Dem senator says ‘no doubt’ Biden declined cognitively during presidency
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Politico that there is no question that President Joe Biden declined cognitively during his White House tenure. “There’s no doubt about it,” Murphy said when the outlet asked whether Biden had undergone cognitive decline while serving as president. “The debate is whether it was enough that it compromised his ability to act as chief executive,” the senator said, according to Politico. Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office to request additional comment from the senator but did not receive a response by the time of publication. BIDEN MADE HARRIS CAMPAIGN A ‘NIGHTMARE,’ DESTROYED HER CHANCES BY STAYING IN 2024 RACE TOO LONG, AIDES CHARGE During an appearance on “The View” last week, Biden pushed back against the idea that he suffered significant cognitive decline during the last year of his presidency. RAHM EMANUEL SAYS BIDEN IS ‘NOT WHERE WE NEED TO BE AS A PARTY,’ ADDS HIS COMMENTS ARE UNHELPFUL Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Joe and Jill Biden but did not receive a response by the time of publication. During an interview on CNN last year before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential contest, Murphy said that Biden’s debate performance had “raised questions for voters” regarding whether he was “still the old Joe Biden.” Murphy suggested during that interview that Biden should “show the country that he is still the old Joe Biden,” saying that he took Biden “at his word” that he was still able to do his job. “I have seen him do this job at an absolutely exceptional level. No president has had this level of legislative accomplishment in their first four years as Joe Biden,” Murphy said. Politico also reported that Murphy said it would have helped the Democratic Party if Biden had not run in 2024. CHUCK TODD BLAMES SCHUMER, DEMOCRATS’ SILENCE ON BIDEN DECLINE FOR PARTY’S CREDIBILITY COLLAPSE “I mean, isn’t that self-evident? We lost,” he said, according to the outlet. “Obviously, in retrospect, we should have done something different. The likelihood is the odds were pretty stacked against us no matter what, but clearly people were looking for change and neither Biden nor Harris were going to be able to offer a real message of change.”
GOP reps, advocacy group to target competitive House districts in Trump tax-cut push
EXCLUSIVE: Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is hosting a day of action on Saturday in competitive congressional districts as House Republicans iron out the details of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” AFP is teaming up with GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania for door-knocking, phone banks and grassroots organizing in a show of support for extending Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). Canvassers will encourage constituents in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania to urge their senators and representatives to extend Trump’s tax cuts as a key component of his “big, beautiful bill.” “Working families and small businesses throughout the country are counting on Congress to act as soon as possible to renew President Trump’s tax cuts,” AFP Managing Director Kent Strang said in a statement to Fox News Digital ahead of the day of action. CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TARGETING DOZENS OF HOUSE REPUBLICAN-HELD SEATS IN 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY “With support from AFP’s activists bringing their unmatched energy and drive this weekend, we can ensure we extend pro-growth tax policy and help Republicans prevent the largest tax hike in history from crushing the middle class.” REPUBLICANS TO TAKE AIM AT THESE 26 DEMOCRAT-HELD HOUSE SEATS IN 2026 MIDTERMS AFP is launching their day of action in conjunction with their $20 million “Protect Prosperity” campaign, which the conservative advocacy group has called the single largest investment of any outside group dedicated to preserving the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As House Republicans searched for alternative ways to offset an extension of the 2017 tax cuts and Trump’s ambitious goals to cut taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, AFP urged Republicans to offset budget cuts by eliminating former President Joe Biden’s “Green New Deal giveaways.” The House Energy and Commerce Committee debated green energy cuts during their lengthy markup on Capitol Hill this week as part of the House budget reconciliation process. Meanwhile, House Republicans debated potentially raising taxes as Trump indicated his support for a small tax hike to fund his “big, beautiful bill.” While rumors swirled among House Republicans for weeks that the White House was floating a tax hike on millionaires, Trump confirmed on Friday he would be “OK if they do.” However, House Republicans seemed to drop their plans for a new millionaire’s tax hike as the reconciliation began. The House Ways and Means Committee released nearly 400 pages of legislation on Monday that did not include a tax hike. It’s no coincidence that AFP is focusing its attention on competitive districts in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania, as contentious races are expected in 2026. In Arizona’s sixth congressional district, Ciscomani won his House seat in 2022 with just over 50% of the vote. Schweikert narrowly won Arizona’s first congressional district by less than 2% of the vote in 2022 and 2024, as one of the most expensive House races in the country last year. And while Hinson won by a much larger margin in Iowa’s second congressional district, Democrat Kevin Techau has already announced his campaign to unseat Hinson. Both Barrett in Michigan and Mackenzie in Pennsylvania managed to pick up Republican House seats in 2024, flipping their congressional districts from blue to red. Democrats will likely seek to win those seats back in 2026.
