Newsom’s ‘unfair’ remark on girls’ sports belies record as governor: ‘Absolute bulls—‘
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom sparked controversy last week by breaking from his party’s stance on transgender women in sports, but his pro-transgender legislative record suggests his comments were “calculated” to appear more moderate for a potential 2028 presidential bid, according to a prominent parental rights activist. “This is all very calculated on his part to sort of pave the way for his presidential run,” Julie Hamill, a California attorney and Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District trustee, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “He obviously wants to be president, and if you want to be president, you have to convince the majority of the country that you’re a moderate,” said Hamill, who previously worked as a law clerk in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. NEWSOM CALLS BIOLOGICAL MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS ‘DEEPLY UNFAIR’ IN PODCAST WITH CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST While protections for transgender athletes were signed under previous Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown in 2013, Newsom has carried that torch since taking office in 2019 and passed several pieces of legislation codifying certain protections for transgender people and procedures in the state. “And he’s going to try to sell himself to Democrats across the country in less liberal states that he is someone who can lead their party, and he’s someone who’s moderate, and he’s going to hope that people like me and people who are frustrated in California aren’t going to get our facts out about how he has governed this state,” Hamill said. In 2020, Newsom signed legislation allowing transgender prison inmates to be housed in facilities that align with their gender identity, instead of their biological sex. The law also requires inmates to be addressed by their preferred pronouns and searches conducted by individuals matching the inmates’ gender identity. In September 2022, California became the first state to declare itself a sanctuary for transgender youth, offering legal protections to out-of-state minors seeking surgical and hormonal treatments. After launching several lawsuits against California school districts who were pushing back against notification policies that hid students’ gender identities from parents, Newsom signed a law last year prohibiting school staff from being mandated to inform parents about a student’s transgender status. GAVIN NEWSOM ASKS CHARLIE KIRK TO GIVE HIS PARTY ‘ADVICE’ IN ONE-ON-ONE PODCAST INTERVIEW “The rates of suicide for kids who identify as trans are very high, and they get higher after procedures are done,” Hamill said of the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth (SAFETY) Act. “So, you know, his claim to care about these kids is absolute bulls—,” she said. “You cannot conceal information, critical information about what a child is going through at school from that child’s parents.” TRANS SURGERIES INCREASE RISK OF MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, SUICIDAL IDEATIONS: STUDY In a federal lawsuit against the Department of Education, Hamill is representing fifth-grade girls who “are being told that they have to accept a room assignment on their overnight science camp with someone who identifies as female but may not actually be female.” She said Newsom “has the ability as the leader of the party in California to push to repeal or amend” these laws. “And if he doesn’t do that, what’s going to happen is these schools that are the subject of my Title IX complaint are going to lose their federal funding,” she said. “And then when that happens, we’re going to see Newsom and the Democrats blame the evil Republicans for depriving schools of federal funding.” KAROLINE LEAVITT ADDRESSES DEMOCRATS DEFYING TRANS ATHLETE BAN DEMAND: ‘CAN’T SAY YOU ARE THE PARTY OF WOMEN’ Newsom told conservative activist and TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk in the debut episode of his new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” that he agrees biological males in sports is “deeply unfair” last week. His comments set off outrage among his LGBTQ supporters and progressive flank. Kirk asked Newsom, “You, as the governor, should step out and say no. Would you do something like that? Would you say no men in female sports?” “Well, I think it’s an issue of fairness,” Newsom replied. “I completely agree with you on that. It’s deeply unfair.” Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” in February, which said transgender athletes in women’s sports is “demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls.” The order requires institutions receiving federal funding to abide by Title IX and follow the definitions of biological sex. A day later the NCAA, which oversees college sports, instituted a ban. And more than two dozen states now prevent transgender athletes from school sports. Newsom noted he has four children, including two daughters, and highlighted that both he and his wife played college-level sports. “I revere sports, so the issue of fairness is completely legit,” Newsom said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment.
