Georgia governor expected to sign ‘Riley Gaines Act,’ which bans trans athletes from entering girls’ sports
The Georgia legislature passed a bill Monday along mostly party lines to prohibit transgender girls – or biological males – from participating in girls’ sports. S.B. 1, also known as the “Riley Gaines Act of 2025,” requires middle school, high school and college student athletes to compete on sports teams that align with their biological sex. Restrooms, locker rooms and sleeping quarters will also be restricted to only allow biological boys in the spaces designated for boys and biological girls in the spaces designated for girls. GEORGIA HOUSE PASSES ‘RILEY GAINES ACT’ THAT AIMS TO PROHIBIT TRANS ATHLETES FROM COMPETING IN FEMALE SPORTS The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, and he is expected to sign the legislation. The measure was a priority for House Speaker Jon Burns and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, both of whom are Republicans. “The General Assembly sent a clear message—biological men are not welcome in girls’ sports or spaces here in Georgia,” Burns said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Jones said the General Assembly “made a historic step toward achieving a critical goal for this session, the protection of women’s sports,” according to the outlet. “I want to thank all of the brave women and girls who shared their personal stories and helped shape this legislation,” Jones continued. “Their courage is commendable and ensures that the rights of female athletes are preserved and protected by law. I look forward to standing with Gov. Brian Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns and female athletes with their families around the state when the ‘Riley Gaines Act of 2025’ is signed into law.” The bill is named after Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer who was put into the public spotlight when she criticized the participation of biological males in girls’ sports after she competed against Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who Gaines and other female athletes were forced to share a locker room with. CONTROVERSIAL TRANSGENDER SWIMMER LIA THOMAS VOWS TO FIGHT TRANS ATHLETE BANS AMID NATIONAL SHIFT ON ISSUE “Such a tremendous honor. There are few causes more worthy than protecting opportunities for the next generation,” Gaines wrote on X after the bill passed the Georgia House and Senate on Monday. More than 25 other states already prohibit biological males from participating in girls’ sports. The measure was passed on Transgender Day of Visibility, in which transgender people and their supporters march and hold community gatherings and rallies against legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people.
Georgia bill lowering threshold for proving intellectual disability in death penalty cases heads to Gov. Kemp
The Georgia Senate passed a bill on Monday easing the state’s strict burden of proof required for a death row inmate to be deemed intellectually disabled, which would make them ineligible for a death sentence. The Peach State currently has the highest threshold in the nation for a person to prove they have an intellectual disability, allowing them to avoid the death penalty. After a yearslong push to lessen requirements, the Senate approved H.B. 123 on Monday by a 53-1 vote. The measure now heads to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after it was unanimously approved by the House earlier this month. Georgia became the first state to outlaw the death penalty for intellectually disabled people in 1988. The U.S. Supreme Court later followed suit and ruled in 2002 that executing intellectually disabled people violates constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. GEORGIA HOUSE ADVANCES BILL TO EASE DEATH PENALTY LAW FOR INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED PEOPLE The Supreme Court allowed states to determine the threshold for a person to be considered intellectually disabled. Georgia requires proof of intellectual disability beyond a reasonable doubt, making it the only state with such a high burden of proof. H.B. 123 would lower the standard to a preponderance of evidence and amend trial procedures to ensure people facing a death sentence receive a fair chance at convincing judges and jurors of their disability. The bill would allow defendants to present evidence of intellectual disability at a pretrial hearing that would be mandatory if prosecutors agree. There would also be a separate process before the same jury for determining whether someone is guilty and has an intellectual disability. Defendants who are found to have an intellectual disability would be exempt from the death penalty and receive alternative sentences. In multiple cases in Georgia, lawyers have unsuccessfully argued that their clients had intellectual disabilities. Judges in some of these cases said they might have succeeded if the state’s rules were less strict. GEORGIA MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH SEEKS CLEMENCY ON GROUNDS OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY When the Georgia Supreme Court in 2021 upheld the death penalty for Rodney Young in a 2008 killing, the justices found he had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was