Eyeing 2028, Dem Gov Shapiro leans into fraud crackdown, boosting tough-on-crime image
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will announce Tuesday a landmark false claims clampdown targeting Medicaid fraud and providers that wrongfully use tax dollars. While Shapiro has supported crackdowns on social services fraud since he was attorney general, before his governorship, the issue has reached national prominence recently amid mounting scandal enveloping fellow Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota. Later Tuesday, Shapiro will declare in his budget address that the state must approve a False Claims Act and signal openness to working with Republicans — who control the state Senate and are a few lawmakers short of a majority in the state House — to “get it done.” “To protect our kids and our seniors, we need to make sure every dollar we appropriate for their benefit goes to them and doesn’t get fleeced from the system,” Shapiro will say, before going on to cite his work as AG to jail people who stole public benefits from fellow Pennsylvanians. BESSENT BLAMES WALZ AS TREASURY PROBES WHETHER MINNESOTA FRAUD FUNDS REACHED TERROR GROUP AL-SHABAB “We combat fraud wherever we find it — and we’ve put real resources into this effort because it’s important to ensure public dollars go to the people who really need them,” Shapiro will say. Pennsylvania ranks first nationally in Medicaid fraud charges brought and third in convictions. He will also cite the work of State Inspector General Michelle Henry — who succeeded him as attorney general — and pledge to support her efforts through cooperation among his Cabinet agencies. WALZ’S MINNESOTA MESS COULD SPARK THE TOUGHEST FRAUD REFORMS IN DECADES While a major Democratic figure nationally, Shapiro has a handful of Republicans in key cabinet roles, including former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt as secretary of the commonwealth and former state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Allentown, managing the purse as secretary of revenue. Shapiro said the commonwealth prosecuted 119 cases of Medicaid fraud in 2024, recouping $11 million that was stolen from those coffers. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services also referred 744 other recent suspected fraud cases to the Attorney General’s Section of Medicaid Fraud Control. GOP SENATOR’S SOMALIA ACT WOULD FORCE MINNESOTA FRAUDSTERS TO REPAY STOLEN TAXPAYER FUNDS The False Claims Act that Shapiro envisions would allow Pennsylvania to collect additional funds from convicted parties who misuse Medicaid or other social services dollars. Shapiro will also note on Tuesday that there is already bipartisan support for such a law. While attorney general, the then-Republican state House speaker and a top state senator joined his call for a similar plan. CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD “Every instance of Medicaid abuse or fraud hurts Pennsylvanians who truly rely on the program. We are overdue for relevant and important reforms that keep closer watch over those who are taking advantage of the system, and at the same time makes the program more useful and reliable for Pennsylvanians in need,” then-Speaker Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom said in a 2020 statement. “I applaud Attorney General Shapiro for bringing to light the glaring problems our Medicaid program faces. Every misspent or fraudulently used dollar is another dollar hard-working taxpayers have to make up for,” added state Sen. Seth Grove, R-Dover. The Shapiro administration also pointed Fox News Digital to the results of a Medicaid fraud grand jury probe empaneled by then-AG Shapiro, which served as a predicate for his announcement Tuesday. TRUMP ADMIN PUTS MINNESOTA ON NOTICE, MOVES TO AUDIT MEDICAID AND CLAW BACK FUNDS TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS The grand jury recommended that service providers without a “national provider identifier” number be required to specially register with Harrisburg. Medicaid providers would also have to go through standardized training on how to properly bill Harrisburg for services rendered and be required to include the date and start-and-end times on all Medicaid forms, which are not currently required by law. Shapiro’s efforts have had their critics, however, including the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice, a pro-tort reform group. They expressed concern while he was attorney general that an anti-fraud plan crafted then would allow “bounty hunter” plaintiffs to seek court-ordered payouts that could reduce the amount of funds the commonwealth is able to recover. “Wisconsin repealed its False Claims Act in 2015, and there are good reasons why many states have decided not to enact their own False Claims Act,” the group told the Penn-Capital Star. A top state hospital industry trade group also warned that, under the earlier proposal, trial attorneys would be the “only true winners,” rather than patients, according to the outlet.