Vance pitches GOP rebels on DOGE, border in 11th-hour plea for unity against shutdown
Vice President JD Vance told House Republicans that putting a government funding bill up for a vote today was critical to President Donald Trump keeping the lights on for his border security goals and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Two lawmakers present at the closed-door meeting on Tuesday morning said DOGE and the border were part of Vance’s pitch to Republicans who were still undecided about the bill. One lawmaker said Vance also signaled that future federal spending cuts could be on the table at a later date, a similar pitch House Freedom Caucus leaders have been making to fellow fiscal conservatives. “Vance basically said this is what we need to keep DOGE and border operations going,” the lawmaker said. “And we will have much more flexibility for DOGE cuts once we’ve had more time to identify and quantify them.” TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP VOWS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH PRESIDENT AFTER PAST CLASHES WITH TRUMP The House and Senate must pass a federal funding bill and send it to Trump’s desk by the end of Friday to avert a partial government shutdown. Trump has endorsed a House Republican-led measure, a rough extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding levels called a continuing resolution (CR), that will keep government spending largely flat for FY 2025, until the beginning of FY 2026 on Oct. 1 – something House GOP leaders claim as a victory. “Pass the bill,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who declined to elaborate further on the meeting. House Republicans are largely expected to shoulder the burden of passing the bill themselves, despite Democrats historically voting in droves to avoid government shutdowns. However, House Democratic leaders have accused Republicans of trying to use the legislation to allow Elon Musk and Trump to continue upending the federal bureaucracy – a point that is not dissimilar to what conservatives support about the bill. A senior source involved in negotiations on the CR told Fox News Digital they were optimistic about where it was going. “There were people who would say ‘I don’t like CRs, but I trust the administration, so I think I can move forward on this one,’” the source said of the House Republicans’ conference meeting. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a fiscal hawk who is generally opposed to CRs, said as much in a brief back-and-forth with Fox News on Tuesday morning, after announcing he would “barely” support the bill. “The ‘barely’ is Donald Trump,” Burlison said. “He is the difference maker. I would never support this language, but I do trust Donald Trump.” RON AND CASEY DESANTIS TEE OFF WITH TRUMP AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP The vote is expected to take place late Tuesday afternoon. Trump and his allies spent Monday calling potential holdouts and are expected to do so again on Tuesday. At least one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is staunchly opposed to the bill. In a sign of confidence, House GOP leaders announced they would send lawmakers back to their districts early, canceling a planned day of votes on Wednesday. Fox News Digital reached out to Vance’s office for comment but did not hear back.
‘Back to basics’: Top Trump agency turns tables on Biden-era memos pushing ‘equity initiatives’
The Department of Transportation (DOT) scrapped two memos from the Biden administration that the agency said misaligned priorities to serve a “social justice and environmental agenda.” The two memorandums issued during the Biden administration under Secretary Pete Buttigieg listed objectives such as “reconnecting communities and reflecting the inclusion of disadvantaged and under-represented groups in the planning, project selection, and design process” and “accommodating new and emerging technologies like electric vehicle charging stations,” according to DOT. “Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Transportation is getting back to basics — building critical infrastructure projects that move people and move commerce safely,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. “The previous administration flouted Congress in an attempt to push a radical social and environmental agenda on the American people. This was an act of federal overreach. It stops now.” SEAN DUFFY LAYS OUT PLANS TO STREAMLINE AIR TRAVEL INDUSTRY DESPITE SHORTAGES, SAFETY CONCERNS Specifically, the department took issue with the memos’ efforts when it came to cutting back on “greenhouse gas emissions” and “equity initiatives.” The memos centered on how to best use the billions in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 across the country. Neither memo is currently available on the Federal Highway Administration website. However, this is not the first time the memos have faced scrutiny. The United States Chamber of Commerce in Jan. 2023 asked the Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt to get rid of the “Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America” memo in order to avoid over-complicating the overall mission of taxpayer-funded infrastructure investments. BLUE STATE WORKERS RALLY AROUND TOP TRUMP OFFICIAL TARGETING CONGESTION PRICING: ‘BORDERLINE STEALING’ “We supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) because it represents the most significant infusion of investment in our infrastructure since the enactment of the Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s,” the chamber wrote with various other groups, including the American Trucking Associations and the Association of American Railroads. “It is also a carefully negotiated and balanced package of policy reforms and targeted national investments that will make Americans’ lives better. However, the Dec. 16 memo elicited significant confusion within the transportation community as the guidance intended to serve as an overarching policy framework that prioritizes IIJA resources towards certain projects, which was inconsistent with what was laid out under the legislation President Biden signed into law the month before,” the letter added. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SEAN DUFFY TO ‘STREAMLINE’ FAA HIRING PROCESS AMID AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SHORTAGE DOT has taken aim at various liberal policies in the early days of Duffy’s tenure in office, including ordering a compliance audit of the California High-Speed Rail project and is asking for the Manhattan congestion tolls program to end. In Congress, other transportation-related efforts are being scrutinized, such as wanting to get rid of electric-vehicle efforts in the United States Postal Service.
