Newsom foe picked by Trump for key prosecutor job vows to ‘dismantle’ sanctuary state shields
Republican California Assemblyman Bill Essayli is pledging to “dismantle” his state’s status as a popular sanctuary for illegal immigrants after President Donald Trump tapped him this week to head up a team of prosecutors for the nation’s largest federal district court by population. “I’m excited to get to work and to implement their vision and their mission for the Department of Justice,” Essayli told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. “I think the first order of business is reassuring people and reinstilling trust into the Justice Department. I think for the last few years, it’s been weaponized, has been politicized, and the President’s made it clear that we’re going to restore trust into our law enforcement agencies and into the Department of Justice.” Essayli, a lightning rod in California legislative politics who frequently spars with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, said his commitment is to “restore law and order” in his new post as U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. “We’re going to get back to work,” he said. “We’re going to go after these transnational organizations, which the president designated as terrorist organizations.” CALIFORNIA DEM COMPARES ‘SAVE GIRLS SPORTS’ LAW TO NAZI GERMANY, AS TWO TRANS ATHLETE BAN BILLS FAIL TO PASS “We’re going to go after criminal illegal immigration,” Essayli continued. Setting himself up for a potential showdown in the coming months with Newsom, who “Trump-proofed” the state with a $50 million legal fund to protect illegal immigrants in the state, Essayli vowed to “dismantle the sanctuary state status that they’ve enjoyed here in California.” Brandon Richards, a spokesman for Newsom’s office, told Fox News Digital in a previous statement that “none of this funding will be used to support immigration-related services for criminals. Period.” Additionally, Essayli said as U.S. attorney, his office will tackle public corruption, noting, “I don’t think we’ve had robust public corruption cases and investigations. It’s long overdue.” When asked if Newsom had reached out to him since his appointment, Essayli laughed. NEWSOM’S ‘UNFAIR’ REMARK ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BELIES RECORD AS GOVERNOR: ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘ “No,” he said. “We don’t talk.” Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom’s office for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication. Essayli has gone head-to-head with Newsom’s administration throughout his Republican career in the state, criticizing the state over its handling of wildfire management, public safety, reparations, and most notably, parental rights in schools. It was not uncommon in the last several years to see Essayli at school board meetings voicing his opposition to policies that prohibited parental notification of their child’s gender identity. When asked how he would go about removing sanctuary state protections for illegal immigrants, Essayli responded he will be working “hand in hand” with the Trump Justice Department and Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We’re gonna put a plan together,” he said. “That’s not something I’m obviously prepared to discuss or signal at this point, but I assure you that something will be done, and when we do, it will be very well known in public.” MAINE UNIVERSITIES AGREE TO KEEP TRANSGENDER ATHLETES OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN PAUSES FUNDING Just hours before his appointment to be the next top federal prosecutor in the district that includes Los Angeles County, Essayli introduced Assembly Bill 844, which sought to reverse California’s existing law that allows biological males to participate in girls’ and women’s sports teams corresponding to their gender identity. But the Assembly’s Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism rejected AB 844 along party lines on Tuesday. Essayli called the tolerance of trans girls in girls’ sports “not just bad policy, it’s also a flagrant violation of Title IX and puts California schools at risk of losing billions in federal funding,” during the committee hearing. “I believe California will come into compliance with Title IX, either through this legislative process or the court process.” He resigned from his post as assemblyman that evening to accept the federal position. In a news release, the U.S. attorney’s office said Essayli, born to two Lebanese immigrants, was sworn into the country’s largest attorney’s office outside of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning. The office, with over 250 lawyers on staff, serves roughly 20 million residents across the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Essayli previously founded the law firm Essayli & Brown LLP in 2019 and worked as a federal prosecutor from 2014 to 2018 in the Los Angeles and Riverside offices. During his time as an assistant U.S. attorney, Essayli handled high-profile cases, including the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack and a significant opioid prescription case. Prior to his federal role, he was a deputy district attorney in Riverside County and worked as an associate attorney at Paul Hastings LLP. Essayli’s nomination to U.S. attorney requires Senate confirmation, but the president has the authority to appoint someone to the position on an interim basis before Senate confirmation.
