Who is Elissa Slotkin, and why did Dems choose her for the party’s rebuttal to Trump speech?
Democrats picked freshman Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who represents a swing state, to give the party’s official response to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night. “BIG: I’m announcing @SenatorSlotkin will deliver our Democratic response to Trump’s Joint Address. Nothing short of a rising star in our party – she’s dedicated her life to our country. She will layout the fight to tackle the deep challenges we face and chart a path forward,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed on X recently. Slotkin was elected to an open Senate seat in Michigan, which was also won by Trump in the same election. She wrote on X, “I’m looking forward to speaking directly to the American people next week. The public expects leaders to level with them on what’s actually happening in our country.” ‘UTTER DISASTER’: LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN “From our economic security to our national security, we’ve got to chart a way forward that improves people’s lives in the country we all love, I look forward to laying that out. Tune in,” she previewed. The senator received a bachelor’s degree at Cornell University and a master’s degree from Columbia University. Slotkin spent much of her career in the national security space, serving three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst alongside the U.S. military. After that, she worked in multiple roles in the Pentagon and White House under two different presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2014, Obama nominated Slotkin to serve at the Pentagon as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS She then chose to run for Congress in 2018 in Michigan, where she grew up. Slotkin managed to defeat a Republican incumbent in a key Michigan swing district. She served several terms as a member of the House of Representatives before choosing to run for Senate to replace former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. Despite Trump winning the battleground state in 2024, Slotkin pulled out her own win for Democrats, beating the GOP contender Mike Rogers by less than a percentage point. Since coming to the Senate, she’s offered some stark criticism of her party, urging Democrats to get away from identity politics. FURIOUS DEMS ATTACK TRUMP, VANCE AFTER EXPLOSIVE OVAL OFFICE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY: ‘SIDING WITH DICTATORS’ “As a moderate Democrat, I think she was an excellent choice,” Jim Manley, former senior communications advisor and spokesman for former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Senate Democratic Caucus, told Fox News Digital. He said the choice of Slotkin would be “especially” good if “Trump just throws red meat to the base while using the kind of unhinged rhetoric that will turn off swing voters.” However, “based on years of experience dealing with these when [I was] working for Sen. Reid, they are usually much more of a hassle than they are ever worth,” he added. Jim Kessler, former senior aide to Schumer, told Fox News Digital he was a fan of Slotkin for the response. “She’s tough, smart and unafraid to ruffle feathers,” he said. GABBARD SAYS BIDEN ADMIN IGNORED ‘HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE’ CHATS HAPPENING AT NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES “She also comes from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party and that’s important as a signal to voters. I expect she’ll focus on bread and butter issues, because right now the middle class is starting to lose confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy,” he continued. According to Michigan Republican strategist Jason Cabel Roe, Slotkin is “one of the better options Democrats have.” The more “centrist” senator’s response comes at a time when Democrats are “in absolute disarray,” he said. “You are seeing, I think, a real tug of war between the more progressive elements of the party and the more traditional elements of the party,” Roe added. Slotkin’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.
Anti-Israel protesters who wave flags linked to terror groups could be jailed if NY law passes
Anti-Israel protesters who wave flags of terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah could face jail time in New York should lawmakers pass a proposed bill. The office of New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is a Democrat, confirmed to Fox News that the lawmaker is introducing the bill, known as the Stand Against Flags of Enemy Terrorists Act. The proposed bill, which the New York Post first reported on, would expand the definition of aggravated harassment in the first degree to include cases where someone displays a symbol of a foreign terrorist organization with the intent to harass, annoy or threaten another person. Those found guilty could face up to four years in jail. ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS AT BARNARD COLLEGE ARRESTED AFTER MOB TURNS VIOLENT Hoylman-Sigal is introducing the bill along with New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, who is also a Democrat. New York City Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola, a Republican, told “Fox & Friends First” that she hopes the fact that two Democrats are introducing the bill will help persuade liberal lawmakers to vote for the bill. “We’ve already criminalized burning crosses, swastikas and nooses,” Ariola said. “Why not this new wave of how to threaten and terrorize people of a certain religion or ethnicity?” ANTI-ISRAEL PROTEST IN NYC DEVOLVES INTO VIOLENCE AND MAYHEM Ariola said that while groups like the American Civil Liberties Union may challenge the proposed bill on free speech grounds, the flags of terrorist organizations “are messages of hate.” Anti-Israel protests have popped up throughout the U.S. amid Israel’s war in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks, which killed around 1,200 people. Last month, anti-Israel protesters were arrested at New York City’s Barnard College after agitators took over a building on campus. A week earlier, violent clashes broke out in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in New York City, where agitators chanted, “Zionists go to hell.” Fox News’ Kitty Le Claire contributed to this report.