Kamala Harris calls on voters to put ‘guardrails’ on Trump in midterm elections
Former Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday urged voters to put “guardrails” on President Donald Trump in the upcoming midterm elections, warning during a stop on her book tour that public trust in government is eroding. Harris made the remarks during an evening event at the Altria Theater in Richmond, Virginia, where she criticized the Trump administration as focused on “destruction.” She spoke for roughly an hour, fielding questions on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to the cost of living. Asked about her mental state, Harris said she felt “sadness, frustration and anger.” RAND PAUL SAYS ‘WITHOUT QUESTION’ TRUST HAS BEEN BROKEN AFTER MINNESOTA SHOOTING The former vice president pointed to widespread public anxiety over healthcare costs and grocery prices and stressed the importance of voting in November, which she said offers a chance to “put guardrails up” on the White House. The conversation then turned to immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, focusing on the tactics used by federal agents after two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, were shot in January. “We need immigration enforcement but not what we are witnessing,” Harris told the audience. BIDEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA, SAYS IT GOES AGAINST AMERICAN VALUES She criticized the Trump administration for its initial response to Pretti’s death, saying officials tried to dismiss what people saw on video. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” while White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller labeled him an “assassin” who “tried to murder federal agents.” Noem told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week that officials were relying on real-time information from agents as they sought to provide an initial account of the incident. “We were being relayed information from on the ground from CBP agents and officers that were there. We were using the best information we had at the time, seeking to be transparent with the American people and get them what we knew to be true on the ground,” she said. The shooting has prompted protests nationwide, with demonstrators calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to withdraw from the city. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters at a press conference on Friday that the Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s death.
Credit Suisse investigation reveals 890 Nazi regime accounts, Sen Grassley says
Investigations by Credit Suisse have uncovered hundreds of Nazi-linked accounts at the bank, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, announced Tuesday. Multiple reports provided to Grassley have identified 890 accounts linked to the Nazi regime, including wartime accounts for the German Foreign Office, a German arms manufacturing company and the German Red Cross, Grassley told reporters Monday. The new accounts are coming to light after UBS acquired Credit Suisse in a 2023 takeover. The bank then hired U.S. prosecutor Neil Barofsky to identify any Nazi-linked accounts. Grassley and representatives of UBS will dig deeper into the findings during a Senate Judiciary hearing on connections between various Swiss banks and the Nazis later Tuesday morning. TRUMP SECURES $221M COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT OVER ALLEGED CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS “We approach today’s topic with solemn respect,” Robert Karofsky, president of UBS Americas, is expected to say at the hearing, according to a copy of his remarks obtained by NBC News. “Now, with three years of experience, our priority is to complete this review so that the world can benefit from the findings in the coming final report,” the remarks continue. Grassley’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. TRUMP’S ANTISEMITISM ENVOY SLAMS WALZ FOR COMPARING ICE ENFORCEMENT TO ANNE FRANK, HOLOCAUST Tuesday’s hearing comes a week after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, during which President Donald Trump’s administration reflected on the genocide committed by Nazi Germany during World War II. “Today, we pay respect to the blessed memories of the millions of Jewish people, who were murdered at the hands of the Nazi Regime and its collaborators during the Holocaust— as well as the Slavs and the Roma, people with disabilities, religious leaders, persons targeted based on their sexual orientation, and political prisoners who were also targeted for systematic slaughter,” Trump said in a statement. “On January 27, 1945, 81 years ago today, Allied forces liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi Regime’s largest concentration and death camp in World War II, where over one million people were marched to their senseless deaths,” the presidential message, released by the White House, noted. Trump noted that since returning to the presidency last year he has sought to use the federal government to battle antisemitism. “After I took office as the 47th President of the United States, I proudly made it this administration’s priority directing the Federal Government to use all appropriate legal tools to combat the scourge of antisemitism. My Administration will remain a steadfast and unequivocal champion for Jewish Americans and the God-given right of every American to practice their faith freely, openly, and without fear,” he asserted.
