state Trump won by less than 1%
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a stop on his “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour in Altoona, Wisconsin, on Friday night, targeted Elon Musk for donating to the conservative candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, Brad Schimel. Schimel called out the hypocrisy in an exclusive interview with Fox News on Monday. “Well, it’s funny that Bernie’s in Wisconsin trying to influence this election and complaining that somebody else might be having interest in this election,” Schimel said. However, a Sanders spokesperson drew a stark contrast with Musk, telling Fox News Digital in a statement that Sanders is “mobilizing people” while Musk mobilizes money. “Bernie is mobilizing people; Musk has mobilized over 6 million in ad expenditures. Sen. Sanders is focused on creating a political system based on the democratic principles of one person-one vote, and ending a corrupt system which allows billionaires to buy elections. Mr. Musk is focused on using his money and power to install elected officials who answer to him, instead of their constituents,” Sanders’ communications director Anna Bahr said. SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLODES AT SANDERS FOR HOSTING TRANS MUSICIAN WHO SANG ‘PURE EVIL’ SONG AT ANTI-TRUMP RALLY Momentum at the Blue Wall rallies solidified Sanders’ ability to organize and lead opposition to President Donald Trump, as the Democratic Party continues to grapple with its November losses. Speaking to thousands of supporters at rallies in Kenosha and Altoona this weekend, Sanders urged Wisconsinites to get out the vote on April 1 and took aim at Musk’s growing political influence. JUDGE RULES DOGE LIKELY SUBJECT TO PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS, SAYS DEPARTMENT OPERATING IN ‘UNUSUAL SECRECY’ “Musk spent some $270 million to help Trump get elected, and his reward is that he was made the most powerful person in the U.S. government,” Sanders told the crowd in Kenosha on Friday. “But it goes beyond that. As bad as that is, the situation is so absurd that Musk is so arrogant that he is even intervening in a Supreme Court election right here in the state of Wisconsin against a candidate who has the very, very extreme idea that maybe women should be able to control their own bodies, not the government.” The race between Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel is one of the first major elections in a battleground state since the 2024 presidential election. Trump won battleground Wisconsin by less than a percentage point in 2024. The April 1 election will decide the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s balance of power. While the Supreme Court race is technically nonpartisan, Schimel has been backed by Republicans, and Crawford has the support of Democrats. It is on track to be the most expensive judicial election in Wisconsin’s history. Musk’s Building America’s Future and America PAC have already spent millions on Schimel’s campaign, according to campaign finance reports. The Wisconsin Democratic Party responded with a $2 million donation to Crawford, which included a $1 million donation from George Soros. “Whatever your view may be on this Supreme Court election, I think everybody, no matter what your position should be, should make it clear to the wealthiest person on Earth that he cannot buy an election here in Wisconsin,” Sanders said on Friday. Sanders warned the Altoona crowd about the ramifications of billionaire influence on elections, calling for public funding of elections. “I want you to think about what that means. If this guy can intervene in a Supreme Court election in one state. You tell me what mayor’s race? What governor’s race? What Senate race he cannot buy?” Sanders asked. “We have got to deal with this corrupt campaign finance system. We’ve got to overturn Citizens United. And we’ve got to move to public funding of elections. And again, no matter what your political view may be – you’re conservative, you’re progressive. Nobody I know thinks that billionaires should be able to buy elections.” Sanders continued his pitch for campaign finance reform to Wisconsinites at a rally in Altoona on Sunday, pointing to “Democratic billionaires as well.” “Does anybody in America believe that it is appropriate for somebody like Musk to contribute $270 million to Trump’s campaign and then you get rewarded by becoming the most important man in government?” Sander asked. “But I got to tell you it is not just Musk and Republicans, it is Democratic billionaires as well. We are not going to make progress on the issues facing working families unless we have campaign finance reform.” The Democratic National Committee (DNC) echoed Sander’s comments in a statement released on Monday, emphasizing that Wisconsin voters do not want Musk “buying elections.” “In three weeks, Wisconsin voters will have the opportunity to stand against Trump and MAGA Republicans’ attacks on Wisconsinites and the programs they rely on. Wisconsin voters don’t like Elon Musk running our federal government and they don’t want him buying elections in Wisconsin either. It’s time to elect proven leaders like Susan Crawford and Jill Underly who will move Wisconsin forward and serve Badger Staters’ – not billionaires’ – best interests. Democrats are working tirelessly to keep Elon Musk and his billions from corrupting Wisconsin’s elections,” DNC Deputy Executive Director Libby Schneider said in a statement. Schimel countered the DNC’s statement in an exclusive interview with Fox News, calling judicial liberals “activists.” “Frankly, the difference between a judicial conservative and a judicial liberal is judicial conservatives, they apply the law the way it’s written. Judicial liberals, they’re activists. They make the law. That’s what they want out of my opponent. I’m here to bring stability to Wisconsin by having a Supreme Court that follows the law.” Schimel said liberal justices are the ones “checking off boxes to return favors to their big donors” and vowed to “restore objectivity to the court.” However, Schimel said accepting donations is necessary to compete in the race. “I’ll take all legal and ethical contributions because I’ve got to compete. If I’m going to get my message out to the voters, I can’t be outspent 20 to 1, like
