Trump teases ‘very, very big announcement’ ahead of Middle East trip, Carney says he’s ‘on edge of my seat’
President Donald Trump teased a “very, very big announcement” ahead of his upcoming trip to the Middle East. Trump has a planned visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the coming days. “We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make, like as big as it gets,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, where he is meeting with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And I won’t tell you on what… and it’s very positive.” ISRAEL SAYS TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST VISIT IS THE ‘WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY’ FOR HOSTAGE DEAL “It is really, really positive. And that announcement will be made either Thursday or Friday or Monday before we leave,” Trump added. “But it’ll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, very important subject. So you’ll all be here.” After that, the president asked Carney if he’d like to say a few words. “I’m on the edge of my seat,” Carney said, drawing laughter from the press before thanking Trump for his “hospitality” and “leadership.” At the start of the meeting, Trump announced that the Houthis agreed to stop bombing shipping lanes and do not want to fight any longer as the U.S. has been launching daily airstrikes on Yemen since March 15. In turn, the president said the U.S. would stop its bombardment of the Iran-backed terror group. After teasing the forthcoming announcement, Trump went on to discuss trade, but the president circled back to clarify that the announcement would not necessarily be on that subject. “We’re going to have a great announcement. And I’m not necessarily saying it’s on trade,” Trump said. “We’re going to have a great announcement over the next few days. Announcement that will be, so, so incredible, so positive. And I’m not saying… I don’t want you to think it’s necessarily on trade.” Trump said the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was agreed upon in 2020, would be renegotiated shortly, but was a “transitional” and “very positive step” away from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.) Trump said NAFTA was the “worst trade deal in the history of our country, probably in the history of the world.” Asked about a potential new trade deal with Canada with Carney in power, Trump said he has “a lot of respect” for the prime minister, who “ran a really great campaign.” “Yeah, something could happen,” Trump said. “Regardless of anything, we’re going to be friends with Canada,” he added. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Speaker Johnson gives verdict on House plan to impeach judges blocking Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., signaled there is little appetite for judicial impeachments among House Republican leaders. He said a bill passed by the House earlier this year, aimed at limiting federal district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions in most cases, was a “silver bullet” against activist judges. Johnson refused to pull impeachment off the table indefinitely when pressed by Fox News Digital, but he cautioned that there was a high bar for such maneuvers, while noting that getting enough votes to impeach in the House and remove in the Senate is an uphill battle in itself. REPUBLICANS ADVANCE TRUMP ALLY’S GULF OF AMERICA BILL TO FULL HOUSE VOTE DESPITE DEM OPPOSITION “Look, impeachments are never off the table if it’s merited. But in our system, we’ve had 15 federal judges impeached in the entire history of the country. I mean, there may be some that I feel merit that, but you’ve got to get the votes for it, right? And it’s a very high burden,” Johnson said. “And by the way, even if we could get an impeachment article through the House on a federal judge, it’s unlikely that they would be tried and convicted in the Senate on that, with the divided number we have. So, short of that, what can we do?” The speaker said House Republicans had “done everything within our power to solve that problem.” GOP LEADERS FIND NEW MAJOR HOLIDAY DEADLINE FOR TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AMID MEDICAID TAX DIVISIONS “Darrell Issa’s bill is a great response: The No Rogue Rulings Act would prohibit a single individual judgment issuing a nationwide injunction like that to stop the entire policy of an administration,” Johnson said. “We passed it to the House, we sent it to the Senate with every expectation that they should be able to take that up. And I certainly hope they can, because, again, shouldn’t be a partisan issue.” Some conservatives, however, are still hungry to pursue the impeachment route. They could force the House to do so by introducing a “privileged” resolution, meaning Johnson would need to take it up within two legislative days. However, it is a politically risky undertaking that is ultimately guaranteed to fail in the Senate, where at least several Democrats would be needed to meet the two-thirds threshold for removal. It comes amid the Trump administration’s continued standoff with the courts over a litany of the new White House’s policies — from deportation flights to the Department of Government Efficiency. Republicans have dismissed the rulings as political decisions by activist judges, while Democrats accuse the White House of waging war on a co-equal branch of government. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has consistently said it is complying with all lawful court orders while denouncing activist judges in court and in the media sphere.
