Flock executive defends crime-fighting cameras as ACLU attorney questions company’s motives amid backlash
Flock Safety, which operates controversial Flock cameras now in 49 states, is touting crime clearance rates in cities that use the cameras compared to cities that don’t — as a nationwide battle over the surveillance tool rages. “It’s used for any kind of crime really,” Phil Arnold, a public affairs manager for the company, told Fox News Digital. “It’s very helpful for hit-and-run accidents, also stolen vehicles, property crimes, crimes against people as well.” Arnold is a retired law enforcement officer who served his community in Shorewood, Illinois, for 40 years. He was the chief police executive in the town for 27 years. FORMER PENTAGON AI CHIEF WARNS FLOCK CAMERAS COULD CREATE ‘CHINA-LIKE SURVEILLANCE STATE’ IN THE US Arnold told Fox News Digital that for the last seven years of his career, his department used automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology, which Flock Safety operates, to help solve crimes, describing the innovation as nothing short of revolutionary. “Let me give you an example. Before we had this technology, someone would say, ‘Hey, I just got robbed, and it was a white Chevy Tahoe,’” Arnold explained. “We would then put out this information, a BOLO [be on the lookout] so to speak, and police officers would stop every white Chevy Tahoe trying to find the offender.” Now, in a similar situation, Flock surveillance cameras narrow the searches to a specific geographic location where a reported crime has occurred, and then photographs of license plates matching the vehicle description can be used to identify possible suspect vehicles. “So it narrows down the search,” Arnold said. “It doesn’t inconvenience the people who are just getting stopped because of the car they’re driving.” LICENSE PLATE CAMERAS ARE TRACKING DRIVERS EVERYWHERE Flock provided Fox News Digital data from an internal report regarding crime solving rates in cities that use Flock cameras, compared to cities that don’t. For example, in Tennessee, Nashville cleared only 7% of motor vehicle thefts in the first half of 2026, versus 40% in Flock-equipped Hendersonville, a smaller city about 16 miles away, according to the data. “Aggravated assault clearance followed the same pattern: 41% vs. 95%. Only 3% of vehicle break-ins were solved in Nashville, compared with 50% in Hendersonville. Those patterns, according to Flock, hold true in places all over the country. Where Hillsborough, North Carolina, which does not use Flock, cleared 0% of vehicle thefts in the time studied, nearby Burlington cleared 46% of the same cases. In Flock-less Ann Arbor, Michigan, solve rates were lower than in nearby Van Buren Township. FLOCK CEO, TECH RIVAL CALLED OUT TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATORS OVER AI CAMERA PRIVACY CONCERNS Flock described Eugene, Oregon, as “the most telling case.” “Flock cameras ran through October 2025, then were removed,” the report says. “Motor-vehicle-theft clearance fell from 15% to 9%; burglary clearance dropped from 21% to 15%. “Nearby Medford, still running Flock, cleared 29% of vehicle thefts & 25% of burglaries over the same period.” But not everyone is singing Flock’s praises. Skeptical communities nationwide have petitioned their local governments to do away with the technology. Some argue that it is intrusive and unnecessary, while others say it’s unconstitutional. On Thursday, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that a police deputy who used Flock to access a woman’s driving history over the previous month, and then used the historical data to pull her over, violated her Fourth Amendment rights. She was in possession of 91 pounds of methamphetamine at the time of the stop. FORMER SECRET SERVICE CYBERCRIME EXPERT WEIGHS IN ON PRIVACY AFTER HACKERS BREACH STOLEN FLOCK CAMERA Chad Marlow is a senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where his focus is privacy and surveillance. He argued there’s not necessarily causation between implementing Flock cameras and solving crimes. “It’s a different city. It’s a different size. What were the auto theft rates beforehand? What are the poverty rates in that city?” he asked. “What are the philosophies of the police department? Like, how many police are dedicated to trying to prevent or solve car thefts in one city versus the other?” Privacy is a major question surrounding Flock cameras, and many places are having a robust debate on the level of surveillance they want on their streets, and whether their data should be collected by a private company working in tandem with the police. “I think a common misconception is that when the car goes past the camera, and it captures the image of the back of the vehicle and the license plate, which is all it does, you can’t see who’s driving the car, you can’t see who the passenger is. It just captures the back of the car and the license plate,” Arnold explained. INNOCENT WOMAN SAYS POLICE USE OF FLOCK CAMERA LED TO 13 DAYS IN JAIL He added that the data is not accessed except when law enforcement is searching for a suspect, and that police officers need a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report or a case report number to access any data. The data is retained for 30 days, according to Arnold. But cases of police officers using ALPR technology for purposes outside its law enforcement scope are piling up. A Washington Post analysis identified at least 50 cases of rogue officers abusing the tool, with many cases involving stalking of ex-lovers. Meanwhile, the constitutionality of the surveillance remains up for debate. “The Constitution establishes our right to privacy, and it establishes that people’s personal effects and their private information cannot be accessed by the government without a warrant, without probable cause,” Marlow said, noting that it’s not just Flock Safety using ALPR technology, and that companies like Axon and Motorola sell the technology, too. “But it’s very fair for Americans to look out and be like, ‘You know what, If I’m not accused of doing anything wrong, I don’t want the government tracking everywhere I go in my vehicle for days, weeks, months, or even years. I don’t want that happening, and
