El Chapo’s family members cross US border in apparent deal with Trump administration
Mexican officials said Wednesday that 17 family members of drug cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration. Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzmán López had entered the U.S. Lopez, the son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was extradited to the U.S. in 2023. Among the family members allowed into the U.S. was Guzman’s former wife, Griselda López Pérez. CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS In a radio interview, García Harfuch said it was clear to Mexican authorities the deal was made during negotiations between Guzmán López and the U.S. government. “It is evident that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him,” García Harfuch said. None of the family was being pursued by Mexican authorities. Video footage posted online Tuesday by Spanish-language outlet Radio Formula shows Guzmán’s family carrying luggage as they wait to be processed at the Tijuana/San Diego border crossing. They reportedly packed $70,000 in cash with them. SINALOA CARTEL TAKES ROOT IN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS: WHERE ARE THEY? The confirmation by García Harfuch came the same day the office of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced it was charging a number of top cartel leaders with “narcoterrorism” for the first time since the Trump administration declared a number of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California said. “You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.” Guzmán López, 35, also known as “the Mouse,” is one of the four of Guzmán’s sons known as “Los Chapitos,” who ran the Sinaloa Cartel in their father’s absence. At his peak, the elder Guzmán was one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, turning the Sinaloa Cartel into a major force and one of the largest groups responsible for illegal drugs pouring into the U.S. He was arrested and extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes. He is imprisoned in Colorado. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republicans struggle with Trump’s mixed signals on ‘big, beautiful bill’
It’s hard enough to know what you want. It’s even harder to know what others want. But what if what you want hinges on what somebody else wants…and they aren’t sure what they want? Hence the conundrum now facing Congressional Republicans as they try to approve the “big, beautiful bill.” GOPers are waiting for President Trump to push for very specific items to be in the bill – or fall by the wayside. Congressional Republicans are aligned closely with the President and willing to bend to his wishes. But it complicates things when Trump calls for what he termed a “tiny” tax increase for the super wealthy. TRUMP SAYS TAX RAISES ARE ‘GOOD POLITICS,’ DISMISSING GOP CRITICS “People would love to do it. Rich people. I would love to do it, frankly. Giving us something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets [have] more. So, it’s really a redistribution,” said the president. First, President Trump suggested a form of rations, limiting how many pencils kids need or how many dolls a little girl should have. That puzzled free marketeers in the GOP. Now, to use his phrase, “redistribution.” You understand how much heartburn this gives capitalists in Congress. But what’s worse is the mixed messaging. When writing on Truth Social about creating a higher tax bracket for the wealthy, the president muddled his instructions for lawmakers: “Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!” declared President Trump. CIVIL WAR THREATENS GOP OVER MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKES IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ This exasperated Congressional Republicans who oppose raising any taxes – a long-held tenet of the Republican Party. In another political universe, taxing the wealthy would be – at best – a trial balloon. So, most Congressional Republicans decided it was time for this to pop. “No, we are not going to do tax increases,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Fox Business. “We don’t want to raise taxes on anybody. I mean, we’re about lowering taxes on Americans,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Fox. But President Trump’s Republican Party is very different from the Reagan Republican Party. The GOP shifts to where Trump wants it. Just consider the approach to tariffs compared to free trade. TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS President Trump broadened the party’s base in the last election. The GOP is no longer dominated by big business, titans of commerce and the well-to-do. Part of the president’s appeal was the blue-collar coalition he cobbled together. And his fundamental economic message on taxes resonated with millions of voters. That’s why his top advisers say Trump is sticking to campaign promises. “President Trump has made it clear that he has his priorities, like no tax on tips. No tax on overtime. No tax on Social Security,” said National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Fox. However, revenue generated from new taxes on the wealthy could help cover the cost of spending cuts. “We need to see what we need to do with the math to make sure that we are doing the country well fiscally and