Trump issues ‘prognosis’ for US after tariffs in medical metaphor
President Donald Trump on Thursday used a medical metaphor to describe the status of his “reciprocal tariffs” plan implemented on what he dubbed “Liberation Day.” “THE OPERATION IS OVER! THE PATIENT LIVED, AND IS HEALING,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social. “THE PROGNOSIS IS THAT THE PATIENT WILL BE FAR STRONGER, BIGGER, BETTER, AND MORE RESILIENT THAN EVER BEFORE. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened more than 1,000 points lower on Thursday morning after Trump unveiled his most severe levy of tariffs yet during a White House Rose Garden ceremony a day earlier, but administration officials remained optimistic in early morning TV interviews. They touted an anticipated impact of onshoring U.S. manufacturing and further bolstering American jobs. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN the United States “is no longer going to be cheated by foreign nations around the world,” reiterating that Trump had declared the issue a “national emergency.” SENATE APPROVES RESOLUTION AGAINST TRUMP’S CANADA TARIFFS HOURS AFTER ‘LIBERATION DAY’ EVENT “We have a $1.2 trillion trade deficit and counting. We’ve had 90,000 factories close in the last couple of decades,” Leavitt told CNN. “Since 1997, Americans have been put out of five million manufacturing jobs. These are not just statistics. These are real American lives that have been impacted. And it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it. This is going to restore more wealth, more jobs, more economic prosperity to our great country.” Leavitt said that the countries targeted by Trump’s reciprocal tariffs have had “70 years to do the right thing by the American people, and they have chosen not to.” “They have ripped off American workers. They have taken our jobs overseas,” Leavitt said. She also told CNN that Trump has already launched a “massive deregulatory agenda” that has “saved the American taxpayer millions of dollars.” Leavvitt said that the president is “unleashing the might of our American energy industry,” arguing that a stifled energy industry drove inflation during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Vice President JD Vance told Fox & Friends on Thursday morning that critics during Trump’s first term warned that tariffs would be inflationary, but instead inflation dipped to 1.5% until the “four terrible years of the Biden administration.” Vance said the “globalist economy” has resulted in the United States “incurring a huge amount of debt to buy things that other countries make for us.” “To make it a little bit more crystal clear, we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture,” Vance said. “That is not a recipe for economic prosperity. It’s not a recipe for low prices, and it’s not a recipe for good jobs in the United States of America.” SOME COUNTRIES TARGETED BY TRUMP TARIFFS SEEK NEGOTIATIONS, CHINA SAYS ‘NO WINNERS IN TRADE WARS’ The vice president said the “Joe Biden globalist pathway” has resulted in the U.S. having $2 trillion in peacetime debt and deficits and manufacturing “disappearing,” promising that Trump is taking the country in a different direction. Addressing criticism from Wall Street following Trump’s “Liberation Day” event in the White House Rose Garden, Vance said, “a lot of people have gotten rich from American jobs moving overseas, but American workers have not gotten rich” and American companies “have not gotten wealthy from the increasing growth of foreign competitors manufacturing overseas.” “They charge us ridiculous tariffs. They engage in a lot of non-tariff practices like currency manipulation,” Vance said. “That has been awful for Main Street in the United States of America.” On concerns about tariffs potentially driving up costs, Vance said the administration is “fighting very hard to bring prices down” and usher in “the biggest deregulation in the history of this country.” Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS News that “when tariffs come into place, foreign goods may become a little more expensive, but domestic goods do not.” “For the first time in your lives, you’re going to actually think about the Americans who make the products, the Americans who produce these products and work in these factories,” he said. “It’s time for us to take care of them instead of taking care of the world.” Trump said that his administration secured about $5 trillion of committed investment, which Lutnick told CBS meant “people are going to start building factories right now.” “That means all that construction work begins now,” Lutnick said, vowing that the president’s plan would build on the 150,000 jobs already added to the U.S. economy in March. “That starts to employ Americans today. You’re going to see plants being built, factories rebuilding. All shifts are going to be running hot across America now. You’re going to see employment leaping starting today.”