intellectually disabled, but then-Presiding Justice David Nahmias wrote that he would “embrace” legislative efforts to lower the threshold. In another case, Warren Lee Hill was executed in Georgia in 2015 for killing a fellow detainee despite his lawyers arguing that he had an intellectual disability. In 2002, a judge said that if the state used a lower standard than reasonable doubt, Hill would likely have been found intellectually disabled. Willie James Pye, whose IQ was allegedly low enough to show he was intellectually disabled, was executed in 2024 after his conviction in the 1993 rape and shooting death of his former girlfriend, Alicia Lynn Yarbrough. Pye’s lawyers argued he was intellectually disabled and brain-damaged. In the House, Democratic Rep. Esther Panitch argued that executing people with intellectual disabilities is a “moral failure.” “How we protect the most vulnerable and intellectually disabled individuals facing the death penalty is the ultimate test of our collective moral character, and I submit that we must choose compassion over retribution and understanding over punishment,” Panitch said. LAWYERS FOR ‘MORBIDLY OBESE’ DEATH ROW INMATE ARGUE HIS WEIGHT COULD CAUSE BOTCHED LETHAL INJECTION District attorneys who opposed the rule change in the past have said more recently that they are fine with changing the reasonable doubt standard, but some have taken issue with a couple of procedural changes in the bill, including one that adds a pretrial hearing to determine whether someone has an intellectual disability that would be mandatory if prosecutors agree and another that establishes a separate process in a trial for determining whether someone is guilty and has an intellectual disability. Most states have these options, and lawyers say changing the reasonable doubt threshold will not stop intellectually disabled people from receiving the death penalty unless there are also procedural changes. Separate processes would allow jurors to evaluate whether someone is intellectually disabled without being influenced by the evidence of the crime the person committed, the lawyers argue. Some prosecutors allege that the bill would make it too difficult to pursue the death penalty and would prevent the practice from being carried out at all. They say that lawmakers should just ban the death penalty if that is their desire, but lawmakers have said that is not their intention. People would also have the option to receive sentences of life without parole if they are exempt from the death penalty, instead of just a life sentence. A Senate committee has also tweaked the bill so it would go into effect immediately and apply to all pending cases. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump, eyeing 3rd term, keeps attacking elite institutions – and many are caving
President Trump stirs up controversy, by design, on just about everything. And when the media, including me, cover this flood-the-zone approach, Trumpian allies rip the resulting stories and segments as reflecting an unhealthy negative obsession with the president. Memo to the pro-Trump zealots who go online and declare I hate the president, that’s objectively ridiculous. He was pleased with the two interviews I did with him during the campaign, and I was just over at the White House for a meeting with his team. But have your fun. HOW DONALD TRUMP DOMINATES THE NEWS, BOTH POSITIVELY AND NEGATIVELY You know how Trump has been kidding around about running for a third term? Well, he told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” he’s “not joking,” in an off-camera but on-the-record interview in which she had to describe his remarks. Sure it violates the 22nd Amendment, but there are workarounds, he said, adopting her suggestion that JD Vance could run in 2028 and then turn over the presidency to him. This is classic Trump – it’s a joke until it’s not. I happen to think he’s trolling the press and won’t do it – he’d be 82 – but with the Democrats in such sorry shape, who really knows? Now he undoubtedly called Welker because the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was a guest (insisting, by the way, that he does too know national security adviser Michael Waltz), and made other news. Trump said he is “pissed” at Russia for dragging its feet on a Ukraine peace deal, and IF he concludes that he may hit the Kremlin with more sanctions. This is noteworthy because he almost never criticizes Vladimir Putin – and sanctions won’t do much because of our minimal trade with Russia – but notice there’s no Trump sound bite to be replayed. Also, on American cars costing more because of his tariff war, the president said “I couldn’t care less if they raised prices because people are going to start buying American-made cars.” Imagine if Joe Biden had said that. He’d already have been impeached, with many cutting off the sound bite after the first eight words. Meanwhile, the market plummeted again yesterday over uncertainty over the tariffs that are about to take effect, and is on track for a horrible quarter. On his vow to take control of Greenland, Welker quoted Trump as saying “I never take military force off the table, but I think there’s a good possibility we could do it without military force.” That’s a relief. TRUMP TEASES RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM: ‘NOT JOKING’ I talk and write about most of the major Trump controversies – there are always ones I can’t get to because of the fire-hose approach – which is of course as he likes it. Negative coverage helps him as much as positive coverage, as I’ve been saying for the more than three decades I’ve known him, because it means he’s driving the news agenda. I mean, the guy will talk about anything. When Kid Rock insisted on bringing Bill Maher to have dinner with Trump, the president said he’d do it as a favor to Kid but: “The problem is, no matter how much he likes your Favorite President, ME, he will publicly proclaim what a terrible guy I am, etc…Who knows, though, maybe I’ll be proven wrong? It might be fun or, it might not, but you will be the first to know!” I wonder if the president’s aware of how Maher beats up on the left. Maher’s response to critics: “If two guys who’ve been at each other for so long — I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing. There was nobody who was harder on Trump…It will probably accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man, you gotta try.” COMEDIAN BILL MAHER ACCEPTS TRUMP’S WHITE HOUSE INVITATION, SPARKS DEBATE Trump has launched a series of harsh attacks against major institutions, the latest being some of the world’s biggest law firms. Skadden, Arps has agreed to provide $100 million in free services to the White House. Paul, Weiss has agreed to $40 million in pro bono work. The alternative: Getting hit with an executive order which would bar the firms from reviewing classified documents, and therefore unable to help corporate clients. And sometimes that’s because a single prosecutor who investigated Trump works or worked there. Three other large law firms have sued the administration and won an initial round in court. As for academia, Columbia University has been acting conciliatory in hopes of regaining $400 million in frozen federal funds because of its failure to crack down on anti-Semitism. Unable to work it out, the school’s interim president has resigned, with longtime television journalist Claire Shipman taking over on a temporary basis. Columbia is obviously a test case. And then there are Trump’s lawsuits against CBS, NBC and the Des Moines Register. Remember, ABC paid Trump $16 million to settle a suit about George Stephanopoulos’ comments about sexual assault. JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA The New York Times says: “An Ivy League university. Distinguished law firms with Fortune 500 clients. The highest levels of government in the nation’s largest city. “As President Trump seeks to extract concessions from elite institutions and punish his perceived enemies, some of New York’s most powerful people are suddenly confronting excruciating decisions. “The hard choices they face seem almost to be pulled from the pages of a college ethics textbook.” Politico co-founder John Harris, with his staff, conjured up a great phrase on the reaction to these aggressive moves by Trump: the “Great Grovel.” “One after another, a parade of the wealthiest and most elite institutions in American life since last November have found themselves confronted by unprecedented demands from President Donald Trump and his team of retribution-seekers. “One after another, these establishment pillars have met these demands with the same response: capitulation and compliance.” SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A
Trump admin withholds millions from Planned Parenthood for civil rights and executive order violations: report
President Donald Trump‘s administration told several Planned Parenthood affiliates on Monday that it was withholding funding due to possible violations of civil rights laws, according to reports. Politico reported that tens of millions of dollars were being withheld from Planned Parenthood clinics that provide low-income Americans services like contraception, STI testing and other health services. On Monday, nine state affiliates of Planned Parenthood that receive money from the federal government through Title X, a family planning program, got notices saying their funding was being “temporarily withheld.” The publication said that the letter, which was provided by Planned Parenthood, pointed toward “possible violations” of Trump’s executive orders – like the banning of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs – and federal civil rights laws. PLANNED PARENTHOOD APPEARS TO SCRUB INSTAGRAM AS FEARS OF DOGE CUTS LOOM Another policy by Trump that the family planning program allegedly violated had to do with “taxpayer subsidization of open borders.” The Planned Parenthood chapters that received the letters were mostly in GOP-controlled states, the publication noted. The administration also pointed to evidence of violations by citing the mission statement from the clinic, as well as other documents that stress a “commitment to black communities.” The deputy director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Public Affairs, Amy Margolis, reportedly argued that those materials “paint a picture of Planned Parenthood” suggesting it is “engaged, across its affiliates, in widespread practices across hiring, operations, and patient treatment that unavoidably