Mark Kelly accuses Trump of ‘trying to weaken’ Ukraine, fires back at Elon Musk for branding him a ‘traitor’
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., fired back at Elon Musk after the billionaire business tycoon labeled the lawmaker a “traitor” in response to a tweet in which Kelly advocated U.S. support for Ukraine. “Just left Ukraine. What I saw proved to me we can’t give up on the Ukrainian people. Everyone wants this war to end, but any agreement has to protect Ukraine’s security and can’t be a giveaway to Putin. Let me tell you about my trip and why it’s important we stand with Ukraine,” Kelly noted in his post. “You are a traitor,” Musk replied. The senator fired back, “Traitor? Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do.” The U.S. has provided Ukraine billions in aid as the Eastern European nation has been at war in response to Russia’s invasion. RUBIO SAYS MINERAL DEAL ‘NOT MAIN TOPIC ON AGENDA’ IN UKRAINE MEETING But last week, the U.S. announced that it was pausing aid. “As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have said, it is the policy of the United States that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is unsustainable and must end. The United States will use our leverage, influence, and national power to advance peace and implement a sustainable solution to this conflict. The killing must stop,” the State Department noted. “The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. Effective March 3, 2025, we are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.” When asked last week whether America had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that the U.S. was “pausing and reviewing all aspects … of this relationship.” US CONTINUES TO SHARE DATA TO PROTECT UKRAINIANS AGAINST RUSSIAN STRIKES, DESPITE INTEL PAUSE: SOURCES When President Donald Trump was asked on Sunday if he would consider lifting the intelligence pause on Ukraine, he replied, “Well, we just about have.” The president added that there is a desire to “do anything we can to get Ukraine to be serious about … getting something done.” Kelly’s initial post about Ukraine was just the beginning of a longer message on the topic. “Donald Trump is trying to weaken Ukraine’s hand and we are owed an explanation. If Putin gains ground he won’t agree to a ceasefire and will eventually threaten a NATO ally and this puts American troops and the American people at risk,” Kelly declared in one of his tweets. TRUMP SAYS INTEL PAUSE ON UKRAINE HAS BEEN ‘JUST ABOUT’ LIFTED; SAYS TARIFFS WILL MAKE AMERICA RICH CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The world will become a very cold and lonely place if we continue this ridiculous ‘screw you, go it alone’ foreign policy. It’s dumb and it won’t age well and puts you and your kids and your grandkids at risk. America is the strongest, richest country in the world. We didn’t get there by being bullies like Putin, we got there by leading from the front and bringing our allies. That’s why I’ll continue to share with everyone who will listen why we must keep supporting Ukraine,” Kelly asserted at the conclusion of his comments.
AOC slapped with ethics complaint over ‘troubling expenses’ made to dance company
FIRST ON FOX: A government accountability nonprofit is calling on the House to launch a probe into whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., misappropriated her taxpayer-funded member allowance. Americans for Public Trust, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) on Tuesday, questioning “several troubling expenses” from AOC’s disbursements, which they claim are “in contravention of federal law and the standards of the House of Representatives.” Each member of Congess receives a Member Representational Allowance (“MRA”), a budget for official duties that “may not be used for personal or campaign purposes,” according to the Congressional Research Service. However, the “Squad” member is being accused of using these funds for “campaign purposes.” AOC reportedly made a payment of $3,700 to a “Juan D Gonzalez” and another for $850 to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.,” with both expenditures described as being used for “training.” AOC ‘GOING ON THE OFFENSE’ TO RALLY RED-DISTRICT VOTERS AGAINST TRUMP: REPORT The progressive congresswoman has addressed the issue on social media, claiming in a post on X responding to a claim she is “wasting tax dollars.” “100% wrong,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing. Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time.” FORMER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT AIDE TO AOC SELF-DEPORTS TO COLOMBIA AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT: REPORT The filing states that Ocasio-Cortez’s “assertion that these expenses are ‘an FEC filing,’ and not reflective of her MRA – as well as her claim that ‘[n]one of this is taxpayer money’ – is both troubling and obviously incorrect.” “Either she does not know the difference between her campaign funds and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the highlighted expenses were not for official business and should have been paid by her campaign and reported to the FEC.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, said, “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated.” “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated. In the era of reining in government spending, the American people deserve to know lawmakers are being good stewards of their tax dollars.” Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment. The congresswoman has faced ethics complaints in the past, including from the Heritage Foundation in 2023 accusing her of “falsely accusing” and “defaming” the creator of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account, Chaya Raichik. Ocasio-Cortez also faced an ethics probe in 2023 after being accused of accepting “impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021,” which may have violated House rules, standards of conduct and federal law.
