Elon Musk scraps with Chuck Schumer, suggesting the senator profits from government fraud
Business tycoon Elon Musk floated the idea that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is somehow profiting off of government fraud, though the lawmaker has pushed back. “Chuck, I’m starting to think you’re getting a piece of the action with the government fraud. But no, that couldn’t possibly be the reason, could it?” Musk posted early Tuesday morning. Musk, who has been spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to expose waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, made the comment in response to a Monday post in which Schumer accused DOGE of “sabotaging” Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — the post reflected sentiments Schumer had conveyed during a Senate speech. ELON MUSK DUNKS ON SEN CHUCK SCHUMER, DECLARING ‘HYSTERICAL REACTIONS’ DEMONSTRATE DOGE’S IMPORTANCE Schumer fired back in response to Musk’s suggestion he could be benefiting from government fraud. “Another Elon lie. He wants you to think anyone who dares to stand up to him is committing fraud, meanwhile he’s taking tens of billions from the government,” Schumer declared in a post on Tuesday. MUSK SPARS WITH WHITE HOUSE TRADE ADVISOR PETER NAVARRO: ‘DUMBER THAN A SACK OF BRICKS’ Early Tuesday morning, Musk fired off a response to a post in which Schumer suggested that Musk is slashing Social Security benefits. “Make no mistake: What Elon Musk is doing at Social Security is cutting benefits,” Schumer said in a post on Monday, which echoed his speech. “The intern running Schumer’s social media account is lying,” Musk shot back Tuesday on X. SCHUMER SLAMS UNITED AUTO WORKERS UNION FOR PRAISING THE TRUMP TARIFFS HE SAYS ‘HURT EVERYBODY’ During the speech, Schumer claimed that “Elon Musk is cutting Social Security benefits.” “When offices close down, when websites crash, when phone lines shut off, that’s no different than cutting benefits,” Schumer said.
Federal judge blocks Biden nursing home staffing mandate
A federal judge in Texas threw out a national mandate on nursing home staffing from the Biden era. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk sided with nursing homes regarding a rule that would have required them to add nurses to meet minimum staffing to patient ratios. “The agency lacks authority to eliminate consideration of a facility’s nursing ‘needs’ when prescribing minimum staffing standards,” Kacsmaryk wrote, referring to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The plaintiffs, the American Health Care Association (AHCA), represented “approximately 15,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country that provide care to approximately five million people each year,” according to a media release. VP VANCE BLASTS MCCONNELL’S VOTE AGAINST TRUMP PENTAGON NOMINEE: ‘POLITICAL PETTINESS’ “This unrealistic staffing mandate threatened to close nursing homes and displace vulnerable seniors,” Clif Porter, president and CEO of AHCA and the National Center for Assisted Living, said in a statement. “The court decision not only upholds the rule of law and balance of powers, but it protects access to care for our aging population.” Porter is now calling on Congress to act, but says that “federal policymakers should not be dictating staffing hours but encouraging innovation and high-quality outcomes. The staffing mandate is a 20th Century solution that should be blocked by Congress once and for all.” MORE THAN 900 ILLEGAL ALIENS CHARGED WITH IMMIGRATION-RELATED CRIMES DURING FIRST WEEK OF APRIL: DOJ In the U.S., “97.8% of nursing homes participate in Medicare and 95.4% participate in Medicaid,” Judge Kacsmaryk wrote in the ruling, meaning they must meet a “consolidated set of regulations.” “As we have said from the beginning, nursing homes would love to hire more nurses and caregivers, and despite limited resources, we are doing everything within our power to grow our workforce,” AHCA’s Porter said in a statement. “Even prior to the introduction of the staffing mandate, AHCA was offering federal policymakers a variety of workforce solutions that would help build a pipeline of new caregivers, attract them to long term care, and develop their skills and career,” he said.