‘Delivering accountability’: GOP reps launch judicial task force to expose ‘judicial activism’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Reps. Andrew Clyde, of Georgia, and Eli Crane, of Arizona, are launching a judicial task force “to unite members in exposing judicial activism” and target “rogue, activist judges” amid a flurry of legal challenges to the Trump agenda. “I’m excited to lead this critical effort with my friend and fellow patriot, Congressman Eli Crane. Our Judicial Activism Accountability Task Force aims to unite members in exposing judicial activism, with the ultimate goal of impeaching rogue, activist judges,” Clyde said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Clyde notably announced in February he was drafting impeachment articles against Rhode Island-based District Judge John McConnell, who is overseeing a lawsuit against President Donald Trump. McConnell, at the time, filed a motion ordering the Trump administration to comply with a previous restraining order. The order temporarily blocked the administration’s efforts to pause federal grants and loans. JONATHAN TURLEY: JUDGE’S SPECIAL COUNSEL RULING MAY BE THE SETBACK TRUMP ADMIN WAS LOOKING FOR Crane and other representatives have since followed Clyde’s lead, announcing impeachment articles against other judges presiding over Trump-related lawsuits. Clyde said he encourages other members of Congress to join the task force who “are passionate about ending abusive judicial overreach, upholding the separation of powers, and defending the U.S. Constitution,” saying they “look forward to delivering accountability for the American people.” Crane, who announced he was drafting impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, told Fox News Digital in a statement that, in recent years, “leftists weaponized the judicial branch.” The Arizona Republican said, “If these activist judges want to be politicians, they should resign and run for public office.” JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S MASS DISMISSALS OF PROBATIONARY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES “The American people delivered President Trump a mandate to disrupt the administrative state,” Crane said. “These judges are violating the will of the people, and Congress has constitutional authority to impeach and convict these partisans.” Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles also announced he was drafting impeachment articles of his own following Clyde and Crane’s efforts. Ogles announced he had introduced impeachment articles against U.S. District Judge Amir Ali late last month. Ali, a D.C.-based Biden appointee, recently ordered the Trump administration to pay around $2 billion in foreign aid funds to contractors with a midnight deadline. JUDICIAL PUSHBACK ON TRUMP ‘HURTING AMERICAN PEOPLE,’ SAYS GOP REP LEADING IMPEACHMENT CHARGE Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts paused Ali’s order after the Trump administration said it had created “an untenable payment plan at odds with the President’s obligations under Article II to protect the integrity of the federal fisc and make appropriate judgements(sic) about foreign aid – clear forms of irreparable harm.” Clyde and Crane’s task force comes as the administration has become the target of more than 90 lawsuits aimed at President Donald Trump’s executive orders and directives. The legal challenges cover Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to slash unnecessary government spending, and Trump’s removal of various federal employees. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Clyde spoke with Fox News Digital shortly after announcing his impeachment articles against McConnell, saying the real victims of judicial pushback against Trump’s policies are the American people. “You’re not just hurting the president,” Clyde said. “You’re hurting the American people because they’re the ones who elected him, and they’re the ones who want him to do this – to exercise these specific authorities. And these judges are really denying the American people their rights.” Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Melania Trump to speak for the first time on Capitol Hill in roundtable focused on punishing revenge porn
First lady Melania Trump will speak on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography. The roundtable discussion will focus on online protection and the “Take it Down Act,” a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including “digital forgeries” crafted by artificial intelligence. The bill also would require social media companies and similar websites to put procedures in place to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from the victim. MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES RETURN OF WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL The bill would protect victims of digital exploitation and hold internet platforms accountable by requiring them to remove such imagery. Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., and Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., introduced the legislation in the House in January. That measure is under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committees before consideration on the House floor. The law also would require penalties of up to three years in prison for sharing nonconsensual intimate images — authentic or AI-generated — involving minors and two years in prison for those images involving adults. It also would require penalties of up to two and a half years in prison for threat offenses involving minors, and one and a half years in prison for threats involving adults. FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF PUBLIC WHITE HOUSE TOURS AI-generated images known as “deepfakes” often involve editing videos or photos of people to make them look like someone else by using artifical