Where Donald Trump stands with Americans 15 weeks into his 2nd presidency
President Donald Trump is giving himself a big thumbs-up when it comes to his job performance during his second tour of duty in the White House. “We had the greatest 100 days in the history of our country,” Trump touted on Sunday night, as he spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump has aggressively asserted executive authority in his second term, overturning long-standing government policy and making major cuts to the federal workforce through an avalanche of sweeping and controversial executive orders and actions – with some aimed at addressing grievances he has held since his first term. However, it appears many Americans are not applauding the job Trump is doing steering the nation. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS COVERAGE OF DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY Most, but not all, of the most recent national public opinion surveys indicate Trump’s approval ratings in negative territory, which is a slide from the president’s poll position when he started his second tour of duty in the White House. An average of the latest national surveys puts the president’s approval rating underwater by around six points. Trump stood at 44% approval and 55% disapproval in the most recent Fox News national poll, which was conducted April 18-21. WHERE TRUMP STANDS IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS NATIONAL POLL The president’s approval rating was also 11 points in the red in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 25-27, but a trio of other surveys released in recent days put Trump slightly above water. Trump does not care about the polls. “Never been a better 100 days,” he said on Sunday. Then, the president blasted what he charged were “fake polls.” His claim reiterated charges made last week, during the intense coverage of the president as he reached the 100-day mark into his second administration. Contributing to the drop in Trump’s poll numbers are increased concerns by Americans over the economy and inflation, which were pressing issues that kept former President Joe Biden‘s approval ratings well below water for most of his presidency. Additionally, Trump’s blockbuster tariff announcement a month ago, which sparked a trade war with some of the nation’s top trading partners, triggered a massive sell-off in the financial markets and increased concerns about a recession. The president’s approval rating on the economy stood at 38% in the Fox News poll, with just a third of respondents approving of the job he was doing handling inflation and tariffs. However, Trump, on Sunday, touted that “inflation is down, all costs are down,” as he pointed to the top issue that landed him back in the White House. WILL TRUMP’S MAGA DOMINANCE OVER THE GOP LAST AFTER HE’S GONE? Doug Heye, a longtime GOP strategist and communicator on Capitol Hill and veteran of the Republican National Committee and the President George W. Bush administration, noted that “the main reason Trump won was to lower prices. Prices haven’t lowered, and polls are reflecting that.” “It makes the politics of tariffs perilous for Trump – if prices rose because of Trump fiat, Biden/Trump voters may desert him,” Heye argued. The presidential approval rating is one of the most closely watched polling indicators and often heavily influences upcoming elections. Additionally, with the party in power – which is obviously Republicans thanks to their control of the White House and both chambers of Congress – traditionally facing political headwinds in the midterm elections, there is growing concern in the GOP over the president’s slippage in the polls. However, Heye cautioned that “polling in May of an off year doesn’t tell us anything about what could happen 18 months later.” Trump’s overall approval rating is close to where he stood 100 days into his first term in office, in 2017, when he stood at 45% approval in Fox News polling. So how does Trump stack up against his presidential predecessors? “John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower had the highest first-quarter average ratings, with both registering above 70%, while Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan averaged between 60% and 69%. George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Joe Biden and Bill Clinton had similar average ratings of 55% to 58% in their first quarters,” Gallup noted in a poll released two weeks ago on presidential approval ratings. Gallup highlighted that “Trump is the only president to have sub-50% average approval ratings during a first quarter in office.” However, enjoying promising approval ratings out of the gate does not guarantee a positive and productive presidency. Carter’s poll numbers sank into negative territory less than two years into his presidency, and he was resoundingly defeated in his bid for re-election in 1980. Biden stood at 54% approval in Fox News polling 100 days into office, with his numbers hovering in the low-to-mid-50s during the first six months of his single term as president. However, Biden’s numbers sank into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, in the wake of his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.