Astronauts to stand with NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman at Senate confirmation hearing
President Donald Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator, billionaire space-junkie Jared Isaacman, will face questions at Wednesday’s confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a list of civilian astronauts that will be joining Isaacman at the hearing, some of whom previously traveled on missions to outer space with the 42-year-old entrepreneur. Lt. Col. Kidd Poteeta, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and former Thunderbird pilot, will be one of the astronauts attending in support of the Trump nominee. On the recent September Polaris Dawn spacewalk, Poteet acted as mission pilot and had worked with Isaacman on previous spaceflight efforts. SPACEFLIGHT FIRST PRIVATE SPACEX POLAR MISSION SPLASHES DOWN NEAR CALIFORNIA Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX and one of the first female mission controllers at the company, and Anna Menon, a biomedical engineer and lead space operations engineer at SpaceX both worked with Isaacman on the Polaris Dawn mission and will be attending the hearing in his support. The nominee will also be joined by former colleagues behind the historic 2021 Inspiration4 mission – the first civilian-led spaceflight to orbit Earth. Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist and analog astronaut who served as mission pilot, Chris Sembroski, an aerospace data engineer and U.S. Air Force veteran who served as mission specialist, and Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a pediatric cancer survivor who became the youngest American to orbit Earth at 29. Sembroski was gifted the seat in a raffle by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during a fundraising campaign for the mission, which raised $250 million for the cancer center in addition to Isaacman’s personal $125 million donation. Isaacman will be introduced to the committee by Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Montana, who told Fox News Digial ahead of Wednesday’s hearing that “for nearly 70 years, the United States has been at the forefront of space exploration. President Trump knows how critical it is to reinvigorate NASA so we can once again lead the world to new heights, and that’s why he chose exactly the right man for the job: Jared Isaacman.” “A successful innovator, entrepreneur, pilot, and astronaut, Jared believes in NASA’s core mission,” the Montana Senator told Fox. “He has the experience and skillset to ensure we continue to lead in the greatest frontier ever known, and I look forward to adding NASA Administrator to his already remarkable resume.” ACTRESS OLIVIA MUNN RIPS UPCOMING ALL-FEMALE SPACE FLIGHT WITH KATY PERRY, GAYLE KING AS ‘GLUTTONOUS’ STUNT Additional Senators have already spoken out ahead of the hearing, including Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who posted on X Monday saying, “During our meeting, Mr. Isaacman committed to having American astronauts return to the lunar surface ASAP so we can develop the technologies needed to go on to Mars.” “The moon mission MUST happen in President Trump’s term or else China will beat us there and build the first moonbase,” Sen. Cruz continued. “Artemis and the Moon-to-Mars Program are critical for American leadership in space!” Fox News Digital also obtained Isaacman’s opening remarks for the nomination hearing, where he intends to highlight the importance of multi-planet travel and his plan to “prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and 3 national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface.” The Trump nominee’s remarks also touch on the value NASA brings to the U.S. “not just to expand our knowledge or strengthen our national security, but to improve all life on Earth and inspire the next generation to reach even further.” “This is why America needs NASA—why the world needs NASA—because there is no more important investment than inspiring our children to build a better, more exciting future. And the best way NASA can do that is by delivering on our mission and ushering in a new Golden Age of Science & Discovery—and we will not fail.” Isaacman may face questions about recent reports that SpaceX founder and DOGE head Elon Musk intends to “take over” the space administration, and Congressional Democrats have also been critical of Musk’s involvement in space travel. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Florida) and Rep. Gery Connolly (D-Virginia) sent a letter to NASA Chief Legal Officer Iris Lan in an attempt to snuff out any association between the world’s richest man and U.S. space funding. But a senior official at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. told Fox News Digital Tuesday, “NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Patro, is leading the agency under the Trump administration. Neither Elon Musk nor SpaceX holds any influence over the agency’s priorities.” RESCUED NASA ASTRONAUTS DELIVER MESSAGE TO TRUMP, MUSK AFTER ‘INCREDIBLE’ NINE MONTHS IN SPACE Isaacman amassed his $1.3 billion fortune as founder and CEO of Shift4 payments, a credit card payment processing company. The entrepreneur dropped out of high school at just 16 after working at a payment processing firm, and would eventually use a $10,000 check from his grandfather to build a tech empire. In comparison to the previous NASA Administrator, former U.S. Senator and Astronaut Bill Nelson, some critics have referred to Isaacman as an outsider. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital spoke with NASA Spokesperson Bethany Stevens in March, who pushed back, saying, “President Trump was also once considered an outsider, and the American people have put him back into office, just showing how much they appreciate the business side that he brings to the table. And Mr. Isaacman also has a background as an entrepreneur of an extremely successful business.”
