SCOOP: Ramaswamy scores endorsement from a powerful House member in Ohio governor run
EXCLUSIVE: Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan has endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor, Fox News Digital can exclusively report. Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who represents Ohio’s fourth congressional district, shared on Monday his endorsement of Ramaswamy, the multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate. “Vivek Ramaswamy is as smart and hard-working as they come. He is a successful entrepreneur with a clear vision for Ohio’s future that includes lower taxes, more choice in education, better jobs and stronger families. I’m confident he’ll make our state proud and I am happy to endorse him for governor,” Jordan told Fox News Digital. Ramaswamy, who announced his bid for governor of Ohio in February, celebrated Jordan’s endorsement in a statement to Fox News Digital. RAMASWAMY OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN OHIO: ‘BEST DAYS ARE STILL YET AHEAD’ “I’m fired up to have Congressman Jim Jordan in my corner,” Ramaswamy said. “Jim’s a strong defender of American values. He’s spent his career standing up for the people of Ohio, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do as governor. Thanks, Jim, for your endorsement, your trust, and your energy.” RAMASWAMY LANDS ANOTHER KEY ENDORSEMENT IN OHIO GOVERNOR RACE FOLLOWING TRUMP’S EARLY BACKING Jordan’s endorsement is the latest in a growing list of Republicans who have thrown their support behind the emerging conservative candidate. President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy soon after his former political rival announced a bid for Ohio governor. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn have endorsed Ramaswamy, and Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, endorsed Ramaswamy last month. Trump and Jordan campaigned for Moreno last year as he unseated longtime Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. The former U.S. senator from Ohio, Vice President JD Vance, has yet to endorse Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy announced his run for Ohio’s highest office in February following a brief stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk. The administration announced Ramaswamy would no longer steer DOGE soon after Trump was sworn in as president. Musk has since endorsed Ramaswamy for governor of Ohio. “It was my honor to help support the creation of DOGE. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!,” Ramaswamy said following the shake-up. Rumors swirled earlier this year that Ramaswamy could be tapped by moderate Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to replace Vance in the U.S. Senate. DeWine, who is term-limited as governor this year, ultimately chose Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill Vance’s U.S. Senate seat, paving the way for Ramaswamy’s eventual gubernatorial run. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and former Morgan County school board member Heather Hill have announced their own Republican gubernatorial bids. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State University football coach who succeeded Husted when he was called up to the Senate, seems to be mulling a gubernatorial run. There is also speculation that former Rep. Tim Ryan, the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee in Ohio, and Chris Redfern, a former state representative and state Democratic Party chair, are considering bids for governor as well. On the Democratic side, former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton has announced her campaign for governor. Traditionally a top general election battleground state, Ohio has shifted conservative in the past decade as Republicans have swept statewide elections. The Republican nominee will be considered the favorite to become Ohio’s next governor following the 2026 election. Ramaswamy emerged as a standout contender in a crowded Republican primary field in the 2024 presidential election before ultimately suspending his campaign following Trump’s big upset at the Iowa caucuses. While Republican candidates, including former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, exchanged jabs with Trump during the contentious primary, Vivek Ramaswamy’s loyalty to Trump never faltered. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The political outsider framed his campaign as “America First 2.0” — building on Trump’s legacy. Ramaswamy was quick to endorse Trump after he suspended his campaign and became a leading ally and surrogate on the campaign trail before eventually scoring his short-lived position steering DOGE.