Kremlin official says he’s meeting Trump admin in first Russian visit to US since Ukraine war
A Russian official said he is in Washington this week to meet with Trump administration officials as talks continue to hash out a potential peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. “On April 2–3, at the request of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin, I will hold meetings in Washington with representatives of the administration of President Donald Trump,” Russia’s special envoy on international economic and investment, Kirill Dmitriev, posted to Telegram Thursday confirming the visit. The post was published in Russian and translated to English. “Yes, restoring dialogue is a difficult and gradual process. But each meeting, each frank conversation allows us to move forward,” he continued. “A real understanding of the Russian position opens up new opportunities for constructive cooperation, including in the investment and economic sphere.” Dmitriev’s trip marks the first time a senior Russian official has traveled to the U.S. to meet with officials since war broke out between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022. No Russian officials visited the Biden White House. FINNISH PRESIDENT: TRUMP SHOULD GIVE PUTIN 3 WEEKS TO AGREE UKRAINE CEASEFIRE Dmitriev, traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with “representatives of the administration of President Donald Trump” Wednesday, and will reportedly hold meetings again with Trump officials Thursday, according to the Telegram post. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment on the visit. The Russian envoy did not specify who in the Trump administration he was meeting. Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff has previously cited the Russian official as his primary counterpart when he helped hash out a prisoner exchange deal with Russia in February that led to the release of American teacher Marc Fogel. The visit comes after President Donald Trump told NBC News Sunday that he was “pissed off” with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the Russian president slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s leadership last week. Russia also carried out a series of attacks on Ukraine over the weekend amid ongoing talks to reach a potential peace agreement. TRUMP THREATENS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, DEMANDS PEACE AFTER MAJOR HITS IN UKRAINE “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault – which it might not be – but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump told NBC News. TRUMP SAYS HE IS ‘PISSED OFF’ WITH PUTIN OVER LACK OF PEACE PROGRESS: REPORT “That would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” he continued. “There will be a 25% tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.” TRUMP, VANCE AND ZELENSKYY SPAR OVER RUSSIAN WAR IN TENSE EXCHANGE: ‘VERY DISRESPECTFUL’ Trump added that his anger will “dissipate quickly” if Putin “does the right thing.” The reported Russia-U.S. meeting came the same week Trump celebrated “Liberation Day,” when he unveiled his highly anticipated tariff plan that his administration has said will unshackle the U.S. from its decadeslong reliance on goods from overseas. The new tariff plan did not include reciprocal tariffs on Russia – as well as other nations such as Canada and Mexico – with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the United States doesn’t trade with Russia because the nation is sanctioned.
Trump gets rare Democrat support for new tariffs: ‘This is a good start’
A moderate Democrat is expressing cautious optimism at President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs in a stark departure from most of his party’s infuriated reaction. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pointed out in a lengthy statement that he himself proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same. “What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,” Golden said. “I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country. But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.” TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS He noted, however, that Trump “introduced a number of new tariff policies” alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further. Golden also said tariffs “must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.” “We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people – that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he said. “Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.” While it’s far from a full embrace of Trump’s tariff plan, Golden’s comments are still more optimistic than those of his fellow Democratic lawmakers. FRANCE ASKS US TO BE ‘COOPERATIVE’ INSTEAD OF ‘CONFRONTATIONAL’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS “I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Axios. “However, the key word is ‘strategically.’ I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.” Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledged to force a vote targeting the new national emergency Trump is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff. “I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this – it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,” Meeks said in a statement. Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions. Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which he has represented since January 2019, was won by Trump by roughly 10% in 2024. Fox News Digital reached out to Golden’s office for further comment but did not hear back by press time. Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs of up to 50% on both adversaries and allies. It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s. “April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.