Where are they now? Hunter Biden’s ex-business partners praise Trump, MAGA following Biden departure
Hunter Biden’s former business partners are no longer under the same scrutiny now that investigations into whether the former president’s son used his family name for financial gain are over. Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, who both collaborated with Biden on various business ventures between 2012 and 2015, received pardons and commutations, respectively, from President Donald Trump after he took office. Archer, who has worked over the years to gain favor with Trump’s world, signaled he would be interested in working for the Trump administration were a position offered to him, according to the New York Times. “I’m full MAGA now,” he told the Times. “They’re more my people.” HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-BUSINESS PARTNER REVEALS CONVERSATION WITH TRUMP THAT REPORTEDLY INCLUDES A PARDON Archer was reportedly given the cold-shoulder by the Biden family during President Joe Biden’s tenure in the Oval Office, and as he protested his innocence amid Republicans’ probe into the Biden family, Archer quietly made inroads with the Trump administration. While Archer awaits a potential job in the Trump administration, he is reportedly working on a book and documentary chronicling his experiences. Archer is also reportedly working on a business project in the crypto industry as well. As a result of their pardons, both Archer and Galanis did not have to serve prison sentences handed down to them in relation to defrauding investors and a Native American tribal entity of tens of millions of dollars through a company for which Hunter Biden was listed as the vice chairman. In an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” this month, Galanis thanked President Trump and lauded Republicans, such as Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, for bringing “the proof” to light about “the Biden crime family.” JONATHAN TURLEY: BIDEN DOJ BEHIND EVEN THE TIMES IN PURSUING ALLEGED HUNTER CORRUPTION Galanis said during the interview that his “legitimate” businesses became “illegitimate” after they were aligned with the president’s son. “100% of it was influence peddling,” Galanis said when asked about his view of the Biden family’s business practices. “I saw it firsthand.” Meanwhile, James Biden, Hunter’s uncle, is not sailing so smoothly, with Republicans requesting that the Trump administration prosecute the former president’s brother for lying to Congress. James Biden allegedly denied that his brother, the former president, met in May 2017 with his son’s business associate Tony Bobulinski while pursuing a deal with a Chinese-owned energy company, CEFC China Energy. Bobulinski, a key witness during the GOP’s impeachment inquiry on account of claims he was privy to unethical business dealings by the Biden family, recently lost a defamation battle in court against Fox News host Jessica Tarlov. ‘MOST DAMNING EVIDENCE’: HUNTER BIDEN’S FULL PARDON RESURFACES DECADE OF CONTROVERSIES, ‘INFLUENCE-PEDDLING’ Bobulinski was seeking $30 million in damages after Tarlov claimed during an episode of “The Five” that Bobulinski’s legal fees were being paid for by a Trump-aligned political action committee. Another notable ex-business partner of Hunter Biden, Eric Schwerin, has kept a low profile ever since Republicans on the House Oversight Committee released his testimony from the GOP’s impeachment inquiry. In his testimony, Schwerin stated he was “not aware of any financial transactions or compensation” that Joe Biden received as vice president related to his family’s business dealings. Hunter Biden’s “Sugar brother” and lawyer, Kevin Morris, who helped finance the first son’s legal fees with a reported $6.5 million, later told associates that his generosity left him financially tapped. According to a report by the N.Y. Post, Morris faced his own ethical issues when he was accused of spying on a movie production about President Biden called “My Son Hunter” that was being made in Serbia. The filmmaker involved with the project, filmaker Phelim McAleer, hit Morris with a bar complaint in 2022. “He used deceit to secure such access by not disclosing he was Mr. Biden’s lawyer. Mr. Morris used his cover as a documentary filmmaker to conceal his true purpose: performing legal investigative work on behalf of his client, Mr. Hunter Biden,” McAleer said in his bar complaint. The California Bar Association declined to disbar Morris in late 2024. Ye Jianming, a Chinese billionaire and former chairman of CEFC China Energy, one of the companies Republicans alleged Hunter Biden sought to gain favor with using his family name, has reportedly disappeared from public view, Reuters reported in 2023. While his whereabouts are unknown, according to Reuters, Jianming’s name has appeared in graft trials of senior Chinese Communist Party officials and state bank executives.
