Dems erupt after report of Trump firing Librarian of Congress: ‘A disgrace’
Democratic leaders erupted late Thursday after it was reported that President Trump had abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Hayden was notified of her firing in an email late Thursday from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email seen by The Associated Press. “Carla,” the email reportedly began. “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service.” Nominated by former President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2016, Hayden, whose term was set to expire next year, was the first woman and the first African American in the role. Advocates praised her tenure for helping to modernize the Library and make it more accessible with initiatives in rural communities and online. ACTING FEMA ADMINISTRATOR OUT AFTER PUSHING BACK AGAINST TRUMP AGENCY PLANS But Hayden had come under fire from the conservative advocacy group American Accountability Foundation, which accused her and other library leaders of promoting children’s books with “radical” content and literary material authored by Trump opponents. Earlier Thursday, just hours before the firing was made public, AAF derided Hayden on X as “woke” and “anti-Trump,” accusing her of promoting “trans-kids.” “It’s time to get her OUT and hire a new guy for the job!” the group wrote. In a follow-up post on X, the group celebrated news of Hayden’s firing, thanking President Trump. Hayden’s reported firing ignited the fury of prominent Democratic leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EXECUTIVE ORDERS Jeffries applauded Hayden as “an accomplished, principled and distinguished Librarian of Congress.” “Donald Trump’s unjust decision to fire Dr. Hayden in an email sent by a random political hack is a disgrace and the latest in his ongoing effort to ban books, whitewash American history and turn back the clock,” Jeffries said. “Enough is enough,” Schumer said, calling Hayden a “trailblazer, a scholar, and a public servant of the highest order.” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said Hayden was “callously fired” by Trump and demanded an explanation. CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS DOUBLES DOWN ON DEFENSE OF COURTS AS SCOTUS GEARS UP TO HEAR KEY TRUMP CASES “Hayden, has spent her entire career serving people — from helping kids learn to read to protecting some of our nation’s most precious treasures,” said Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee that oversees the Library. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on the Senate panel that oversees funding for the library, said the firing, was “taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.” “Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone,” he said. The Library of Congress holds a vast collection of the nation’s books and history, which it makes available to the public and lawmakers. It houses the papers of nearly two dozen presidents and more than three dozen Supreme Court justices. It also has collections of rare books, prints and photographs, as well as troves of music and valuable artifacts. Robert Newlen, the principal deputy librarian, said he would serve as acting librarian of Congress “until further instruction” in a separate email seen by the AP. “I promise to keep everyone informed,” he wrote to colleagues. Hayden’s firing comes as the Trump administration has been purging officials seen as not aligning with the president’s agenda – from the Justice Department to the Pentagon and beyond. Earlier Thursday, Cameron Hamilton, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was fired just one day after telling lawmakers that dismantling the agency – as President Trump has proposed – is a bad move. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Library of Congress for additional details. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Letitia James town hall derailed by Trump supporter’s question: ‘Will you apologize?’
A town hall being held by New York Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday night was briefly disrupted when an apparent supporter of President Donald Trump stood up to challenge her to apologize to the president. Though panelists mainly voiced leftist talking points throughout the night and the room primarily consisted of anti-Trump individuals, one apparent supporter of Trump stood up to ask James a question. “My question is for Tish James. Will you apologize to President Trump for wasting millions of dollars and the state of New York for a witch trial?” asked the man, adding, “And how does it feel to know that you are [going to] prison for mortgage fraud?” The crowd erupted with boos and the man was escorted out. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE OPENS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO NY AG LETITIA JAMES Though she did not directly respond to the man, James did shout “thank you for coming” over the crowd. James, a Democrat, is best known for filing a lawsuit against Trump and several of his family members, as well as associates and businesses, alleging “numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation” regarding financial statements. Though Trump was ordered to pay $454 million in civil damages, the fine was later reduced significantly. In response, Trump has called James’ case part of a “witch hunt” against him on the taxpayer’s dime. The Department of Justice has since opened a criminal investigation into James. TAXPAYERS COULD BE FORCED TO FUND TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES’ LEGAL DEFENSE IF DEM BUDGET ITEM PASSES News of the federal probe follows a criminal referral from the Trump administration’s Federal Housing Finance Agency Director, William Pulte. He requested the DOJ investigate James over accusations that she misrepresented a single-family home in Virginia as her primary residence to obtain more favorable loan terms. She’s also accused of misrepresenting the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn house to obtain better loan terms. In April, NYC attorney Pierre Debbas told Fox News Digital that the criminal referral targeting James likely wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t spent years going after Trump in court. “The attorney general’s case that was brought against Donald Trump was honestly a pure manipulation of the legal system, and it was laughable,” he said. “To be perfectly frank, this is a retaliatory case brought by the president for what the attorney general did to him over the last several years,” he went on. “Something that’s never taken place in the history of New York that was isolated at one particular person for a politically driven purpose.”