Kamala Harris roasted for trying to tie love of Doritos to Big Tech innovation during AI conference
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was roasted for delivering another “word salad” on a public stage after trying to tie the “innovation” of Big Tech to her love of nacho cheese Doritos during an artificial intelligence conference. “Kamala just tried to explain innovation and it is the dumbest thing I have ever heard,” popular conservative X account End Wokeness posted to its account accompanied by a clip of Harris. Harris attended the Human[X] AI conference Sunday in Las Vegas, which was billed as Harris’ “first post-election address.” She took the stage with Nuno Sebastiao, the CEO of data science company Feedzai. Harris recounted that on the night of the Academy Awards, March 2, she had a hankering for nacho cheese Doritos chips and had them delivered to her house via DoorDash, according to clips of the interview on social media. KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED ONLINE FOR ANOTHER ‘WORD SALAD’ ABOUT ‘COMMUNITY’ DURING FIRE DEPARTMENT VISIT “We did DoorDash ’cause I wanted Doritos, and the red carpet part was about to start, and nobody wanted to leave to go to the grocery store,” Harris said. “So it was DoorDash. … So I was willing to give up whatever might be the tracking of Kamala Harris’ particular fondness for nacho cheese Doritos for the sake of getting a big bag of Doritos as I watched the Oscars.” Sebastio weighed in that Harris was providing an example of “consumer behavior” to the audience, which is how businesses study the purchasing practices of consumers and how those practices are influenced by outside factors, such as cultural or social influence. KAMALA HARRIS MOCKED OVER ‘WORD SALAD’ SPEECH TO CAST OF ‘A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL’ “But here’s the thing. At what point do we also uplift and highlight the consumer’s right to also expect — and you can debate with me if it should be a right — I think it should,” she continued in the clip of the video. “To expect that the innovation would also be weighted in terms of solving their everyday problems, which are beyond my craving for Doritos, but about whatever — and I know the work is happening around — you know, scientific discoveries, for example. To cure long-standing diseases.” “But I’m going to throw out another one … I would love it if there would be an investment of resources in solving the affordable housing issue in America,” she said. “Like help me with that. Help me with that.” Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for comment on the conference and social media reactions but did not immediately receive a reply. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, shared a photo of Harris on the evening of the Academy Awards pouring a bag of Doritos into a bowl — ostensibly the bag she DoorDashed that evening. Conservatives and critics lambasted Harris’ recent “word salad” at the AI conference, mocking that her election loss to President Donald Trump “remains a mystery.” HARRIS RIPPED FOR ‘WORD SALAD’ AFTER HECKLER INTERRUPTION DURING CAMPAIGN SPEECH: ‘THE GIBBERISH NEVER ENDS’ Harris’ fondness for Doritos has frequently been in public view, including recounting that she ate “a family-sized bag of nacho Doritos” on election night 2016, as well as celebrating her love of the chips during a campaign stop at a Pennsylvania Sheetz convenience store in August. KAMALA HARRIS LAUGHS AT HER OWN ‘THE CONTEXT IN WHICH YOU EXIST’ WORD SALAD: ‘YEAH, I DID THAT’ “This is my go-to, the original, nacho cheese,” Harris said during the stop. The former vice president is reportedly in the midst of seriously considering a 2026 bid to run for California governor when Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tenure comes to an end, Fox News Digital previously reported. She reportedly will make a decision on a potential run by the end of the summer. Harris was repeatedly slammed by voters while in the vice president’s office and on the 2024 campaign trail for delivering “word salads” while in public settings, including phrases such as “unburdened by what has been,” “I really do, I love Venn diagrams,” and singing “The Wheels on the Bus” nursery rhyme.