Trump pushes back on ‘rebel’ Republicans over tariffs: ‘You don’t negotiate like I negotiate’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted some Republican members of Congress for trying to limit his presidential powers on instituting tariffs so that Congress could retake control. Trump delivered a speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee, calling out “rebel” Republicans while speaking about his trade policies. “And then I see some rebel Republican, some guy who wants to grandstand, say, ‘I think that Congress should take over negotiations.’ Let me tell you, you don’t negotiate like I negotiate,” Trump said. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is leading a bipartisan bill to block Trump from instituting tariffs and retake that power for Congress. Bacon told reporters earlier on Tuesday that he didn’t like “the thought of waging a trade war with the entire world.” TRUMP TRADE REP TAKES BIPARTISAN FIRE OVER TARIFFS AS DEM LAUNCHES BID TO HALT THEM In the Senate, a bipartisan group led by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is also introducing a resolution to repeal Trump’s global tariffs. Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., have already introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the president to notify Congress about any new tariffs within 48 hours of imposition and require Congress to approve new tariffs within 60 days or allow them to expire. Trump chewed out the Republicans over the proposed bills. “I just saw it today, a couple of your congressmen,” Trump said before launching into an impression of a lawmaker. “‘Sir, I think we should get involved in the negotiation of the tariffs.’ Oh, that’s what I need, I need some guy telling me how to negotiate.” WHITE HOUSE WARNS AGAINST TARIFF RETALIATION, SAYS TRUMP ‘HAS SPINE OF STEEL AND HE WILL NOT BREAK’ Trump said that should Congress take over tariff negotiations, China would be “the happiest people in the world.” “They wouldn’t be paying 104%,” Trump said of China. “I’d say they’d be paying no percent — we’d be paying them 104%.” Trump said that even the talk around Capitol Hill about limiting his tariff powers “hurts your negotiation,” adding, “And then the fake news wants to build it up, and it has no chance anyway.” “We have to remain united as I defend workers from unfair trade,” Trump said.
‘Super mayor’ Tiffany Henyard skips Dolton meetings as controversial tenure nears quiet end
The final days of Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard’s term appear to be unfolding with less acrimony than the controversies that marked much of her tenure in office. The scandal-plagued and self-described “super mayor,” a Democrat, failed to show up for her final village board meeting on Monday, marking her fourth consecutive absence, according to reports. Henyard lost her bid for reelection in February when she was defeated in a landslide by Jason House, who campaigned on transparency and reform, promising a “clean house” and to bring accountability back to Dolton government. House then swept the April 1 election with 95% of the vote over Independent candidate Casundra Hopson-Jordan. FEDS SUBPOENA DOLTON, ILLINOIS RECORDS TIED TO OUSTED ‘SUPER MAYOR’ TIFFANY HENYARD’S BOYFRIEND House, who will be inaugurated on May 5, said audits for the 2023 and 2024 fiscal years will be conducted over the next four months over concerns about financial mismanagement, the Chicago Tribune reports. Since Henyard took office, the village has been delinquent in filing annual financial reports and audits with the state comptroller’s office. Henyard’s tenure has brought national attention to the small Chicago suburb for all the wrong reasons. In April 2024, the FBI served subpoenas at Dolton Village Hall amid allegations of corruption among officials. Henyard was not served. DOLTON MAYOR TIFFANY HENYARD FOUND IN CONTEMPT OF COURT AFTER ALLEGEDLY STONEWALLING LIQUOR LICENSES A town meeting two months later descended into chaos when her opponents and supporters clashed after Dolton trustees voted to reinstate former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to investigate Henyard. Residents accused her of using village funds as her own piggy bank by billing taxpayers thousands of dollars for her hair and makeup team as well as going on a lavish trip to Las Vegas. The town had previously hired Lightfoot to look into Henyard, but the Dolton mayor vetoed the move. Henyard also previously vetoed the board’s request to launch a federal investigation into gathering information on her alleged spending and financial mismanagement. Henyard has been dubbed the “worst mayor in America” by critics, and has also come under fire for an alleged sexual assault by one of her allies during the Vegas trip, where the alleged victim claims to have been fired after speaking out. Henyard’s cancer charity is also facing scrutiny. A federal subpoena was signed on Feb. 25, the day Henyard lost the mayoral primary in Dolton, as authorities pursue a criminal investigation tied to the ousted mayor. The subpoena is tied to a development project involving land once reportedly owned by Henyard’s boyfriend, FOX 32 Chicago reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, Dolton trustee Andrew Holmes, a Henyard ally, was also a no-show for Monday’s meeting, with some residents saying he hasn’t turned up in months. The new administration wants to look into why Holmes is still getting paid even though he is not showing up to village meetings, CBS reports. Henyard also serves as supervisor for Thornton Township Supervisor, one of the 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, with Dolton being located in Thornton Township. She was defeated in her bid for reelection for supervisor by Illinois state Senator Napoleon Harris. In January, Henyard was seen on video jumping into a chaotic brawl that broke out between her boyfriend and an activist who called her a “b—-” during a heated Thornton Township Board of Trustees meeting.