intelligence. Deepfakes hit the public’s radar in 2017 after a Reddit user posted realistic-looking pornography of celebrities to the platform, opening the floodgates to users employing AI to make images look more convincing and widely shared in the following years. Nearly every U.S. state has a law protecting people from nonconsensual intimate image violations, but the laws vary in classification of crime and penalty. MELANIA TRUMP’S ‘SOFT POWER’ ON DISPLAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE: SEE THE PHOTOS The event Monday is the first where the first lady is giving public remarks since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. During the first Trump administration, Melania Trump hosted virtual roundtables on foster care as part of her “Be Best” initiative and focused on strengthening the child welfare system. The “Be Best” initiative also focused on online safety. During her husband’s first term as president, she also worked with members of Congress on legislation that secured funding for grants awarded to youth and young adults currently or formerly in foster care to help pay for college, career school or training. The bill ultimately was signed by the president in December 2020. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will attend Monday’s event. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Melania Trump speaks on Capitol Hill for first time in roundtable focused on punishing revenge porn
First lady Melania Trump spoke on Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since returning to the White House, participating in a roundtable with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress focused on punishing online abuse and revenge pornography. “I am here with you today with a common goal — to protect our youth from online harm,” Melania Trump said Monday. “The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families and communities.” “Addressing this issue is essential for fostering a safe and supportive environment for our young people,” she said. “I hope today’s roundtable builds awareness of the harm caused by nonconsensual intimate imagery and eventually the approval of the Take it Down Act in Congress.” The Take it Down Act is a bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that would make it a federal crime to publish, or threaten to publish, nonconsensual intimate imagery, including “digital forgeries” crafted by artificial intelligence. The bill unanimously passed the Senate earlier in 2025, with Cruz saying Monday he believes it will be passed by the House before becoming law. The law would require penalties of up to three years in prison for sharing nonconsensual intimate images — authentic or AI-generated — involving minors and two years in prison for those images involving adults. It also would require penalties of up to two and a half years in prison for threat offenses involving minors, and one and a half years in prison for threats involving adults. MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES RETURN OF WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL Trump was joined by California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, alongside Republicans such as Cruz, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, Reps. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Kevin Hern, R-Okla. The bill would require social media companies, like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and similar platforms, to put procedures in place to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from the victim. Salazar and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn., introduced the legislation in the House in January. That measure is under consideration in the House Energy and Commerce Committees before consideration on the House floor. Salazar also spoke during the roundtable, celebrating that the bill would force Big Tech to take down the images within 48 hours with “no more excuses.” “The Take It Down act, finally is sending a very big message to Big Tech that they have to bring down this images, fake images within 48 hours. No more time than that. No more excuses. If not, Big Tech, then we’ll be just as guilty as the aggressors.” FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES REOPENING OF PUBLIC WHITE HOUSE TOURS AI-generated images known as “deepfakes” often involve editing videos or photos of people to make them look like someone else by using artifical intelligence. Deepfakes hit the public’s radar in 2017 after a Reddit user posted realistic-looking pornography of celebrities to the platform, opening the floodgates to users employing AI to make images look more convincing and widely shared in the following years. “In today’s AI-driven world, the threat of privacy breaches is alarmingly high,” Melania Trump explained. “As organizations harness the power of our data, the risk of unauthorized access and misuses of personal information escalates. We must prioritize robust security measures and uphold strict ethical standards to protect individual privacy.” Nearly every U.S. state has a law protecting people from nonconsensual intimate image violations, but the laws vary in classification of crime and penalty. Cruz championed the bill in his remarks, while lamenting how revenge porn and AI-generated explicit images have often victimized young girls. “If you’re a victim of revenge porn or AI-generated explicit imagery, your life changes forever,” Cruz said during the roundtable. “Most likely you’ve been targeted by someone you know, and you’re likely struggling to have that material removed from the internet. Disturbingly, many of these victims are teenagers at American high schools who are facing a surge in AI-generated sexual images hundreds of teens, often targeted by their own classmates, are enduring senseless psychological harm.” “The Take It Down Act empowers victims across the