Arizona governor vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate, sparking GOP outrage: ‘This bill falls short’
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, a move Republicans are blasting as a stunning act of partisanship after his assassination. Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at a Sept. 10 Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, lived in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and two children. The proposed specialty plate, referred to as the “Charlie Kirk memorial” plate or the “Conservative grassroots network special plate,” featured a photo of the late Kirk and the TPUSA logo in front of an American flag background. Below the license plate number were the words “FOR CHARLIE.” STATE DEPARTMENT REVOKES SIX VISAS OVER OFFENSIVE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION COMMENTS Of the $25 fee required for the plate, $17 would be an annual donation deposited into the Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund, according to the legislation. While the recipient of the Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund was not explicitly designated as TPUSA in the bill, it noted the director of the fund would allocate revenue annually to a nonprofit organization, founded in 2012, that focuses on restoring traditional values, maintaining a grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses in Arizona, and assisting college students with voter registration and absentee ballots. TPUSA, founded by Kirk in 2012, is well known for its grassroots activist networks on high school and college campuses. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The $25 fee and annual $17 donation are consistent with the fees for the other 109 nonprofit license plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). ‘WE ARE NOT AFRAID’: ERIKA KIRK VOWS TPUSA WILL CONTINUE CAMPUS DEBATES NATIONWIDE The state Senate passed the bill, 16-2, with the House of Representatives voting 31-23 in favor prior to Hobbs’ veto. Specialty plates in Arizona are authorized by the legislature and sent to the governor to be signed into law. They have been offered since 1989. In a letter explaining the veto, Hobbs cited concerns with the bill “bring[ing] people together,” claiming it would “insert politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan.” ERIKA KIRK BATTLES FOR CAMERAS IN COURTROOM WHILE EXPANDING TPUSA CHAPTERS IN NEW STATE PARTNERSHIP “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” Hobbs wrote. “In America, we resolve our political differences at the ballot box. No matter who it targets, political violence puts us all in harm’s way and damages our sacred democratic institutions. “I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard.” Specialty license plates with political interests already approved by the state include the “Choose Life” Plate, which benefits the Arizona Life Coalition and its mission to promote anti-abortion advocacy and education; the “In God We Trust” Plate, which benefits conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom; and the Arizona Realtors’ “Homes for All” Plate, which funds affordable housing projects. DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECRIES ‘DEHUMANIZING’ ATTACK AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA Another approved plate, “Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Plate,” which benefits Solid Rock Teen Centers, features a portrait of the legendary musician, who has made political comments about social issues including gender identity. Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who sponsored the bill, posted a fiery statement on social media after the governor’s action, claiming her “grotesque partisanship knows no bounds.” “Even in the wake of a global civil rights leader — an Arizona resident and her own constituent — being assassinated in broad daylight for his defense of the First Amendment, Hobbs couldn’t find the human decency to put her far-Left extremism aside simply to allow those how wish to honor him to do so,” Hoffman wrote. “Katie Hobbs will forever be known as a stain on the pages of Arizona’s story.” On Saturday, TPUSA COO Tyler Bowyer shared an X post that said, “Deport Katie Hobbs.” TPUSA, Bowyer and Hobbs’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
NYC Mayor Mamdani’s wife liked social media post calling Oct 7 sexual violence investigation a ‘hoax’: report
The wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed scrutiny after a report that she liked a social media post dismissing an investigation into sexual violence committed during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack in Israel as a “mass rape” hoax. Rama Duwaji allegedly liked a February 2024 Instagram post claiming The New York Times’ investigation into sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack was “fabricated,” according to The Free Press. The report adds to a series of controversial social media interactions by Duwaji that have surfaced in recent days. Duwaji, a Houston-born illustrator who identifies as Syrian and married Mamdani in early 2025, also liked several posts in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack that appeared critical of Israel, Jewish Insider first reported. ISRAEL ACCUSES MAMDANI OF POURING ‘ANTISEMITIC GASOLINE’ AFTER HE REVOKES ADAMS EXECUTIVE ORDERS One post — shared the day of the attack by the Instagram account “The Slow Factory” — featured an image of a bulldozer breaching a barrier separating Israel from Gaza and people riding on top of a captured Israeli Defense Force (IDF) vehicle. Text over the images said, “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation” and “Resisting apartheid since 1948,” along with the slogan, “Systemic change for collective liberation.” As of Saturday, Duwaji’s like on that post remained publicly visible. Additional posts she engaged with were shared by the Instagram account The People’s Forum and included promotion of anti-Israel protests, calls to cut U.S. aid to Israel and activist organizing efforts. MAMDANI’S NYC HEALTH DEPARTMENT STAFFERS REPORTEDLY STUDYING EFFECTS OF ‘GLOBAL OPPRESSION’ ON HEALTH One post Duwaji liked included the slogan “from the river to the sea,” which Jewish Insider noted is “often understood as calling for the total elimination of Israel from the lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.” A City Hall spokesperson told Jewish Insider that “Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.” When asked about his wife’s social media activity during a news conference on Friday, Mamdani described Duwaji as “a private person.” JEWISH SAFETY IN NEW YORK DEPENDS ON CLEAR LINES AND MORAL COURAGE FROM MAMDANI “My wife is the love of my life, and she’s also a private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall,” Mamdani said. “I, however, was elected to represent all 8.5 million people in the city, and I believe that it’s my responsibility, because of that role, to answer any questions about my thoughts and my policies and my decisions.” Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital’s Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.
Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster
During the Shield of the Americas summit in Florida Saturday, outgoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem thanked President Donald Trump for appointing her to a newly created role after she was ousted from overseeing the agency. Noem, who is moving to the newly created position of special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, showed no ill feelings toward the president and said she was proud of her work at DHS, arguing the department had secured the border and eliminated public safety threats. “I do want to thank the president for creating this and for giving me the honor and the opportunity to serve as a special envoy to this region, to the Western Hemisphere,” Noem said during the summit at Trump National Doral outside Miami. “This Shield of the Americas will be a powerful example to the rest of the world about what’s possible.” FETTERMAN BACKS TRUMP’S DHS PICK MULLIN AS ‘NICE UPGRADE’ IN BREAK WITH DEMOCRATS Trump announced this week that Noem would shift into the new role after cutting short her tenure at DHS. Noem was removed as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over leadership missteps, including an ad campaign she claimed the president had signed off on. Noem framed the initiative as an effort to expand border security cooperation beyond the United States. “The way that we cooperate on our shared ideals of freedom and of democracy and safety and security will be a shining light to all of those who wish to be more like all of us,” she said. WHAT’S NEXT FOR KRISTI NOEM? 2026 SENATE CHATTER GROWS AFTER DHS EXIT Noem, who previously served in Congress and as South Dakota governor before leading DHS, defended her record overseeing immigration enforcement during the past year. “In the last year, as secretary of Homeland Security, we have focused on securing our border,” she said. “We have transformed our country from one that was being invaded by enemies, millions of them that were coming in unvetted, that we didn’t know who was there and who wished to harm us. “We’ve secured that border,” she continued. “We’ve focused on removing public safety threats, and over 3 million people have been deported or removed from our country in the last year.” Noem argued that stronger border enforcement has allowed the administration to pivot toward economic and diplomatic engagement with neighboring nations. “Secure borders has changed everything for our country,” she said. “Now that America is secure, and our borders are secure, we want to focus on our neighbors and to help our neighbors with their borders and challenges that they have so that they may have the security that we enjoy.” Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to the newly created envoy role. Members of Trump’s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attended Saturday’s summit. Leaders from other nations included Argentina’s Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele Ortez, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, Panama’s José Raúl Mulino Quintero, Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chile’s José Antonio Kast, the Dominican Republic’s Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona, Ecuador’s Daniel Roy Gilchrist Noboa Azín, Guyana’s Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Honduras’ Nasry “Tito” Asfura and Paraguay’s Santiago Peña. Notably missing were the leaders of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