employ race in a negative manner.” FEDS GAVE $700M TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD DURING YEAR OF RECORD ABORTIONS The letter also accuses Planned Parenthood of encouraging illegal aliens to receive care. Planned Parenthood has 10 days to respond to the letter and provide evidence it plans to comply with the president’s executive orders. Once provided, the administration will determine whether to suspend or terminate the grants. Planned Parenthood and HHS did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on the matter. In a social media post, Planned Parenthood wrote, “When we say, ‘Care no matter what,’ we mean it. Planned Parenthood health centers’ doors are open to everyone. Period. We’ve fought to protect your care for decades and won’t stop now.” In another post, Planned Parenthood directed its supporters to its website to submit a letter to Congress regarding the funding. NEW REPORT EXPOSES BOTCHED PROCEDURES, POOR CONDITIONS AT PLANNED PARENTHOOD ABORTION CLINICS “The Trump admin withholding Title X funds further strips health care from people across this country,” the post read. “We know what happens when Title X funding is taken away: cancer goes undetected, birth control access is severely reduced, and the STI crisis worsens. People will suffer.” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon reportedly told Politico that payments to 16 Title X providers were being withheld, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates. The reasoning behind the withholding, Nixon explained, is “to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.” He further noted that out of Title X’s over $200 million budget, $27.5 million was frozen and under review.
Federal judge postpones DHS’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans
A U.S. District judge in San Francisco, California, on Monday granted a motion to postpone the Trump administration’s attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals, which was granted under a program implemented by the Biden administration. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced actions three days after being sworn into her role to strip nearly 350,000 Venezuelan nationals of their protection under the TPS program, which allows them to live and work temporarily in the U.S. By stripping the Venezuelans of their TPS status, the court said Noem is subjecting them to “possible imminent deportation” back to their country, which the State Department has categorized as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” country because of the “high risk of wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, [and] poor health infrastructure.” The action would reverse the Biden administration’s efforts to extend temporary protections of Venezuelan nations that have been in place since 2021. TRUMP ADMIN PULLING LEGAL STATUS FOR MORE THAN 530K MIGRANTS U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of the San Francisco Federal Court granted a postponement of Noem’s order on Monday, saying, “The Court finds that the Secretary’s action threatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States.” Chen also said the government has failed to identify “any real countervailing harm” in continuing TPS for Venezuelan beneficiaries. “Plaintiffs have also shown they will likely succeed in demonstrating that the actions taken by the Secretary are unauthorized by law, arbitrary and capricious, and motivated by unconstitutional animus,” Chen wrote. “For these reasons, the Court grants Plaintiffs’ request to postpone the challenged actions pending final adjudication of the merits of this case.” DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment on the decision. The National TPS Alliance – an organization representing individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S. – and individuals from Venezuela who have TPS challenged the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS for Venezuelans in the U.S., argue that Noem’s action was unlawful and motivated by racial bias. Venezuelan migrants were allowed to fly directly to the U.S. after applying from abroad under a policy started during the Biden administration that was designed to open legal migration pathways, but President Donald Trump suspended the program when he returned to office in January. JUDGE GIVES MAHMOUD KHALIL LEGAL TEAM MORE TIME TO REVIEW IMMIGRATION CASE The Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela program, CHNV, allowed migrants and their immediate family members to fly into the U.S. if they had American sponsors. They could then remain in the country for two years under a temporary immigration status known as parole. The program first applied to Venezuelans before it was expanded to additional countries. Trump’s efforts to remove legal and illegal migrants from the U.S. since taking office in January as part of his immigration agenda have faced numerous legal obstacles. The Trump administration is also reportedly dismantling internal watchdogs for DHS, including its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which investigated allegations of abuse and discrimination within immigration enforcement, according to Bloomberg News. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion contributed to this report.
