Judge forces CA hospital to keep trans treatments for minors despite Trump funding threat
A California judge is requiring a San Diego children’s hospital to continue providing transgender treatments to minors for now, extending a temporary restraining order as hospitals in California and New York take sharply different approaches to President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening to pull federal funding. San Diego Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner agreed last week to extend a temporary restraining order by 15 days, allowing Rady Children’s Health to continue providing hormone therapy and puberty blockers to minors despite the Trump administration’s efforts to ban such treatments and fears of losing federal funds. The judge’s order comes as a New York City hospital announced this week it is ending its Transgender Youth Health Program in part due to the “current regulatory environment” — a result of Trump’s executive order aimed at banning transgender medical procedures for minors. FLORIDA EXECS SENTENCED IN $233M OBAMACARE FRAUD THAT TARGETED HOMELESS, HURRICANE VICTIMS At issue is Trump’s executive order, signed shortly after he took office, that seeks to end transgender treatment for minors. In December, the Health and Human Services Department proposed a new rule that would strip federal Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide “sex‑rejecting procedures” for children under the age of 18. NYU Langone Health, one of New York City’s largest hospital networks, said the change was due to what hospital officials cited as the “current regulatory environment.” Meanwhile, lawyers for the San Diego hospital argued in court that continuing the treatments for minors, even temporarily, could expose it to immediate risk and threaten its Medicaid and Medicare funding — a critical revenue source given Rady’s status as Southern California’s largest children’s health care provider. Braner acknowledged after hearing from both parties that Rady and other hospitals likely feel caught “between a rock and a hard place” amid heightened scrutiny from the Trump administration. Still, he said concerns about losing funding could be quickly addressed if that scenario unfolds. “We’ll clear our calendar, and we’ll have a hearing within 24 hours of any notice” from HHS, he said, according to local news outlets. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT The reassurances from the judge, whose extension is slated to last through March 15, did little to assuage Rady’s lawyers, who cited the risks of noncompliance and told the judge that even in a short window, continuing the treatments could pose a “catastrophic risk.” The legal back-and-forth comes as more than 40 hospitals in the U.S. have so far restricted such treatments for minors, in compliance with the administration’s guidance, according to data compiled by STAT News earlier this month. “Given the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our Transgender Youth Health Program,” NYU Langone officials said in a statement this week announcing the hospital was ending transgender treatment for minors. “We are committed to helping patients in our care manage this change. This does not impact our pediatric mental health care programs, which will continue,” the hospital said. Officials at Rady in San Diego previously announced the hospital would also stop treatments for minors in accordance with the Trump administration’s guidance. The announcement prompted California Attorney General Rob Bonta to file a lawsuit earlier this year.
Liberals lose their minds over Justice Department banner featuring Trump
A newly installed banner at the Department of Justice headquarters displaying President Donald Trump‘s face sparked criticism from detractors, who likened it to authoritarianism and questioned the department’s impartiality. Prominent Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, and a slew of anti-Trump legal experts weighed in on social media Thursday, saying the banner symbolized a biased DOJ. The department said the banner, which read “Make America Safe Again,” honored the White House’s efforts to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. “We are proud at this Department of Justice to celebrate 250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News Digital. TRUMP INSISTS GOPERS ‘LOVE’ DOJ TARGETING JEROME POWELL, SAYS HE ‘CAN’T HELP’ IT IF IT LOOKS LIKE RETRIBUTION Meanwhile, Newsom called the banner “beyond parody,” while Democratic senators accused the DOJ of weaponizing its authority to appease the president, who has openly called for the prosecution of his political rivals. “President Trump is weaponizing the DOJ as his own personal law firm,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., also chimed in. Federal prosecutors recently failed to secure an indictment against him after he instructed military members to refuse to follow illegal orders. “The grift, groveling, and weaponization of our government is chilling,” Crow said. “The Justice Department works for the American people. They shouldn’t be political henchmen for Donald Trump–or any other President.” Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said: “The Department of Justice is supposed to work for and represent you, not him.” David Frum, a writer for The Atlantic, said the DOJ was a “a pure creature of presidential whim, retribution, and cover-up,” adding the banner had “the virtue of candor at least.” Prominent never-Trumper Bill Kristol said the banner was “shameful.” “But in a way useful,” Kristol added. “No one should any longer pretend we have a “Department of Justice.” We have a Department of Trump.” Attorney Barbara Comstock, a former Virginia U.S. congresswoman and high-profile Never Trump voice, asked if the banner was artificial intelligence. “Nothing says Justice is Blind like hanging a Dear Leader Banner at DOJ…,” Comstock said. Others called it a sign of “fascism” and compared it to North Korea, Nazi Germany and the Chinese Community Party. Larry Pfeiffer, a former longtime intelligence community official, said the “Pyongyangification of Washington DC continues.” EX-JUDGES BLAST TOP TRUMP DOJ OFFICIAL FOR DECLARING ‘WAR’ ON COURTS The banner is not the first to unfurl on a federal building in Washington, D.C., as part of the White House initiative to honor 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Indendence. The Department of Labor has for months prominently featured a similar sign reading “American Workers First.” Republicans had a largely muted response to the move to install Trump’s face on the DOJ. Jason Miller, Trump’s former senior adviser, gave it thumbs-up emojis, while U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin simply said, “True.”
CIA retracts, revises 19 past intelligence assessments deemed politically biased
The CIA on Friday said that director John Ratcliffe had ordered the retraction or “substantive revision” of 19 intelligence assessments over the past decade that were deemed to be politically biased. In a release, the CIA included three redacted assessments from between 2015 and 2021 that related to White women’s extremist radicalization, attacks on LGBT activists in the Middle East and Africa, and the COVID-19 pandemic limiting access to birth control in developing countries. “The intelligence products we released to the American people today — produced before my tenure as DCIA — fall short of the high standards of impartiality that CIA must uphold and do not reflect the expertise for which our analysts are renowned,” Ratcliffe said in a statement. He added, “There is absolutely no room for bias in our work and when we identify instances where analytic rigor has been compromised, we have a responsibility to correct the record. These actions underscore our commitment to transparency, accountability, and objective intelligence analysis. Our recent successes in Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE and Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER exemplify our dedication to analytic excellence.” BRENNAN DIRECTED PUBLICATION OF ‘IMPLAUSIBLE’ REPORTS CLAIMING PUTIN PREFERRED TRUMP IN 2016, HOUSE FOUND The CIA release said the assessments were identified by the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which did an independent review on hundreds of reports from the last decade, adding that the assessments “did not meet CIA and IC analytic tradecraft standards and failed to be independent of political consideration.” The agency said an internal review led by Deputy Director Michael Ellis “agreed that they did not meet the high standards the American people expect from CIA’s elite analytic workforce.” CIA DIRECTOR WAS IN VENEZUELA TO MEET WITH ACTING PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ, OFFICIAL SAYS The first of the three reports included in the release was titled “Women Advancing White Racially and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremist Radicalization and Recruitment,” and was published in October 2021, in the first year of the Biden administration. It focused on women in groups overseas “that incite, facilitate or conduct violence because they believe that their perception of an idealized, white European ethnic identity is under attack from people who embody and support multiculturalism and globalization.” The second report was titled “Middle East-North Africa: LGBT Activists Under Pressure,“ and was released near the end of the Obama administration. That assessment claimed that “The tough stance taken against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community by governments in the Middle East probably is driven by conservative public opinion and domestic political competition from Islamists, and is hindering US initiatives in support of LGBT rights.” The last declassified report included in the CIA release was titled “Worldwide: Pandemic-Related Contraceptive Shortfalls Threaten Economic Development,“ and was published in July 2020, nearly the end of President Donald Trump’s first term. “The COVID-19 pandemic is limiting contraceptive access in the developing world and will probably undermine efforts to address population pressures there that are hindering economic development,” it stated. A senior administration official who spoke to The New York Times on condition of anonymity said that most of the rest of the flagged assessments dealt with diversity, equity and inclusion. The Times added that former officials it spoke to both questioned the decision to declassify the three documents and the claims that the assessments were flawed, believing they just showed the policy priorities of past administrations.