that we don’t just add to the debt,” said Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. But Republicans are frustrated after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shrank the size of the tax cuts and spending reductions. The tax breaks were supposed to be around $4.5 trillion at one point. They dwindled to $4 trillion. They were angling to lock in $2 trillion in tax cuts. They’re scaled back to $1.5 trillion. ‘HARD NO’: MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKE PROPOSAL HAS HOUSE REPUBLICANS DIVIDED “Republicans talk a big game in campaigns,” lamented House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. “If we’re not able to bend the curve on mandatory spending, then we will send a very bad signal to the bond markets.” But regardless of what’s in the package, the White House is expecting Congressional Republicans to ultimately vote yes on the “big, beautiful bill.” “The president has great political instincts. That’s why he’s back in the Oval Office,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. But that’s what Congressional Republicans found so vexing. The president may have great political instincts. But the marching orders were far from clear. Trump conceded that a tax hike may be controversial politically. Congressional Republicans suffer from political PTSD. They remember another Republican President who made one of the most famous political promises of all time. And then broke it. “No new taxes,” intoned the late President George H.W. Bush in his address to a Joint Session of Congress in 1989. But Bush famously reversed himself as part of a 1990 budget pact. That was not necessarily the reason “Bush 41” lost reelection in 1992 to former President Clinton. And President Trump was sure enough to point that out on social media. TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ OPPOSING BUDGET BILL, PREDICTS MASSIVE US TAX INCREASES IF IT FAILS “The Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election!” wrote Trump. The “Perot Effect” certainly deprived George H.W. Bush of a second term more than breaking the “no new taxes” promise. But that doesn’t mean that Republicans aren’t skittish about voting for tax increases. And regardless, the legislative product that emerged from the Ways and Means Committee markup this week lacked the type of tax hike dangled by President Trump. That said, Congressional Republicans certainly have their opinions about what they think of the developing “big, beautiful bill.” “A growing number of us, we don’t want smoke and mirrors. We want real cuts,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “$2 trillion (in cuts) is really a teardrop in the ocean.” “You’ve got front-loaded tax [cuts]. Backloaded spending restraint,” groused Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “Medicaid reforms and work requirements don’t kick in for four years.” “It’ll be ironic and sad in
Abortion ban could return to Missouri after voters amended state Constitution to protect procedure
Missouri’s near-complete abortion ban could possibly return if a new ballot measure just passed by the state legislature gets approval from voters. The GOP-controlled Missouri Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday, which would repeal an earlier constitutional amendment passed by voters last year that enshrined abortion protections in the state’s constitution. Democrats sought to fillibuster the move Wednesday, but Republicans used procedural rules to get around it, according to The Associated Press. The proposed amendment, which passed in Missouri’s GOP-controlled House last month, would go on the state’s ballots in Missouri’s 2026 general election. However, the amendment could be voted on sooner if Missouri’s Republican governor chooses to call a special election on the issue. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION “Senate Republicans are overturning the will of the voters and pushing to bring an Abortion Ban back to Missouri. This new ballot item will ban abortion and take away a right that voters secured just six months ago,” the Missouri Senate Democrats X account posted Wednesday. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, several Republican states had trigger laws on the books that immediately went into effect and imposed stricter abortion regulations at the state level. Missouri was one of those states, and was among the first in the nation to enact a post-Roe abortion ban. Missouri’s trigger law made all abortions in the state illegal, except during circumstances when the life of the mother is at risk. SENATOR INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO REIN IN WIDELY USED, CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION PILL But, in 2024, a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion protections into the state’s constitution ultimately repealed Missouri’s trigger law. The ballot measure, known as Amendment 3, was voted on in November and passed, but by a very narrow margin. Missouri Republicans sought to include messaging in the ballot amendment that explicitly says it will repeal Amendment 3, but it did not pass, according to the Missouri Independent. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If the latest ballot measure advanced by Republican legislators passes, it would include exceptions for rape and incest.