Democrat rep vows to work with Trump on key part of tariff plan: ‘Hoping that I can help’
A moderate Democrat is expressing cautious optimism at President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs in a stark departure from most of his party’s infuriated reaction. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pointed out in a lengthy statement that he himself proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same – and even publicly pledged to work with Trump on enshrining it in federal law in a subsequent interview with Fox News Digital. “What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,” Golden said in his statement. “I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country. But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.” TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS He noted, however, that Trump “introduced a number of new tariff policies” alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further. “We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people — that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he said. “Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.” He told Fox News Digital in a brief interview Thursday that he was open to working with Trump on codifying the 10% tariffs measure in federal law. “I’m really glad that he included that in his kind of broader strategy that he rolled out yesterday. And on the reciprocal tariffs, I would assume that he wants flexibility, he probably likes doing that through an executive order,” Golden said. “But I’m of the mind that the 10% global tariff is something that should be part of a longer-term strategy for the U.S. And so, you know, I’m hoping that I can help the president get some members of Congress to support doing that in a bill and maybe put it on his desk.” “I think that the president and his team would have to do some heavy lifting to make sure that the House Republicans supported it, but if they didn’t have a lot of defections, you know, could I find some like-minded Democrats for a 10% global tariff? I think so.” While it’s far from a full embrace of Trump’s tariff plan, Golden’s comments are still more optimistic than those of his fellow Democratic lawmakers. FRANCE ASKS US TO BE ‘COOPERATIVE’ INSTEAD OF ‘CONFRONTATIONAL’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS “I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Axios. “However, the key word is ‘strategically.’ I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.” Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledged to force a vote targeting the new national emergency Trump is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff. “I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this — it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,” Meeks said in a statement. Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions. Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which he has represented since January 2019, was won by Trump by roughly 10% in 2024. Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs of up to 50% on both adversaries and allies. It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s. “April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.
Trump’s DOGE push slashes millions in DEI contracts funding ‘divisive ideologies’ in blue states
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is slashing millions of dollars in DEI grants from a library and museum system as part of its overall Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) push to rid the government of waste, fraud and abuse. The administration is cutting $15 million from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in the form of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) grants in a move the agency says is aligned with both DOGE and President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI from the federal government. The grants include $6.7 million to the California State Library to enhance equitable library programs and $4 million to the Washington State Library for diverse staff development and incarcerated support. A $1.5M DEI grant to the Connecticut State Library system to “integrate social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion” into their daily operations is also being cut along with $700,000 for a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit to study “post-pandemic DEI practices” in American children’s museums that would formulate “enhanced equity-focused strategies.” TOP FINANCIAL OFFICIALS SOUND ALARM ON ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DOGE PROTEST VIOLENCE: LETTER Additionally, a DEI grant of $265,000 going to Queens College in New York to conduct a research project on why “BIPOC” teens read Japanese comic books will be cut along with $250,000 to fund the “Gay Ohio History Initiative” to erect 10 “LGBTQ+ historical markers” will be cut. “In keeping with the vision of the President’s executive orders, we are taking action to end taxpayer funding for discriminatory DEI initiatives in our nation’s museums and libraries,” Acting IMLS Director Keith Sonderling told Fox News Digital in a statement. TRUMP LABOR DEPARTMENT SECURES EYE-POPPING SUM TO RETURN TO TAXPAYERS AMID DOGE PUSH “Our cultural institutions should bring Americans together—not promote divisive ideologies. Moving forward, we must champion programs that uphold our founding ideals and reaffirm that the American Dream is within reach for all, through hard work and determination, not identity politics.” The grant cuts come after IMLS reportedly cut 80% of its staff in a move aimed at slashing the bloated federal government while saving taxpayers additional millions. A recent study by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences found that federal funds represent only 0.3% of the total operating revenue for public libraries. The vast majority of funding comes from state and local sources. The Institute of Museum and Library Services was one of seven government agencies targeted in Trump’s “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” executive order last month. Trump’s DOGE efforts have saved the American taxpayer $140 billion, according to its website, which represents almost $900 saved per taxpayer. The Trump administration says it has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in DEI contracts, including at least $100 million at the Department of Education.