Department of Justice opens criminal investigation into NY AG Letitia James
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News has learned. A source familiar with the matter confirmed that a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia sent out subpoenas related to accusations that James misrepresented a single-family home in Virginia as her primary residence to obtain more favorable loan terms. News of the federal probe follows a criminal referral from the Trump administration’s Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, who requested the DOJ investigate James over that matter and another incident in which she allegedly misrepresented the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn house to once again obtain better loan terms. TAXPAYERS COULD BE FORCED TO FUND TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES’ LEGAL DEFENSE IF DEM BUDGET ITEM PASSES “These baseless and long-discredited allegations, put to rest by my April 24 letter to the Department of Justice, are suddenly back in the news just days after President Trump publicly attacked Attorney General James,” James’ attorney, Abbe Lowell, said Thursday. “This appears to be the political retribution President Trump threatened to exact that AG Bondi assured the Senate would not occur on her watch. If prosecutors are genuinely interested in the truth, we are prepared to meet false claims with facts.” After Pulte’s criminal referral was sent to the Justice Department, specifically U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Lowell followed up with his own letter to Bondi and the Justice Department, accusing the president of seeking “political retribution.” James has been part of a group of Democratic attorneys general who have sued to halt many of Trump’s orders during his first few months in the Oval Office. Additionally, James was the catalyst behind Trump becoming the first U.S. president sentenced as a felon. She was the lead prosecutor in a case she brought against Trump and the Trump Organization that alleged Trump and his company falsified business records to obtain more favorable loan terms. NY AG’S OFFICE HIRES ATTORNEY THAT REPPED HUNTER BIDEN TO DEFEND LETITIA JAMES AGAINST FRAUD ACCUSATIONS Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and was ordered to pay $350 million in penalties and is appealing the conviction. “The stunning hypocrisy of President Trump’s complaint that the Justice Department had been ‘politicized’ and ‘weaponized’ against him is laid bare as he and others in his administration are now asking you to undertake the very same practice,” Lowell wrote in his letter to Bondi. Lowell, in his letter, pointed to instances when Trump has called for revenge and instances when the president has personally attacked James. ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST LETITIA JAMES CALLS FOR NY STATE COURTS TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP ADMIN FRAUD CLAIMS Lowell also responded to the allegations, including the claim James listed a home in Virginia as her primary residence while serving as a state official in New York. According to Lowell, James had no intention of using the property as a primary residence, and her indication of this in a power-of-attorney letter was a mistake. Lowell pointed out there were other documents in which James indicated to her lender that the Virginia home would not be her primary residence. James is also accused of fraud for allegedly inflating the number of livable units in a multifamily Brooklyn home to receive better interest rates. Lowell accuses Pulte of disregarding updated documentation listing the residence as a four-unit multifamily residence and instead pointing to a certificate of occupancy from 2001.