First on Fox: Top conservative group aligns with Trump as it makes major endorsement in high-profile race
EXCLUSIVE – A leading conservative organization that has long been a major player in GOP primary battles is putting its weight behind the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. The Club for Growth PAC, a political arm of the Club for Growth public advocacy organization, on Tuesday endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida’s 2026 gubernatorial race. The development was shared first with Fox News. Donalds, a conservative former state lawmaker who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the southwest part of the state, is currently the only major Republican to launch a campaign. The staunch Trump supporter and House ally announced his candidacy during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” late last month, days after landing the president’s endorsement. TOP CONSERVATIVE GROUP VOWS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH PRESIDENT AFTER PAST CLASHES WITH TRUMP Donalds was backed by the Club when he first won the congressional seat in 2020. The Club notes that it spent $2.5 million to help Donalds narrowly emerge from a nine-way Republican primary contest en route to his general election victory. And Donalds enjoys a 100% lifetime rating by the group, which tracks how members of Congress vote on economic issues. The Club promotes a fiscally conservative agenda, including a focus on tax cuts and other economic issues. “Rep. Byron Donalds is a proven constitutional conservative who has consistently demonstrated his commitment to pro-growth economic policies, school freedom, and limited government principles,” Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Club for Growth PAC is proud to have supported Rep. Donalds since his first election to Congress in 2020, and we look forward to electing him as Florida’s next Governor.” The Club for Growth PAC is affiliated with Club for Growth Action, which describes itself as “America’s largest independent conservative Super PAC.” The Club notes that in the 2024 cycle, candidates endorsed by the PAC won 73% of their races. The endorsement of Donalds comes as Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has acknowledged she is considering a 2026 gubernatorial run to succeed her husband in Tallahassee. Trump and Florida’s first couple had breakfast together a week and a half ago at the president’s West Palm Beach golf course, and also played a round of golf. The governor shared a photo of his wife and Trump from the golf outing on social media. RON AND CASEY DESANTIS TEE OFF WITH TRUMP AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP A Republican source in Florida confirmed to Fox News that the governor and first lady used their face-to-face time with Trump, in part, to appeal to the president to not further engage in the gubernatorial race beyond his initial endorsement of Donalds. The president, who moved his primary residence to Florida in 2019, took to social media last month to write that Donalds – who was a major surrogate for Trump on the 2024 campaign trail – “would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida.” Trump added that Donalds, “should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, BYRON, RUN!” An internal poll conducted for Donalds’ campaign indicated the congressman edging Casey DeSantis by single digits in a hypothetical GOP primary showdown. But the survey suggested that Donalds’ lead surged to more than 20 points when respondents were informed that he is supported by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever. WHAT BYRON DONALDS TOLD FOX NEWS’ LARA TRUMP The Club’s endorsement of Donalds is their first effort this cycle to align with Trump in high-profile primaries. McIntosh and the Club have had an up-and-down relationship with Trump. They opposed him as he ran for the White House in 2016 before embracing him as an ally. In the 2022 cycle, Trump and the Club teamed up in some high-profile GOP primaries but clashed over combustible Senate nomination battles in Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania. TRUMP, CLUB FOR GROWTH, MAKE PEACE AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTIONS Additionally, the Club was on the outs with Trump as the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race got underway. Trump repeatedly criticized McIntosh and the Club, referring to them as “The Club for NO Growth,” and claimed they were “an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers.” However, Trump and McIntosh made peace about a year ago, with Trump saying in March 2024, as he was wrapping up the GOP presidential nomination, that they were “back in love” after the protracted falling out. “I think you’ll see Club for Growth PACs work closely with President Trump, his political team,” McIntosh told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview last month. “We’re definitely going to be working closely with his policy team to get the tax bill through. A lot of the legislation that we both agree is really important for turning things around in the country.”