Trump meets with freed Russian American who was detained abroad for over a year
Russian American Ksenia Karelina, who was released last month after being detained in Russia for more than a year, met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday. “It’s a great honor,” the president said as he shook Karelina’s hand. Karelina’s release from Russia last month was part of a prisoner swap, reports note. TRUMP SAYS HE COULD ‘WALK AWAY’ FROM RUSSIA-UKRAINE TALKS, CITES ‘TREMENDOUS HATRED’ ON BOTH SIDES “President Trump was proud to welcome home Ksenia Karelina, who spent 15 months in Russian captivity. He has secured the release of nearly 50 Americans detained abroad because America is strong again under his leadership,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted in a post on X that the Trump administration is dedicated to securing the release of all Americans being detained in foreign countries. RUSSIAN AMERICAN BALLERINA KSENIA KARELINA HAS MESSAGE FOR TRUMP AFTER RELEASE FROM RUSSIA “Honored to join @POTUS at the @WhiteHouse today to welcome Ksenia Karelina. The Trump Administration is committed to bringing home every single American who is wrongfully detained around the world,” Rubio noted in a tweet on Monday. Karelina’s boyfriend Chris van Heerden, who reports have also referred to as her fiancé, was also present at the meeting. “Today was an unreal moment meeting and shaking hands with the 45th & 47th Presidents of the United States @potus in the Oval Office of the White House. Words cannot express how proud I am of Ksenia,” van Heerden noted in a post on X, adding, “NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP.” FORMER HOSTAGE THANKS TRUMP UPON RELEASE AFTER YEARS OF DETENTION IN KUWAIT CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last month van Heerden tweeted the link to a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Karelina – so far a bit more than $12,000 has been donated.
Air travelers without REAL ID to face extra screening but will be allowed to fly for now, DHS says
Americans who don’t have their REAL IDs will still be allowed to fly after the May 7 deadline, but they will face extra screening and delays at the airport. Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem made the announcement during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Noem said 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements and added that security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday. “People will be allowed to fly,” Noem told lawmakers. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.” Those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said. MARRIED WOMEN FACE REAL ID DOCUMENTATION HURDLES: ‘I CAN’T ACCEPT THIS’ REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that Homeland Security says is a more secure form of identification. It was a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission and signed into law in 2005, but implementation has been repeatedly delayed. REAL ID REJECTION BY AMERICANS MAY COME DOWN TO ONE SURPRISING FACTOR Obtaining a REAL ID includes more stringent requirements for verifying a person’s identity than has been used in the past with non-REAL ID driver’s licenses. The switch to this new form of identification has caused a lot of chaos and confusion, with many travelers expressing fear they won’t be able to get a REAL ID before the Wednesday deadline. Travelers without a REAL ID can use their passport, but even without that there are still alternatives to the new requirement, though they just might add delays to your trip and aren’t guaranteed to work. Passengers will be required to fill out a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Form 415, also known as a Certification of Identity form, and if the TSA officials are able to confirm the details given to them, passengers will be allowed to go through the security checkpoint and board their flight. Passengers who go this route may be subject to additional pat-downs, questioning or other extra security screening. Even if you get denied, you may still be able to take advantage of airline policies that allow passengers to re-book their flight the following day, providing those without the proper identification time to get it. The Associated Press contributed to this report
Newsom proposes to work with Trump to ‘Make America Film Again,’ floats $7.5B federal tax credit
Two of President Donald Trump’s staunch critics – California Democrats Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Adam Schiff – are now offering to work with the Republican administration on federal tax incentives to bring back movie-making from overseas. Newsom sued the Trump administration in federal court last month over what he said was “an unprecedented tariff regime” and said he was “reaching out to our international partners to protect California jobs and industries.” But as Trump called attention to how U.S. production houses are increasingly going international – at the detriment of middle-class Hollywood workers who make a living off of Los Angeles-area shoots – Newsom took a more collaborative tone. “California built the film industry – and we’re ready to bring even more jobs home,” Newsom wrote on X Monday. “We’ve proven what strong state incentives can do. Now it’s time for a real federal partnership to Make America Film Again.” “@POTUS, let’s get it done,” Newsom added, tagging the account for the president