Capitol Hill lawmakers react to election of first American pope: ‘Unbelievable’
Fox News caught up with several senators on Capitol Hill Thursday for their thoughts on the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, and many voiced excitement about the historic first. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., called the news “unbelievable.” “If you told me ahead of time, I said, ‘No way. Never happen.’ This is phenomenal,” said Hoeven. “I’ve been telling folks they’ll never pick an American cardinal to be the pope. And I thought, you know, maybe somewhere else, but probably back to Europe. So, this is so exciting. I can’t believe it.” A member of the Augustinians, a religious order within the Catholic Church, the newly elected pope was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955. He studied at Villanova University, was ordained a priest in 1982 and was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023. FIRST AMERICAN ELECTED PONTIFF, GET TO KNOW POPE LEO XIV Hoeven called Pope Leo XIV’s selection “phenomenal,” saying, “American Catholics are just going to be thrilled. I know they’re just thrilled.” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said, “As an American Catholic, I am incredibly excited.” Kelly quipped that “as an Arizonan, this is probably the best pick the Cardinals have made since Larry Fitzgerald.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said “we’re very proud in Illinois” and mentioned that she hopes Leo “brings some of his hometown to the Vatican with him.” PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS FIRST AMERICAN POPE, POPE LEO XIV, IS ‘GREAT HONOR’ Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., commented on a post of Leo’s on X before he was elected pope in which he appeared to criticize Vice President JD Vance for his justification for stricter immigration enforcement. “Hopefully, the new pope can use his pastoral powers in order to help JD Vance and Donald Trump understand their responsibilities representing the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world,” Markey said. “To ensure that we also protect those who are the most vulnerable and most in need.” The senator asserted that Leo “will continue the legacy of Pope Francis” and that “this new pope channels that history of the Catholic Church, standing up for those who are most in need against those who are most powerful.” VILLANOVA GRAD REACTS TO FORMER CLASSMATE BEING NAMED FIRST POPE FROM UNITED STATES Despite Markey’s assertions that Leo will follow in Francis’ footsteps, the new pope has already differed from his predecessor in several ways, including taking the more traditional name “Leo” and by wearing the traditional red cape of the papacy, which Francis chose not to wear after his election in 2013. After emerging to address the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square Thursday, Leo’s first words were “Peace be with you,” which he said in Italian. He delivered a message to the faithful on building bridges, peace and dialogue “without fear.”
Trump’s first vice president urges his old boss against raising taxes on wealthy Americans
Former Vice President Mike Pence has a message for his old boss. Pence is urging President Donald Trump, under whom he served as vice president in Trump’s first administration, not to raise the tax rate on wealthy Americans. Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the signature domestic achievement of his first White House term, is scheduled to expire this year if it’s not extended by Congress. The Trump White House and some congressional Republicans for weeks have mulled letting the tax reductions on the wealthy sunset as a way to pay for the rest of the tax cuts as well as Trump’s other pricey second-term priorities. WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ASKING SPEAKER JOHNSON TO DO And the president, during a Wednesday phone call, pushed House Speaker Mike Johnson to raise taxes on the highest income earners and close the carried interest loophole in the reconciliation process, Fox News Digital confirmed. The development was first reported Thursday by Punchbowl News. A source familiar with Trump’s thinking said Trump is considering allowing the rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more to increase by 2.6%, from 37% to 39.6%. But Pence, a fiscal conservative and budget hawk during his long political career in the House of Representatives, as Indiana governor and as vice president, strongly cautioned against upping the rates on the highest earners. “Any suggestion that I’ve heard among some in and around the administration that we raise the top margin rate, the so-called millionaires tax, would be an enormous tax increase on small business owners across America,” Pence said. “It needs to be opposed.” WHAT MIKE PENCE TOLD FOX NEWS IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW THIS WEEK And the former vice president, in an interview with Fox News Digital this week, argued that “the majority of people that file taxes of a million dollars are