$20M ‘One Small Step’ campaign aims to rebuild American pride ahead of 250th anniversary
EXCLUSIVE: Limited-government nonprofit Americans for Prosperity kicked off its version of an America250 project with a $20 million “One Small Step” initiative, hosting the first of 12 marquee events beginning in Philadelphia. The event in America’s birthplace featured 1981 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl quarterback Ron Jaworski, the “Ruthless” podcasters, and Stacy Garrity, the state treasurer and 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate. Joining with Concerned Veterans for America and the LIBRE Initiative, AFP’s “One Small Step” plays off Neil Armstrong’s famous words as it works to build a national movement reconnecting Americans to their history and founding principles and encouraging them to become more civically engaged. At the event, AFP President Emily Seidel spoke about why it is important now, on the advent of the U.S.’ 250th birthday, to launch such a wide-scale effort. RARE AND ORIGINAL AMERICAN FOUNDING DOCUMENTS TO FLY ON FREEDOM PLANE ACROSS NATION “I do think that we do have to have a sense of urgency about defending freedom because we’ve been crowing a lot leading up to this year about how people’s pride in America is at an all-time low and that is a huge red flag,” she said. “People’s belief that they can reach the American dream is declining,” she said. “It’s not a coincidence that those numbers are going down as the size and scope of government is going up — that loss of agency is really harmful for a free society.” The “One Small Step” initiative will soon move on to other cities, while AFP state chapters will be challenged to take “250,000 Steps for Freedom” and complete 250,000 actions to promote policies that advance the freedom and opportunity voiced by the Founding Fathers. AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY SPARKS TRAVEL RUSH AS EXPERTS ISSUE URGENT BOOKING WARNING As the “Ruthless” podcasters discussed at the Philadelphia event, 40 door knocks in the community to campaign or spread the message could account for 40 “actions.” “For 250 years, freedom and opportunity have defined the American spirit, unleashed prosperity for millions, and led to awe-inspiring innovation that has changed the world,” AFP said in a statement. “Our mission at AFP is to ensure the freedom and opportunity our nation was founded on endures and expands for the next 250 years. That will only be possible with the small but critical steps of millions of people.” Some of the other marquee events will be held in Springfield, Illinois – home of Abraham Lincoln – and Washington, D.C., as a way to counter declining pride in what it means to be an American. TIMES SQUARE BALL GOES RED, WHITE AND BLUE FOR AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY The events are intended to inspire Americans to take action this year and get involved civically 250 years after the Founders did. Eight-figure digital and TV ad buys will accompany the initiative, telling stories of Americans past and present and highlighting “digital toolkits” that every American can take part in to help celebrate founding principles. “One Small Step is our effort to build a long-term national movement celebrating the founding principles that make America so exceptional: liberty, dignity, and opportunity. If we want to change the trajectory of Americans’ pride in this country, we need to remind people of our shared values and what it means to be American,” Seidel told Fox News Digital. WASHINGTON MONUMENT TO BECOME ‘BIRTHDAY CANDLE’ AS US MARKS START OF 250TH YEAR “These principles aren’t just part of our past; they are essential to navigating our future. This is not about loving America louder — it’s about understanding America better. Freedom doesn’t sustain itself. People do.” Sandra Benitez, executive director of the LIBRE Initiative, which aims to engage Latino Americans in civics, added that Hispanic communities understand the promise of America in a “deeply personal way.” “Freedom, opportunity and dignity aren’t abstract concepts; they are the principles that inspired our families to come to America in the first place,” she told Fox News Digital. “One Small Step invites Americans from every background to see themselves in the nation’s story — because that story continues with all of us.”