Supreme Court freezes order to return man from El Salvador prison
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary stay Monday blocking, for now, a lower court order that required the Trump administration to return by midnight a Maryland resident who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month. Justice Roberts temporarily froze the lower court order from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who had ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who, last month, was mistakenly sent to El Salvador, by 12 a.m. Tuesday. The government has acknowledged that Abrego Garcia’s removal from the U.S. was an “administrative error.” The filing from Roberts comes after the Trump administration appealed the lower court’s decision both to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and to the Supreme Court on Monday morning, in anticipation of the appellate court decision. Judges on the Fourth Circuit voted unanimously earlier in the day to reject the Justice Department’s request for an administrative stay, clearing the way for the nation’s top court to intervene. The eleventh-hour pause granted by Roberts gives the Trump administration additional time to comply with the court order requiring Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. JUDGE BOASBERG POISED TO HOLD TRUMP ADMIN IN CONTEMPT, TAKES DOWN NAMES OF DHS OFFICIALS: ‘PRETTY SKETCHY’ Roberts ordered the case stayed “pending further order of the undersigned or of the Court,” and asked for a response from plaintiffs by Tuesday night. Lawyers for Abrego Garcia responded immediately. In a reply brief filed to the Supreme Court, lawyers for Abrego Garcia noted the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his deportation. “This case is one of one,” they told the court. “It presents the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ of the Government conceding that it erred in removing Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia ‘to a foreign country for which he was not eligible for removal,’” they added. “Abrego Garcia has never been charged with a crime, in any country. He is not wanted by the Government of El Salvador,” they said. “He sits in a foreign prison solely at the behest of the United States, as the product of a Kafka-esque mistake.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT The eleventh-hour intervention from Roberts comes as the Trump administration has come under intense scrutiny for its deportation flights to El Salvador, which sent roughly 261 migrants, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals targeted for immediate removal under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, last month. The legality of using a wartime immigration law to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals from the U.S. is also being considered by the Supreme Court separately. A ruling in that case is expected in the coming days. This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.
Thousands of USAID terminations to take effect by September in agency’s final leg of ‘drawdown’
Thousands of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees will be terminated by September as the Trump administration restructures the agency to fall in line with the president’s “America First” policy, Fox News Digital learned. “President Trump and Secretary Rubio are effectively stewarding taxpayer dollars while ensuring that foreign aid programs align with America’s national interests,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox Digital Monday. “That includes eliminating staff positions that do not advance the President’s foreign policy goals to put America First.” USAID is an independent U.S. agency that was established under the Kennedy administration to administer economic aid to foreign nations. It was one of the first agencies investigated by the Department of Government Efficiency back in early February for alleged mismanagement and government overspending, with DOGE’s leader Elon Musk slamming the agency as “a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America.” The administration had already gutted the agency of U.S.-based workers back in February as DOGE investigated the office. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has served as the agency’s acting administrator since February. ‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM USAID firings are back in the headlines after viral news reports claimed that the Trump administration fired three USAID workers operating in Myanmar while they were assisting with damage from a 7.7 earthquake that hit the nation in March. A senior State Department official told the Washington Reporter that the report was not accurate, as “no one was fired,” adding that “our team leads on the ground in Burma have reported back that the response is going well and they are able to execute their assignment.” “Per the notice sent out last week,” the official added in comment to the outlet. “All USAID personnel were either given a 1-July or 2-September termination date.” USAID CLOSES HQ TO STAFFERS MONDAY AS MUSK SAYS TRUMP SUPPORTS SHUTTING AGENCY DOWN “There have been no changes to that plan. Any assertion otherwise was likely based on a deliberate leak by someone trying to spread a fake narrative for their own political agenda.” An administration official told Fox Digital that the State Department official’s comments to the outlet were an accurate characterization of the earthquake situation in the Southeast Asian country. All in, Fox Digital learned, roughly 4,600 USAID personnel in both the foreign and civil service will be impacted by the latest reduction in force directive. There were more than 10,000 USAID employees across the world ahead of Trump’s inauguration. GOP HARDLINERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP, MUSK SCALING BACK USAID The staffers will have a final separation date of either July 1, 2025 or Sept. 2, 2025, consistent with regulatory and other requirements, an administration official told Fox Digital. USAID historically has fallen under the State Department’s operational umbrella. The State Department and USAID, however, notified Congress on March 28 that officials intend to reorganize “certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1, 2025.” USAID functions that are not absorbed by the State Department will be discontinued. INTERNAL STATE DEPT MEMO REVEALS TOP BRASS QUESTION IF FEDS SHOULD BE ‘IN THE BUSINESS OF PHILANTHROPY’ “USAID and State previously served duplicative functions, with no accountability for the billions of dollars doled out abroad by USAID,” an administration official told Fox Digital of the USAID shakeup. The admin official added that USAID’s top priority amid the restricting effort is “the continued safety of all personnel and the orderly repatriation of colleagues posted overseas,” and that the administration is working “with overseas personnel to ensure any specific circumstances are considered to ensure a safe and orderly drawdown.”