PALM BEACH, FLA – British opposition leader Nigel Farage is taking aim at his country’s prime minister for not supporting the U.S. in its military strikes against Iran. “I think not to support America when it asks for support is a pretty extraordinary thing to have done.,” Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Fox News Digital. President Donald Trump has blasted Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking the U.S. from using British military bases, specifically Diego Garcia — a strategic base located on an Indian Ocean island — for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer later permitted the use of the bases for “defensive strikes” after Trump’s complaints. Starmer hasn’t spoken to Trump since they connected on a call last weekend, after the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes on Iran. The British prime minister has made clear his country would not be joining the U.S. in attacking Iran, emphasizing he didn’t believe in “regime change from the skies.” HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACK ON IRAN Trump, taking a jab at Starmer, said earlier this week, “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.” Farage criticized Starmer for not changing his stance, “even now, despite the fact that we’ve got an RAF base in Cyprus that’s been under attack, we’ve got allies of ours in the Gulf that are under attack.” “I think there’s been less than wholehearted support has come for the Americans in this endeavor. And I think the British Prime Minister on the world stage, he’s upset the Americans,” Farage said. “He’s upset the Cypriots. He’s upset the Gulf states. And he’s pretty friendless at the moment.” THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA: REPUBLICAN SENATORS WEIGH IN ON IRAN ATTACK Farage, who seven years ago founded the populist Brexit Party, which later transformed into the Reform UK party, was interviewed ahead of an appearance at an annual economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent political group that pushes for fiscal responsibility. Starmer has been feeling Trump’s wrath not only for their differences over the attack on Iran, but also over the British deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where Diego Garcia is located, to Mauritius. Starmer has argued his lease-back deal is the only way to secure the British-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. Farage, who has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, told Fox News Digital that “outside of America itself,” Diego Garcia “is the most important base you’ve got in the whole world. Now it’s there as part of British sovereignty. We have a treaty between us that goes back to 1966 and Keir Starmer is on the verge of giving away the sovereignty of the Chagos islands and Diego Garcia to Mauritius.” “If Trump initially had problems with the Brits over using the base, just think what it will be like with the heavily Chinese-influenced Mauritians. They already have said they believe that America should not have struck Iran, that it was against international law, then are calling for a ceasefire,” Farage said. NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES, SAYS KEY ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’ Farage, who said his opposition to the deal was a key factor in his weekend trip to the U.S., said, “I would just urge the president, this administration, stay firm. Tell the British government you will not accept giving away of sovereignty to Mauritius, and let’s ensure a future for Diego Garcia. I think it’s really important.” Farage, who’s hoping to become Britain’s next prime minister, argued that Starmer’s relationship with Trump is beyond repair. “I think the personal relationship between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump has gone. I mean, Trump can be forgiving, but, you know, that would take a long time. So I think that breakdown is there,” he said. But as for the longstanding bonds between the two countries, known as the ‘special relationship,’ Farage was more optimistic. “The special relationship went through bad times in the past. We had a massive fallout 70 years ago over Suez, but we got back together again. I’m convinced it can, and it will, be mended,” he predicted.