Rhode Island capital to hoist Palestinian flag at city hall, citing diversity
Providence, Rhode Island, officials have accepted a request to fly the Palestinian flag Friday at City Hall in the state’s capital. City officials emphasized that no American flags are being displaced by the display, adding there have been several other flags raised over the government office in the past. “Providence City Hall displays many different flags throughout the year to mark different occasions and honor the many ethnic and cultural backgrounds and traditions that make our city strong,” a spokesperson for Providence City Council told Fox News Digital Wednesday. The spokesperson added the city has also flown the Dominican flag, Irish flag, Armenian flag and the Israeli flag in recent months. JOHN FETTERMAN RECEIVES TOP US JEWISH COLLEGE’S HIGHEST AWARD “Like those examples, this idea came to us from the community as part of a request to honor the important role Palestinian-Americans play in the fabric of our beautifully diverse city,” the spokesperson said. Council President Rachel Miller will display the flag during Thursday’s city council meeting and then outside City Hall Friday. When asked about the decision, a representative for Democratic Mayor Brett Smiley suggested the ceremony was the city council’s prerogative. FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: ‘UNPARALLELED HUBRIS’ “In Providence, the executive branch and City Council are two separate branches of government. The Providence City Council, not Mayor Smiley’s office, will be raising the Palestinian flag on Friday,” said Josh Estrella, a spokesman for Smiley. A report from GoLocalProvidence added the Palestinian flag is reportedly becoming more prevalent at City Hall overall. Typically, the indoor chamber only flies the state and national flags, the report said. Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital contacted the State Department to ask where it stands on the flag debate given the ongoing Israel–Palestinian conflict. A request for comment was also received by the office of Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I., who represents much of the Ocean State’s capital region.
WATCH: RFK Jr. rebukes Dem senator for playing politics with cancer-stricken constituent: ‘You don’t care’
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got into a heated debate with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., during a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday after the senator accused Kennedy and the Trump administration of delaying critical cancer care for one of her constituents named Natalie. Kennedy told Murray he wanted to do “everything” in his power to help her constituent, telling the senator repeatedly to contact his office to go over the individual’s case. But his answers were not adequate for the senator, leading Kennedy to eventually question whether the Washington state Democrat actually cared about her constituent, Natalie. “Mr. Secretary, one of my constituents — her name is Natalie Phelps — she’s a mom of two from Bainbridge Island in Washington state. She has been fighting aggressive stage four colorectal cancer for nearly five years now. Her best hope now is a clinical trial she’s participating in at the [National Institutes of Health’s] Clinical Center,” Murray said in her opening line of questioning directed at Kennedy. BEN & JERRY’S CO-FOUNDER ARRESTED PROTESTING SENATE HEARING: ‘RFK KILLS PEOPLE WITH HATE’ “But because of the thoughtless mass firing of thousands of critical employees across NIH and HHS that you carried out, Natalie’s doctors at that clinical center have told her they have no choice but to delay her treatment by an additional four weeks.” Murray added that those four weeks of delayed care “could mean the difference between life and death” for Natalie. She also demanded Kennedy give a “specific” number of how many employees have been cut at NIH’s clinical center. “I can’t tell you that now, Sen. Murray,” Kennedy responded. “What I can tell you is that if you contact my office tomorrow, I’ll look specifically into that.” However, that answer from Kennedy was “not acceptable” to the senator. “That is not acceptable. I want an answer,” Murray shot back, eventually demanding Kennedy provide her an update on Natalie’s case within 24 hours. DEM LAWMAKER SEETHES RFK JR’S ‘LEGITIMACY’ AS HHS SECRETARY HAS ‘EXPIRED’ IN HEATED EXCHANGE “Wouldn’t you rather get her into that clinical trial as fast as you can?” Kennedy shot back. “Absolutely,” Murray said. “All right, so if you contact my office tomorrow, this is a …,” Kennedy said before Murray cut him off. “Natalie is sitting there waiting for treatment, you’re here to …” Murray said before Kennedy interjected to remind her he was trying to help with Natalie’s circumstances. “I’m offering to help here, but you don’t care. You don’t care about Natalie,” Kennedy told Murray, noting during the hearing he wanted do “everything in [his] power to try to get Natalie into [the clinical trial quicker.]” FDA’S LATEST MAHA MOVE WOULD WIPE OUT KIDS’ FLUORIDE PRESCRIPTIONS AS HEALTH RISK EVIDENCE MOUNTS The spat ended with Murray pivoting to a different question tied to the Trump administration’s cuts, which Kennedy spent much of Wednesday on Capitol Hill fielding questions about. Kennedy also participated in a separate House hearing Wednesday that covered the matter and other issues HHS faces. Kennedy told lawmakers he didn’t know of any agency head who wants to see budgets slashed, but he pointed out he is not the president, who, Kennedy said, has a “broader vision” than he does when it comes to spending priorities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “We must spend smarter,” Kennedy said Wednesday in response to inquiries about the Trump administration’s cuts at HHS. “We will shift funding away from bureaucracy toward direct impact.”