MAP IT: DOJ illegal voting crackdown sweeps 17 states as razor-thin elections face scrutiny
The Justice Department has charged 64 foreign nationals across 17 states with unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and election-related offenses in roughly the last five weeks, according to figures provided to Fox News Digital, as federal prosecutors intensify election-integrity enforcement. Minnesota leads the nation with 11 defendants, followed by Pennsylvania with 10 and Texas with nine. Louisiana accounts for five, while New Jersey, California and Florida each have four, according to the department’s latest tally. The nationwide crackdown comes as federal officials intensify scrutiny of voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterms, with recent elections underscoring how even a few illegal ballots can exceed the margin separating candidates. Fox News Digital mapped the states with the largest concentrations of defendants as DOJ says it has charged 104 people with voting fraud-related offenses since Trump returned to office in 2025. SKID ROW FORGERIES, ILLEGAL VOTES AND A MAYORAL CANDIDATE: ELECTION FRAUD CASES PILE UP NATIONWIDE “Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen. In 2020, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race was decided by six votes,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital, referring to Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ narrow victory over Democrat Rita Hart. DOJ said federal prosecutors are bringing more than twice as many election-fraud cases each week as the six-vote margin in the Iowa race. NIGERIAN WOMAN IN MASSACHUSETTS CHARGED AFTER ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS The spokesperson added: “Voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters is a federal crime, and the department will enforce the law whether a case involves one illegal ballot or hundreds.” The cases involve allegations ranging from fraudulent registration applications to ballots cast in multiple elections. The department is also securing guilty pleas in some cases, including against Filipino national Evelyn Miller of Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Miller pleaded guilty to illegally voting in the 2024 presidential election and faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. MORE THAN A QUARTER-MILLION NONCITIZENS MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE IN 4 KEY STATES, DHS ALLEGES “We intend to prosecute anyone who corrupts our democracy by illegally voting in its elections,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf said. Also in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors charged Haitian national Cliff Sanon with submitting a fraudulent voter registration application in Philadelphia County. Prosecutors allege he submitted eight registration applications and voted in the November 2022 election. BLANCHE ANNOUNCES CHARGES AGAINST 10 PERMANENT RESIDENTS ACCUSED OF MINNESOTA VOTER FRAUD In Minnesota, Ghanaian green card holder Joshua Kofi Edzie was charged with illegally voting in the state’s August 2026 primary and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voter registration. The prosecutions have also reached Republican-led states, including Texas, Louisiana and Florida, which account for 18 defendants combined in the DOJ figures provided to Fox News Digital. In Louisiana, the feds indicted an ex-mayoral candidate on a charge of voting by an alien. Bridget Johnson, who ran in 2024 to lead Cotton Valley, Louisiana, allegedly submitted a registration in the name of Jamaican national Michael Wedderburn and falsely swore he was a citizen. Wedderburn then allegedly voted illegally in 2024 for president and mayor. He was also recently indicted. In New Jersey, Republicans have pointed to several razor-thin elections amid a separate controversy involving approximately 6,600 people who indicated they were not citizens but were erroneously registered through the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. Fewer than 400 subsequently voted, according to Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration. Former Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac recently highlighted municipal elections in Caldwell, Atlantic Highlands and Bogota decided by margins of four to six votes in 2023. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The state has not established that any of the affected voters changed an election outcome. Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins previously said the governor “moved with transparency and accountability to remediate this error from 2023.” The prosecutions come as federal officials continue scrutinizing voter-registration safeguards ahead of November’s midterm elections. Authorities have not established that any of the cases identified in DOJ’s nationwide tally changed the outcome of an election.