Campus Radicals Newsletter: Teacher who lost job over 2-word post breaks silence, Chicago ‘racial segregation’
DEI EXPOSED: Illinois district where faculty celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death exposed over racial ‘segregation’ plan ART AXED: University of North Texas cancels exhibit featuring anti-ICE art CAMPUS CAUTION: Illinois university moves classes online after learning ICE is operating in the same building SIGN UP TO GET THE CAMPUS RADICALS NEWSLETTER ALLEGATIONS DISMISSED: White teens cleared of hate crime allegations levied by Black Virginia Tech professor BOOK BATTLE: Nashville teacher allegedly threatened with termination for refusing to read LGBTQ book to first graders DEPORTATION DENIED: Palestinian activist accused of expressing desire to ‘kill Jews’ wins deportation case FACULTY REVOLT: Columbia pulls promotion for DHS career expo after faculty claims university is aiding ‘authoritarianism’ HARVARD ACTIVISM: Harvard students earn course credit helping asylum seekers as critics calls school ‘bastion of woke activism’ CAREER DERAILED: Chicago-area teacher breaks silence after losing job over 2-word Facebook post supporting ICE: ‘Devastating’ TPUSA CONTROVERSY: Maryland woman says TPUSA high school event raised ‘serious concerns,’ says Child Protective Services notified
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Targeted attack’ vandalizes Trump-Kennedy Center outdoor ice rink, forces performance cancellation
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump-Kennedy Center was the target of what officials described as a “calculated, malicious attack” early Friday after a “toxic chemical” was poured onto its outdoor ice rink, forcing a performance cancellation. Trump-Kennedy Center leadership said a dark substance was poured onto the ice surface, severely damaging the outdoor arena. Leadership said the incident was not a protest but an act of outright vandalism targeting the Trump-Kennedy Center. “Today, a targeted attack on the Trump Kennedy Center vandalized and destroyed our outdoor arena, causing severe damage that we unfortunately must cancel tonight’s performance, but we are working feverishly to complete repairs so programming can resume tomorrow,” Roma Daravi, vice president of public relations for the Trump-Kennedy Center, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We have turned over video footage to the authorities who are investigating this calculated, malicious attack and hold those responsible accountable.” KENNEDY CENTER PRESIDENT DEMANDS $1M FROM JAZZ MUSICIAN WHO CANCELED CHRISTMAS EVE SHOW Leadership added that violence “will not be tolerated” at the Trump-Kennedy Center and said those responsible would be held accountable. Trump-Kennedy Center officials said a brown-black substance was poured across the ice early Friday morning. Images from the scene show the material spread widely across the rink, with what appears to be a gallon-sized milk container visible on the ice. Leadership at the venue said the substance was “toxic.” The exact chemical has not yet been publicly identified. TRUMP’S NAME ADDED TO KENNEDY CENTER FOLLOWING UNANIMOUS BOARD VOTE TO RENAME HISTORIC BUILDING The vandalism forced the cancellation of a scheduled performance at the Trump-Kennedy Center by Montreal-based skating company Le Patin Libre. The incident comes amid a broader transformation of the Trump-Kennedy Center following a leadership overhaul and significant funding secured for long-deferred infrastructure improvements. The board of trustees voted unanimously in December 2025 to rename the facility “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.” President Donald Trump was later elected chairman of the board. BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS Fox News Digital previously reported that the Center plans a temporary closure beginning July 4 for an extensive restoration and modernization project. Leadership