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Targeting TdA
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… –House Freedom Caucus chair urges Johnson to change course on Trump budget bill -Noem’s Homeland Security ‘unapologetic’ about using lie detector test on suspected intel leakers -Trump administration begins new wave of international student visa revocations: ‘No one has a right to a visa’ EXCLUSIVE: A House Resolution affirming the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to crack down on those suspected to be Tren de Aragua gang members was introduced on Monday. “Coloradoans already know the truth: Tren de Aragua (TdA) is a terrorist organization active in our communities right now,” Rep. Jeff Crank, who’s introducing the resolution, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. “I fully support President Trump’s executive order to designate them as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and to begin deporting these horrific terrorists. It is essential to our national security that known terrorists are quickly detained and deported out of our country by our law enforcement professionals,” the Republican, who took office in January, continued…Read more BENCH SLAP: Appeals court blocks Trump from firing federal board members, tees up Supreme Court fight ‘HANG TOUGH’: Trump’s 12th week in office to be dominated by tariffs fallout, Netanyahu visit SURVEY SAYS: Where Trump stands with Americans 11 weeks into his second White House term AMERICA FIRST: Trump says US not willing to make deal with China unless trade deficit is solved CRITICAL CANDIDATE: Trump hints he’d back longtime critic’s bid to flip Dem Senate seat in 2026: ‘I hope he runs’ FISCAL CLIFF: Johnson faces uphill battle keeping GOP divisions from derailing Trump budget bill HOUSE SHOWDOWN: House plows ahead on Trump agenda after Johnson strikes deal with GOP rebels who paralyzed House ‘CHIEF’S WORST NIGHTMARE’: 16-year-old firefighter in Missouri killed in line of duty ‘HANDCUFFED’: OP candidate rips blue state directive meddling in police force’s cooperation with ICE PAJAMA POLICE: Florida man impersonates ICE agent, threatens to deport 2 men, police say MINNESOTA ICE: Blue state sheriffs combine forces to fight back against sanctuary laws ‘FLORIDA DOGE’: Gov. DeSantis’ new DOGE task force gains momentum as universities, localities commit to being audited ‘WHOLLY LAWLESS’: Federal judge calls deportation of Salvadoran man in Maryland ‘wholly lawless’ TRAFFIC STOPS: New York proposal would ban police from making traffic stops for minor violations to pursue ‘racial equity’ PARTNERED UP: RFK Jr makes Texas stop to visit family of 6-year-old girl who died from measles; encourages MMR vaccine ‘DEPORT HER’: Undocumented anti-Trump activist boasts of being ‘unafraid’ and ‘queer’ at rally ‘NO IDEA WHY THEY’RE EVEN THERE’: Musk slams ‘puppetmasters’ after protesters struggle to explain why they call Trump a ‘fascist’ in viral vid Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Top lawmaker asks Trump admin to scrap report cracking down on cops: ‘Destructive and costly’
EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen is asking the Department of Justice to scrap a report that could lead to intense federal oversight of the Phoenix Police Department. In a letter to newly sworn-in Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, Petersen asked the DOJ to retract a report from the Biden administration about civil rights issues within the department. The report would essentially try to get the city of Phoenix to agree to high federal involvement through the DOJ. The June 2024 report said that the department and the city “engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law,” including “excessive force” and discriminatory practices against minorities and homeless people. NEW YORK PROPOSAL WOULD BAN POLICE FROM MAKING TRAFFIC STOPS FOR MINOR VIOLATIONS TO PURSUE ‘RACIAL EQUITY’ “The DOJ’s report contained a host of biased and inaccurate findings against the City’s Police Department, putting Phoenix on a path for a destructive and costly consent decree that would discourage our brave men and women in blue from reducing crime and protecting innocent Phoenicians. It would also have a tremendous impact on the agency’s ability to recruit and retain enough officers to service our communities report,” Petersen wrote. Petersen argued that if the police department went under a consent decree with the DOJ, it would create similar challenges to what the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deals with now after coming under a consent decree in 2015, which is expected to exceed a $310 million price tag in the coming months, the Republican lawmaker argued. “Former Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat, resigned from his position last year, in large part, due to frustration from the consent decree hanging over his office. He said, ‘I’ll be damned if I do three terms under federal court oversight, for a debt I never incurred, and not be able to serve this community in the manner that I could if you took the other hand from being