Violent attacks from anti-Musk, anti-Trump protesters plague nation, compel GOP lawmakers to take precautions
A spate of violent incidents targeting Tesla car owners, dealerships, charging stations and Republicans in general have been a common occurrence since President Donald Trump took office, compelling some GOP lawmakers to take certain safety measures. The pattern of violent incidents comes after a new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which found that increasingly violent rhetoric online is becoming more normalized than ever. NCRI’s findings showed that more than half of left-leaning respondents said killing Trump would be at least “somewhat justified.” The increased normalization of violent rhetoric was exhibited in audio recordings of voice mails and handwritten letters sent to GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. “Thom Tillis, afraid of death threats? Then get the f— out of office,” a caller said in a voicemail sent to the senator’s office. In an unsigned letter sent to Tillis, his staffers were referred to as “sacrificial lambs” who “signed up to be [Tillis’s] shield.” Citing the uptick in “Democrat threats of violence,” GOP Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman moved all of her in-person town halls online. The move came after an incident in which an attendee of one of her town halls followed Hageman as she left and initiated a physical confrontation with her staff, eventually requiring police to intervene. Tillis has similarly taken certain steps to protect his staff, telling them to telework on days when there could be trouble. AMERICANS HAVE BECOME ‘DESENSITIZED’ TO POLITICAL VIOLENCE, SAYS BRIANNA LYMAN “What was formerly taboo culturally has become acceptable,” Joel Finkelstein, lead author of the NCRI report, told Fox News Digital. “We are seeing a clear shift – glorification, increased attempts and changing norms – all converging into what we define as ‘assassination culture.’” These new rhetorical norms have translated into significant real-life violence, including just a few days ago at the New Mexico GOP’s headquarters in Albuquerque. Suspects set the building on fire using incendiary devices, and they spray-painted the words “ICE = KKK” across the side of the building. An investigation into the incident, which did not result in any injuries, was initiated after the incident. So far, no arrests have been publicly reported. DEMOCRATS ARE OUT OF STEP WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, FORMER CLINTON ADVISOR SAYS Meanwhile, Tesla owners, show rooms and charging stations have been targets of political violence as agitators find ways to challenge CEO Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s attempts to reform the government. Outside Portland, Oregon, a man was arrested for setting a Tesla dealership on fire using Molotov cocktails and then returning the next day to fire more than a dozen bullets into the same showroom. The shooting was the second time in a week that someone opened fire on the Tesla dealership, damaging windows and vehicles but not hurting anyone. In Boston, seven Tesla charging stations were engulfed in an intentionally set blaze, while in Las Vegas a fire caused numerous Teslas to explode. According to witness reports, the suspect in the Las Vegas arson also fired shots at the dealership and spray-painted the word “Resist” across the dealership’s front entrance. THE LOUDEST SILENCE: TOP DEMOCRATS REMAIN MUM AMID VIOLENT ATTACKS ON TESLA Meanwhile, in addition to attacks on Tesla businesses and charging stations, individuals who simply own a Tesla have also been victims of attacks spurred by anti-Musk and anti-Trump sentiment. In New York City, vandals targeted multiple Tesla vehicles parked around the city, etching swastikas and the word “Nazi” on their passenger-side doors. The attacks on Tesla vehicles haven’t only been when they are vacant either. DEMS HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY CAPTIVATED BY ‘FAR-LEFT LUNATICS,’ SAYS KAROLINE LEAVITT Multiple videos of Tesla drivers getting forcibly stopped in the middle of the road and accosted have surfaced on social media. In Seattle, a woman driving a Tesla was cut off by a masked driver on her way to a doctor’s appointment before he got out of his car and accosted the woman for owning