has cited roughly $250 million in deferred maintenance and aging infrastructure accumulated over decades. Congress appropriated $257 million for renovation work in Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” and officials have described the project as critical to stabilizing and preserving the nation’s premier performing arts institution for future generations. The complex, which opened in 1971, has faced years of financial strain and structural deterioration before new funding was secured. Daravi said the institution intends to pursue accountability for the damage and restore the outdoor arena as quickly as possible, so programming can continue as scheduled. Neither a suspect nor a motive have been publicly identified by either the Trump-Kennedy Center or authorities. Authorities are continuing to investigate the incident as the Trump-Kennedy Center works to restore the damaged outdoor arena and resume scheduled programming. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Crockett blasts ‘left’ for alleged skin darkening in ads as Texas Senate clash heats up
A progressive House Democrat claims that attacks from her left were racially motivated in what’s become an explosive Texas Senate race. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, told supporters that she’s used to attacks from Republicans and the right, but racially tinged shots from her left flank weren’t something she expected. “The thing that is not normal is for me to be attacked from the left,” Crockett said. “That is the new wild card in this scenario. But it’s just interesting.” DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CALLS NATIONAL PARTY ‘CONDESCENDING,’ HOSTILE TOWARD FAITH IN RED STATES “And you know, I’ve been asked a couple of times about it,” she continued. “And you know, I look at this specifically as a civil rights lawyer, and I see when they’re sending out ads and they’re darkening my skin. And I’m just like, I know what this is, right?” Crockett did not get into specifics about which ads she was referencing or who was behind them. Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Crockett’s Senate campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back. It’s another instance in the Democratic primary for Texas’ Senate seat between Crockett and Texas state Rep. James Talarico in which race has again been jolted into the conversation. JASMINE CROCKETT HITS BACK AT LIBERAL CRITICS OF HER SENATE BID, SUGGESTS THEY MIGHT BE GETTING PAID Before the latest drama over Talarico’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” which Crockett said she has not received an invitation to since launching her Senate campaign, the state lawmaker was embroiled in another back-and-forth with his former opponent. Before Crockett entered the contest, Talarico was running against former Rep. Collin Allred, D-Texas, who was again vying for the Senate after losing to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in 2024. Allred exited the race in December 2025 but earlier in February alleged that Talarico had referred to him as a “mediocre Black man” in reference to his campaign against the former lawmaker. CORNYN WARNS PAXTON WOULD BE ‘KISS OF DEATH’ FOR GOP AS BLOODY PRIMARY RACE RAMPS UP Talarico pushed back against the allegation in a statement to the Texas Tribune at the time and said that he would “never attack him on the basis of race.” “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is,” Talarico said. “I understand how my critique of the congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others. Despite our disagreements, I deeply respect Congressman Allred. We’re all on the same team.” Early voting already is underway in Texas, with primary election day right around the corner on March 3. Who either Crockett or Talarico will face in November remains in the air, given the three-way Republican primary battle among Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas.