of the United States. WHITE HOUSE SAYS ‘NO FINAL DECISIONS’ MADE ON FOREIGN MOVIEMAKING TARIFFS AS TRUMP WEIGHS ‘NATIONAL SECURITY’ In a statement to the New York Times, Newsom said he wanted to work with the Trump administration on a $7.5 billion federal tax credit program to bolster the TV and film production industry. It would be the first federal-level incentive program for the film industry in the U.S. While more than three dozen states already have incentive programs, none top a billion, according to the Times. Schiff, D-Calif., meanwhile, criticized Trump’s proposed idea of implementing tariffs to curb foreign movie-making. “I share the administration’s desire to bring movie making back to the United States. While blanket tariffs on all films would have unintended and potentially damaging impacts, we have an opportunity to work together to pass a major federal film tax credit to re-shore American jobs in the industry,” Schiff said in a statement to Deadline. “I welcome the opportunity to work with the administration and my Republican colleagues to pass a globally competitive federal film incentive to bring back run-away production.” The White House said Monday that “no final decisions” had been made as the administration was “exploring all options” to deliver on Trump’s directive “to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again.” Trump first announced in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he was authorizing the Department of Commerce and the U.S. trade representative “to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.” PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HOLLYWOOD AMBASSADOR JON VOIGHT ROLLS OUT PROPOSAL TO ‘MAKE HOLLYWOOD GREAT AGAIN’ Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump further asserted that Hollywood was “being destroyed” by a “grossly incompetent governor” and foreign nations shelling out “big money” to attract U.S. production houses. Over the weekend, one of Trump’s Hollywood ambassadors, Jon Voight, along with special advisor Steven Paul, delivered to the president a “comprehensive plan” to save the film and television industry during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago. “While President Trump regularly corresponds with his Hollywood Ambassadors, including Jon Voight, to restore America’s cultural dominance, it was President Trump himself who formulated the idea of using tariffs to Make Hollywood Great Again.” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to Fox News on Monday. Voight and Paul met with “dozens of leading film and television organizations (guilds, unions, studios and streamers) about what changes need to be made to increase domestic film production,” according to a statement. The meeting was conducted in person with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and included SP Media Group/Atlas Comics President Scott Karol. “The proposal includes federal tax incentives, significant changes to several tax codes, the establishment of co-production treaties with foreign countries, and infrastructure subsidies for theater owners, film and television production companies, and post-production companies,” the statement said. “The proposal also includes a focus on job training, and tariffs in certain limited circumstances.” “The president loves the entertainment business and this country, and he will help us Make Hollywood Great Again,” Voight said. Fox News’ Tracy Wright and Lawrence Jones contributed to this report.
House Democrats storm out of cryptocurrency hearing, alleging Trump ‘corruption’
House Democrats, led by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., walked out of a joint hearing of the Agriculture and Financial Services committees. Rather than participate in the planned hearing, the lawmakers decided to hold one of their own based on allegations of President Donald Trump and his family’s ties to the cryptocurrency industry. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., responded to Ranking Member Waters’ objection to the hearing with a statement. “Committee Republicans on Financial Services and the House Committee on Agriculture will continue to work with legislators on both sides of the aisle who are serious about creating a lasting framework that protects Americans, encourages innovation, and brings digital asset leadership back to the U.S.” This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
Identity of second wrongfully deported man revealed, as Trump admin fights his return to US soil
The identity of a second migrant in Maryland who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March was revealed this week while the Trump administration continues to resist a federal judge’s orders to return him to the U.S. The individual, previously referred to only as “Cristian” in earlier documents, was identified Monday as Daniel Lozano-Camargo, a 20-year-old Venezuelan man who had been living in Houston prior to January, when he was arrested for cocaine possession and subsequently deported to El Salvador in March. News of his identity was first reported by Politico. U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ruled late last month that the Trump administration violated a settlement agreement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) struck last year with a group of young asylum seekers, including Lozano-Camargo, by deporting him before his asylum request was heard in full. The 20-year-old