Trump admin moves to more easily fire federal workers at 2 agencies: report
President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to reclassify federal workers at two agencies in order to more easily fire them, Reuters reported Thursday. The efforts are reportedly taking place at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). Trump had announced plans during his earliest days in office to recategorize tens of thousands of federal workers, arguing many of them oppose his policies. “I understand that there is a lot of concern and uncertainty about Schedule Policy/Career and want to provide the best information currently available,” acting assistant administrator Emily Menashes wrote in an email to affected employees at the NOAA on Tuesday. Most federal workers have protections requiring that they only be fired for cause. Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office creating a new classification of worker that can be fired at will, however. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP In their new category, NOAA employees would remain career staff, not political appointees, but would be expected to support the administration’s agenda, an email to some NOAA staff said. The DOE and the White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. The NOAA declined to comment. ‘FLOODING THE ZONE’ TRUMP HITS WARP SPEED IN FIRST WEEK BACK IN OFFICE The reported effort comes as Trump has already sought to fire tens of thousands of federal workers, many of whom have sued to keep their jobs. At least one federal judge has ordered Trump’s administration to reinstate federal probationary workers that were fired in recent mass layoffs. GOP SENATOR SAYS DR OZ IGNORED HIS QUESTIONS ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES, ABORTION U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar issued an order on Tuesday directing 18 federal agencies to “undo” the “purported terminations” of thousands of probationary federal workers before Tuesday, April 8, though the order only applies to states whose attorneys general brought the case. The states impacted by Wednesday’s ruling include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Since Trump entered office, he has faced a slew of nationwide injunctions to halt actions of his administration. So far in his new term, the courts have hit him with roughly 15 wide-ranging orders, more than former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden received during their entire tenures. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich condemned the wave of injunctions as a “judicial coup d’etat” during testimony before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The former lawmaker highlighted that the vast majority of judges filing injunctions or restraining orders against Trump’s executive actions have been appointed by Democrats. Reuters contributed to this report.
SCOOP: Congress barrels toward showdown over Biden-era rule letting California ban gas cars
FIRST ON FOX: A key House committee is moving to block one of former President Joe Biden’s parting gifts to the U.S.’s largest progressive stronghold. Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., vice chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, introduced a resolution of disapproval on Wednesday night targeting a Biden administration-era waiver granted to California that would help the state realize its goal of a full ban on the sale of new gas cars by 2035. It’s backed by committee Chairman Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who called the Biden administration waiver a “de facto EV mandate” for the Golden State. KAMALA HARRIS REVEALS TIMETABLE FOR MAKING MAJOR POLITICAL DECISION IN DEEP BLUE STATE “The American people should choose what vehicle is right for them, not California bureaucrats. Congressman Joyce’s resolution would block a disastrous ban on the gas-powered vehicles that millions of Americans rely on each and every day,” Guthrie told Fox News Digital. “The Energy and Commerce Committee has been committed to addressing this issue since California first attempted to create a de facto EV mandate.” Joyce said his resolution was “long overdue.” “Since arriving in Washington, I have fought to protect consumer freedom and allow American families to choose the vehicle that best fits their budget and needs,” Joyce said. A resolution of disapproval, under the Congressional Review Act, allows lawmakers a mechanism to oppose unilateral rules made by federal agencies. Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved a waiver for California in December 2024, just over a month before he left office, that would make it possible for the state to phase out new gas-powered car sales by 2035. The waiver was granted despite concerns raised by major automakers earlier that year about the feasibility of California’s goals – but state officials pushing the plan have insisted it’s critical to take on climate change. At the time, the Biden administration argued the waiver amounted to an order rather than a regulatory rule, meaning it would not be subject to congressional review. But it’s been the subject of a standoff between the Trump administration and the federal bureaucracy since then. The Trump administration asked Congress to review the waiver in late February of this year – paving the way for a potential repeal under the GOP-controlled House and Senate. But the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said last month that California’s waiver is not subject to the Congressional Review Act. HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’ Backers of the Trump administration’s goal, however, still insist it’s Congress’ job alone to review agency rules. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Despite misleading reports, the Congressional Review Act is crystal clear: once an agency action is submitted to Congress, it is Congress—and Congress alone—that holds the unassailable power to approve or disapprove that action,” American Energy Alliance President Tom Pyle said last month. “The GAO’s role is purely advisory, with no legal authority to block Congress from exercising its constitutional duty.” Joyce’s resolution is the first step toward testing those waters. And with the backing of the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee, the legislation is likely to see wide Republican support.