Trump highlights potential pay raise for troops, touts military reforms in Qatar speech
President Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and cited his wish to give troops a pay raise in an address to U.S. service members on Thursday. Trump made the comments during an address to troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during his extended trip to the Middle East. “My 2026 budget includes across the board – maybe you don’t want to look for the good of the country, you don’t have to take it – pay raises for each and every one of you. Substantial pay raises,” Trump said. “You are without a doubt the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. That’s the way it is. I said it last night. I said it’s strong. We have the strongest military in the world. It’s not even a contest. We have the best equipment, nobody has equipment like us, nobody has the planes or the missiles or anything else,” he continued. RUBIO TAKES SOMBER TONE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: ‘CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH’ “And as your commander-in-chief, I’m here to say that America’s military will soon be bigger, better, stronger and more powerful than ever,” he added. Trump went on to criticize Biden, noting the deaths of 13 U.S. troops during the evacuation from Kabul, Afghanistan. TRUMP CONSIDERS JOINING RUSSIA-UKRAINE NEGOTIATIONS IN TURKEY, UNCLEAR IF PUTIN WILL SHOW Trump’s speech came less than a day after he on Wednesday signed a series of agreements with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar. The agreements involved a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as letters of intent and “joint cooperation” between Qatar and the U.S. The emir also signed an intent agreement to purchase MQ-9 drone aircraft. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL DROP SANCTIONS ON SYRIA IN MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS Al Thani said he had a “great” conversation with Trump prior to the signing ceremony on Wednesday, adding that the agreements have elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.” U.S. relations with Doha have come a long way since 2017, when Trump accused Qatar of harboring terrorism: “The nation of Qatar, unfortunately, has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level,” Trump said at the time. From there, Qatar became a major non-NATO ally to the U.S. in 2022 under Biden and is home to Al Udeid Air Base, one of the U.S.’s largest Middle Eastern bases and a key hub for U.S. Central Command operations. Fox News’ Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
Trump warns Iran faces ‘violence like people haven’t seen before’ if nuclear deal fails
President Donald Trump attended a breakfast with business leaders at the St. Regis Doha hotel in Qatar on Thursday morning where he remained firm that Tehran must choose between never having a nuclear weapon or dealing with “violence like people haven’t seen before.” Just days before, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had made comments that calls to dismantle Tehran’s nuclear facilities were “unacceptable,” and that “Iran will not give up its peaceful nuclear rights under any circumstances and will not back down from its rights in the face of pressure.” Trump suggested Iran may now be informally moving toward compliance with international demands to halt its nuclear weapons ambitions, but emphasized that a final agreement has not yet been reached. TRUMP OFFERS IRAN CHOICE: DROP NUCLEAR WEAPONS OR FACE ‘MAXIMUM PRESSURE’ “I want them to succeed. I want them to end up being a great country, frankly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon. That’s the only thing. It’s very simple,” Trump said. “It’s not like I have to give you 30 pages’ worth of details. There’s only one sentence. They can’t have a nuclear weapon. And I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this.” He went on to state simply that there were limited options when it came to the deal and that he personally would rather go the more amicable route. “There’s two steps. There’s a very, very nice step, and there’s a violent step. There’s violence like people haven’t seen before, and I hope we’re not going to have to do this. I don’t want to do the second step. Some people do. Many people do. I don’t want to do that step,” he said. REPUBLICANS URGE TRUMP TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS PLAN TO DISMANTLE IRAN’S NUCLEAR CAPABILITIES Congressional Republicans are urging Trump to remain committed to a hardline Iran strategy, calling for the complete dismantlement of the regime’s nuclear enrichment capabilities in a letter that drew wide support. Trump said at the breakfast that he is working toward a long-term solution that will bring peace to a country that he says “is a very special place with a special royal family.” “So we’ll see what happens, but we’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace. And if we do that, it’ll be fantastic. And for this country in particular, because you’re right next door. You’re a stone’s throw away, not even right here, a foot away. You can walk right into Iran. Other countries are much further away, so probably it’s not quite the same level of danger, but we are going to protect this country. It is a very special place with a special royal family,” Trump said. “And the head of the royal family is two heads of the royal family, really, if you think. Great people. And they’re going to be protected by the United States of America. And I think we’re not going to have to do it because I believe very strongly in peace.”