Trump energy chief declares climate change a ‘global physical phenomenon’ amid reversal of Biden-era policies
President Donald Trump’s energy chief vowed a reversal of “politically polarizing” Biden-era climate policies as the new administration approaches climate change as “a global physical phenomenon.” Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking during an energy conference on Monday, knocked climate policies implemented under former President Joe Biden and dismissed claims that he was a “climate denier.” “I am a climate realist,” Wright said at S&P Global’s CERAWeek conference in Houston. “The Trump administration will treat climate change for what it is, a global physical phenomenon that is a side effect of building the modern world.” The remarks represent an administrative shift on the issue after Biden claimed that climate change was the “ultimate threat to humanity.” TRUMP PROMISES TO RAMP UP ENERGY PRODUCTION, LOWER COST OF EGGS DURING JOINT ADDRESS: ‘LIQUID GOLD’ BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS Wright argued that the Biden administration had implemented policies that did not promote consumer choice, such as electric vehicle mandates and regulations on household appliances. Two main goals of the Trump administration’s approach to these appliances will be lowered cost and higher performance, according to Wright. “Is that radical?” Wright said of the objectives. “The Trump administration will end the Biden administration’s irrational, quasi-religious policies on climate change that imposed endless sacrifices on our citizens.” “The previous administration’s climate policies have been impoverishing to our citizens, economically destructive to our businesses and politically polarizing,” Wright said. “The cure was far more destructive than the disease. There are no winners in that world except for politicians and rapidly growing interest groups. The only interest group that we are concerned with is the American people.” During his remarks, Wright announced the fourth action on liquefied natural gas (LNG) with the approval of an export permit extension for Delfin LNG LLC (Delfin), a project which was delayed by the Biden administration, according to a press release from the energy department. Wright’s remarks come as Trump makes “unleashing American energy” a key focus of his second administration. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and the White House for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Romania’s now-barred presidential frontrunner Călin Georgescu claims he is facing Trump-like charges
Romania’s right-wing presidential frontrunner was barred from the race under criminal charges he compares to those President Donald Trump faced. “We are faced with a communist regime as well,” Călin Georgescu, told Fox News Digital just before a Romanian electoral bureau barred him from running in a May presidential election rerun. Prosecutors opened a criminal case against him two weeks prior. Chaos broke out in the streets of Romania’s capital, Bucharest, after the bureau announced its decision to bar the right-wing populist from the ballot. Georgescu was the top vote-getter in the results of the first election, which were annulled. ROMANIA BLOCKS FRONTRUNNER FROM POSTPONED PRESIDENTIAL RACE The charges against him stemmed from “communication of false information,” involvement with a fascist organization and “incitement to actions against the constitutional order.” “They are trying to destroy democracy,” Georgescu claimed. “They could not accept to lose the power and access to the money.” He claimed Romanian authorities are trying to “censor all the online sites.” Before emerging as a conservative political figure, Georgescu’s background was in sustainable development, and he worked on environmental issues at the United Nations. Georgescu is now appealing the ban on his candidacy, which prompted U.S. leaders to comment on the drama. The Constitutional Court is expected to weigh in on his appeal by Wednesday. “How can a judge end democracy in Romania?” Elon Musk asked in an X post on Monday. ROMANIAN FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENTIAL FRONTRUNNER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER JD VANCE’S REBUKE OF EUROPEAN ELECTIONS The results of the first election were thrown out over accusations that Russia had launched a TikTok campaign to benefit Georgescu. The turmoil earned Romania a shoutout from Vice President JD Vance in his speech at the Munich Security Conference. “You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage, even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.” Georgescu thanked U.S. leaders for weighing in on his behalf, though he said he has not had contact with American government officials behind the scenes. Georgescu denied that Russia was at play in the first election, and claimed he was not the “pro-Russian” candidate. “I’m pro-Romanian. I have nothing to do with Russia,” he said. Nevertheless, Russia has said any election without Georgescu would be “illegitimate.” ROMANIA ANNULS FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WON BY FAR-RIGHT CANDIDATE “It has nothing to do with [Russia]. It’s just a copy paste of the accusations made against Donald Trump. It’s just they changed the name Trump.” The politician has taken heat for describing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “man who loves his country.” But he claims that critics twist his words advocating “peaceful settlement” in the war on Ukraine because they are “allergic to the word peace.” Georgescu has been critical of NATO and the European Union, and enthusiastically said he would cut off all aid to Ukraine if he took