Harvard University president takes 25% pay cut amid Trump administration funding freeze
Harvard University President Alan Garber has agreed to voluntarily take a 25% reduction in pay for the 2025-26 school year, amid funding cuts imposed by the Trump administration, amounting to about $2.2 billion. A Harvard University spokesperson told Fox News about the pay cut, adding that other leaders across the institution are making their own voluntary contributions, given the significant challenges the school faces. The university announced a hiring pause in March, also asking “schools and administrative units to scrutinize discretionary and non-salary spending, reassess the scope and timing of capital renewal projects, and conduct a rigorous review of any new multi-year commitments,” the spokesperson noted. Additionally, schools within the central administration at Harvard announced there would be no merit pay increases for faculty and staff for fiscal year 2026, which runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The school also paused non-essential capital projects and spending. HARVARD SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OVER ‘UNLAWFUL’ MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR BUDGET CUTS This is not the first time Garber has taken a voluntary pay reduction. In April 2020, then-Provost Garber took a voluntary 25% pay cut as the school faced financial challenges caused by the pandemic. The Harvard Crimson reported that past presidents have made up to $1 million annually. Harvard has become a target of Trump’s broader crackdown on universities, much of which is in response to last year’s anti-Israel unrest that erupted on campuses across the country. TRUMP FROZE FUNDING FOR HARVARD. MONEY TO THESE UNIVERSITIES MAY ALSO BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK On April 11, the Trump administration sent a letter to Garber and Harvard Corporation Lead Member Penny Pritzker outlining the institution’s failures and a list of demands from the White House. In the letter, the administration accused Harvard of failing to uphold civil rights laws and to foster an “environment that produces intellectual creativity.” The Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding if Harvard did not reform governance and leadership as well as its hiring and admissions practices by August of this year. The letter emphasized the need for Harvard to change its international admissions process to avoid admitting students who are “hostile” to American values or support terrorism or antisemitism. HARVARD PRESIDENT SAYS HE HAS ‘NO CHOICE’ BUT TO FIGHT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Harvard refused to comply with the demands, with Garber saying that “no government… should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” The Trump administration then froze $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard and is reportedly looking to slash another billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The university later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its “unlawful” freezing of funds. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
House progressive backs down from Trump impeachment push after pressure from fellow Dems
A lone House Democrat pushing to impeach President Donald Trump has backed down from his effort to force a vote on the measure – after pressure to do so from fellow liberals. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., aimed to force a vote on his seven articles of impeachment against Trump this week, via a mechanism known as a privileged resolution that forces the House to reckon with a piece of legislation within two days of being in session. Democratic leaders made their opposition to the effort known, however, with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., telling reporters he believed it was a “distraction.” Thanedar later announced on X that he would back off trying to force the vote. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION It comes after Democrats including House Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar, D-Texas, pushed back on the effort. He said he would vote against the measure and called it “unserious,” according to Punchbowl News. “This doomed impeachment vote is not about holding Trump accountable, but instead seems to be about the interest of the bill sponsor,” Casar said. House GOP leaders had planned a vote to table the measure, a procedural motion blocking a House-wide vote, but called it off after Thanedar apparently missed his window to force the vote. Thanedar said in a statement on X afterwards, “In the fifteen days since I filed seven articles of impeachment against President Trump, he has committed more impeachable offenses, most dangerously, accepting a $400 million private jet from Qatar, which even Republican Members of Congress have called wrong.” “So, after talking with many colleagues, I have decided not to force a vote on