EPA scraps Biden coal restrictions, and advocates say move will restore American dominance
A leading domestic energy advocacy group praised EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s announcement that his agency would undo recent additions to the federal “mercury and air-toxics standards” (MATS) for coal-fired power plants. Zeldin said removing the restrictions allows the already “robust” MATS standards to remain in effect, ensuring both public health and the health of America’s coal industry amid a push for U.S. energy dominance. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy,” Zeldin said, adding that protecting the environment and supporting industry and baseload power is not a “binary choice.” In response, Power the Future founder Daniel Turner told Fox News Digital the move is a significant step toward revitalizing the American coal industry and, in turn, fueling economies in economically depressed industrial communities throughout Appalachia and beyond. TRUMP DIRECTS MILITARY TO STRIKE NEW DEALS WITH COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS: ‘GOING TO BE BUYING A LOT OF COAL’ “Since the war on coal, we have weakened our grid, driven electricity prices through the roof, outsourced major industries to Mexico and China, but most of all driven tens of thousands of Americans into ruin because of a globalist agenda,” Turner said Friday, adding that the costs of a crippled coal industry went far beyond shuttered infrastructure. “The cruel Obama-led war on coal ruined numerous towns across rural America, drove families into poverty, caused alcoholism, opioid addiction, domestic violence, and suicide to skyrocket. “Power The Future started because of coal miners, the acceptable casualties in the globalist climate change agenda,” added Turner, whose group is based in coal-heavy Virginia. EPA CHIEF WRAPS NATIONAL TOUR AS CRITICS SLAM DEREGULATION AGENDA “Restoring America’s coal dominance is good for our national security and economy, and it restores the dignity of small-town coal workers whose labor is vital to America’s survival.” Many of America’s poorest counties are in what were once very wealthy coal communities, including McDowell and Mingo counties in West Virginia and Bell, Letcher, McCreary and Breathitt counties in Kentucky, where Vice President JD Vance’s family is from. During much of the 20th century, McDowell County — and its seat, Welch — was the No. 1 coal-producing county in the U.S. and home to 100,000 people — a population boom some credit with spurring construction of what became the nation’s first parking deck, which is still standing today in Welch. TRUMP ADMIN RELAUNCHES KEY COUNCIL AFTER BIDEN ADMIN SHUTTERED IT: ‘IGNORANCE AND ARROGANCE’ Now, about one-quarter of McDowell residents live in poverty while the median income is around $30,000. Turner alluded to those conditions in comments to Fox News Digital, saying people must “never forget or forgive the drivers of the war on coal for their cruel attacks on a vital industry found only in rural America. “[Anti-coal politicians] fly private jets to attend global climate summits while they orchestrated an evil attack on the coal miner making America weaker and China richer.” Turner quipped that any “anti-coal activist” is invited to join him in visiting coal-producing communities but may be unhappy to get dirt on their clothing and find lodging not up to “Four Seasons” standards. “We need coal. There is not one product around you right now that was not touched by coal, and to lower prices, bring market stability and ensure economic growth, we need to dominate the coal industry,” Turner said. “Sadly, the liberal elite who launched the war on coal are too ignorant or too indifferent to know this. The ignorant can be educated, and that’s what I try to do at Power The Future. But the indifferent must be defeated, as they are a threat to our liberty, property and prosperity. I will never stop until I defeat them all,” he said, calling President Donald Trump the “greatest coal president in history.” Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy fired back at the policy change, telling the AP that “by weakening pollution limits and monitoring for brain-damaging mercury and other pollutants, they are actively undermining any attempt to make America — and our children — healthy.”
Kavanaugh rips Supreme Court majority’s ‘illogical’ line on tariffs