Supreme Court hears challenge to Trump’s birthright citizenship order in major case
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday on a challenge to President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship, and crucially, whether lower courts that have blocked Trump’s policies from taking force nationwide have acted beyond their authority. Any decision from the 6–3 conservative majority could have sweeping implications for Trump’s presidency as his lawyers spar against an onslaught of lawsuits in federal courts nationwide. The Supreme Court arguments are expected to focus on lower court judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state who issued “universal” injunctions against Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order earlier this year. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court in March to intervene and limit the scope of three lower court rulings to cover only individuals directly impacted by the relevant courts (or potentially, the 22 states that challenged Trump’s executive order). But that’s unlikely to be the primary theme at the center of Thursday’s high-profile debate. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT Rather, justices are expected to use the oral arguments to weigh the authority of lower courts to issue nationwide, or “universal” injunctions blocking presidential policies — teeing up a high-stakes showdown that pits Trump’s Article II powers against Article III courts. The hearing comes as Trump and his allies have railed against so-called “activist” judges, whom they have accused of overstepping their powers and acting politically to block Trump’s policies. The president even suggested that a federal judge in Washington, D.C., be impeached for his ruling earlier this year, which prompted a rare public rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts. ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES KEEP TRYING TO CURB TRUMP’S AGENDA — HERE’S HOW HE COULD PUSH BACK Trump has signed more than 150 executive orders in his second term, inviting a seemingly unrelenting wave of challenges in court. Many of these orders have been blocked by federal judges across the country, who have restricted Trump’s use of a 1798 wartime immigration law to deport certain migrants, ordered the administration to reinstate certain government personnel and sought to impose limits on Elon Musk’s government efficiency organization, DOGE, among other orders. While Trump allies accuse these judges of political bias and overreach, others critical of the administration say the courts have not gone far enough to rein in Trump’s attempts to expand the executive branch’s powers. “The second Trump administration has taken the guardrails off of the norms that historically governed the rule of law, and is undertaking steps to enhance the perceived power of the executive branch to the detriment of the two other co-equal branches,” Mark Zaid, a D.C.-based attorney who has sued Trump in several high-profile cases, told Fox News Digitial in an interview to mark his first 100 days in office. FEDERAL JUDGES IN NEW YORK AND TEXAS BLOCK TRUMP DEPORTATIONS AFTER SCOTUS RULING Justices on the Supreme Court will consider a trio of consolidated cases involving nationwide injunctions handed down by federal judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington state that blocked Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship from taking force. But the policy remains widely unpopular. More than 22 U.S. states and immigrants’ rights groups have sued the Trump administration to block the change to birthright citizenship, arguing in court filings that the executive order is both unconstitutional and “unprecedented.” And to date, no court has sided with the Trump administration’s executive order seeking to ban birthright citizenship, though multiple district courts have blocked it from taking effect.