a Tesla. The driver indicated to local news that the incident made her scared to drive her Tesla. NCRI’s survey found that in addition to a majority of left-leaning respondents justifying violent political attacks against Trump, about 40% also agreed it was justifiable to destroy Tesla dealerships. “Property destruction wasn’t just an outlier opinion, it clustered tightly with support for political assassinations and other forms of violence,” Finkelstein said. “This points to a coherent belief system, not just isolated grievances.” DEM SENATOR WHO DITCHED TESLA TO PROTEST MUSK REFUSES TO CALL VIOLENCE AGAINST CARS ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’ Last week, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that attempts to get every Democrat on the record over whether they condemn the violent acts or not. While some Democrats have condemned acts of vandalism against Tesla, they have refrained from labeling it “domestic terrorism.” Additionally, a forceful condemnation from Democrat leadership has yet to surface. “My House Resolution will make clear where all members of Congress stand,” Boebert said after she introduced the resolution. “Do they condemn domestic terrorism against Tesla or do they endorse it completely? The American people deserve to know where their representatives stand when it comes to condemning domestic terrorism.”
Biden admin held private talks with Beijing on Chinese spy balloon ahead of notifying public, officials say
Biden administration State Department officials held private talks with Beijing counterparts about the Chinese spy balloon that intercepted U.S. airspace in 2023, and discussed the implications the balloon’s publicity would have on the relationship between the U.S. and China, according to Trump administration officials. U.S. officials identified the spy balloon infiltrating U.S. airspace on Jan. 28, 2023, and an Air Force fighter jet shot down the Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina Feb. 4, 2023, two days after the Pentagon issued a statement on the matter. Biden officials held discussions with Beijing Feb. 1, 2023, about the balloon, and discussed the impact disclosing the balloon to the public could have on the relationship with China, internal State Department documents show, two Trump administration officials told Fox News Digital. CHINESE SPY BALLOON EQUIPPED WITH TECH FROM AT LEAST 5 US FIRMS: REPORT An internal State Department readout of the talks between Blinken and a top Chinese diplomat said Blinken stated that if the presence of the balloon were revealed publicly, it could have “profound implications for our relationship” with China, particularly amid efforts to stabilize the bilateral relationship with Beijing, two Trump administration officials familiar with the documents told Fox News Digital. The readout said that the incident could also have complicated Blinken’s travel plans to China in early February 2023, if not quickly resolved. Blinken ultimately postponed the trip until June 2023. A former Biden administration official told Fox News Digital that the State Department summoned senior Chinese diplomat Zhu Haiquan Feb. 1, 2023, so that the U.S. could notify China to remove the balloon, and issue a warning that the U.S. could take action to eliminate the balloon. “Former Secretary Blinken advocated strongly to tell the American people about China’s rogue balloon, which is exactly what happened,” a spokesperson for the former secretary of state said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. “He has a long history of being tough on China while actually delivering results.” Likewise, another senior State Department official also held private talks on Feb. 1, 2023, with Chinese counterparts. A readout from that discussion says that the official claimed the longer it took to mitigate the issue would only increase the likelihood that news of the balloon would become public, posing greater challenges managing the situation, the Trump administration officials said. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO … THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON Ultimately, the Pentagon issued a statement Feb. 2, 2023, claiming that the U.S. government had detected a “high-altitude surveillance balloon.” While then-White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden received a briefing on the balloon on Jan. 31, 2023, she did not provide details regarding why his administration didn’t issue a statement on the matter until Feb. 2, 2023. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then a U.S. senator from Florida, repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for how it handled disclosing information to the public about the balloon — and how long it took the administration to shoot it down. Biden’s failure to address the situation sooner was the “beginning of dereliction of duty,” Rubio said during an appearance on CNN with Jake Tapper. “Why didn’t the president go on television?” Rubio told Tapper. “He has the ability to convene the country in cameras and basically explain what we’re dealing with here.” On Feb. 4, 2023, an Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet from Virginia’s Langley Air Force Base shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. At the time, the Pentagon said that while the balloon was not a military or physical threat, its presence in U.S. airspace did violate U.S. sovereignty. The Pentagon also shut down China’s initial claims that the balloon was a weather balloon blown off course and labeled such statements false. “This was a PRC surveillance balloon,” a senior defense official told reporters at the time. “This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites.” The Pentagon also said after shooting down the balloon that similar balloons from China transited continental U.S. airspace in at least three instances during Trump’s first administration. Additionally, Biden “gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon’s path,” the senior defense official said, noting that there was concern debris could harm civilians. The Pentagon later said in June 2023 that it did not believe that the balloon gathered information as it traveled across the U.S. Blinken is now a speaker with CAA Speakers, which represents high-profile celebrities. A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
VP Vance blasts McConnell’s vote against Trump Pentagon nominee: ‘Political pettiness’
Vice President JD Vance spoke out against Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., vote against confirming Elbridge Colby to serve as undersecretary of defense for policy. “Mitch’s vote today—like so much of the last few years of his career—is one of the great acts of political pettiness I’ve ever seen,” Vance declared in a post on X. Colby was confirmed in a 54-45 vote on Tuesday. McConnell was the only Senate Republican to vote against confirmation, while three Democrats voted in Colby’s favor. ELBRIDGE COLBY CONFIRMED TO TOP PENTAGON POLICY POST AFTER HESITATION FROM GOP HAWKS President Donald Trump announced Colby as his pick for the Pentagon post when he was the president-elect. “Elbridge Colby’s long public record suggests a willingness to discount the complexity of the challenges facing America, the critical value of our allies and partners, and the urgent need to invest in hard power to preserve American primacy,” McConnell said in a statement. “The prioritization that Mr. Colby argues is fresh, new, and urgently needed is, in fact, a return to an Obama-era conception of a la carte geostrategy. Abandoning Ukraine and Europe and downplaying the Middle East to prioritize the Indo-Pacific is not a clever geopolitical chess move. It is geostrategic self-harm that emboldens our adversaries and drives wedges between America and our allies for them to exploit,” the senator asserted. VANCE VISITS CAPITOL HILL TO URGE SENATORS TO CONFIRM ELBRIDGE COLBY FOR PENTAGON NO. 3 POST McConnell has voted against multiple Trump nominees this year. “Mr. Colby’s confirmation leaves open the door for the less-polished standard-bearers of restraint and retrenchment at the Pentagon to do irreparable damage to the system of alliances and partnerships which serve as force multipliers to U.S. leadership. It encourages isolationist perversions of peace through strength to continue apace at the highest levels of Administration policymaking,” McConnell said. DISPUTED DOD NOMINEE IS ‘BEST PERSON’ TO IMPLEMENT TRUMP AND HEGSETH AGENDA, KEY CONSERVATIVE GROUP SAYS Vance spoke out in support of Colby last month at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Colby’s nomination.