SCOOP: Key House Freedom Caucus member ‘seriously considering’ run for governor in 2026
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., is “seriously considering” a run for South Carolina governor, he told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “I’ve been here eight years, and I’m doing a good job,” Norman said just outside the U.S. Capitol, where he had been helping lead the debate on a government funding bill backed by President Donald Trump. Norman said he is a staunch believer in term limits in Congress but added, “I may come back. We’ll see.” “But the governor’s race has some appeal to it,” he said. 175 WILDFIRES IN NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA FORCE SOME EVACUATIONS Norman first won his House seat in 2016 during the same election that sent Trump to the White House for his first term. He is a conservative fiscal hawk and a key member of the House Freedom Caucus. Norman’s House website also touts him as a life-long resident of South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, where he serves. MULTIPLE WILDFIRES IN THE CAROLINAS FORCE EVACUATIONS, BURN BAN ISSUED IN SOUTH CAROLINA Punchbowl News reported earlier this year that Norman was thinking about running for governor. His comments to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, however, appear to be a marked escalation in his flirtations with higher office. Norman previously mulled a primary challenge against longtime South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. But a run for the governorship could put him on a collision course with a fellow House conservative, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. Mace told the Associated Press earlier this year that she was similarly “seriously considering” a run for governor. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Another name floating within the Palmetto State is South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Norman and Mace are both vocal Trump supporters, though both had their own public breaks from the president. Norman notably supported fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley for president, but switched to backing Trump immediately after Haley dropped out. Trump himself has not weighed in on the race.
China ‘ripping off’ American businesses – but the DOJ can fight them, GOP lawmaker says
Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, says it’s time to give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to tackle China’s trade crimes. The congresswoman’s Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act has bipartisan support as both Democrats and Republicans look to stop threats posed by China. China-based companies have been accused of stealing American businesses’ intellectual property (IP) and flooding the market with cheaper versions of their products, which are often low quality. Chinese companies have also allegedly committed trade crimes through transnational shipping, which involves the shipping of products to another country to evade U.S. tariffs. “This is about protecting America’s bottom line, because the bottom line is China has been ripping off our businesses and our workers for decades,” Rep. Hinson told Fox News Digital. “You know, we talk a lot about the tariffs and the penalties that exist for those who go around our laws, but we also have to back that up with enforcement of our laws.” CHINA, REACTING TO TRUMP TARIFFS, PROMISES TO ‘FIGHT TILL THE END’ IN TRADE WAR ‘OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF WAR’ Hinson’s legislation would establish a DOJ task force focused on investigating and prosecuting trade-related crimes, creating a mechanism for enforcing U.S. law. One of the companies that is grappling with the effects of Chinese IP theft is CQ Medical, which focuses on radiotherapy and healthcare innovations. A China-based company with U.S. headquarters in Ohio has allegedly been undercutting CQ Medical by offering lower-quality products at two-thirds of the price. According to a statement from CQ Medical, the China-based company is using “nearly identical” product names, which has led to consumer confusion. “And this is stuff that really can help our hospitals to properly treat cancers with radiation therapy. So, when you are undercutting an American company that is doing the research and development they’re facing now, an unfair competitive advantage from a China-based company that is stealing that intellectual property,” Hinson said to Fox News Digital. CHINA SLAMS TRUMP-IMPOSED ‘ARBITRARY TARIFFS,’ VOWS RETALIATION AGAINST US Hinson says the problems facing CQ Medical are “at the heart of what we need to push back on” when it comes to tackling China’s IP theft practices and trade crimes. The Iowa congresswoman emphasized the need to “push back” on “unfair and illicit trade practices” to protect American companies and consumers. In the case of CQ Medical, the products produced by its Chinese competitor put patients at risk because of their low quality. They also put American workers at risk of not seeing job opportunities here at home. “You look at rural America and the impact that a company like CQ Medical has. They’re creating those jobs, and they’re bringing people to places like Iowa and Pennsylvania. And when you look at the footprint that they have, they want to grow and expand in places here at home,” Hinson told Fox News Digital. Hinson explained to Fox News Digital that CQ Medical is the tip of the iceberg, and Chinese trade crimes are costing America’s economy “hundreds of billions if not trillions of dollars a year” by offering products at extremely reduced prices. The Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act passed the House in December 2024. However, the congresswoman is reintroducing it in the current congressional session in the hopes of it becoming law.