Former talk radio host dials into Alaska’s race for governor, says energy is key
In her first interview since announcing her bid for Alaska governor, Bernadette Wilson, a former radio host and longtime conservative figure in Alaska, spoke to Fox News Digital about the issues in the race and working with the Trump administration on energy development. Wilson, a lifelong Alaskan who was born on the Kenai Peninsula and grew up in Anchorage, is a political outsider. Even so, politics does run in her family. Her great-uncle Wally Hickel served as governor, first in the 1960s as a Republican and again in the early 1990s as a member of the Alaska Independence Party. She noted she comes from a long line of business people, including her grandfather, who “built a good chunk” of the state’s largest city. “I myself own a garbage company … and we are celebrating our ninth year in business,” she said. She added that her entrepreneurial experience and knowledge of state politics through her family history and own career in radio and activism is a good mix. RANKED CHOICE VOTING RANKLES ELECTION SEASON Wilson opposes ranked choice voting, in which votes are tallied in a hierarchical manner through several rounds. Conservatives in the red state blamed ranked choice voting for the election of former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy is term-limited. “Ranked choice voting disenfranchises voters. We see that it is … so confusing to them. We see people who don’t understand the process, and it absolutely has got to go. That is mission-critical,” she said. In other states, ranked choice voting has had mixed reviews. In Virginia, proponents on the right credited it with helping the state party select businessman Glenn Youngkin as its nominee for governor in 2021, which led to a major Republican upset that fall. ALASKA CAN BE CURE FOR NATION’S ILLS WITH HELP FROM TRUMP ADMIN: GOVERNOR SAYS Energy is the most important economic topic for Alaska, and Wilson said she looks forward to working with the Trump administration on its stated plan for a domestic energy renaissance if she’s elected. “Energy is obviously huge for Alaska. Under the Biden administration, Alaska was sanctioned more times than … the country of Iran,” she said. “We have the ability to lead the rest of the country [in this field].” Asked about another Trump-related topic, the ongoing tit-for-tat with Canada over claims to make it the 51st state and Ottawa’s bipartisan outrage at American tariffs, Wilson said, as governor, she would want to work on cross-border infrastructure projects. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Obviously, Canada sitting right along the border to Alaska has a huge impact for us. And so getting a railroad through Canada would definitely be a great No. 1 priority when it comes to our interaction with that particular country,” she said. Wilson faces Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and State Sen. Click Bishop, R-Fairbanks, in the 2026 contest.
El Chapo’s family members cross US border in apparent deal with Trump administration
Mexican officials said Wednesday that 17 family members of drug cartel leaders crossed into the United States last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration. Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed a report by independent journalist Luis Chaparro that family members of Ovidio Guzmán López had entered the U.S. Lopez, the son of imprisoned Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, was extradited to the U.S. in 2023. Among the family members allowed into the U.S. was Guzman’s former wife, Griselda López Pérez. CONSERVATIVE GROUP’S ROADMAP SHOWS HOW TRUMP CAN USE MILITARY TO THWART CARTELS In a radio interview, García Harfuch said it was clear to Mexican authorities the deal was made during negotiations between Guzmán López and the U.S. government. “It is evident that his family is going to the U.S. because of a negotiation or an offer that the Department of Justice is giving him,” García Harfuch said. None of the family was being pursued by Mexican authorities. Video footage posted online Tuesday by Spanish-language outlet Radio Formula shows Guzmán’s family carrying luggage as they wait to be processed at the Tijuana/San Diego border crossing. They reportedly packed $70,000 in cash with them. SINALOA CARTEL TAKES ROOT IN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS: WHERE ARE THEY? The confirmation by García Harfuch came the same day the office of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced it was charging a number of top cartel leaders with “narcoterrorism” for the first time since the Trump administration declared a number of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. “Let me be direct, to the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, you are no longer the hunters, you are the hunted,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California said. “You will be betrayed by your friends, you will be hounded by your enemies and you will ultimately find yourself and your face here in a courtroom in the Southern District of California.” Guzmán López, 35, also known as “the Mouse,” is one of the four of Guzmán’s sons known as “Los Chapitos,” who ran the Sinaloa Cartel in their father’s absence. At his peak, the elder Guzmán was one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, turning the Sinaloa Cartel into a major force and one of the largest groups responsible for illegal drugs pouring into the U.S. He was arrested and extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and convicted of drug trafficking and other crimes. He is imprisoned in Colorado. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Republicans struggle with Trump’s mixed signals on ‘big, beautiful bill’