Hawley says muzzled Meta whistleblower will testify over China dealings next week
FIRST ON FOX – Sen. Josh Hawley. R-Mo., told Fox News Thursday that Meta whistleblower and former employee Sarah Wynn-Williams will testify next week before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee about problems with the social media giant’s internal culture and its work overseas – the same issues that prompted her explosive tell-all to be blocked from publication earlier this year. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Hawley took aim at what he said was an “amoral and corrupt company that crafted a custom censorship system for Communist China.” He also criticized their attempts to silence a former employee. “Sarah Wynn-Williams alleges that Facebook is an amoral and corrupt company that crafted a custom censorship system for Communist China,” Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Is it a surprise to anyone that Meta secured a gag order against her? Censorship is what Big Tech does best, and since Facebook is trying to quash her story, my subcommittee is going to officially investigate it,” he added. HAWLEY BLASTS ‘INSANE’ LIBERAL ATTORNEY DURING SENATE HEARING ON ANTISEMITISM The memoir, “Careless People,” attempted to make public what Wynn-Williams has described as Facebook’s relationship and alleged cooperation with certain regimes—primarily, the Communist regime in China— and what she alleges were Meta’s “plans to build censorship tools, punish dissidents, and make American user data available to the CCP.” Hawley, a member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, invited Wynn-Williams to testify next week after her memoir was blocked from publication. In a statement on X, Hawley said Wynn-Williams will testify before the panel “in public, under oath” to detail what the Missouri Republican described as some of the “explosive” evidence that was shared in her book that was blocked from publication earlier this year. PENCE GROUP LASHES OUT AT TRUMP TARIFFS AHEAD OF ‘LIBERATION DAY’ EVENT: ‘TAX ON AMERICAN CONSUMERS’ The hearing, officials with knowledge of the proceedings told Fox News Digital, is an attempt to get to the heart of the same claims while respecting the restrictions reached by the arbiters. News of her testimony next week, first shared with Fox News Digital, comes shortly after Meta blocked Wynn-Wiliams from publishing a memoir earlier this year detailing her six-year tenure at the company. Republicans on the panel announced their investigation into Meta’s censorship work just one day earlier. They said their work will focus primarily on Meta’s dealings with China and whether it provided certain AI tools to the CCP. Hawley and a group of other panel Republicans also demanded Meta provide them with all “records and communications pertaining to Meta’s operations within China, including the potential use of AI models developed by or in collaboration with the CCP.” The memoir, titled “Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism,” was among the most eagerly anticipated books of the year, earning early accolades and positive reviews from the New York Times and other book reviewers. For a time, it was available for pre-sale on Amazon and other major retailers. CONGRESSMAN CALLS FOR ZUCKERBERG TO ANSWER ON CHINA DEALINGS The memoir attempted to shed new light on what Wynn-Williams claimed is a problematic culture at the social media company, both internally – where the book develed into allegations of personal harassment that stretched to the company’s top leadership – as well as its dealings with certain unsavory regimes. In March, however, Meta secured a victory in arbitration proceedings to block the memoir’s release. They have since attempted to refute the validity of Wynn Williams’s remarks, characterizing her as a “disgruntled employee.” APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT Lawyers for Meta cited nondisclosure agreements signed by Wynn-Williams as a condition of her employment prohibiting her from sharing certain information about her time at the company, including disparaging remarks. The news comes as Senate Republicans have pushed for more information regarding Meta’s business in China and the extent of its work. The muzzling attempts from Meta employees have done little to thwart the GOP-led Senate Judiciary probe, however. Citing internal documents received by the subcommittee, members said this week that Facebook’s plan “reportedly included more engagement with the CCP, and later included plans to partner with a Chinese company to build censorship tools and provide the CCP with user data.” “Further, Facebook’s censorship efforts on behalf of the CCP allegedly extended to dissidents outside of China, including in the United States,” they said. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cuban-born rep to lobby Trump admin for major actions to ‘starve’ Havana regime: ‘The time is now’