tied behind my back. Because the future without law enforcement doesn’t look good,’” he said. BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS He acknowledged that the department has pushed for reforms on their terms, saying that there should be accountability for issues with “rogue police agencies or officers,” but noted that this is not the way to go about it. “In short, these consent decrees are nothing more than backhanded attempts to hijack police departments and bring them under the control of the federal government,” he added. “The consent decrees are unconstitutional and exploited by overreaching presidential administrations.” Before being elected to the Senate, Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego used his official House office to write to the Biden DOJ voicing opposition to a consent decree in August. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CHARGED IN NIKE SHOE HEIST AS CARTELS ROB US CARGO TRAINS “I strongly urge DOJ to consider entering into a technical assistance letter with the City of Phoenix rather than continue to pursue a consent decree,” Gallego wrote. “While the DOJ raises several valid points in its findings report, both PPD and the City of Phoenix already welcome reforms to advance the mission to protect Phoenix’s residents from crime and safeguard their civil rights.” While Biden was still in office, many progressives in the state argued that there should be federal accountability for the agency. “Phoenix PD needs federal oversight,” the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted in October 2024 following an incident in which officers allegedly severely mistreated a deaf, disabled Black man, Tyron McAlpin, who is now suing the city and the offices involved. His charges were scrapped, and the officers received a 24-hour suspension, according to Fox 10 Phoenix. The DOJ did not respond in time to Fox News Digital for comment.
Colorado Dems ram abortion, transgender bills through on limited Sunday session debate: ‘Unprecedented’
The Colorado Democratic House majority pushed through a slate of controversial gender and abortion bills on Sunday, curtailing floor debate in what Republican lawmakers called an “unprecedented” tactic. “It should alarm every American that Colorado’s Majority used a Sunday — a day typically reserved for family and prayer — to force through four of the most extreme bills of the session,” Republican House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese told Fox News Digital on Monday. Pugliese said while “weekend work” is a “tactic the majority uses to punish the minority,” it was especially “unprecedented” this time because of the highly controversial nature of the bills. CONCERNED PARENTS OF TRANS KIDS COMPARED TO ‘HATE GROUPS’ BY COLORADO DEM: WOULDN’T ‘ASK THE KKK’ FOR OPINION “There was no filibuster, no delay — just a determined effort to shut down discussion on legislation that directly affects parental rights, public safety, and the use of taxpayer dollars,” she said. The bills that were passed include SB25-183, which requires taxpayers to fund abortion services; HB25-1309, mandating insurers cover transgender procedures regardless of age; HB25-1312, which imposes state-mandated gender policies on schools and considers it “coercive control” in child custody cases when a parent does not affirm a child’s gender identity; and SB25-129, which prohibits cooperation with out-of-state investigations on transgender procedures and abortion services. According to state House Majority Democrat Leader Monica Duran, the four bills were debated on the floor for more than 12 hours last week. TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE “The minority offered dozens of amendments in that time,” Duran told Fox News Digital. “Ultimately, Coloradans elected significant Democratic majorities with clear mandates, and with only 120 days in session, we will use every day we need to do the people’s work.” “Yesterday that included passing legislation to implement voter-approved Amendment 79, which protects abortion rights and passed with nearly 62% of the vote last November.” Other Democrats in the legislature, who authored the passage of the bills, see them as a way to shield the Centennial State from the Trump administration’s policies. TRUMP DOJ, EDUCATION DEPT FORM TASK FORCE TO PROTECT FEMALE ATHLETES FROM ‘GENDER IDEOLOGY’ IN SCHOOLS, SPORTS “It’s time to fight back against out-of-state interference and Trump administration threats to restrict abortion and health care for LGBTQ+ Coloradans,” Democratic state Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont, sponsor of SB25-129, said in a statement. Democrat Rep. Lorena Garcia, sponsor of SB5-183, also said, “Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle abortion access or restrict funding altogether, Coloradans believe it’s your constitutional right to access the reproductive health care you need.” “This bill will expand access to life-saving reproductive health care, including abortion,” Garcia said in a statement. The bills now head to the Democratic-dominated state Senate for consideration.