Senate GOP warns Chinese vapes could be used by CCP to spy on Americans, launder cartel cash
FIRST ON FOX: A group of Senate Republicans warned the Trump administration that floods of “illicit Chinese e-cigarettes” entering the country carried a darker side effect. Several Senate Republicans alerted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital that the Chinese government was reaping massive profits from the devices. And given that connection between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (CSTMA), it’s possible that so-called smart vapes could be used as spying devices. TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY The lawmakers charged that the “highly sophisticated” vapes had the ability to connect to a person’s cellphone and have become extremely commonplace. “These devices have the capacity to initiate data breaches or malware infections and can also access and collect sensitive user data,” they wrote. “Given the interconnected relationship between Chinese industry and state intelligence services, the targeting of U.S. military personnel with these devices raises profound national security concerns.” President Donald Trump made the crackdown against Chinese vapes one of the many side quests that his administration pursued last year, going so far as to try and crush the supply of the devices at ports across the country. MOST SHOCKING EXAMPLES OF CHINESE ESPIONAGE UNCOVERED BY THE US THIS YEAR: ‘JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG’ Last year, for example, the Trump-led Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the capture of roughly $90 million worth of vape products from China in one fell swoop. The lawmakers, which included Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and nine others, lauded Trump’s “aggressive, multi-agency enforcement actions” against the influx of vapes, but noted that the “magnitude and consequence requires a comprehensive strategy and response.” SCHUMER NUKES GOP PUSH FOR ‘JIM CROW-ERA’ VOTER ID LAWS IN TRUMP-BACKED SHUTDOWN PACKAGE It’s not just a spying threat either. The Republicans contended that the funding generated by the sale of vapes could be funneled toward military or technological initiatives in China meant to undermine American interests. They also noted that the vapes have been linked by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to Mexican cartels, specifically using the devices and operations as a money laundering front. That trade-based money laundering scheme, the lawmakers said, was part of a plan to move fentanyl proceeds on behalf of the cartels. “Given the scale and severity of this threat, we urge the Treasury Department and USTR to use their respective enforcement and diplomatic authorities to combat illegal Chinese e-cigarettes,” they wrote.
Fulton County, Georgia to sue after FBI seizes 2020 election records
Lawyers in Fulton County, Georgia, are preparing to file a lawsuit over the FBI’s recent search of an election hub and its seizure of records linked to the 2020 election. Fulton County Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington Jr. on Monday announced the county’s intent to challenge the search in court. Arrington said the county will file a motion in the Northern District of Georgia challenging “the legality of the warrant and the seizure of sensitive election records, and force the government to return the ballots taken.” “I’ve asked the county attorney to take any and all steps available to fight this criminal search warrant,” Arrington said in a statement, according to several reports. “The search warrant, I believe, is not proper, but I think that there are ways that we can limit it. We want to ask for forensic accounting, we want the documents to stay in the State of Georgia under seal, and we want to do whatever we can to protect voter information.” FBI AGENTS SEARCH ELECTION HUB IN FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA The announcement comes after FBI agents executed a warrant at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Union City, Georgia, on Jan. 28. The center was opened by state officials in 2023 and was designed to streamline the election process. The search warrant for the center, which was reviewed by Fox News, allowed the seizure of records, voting rolls and other data tied to the 2020 election. Fulton County is the most populous county in Georgia and includes the capital city of Atlanta. The county was at the center of voter fraud complaints in the wake of the 2020 election, which President Donald Trump lost. The claims did not survive court scrutiny. DOJ TORCHES DEMOCRATS FOR ‘SHAMELESSLY LYING’ ABOUT MINNESOTA VOTER ROLL REQUEST In December 2025, the Department of Justice sued Fulton County for access to ballots related to the 2020 election. However, the county is fighting the lawsuit and claiming that the DOJ did not make a valid argument for accessing the ballots. “They got copies of our voter rolls and all the original ballots,” Arrington said, according to WLUK-TV. “Now we cannot verify that we’ve received everything back because there was no chain-of-custody inventory taken at the time the records were seized.” Trump confirmed last week that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present during the FBI’s search of the Fulton County facility for matters related to election security. Trump and several others were indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County Superior Court in 2023 over allegations that they engaged in a racketeering scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 election. However, the case never made it to trial, as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting it. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, an independent entity, later moved to dismiss the indictment. Despite Democrats’ scrutiny of the recent search, FBI Director Kash Patel has defended the bureau’s actions, saying investigators conducted an “extensive” investigation before the search took place. “The FBI follows the facts and the law, and President Trump and the attorney general have given us a clear mandate to reduce crime in this country and investigate anything that rises to the level of probable cause,” Patel said on “Saturday in America.” “The FBI and the DOJ went in and collected numerous pieces of evidence that the judge authorized us to collect,” Patel later added. The director said investigators were reviewing a “voluminous” amount of information collected during the search as the probe remains ongoing. Fox News Digital reached out to Arrington and the DOJ for comment. Fox News’ David Spunt and Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Ashley Oliver, Alec Schemmel and Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