simply individuals that own businesses, and they file their taxes as an individual, but then plow that money back into their company. If you raise that top margin, it would be an enormous tax increase on small business America.” “Let’s make all the Trump-Pence tax cuts permanent. That’s a way to really lay a foundation to grow the economy in the days ahead,” Pence urged. WHY TRUMP’S FIRST VICE PRESIDENT WAS HONORED BY THE KENNEDY FAMILY Pence, who was interviewed in Boston after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage award, gave “President Trump all the credit in the world for an historic victory last November, and for sparing the country one more liberal Democrat administration.” He also praised Trump “not only for his victory, but for securing our southern border, for restoring morale and recruitment in our military, for taking the fight to the Houthis.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP But he argued that “I truly do believe that some of the other steps the president is taking away from that conservative agenda should be a concern that would work against his legacy and ultimately the success of our party or our country. And so we’re going to continue to be a voice against them. “I really do believe that for prosperity … for the success of our country, we need to stick to those time-honored principles of strong defense, American leadership on the world stage, less government, less taxes, traditional moral values and the right to life, and I’m going to be a voice for that,” Pence added.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump Hails ‘Great Honor’ of First American Pope
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -From floppy disks to flight delays: Top lawmaker warns US air system is due for a reboot –North Korea launches short-range ballistic missiles into sea, South Korea says -Travelers weigh in on REAL ID rollout after 2005 law finally takes effect: ‘I think it’s important’ President Donald Trump congratulated the new Pope Leo XIV after he was selected Thursday, noting it is “a great honor” for the United States that an American-born Cardinal was selected to be Francis’ successor. “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform shortly after white smoke emerged from the Vatican indicating the conclave had come to a decision on who will lead the Catholic Church. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”…READ MORE BIDEN’S LEGACY: Biden hires veteran Democrat communicator as former president aims to defend tarnished reputation RUBI-ALL: Marco Rubio went from rival to Trump’s point man, but can he handle it? DENIED: Federal judge blocks Trump admin from dismantling 3 agencies RED DAWN: Xi stands with Putin against ‘international bullying’ amid Trump trade war SECRET FACILITY: Satellite images reveal alleged secret Iranian nuclear weapons facility VIGILANCE NEEDED: Trump halts military strikes on Houthis,, but expert warns Iran-backed terrorist group remains major threat BIG GULF: House votes to make Trump Gulf of America name change permanent RIGHT FLANK DEFENSE: Senator says Dems ‘eat their own’ as Fetterman faces renewed scrutiny PURSE POWER: Conservative firebrand torches blue state immigration policies amid major lawsuit ‘DON’T UNDERESTIMATE HER’: AOC’s constituents weigh in on prez run, remind GOP of shock Joe Crowley defeat BORDER CRACKDOWN: Illegal immigrant murderers could face death penalty under new GOP bill ‘WALK IN THE PARK’: REAL ID deadline comes and goes – airports report business as usual NOT LAWFUL: Deportation flights to Libya would violate court order without prior notice, federal judge says GANG ARRESTS: Suspected Tren de Aragua member among 5 arrested in human smuggling bust: Texas sheriff Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
White House highlights over $2B in savings from DEI cuts during Trump administration’s first 100 days
An analysis of the Trump administration’s efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the federal government during the president’s first 100 days in office revealed that nearly 750 DEI employees have been placed on leave or fired for a savings of more than $2 billion. The analysis provided by the White House showed that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the Department of Labor saw some of the biggest savings. The trio of agencies fired or placed on leave 256 DEI employees, saving taxpayers over $1.3 billion, the analysis noted. Overall, the Trump administration let go of 745 employees working in DEI offices or on DEI-related programs throughout the government and saved taxpayers roughly $2.33 billion. “President Trump ordered the end of radical and racist DEI propaganda in government, and the administration is swiftly enacting the president’s order,” White House principal deputy communications director Alex Pfeiffer told Fox News Digital. “Common sense has returned to government.” ‘NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN’: STATE FINANCE LEADER RALLIES AROUND KEY TRUMP VICTORY SAVING ‘TAXPAYER DOLLARS’ In addition to savings and staff cuts, the White House’s analysis highlighted the various grants that were slashed and other changes made as a result of the Trump administration’s efforts to rid the federal government of DEI. Those programs included race-based grants or quota programs at multiple agencies and race-based promotion commitments. Multimillion-dollar grants for DEI training and DEI-focused activist groups were also among the cuts at most agencies. At the State Department, a $5 million grant to “strengthen organizational capacity leadership and impact for mid-sized autonomous intersex and trans human rights organizations” was cut. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) saved $1.7 million by eliminating four years of DEI staff training on topics ranging from “microaggressions” to “identifying and preventing racism in your marketing.” “You must accept what has happened and what you have done,” a narrator of one of the LinkedIn training sessions funded through these grants stated. “If you can’t accept what the marketplace is telling you, that this piece of content is sexist, racist, homophobic … you can’t move forward as a leader.” DEI IS DEAD. HERE’S WHAT SHOULD COME NEXT Other USDA grants, according to the White House’s analysis, spent money on staff training aimed at “cultivat[ing] an Eye for Inequity,” while Trump administration staff also found “DEI Bingo” cards left over from the Biden administration. The bingo cards included spaces to be checked off, like, “I know what the ‘I’ in LGBTQIA+ means” and “I have pronouns in my signature line.” USDA also dispersed race-based grants, such as money for “LATINX Growers” and “Black Women’s Regenerative Farming,” according to the White House analysis. The analysis also indicated that the USDA spent $600,000 on research into the menstruation of biological males and $361,000 to support queer and trans farmers. Similar DEI-related materials were found at the Department of Education, including a white board with bullet points about race-centric priorities. Below the heading “Projects” was a bullet point that said “Black male resource doc,” while “Goals of the Week” included “Tighten up Black Ed Roundtable” and “PAC pictures.” Another box on the whiteboard said, “Black male political appointees.” The Education Department under President Donald Trump has also slashed grants promoting racial hiring quotas and numerous teacher training sessions on topics like resisting “settler patriarchy” and how America’s education system is one of the “settler-colonial realities.” DEFUNDING DEI: HERE’S HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS UNDONE BIDEN’S VERY PRIZED PROGRAMS According to the administration’s analysis of its DEI cuts, almost 100 antisemitic incidents were left unresolved by the former Biden-Harris administration’s Office of Civil Rights within the Education Department. According to the analysis, staffers in the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights were also told by the last administration to “sit on” a civil rights complaint against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. The Biden administration also reportedly neglected Freedom of Information Act requests about its DEI efforts. The White House’s analysis recorded as many as 4,000 outstanding requests sent to the Department of Labor, which, under President Joe Biden, promoted DEI-based hiring and mandatory training programs for staff. The Health and Human Services Department also saw steep cuts to DEI programs during Trump’s first 100 days. At the National Institutes of Health alone, over $350 million in DEI projects were slashed, including grants for studying “multilevel and multidimensional structural racism” and “gender-affirming hormone therapy in mice,” among others. ‘WOKE’ HOSPITAL COULD BE IN CROSSHAIRS OF TRUMP ADMIN AFTER SCATHING COMPLAINT ALLEGES DEI DISCRIMINATION In addition to all the cuts, the Trump administration has taken steps to rectify the Biden administration’s DEI focus. It ended DEI-related training courses within the DOT online learning management system and disabled an internal email feature at the Department of Transportation that let users list their pronouns. The administration did the same with other pronoun policies at other agencies. The administration has also taken proactive steps at other agencies, such as removing DEI criteria from more than 2,900 supervisory performance standards at the Energy Department. At the Department of Interior, the agency’s “DEIA Council” was terminated. It had a stated purpose of embedding diversity, equity and inclusion principles into “everything” the agency does. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Trump’s crusade against DEI began on the first day of his second presidency with an executive order, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing.” In the order, President Trump accused the Biden administration of forcing “illegal and immoral” DEI programs on the American people. “This was a concerted effort stemming from President Biden’s first day in office,” Trump’s order insisted.