entire United States,” he continued. “It makes it a felony for these deviants to publish any nonconsensual intimate images, including fake, lifelike pornographic images of real people.” MELANIA TRUMP’S ‘SOFT POWER’ ON DISPLAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE: SEE THE PHOTOS The event Monday is the first where the first lady delivered public remarks since President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Melania Trump was joined on Monday by a 15-year-old girl, Elliston Berry, whose high school peers used AI to create nonconsensual imagery of the young girl and spread them across social media, the first lady explained. “It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content, like deepfakes,” Trump said. “This toxic environment can be severely damaging. We must prioritize their well-being by equipping them with the support and tools necessary to navigate this hostile digital landscape. Every young person deserves a safe online space to express themselves freely, without the looming threat of exploitation or harm.” Berry, a Texas native, told the roundtable she was just 14 years old when she realized in 2023 that “a past Instagram photo with a nude body and my face attached made from AI,” was circulating on social media. “Fear, shock and disgust were just some of the many emotions I felt,” Berry said. “I felt responsible and began to blame myself and was ashamed to tell my parents. Despite doing nothing wrong. As I attended school, I was scared of the reactions of someone or someone could could recreate these photos.” “We need to hold big tech accountable to take action,” the young woman continued. “I came here today to not only promote this bill, but to fight for the freedom of so many survivors, millions of people, male, female, teenage children, kids all are affected by the
European Union spent more on Russian fossil fuels than Ukraine aid in 2024
Despite a raft of sanctions and tough talk against Russian President Vladimir Putin, Europe could not seem to kick its dependence on Russian fuel last year. The European Union (EU) spent $23 billion on Russian oil and gas in the third year of the war on Ukraine, more than the $19.6 billion in financial aid it offered to the war-ravaged nation last year, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Russia’s stronghold over non-EU markets also increased – China purchased $82 billion in Russian fuel, India bought $51 billion and Turkey bought $36 billion. Russia earned $254 billion from fossil fuel exports last year, a 3% drop over the previous year. UK PRIME MINISTER LAYS OUT UKRAINE PEACE DEAL FRAMEWORK AS ZELENSKYY RESPONDS TO RESIGNATION CALLS Despite Western bans on Russian crude and refined products, Russian oil exports are down a mere 8% since before the invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin has made close to $1 trillion from oil exports since February 2022. Russia relied on its “shadow” fleet of 585 oil tankers to transport many of its exports, intended to mask their origins. Russia purchases aging ships from European owners, frequently reflags the ships and uses shell companies to obscure their Russian origins. Russia also exports oil to third-party states that have not placed sanctions on Moscow, who in turn sell it to the West. CREA’s analysis found that tighter sanctions could slash Kremlin revenues by as much as 20%. Last week, the EU adopted its 16th package of sanctions against Russia in an effort to crack down on Russia’s shadow vessels. ZELENSKYY SPEAKS OUT AFTER PUBLIC SPAT WITH TRUMP, VANCE, SAYS DUSTUP ‘BAD FOR BOTH SIDES’ Russian prices are still lower than buying fuel elsewhere, according to Jonathan Bass, founder of Argent LNG. “Russian pipeline gas has been cheaper than LNG prices, even with the geopolitical risk, the European buyers still find Russian gas economical.” Europe’s Russian fuel dependence, in large part, is due to the Biden administration’s restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, according to Bass. President Donald Trump lifted that pause in a day-one executive order. After the invasion, “Europeans went in and said, ‘okay, we’re gonna rely on American LNG.’ But then Biden pauses it… That made the Europeans afraid of relying on America’s political swings,” Bass said. Cutting off Russian gas has been difficult for landlocked European nations like Austria, which until recently relied on importing fuel by pipeline. A pipeline that fueled Russia by passing through Ukraine and Slovakia stopped flowing at the beginning of this year. “The re-gasification and distribution infrastructure isn’t optimized for importing from elsewhere. They rely on pipelines [that originate] from Russia,” Bass said. In January, then-President Joe Biden imposed the toughest sanctions package yet on Russia’s oil industry, targeting 161 Kremlin-linked tankers. Last week, European leaders issued a unified display of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his spat with Trump in the Oval Office that prompted an abrupt halt to peace talks. European leaders held emergency talks on Sunday in London to take the reins of peace talks while Trump and Zelenskyy were at odds. Bass, meanwhile, said oil and gas firms are calling for direction from the Trump administration on how big a priority U.S. exports will be to decrease the global dependence on Russian fuel. “The President’s got to say more than ‘drill, baby drill.’ Because he said ‘drill baby drill,’ and then his actions are, go to Russia.” “What we need to be we really need assurance of direction and supply of what the administration wants us in the gas LNG business to do,” he went on. “Don’t do a Biden on us. If you want them to be supplied out of Russia, that’s the intent then we’ll find other markets. But we don’t need more flip-flopping – Biden set this whole Russia-Ukraine war up when he stopped dependence on American energy.”