How a lobsterman’s privacy fight reached SCOTUS — and could ripple far beyond the water: ‘Ain’t over yet’
One Maine lobsterman isn’t ready to give up after the Supreme Court declined to hear his challenge to a GPS vessel-tracking requirement Monday, fearing it threatens a way of life passed down for generations and could ripple across other industries. For decades, fifth-generation lobsterman Frank Thompson has driven his boat from Vinalhaven, a small island off the Maine coast, into deeper waters to set traps and haul in lobsters. Now, he says a GPS tracking mandate has turned his boat into a government-issued 24/7 “ankle bracelet,” sparking a years-long legal battle over constant surveillance and Fourth Amendment rights. “This is totally against the Fourth Amendment, and somebody’s got to hear it one way or another,” Thompson told Fox News Digital. “This black box that they’re putting aboard the boat is not legal, in my mind, and I’m not a criminal.” Thompson, who also owns Fox Island Lobster Company with his wife and two sons, was out fishing earlier this month when one of his sons texted him, letting him know the Supreme Court had declined his petition to hear the case and left in place a First Circuit ruling that said the GPS tracking requirement did not violate the Fourth Amendment because lobstering is a closely regulated industry. THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERA ON YOUR STREET CORNER: LAWFUL SPYING OR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROBLEMATIC? “I just told myself, I said, ‘Well, it ain’t over yet,’” he said. The mandate, requiring a small electronic box to be installed aboard federally licensed lobster boats in Maine, has flipped Thompson’s life upside down, he said. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources (Maine DMR), the devices collect a boat’s location once per minute while moving and every six hours while docked. The tracking doesn’t stop there, Thompson said, with the device collecting data even during personal trips, a key concern in his case. Whether Thompson is traveling back to the mainland or having a family picnic, he said the device gives him “a creepy feeling” about who has his information and who is possibly watching. “Freedom is gone. What else can they do to us?” he said. Thompson said there is even more at stake. He described how his first boat ride happened two days after he was born and how his sons and grandchildren are following in his footsteps today. FLOCK SURVEILLANCE SPREADS ACROSS THE SOUTH AS RED-STATE LAWMAKERS SEEK TO AX ‘1984’-STYLE TRACKING TOOLS “Fishing’s been in my blood and I always want to be on the water and it’s something that I couldn’t explain to you the feeling that you get out fishing and stuff,” he said. “It’s just a way of life.” Thompson equated the feeling of pulling up the line of a trap and catching dozens of lobsters to “opening a present at Christmas time.” “This is what I like,” he said. Matthew Gilliam, Thompson’s attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, said lobstermen must carry the trackers “as a condition of earning a living and keeping their lobster license,” arguing the mandate infringes on Fourth Amendment rights “because it was warrantless.” “That forced trespass was a violation of the Fourth Amendment because it’s an unreasonable search and seizure,” he said. Maine DMR implemented the rule in 2023 at the direction of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. State officials and conservationists have since backed the mandate as necessary to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, monitor lobster populations and sustain the industry for years to come. “They’re bringing it up because it’s for the whales,” Thompson said. “Well, the government’s lying through their teeth like they always do, and I’m not a criminal.” FORMER PENTAGON AI CHIEF WARNS FLOCK CAMERAS COULD CREATE ‘CHINA-LIKE SURVEILLANCE STATE’ IN THE US Shortly after the mandate took effect, a federal lawsuit was filed by Thompson and four fellow lobstermen, claiming the device subjected them to tracking they never consented to. A federal judge dismissed the case, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld that decision, finding the tracking requirement did not violate the Fourth Amendment under an exception for closely regulated industries. Thompson said the privacy concerns extend beyond fisheries, with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), which represents farmers and ranchers, standing behind his Supreme Court appeal. The group filed an amicus brief arguing the lower court’s reasoning could weaken Fourth Amendment protections for farmers, ranchers and others in regulated industries. “Everybody’s got cell phones, they can track us if they want to,” Thompson said. “But put a black box on a tractor, seeing how many days that he’s out in the field or whatever, it’s just, the independence is gone.” Although the AFBF supported Thompson’s challenge, the Conservation Law Foundation, which filed a separate brief in favor of the tracking requirement during the First Circuit appeal, praised Monday’s decision. “This decision is a valuable step toward appropriately managing this iconic species,” CLF Associate Attorney Sarah Shahabi said in a press release. Fox News Digital reached out to CLF for comment but did not hear back before publication. TEXAS GOV. GREG ABBOTT MOVES TO CUT STATE FUNDING FOR AI-POWERED FLOCK CAMERAS AMID PRIVACY CONCERNS Maine DMR also responded to the decision, maintaining its support for the tracking requirement in a statement on Monday. “DMR continues to believe this data collection requirement is critically important to the long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery and resource,” Maine DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson wrote. Gilliam said that despite the Supreme Court declining to hear the case, lobstermen and others in regulated industries should not lose their privacy rights simply for doing their jobs. “Lobstermen and others have Fourth Amendment protections and we’ll continue fighting against government overreach,” he said. Thompson said he still wants answers about why the government is treating lobstermen like they have done something wrong. “We’re just out there making a living and we’re taking good care of the resource,” Thompson said. “You can’t believe the steps that we’ve done to take care of it and we don’t get credit for