Who is Judge Amir Ali? The Biden-appointed federal judge at the center of Trump’s USAID battle
One of the newest federal judges in the U.S. has found himself squarely in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s battle over foreign aid spending after the Supreme Court tasked him with determining how, and when, the government must pay nearly $2 billion owed to foreign aid groups and contractors. Judge Amir H. Ali, a Biden appointee, has served on the court for less than four months and is among the 25 newest federal judges confirmed by the Senate to serve on a federal district court. Despite his short tenure, Ali, a U.S. district judge in Washington, D.C., is already at the center of some of the most high-profile court cases to date, presiding most recently over the lawsuit seeking billions in unpaid invoices for USAID-funded projects. The case is the first significant case of President Donald Trump’s term to be heard by the Supreme Court – and Amir’s handling of it has brought renewed scrutiny from conservatives over his previous work as a litigator, including for progressive legal groups. SCOTUS RULES ON NEARLY $2 BILLION IN FROZEN USAID PAYMENTS Far from being a wallflower, Ali has had a prolific and high-profile career as both a professor and litigator, including arguing civil rights cases before the Supreme Court, and serving as the director of Harvard Law’s Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic. His work has earned awards or recognition from groups such as the NAACP, the American Constitution Society – where he was a finalist for the David Carliner Public Interest Award – and Bloomberg, among others. Much of Ali’s work prior to his confirmation to the bench focused closely on police and prosecutorial misconduct and civil rights protections, some of which made headlines during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. In 2017, Ali helped open the Washington, D.C., branch of the MacArthur Justice Center, where he represented dozens of plaintiffs, including before the Supreme Court, where he argued and won two separate civil rights cases. The MacArthur Justice Center was formed in 1985 to challenge the death penalty in Illinois, and it has since expanded to support reductions in over-incarceration and the elimination of racial disparities in the criminal justice system, among other reforms, with offices in four states and Washington, D.C. Ali’s first case, Garza v. Idaho, expanded the constitutional right to counsel for defendants under the Sixth Amendment. His second, Thompson v. Clark, made it slightly easier for individuals who claim they were wrongfully arrested to sue police for malicious prosecution. (Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, authored the 6-3 majority opinion.) He was later appointed executive director of the Washington, D.C., branch, a role he held through 2024, when he was appointed to the federal bench. During his Senate confirmation hearing last February, Ali was grilled by Republicans over remarks made by his MacArthur Justice Center colleague, Cliff Johnson – who suggested during a podcast interview in 2020 that defunding the police is the first step in a “movement toward making police departments obsolete.” Ali stressed in response that he did not share those views, and that the views were not endorsed by the MacArthur Justice Center. “Let me be very clear about this,” Ali said. “I have never advocated for taking away police funding. I would not take that position, and the MacArthur Justice Center has not taken that position.” US JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMIN TO PAY PORTION OF $2B IN FOREIGN AID BY MONDAY Now, as a judge, Ali has been tasked with presiding over some of the most consequential cases to come up during Trump’s second term. Last month, he sided with foreign aid groups and contractors who sued the Trump administration for roughly $1.9 billion owed for previously completed projects that were funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. Ali gave the Trump administration just two weeks to pay the outstanding funds, prompting Justice Department lawyers to file an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ultimately rejected the Trump administration’s request to extend the freeze in 5-4 vote, remanding it back to D.C. federal court, and Ali, to hash out the specifics of what must be paid, and when – a role Ali stressed that he takes “very seriously.” Plaintiffs sued over the Trump administration’s executive action earlier this year that froze nearly all foreign aid spending, changes made in the name of government “efficiency” and eliminating waste, according to administration officials. President Donald Trump has stated plans to cut some 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts and to slash an additional $60 billion in foreign aid spending and at issue in the case is how quickly the Trump administration must pay the outstanding invoices from completed projects. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X Monday that roughly 83% of USAID programs are slated to be canceled following a six-week review process led by DOGE. The canceled contracts, Rubio wrote, amount to “tens of billions of dollars” that were being spent in ways he alleged “did not serve” U.S. national interests. He added that the rest of the USAID programs and contracts will be transferred to the State Department to be managed. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Most recently, Ali ordered the Trump administration Monday evening to pay by March 14 all owed funds to USAID contractors and other international groups for previously completed projects. Ali said the Trump administration’s withholding of the funds, which had already been appropriated by Congress, was likely “unlawful” and a violation of the separation of powers doctrine under the Constitution. It is unclear whether the Trump administration will move to challenge that ruling in court. Last week, Ali moved expeditiously on the Supreme Court directive, ordering both parties back to court last week for an hours-long hearing to weigh plausible repayment options. He heard from both plaintiffs in the case, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and the Global Health Council, who argued that the Trump