It’s hard enough to know what you want. It’s even harder to know what others want. But what if what you want hinges on what somebody else wants…and they aren’t sure what they want? Hence the conundrum now facing Congressional Republicans as they try to approve the “big, beautiful bill.” GOPers are waiting for President Trump to push for very specific items to be in the bill – or fall by the wayside. Congressional Republicans are aligned closely with the President and willing to bend to his wishes. But it complicates things when Trump calls for what he termed a “tiny” tax increase for the super wealthy. TRUMP SAYS TAX RAISES ARE ‘GOOD POLITICS,’ DISMISSING GOP CRITICS “People would love to do it. Rich people. I would love to do it, frankly. Giving us something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets [have] more. So, it’s really a redistribution,” said the president. First, President Trump suggested a form of rations, limiting how many pencils kids need or how many dolls a little girl should have. That puzzled free marketeers in the GOP. Now, to use his phrase, “redistribution.” You understand how much heartburn this gives capitalists in Congress. But what’s worse is the mixed messaging. When writing on Truth Social about creating a higher tax bracket for the wealthy, the president muddled his instructions for lawmakers: “Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!!” declared President Trump. CIVIL WAR THREATENS GOP OVER MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKES IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ This exasperated Congressional Republicans who oppose raising any taxes – a long-held tenet of the Republican Party. In another political universe, taxing the wealthy would be – at best – a trial balloon. So, most Congressional Republicans decided it was time for this to pop. “No, we are not going to do tax increases,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Fox Business. “We don’t want to raise taxes on anybody. I mean, we’re about lowering taxes on Americans,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Fox. But President Trump’s Republican Party is very different from the Reagan Republican Party. The GOP shifts to where Trump wants it. Just consider the approach to tariffs compared to free trade. TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS President Trump broadened the party’s base in the last election. The GOP is no longer dominated by big business, titans of commerce and the well-to-do. Part of the president’s appeal was the blue-collar coalition he cobbled together. And his fundamental economic message on taxes resonated with millions of voters. That’s why his top advisers say Trump is sticking to campaign promises. “President Trump has made it clear that he has his priorities, like no tax on tips. No tax on overtime. No tax on Social Security,” said National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Fox. However, revenue generated from new taxes on the wealthy could help cover the cost of spending cuts. “We need to see what we need to do with the math to make sure that we are doing the country well fiscally and that we don’t just add to the debt,” said Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb. But Republicans are frustrated after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shrank the size of the tax cuts and spending reductions. The tax breaks were supposed to be around $4.5 trillion at one point. They dwindled to $4 trillion. They were angling to lock in $2 trillion in tax cuts. They’re scaled back to $1.5 trillion. ‘HARD NO’: MILLIONAIRE TAX HIKE PROPOSAL HAS HOUSE REPUBLICANS DIVIDED “Republicans talk a big game in campaigns,” lamented House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. “If we’re not able to bend the curve on mandatory spending, then we will send a very bad signal to the bond markets.” But regardless of what’s in the package, the White House is expecting Congressional Republicans to ultimately vote yes on the “big, beautiful bill.” “The president has great political instincts. That’s why he’s back in the Oval Office,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. But that’s what Congressional Republicans found so vexing. The president may have great political instincts. But the marching orders were far from clear. Trump conceded that a tax hike may be controversial politically. Congressional Republicans suffer from political PTSD. They remember another Republican President who made one of the most famous political promises of all time. And then broke it. “No new taxes,” intoned the late President George H.W. Bush in his address to a Joint Session of Congress in 1989. But Bush famously reversed himself as part of a 1990 budget pact. That was not necessarily the reason “Bush 41” lost reelection in 1992 to former President Clinton. And President Trump was sure enough to point that out on social media. TRUMP SLAMS REPUBLICAN ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ OPPOSING BUDGET BILL, PREDICTS MASSIVE US TAX INCREASES IF IT FAILS “The Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election. NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election!” wrote Trump. The “Perot Effect” certainly deprived