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the “hatred” between Russia and Ukraine is getting in the way of reaching a peace deal in that conflict, where the death toll is getting worse. Trump, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral, Fla., told world leaders assembled there that, “The hatred between Putin and his counterpart is so great.” “It’s so great that, you know, Ukraine, Russia, you’d think there would be a little bit of camaraderie, [but] there’s not. And the hatred is so great. It’s very hard for them to get there. It’s very, very hard to get there. So we’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “But we’ve been close a lot of times and one or the other would back out.” “But we’re losing, you know, they’re losing, you know, doesn’t really affect us very much because we’ve got an ocean separating. I’m doing it as a favor to Europe, and I’m doing it as a favor to life because they’re losing 25,000 souls,” Trump added. “Think of that every month. 25,000. Last month, 31,000. Both sides, 31,000 people died, mostly soldiers.” UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY: RUSSIA TRYING ‘TO PLAY’ GAME WITH TRUMP, STALL PEACE TALKS Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News in late February that Russia is trying “to play with the president of the United States” and stalling U.S.-brokered efforts to end the war. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to freeze the conflict along its current lines, proposing a ceasefire followed by negotiations. But he said he would not accept a Russian demand for Ukraine to surrender territory the Russian army has not been able to capture in four years of fighting. RUSSIA LOSING ‘MASSIVE’ 25,000 TROOPS MONTHLY IN UKRAINE AS WAR GRINDS ON, NATO CHIEF SAYS NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in January that Russia is losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops each month in its war against Ukraine as fighting drags on into a fourth year. Rutte told the Renew Europe Global Europe Forum in Brussels at the time that the staggering number of casualties reflects the intensity of Ukraine’s defense but warned that Russia remains NATO’s most significant long-term threat. Fox News’ Simon Owen, Greg Palkot and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
President Donald Trump declared Saturday that the U.S. is “taking out tremendous amounts of oil” from Venezuela while vowing to “take care” of Cuba’s regime following America’s focus on Iran. The president, speaking at the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida, prefaced his remarks by saying that since the January operation to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the administration has “been working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez,” and, “she’s doing a great job working with us.” “And we’re taking out tremendous amounts of oil. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made, ever made. We have the big oil companies in. They are making more money, we’re getting some,” Trump said. “They’re getting a lot. They’re making more money now than they’ve ever made in the history of their country.” “And I’m pleased to say that this week we have formally recognized the Venezuelan government. We’ve actually legally recognized them. We have also just reached a historic gold deal that’s called the gold deal with Venezuela, to allow our two countries to work together to facilitate the sale of Venezuelan gold and other minerals,” Trump continued, describing a license issued by the Treasury Department Friday that prohibits people and companies from Iran, North Korea, Russia and Cuba from doing business with Minerven – Venezuela’s state-owned gold mining company – among other measures. US RESTORES DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH VENEZUELA AMID PUSH FOR DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION “As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we’re also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba. Cuba’s at the end of the line,” Trump also said. “They’re very much at the end of the line. They have no money, they have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time. And they used to get the money from Venezuela. They get the oil from Venezuela, but they don’t have any money from Venezuela. They don’t have any oil,” Trump added. Trump in January had declared a national emergency via an executive order over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups while moving to punish countries that supply the island nation with oil. MILLONS LOSE POWER ACROSS CUBA AS TRUMP SANCTIONS CONTINUE TO FUEL ONGOING ENERGY CRISIS Trump said Saturday that Cuba is “negotiating with [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others. And I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba.” “But Cuba is in its last moments of life as it was. It’ll have a great new life, but it’s in its last moments of life, the way it is,” the president added. The State Department described the Shield of the Americas Summit in Doral as a gathering of the “strongest likeminded allies in our hemisphere to promote freedom, security, and prosperity in our region.” Trump said America’s “focus right now is on Iran,” but “many of you have come today, and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba because you’ve had problems with Cuba, right? You mentioned.” “I was surprised, but, four of you said, actually, ‘could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, okay?” Trump said, garnering applause. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
GOP senators say Trump’s strikes ‘significantly degraded’ Iran but emphasize attacks not ‘forever wars’