was part of a group of migrants who had entered the U.S. illegally as unaccompanied children and who later filed asylum claims to remain in the U.S. ABREGO GARCIA’S WIFE BEGGED JUDGE FOR PROTECTION ORDER, SAYING ‘HE SLAPPED ME’: AUDIO In her April ruling, Gallagher emphasized that unlike other legal challenges to Trump-era deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, this case hinges on an alleged “breach of contract,” as DHS had agreed not to deport the individuals until their asylum claims were fully adjudicated in U.S. court. Lozano-Camargo’s December 2022 asylum request was still pending when he was deported along with hundreds of other migrants on March 15 to El Salvador. As a result, Gallagher specifically ordered the Trump administration to make a “good faith request to the government of El Salvador” to “release Cristian, [or Lozano-Camargo], to U.S. custody for transport back to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits by USCIS.” She also alluded to the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the alleged MS-13 member living in Maryland who was also deported to El Salvador last month in what administration officials have acknowledged was an administrative error. To date, U.S. officials have resisted court orders to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia – arguments they doubled down on Monday in a court filing to Gallagher. The Trump administration previously told the court it had determined that Lozano-Camargo was eligible for removal under the Alien Enemies Act because he had been arrested and convicted for cocaine possession earlier this year. This appears to be his second low-level drug offense. ‘I AM AFRAID’: ANOTHER PROTECTIVE ORDER FILING AGAINST DEPORTED ‘MARYLAND MAN’ CHAMPIONED BY DEMS SURFACES Trump officials doubled down on this in a Monday court filing, telling the court there was no breach of contract with DHS in Lozano-Camargo’s case, They told the court that his designation as an “alien enemy pursuant to the AEA results in him ceasing to be a member” of the class that had negotiated a settlement – “aliens subject to removal” under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act proclamation “cannot claim asylum, and therefore are not class members.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP To date, there is no public evidence that Lozano-Camargo is a member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Trump declared on March 15 to be a designated “Foreign Terrorist Organization” in an effort to allow them to more quickly deport certain migrants from the U.S. Justice Department officials claimed in earlier court documents that Lozano-Camargo was a member of a “violent terrorist gang,” but have not linked him to TdA. Portions of their most recent court filing have been redacted.
Loeffler flips script on media’s Trump tariffs narrative by revealing what small businesses are saying
EXCLUSIVE: As the Small Business Administration (SBA) kicked off “Small Business Week” on Monday, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler spoke to Fox News Digital about the work she has done at the agency while pushing back on the Democratic Party’s narrative about the state of the economy. “What I see on the ground is American manufacturers, small businesses alike are grateful to President Trump for his fair trade policy, for having the strength and the backbone to stand up to adversaries and allies alike and demand that they stop treating Americans unfairly with these trade practices,” Loeffler told Fox News Digital about the current state of the economy as President Donald Trump faces criticism from Democrats and media outlets for his tariff policies. “I see really strong support and optimism as well for the future. So, while there is a period of change here as we get through these negotiations and with trading partners at the table, we will make sure that small businesses have a big seat at that table, and we are already seeing small businesses invest for the future because they see the opportunity for a made-in-America approach that will really transform the strength of this country not just economically but from a national security perspective.” Loeffler, speaking to Fox News Digital at an event in Washington, D.C., kicking off “Small Business Week,” said the current media narrative on Trump’s trade policies is “completely counter” to what she sees when she travels the country. THESE COMPANIES HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR INTENTION TO INCREASE US MANUFACTURING AMID TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS Loeffler explained that she sees small businesses that are “spring-loaded” and “ready to invest.” “They are fully behind President Trump’s policies to lower our taxes, to have fair trade, President Trump has already brought down core inflation to four-year lows,” Loeffler said. “We’ve seen the jobs come back, almost a half million jobs created in President Trump’s first hundred days, and we’re seeing his regulatory reforms have rollbacks that have already made a huge difference saving small businesses hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions already. And that’s what small businesses want.” Loeffler pointed out that small businesses make up 99% of all businesses in the country and create two out of three of every new job, and touted that the SBA has seen an 80% increase in loans in Trump’s first 100 days in