Reporter’s Notebook: Power player on Capitol Hill
Whether or not congressional Republicans are able to pass President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts may hinge on one person. Not a swing vote. Not someone like Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., or Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who occasionally bucks their party. But someone you’ve probably never heard of. After all, Washington is stocked with power players. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. But how about Elizabeth MacDonough? HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS CHAIR URGES JOHNSON TO CHANGE COURSE ON SENATE VERSION OF TRUMP BUDGET BILL I ventured outside the Capitol onto the plaza near the Library of Congress to see if any of the tourists visiting Washington for the spring cherry blossoms had heard of Elizabeth MacDonough. There I came across Billy Coman from Dublin, Ireland, visiting Washington for the first time. “Here’s a name that sounds kind of Irish,” I said to Coman. “Who is Elizabeth MacDonough?” Coman pondered the question for a moment. “Elizabeth MacDonough,” Coman said with an Irish lilt. “Is that the comedian?” I asked a woman named Shirley from Anchorage, Alaska, if she knew the name. TRUMP TAX CUTS ‘TOP PRIORITY’ FOR CONGRESS SAYS TOP HOUSE GOP LEADER “Oh s—. I don’t know,” she replied. I posed the same question to Julia Lowe from Washington state. “Have you ever heard the name Elizabeth MacDonough?” I asked. “It sounds familiar to me,” answered Lowe. “Do you know who she is?” I countered. “A historical figure possibly or someone currently in government?” responded Lowe. Well, Elizabeth MacDonough is in fact in government. And when it comes to Congress, she’s one of the most powerful people you’ve never heard of. MacDonough is the Senate parliamentarian. A sort of referee who decides what’s allowed in the big, beautiful bill pushed by President Trump — based on special Senate budget rules. “The parliamentarian is pretty important,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. “But parliamentarians don’t have the last word to say about (the bill). The Senate governs the Senate. Not the parliamentarian.” That’s why Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., forged ahead on the Senate’s latest framework for the tax cut package. Graham felt he didn’t need to make his case before MacDonough for this phase. “As Budget Chairman, under Section 312 of the Congressional Budget Act, I have the authority to determine baseline numbers for spending and revenue,” said Graham. “Under that authority, I have determined that current policy will be the budget baseline regarding taxation.” In other words, Graham felt he didn’t need MacDonough to tell him the “baseline” to determine whether this package comports with special budgetary provisions in the Senate. But the next step in passing the tax cut bill could be trickier. Everyone will watch what MacDonough rules is in or out. In fact, her calls could alter the trajectory of the president’s “big, beautiful bill.” “We are in conversations, as you know, with the parliamentarian about the best way to get budget reconciliation we’re trying to help across the finish line,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. Otherwise, the bill could face a Senate filibuster and likely die. So there’s an advantage for Senate Republicans to handle their framework within the parameters of the unique budget rules — lest they run afoul of an adverse ruling from the parliamentarian. In fact, consulting with the parliamentarian mirrors football. Case in point, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. Tuberville was the head football coach at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati before coming to Capitol Hill. “You’ve worked the refs before, and I’ve seen people work the parliamentarian,” said yours truly to Tuberville. “We’ve had to work the parliamentarian since I’ve been here,” replied Tuberville. “Sometimes you might get a surprise. But you’ve got to have a referee in the game. You can’t just freelance.” House conservatives are aiming to implement especially steep spending cuts in the tax cut package. But those special Senate budget rules make it hard for GOP senators to go as deep as the House would like. Some on the right are mystified about the role of the Senate parliamentarian. “It is an unusual thing that one unelected official has so much authority,” said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. House members struggle to understand the purpose and power of the Senate parliamentarian. Some of that stems from the customary