impeachment today. Instead, I will add to my articles of impeachment and continue to rally the support of both Democrats and Republicans to defend the Constitution with me,” Thanedar said. Later, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the situation “speaks for itself” when asked whether he pressured Thanedar to drop the motion. Thanedar’s resolution has caused a modest political headache for Democratic lawmakers, at a time when the party has struggled with messaging in the wake of the 2024 election. “I have said before from this podium, this is not the right approach we should be taking,” Aguilar said at his weekly press conference. “I’ll join members of the leadership team in voting to table that motion.” Thanedar acknowledged his colleagues’ concerns about his move during his own press conference Wednesday morning, though he insisted it would not deter him. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE “Even some Democrats call me a lunatic, just like the president has called me lunatic,” the Michigan Democrat said. “But they have never said, nobody has said to me, ‘Mr. Thanedar, the seven articles of impeachment that you presented to the U.S. Congress, they’re a piece of s—. They’re not good. You missed it, missed the point. They are not legally right.’ They didn’t do that. No one says that.” However, Aguilar said hours later that it was not the right time to push an impeachment effort. “This is such an impactful moment, and our colleagues are locking themselves in a room for 24 hours to protect and defend healthcare. We shouldn’t be talking about this proposal that is not right, not timely,” Aguilar said, referring to the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s meeting on budget reconciliation, which has been ongoing since 2 p.m. Tuesday. “This president is no stranger to impeachments, he’s been impeached twice. Impeachment is a tool that can be used, but it takes weeks, months to do. Right now the issue of the day is, will hill Republicans stand up and support healthcare in this country?” Hours before the expected vote, NBC News reported that House Democratic leaders pressed Thanedar not to show up for the chamber’s 5 p.m. vote series – which would have meant he could not force the vote. Republicans, meanwhile, seized on the disarray. “House Democrats have demonstrated once again they are willing to abuse the Constitution in their effort to impede the agenda of the American people,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement before the vote. “Their latest sham impeachment charade against President Trump is another embarrassing political stunt. Today, House Republicans will move promptly to discard it.” When reached for comment on Thanedar’s push on Tuesday, White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Fox News Digital, “Every action taken by President Trump and his administration is fully lawful and firmly rooted in the will of the American people. President Trump is doing exactly what he promised: securing our border, bringing in trillions of dollars in investment to America, and restoring common-sense leadership.” “Meanwhile, Democrats are once again showing where their true priorities lie — siding with illegal immigrants over the safety, security, and well-being of hardworking American citizens. This desperate impeachment stunt is nothing more than a reckless political act that the American people see right through,” the White House said. Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder arrested protesting Senate hearing: ‘RFK kills people with hate’
Ben Cohen, one of the co-founders of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon during a Senate hearing involving Health and Human Services (HHS) Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. United States Capitol Police (USCP) confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Cohen was among seven people arrested after they disrupted the hearing. While Cohen was only arrested on charges of obstruction, others involved in the protest were arrested for resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, Capitol Police said. However, it is unclear how many people were charged with the more severe violations. WATCH: NEWARK MAYOR COMPARES SELF TO BIBLICAL HERO IN WAKE OF ICE PROTEST ARREST: ‘THIS IS OUR DAVID MOMENT’ “RFK kills people with hate!” a protester yelled during the hearing as Kennedy delivered his opening statement. “RFK kills people with hate!” the chant continued, with more voices joining in. “RFK kills people with hate!” Multiple people were eventually escorted out of the room, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), paused the hearing. In video of the disruption posted on X by The Daily Caller, Cohen can be seen being forcibly pulled out of the hearing room by a Capitol Police officer. MOOD FLIPS AT COLUMBIA U AFTER QUASHING OF LATEST PROTEST, TRUMP PRESSURE TAKES HOLD “Members of the audience are reminded disruptions will not be