office. “Small businesses don’t take out loans unless they have confidence that they’re going to grow, and we’ve seen that small businesses are doing just that,” Loeffler said. TRUMP SAYS HE WILL NOT DROP TARIFFS TO GET CHINA TO NEGOTIATING TABLE Loeffler told Fox News Digital that during her tenure, the SBA has been “refocused” on its mission after four years of the Biden administration, and part of that mission has been to implement Trump’s agenda on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and illegal immigration. The SBA recently eliminated its Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, while placing the office’s employees on administrative leave, and paused grants across the agency that it believes interferes with Trump’s executive orders combating DEI. “We really needed to level the playing field and get back to serving small businesses,” Loeffler said. In March, Fox News Digital exclusively reported that the SBA enacted a series of reforms on Thursday aimed at ensuring illegal immigrants do not receive taxpayer benefits while also removing its offices from sanctuary cities. “We’re moving out of sanctuary cities to keep not only our employees safe, but the small businesses that wanna come in and access our programs,” Loeffler told Fox News Digital. “We also need to relocate them to areas where small businesses are actually booming and that’s not necessarily true in sanctuary cities.“ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Loeffler told Fox News Digital that she is particularly excited about what she sees in the manufacturing sector and what can be accomplished in that area if Trump is able to get his tax cut plan through Congress. “Manufacturing loans are up 74% and so that Made in America engine is happening to the tune of about a hundred manufacturing loans per week and that’s what President Trump’s agenda has done,” Loeffler said. “It’s attracted upwards of eight trillion dollars in investments in this country. Much of that will be deployed through small businesses, though it was contributed by large businesses. I’ve talked to many of those CEOs. They deploy it through contractors that come through small businesses. So I’m tremendously excited about the upside that we can see with regard to the tax policy being passed. Hopefully, we have permanent tax cuts that we can deliver to small businesses soon, because I know that the demand for investment by small businesses is there, and it’s really spring-loaded once that tax bill passes.”
Trump admin removes Biden-era transportation safety board vice chair
The Trump administration has removed the vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, who was appointed to the role in the waning days of the Biden administration, Fox News Digital learned. The White House removed Alvin Brown from the National Transportation Safety Board, a White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital Tuesday morning. Brown had served on the five-person safety panel since March 2024, before President Joe Biden appointed him as vice chair of the board in December 2024 – one month before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent government agency charged with investigating major transportation accidents, such as plane crashes, and crafting safety guidance to prevent accidents. Brown, a Democrat, was the first Black mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, serving from 2011 to 2015, before serving as senior advisor for Community Infrastructure Opportunities for the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2022, according to his biography. ‘EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE’ AS NTSB INVESTIGATES DEADLY HUDSON RIVER TOUR HELICOPTER CRASH The National Transportation Safety Board’s website, as of Tuesday morning, lists four members, all of whom were appointed by Trump either during his first or second administration. They are Chair Jennifer L. Homendy, Michael Graham, Thomas B. Chapman and J. Todd Inman. NTSB CALLS FOR BAN ON SOME HELICOPTER ROUTES NEAR REAGAN AIRPORT AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION THAT KILLED 67 PEOPLE The Trump administration was rocked by a plane crash on Jan. 29 near the nation’s capital, when 67 people were killed after an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. That accident was followed by other high-profile plane crashes. Air travel was hit with delays in recent days, most notably at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport, when air traffic controllers briefly lost communication with planes. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joined Fox News’ Laura Ingraham Monday evening, where he addressed the delays and said he plans to overhaul and “radically transform” America’s air traffic control system. ‘GATE LICE’ RUN-INS HAVE FLYERS DEMANDING MORE AIRLINES ‘CRACK DOWN’ ON PESKY TRAVEL TREND “We’re going to build a brand-new air traffic control system – from new telecom, to new radars, to new infrastructure. We’re bringing on new air traffic controllers,” he said. “This has been a problem in the decades coming, and we’re going to fix it.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “When you have an incident like this, you want to make sure that people are safe,” he added, referring to the delays in Newark. “And so, you just have less departures out of the airport until we feel comfortable and safe that the system isn’t going to go down again.”