GOP talk on millionaire tax hike ‘makes no sense,’ Trump White House alum says
A former top aide in President Donald Trump’s first administration is arguing that Republicans raising taxes on wealthy Americans “makes no sense.” Marc Short, the former chief of staff to ex-Vice President Mike Pence, was an integral part of negotiations for Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). He also served in Trump’s first White House as director of legislative affairs from 2017 to 2018. “Raising taxes on America’s highest earners and biggest job creators makes no sense. I don’t understand why there are some inside the current administration who are pushing Congress to raise the top rate, because again, these are America’s job creators,” Short said. “So many small businesses file taxes as individuals. And so you’re actually going to be raising taxes on many small businesses, not just individuals.” SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING ‘BIG ABORTION’ LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILL Congressional Republicans are working on a massive piece of legislation that Trump has dubbed his “big, beautiful bill,” aimed at advancing his policies on tax, border security, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. The tax policy portion is expected to be the costliest, and House negotiators are working on identifying a number of areas to cut a total of at least $1.5 trillion to offset the new spending. A source familiar with Trump’s thinking told Fox News Digital he’s considering allowing the rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more to revert from 37% to the pre-2017 39.6%. It will help pay for massive middle- and working-class tax cuts as well as protect Medicaid, the source said. The TCJA lowered the tax rate for the top income bracket — currently $609,350 for single filers — to 37%, a cut that’s expiring at the end of this year. Creating a new, higher tax bracket for people earning significantly more than that would help pay for extending the 2017 tax cuts as well as implementing Trump’s new priorities: eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees’ Social Security checks. But Short, who helped get the 2017 package passed, dismissed those new Trump priorities as short-sighted political sweeteners. “I feel like some of the administration’s new requirements are somewhat gimmicky. I’m not sure many Americans who earn their income based on tips are even paying taxes on those tips right now. And I think we should begin to extend that to say no tax on overtime,” he said. Short said those changes would create “a lot of additional hurdles for businesses to comply with.” “I think the no tax on Social Security, it seems like what we’re trying to do is different from 2017, when we passed the Tax Cuts and Job Act,” he said. “We tried to simplify the tax code, make it flatter and fair for all Americans, as opposed to creating carve-outs for certain constituencies.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to Short’s remarks. MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE Some conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and Americans for Prosperity are also wary of a potential tax hike for the wealthy. Richard Stern, director of the Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation, said the group is opposed to efforts to raise tax rates to 40% or higher. “Congress needs to get its fiscal house in order, but it must do so by tightening its own belt, not by forcing American taxpayers to tighten theirs. A higher top tax rate would be counterproductive, discouraging hard work and entrepreneurship,” Stern said. Americans for Prosperity chief government affairs officer Brent Gardner said in a statement, “Raising taxes on any American should be completely off the table.”
UCLA medical school hit with class-action lawsuit for allegedly still using race-based admissions process
The University of California, Los Angeles, medical school was hit with a class-action lawsuit on Thursday for reportedly still employing a race-based admissions process despite a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that race-based programs for college admissions are unconstitutional, Fox News Digital has learned. “UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine has continually treated the Students for Fair Admissions ruling as a recommendation, rather than a binding law handed down by the highest court in the land,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chair of Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital. “Do No Harm is fighting for all the students who have been racially discriminated against by UCLA under the guise of political progress. All medical schools must abide by the law of the land and prioritize merit, not immutable characteristics, in admissions.” Do No Harm, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting against “radical progressive ideology” in the health industry, and nonprofit legal advocacy organization Students for Fair Admissions filed the class-action lawsuit Thursday afternoon on behalf of applicants who allegedly faced “intentional discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity in the admissions process” at UCLA’s medical school, according to the lawsuit. WATCH: UNEARTHED FOOTAGE EXPOSES MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PLEDGING TO RESIST TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS “The numbers show that UCLA is engaged in intentional racial balancing. Between 2020 and 2023, the percentage of white and Asian applicants to Geffen was consistently around 73% of the total applicant pool. Yet, the percentage of matriculants to Geffen who are white and Asian plummeted: 65.7% in 2020, 57.1% in 2021, 57.8% in 