rivalry and suspicion between the House and Senate, which dates back nearly to the beginning of the republic. “The parliamentarian. Who is she? Who elected her? I don’t know,” mused House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Tex. “Where is it in the Constitution?” Well, Article I, Section 5 to be precise. That provision grants the House and Senate the right to create their own rules and standards of operation. The parliamentarian plays a key role in the budget reconciliation process — the mechanism Republicans are using to advance their tax cut and spending reduction bill. The Senate stuck around into the wee hours of Saturday morning, approving the latest budget framework crafted by Graham for the legislation. It’s now onto the House. House GOP leaders would like to tackle the bill Wednesday. But they’re starting midway through the week on the bill in case there are hiccups. Or worse. More than a handful of House Republicans say they oppose the Senate’s latest framework. The House and Senate must approve the same blueprint in order to actually do the bill itself. That’s key because the Senate needs a unified framework in place to use the budget reconciliation process to avoid a filibuster. And MacDonough’s rulings on whether various provisions fit into this bill — in compliance with the Budget Act — could have sway. Budget rules do not allow the legislation to add to the deficit over a 10-year window. Tariffs are not in the bill. But Democrats claim tariffs and tax cuts are linked. “They’re using tariff revenue to balance out the money that they’re going to shovel
JD Vance honors his mother at White House for reaching 10 years sobriety
Vice President JD Vance honored his mother, Beverly Aikins, at the White House Monday to commemorate her reaching 10 years of sobriety. “I remember when I gave my (Republican National Committee) convention speech, which was the craziest thing, and I even said during the speech that we would have your 10-year medallion ceremony at the White House,” Vance said in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, according to the Washington Examiner. VANCE’S ‘AMERICA FIRST’ APPROACH GOES GLOBAL, TAKES HARDLINE MESSAGE TO GREENLAND “Well, here we are,” Vance said. “And you made it, and we made it. And most importantly, you’re celebrating a very, very big milestone. And I’m just very proud of you.” Vance outlined his mother’s battle with sobriety and substance abuse in his book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” published in 2016. Specifically, the book chronicles Aikins’ struggle with opioid addiction. Those who joined Vance at the White House on Monday include his wife, Usha Vance, as well as the couple’s three children, according to the Examiner. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
Maryland lawmakers closer to passing roadblock to ICE deportation effort
The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill that will prohibit agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) from entering sensitive locations without a warrant. The legislation, Senate Bill 828, which will ban ICE agents from schools, libraries and churches unless the agency is able to obtain a warrant, passed the Democratic-dominated House of Delegates on a 98-39 vote. It now returns to the state Senate where, if approved as amended, it will proceed to Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s desk. The bill comes as President Donald Trump has ramped up deportation efforts across the country, seeking to make good on a campaign promise that became central to his third bid for the White House. BLUE STATE SHERIFFS COMBINE FORCES TO FIGHT BACK AGAINST SANCTUARY LAWS That effort has led to over 100,000 deportations between when Trump took office on Jan. 20 and the end of March, according to numbers provided to Newsweek, a number that was already over a third of the 271,000 deported during the final year of the Biden administration. But Maryland lawmakers are putting a roadblock in front of that effort, with the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature arguing that ICE tactics have spread fear through local communities. “People in my community have been afraid for far too long,” Democratic Delegate Karen Simpson told Fox affiliate WBFF. “I am thankful to everyone in this body who has voted for this so that we can get rid of 287(g) who has scared our community.” The new legislation also incorporates Maryland’s House Bill 1222, which seeks to eliminate ICE’s 287(g) program from being used in the state. That program allows local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE and assist