FLASHBACK: Dem senator embroiled in conflict of interest row targeted SCOTUS in ethics crusade
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, is in the spotlight over a new ethics complaint about votes that ultimately yielded millions for a green nonprofit that pays his wife’s consulting firm. Before that, he led an aggressive campaign alleging ethical violations of conservative Supreme Court justices. The Democratic senator took particular aim at conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after several instances of undisclosed travel and trips were reported in 2023. “The Supreme Court justices are so deeply ensconced in a cocoon of special interest money that they can no longer be trusted to police themselves without proper process,” Whitehouse claimed at the time. ‘UTTER DISASTER’: LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS FOR ZELENSKYY RESIGNATION AFTER WHITE HOUSE THROWDOWN This history of acting as a judicial ethics watchdog for conservative justices has left some calling the latest ethics complaint against Whitehouse from the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) ironic. “The irony here absolutely takes my breath away,” Thomas Jipping, senior legal fellow with the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation, previously told Fox News Digital. Whitehouse’s office provided a letter to Fox News Digital from the Senate Select Committee on Ethics last year informing another watchdog group, Judicial Watch, that the senator’s actions did not violate “federal laws, Senate rules, or other standards of conduct.” The group had filed a similar ethics complaint to FACT. “This is a repeat dark money performance, and the previous attempt by a dark money group to plant these same smears was roundly dismissed by Senate Ethics,” Whitehouse spokesperson Stephen DeLeo told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The billionaires and Supreme Court capture operatives behind FACT would like to try to stop Senator Whitehouse from shining a light on what they’ve done to deprive regular people of a fair shake before the Court. But false accusations from far-right special interests and billionaires will not impede the Senator’s pursuit of an accountable, ethical government that responds to Americans’ needs.” SEE THE STAR-STUDDED LIST OF TRUMP ALLIES DESCENDING ON DC TO CHART FURTHER 100-DAY WINS The gifts accepted by Thomas from GOP donor Harlan Crow came under severe scrutiny by Democrats, but experts are still at odds over whether they violated the law. The post-Watergate-era 1978 Ethics in Government Act dictates that government officials, judges included, should report all gifts over a certain dollar amount that are “received from any source other than a relative.” There are exceptions for “food, lodging, or entertainment received as personal hospitality of an individual.” Thomas did ultimately revise his disclosure to include trips from 2019 with Crowe. FURIOUS DEMS ATTACK TRUMP, VANCE AFTER EXPLOSIVE OVAL OFFICE MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY: ‘SIDING WITH DICTATORS’ Following the report on his undisclosed trips, Thomas said he had been advised they did not need to be reported. “Early in my tenure at the court, I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the court, was not reportable,” he said in a statement released by the Supreme Court at the time. “I have endeavored to follow that counsel throughout my tenure, and have always sought to comply with the disclosure guidelines.” Whitehouse asked that the Department of Justice (DOJ) open a criminal investigation into Thomas, which the U.S. Judicial Conference formally declined to refer to the DOJ in January. Thomas was not the only conservative justice to face Whitehouse’s ire; he also targeted Justice Samuel Alito for alleged ethical misconduct. Last year, reports emerged about an upside-down American flag at Alito’s home following the 2020 election and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag flying outside his vacation home in New Jersey. Critics quickly jumped on the opportunity to pressure the justice to recuse himself from crucial upcoming decisions regarding then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s criminal cases. Alito attributed the upside-down flag to his wife and neighborhood drama. The “Appeal to Heaven” flag is popular among conservatives and is notably featured outside many congressional offices in the U.S. Capitol. GABBARD SAYS BIDEN ADMIN IGNORED ‘HIGHLY INAPPROPRIATE’ CHATS HAPPENING AT NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCIES In an interview at the time, Whitehouse said the flag ordeal “demonstrates why the Supreme Court needs an enforceable code of conduct,” for which he has notably introduced a bill. However, many have pushed back on the idea that the legislature can or should regulate the court. Alito himself weighed in during an interview for the Wall Street Journal last year. “I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it. No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court—period,” he said. Whitehouse again took him to