DHS ending participation in naturalization ceremonies in sanctuary jurisdictions
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer participate in naturalization ceremonies in state, county, and city venues in localities that have adopted sanctuary policies, which limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Leadership at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) told employees at every field office in a Monday email that the agency will no longer participate in such events. “USCIS will not participate with these state/local entities for administrative ceremonies and instead will host the ceremonies at our offices, privately-owned venues, or other federally owned/operated spaces,” the directive states. “If an entity located in a sanctuary city requests to host a ceremony, we request that you politely decline the invitation.” BLUE STATE SANCTUARY LAWS ENABLED ILLEGAL ‘ABOLISH ICE’ ACTIVIST TO EVADE CAPTURE, SAYS LOCAL DA For example, if the city of Los Angeles wanted to host a naturalization ceremony at a library, museum or school, USCIS would not participate, meaning the event couldn’t be held. The ceremonies are the final step towards becoming a U.S. citizen, and is where the Oath of Allegiance is taken. A senior DHS official told Fox News that sanctuary policies put the public and law enforcement at risk. “Sanctuary policies are an insult to our Constitution, they endanger all levels of law enforcement, and they leave law-abiding American citizens around the country at the mercy of violent and dangerous criminal aliens,” the officials said. “America still welcomes those who come here legally and complete the naturalization process, USCIS will simply do those at locations where the rule of law is still respected.” The change won’t affect someone’s chance of becoming a naturalized American citizen, USCIS said. BLUE STATE LEADER SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT ‘PERFECT STORM’ OF DEM IMMIGRATION POLICIES DECIMATING PUBLIC SAFETY The Trump administration has targeted sanctuary cities as it presses ahead with its mass deportation efforts. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but seeks state and local help, often requesting assistance from local police and sheriffs to alert them to those ordered to be deported. The agency often asks local authorities to hold criminal illegal immigrants until federal officers take custody of the suspects. However, some jurisdictions ignore the requests and release the illegal immigrants back onto the streets. The Trump administration has suggested cutting federal funding to cities that adopt sanctuary policies, in an effort to wield the money as a tool against jurisdictions that get in the way of deportation efforts.
Trump: ‘We’ll never stop looking’ for American journalist kidnapped in Syria, Austin Tice
President Donald Trump said that the U.S. would continue to search for Austin Tice, an American journalist who disappeared in Syria in 2012. Tice, who previously served as a captain in the Marine Corps and was a student at Georgetown University Law Center, started working as an independent journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post and other outlets in Syria in May 2012 before jihadist militants seized him near Damascus. Trump said that although there has been “virtually no sign” of Tice, his administration would continue to try to secure Tice’s release. “Until we find out something definitive, one way or the other, we’ll never stop looking,” Trump told reporters Monday. “But we have been, and the response – it’s just a lot of dead ends. It’s been done for a long time. The problem is, there’s never been a sighting.” AUSTIN TICE: FBI RENEWS PUSH TO FIND KIDNAPPED AMERICAN JOURNALIST IN SYRIA Trump’s comments come after Tice’s mother, Debra, told reporters at the National Press Club in December that they’d received information suggesting that her son was still alive. “We have from a significant source that has been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive,” his mother Debra Tice said Dec. 6. She later met with former President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, at the White House to discuss her son’s wrongful detainment. Meanwhile, rebels also overthrew Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime in December, prompting the FBI to issue a statement reiterating its push from April 2018 for more information that could lead to Tice’s release. “Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement in December. AUSTIN TICE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN JOURNALIST MISSING IN SYRIA “The FBI and our government partners remain committed to bringing Austin home to his family, and we are still offering a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads to Austin’s safe return,” the FBI said. Both Trump’s first administration and Biden’s administration have launched efforts to advance the release of Tice. Biden urged the Syrian government to release Tice in 2020, and said the U.S. knew “with certainty” that the Syrian regime was holding him hostage. Syria has publicly denied it has detained Tice. There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February through efforts by the Trump administration. Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Stephany Price contributed to this report.