PALM BEACH, FLA. – One week into the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, two Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee say the military operation has “degraded” Tehran’s ability to strike back. But in exclusive interviews with Fox News Digital, Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Budd of North Carolina emphasized that the fighting will not lead to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” in the volatile Middle East. “Our military is doing a great job,” Scott said. And pointing to Iran, he said, “They want to destroy America. We’ve got to stop them.” Budd highlighted that “we have significantly degraded Iran’s ability to shoot back at us… their capacities are degraded. We’ve had great success.” CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS LIVE UPDATES ON THE ATTACKS ON IRAN Budd and Scott were interviewed as they attended an economic conference in Florida hosted by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically potent conservative group that pushes for fiscal responsibility. President Donald Trump, who called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” said on Saturday that Tehran will be “hit very hard” and warned the U.S. is considering “areas and groups” not previously considered to target. Over the past week, “Operation Epic Fury” has widened in scope as Iran has retaliated against a growing number of nations in the region. This week, the Republican-controlled House and Senate, in separate votes nearly entirely along party lines, rejected moves by Democrats to restrict the president’s ability to steer the fighting. WHAT COULD COME NEXT IN THE ATTACKS ON IRAN The president said on Thursday, in an interview with Axios, that he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next leader. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the initial strikes against Iran a week ago. And there are concerns among many on the right that the strikes against Iran could lead to prolonged American military involvement in the region, which Trump has repeatedly campaigned against during his three runs for the presidency. “Trump doesn’t want to be in forever wars. Every time I’ve talked to him, he doesn’t want that,” Scott said. “But I think what we do want to make sure we don’t have another Ayatollah that wants to… chant Death to America and death to our allies and try to destroy us.” Budd added that “we’re not up for forever wars. We want to get in, get this thing done, get out and have peace for our country and the rest of the region.” The latest Fox News national poll indicated that American voters are divided on the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk. Sixty-one percent of those questioned viewed Iran as a danger to the U.S., according to the survey conducted Feb. 28-March 2. But that concern did not translate into majority support for the current U.S. military action, as 50% approved and 50% disapproved. Support for the attacks was lower in national polling from other news organizations. But the Fox News poll and the other surveys indicated widespread support among Republicans. “Trump’s doing the right thing. He’s saving American lives by making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon or ballistic missile. So he’s doing the right thing,” Scott emphasized. Budd added, “I’m very excited [about] what President Trump’s done… The goal is American prosperity and American safety, and that’s what President Trump wants.” Oil prices have shot up since the start of the fighting, instantly resulting in higher costs for gasoline across America. That’s a major concern for Republicans as they aim to keep control of the House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections. “Hopefully it’s all going to be short term. Hopefully… the demolition of the Iranian military will happen quickly and actually will get lower oil prices,” Scott said. Budd acknowledged that “we are going to have some short-term disruptions.” But the senator was optimistic that “very soon we’ll have gas prices much cheaper than ever before. We were already on that pathway. President Trump is all about stability. He’s all about the price of oil.”
Tech company at odds with Pentagon warns its AI possibly gained consciousness, Elon Musk gives 2-word response
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave a two-word retort after Anthropic leader Dario Amodei claimed in an interview that he isn’t sure if his company’s AI models have gained consciousness. “Anthropic CEO says Claude may or may not have gained consciousness, as the model has begun showing symptoms of anxiety,” read a post on X by cryptocurrency-based prediction market Polymarket, to which Musk replied, “He’s projecting.” The comment from Musk, who is also the founder of xAI, comes as Anthropic is at odds with the Pentagon over its use in a separate matter. In an interview with The New York Times, Amodei, when asked about AI and consciousness, said, “We’ve taken a generally precautionary approach here,” and, “We don’t know if the models are conscious.” TOP AI FIRM ALLEGES CHINESE LABS USED 24K FAKE ACCOUNTS TO SIPHON US TECH “We are not even sure that we know what it would mean for a model to be conscious or whether a model can be conscious. But we’re open to the idea that it could be,” he continued. “We’re putting a lot of work into this field called interpretability, which is looking inside the brains of the models to try to understand what they’re thinking. And you find things that are evocative, where there are activations that light up in the models that we see as being associated with the concept of anxiety or something like that. When characters experience anxiety in the text, and then when the model itself is in a situation that a human might associate with anxiety, that same anxiety neuron shows up,” Amodei also told the Times. The interview comes as the Trump administration is moving federal agencies away from Anthropic after the tech company pushed back against the War Department’s usage of its tools. The Pentagon has called for Anthropic to allow the Department of War to utilize the company’s artificial intelligence product for “all lawful purposes,” but Amodei has suggested the government could potentially use their product for “mass domestic surveillance” or “fully autonomous weapons,” and that the company would not be willing to allow such use cases. PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH President Donald Trump said last Friday, “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY.” “Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels,” Trump added on Truth Social. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth later wrote on X, “In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.” Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