task for the “improper” interview. “From the outside, it looks like the attorney recruited you to prop up his legal case against our investigation, using the interview to advance the argument he and several colleagues were making,” he claimed, referring to attorney David Rivkin, who interviewed Alito alongside Wall Street Journal editorial features editor James Taranto. Most recently, the senator attacked Alito over a phone call with Trump regarding a former clerk being considered for his administration. The phone call came as cases involving Trump’s administration were pending in court. “This contact could potentially implicate provisions of the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct and of federal law… We humbly suggest that this incident provides yet another reason for the Judicial Conference and the Court to agree on some sort of neutral fact-finding when a justice’s conduct is questioned,” Whitehouse wrote in a January letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and the Judicial Conference. “William Levi, one of my former law clerks, asked me to take a call from President-elect Trump regarding his qualifications to serve in a government position. I agreed to discuss this matter with President-elect Trump, and he called me yesterday afternoon,” Alito told Fox News’ Shannon Bream.
Skyrocketing healthcare costs for illegal immigrants sparks border state outcry
An Arizona proposal seeks to investigate the healthcare costs of illegal immigrants as the impact on taxpayers and hospitals recently rocked California. State Senate Bill 1268 would make it state law to ask somebody for their immigration or citizenship status on hospital forms, including if they are in the country illegally. In addition, it would have hospitals and the state government keep track of costs that may have to be covered by taxpayers because of somebody’s immigration status. “This is a bill that I have run to promote accountability. It in no way compromises a person’s ability to be served and treated at a hospital,” Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers, the bill’s sponsor, said last week during a floor speech. CALIFORNIA COAST GUARD CAPTAIN SOUNDS ALARM AS MIGRANTS FROM ADVERSARY COUNTRIES INUNDATE PACIFIC WATERS “The information does not get passed to other agencies, and if they show up in need of care irrespective, they will be treated. This bill is to enable Americans to know where their tax dollars are going,” she continued. However, critics of the bill believe it will act as a deterrent for some seeking medical care and could have broader negative impacts. “Anytime that we are asking people to disclose their immigration status, we know that that is going to make people reluctant to go into those settings,” Democratic state Sen. Eva Burch said while explaining her vote against the legislation. “It’s bad for public health in general when people are not seeking care,” she added, arguing that the cost concerns are unfounded because many people in the country unlawfully still pay for public healthcare costs through taxes. The bill passed the state Senate 17-12 along party lines, and it is now in the hands of the Republican-majority House. If it passes that chamber, it will then end up on Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk for final approval or veto. MEXICO BROKE INTERNATIONAL LAW WITH THE CARTELS AND AMERICANS SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE The proposal comes as California is facing scrutiny for spending $9.5 billion on Medicare for illegal immigrants, which critics argue is a waste of money. The spending is based on a California law that started in January 2024 to ensure immigration status is irrelevant when applying for public benefits. “Here’s yet another example of California Democrats’ totally wrong priorities. They have nearly doubled the state budget in the last 10 years, yet over a third of Californians cannot meet their basic needs,” Fox News contributor and “Golden Together” founder Steve Hilton told Fox News Digital at the time. “We have the highest poverty rate in America. We pay the highest taxes and get the worst results. People are asking, ‘Where did all our money go?’ And here’s the answer: ideological obsessions like this — free healthcare for people who are here illegally. People have had enough of all this. There’s going to be change in California sooner than people think.” TRUMP REPORTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT HISTORIC LOWS DURING FIRST FULL MONTH IN OFFICE The influx of people entering the country illegally through the southern border has greatly reduced in recent weeks with the return of the Trump administration, as just over 8,300 migrant encounters made by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in February. “Under the leadership of [President Donald Trump] & [Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem], Feb 2025 saw just 8,326 encounters at the Southwest border—the lowest documented by U.S. Border Patrol,” CBP posted Saturday. “The mission is clear: secure the border, enforce the law, and protect American sovereignty.”