Maryland House approves new congressional map as Senate leaders warn of risks
Maryland House lawmakers voted Monday to advance a new congressional map backed by Democrats, a move that has drawn resistance from state Senate leaders who warn it could carry political and legal risks. The proposal, approved by the Democratic-controlled House, is designed to reshape Maryland’s lone Republican-held congressional district and could alter the balance of the state’s U.S. House delegation. Democrats currently hold seven of Maryland’s eight seats in Congress. Under the new map, party leaders believe they would be better positioned to unseat Republican Rep. Andy Harris and potentially claim all eight districts. House leaders moved forward with the plan at the urging of Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who has pointed to mid-decade redistricting efforts in other states as justification for revisiting Maryland’s boundaries outside the usual census cycle. TRUMP RIPS INDIANA GOP LEADER OVER REDISTRICTING FIGHT, WARNS REPUBLICANS COULD FACE ‘MAGA PRIMARY’ The push comes as President Donald Trump last year encouraged Republican-led states, including Texas, to redraw congressional maps in hopes of shoring up the GOP’s narrow House majority. Del. C.T. Wilson, a Democrat sponsoring the bill, said the changes are necessary “to help ensure that this administration finally has a Congress that puts his power in check.” Republicans opposed to the map focused on how Harris’ district, which largely covers Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore, would be reconfigured to reach across the Chesapeake Bay and take in more Democratic-leaning voters. REPUBLICAN RIFT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HIGH-STAKES SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP-DRIVEN RED STATE REDISTRICTING “It is about nothing except party politics,” said Del. Jason Buckel, the House minority leader. Democratic Del. Marc Korman countered that similar geographic configurations have existed before, noting that the district crossed the bay multiple times beginning in the 1960s and that Republican candidates — including Harris — prevailed during those periods. Despite House approval, Senate President Bill Ferguson has repeatedly cautioned that targeting Harris’ seat could place Democratic-held districts at risk and invite renewed court challenges. Ferguson has pointed to a 2021 congressional map that was struck down by a judge as an example of how aggressive redistricting can backfire. Maryland ultimately adopted revised boundaries in 2022 after litigation was dropped. The Senate president has also warned that reopening the process could disrupt Maryland’s election timeline, with a Feb. 24 filing deadline and a June 23 primary approaching, and could leave final district lines in the hands of the courts. Maryland’s debate mirrors broader redistricting battles playing out nationwide, as both parties attempt to gain advantage ahead of the next election cycle. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he plans to call a special legislative session on redistricting in April.
Trump urges Republicans to ‘nationalize’ voting
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to “take over” and “nationalize” voting on Monday. Trump made the comments during an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Under the Constitution, states set the rules for both federal and state elections, establishing “the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate.” “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” Trump told Bongino. “We should take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pounced on the idea during remarks on the floor of the Senate. JEFFRIES SAYS GOP ‘DONE EFF’D UP IN TEXAS,’ VOWS THEY WON’T WIN FIVE SEATS: ‘THEY CAN’T IGNORE IT’ “Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump said he wants to nationalize elections around the country. That’s what Trump said. You think he believes in democracy? He said, ‘We want to take over, the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,’” Schumer said Monday. “Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal.” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later clarified Trump’s comments in a statement to ABC News. She argued Trump was expressing his desire for the U.S. to have free and fair elections. “President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting,” Jackson said. TRUMP LAUNCHES MIDTERM PUSH IN IOWA, WARNS LOSSES WOULD DERAIL AGENDA: ‘WE GOTTA WIN’ Trump’s comments come amid a desperate battle for advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP and Democrats battled over Congressional redistricting plans throughout last year, with Texas redrawing maps to create five new GOP-favored seats and California countering with its own new maps. More redistricting battles are continuing across the country as the midterms near. Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in the House, and midterm elections are historically unfavorable for the sitting president’s party. Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm campaign schedule with a rally in Iowa last week, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and “win the midterms.” “If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,” Trump told the crowd. Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Planned Parenthood drops lawsuit challenging Trump administration’s Medicaid cuts