California Gov. Gavin Newsom ripped outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over her controversial ad campaign and demanded the agency immediately release more than $500 million in stalled FEMA funding for Los Angeles wildfire recovery. Newsom, in a statement, labeled Noem “Kosplay Barbie” and accused her of prioritizing a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad campaign featuring herself over disaster relief for fire-ravaged communities. “While Kristi Noem poured $220 million of taxpayer money into a political ad campaign featuring herself on horseback, more than $500 million in FEMA funding for LA fire recovery sat stalled on her desk,” Newsom said in a statement alongside a still photo of Noem riding a horse from the widely publicized ad. “Families in Los Angeles shouldn’t have to wait while she and Donald Trump play politics. Release the funding now and redirect those dollars to help communities rebuild.” TRUMP BYPASSES CALIFORNIA ‘NIGHTMARE’ BUREAUCRACY TO UNLOCK $3.2B FOR WILDFIRE SURVIVORS The Los Angeles wildfires burned for weeks in early 2025, destroying thousands of homes across areas including Pacific Palisades and Altadena and causing tens of billions of dollars in estimated damage. Newsom’s office said DHS under Noem required her personal sign-off on every department contract, grant or disaster award exceeding $100,000, including FEMA public assistance and hazard mitigation grants. The governor said the policy created a backlog of awards that had already been vetted, awaiting final approval. According to Newsom’s office, more than $500 million tied to Los Angeles fire recovery remains stalled, along with roughly $94 million in hazard mitigation funding for the region. Those funds typically support rebuilding schools, repairing roads and strengthening infrastructure against future disasters. KRISTI NOEM’S FIRING FAILS TO SWAY DEMOCRATS AS DHS SHUTDOWN DRAGS ON The delays are affecting rebuilding efforts in canyon and foothill neighborhoods, including areas above Pasadena and Altadena, where damaged park facilities, fenced-off trailheads and temporary road repairs remain in place while local agencies await federal reimbursement, his office said. President Donald Trump cut short Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil and named her “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position. Noem was removed as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over alleged leadership missteps, including the ad campaign, which she said the president had signed off on. Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to the newly created envoy role, which the president said he will detail this weekend. Fox News’ Charles Creitz and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Vocal anti-Trump Dem reveals which industry is trying to oust him from House seat: ‘I was a target’
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who has repeatedly tried to impeach President Trump and has been thrown out of Trump’s State of the Union addresses multiple times, spoke on camera with Fox News Digital about the results of his recent primary election that resulted in a runoff. Green cited $1.5 million in spending against his campaign by the crypto-industry as a major driver behind the closeness of his race. “They made it clear that I was a target, and they had a fake poll that showed that they were going to win by some large margin. I think, actually, they called a victory party last night assuming that it was over. Of course, I and others knew that it would be a runoff,” Green said the day after his primary this past week. HOUSE GOP MOVES TO CENSURE DEM WHO DISRUPTED TRUMP ADDRESS FOR 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR At the same time, Green also slammed his opponent, former Harris County Attorney-turned-Texas Congressman Christian Menefee, over his alleged lack of experience and failure to show up for votes early in his congressional career. Texas’s redistricting changes pitted the two incumbents against each other in the 18th Congressional District race they have been battling in. Green told Fox News Digital that he wanted to have a debate immediately with Menefee ahead of the runoff election. “I’m challenging Mr. Menefee to a debate. I think we should have a debate right away,” Green said. “But I also challenge him to come to work. In his first month in Congress, after having sworn that he was going to come here and represent the people and vote, you know, the 18th Congressional District has been about an absence of a vote, so having sworn to do this, within his first month he missed a week, an entire week without voting.” DEM REP COMPARES HIMSELF TO MLK JR, ROSA PARKS AFTER GETTING BOOTED FROM SECOND STRAIGHT TRUMP ADDRESS Green bragged that in 20 years he has made over 97% of his votes in Congress. He also alleged that Menefee was not present at a classified briefing on Iran. When asked if he was concerned his objections to Trump may be a factor that could cost him his race, the longtime Texas Democrat doubled down, saying he would do it “again and again and again.” “If it cost me an election, I would do it,” Green continued. “I just think that this president is a racist. I hope you pick that up. Yeah, he’s a racist ad we have to challenge him. We shouldn’t have a racist in the White House.”