EXCLUSIVE: The only Cuban-born member of Congress is calling on the Trump administration to “starve the regime” in Havana by cutting off some of its last economic lifelines connected to the U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who recently returned to the island for the first time in 64 years as part of a congressional delegation to Guantanamo Bay, said that despite the decadeslong economic embargo and travel restrictions, there are still many ways Americans can incidentally aid the regime. On Thursday, Gimenez will write to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting the “cessation of all travel” to and from the communist island, as well as a ban on remittances from U.S. citizens to relatives or friends there—except for specific funds approved by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Gimenez told Fox News Digital that dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government ends up with a substantive cut of remittances, and any way to further turn the economic screws to the regime is something the U.S. government should look into. CUBAN-BORN REP RECOUNTS EMOTIONAL RETURN TO CUBA FOR FIRST TIME IN 64 YEARS “The regime in Cuba is a listed state sponsor of terrorism, harbors criminal fugitives of American justice, and prevents a clear threat to the safety of the United States and our citizens,” Gimenez will write to Bessent. “As you know, this issue is one of great importance to the Cuban-American community and to millions of Americans who hold freedom, democracy, and human rights as our guiding principles.” He praised President Donald Trump for reversing the Obama-era “disastrous appeasement” policies that allowed some daylight between Havana and Washington. Former President Barack Obama also notably visited with then-dictator Raul Castro, resulting in the famous photo of Castro awkwardly holding up Obama’s arm and smiling during a public appearance. “We applaud and welcome the administration’s most recent policies to ban vessels arriving from communist Cuba at U.S. ports, but more must be done. I urge you, Mr. Secretary, to take swift and decisive action in halting all travel to and from Communist Cuba and eliminating the flow of remittances to the island,” Gimenez will tell Bessent. VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBAN-BORN GOP LAWMAKER TO LAUD TRUMP POLICIES “The murderous dictatorship in Cuba is on life support. The regime cannot even keep the lights on, and America must stand with the Cuban people to topple this pathetic gang once and for all…. The time is now.” “There’s plenty of travel happening between Cuba and the United States,” Gimenez said when asked how strong the current restrictions are. “All you’ve got to do is go to MIA and you’ll see all kinds of flights from the United States to Cuba and back — that needs to stop.” A partial travel ban is not enough, as the regime will always find loopholes to exploit, he said – and that if there were to be exceptions to what he is asking, Rubio would be the right official to determine their viability. He said that large amounts of money in the form of remittances flow particularly out of Miami-Dade to Cuba every year. “So these are efforts to basically starve the regime. A lot of times when flights are going from Miami to Cuba, a lot of those people are taking goods and products, et cetera,” he said. “The regime can’t even provide electricity to their own people. It needs to fail on its own weight; America can’t provide any more oxygen to that regime.” Gimenez added there may be some short-term pain in Miami and elsewhere, but that there is the “long-term gain” of potentially accelerating the collapse of the Castro/Diaz-Canel government, which has been otherwise cut off from U.S. trade since 1959. When asked why Cuba appears to be treated differently than other official state sponsors of terror like Iran and Afghanistan, Gimenez said the 90-mile proximity to the U.S. and the large numbers of Cuban refugee families living in Florida and beyond do create a different dynamic. “Many family members in Miami and in the United States try to help their [Cuba-resident] family and friends as much as possible, and they want to visit every once in a while.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “But I’ve never gone – [until] a month ago in Guantanamo. I’ve never gone back to visit any family. I’ve never sent one penny to Cuba for anything during my time in the United States; over 60 years.” “There are different circumstances for different people, but now it’s time to say enough.”