California faces unlikely tax revolt amid billions in illegal immigrant healthcare costs
As California grapples with soaring Medi-Cal costs — including billions spent on healthcare for immigrants without legal status — Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers have backed a revised health-plan tax in response to new federal restrictions, a move critics warn could shift more costs onto privately insured Californians. The tax has united an unlikely coalition of doctors and health insurers against him, with critics warning it could make California even more expensive. To preserve billions in Medi-Cal financing after Washington tightened the rules governing health-plan taxes used to draw federal matching funds, Newsom backed a redesigned tax that would raise the levy on private health plans beginning in 2027 if federally approved, potentially increasing premiums for their customers. Providing healthcare to illegal immigrants cost California an estimated $12.4 billion in 2025, the Associated Press reported. When asked if expanding coverage to illegal immigrants created a need for California to raise taxes, Brian Blase, president of the right-of-center Paragon Health Institute, answered with a strong “yes.” DR. OZ UNVEILS MEDICAID OVERHAUL, CLAMPS DOWN ON $2B FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND MANDATES WORK FOR ABLE-BODIED “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act limited California’s ability to target the tax just on Medicaid insurers, so California is proposing to raise the health insurance tax on people that have private coverage … the estimates are that would increase insurance for families by $400 a year,” he told Fox News Digital. “That is just because California doesn’t want to deal with its unsustainable spending … there are many people on the program who are not eligible for the program, and that is not even accounting for the fact that California has expanded Medicaid to all unauthorized immigrants in the state.” California’s attempt to shore up Medi-Cal’s bottom line follows federal changes that will prevent the state from continuing its existing health-plan tax structure after 2026, forcing a redesign of a financing mechanism that has generated billions of dollars for the program. The California Medical Association and California Association of Health Plans are suing to block the tax increase, not on the grounds that it benefits illegal immigrants, but over allegations that the measure violates voter-approved limits on health-plan taxes and restrictions on how the resulting revenue can be spent. The duo uniting to challenge the tax is notable because doctors and insurance companies often find themselves on opposite sides of healthcare debates. Proposition 35, the initiative in question, limits how much California can tax commercial health-plan enrollment, constraining the state’s options as it tries to comply with new federal rules governing the much higher tax previously imposed on Medi-Cal enrollment. The proposition was passed with overwhelming support from Californian voters. NEWSOM BEGS CALIFORNIANS TO VOTE ‘NO’ ON BILLIONAIRE’S TAX IN FACE OF MASS EXODUS, PITCHES NATIONWIDE TAX HIKE “California voters passed Proposition 35 and made it law. The state does not get to ignore that law simply because following the law is inconvenient,” California Medical Association CEO Dustin Corcoran said in a statement. Health insurers warn the cost of the revised tax could be passed directly on to consumers through higher premiums, estimating an increase of about $100 per person per year. A family of four, for example, could face an additional $400 annually on top of normal rate increases. Newsom spokeswoman Tara Gallegos said that the governor maintains that his tax increase is not rendered illegal by the proposition. “The state disagrees with their claims, and we believe the courts will too,” she told Fox News Digital of the lawsuit. H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the California Department of Finance, explained to Fox News Digital that the new tax measure was designed to comply with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. According to Palmer, the state’s current health tax regime may conflict with the bill and that the state is submitting a proposal with two tracks — one that is similar to the current taxing scheme but might run afoul of federal law and another that conforms to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by shifting costs toward private plans. CALIFORNIANS FLEEING TO RED STATES ARE DRIVING UP HOME PRICES AND RENTS IN THEIR NEW CITIES, DATA SHOWS “If the federal government declines to approve the tax that is structured similar to the existing [health plan tax], Proposition 35 may then sunset per current law,” he added. California has faced a mass exodus of people and businesses over the past decade, with the cost of living being one of the chief reasons individuals cite for leaving the Golden State. One analysis found that almost 10 million people moved from California to other states between 2010 and 2024, while just over 7 million moved to California from elsewhere in the country during the same period. The state’s exodus has raised concerns about its financial outlook, with the departure of higher-income residents potentially reducing tax revenue for a state heavily dependent on income taxes.