Donald Trump’s allies, supporters and donors, led by Elon Musk, push to end tariff war
What’s most striking about President Trump’s tariff war is that he’s being pressured by some of his closest advisers and supporters to end the crusade that has upended the world economy. It’s not just media conservatives like Ben Shapiro, Rich Lowry, Ben Domenech and the Wall Street Journal editorial page. It’s longtime wealthy donors like Ken Langone, co-founder of Home Depot, who denounced the tariffs and cited the 46 percent levy on Vietnam as an example of “bull****,” telling the Financial Times that “right now what everybody’s terrified of is a trade war.” Another billionaire, hedge fund investor Bill Ackman said, “The consequences for our country and the millions of citizens who have supported the president…are going to be severely negative.” Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan, said “whether or not the menu of tariffs causes a recession remains in question, but it will slow down growth.” WHITE HOUSE SAYS BEIJING MISSED DEADLINE TO LIFT RETALIATORY TARIFFS, US TO HIKE CHINA TARIFFS TO 104% The most famous defector is Elon Musk, who, according to the Washington Post, privately urged Trump not to go ahead with the sky-high tariffs. Now he’s gone public: “Ideally, both Europe and the United States should move to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America.” Even the world’s richest man and chief budget cutter couldn’t convince the boss, and he is off the reservation. Musk is also taking shots at the strongest tariff booster in the White House, Peter Navarro, calling him “truly a moron,” “dumber than a sack of bricks,” and, in a particularly juvenile jab, “Peter Navarrdo.” The aforementioned Navarro, you’ll be happy to hear, went on Fox and guaranteed there will be no recession. So you can all resume regular breathing. It doesn’t help Trump that after an early rebound rally yesterday ran out of gas, the Dow dropped another 320 points, after a dramatic decline that has decimated people’s stock holdings and 401-Ks. The Constitution, by the way, says Congress is in charge of tariffs. Almost no one is safe, including Bibi Netanyahu, who came to the White House on Monday in a ring-kissing gesture, has imposed no levies on the U.S., but still got hit with a 17 percent tariff. Against Israel, our chief ally in the Middle East and the region’s only democracy? And the escalation with China, our biggest adversary, was predictable. Trump had hit Beijing with a 54 percent tariff (including an earlier 20 percent levy). Beijing hit back, as promised, with a 34 percent tariff on U.S. goods, battling what it calls blackmail. Wouldn’t we have done the exact same thing if the roles were reversed? But Trump acted as though he was personally insulted, and is now vowing an additional 50 percent tariff on the Chinese. This is how trade wars spiral out of control. And China has cut off negotiations on the sale of TikTok to an American owner. Media blunders also fueled the market’s volatility. On Monday, Bloomberg – that is, someone identified as Walter Bloomberg, not connected to any news outlet – posted this: “HASSETT: TRUMP IS CONSIDERING A 90-DAY PAUSE IN TARIFFS FOR ALL COUNTRIES EXCEPT CHINA.” This goosed the stock market. Except that Kevin Hassett, director of the White House economic council, never said that. But CNBC morning anchor Carl Quintanilla told viewers, “I think we can go with this headline. Apparently, Hassett’s been saying that Trump will consider a 90-day pause in tariffs for all countries except for China.” Reuters then ran with this headline: “Wall Street reverses course after Hassett’s comments on tariff pause.” What Hassett actually said, when asked on Fox if Trump would consider a 90-day tariff pause: “I think the president is gonna decide what the president is gonna decide.” Not exactly the same thing. But the market shot up. The wire service later admitted the mistake: “Reuters has withdrawn the incorrect report and regrets its error.” TRUMP, EYEING 3RD TERM, KEEPS ATTACKING ELITE INSTITUTIONS – AND MANY ARE CAVING A CNBC spokeswoman said later, “As we were chasing the news of the market moves in real-time, we aired unconfirmed information in a banner. Our reporters quickly made a correction on air.” Meghan McCain posted a broader swipe against the media: “There are so many hypocritical talking heads on TV saying they don’t care about losing money or being in financial pain for a while. Most of you are married to finance bros, come from rich families or have huge media contracts. You have a cushion… “One of my best friends buys her groceries for her family based on what coupons each store has. I assure you a possible recession or huge rise in prices everywhere will be a different experience for her family than you.” SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES Is there an exit ramp? White House officials say 70 countries have been in touch, seeking a negotiated settlement. Some, of course, were doing that in the runup to “Liberation Day.” The president could reach many of the settlements, declare victory and credit his tariff war. At the moment, he shows no inclination to do that, having pushed the tariff idea since the 1980s and repeatedly promising such an approach during last year’s campaign. I wrote a book on Wall Street and the media, talked to many top traders as well as business anchors and commentators. I understand the hair-trigger nature of the culture. Everyone expected that Donald Trump would impose hefty tariffs, just not at this stratospheric level.