George H.W. Bush of a second term more than breaking the “no new taxes” promise. But that doesn’t mean that Republicans aren’t skittish about voting for tax increases. And regardless, the legislative product that emerged from the Ways and Means Committee markup this week lacked the type of tax hike dangled by President Trump. That said, Congressional Republicans certainly have their opinions about what they think of the developing “big, beautiful bill.” “A growing number of us, we don’t want smoke and mirrors. We want real cuts,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “$2 trillion (in cuts) is really a teardrop in the ocean.” “You’ve got front-loaded tax [cuts]. Backloaded spending restraint,” groused Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “Medicaid reforms and work requirements don’t kick in for four years.” “It’ll be ironic and sad in
Abortion ban could return to Missouri after voters amended state Constitution to protect procedure
Missouri’s near-complete abortion ban could possibly return if a new ballot measure just passed by the state legislature gets approval from voters. The GOP-controlled Missouri Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment Thursday, which would repeal an earlier constitutional amendment passed by voters last year that enshrined abortion protections in the state’s constitution. Democrats sought to fillibuster the move Wednesday, but Republicans used procedural rules to get around it, according to The Associated Press. The proposed amendment, which passed in Missouri’s GOP-controlled House last month, would go on the state’s ballots in Missouri’s 2026 general election. However, the amendment could be voted on sooner if Missouri’s Republican governor chooses to call a special election on the issue. ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION “Senate Republicans are overturning the will of the voters and pushing to bring an Abortion Ban back to Missouri. This new ballot item will ban abortion and take away a right that voters secured just six months ago,” the Missouri Senate Democrats X account posted Wednesday. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, several Republican states had trigger laws on the books that immediately went into effect and imposed stricter abortion regulations at the state level. Missouri was one of those states, and was among the first in the nation to enact a post-Roe abortion ban. Missouri’s trigger law made all abortions in the state illegal, except during circumstances when the life of the mother is at risk. SENATOR INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO REIN IN WIDELY USED, CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION PILL But, in 2024, a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion protections into the state’s constitution ultimately repealed Missouri’s trigger law. The ballot measure, known as Amendment 3, was voted on in November and passed, but by a very narrow margin. Missouri Republicans sought to include messaging in the ballot amendment that explicitly says it will repeal Amendment 3, but it did not pass, according to the Missouri Independent. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP If the latest ballot measure advanced by Republican legislators passes, it would include exceptions for rape and incest.
Rhode Island capital to hoist Palestinian flag at city hall, citing diversity
Providence, Rhode Island, officials have accepted a request to fly the Palestinian flag Friday at City Hall in the state’s capital. City officials emphasized that no American flags are being displaced by the display, adding there have been several other flags raised over the government office in the past. “Providence City Hall displays many different flags throughout the year to mark different occasions and honor the many ethnic and cultural backgrounds and traditions that make our city strong,” a spokesperson for Providence City Council told Fox News Digital Wednesday. The spokesperson added the city has also flown the Dominican flag, Irish flag, Armenian flag and the Israeli flag in recent months. JOHN FETTERMAN RECEIVES TOP US JEWISH COLLEGE’S HIGHEST AWARD “Like those examples, this idea came to us from the community as part of a request to honor the important role Palestinian-Americans play in the fabric of our beautifully diverse city,” the spokesperson said. Council President Rachel Miller will display the flag during Thursday’s city council meeting and then outside City Hall Friday. When asked about the decision, a representative for Democratic Mayor Brett Smiley suggested the ceremony was the city council’s prerogative. FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: ‘UNPARALLELED HUBRIS’ “In Providence, the executive branch and City Council are two separate branches of government. The Providence City Council, not Mayor Smiley’s office, will be raising the Palestinian flag on Friday,” said Josh Estrella, a spokesman for Smiley. A report from GoLocalProvidence added the Palestinian flag is reportedly becoming more prevalent at City Hall overall. Typically, the indoor chamber only flies the state and national flags, the report said. Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital contacted the State Department to ask where it stands on the flag debate given the ongoing Israel–Palestinian conflict. A request for comment was also received by the office of Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I., who represents much of the Ocean State’s capital region.