Trump says he’d ‘love’ to have Sen. John Fetterman as a Republican amid growing speculation
President Donald Trump praised Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., as a “great guy” on Saturday, saying he would welcome the Pennsylvania Democrat into the Republican Party. Trump was asked by a reporter after stepping off Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews whether he had spoken to Fetterman — who has repeatedly broken with Democrats during the current session of Congress — about becoming a Republican and whether he would welcome such a switch. “I’d love to see it. I think he’s great,” Trump responded. “It’s going to be hard for him to get the nomination as a Democrat, but I’d love to have him as a Republican,” he continued. REPUBLICANS SAY THEY’D WELCOME FETTERMAN AS GOP EYES BIGGER SENATE MAJORITY Trump described Fetterman as a “great guy” with “magnificent parents,” whom he said he had spoken with previously. “He’s a very solid person,” Trump added. “He’s smart and all that, but he’s got great common sense.” Trump also suggested that switching parties could benefit Fetterman politically. “If you look at the polls, he does better as a Republican than he does as a Democrat,” he said. MAVERICK DEMOCRAT SURGES WITH REPUBLICANS AS HIS OWN PARTY TURNS ON HIM, STOKING TALK OF GOP SWITCH Trump’s comments come as Fetterman has repeatedly broken with Democrats on key issues, including the Iran war and immigration, although he continues to vote with his party the vast majority of the time. Since joining the Senate in 2023, Fetterman has voted with Senate Democrats nearly 90% of the time. During the current session of Congress, however, that figure has fallen to just under 81%, Fox News Digital previously reported. Fetterman’s occasional breaks with his party have fueled speculation in recent months about whether he might eventually become a Republican. He has also reportedly used Republican fundraising platforms to solicit donations and maintains a close friendship with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala. Last month, Fetterman recorded a video introducing Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., at the Republican Midterm Convention. FETTERMAN TEASES WHERE HIS TRUE LOYALTY LIES AFTER SURPRISE APPEARANCE AT GOP CONVENTION He also mistakenly referred to himself as a lifelong Republican during an appearance at the Texas Tribune’s TribFest last month. An attendee at the event asked why Fetterman did not run as an independent. “Because I’m a lifelong Republican,” he said, before realizing his mistake. “I guarantee you that will break through. That will get clipped.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment. Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Trump says he will ‘make a decision’ on Pentagon’s plans to livestream Nidal Hasan’s firing squad execution
President Donald Trump said Saturday he had not decided whether the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed, saying he will ultimately “make a decision.” The Pentagon confirmed to Fox News Digital earlier this week that the execution of Hasan – a former Army major who was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others at Fort Hood in 2009 – was scheduled to be livestreamed on Dec. 3. Trump, however, said he had not decided whether to allow the military’s first execution in more than six decades to be broadcast from Fort Hood. “He was vicious, he was violent,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about Hasan’s execution. VETERAN SHOT 7 TIMES IN FORT HOOD MASSACRE HAS A WARNING FOR AMERICANS PLANNING TO WATCH EXECUTION “There are two thoughts: don’t show it and show it,” he continued. “Because, you know, by showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did.” “I’ll make a decision, ultimately,” Trump added. “I know what the military would like to do, but we’ll make a decision.” Fox News Digital previously reported that Trump approved the use of an Army firing squad following a recommendation from War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump’s comments came one day after he was asked whether he had approved the decision to livestream the execution. MULTIPLE DEATH SENTENCES IN DIFFERENT STATES ARE SET TO BE CARRIED OUT WITHIN 24 HOURS: ‘NOT VERY COMMON’ “I wasn’t involved in that decision, but I understand the decision,” Trump said during an interview Friday with CNY Central following a rally in Syracuse. Trump added that the military wanted the execution to “serve as an example, and I understand that very well.” Vice President JD Vance said Friday that he wasn’t sure whether the execution would be livestreamed. “If it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it,” he told reporters. If Hasan’s execution is carried out, it would be the first conducted by the U.S. military since 1961 and the first military execution by firing squad since 1945. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
President talks ‘Trump Ocean,’ trades jokes with Tennessee crowd as Kid Rock kicks off sprawling rally