Trump hits Zelenskyy for ‘worst statement’ on war with Russia, says US ‘will not put up with it’ much longer
President Donald Trump once again attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday after the Ukrainian leader suggested the end of its war with Russia remains “very, very far away.” Trump made the statement on social media, reacting to news reports of Zelenskyy’s comments. The White House has said it wants a public apology from Zelenskyy for a contentious meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Friday. “This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer! It is what I was saying. This guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing,” Trump wrote. “Europe, in the meeting they had with Zelenskyy, stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the U.S. – Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking?” he added. ZELENSKYY MEETS WITH BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER IN LONDON FOLLOWING TRUMP OVAL OFFICE CLASH Trump’s statement comes after Zelenskyy met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, among other European leaders. Ukraine’s leader had been scheduled to visit the White House last week to sign a rare earth minerals agreement with the Trump administration, but he was kicked out before signing the deal. While Zelenskyy says he is still willing to sign the deal, Trump’s White House says they now expect a public apology. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on the Ukrainian leader to resign on Sunday. “He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” Graham said after Friday’s meeting. TRUMP SAYS ZELENSKYY CAN ‘COME BACK WHEN HE IS READY FOR PEACE’ AFTER FIERY WHITE HOUSE EXCHANGE Zelenskyy retorted that Graham could weigh in on Ukrainian leadership when he became a Ukrainian citizen, to which Graham responded: “Unfortunately, until there is an election, no one has a voice in Ukraine.” According to the senator, he doesn’t think Americans see the Ukrainian president as someone they feel comfortable going “into business with” following the televised dispute. Graham also stressed that the Ukrainian-American relationship is “vitally important.” However, he cast doubt on whether Zelenskyy could ever “do a deal with the United States.” Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
Former Rep Lincoln Diaz-Balart, brother of sitting congressman, dead at 70
Former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., has died at the age of 70, his brother and current House member Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., announced. “Defender of the silenced and oppressed, author of the democracy requirement for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship, and the author of the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA). Lincoln’s legacy of achievements will endure for generations, and continues the work of the Congressional Hispalic Leadership Institute (CHLI) which he co-founded in 2003,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said in a statement about his brother. Lincoln Diaz-Balart served Floridians as a member of the Republican Party. The Cuban refugee first got into politics by “leading the Florida Young Democrats and running an unsuccessful campaign for the Florida legislature as a Democrat in 1982,” his congressional biography states. He formally switched his party allegiance in 1985 and was elected to the Florida legislature in 1986. Then, he “sponsored laws strengthening sentences for crimes against law enforcement officers, increasing penalties for drug-related money laundering, providing low-interest loans for home construction, creating a statewide program to combat substance abuse, and establishing disclosure rules for Florida companies doing business with Cuba,” according to the biography. WHITE HOUSE WILL NOT RELEASE VISITOR LOGS DURING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM He was sworn into Congress in January 1993 and served until his retirement in 2010. That same year, his brother Mario won the election to succeed him in the 21st Congressional District. Diaz-Balart leaves behind his wife of 48 years, Cristina; his son Daniel; two grandsons and three brothers. He was preceded in death by his first son, Lincoln Gabriel. RUBIO SIGNS DECLARATION TO EXPEDITE $4B IN ARMS TO ISRAEL ‘WRONGLY WITHHELD’ BY BIDEN “Lincoln’s profound love for the United States, and his relentless commitment to the cause of a free Cuba, guided him throughout his life and his 24 years in elected public service, including 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Mario’s announcement said. “We will miss him infinitely.”