Justice Brett Kavanaugh called the Supreme Court’s decision striking down Trump’s emergency tariffs “illogical” in a fiery dissent on Friday and offered a roadmap of alternatives for Trump to attempt to carry out his signature economic policy. Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, said the 6-3 majority cherry-picked ways in which Trump could regulate imports under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, making what he said was a textualist case that the law already allows similar forms of regulation on imports, including quotas and embargoes. Tariffs are not just in the same category as those but are a “far more modest” alternative to them, Kavanaugh said. “If quotas and embargoes are a means to regulate importation, how are tariffs not a means to regulate importation? Nothing in the text supports such an illogical distinction,” Kavanaugh wrote. Trump last year bypassed Congress and unilaterally levied tariffs on nearly every country in the world by invoking the IEEPA. The president argued that an influx of illicit drugs from China, Mexico and Canada and a trade deficit that has decimated American manufacturing constituted emergencies that justified the tariffs. SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP’S TARIFFS IN MAJOR TEST OF EXECUTIVE POWER The majority held in a 6-3 opinion that while IEEPA allows a president to “regulate importation” during a declared national emergency, the statute does not clearly authorize tariffs, a core congressional taxing power. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that when executive action carries sweeping economic consequences, Congress must weigh in on the matter with unmistakable clarity, alluding to what is known as the major questions doctrine. Kavanaugh said the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 upholding a vaccine mandate former President Joe Biden imposed on millions of healthcare workers “strongly supports” upholding Trump’s tariffs. Like tariffs, that executive action also carried major consequences even though Congress did not explicitly mention vaccines in the health and safety statute Biden used to justify his mandate, Kavanaugh said. In oral arguments in November, Solicitor General John Sauer, appearing on behalf of the government, said tariffs were an invaluable way for Trump to negotiate with foreign partners. Weakening his “suite of tools” by removing tariffs from it was a “bit unusual,” Sauer said. Sauer also said tariffs were the same as embargoes, which block imports altogether. The solicitor general conceded, though, that tariffs had the “incidental and collateral effect” of raising revenue, but he said their primary purpose was to regulate rather than collect income. Kavanaugh agreed. “As the [majority of justices] interpret the statute, the President could, for example, block all imports from China but cannot order even a $1 tariff on goods imported from China,” Kavanaugh wrote. AS TRUMP TOUTS TARIFF WINDFALL, BATTLEGROUND STATES SHOULDER BILLIONS IN COSTS Kavanaugh referenced numerous other statutes he said Trump had in his toolbox, mapping out alternatives in the wake of the high court nixing IEEPA as an option. Kavanaugh said the majority “in essence” concluded that Trump “checked the wrong statutory box.” Trump, in a speech remarking on the decision, praised Kavanaugh for “his genius and his great ability,” adding he was “very proud of that appointment.” The president referenced a quote from Kavanaugh’s dissent, saying, “‘Although I firmly disagree with the court’s holding today, the decision might not substantially constrain a president’s ability to order tariffs going forward.’ So think of that … and it doesn’t. He’s right. “We have very powerful alternatives.” Kavanaugh also raised a glaring question left unaddressed by the high court’s majority of how the U.S. Treasury could go about refunding companies to the tune of billions of dollars that the government gained from the unlawful tariffs. JONATHAN TURLEY: SUPREME COURT RULING ON TRUMP TARIFFS COMES DOWN TO A NUMBERS GAME Kavanaugh said of the “serious practical consequences” of outlawing Trump’s ability to use IEEPA to levy tariffs that the refund process could be a “mess” as lower courts are likely to see an influx of lawsuits from business owners looking for their money back. “The United States may be required to refund billions of dollars to importers who paid the IEEPA tariffs, even though some importers may have already passed on costs to consumers or others,” Kavanaugh wrote. “As was acknowledged at oral argument, the refund process is likely to be a ‘mess.’” The majority opinion, authored by Roberts, found that IEEPA’s language allowing a president to regulate imports intentionally omits the word “tariff.” Roberts wrote that the other words in the statute “cannot bear” the same weight as the word tariff, which he said operates like a tax because it allows the government to collect revenue, which he said only Congress can authorize. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas joined Kavanaugh’s dissent, and Thomas also wrote a separate dissent.