President Donald Trump touted billions of dollars in manufacturing investments and his administration’s efforts to combat crime in Tennessee on Saturday, while calling Iranian leaders “crazy” and floating the idea of a “Trump Ocean” during a wide-ranging rally featuring musician Kid Rock. The president appeared in Clarksville ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, campaigning for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn while mixing economic talking points, foreign policy and off-script humor. Kid Rock opened the event with a religious-themed introduction, praising Trump’s leadership while taking aim at the news media. TRUMP TOUTS ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AT OHIO RALLY, URGES VOTERS TO DELIVER GOP MIDTERM WINS “Literally, President Trump could walk across the Cumberland River, and tomorrow the headline would say President Trump refuses to swim,” the musician joked. The rocker also condemned Islamist extremism and defended religious freedom, arguing that Americans should not be forced to live under religious laws that override the Constitution. “We are not, and we will never be, one nation under Mohammed, because we are, and we always will be, one nation under God,” Kid Rock told the crowd. Trump later thanked his longtime supporter and friend by his given name, Bob, before turning to an array of domestic and international issues. The president addressed tensions with Iran, calling the country’s leaders “crazy” while claiming that Tehran’s rhetoric had softened following U.S. military operations. AFTER ‘LAKE AMERICA,’ TRUMP SUGGESTS A NEW NAME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO “They don’t talk that way anymore, by the way,” Trump said after recounting previous threats from Iranian leaders. Trump described what he characterized as extensive damage to Iran’s military capabilities, claiming 159 ships had been sunk and its air force and air-defense systems destroyed. “They have no Navy. They have no Air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment,” Trump said. The president then pivoted from the Strait of Hormuz to an unexpected geography lesson, suggesting it could one day be called the “Trump Strait.” He also revisited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America before floating additional changes to the map. “We need a river. We need an ocean,” Trump said, suggesting the Atlantic or Pacific could become the “Trump Ocean” or “Ocean of the Americas.” TRUMP RALLIES NEW YORK CROWD FOR REPUBLICAN BRUCE BLAKEMAN’S BID TO REPLACE GOV KATHY HOCHUL “Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean,” he added, without yet announcing any formal renaming plans. On the economy, Trump promoted Korea Zinc’s planned investment of more than $6 billion in Tennessee, a project expected to create 740 jobs across Montgomery and Smith counties. Tennessee officials announced the $6.6 billion project in December, describing it as the largest single private corporate investment in state history. The plans include a new critical-minerals smelter in Clarksville and the reopening of a former mine in Gordonsville. “And your state will soon be home to the first new mineral smelter in the United States, first one built since 1979,” Trump said. The project is intended to strengthen domestic supplies of minerals used in semiconductors, defense technology and advanced manufacturing. TRUMP NAMES LEAVITT SUCCESSOR AFTER WEEKS OF SPECULATION — AND SHE’S NO STRANGER TO MAGA Trump also cited General Motors’ previously announced $275 million investment in its Spring Hill manufacturing facility to support production of next-generation turbocharged Cadillac engines. The president credited his tariff policies with encouraging domestic investment, arguing that companies were expanding American manufacturing to avoid import duties. In a Tennessee-focused fact sheet released as the rally began, the White House asserted that Republican-backed tax policies had preserved $23 billion in economic activity in the state. The administration also cited an average $3,674 tax refund for Tennesseans in 2026. Public safety was another focal point of his address, with Trump praising federal law-enforcement operations in Memphis and claiming approximately 12,000 dangerous criminals had been removed. The White House separately asserted that murders and overall crime in Memphis had declined approximately 36%, crediting the Memphis Safe Task Force. The president also shared some lighter moments about first lady Melania Trump, describing her objections to his theatrical impersonations of athletes during discussions about transgender participation in women’s sports. “She said it’s not presidential,” Trump recalled, before joking about her film career. “There is only room for one star in a family, so I don’t need this movie stuff. I don’t need it.” Trump, who carried Tennessee in all three of his presidential campaigns, said the visit was also an opportunity to thank supporters in a state where he had enjoyed strong electoral backing. “Sometimes it’s nice to go to a place where you don’t have to be, but you’re there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times in record time,” Trump said. Trump repeatedly returned to the November elections, urging supporters to back Republican candidates even though his name will not appear on the ballot. “In this election, I’m asking you to do me a favor. Pretend. Just pretend that I’m running,” Trump said.