in immigration enforcement efforts, including cooperating with ICE detainers that instruct local jurisdictions to hold illegal immigrants in jail until they can be apprehended by ICE for deportation proceedings. JD VANCE TORCHES MEDIA, DEMS’ ‘DISGRACEFUL SET OF PRIORITIES’ ON DEPORTATION OF ACCUSED MS-13 GANG MEMBER The legislation was opposed by Republican Delegate Kathy Szeliga, who told WBFF that the bill was nothing more than “fear mongering by the left” that is “stirring up the immigrant community.” Szeliga was able to successfully add an amendment to the legislation that would ensure that criminal illegal aliens who are on the state’s sex offender registry would be turned over to ICE, though that provision would not go into effect until June 1. The legislation will not return to the Senate, where Szeliga believes it will pass despite opposition to such amendments. “I hear that the Senate doesn’t love the bill the way it’s been amended. But I believe that they will pass this bill,” Szeliga said. The Maryland Senate has until midnight tonight to vote on SB 828 before the Maryland General Assembly adjourns for the year. If passed, it heads to Moore’s desk. Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for ICE said the agency does not comment on legislation.
Harris team crafted federal judge ‘death-pool roster’ to swear her in should Biden die as president, book says
A communications director for former Vice President Kamala Harris created a so-called “death-pool roster” of federal judges appointed by a Republican that could swear in Harris as president – in the event that President Joe Biden suddenly died, according to a new book. The book, “Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House,” published Tuesday by William Morrow and Company, claims that Harris’ White House communications director Jamal Simmons crafted an entire communications strategy to employ in the event of Biden’s death. The book, authored by political journalists Jonathan Allen of NBC News and Amie Parnes of the Hill, said Simmons imagined that losing Biden unexpectedly would be akin to when Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in on Air Force One following John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. But he worried people would question her legitimacy as president, and was specifically concerned that “Trump people” would go “apes—” if Harris became president, the book claims. TENSIONS ALLEGEDLY RISE BETWEEN BIDEN WHITE HOUSE AND HARRIS CAMPAIGN: ‘TOO MUCH IN THEIR FEELINGS’ “Simmons believed Harris would be strengthened by an institutional stamp of approval if she were sworn in hurriedly because Biden had died unexpectedly,” Allen and Parnes wrote. “Her legitimacy might be questioned, he worried, recalling the January 6 effort to stop Biden from being certified as president.” As a result, Simmons created a spreadsheet of various judges nominated by a Republican who might be equipped to help bolster her legitimacy. “The strongest validator, he believed, would be a federal judge who had been appointed by a Republican other than Trump,” Allen and Parnes wrote. “He compiled a spreadsheet of those jurists across the country, down to a city-by-city breakdown, and carried it with him when he traveled with Harris.” Simmons said he never told Harris about the so-called “death-pool roster” before his departure with her communications team in January 2023, however he instructed colleagues to notify him immediately if something did happen to Biden so he could implement the communications strategy. Ultimately, Simmons left the spreadsheet with another Harris staffer, according to the book. The book did not specify which judges were included on the list. Harris, who previously served as a senator from California, is now a speaker with CAA Speakers, which represents high-profile celebrities. CAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. KAMALA HARRIS WAS ‘VERY ANNOYED’ WITH OBAMA AS SHE SOUGHT HIS ENDORSEMENT, BOOK REVEALS The book also includes details revealing how former President Barack Obama remained hesitant to back Harris in the 2024 election to replace Biden, amid concerns about his mental fitness, while also doubting Biden and Harris’ political abilities. According to the book, Obama didn’t believe Harris could beat now-President Donald Trump in the November 2024 race – an issue that frustrated Harris. “Fight” chronicles how Trump secured the White House for a second term and the ramifications of his victory on the Democratic Party. Allen and Parnes conducted interviews with more than 150 political insiders for the book, according to the book’s description.