permitted while the committee conducts its business. Capitol Police are asked to remove the individuals from the hearing room,” Cassidy said as Cohen was being wrangled out of the room. “That was a made-for-C-SPAN moment,” Cassidy quipped after things settled down. Wednesday wasn’t the first time Cohen has been arrested while protesting in the nation’s capital. In 2023, he was arrested outside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for blocking the entrance to the Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Washington, D.C., where he was protesting the detainment of Julian Assange. Ben & Jerry’s is frequently a target of Republicans, who have slammed the company and its founders over their support of progressive activism and politicians. They are also frequent critics of Trump. DHS WARNED NOT TO ARREST HOUSE DEMS AFTER NJ PROTEST TURNED TENSE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ben & Jerry’s has been known for its left-leaning advocacy since its founding in 1978, and the Vermont-based ice cream maker was able to maintain an independent board of directors to continue its progressive activism even after it sold to Unilever in 2000. One of those moments included a decision by Ben & Jerry’s in 2021 that ended the sale of its products to Israelis in the West Bank, which the company refers to as “Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Red state treasurer reveals why state financial officers have ‘obligation’ to combat ESG, DEI
EXCLUSIVE: As Republican state financial officers across the country move to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG), Fox News Digital spoke to Utah’s state treasurer about the importance of bringing meritocracy and fiduciary responsibility back to markets and investments. “ESG introduces another motive or another motivation to address societal issues through the capital markets or through investment, and when you do that, you violate the fiduciary standards that all of us as financial officers are committed to,” Utah State Treasurer Marlo Oaks told Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida. “And, so, because of that dual mandate, you really have problems when you’re managing money for other people. If a single person wants to do it or a family wants to invest their money that way, that’s their choice. But when you are managing money for other people, we don’t have that choice. We have an obligation to do what’s in their financial best interest.” Oaks has been at the forefront of the fight against ESG, an investing principle critics say companies and institutions utilize to enact “woke” agendas, authoring several letters on the subject. WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS OVER $2B IN SAVINGS FROM DEI CUTS DURING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FIRST 100 DAYS “When you talk about managing money for the benefit of other people, which is what a lot of state treasurers do, we have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the beneficiary,” Oaks explained. “So, we have the duty of loyalty and a duty of care. “And it is really focused on the financial outcomes for the beneficiaries. They are depending on this money for their retirement, and, so, it is our financial obligation or fiduciary obligation to act in their best interests.” Oaks said firefighters, teachers and police officers who depend on state pensions end up being harmed when states or companies are investing based on factors other than protecting investors. DEI IS DEAD. HERE’S WHAT SHOULD COME NEXT “ESG introduces another motive or another motivation to address societal issues through the capital markets or through investment, and when you do that, you violate the fiduciary standards that all of us as financial officers are committed to,” Oaks said. Oaks and the other Republicans at the SFOF conference have also been vocal opponents of DEI measures and praised President Trump for his efforts to roll back DEI in government. Oaks told Fox News Digital ESG and DEI are closely related and that his opposition to DEI also links back to the desire to do what’s best for shareholders in his state. “DEI — diversity, equity, inclusion — that’s really the S portion, the social portion of ESG, and, again, it’s important because a lot of the push by activist folks in the financial markets is to push an agenda onto corporate America, to have them adopt policies at companies that really are not in the best interest of the companies. And companies have a fiduciary obligation to their shareholders,” Oaks said. “When they introduce things like DEI, you change hiring practices, not for merit-based, it moves to other discriminatory hiring practices and ultimately harms companies and their financial output. And, so, that ultimately harms the teachers, the firefighters, the police officers that you’re trying to help with their retirement.” Oaks was one of two dozen state financial officers who sent a letter in March to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), asset managers, proxy advisors and public companies, sounding the alarm on the financial risk of prioritizing a political agenda, like DEI, over financial returns. Oaks told Fox News Digital that when DEI is introduced at the state financial officer level, “we are potentially introducing financial harm.” “And we’ve seen that with companies like Target, like Bud Light, you know, other companies that have adopted policies that are not in the financial best interest of the shareholders. They have harmed the shareholder value, and that ultimately harms the outcomes that these hardworking public servants and teachers, et cetera, that have worked so hard, retire with the money that they need.” Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report
Gabbard moves presidential daily intelligence brief staff from CIA to ODNI
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard moved the Presidential Daily Brief staff from the CIA to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Fox News Digital confirmed. A senior intelligence source told Fox News Digital that the director of National Intelligence “has always controlled” the presidential daily brief (PDB) and that Gabbard “is just moving it physically to ODNI from CIA in a streamlining effort and a continuity of workforce.” The President’s Daily Brief (PDB), according to the intelligence community, is a daily summary of high-level, all-source information and analysis on national security issues produced for the president and key cabinet members and advisers. It is coordinated and delivered by the ODNI with contributions from the CIA as well as other elements from the intelligence community. It has been presented to the president since 1946. GABBARD FIRES ‘DEEP STATE’ HEADS OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COUNCIL TO ROOT OUT ‘POLITICIZATION OF INTEL’ The move comes after Gabbard, on Tuesday, also moved the National Intelligence Council from the CIA to ODNI. NIC, according to senior intelligence officials, has always been a DNI component.” “It makes sense for them to be physically located at DNI,” a CIA official told Fox News Digital. Another senior intelligence official pointed to Gabbard’s confirmation hearing, in which she said her “priority was to deliver timely, accurate and actionable intelligence as the President’s principal intelligence advisor.” “The PDB staff and the NIC are the primary apparatus that feeds her this advisory material, so moving them physically closer gives her the best support,” the official said. “In other words, having them in closer proximity gives her less lag time and faster responsiveness to fill that role as principal intelligence advisor.” DNI GABBARD REFERS INTEL OFFICIALS TO DOJ FOR PROSECUTION OVER ALLEGED LEAKS OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION The official added: “Both moves are about providing the President more timely and actionable intelligence.” The moves come as Gabbard has taken steps to root out leakers and alleged “deep state holdovers” who officials say are politicizing intelligence analysis and “trying to sabotage President Trump’s agenda.” FLASHBACK: BIDEN CAMPAIGN, BLINKEN ORCHESTRATED INTEL LETTER TO DISCREDIT HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY, EX-CIA OFFICIAL SAYS So far, Gabbard has referred three intelligence community professionals to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution over alleged leaks of classified information. Fox News Digital first reported on those criminal referrals in April. An ODNI official at that time told Fox News Digital that the intelligence community professionals allegedly leaked classified information to the Washington Post and The New York Times. Fox News Digital, on Tuesday, exclusively reported that Gabbard had fired the top officials leading National Intelligence Council, whom whistleblowers described as “radically opposed to Trump.” Gabbard fired Mike Collins, who was serving as the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, Tuesday, senior intelligence officials told Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out Langan-Riekhof for comment and did not immediately hear back, and couldn’t immediately find contact information for Collins. Collins also has whistleblower complaints against him for political bias and “deliberately undermining the incoming Trump administration,” officials said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP They added that Collins was closely associated with Michael Morrell, the former deputy director of the CIA who worked to write a public letter in 2020 claiming that Hunter Biden’s laptop had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,” and to get signatures from top ex-intelligence officials. As for Langan-Reikhof, officials said she has been a “key advocate” for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and is someone who whistleblowers allege is “radically opposed to Trump.”