Supreme Court climate case could bankrupt oil companies, send gas prices soaring, experts warn
A Supreme Court showdown over climate change lawsuits could leave oil companies bankrupt, gas stations facing financial ruin and Americans paying more at the pump if the justices allow cities and states to pursue billions in damages against the fossil fuel industry, energy policy experts warn. “You would see mass exodus and that would create more scarcity with fuel, more so than we’re seeing already today, higher prices,” Jason Isaac, CEO of American Energy Institute, told Fox News Digital. “And that’s really what this is about. It’s about controlling these companies and stopping the use of hydrocarbons.” The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in Suncor v. Boulder, a dispute over whether federal law prevents cities and states from suing oil companies under state law for alleged climate damage linked to emissions that cross state borders. During oral arguments, Justice Clarence Thomas pressed Boulder’s attorney, Kevin Russell, on whether the legal theory could expose businesses beyond oil producers to similar lawsuits, including large retailers. WAVE OF OVERLOOKED ‘LEFT-WING’ LAWSUITS COULD COME WITH AN UNEXPECTED PRICE TAG FOR AMERICANS “Nothing in our theory prevents that,” Russell acknowledged, although he noted that state tort law could impose additional limitations. Justice Brett Kavanaugh separately raised concerns about the potential financial consequences of widespread litigation, warning that enough lawsuits could “bankrupt” defendants and questioning whether virtually any manufacturer or business could face similar claims. The city and county of Boulder, Colo., sued oil giants ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy in 2018, accusing the companies of knowingly contributing to climate change while misleading the public about the alleged dangers of fossil fuels. The municipalities are seeking damages to help cover the mounting costs of climate-related harms. There are roughly 30 similar lawsuits pending in jurisdictions across the country, including cases in Portland and Baltimore. Boulder’s lawsuit alleged ExxonMobil and Suncor knew for decades about the climate risks associated with fossil fuels but misled the public about those risks. The complaint pointed to a 1977 internal memo from ExxonMobil that circulated among the company’s highest-level managers. The memo reported that “current scientific opinion overwhelmingly favors” that fossil fuels contribute to the rise in CO2 emissions. David Bookbinder, who previously served as counsel of record for Boulder but is no longer involved in the case, described the lawsuit as a way to implement an “indirect carbon tax” during a Federalist Society forum last year. But Boulder has maintained that the case is not an attempt to regulate national climate policy, arguing instead that Colorado has the authority to hold companies accountable under state law for alleged harms suffered within its borders. “Since the founding, states have had the power to provide tort remedies for injuries occurring within their borders even when the conduct causing those injuries occurred elsewhere,” Russell told the justices. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, BANNED RIFLES AND ‘CLIMATE LAWFARE’: BLOCKBUSTER FIGHTS AWAIT SUPREME COURT O.H. Skinner, executive director of the Alliance for Consumers, argued that the lawsuits are an attempt to accomplish through the courts what climate advocates have been unable to achieve through Congress. “When you really boil it down, and you separate it from all the legal arguments, the advocates who push these cases are very clear,” Skinner told Fox News Digital. “That it’s an effort to get a backdoor carbon tax, because carbon taxes have never passed in Congress, or to bankrupt the energy industry.” Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from the case without providing an explanation. Isaac warned that a Supreme Court ruling in Boulder’s favor could open “Pandora’s box,” allowing thousands of jurisdictions to pursue similar lawsuits. He said a 4-4 split could have a similar practical effect by leaving the lower court’s ruling in place, although a tie would not establish nationwide precedent. “There are over 90,000 levels of government — government entities just in the United States alone — that could also begin lawsuits against energy companies,” Isaac told Fox News Digital. “Driving up cost to consumers because the cost to defend those would be astronomical.” LAWSUITS COST EVERY AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SUPREME COURT CAN HELP Skinner argued that who could be sued could extend beyond oil producers to businesses across the energy supply chain, including gas stations, automakers and utilities that sell or use fossil fuels. “From Boulder’s perspective, anybody who’s contributed to climate change would reliable, any sort of company, big or small, and the problem here is that to the left, climate change is everything and everything is climate change,” Skinner told Fox News Digital. “So it’s very hard to find a line for who isn’t contributing to climate change.” But Isaac said the case is different from lawsuits against tobacco or opioid companies because greenhouse gas emissions come from countless sources around the world and cross state and national borders, making it difficult to isolate responsibility for climate-related damage. “Emissions are a global phenomenon,” Isaac told Fox News Digital. CONSERVATIVE GROUPS SAY JUSTICE KAGAN CANNOT BE IMPARTIAL IN UPCOMING SUPREME COURT CLIMATE LITIGATION ExxonMobil and Suncor argue that because greenhouse gas emissions travel globally, Colorado cannot use state law to hold companies liable for emissions originating outside its borders. The companies contend that such disputes should instead be governed by federal law. Meanwhile, other states such as Utah have barred these types of state tort lawsuits from being pursued. “If the energy companies were to lose and Colorado were to win, this would in effect drive up the prices of gas all across the country,” Utah Attorney General Derek Brown told Fox News Digital. “And so those kind of decisions ultimately, it’s the province of Congress.”