Hawley officially a yes on Dr. Oz after securing commitments on transgender, abortion issues
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) nominee, Dr. Mehmet Oz, after securing commitments from him regarding transgender treatments for minors and abortion. “On this basis, I will vote to confirm him. Now that I am confident that he has moved away from his previous positions, and he’s moved into alignment with the president, I feel comfortable voting for him,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview on Monday. The senator revealed that Oz responded to his inquiries and disavowed his past stances on transgender treatments for minors and abortion in a series of posts on X earlier in the day. ‘BLINDSIDED’: HOW STEFANIK’S TRUMP NOMINATION AS UN AMBASSADOR IMPLODED “Dr. Oz has responded to my questions re: past support for trans treatments for minors & his criticism of right to life. Oz now disavows his previous support for trans surgeries & drugs for minor children. He pledges to ‘end chemical and surgical mutilation of children,’” Hawley wrote on X on Monday. “He also walks back past criticism of state pro-life laws, says he supports the Dobbs decision, and is ‘unequivocally pro-life.’ He vows to enforce conscience protections, end the abuse of [the Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act], and work to end funding for abortion providers,” he continued. “This was really a big shift of position for him,” he explained, adding that he was “delighted” by Oz’s responses. “When it comes to the [transgender] issue and the life issue, those are non-negotiable for me, just as I believe they are for the president,” the Missouri Republican explained. “I want to know that these people are 100% clear.” HOW TRUMP-BLOCKING JUDGES MANAGED TO GET PAST SENATE JUDICIARY HAWKS “Every member of the Trump administration is working from the same playbook, President Trump’s playbook, to restore commonsense policies and put an end to left-wing ideological nonsense afflicting our government,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We look forward to the Senate’s swift confirmation of Dr. Oz so he can join the rest of our all-star team at HHS working to Make America Healthy Again by restoring common sense, transparency, and confidence in our healthcare apparatus.” Earlier in the month, Hawley sent Oz a list of questions, specifically probing him on those issues. As of last week, Hawley said the nominee hadn’t responded, which the senator called “strange.” Oz previously used his television show as a platform for people who supported and promoted transgender treatments, particularly for minors. Specifically, he hosted two transgender children on his show in 2010 in a segment titled, “Transgender Kids: Too Young to Decide?” He also expressed concerns about state laws to limit abortion during a 2019 interview on the popular radio show “The Breakfast Club.” It’s “a hard issue for everybody,” he said at the time. And while on “a personal level,” Oz didn’t like abortion, he also believed he should not “interfere with everyone else’s stuff,” he said. JOSH HAWLEY BELIEVES HIS BILL CAN STOP ‘RESISTANCE’ JUDGES FROM ‘PROVOKING A CRISIS’ Oz also opposed government jurisdiction on the subject of abortion when he ran for Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2022. “I don’t want the federal government involved with that at all,” he claimed during a debate with now-Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive, to put the best ideas forward, so states can decide for themselves.” Hawley’s commitments from Oz are just the latest he’s received from Trump nominees as he considers them for confirmation. He previously got assurances from now-Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the same issues. REPUBLICANS LOOK TO ABOLISH TSA IN FAVOR OF PRIVATE SECURITY AT AIRPORTS When it came to now-leader of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Marty Makary, Hawley led a successful campaign to secure the resignation of a top lawyer with the FDA who previously argued in favor of abortion pill access in a high-profile case while in former President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ). “I just view my role for those I have to vote on — I want to know that these people are going to align with the president,” Hawley said, noting that he believes Trump has “moved really fast [and] really strong” on the issues.