President Donald J. Trump International Airport poised to come to Palm Beach under new bill
The airport closest to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club may soon bear his name after both chambers of the Florida Legislature passed a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach in his honor. Trump’s name has been affixed to multiple pieces of infrastructure in recent months, from the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington to Donald J. Trump highways in Florida and Oklahoma. Rep. Addison McDowell, R-N.C., has also introduced a bill to strip former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles’ name from the Washington-area airport in Virginia, aiming to have the nation’s capital served by Trump and Reagan. Senate Bill 706, sponsored by RNC Chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters of Lakeland and state Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Brevard. passed the upper chamber and was paired with House Bill 919, sponsored by state Rep. Meg Weinberger, R-Palm Beach Gardens, whose district includes the airport. The House measure passed earlier Friday. TRUMP ANNOUNCES 10% GLOBAL TARIFF, CRITICIZES SUPREME COURT JUSTICES The text of the bill amends an existing law codifying the names of several Florida airports, including Miami International Airport and Jacksonville International Airport, to add language designating that the airport in West Palm Beach “currently known as the Palm Beach International Airport shall be renamed the President Donald J. Trump International Airport.” The bill also grants Palm Beach County funding for the rebranding effort. The renaming still requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Gov. Ron DeSantis. A DeSantis spokeswoman said the governor has not yet received the bill, but “once it is delivered to his office, he will review it in its final form.” Fox News Digital also reached out to a representative for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for comment. SUPREME COURT BLOCKS TRUMP TARIFFS IN MAJOR TEST OF EXECUTIVE BRANCH POWERS Florida Democrats warned about the estimated $5 million in rebranding costs and any incidental profits that could be made by the Trump family. Democrats also said any consideration should wait until 2029, when the current president is out of office, according to The Floridian Press. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., whose district includes the airport and for whom Trump is a constituent, criticized the proposal. “It’s misguided and unfair that the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature ignored the voices of Palm Beach County by pushing forward a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport without giving county residents a real opportunity for input,” Frankel said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP She echoed concerns about renaming an airport after a sitting president. “Decisions … should wait until after an honoree’s service has concluded,” Frankel said. “And [they] should include meaningful input from the local residents and communities most directly affected.” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the name “has a great ring to it.”
‘Impossible to describe:’ Importer who challenged Trump tariffs hails Supreme Court win
Victor Owen Schwartz never imagined he would one day find himself challenging a president in the highest court in the land. But after President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs threatened the survival of his wine importing business, Schwartz became a plaintiff in a case that would ultimately reach the Supreme Court and prevail. With wines and spirits arriving from 16 countries across five continents, nearly every corner of Schwartz’s supply chain was touched by the new tariffs. On Friday, the nation’s highest court dealt Trump a significant blow to his trade policy. Schwartz watched the decision unfold over Zoom with his lawyers, the fate of his nearly 40-year-old business hanging in the balance. SUPREME COURT DEALS BLOW TO TRUMP’S TRADE AGENDA IN LANDMARK TARIFF CASE “We are relieved and very excited to get back to doing what we love, bringing handmade authentic wines and spirits to American consumers,” Schwartz said. “It’s impossible to describe the feeling of elation, of seeing that, yes, we were right, and the court agrees with us, and a feeling that justice prevailed,” he told Fox News Digital. Schwartz was a plaintiff in one of two cases brought before the Supreme Court. The challenges — Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections Inc. — were filed by an educational toy manufacturer and Schwartz’s family-owned wine and spirits importer, both contesting the legality of Trump’s tariffs. The disputes followed Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs in April, a sweeping package of import duties he said would address trade imbalances and reduce reliance on foreign goods. TRUMP’S TARIFF REVENUES HIT RECORD HIGHS AS SUPREME COURT DEALS MAJOR BLOW “Last spring, thousands of American small businesses like mine were thrown into chaos,” Schwartz said, referring to the “Liberation Day” tariffs. “The administration’s unprecedented tariffs, which my business was forced to pay upfront, threatened our very existence,” he added. Unlike previous tariffs enacted by Congress, which businesses could plan around, Schwartz said Trump’s sweeping duties felt unpredictable and arbitrary. He argued the new duties forced small companies to “gamble with our livelihoods by trying to predict the unpredictable,” calling them “an unconstitutional act of government overreach.” Beyond the legal fight, Schwartz said the strain on cash flow was especially acute. “A very important thing to realize in running any business, certainly a small business, is the impact on cash flow,” he said. “When you have to pay those tariffs up front before you have sold a single bottle of wine, that’s a major impact … cash flow is the lifeblood of a company.” Meanwhile, the Trump administration has argued that aggressive tariffs are necessary to confront what it calls years of unfair global trade — underscoring how central trade policy is to Trump’s broader economic strategy. Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, Trump announced a 10% global tariff and vowed to use other avenues to keep the duties in place. While questions remain about what comes next for U.S. trade policy, Schwartz said he is focused on moving forward and receiving the “government’s refund of these improperly collected taxes.”