Trump calls for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy after clash over Russia diesel deal: ‘Get a new president’
President Donald Trump said Saturday it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president,” warning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacking Russian oil refineries as the two leaders clashed over a U.S. deal with Moscow. “It’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before heading to a rally in Tennessee. Trump accused Zelenskyy of making global fuel problems worse by continuing to authorize strikes on Russian refineries. TRUMP SAYS RUSSIA HAS AGREED TO DELIVER MILLIONS IN DIESEL FUEL AFTER ‘HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL DISCUSSION’ “He’d better d— well stop,” Trump said. The president argued that Ukraine should avoid targeting Russian refineries because of the potential impact on global energy supplies. “We said, ‘You can do whatever you want to Russia. Don’t hit the refineries’ because that’s a world problem that’s caused,” Trump said. Trump also criticized Zelenskyy for failing to reach an agreement to end the war, which began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. ZELENSKYY TO SEEK OFFRAMP FOR YEARS-LONG RUSSIA WAR IN UN SPEECH AFTER TRUMP REVEALS PEACE DEAL IS CLOSE “He could have made many deals and, for some reason, he never does,” Trump said. The remarks came after Zelenskyy criticized a new American agreement with Russia that would temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Trump confirmed Friday that Washington had reached an agreement with Moscow to suspend restrictions on Russian diesel exports until April 7. TRUMP TELLS ZELENSKYY TO STOP DOING ‘ONE THING’ DURING ATTACKS ON RUSSIA The agreement would allow Russia to release millions of tons of diesel into the U.S. and global markets, potentially increasing fuel supplies at a time when Americans are paying more at the pump. But Zelenskyy warned that the deal could give Russia additional money to buy weapons and continue its war against Ukraine. The dispute comes as Russia and Ukraine have stepped up strikes on energy sites, transportation systems and other key infrastructure. Trump has been seeking ways to lower fuel prices as the U.S. faces rising energy costs tied to the conflict with Iran. Trump’s warning puts fresh pressure on Zelenskyy to negotiate an end to the war with Russia.
President Trump blasts Nobel Peace Prize snub with blistering list of accomplishments: ‘WOW!’
President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized the Norwegian Nobel Committee for not selecting him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing a long list of accomplishments. “I settled 8 WARS, am close to ending or settling 2 more, got all of the Israeli hostages back, including the final 28, both living and dead, had hundreds of hostages, from countries all over the World, released and sent back home, won a war in Venezuela, and captured the violent dictator who so viciously ran that country, and stopped the number one state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon — AND MUCH MORE! Yet, with all of that I, or the United States of America, did not get the Noble Peace Prize. WOW!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday morning. Trump has long openly pined for the prize, first receiving a nomination in 2018 from Norwegian lawmakers for diplomatic efforts involving North Korea and nuclear disarmament. In 2019, he told reporters during a news conference, “I think I’m going to get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t.” TRUMP TEASES POTENTIAL KIM JONG UN MEETING LATER THIS YEAR While the Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publicly release a list of nominees for the Peace Prize, Trump has been nominated at least five times, according to the people who nominated him. That list includes former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who nominated Trump in 2019, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who nominated him in 2025. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AWARDED TO UN JURIST WHO ACCUSED ISRAEL OF COMMITTING GENOCIDE IN GAZA Despite being nominated again this year by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and others, Trump was passed over yet again, this time in favor of South African jurist Navi Pillay. The 85-year-old Pillay was the first non-White woman appointed to South Africa’s high court, and she later served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SANCTIONS SITTING PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR ‘ABUSES OF POWER’ She also served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. However, her nomination was not without controversy. The Nobel Committee’s announcement highlighted her work as the chair of the U.N.’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Palestinian Territory and Israel. Skeptics, however, claimed her work on the commission displayed anti-Israel bias. WAR CRIMES COURT TURNS ‘BLIND EYE’ TO TOP WORLD THREATS WHILE TARGETING AMERICANS, TRUMP ADMIN ACCUSES “Navi Pillay is indeed a world leader, an individual at the forefront of the international spread of the poisonous forms of antisemitism that beset the 21st century,” Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices and director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights, told Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter. TRUMP TO ZERO-IN ON IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, GAZA PLAN AND UN OVERHAUL IN WORLD STAGE SPEECH The U.N., however, praised her work and career as “steadfast.” “For decades, she has been a champion of international law and human rights and a steadfast, independent voice of justice amidst some of the most historic international legal cases of our time,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement Friday. Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.