Trump admin reviewing billions in government contracts, grants for Harvard amid antisemitism allegations
The Department of Education recently announced a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts and government-funded grants at Harvard University, which is part of an investigation to eliminate antisemitism on campuses. The efforts, on behalf of the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, are being launched in accordance with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Its primary goal is to “eliminat[e] anti-Semitic [sic] harassment on college campuses,” which has proliferated amid the Israel-Hamas war and pro-Palestinian protests at universities. In a press release on Monday, the Department of Education said that over $255.6 million in contracts between Harvard, its affiliates and the federal government will be reviewed, plus nearly $9 billion worth of grants. “The review also includes the more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities,” the agency described. TRUMP ANNOUNCES PLAN TO CHOP DOWN MAGNOLIA TREE PURPORTEDLY PLANTED BY ANDREW JACKSON: ‘MUST COME TO AN END’ “Any institution found to be in violation of federal compliance standards may face administrative actions, including contract termination.” In a statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said that Harvard’s reputation was “in serious jeopardy” over the prevalence of antisemitism on campus. “Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations — the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” McMahon’s statement read. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic [sic] discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.” TRUMP NOMINATES SUSAN MONAREZ TO BECOME THE NEXT CDC DIRECTOR, SAYS AMERICANS ‘LOST CONFIDENCE’ IN AGENCY “Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus.” The latest move comes nearly a month after the Trump administration announced it would rescind more than $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University. “Since Oct. 7, Jewish students have faced relentless violence, intimidation, and antisemitic harassment on their campuses — only to be ignored by those who are supposed to protect them,” McMahon said at the time. “Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding.” Fox News Digital reached out to Harvard for comment.
Trump quips he’d ‘love’ to run against Obama in hypothetical third-term presidency
President Donald Trump said he would “love” to run against former President Barack Obama in a hypothetical third-term run for the presidency that he has floated in recent days. “I know it’s hypothetical right now, but if you were allowed for some reason to run for a third term, is there a thought that the Democrats could try to run Barack Obama against you?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump on Monday evening from the Oval Office. “I’d love that,” Trump responded. “I’d love that …. That would be a good one. I’d like that. And no, people are asking me to run, and there’s a whole story about running for a third term. I don’t know, I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that.” Trump said that he has not looked into the potential legal avenues of running for a third presidency, saying he has nearly four years left of his term and is focused on doing a “fantastic job.” TRUMP TEASES RUNNING FOR A THIRD TERM: ‘NOT JOKING’ The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, prevents presidents from serving more than two terms. The amendment was ratified after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as president for four terms. LAWMAKER UNVEILS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO GIVE TRUMP THIRD TERM Roosevelt died during his fourth term and Vice President Harry Truman assumed the presidency. FDR is the only president in the nation’s history who has been elected and served more than two terms, which was largely due to the political and economic climate at home and abroad, with his presidency unfolding amid the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. TRUMP UNLOADS ON JUDGE BOASBERG, ‘RADICAL LEFT JUDGES’ FOR HALTING DEPORTATIONS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL ALIENS Trump teased he might run for a third term in an interview with NBC News on Sunday, saying he is “not joking” about making another run for the Oval Office and enjoys working. ‘PEOPLE LOVE THE JOB THIS PRESIDENT IS DOING’: KAROLINE LEAVITT RESPONDS TO BUZZ ABOUT POTENTIAL TRUMP THIRD TERM “There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said when asked about how he could go about running for a third term. NBC News floated a possible method during the interview where Vice President JD Vance could run for the presidency, win and pass the torch to Trump. The president said such a scenario is one of the methods he could use to serve a third term. “It is far too early to think about it,” he added of another potential run.