2022, and 53.7% in 2023,” the lawsuit alleges. UCLA’s medical school is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of about 3.3%, according to U.S. News and World Report‘s college rankings. MORE THAN HALF OF AMERICAN HOSPITALS HAVE PLANS TO INCREASE RACIAL DIVERSITY AMONG LEADERSHIP, STUDY SAYS The suit names a bevy of defendants, ranging from the medical school to the governing board of the University of California’s college system to the associate dean of admissions at the medical school. Fox News Digital reached out to UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA on Thursday afternoon for comment on the lawsuit but did not immediately receive replies. The suit alleges that the medical school’s admissions process violates the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 2023 case, Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. The nation’s highest court ruled that it is unconstitutional to use race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions processes as it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. President Donald Trump additionally signed an executive order on Jan. 21, one day after his inauguration, that restored “merit-based opportunity” and charged federal agencies with enforcing civil rights laws and “combat” DEI practices. AG BONDI LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO DEI ADMISSIONS POLICIES AT STANFORD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS The lawsuit alleges that whistleblowers “with first-hand knowledge” of the school’s dean of admissions rolled out an admissions process plan that requires Geffen “applicants to submit responses that are intended to allow the Committee to glean the applicant’s race, which the medical school later confirms via interviews.” The admission committee, according to the suit, additionally “routinely and openly discuss race (and racial proxies) and use race as a factor to make admission decisions.” LIBERAL IDEOLOGY ‘QUITE DANGEROUS’ IN HEALTH CARE, DO NO HARM FOUNDER SAYS: ‘POISONS THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’ The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is already facing investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services‘ Office for Civil Rights over allegations it discriminates against applicants on the basis of race, color or national origin. “This investigation reflects the Administration’s commitment to honor the hard work, excellence, and individual achievement of all students in the pipeline for the medical profession – not just those of particular racial backgrounds,” Anthony Archeval, acting director of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS, said in a press release in March announcing the investigation. The HHS investigation was sparked by multiple whistleblowers in the admissions office claiming that the school set lower standards for Black and Latino applicants compared to White and Asian counterparts, the Washington Free Beacon reported this month.
New pope is a ‘Cubs fan,’ says prominent Chicago priest
According to church leaders from the Archdiocese of Chicago, newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first pope to hail from the United States, has a heart for the poor and is also a Cubs fan. Leo XIV’s election was announced to the entire world on Thursday, marking a historic moment in which a Chicago-born cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost, was chosen as the Catholic Church’s new leader. A member of the Augustinians, a religious order within the Catholic Church, the 69-year-old pontiff was born in Chicago, studied at Villanova University, was ordained a priest in 1982 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023. He had been serving as prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. ROBERT PREVOST’S JOURNEY FROM CHICAGO TO BECOMING FIRST AMERICAN POPE AS LEO XIV The Chicago archdiocese celebrated the news of the pope’s election in a press conference on Thursday in which they shared some insight into what kind of leader Leo might be. Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Lawrence Sullivan said that “Pope Francis was certainly someone who cared for those who are living on the fringes, who could easily be forgotten. And I strongly suspect that Pope Leo the 14th will do the same thing. He will give voice to the voiceless.” Sullivan said that Leo “brings a wide variety of perspectives,” including “what it means to have been born in Chicago, what it means to have been educated here in the United States, what it means to serve in Peru.” He said that Leo’s former leadership roles at the Vatican mean that he “has a real hands-on knowledge of what it means to serve the poor and to help those who are in need” and that he is “very familiar with the worldwide church.” TRUMP CONGRATULATES POPE LEO XIV, CALLS HIS ELECTION ‘A GREAT HONOR’ FOR THE UNITED STATES Sullivan went on to note that “the people of God are not confined to national boundaries” and that Leo “is not an American at this point. He’s a child of God, and that’s the way that he’s going to lead, taking all people into consideration.” Despite this, Father Gregory Sakowicz, rector of Chicago’s Holy Name Cathedral, said, “You can never deny your roots. So, I’m sure he has a love for Chicago, love for the United States. That’s part of his upbringing.” Smiling, Sakowicz said that “one burning question I have is the fact that the Pope, Leo the 14th, or the cardinal, then Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago on the South Side. Is he a Chicago White Sox fan?” Sakowicz said he did not know whether Leo was a White Sox fan but that he knows that “he’s a Cubs fan.” “I heard he’s a Cubs fan. Well, God bless him, and God bless all the fans,” said Sakowicz.