First on Fox: Trump voter dons MAGA hat in warning to House Republicans against Medicaid cuts
EXCLUSIVE – A self-identified nursing home employee and lifelong Republican who voted for President Donald Trump is urging House GOP lawmakers to avoid making cuts to Medicaid, as he stars in a new seven-figure ad blitz by a pro-Democrat outside group as part of its “Hands off Medicaid” campaign. The release of the ads by a group called “Protect Our Care” – which they say will run on TV, radio and digital platforms and target 10 House Republicans who may face competitive re-elections next year when the GOP aims to defend its fragile majority – comes as congressional Democrats have increasingly accused Republicans of trying to harm funding for Medicaid as well as Medicare. The $2 million ad blitz – which was shared first with Fox News Digital on Tuesday – launches as the House is expected to vote on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government in order to avoid an end-of-the-week shutdown of the government and the furlough of tens of thousands of federal workers. “I look after seniors here at the nursing home. Most of them pay for it through Medicaid. So if Congress goes through with these big cuts to Medicaid, some of our residents will probably have to leave. Most of them will have nowhere else to go,” a man identified in the ad as John B., a certified nurse practioner, says in the TV spot. REPUBLICANS CHARGE DEMOCRATS WEAPONIZE MEDICAID ANXIETY John, who proceeds to place a red “Make America Great Again” cap on his head, says, “look, I’m a Republican. I voted for Donald Trump. But Medicaid should not be a political thing. They need to know cutting it will hurt all of us.” He then says to the House Republican targeted in the ad that “we’re all counting on you to stop these cuts to Medicaid.” FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP PRESSURES HOUSE GOP REBELS AS FUNDING VOTE NEARS Protect Our Care says their ads will run in the districts of Republican Reps. David Schweikert (AZ-01) of Arizona, David Valadao (CA-22), Young Kim (CA-40), and Ken Calvert (CA-41) of California, Nick LaLota (NY-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), and Mike Lawler (NY-17) of New York, Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) of Pennsylvania, and Dan Newhouse (WA-04) of Washington State. House Democrats argue that the Republicans’ government funding bill “does nothing to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.” Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse charged that “if Republicans in Congress move forward with Medicaid cuts, they are turning their backs on their constituents.” “Republican lawmakers need to look their constituents, and even their own voters like John, in the eye to defend this indefensible plan. Americans across the country and across the political spectrum are depending on Republicans to do the right thing and abandon these cuts to Medicaid,” Woodhouse added. WHERE THINGS STAND AS POTENTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN NEARS The left-leaning Protect Our Care was created to protect the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, and this year is targeting GOP lawmakers over the possibility of Medicaid cuts. Woodhouse, the group’s president, is a longtime well-known Democratic Party strategist and operative who has previously steered other prominent pro-Democrat groups and who has done multiple tours of duty at the Democratic National Committee. The group’s latest blitz is part of what Protect Our Care says is a $10 million “Hands Off Medicaid” campaign. As congressional Republicans aim to reduce the nation’s massive budget deficit and enact Trump’s domestic agenda, some conservative members have mulled changes to Medicaid, the nearly 60-year-old federal government program that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited incomes. However, Republicans have repeatedly denied that they are aiming for major cuts to Medicaid. Additionally, a senior House GOP aide, speaking with Fox News Digital, accused House Democrats of “intentionally misleading the American people.” While the president is heavily lobbying House Republicans to stay united and support the government spending plan, he has also repeatedly – on the campaign trail last year and since taking over the White House – said that he does not want Congress to touch Medicaid. On Tuesday, the White House communications office released an email headlined “President Trump Will Always Protect Social Security, Medicare.” However, Trump has also repeatedly left the door open to cutting “waste, fraud and abuse,” a line that has been repeated by Republican lawmakers. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report