high office. “We shall stop totally all the contributions related with Ukraine,” he said. Georgescu, who was little-known until a social media campaign for his candidacy took off last year, is also charged with obscuring the origins of campaign financing. Asked how he raised money for his campaign, Georgescu said: “The situation was very, very easy. I made the best of what I had… we established a strategy sent by social media and I said to the people, be free to do everything you want.” “The people in the moment when they realize they [can be] free… we won this point, because it’s a moment when the people are free, they can do miracles.” “They accuse me for different things, they are very strange and awkward, no evidence in any situation,” said Georgescu, adding that he believes he is under investigation because “the oligarch system was exposed.” Last week, Romania also expelled two military attachés with the Russian embassy. Their reason for expulsion was listed vaguely as taking part in actions that ran afoul of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Asked if Russian influence was an issue in his country, Georgescu said: “I don’t know anything about that. The only thing which I know, I know that we have to have very good relationships with our neighbors, extremely good relationships with the neighbors, and very good relationships with all the big countries, particularly, of course, with, with Russia, with the United States, with China.” “Of course, we cannot allow [anybody] to intervene in our country. This is all. But we have to have very good relationships with everybody.” He declined to say whether he would pull Romania out of NATO. “The United States is the first partner,” he said. “So whatever I have to do, whatever I wish to do, this is the main part which I recognize. The United States as a principle flag of democracy and freedom. And this is the principle partner which I’m looking for.”
Federal judge orders Trump administration to pay ‘unlawfully’ restricted USAID funds
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to pay the remainder of foreign aid owed to contractors for completed work, noting in a new court ruling that the administration likely violated the separation of powers doctrine by “unlawfully impounding” nearly $2 billion in funds appropriated by Congress. U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee, said in the ruling that the Trump administration likely exceeded its constitutional authority in attempting to block the payments owed by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to grant recipients and foreign aid contractors. “Here, the executive has unilaterally deemed that funds Congress appropriated for foreign aid will not be spent,” Ali said. “The executive not only claims his constitutional authority to determine how to spend appropriated funds, but usurps Congress’ exclusive authority to dictate whether the funds should be spent in the first place.” SCOTUS RULES ON NEARLY $2 BILLION IN FROZEN USAID PAYMENTS Ali said the limits of the case, which focuses solely on projects completed before Feb. 13, prevent him from ordering the administration to make payments on other work, or ordering the reinstatement of other contracts. As of last Friday, that amount owed by the government stood at around $671 million. It is unclear whether additional payments have been made, though Ali ordered the plaintiffs to file a joint status report by March 14 apprising the court of the Trump administration’s compliance with the order. Plaintiffs were also told to propose a schedule for next steps in this matter. “The Court is prepared to hold a prompt hearing at the request of the parties to address any feasibility concerns,” Ali said in the 48-page order. Ali also dedicated a large portion of the 48-page ruling to arguments that the Trump administration likely usurped its executive authority under the Constitution in ordering a blanket freeze on nearly all foreign aid payments in a Jan. 20 executive order, and a memo just four days later that curtailed foreign aid funding and restructured existing contracts. White House and State Department officials did not immediately respond to the Fox News’s request for comment on the status of the remaining payments, or if the amount owed still stands at $671 million. LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS Ali had previously ordered the Trump administration to pay all owed foreign aid funds for previously completed work, totaling $1.9 billion, by Feb. 26 at 11:59 p.m. The Supreme Court took up the case for emergency review last week, but ruled 5-4 to reject the administration’s request to extend the freeze. Instead, the court remanded the case back to the D.C. federal court and Ali to hash out the specifics of what must be paid and when. But the bulk of last week’s hearing in D.C. federal court, which stretched on for more than four hours, focused largely on the government’s role and review of all foreign aid contractors and grants, which Trump administration lawyers told Ali they had already completed and made final decisions for. Lawyers were also pressed over whether the Trump administration can legally move to terminate projects whose funds are allocated and appropriated by Congress – something Ali referenced specifically in his ruling. “The provision and administration of foreign aid has been a joint enterprise between our two political branches,” he said. “That partnership is built not out of convenience, but of constitutional necessity.” These arguments – and the ruling from Ali – could eventually kick the issue back up to the Supreme Court, should the government move to appeal any part of the memo or the allegations.