Planned Parenthood announced it is voluntarily dropping its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s ability to withhold Medicaid payments under a provision in President Donald Trump’s tax bill. The organization sued in July after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill that included prohibiting federal funding from going to abortion providers, a section of the legislation that Planned Parenthood attorneys argued unfairly targeted their clinics and would leave patients with even fewer health care options. In December, a federal appeals court ruled that the administration could continue to withhold Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. A separate lawsuit filed by a group of mostly Democratic states suffered a similar setback in January but remains ongoing, and a related case filed in Maine was voluntarily dismissed in October. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BILL TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION AS MURDER A third lawsuit filed in Maine by a network of medical clinics that was also impacted by the spending bill was voluntarily dismissed in October. Planned Parenthood moved on Friday to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. “The goal of this lawsuit has always been to help Planned Parenthood patients get the care they deserve from their trusted provider. Based on the 1st Circuit’s decision, it is clear that this lawsuit is no longer the best way to accomplish that goal,” the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah said in a joint statement. Under the tax provision in Trump’s spending bill, Medicaid payments would be stopped if providers like Planned Parenthood primarily offered certain services, including abortion, and received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023. Planned Parenthood was not specifically named in the legislation, but the organization’s leaders have said the law is intended to affect their clinics across the country, as Republicans at the federal and state level continue to target the organization. Federal law bans taxpayer money from covering most abortions, but many Republicans have long argued that abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood used Medicaid money for other health services to subsidize abortion. Planned Parenthood said 23 of their health clinics have been forced to close due to Trump’s spending bill. More than 50 clinics closed in 18 states last year, with most located in the Midwest. PRO-LIFE LEADERS FIRMLY REJECT TRUMP’S CALL FOR HYDE AMENDMENT ‘FLEXIBILITY’ IN HEALTHCARE TALKS “President Trump and his allies in Congress have weaponized the federal government to target Planned Parenthood at the expense of patients — stripping people of the care they rely on,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement. “Through every attack, Planned Parenthood has never lost sight of its focus: ensuring patients can get the care they need from the provider they trust,” she continued. “That will never change. Care continues, as does our commitment to fighting for everyone’s freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jeffries says GOP ‘done eff’d up in Texas,’ vows they won’t win five seats: ‘They can’t ignore it’
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries unloaded on Republicans Monday, saying they “done eff’d up in Texas,” accusing the GOP of overreaching on redistricting and predicting they will fall well short of flipping five congressional seats. During a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Jeffries was asked about a recent Texas state senate race in which a Democrat flipped a seat in a district President Donald Trump carried in 2020. Jeffries was also pressed on whether Democrats could win four of the five redistricted congressional seats in Texas. “Yes, Republicans done eff’d up in Texas, and they know it,” Jeffries said. “We knew it months ago, and it’s because of a variety of reasons.” DESANTIS LAUNCHES FLORIDA REDISTRICTING PUSH TO POTENTIALLY ADD MORE GOP HOUSE SEATS Jeffries argued Republicans were never positioned to gain five seats but instead created a scenario in which they attempted to take seats from Democrats, believing there would be no response. “California responded decisively, and we will pick up five seats as a result of Prop. 50,” he said, referring to a California ballot measure that reshaped redistricting rules and boosted Democratic chances in multiple congressional districts. “It remains to be seen what happens in Texas, but I can guarantee you they won’t win five seats,” Jeffries continued. “They’re going to struggle to win three based on 2024 performance alone.” DEMS SCORE BIG IN TYPICALLY RED TEXAS DISTRICT THAT TRUMP EASILY WON IN 2024 Democrats scored another win Saturday when Taylor Rehmet captured a Texas state senate seat in a district long dominated by Republicans. Rehmet, a labor union leader and Air Force veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss in the Fort Worth-area district. Jeffries praised Rehmet’s campaign, calling the victory decisive. WHY 2026 SHOULD TERRIFY REPUBLICANS AFTER TENNESSEE SPECIAL ELECTION “It was a shellacking for Republicans in Texas that even caught Ron DeSantis’ attention,” Jeffries said. “They can’t ignore it. Republicans have been losing elections, and Democrats have been winning elections since January of last year.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the Republican Party of Texas for comment. The Texas redistricting fight is part of a broader national battle for control of the House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with similar clashes unfolding in Virginia, North Carolina and California as both parties jockey for seats that could ultimately determine the majority.