Booker called filibuster an ‘abuse of power’ years before setting Senate speech record
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., condemned the Senate filibuster as an “abuse of power” in 2022, years before his party praised him for launching the “longest filibuster in U.S. Senate history” on Tuesday. Booker set the record for longest Senate floor speech at 25 hours and 5 minutes after starting to speak at 7 p.m. on Monday. The filibuster has been a deeply controversial tool for the Senate in recent years, with many Democrats condemning the practice during President Joe Biden’s administration as Republicans used it to foil his agenda. “The filibuster has been abused to stop reforms supported by the vast majority of Americans—from background checks to protecting the right to vote. We must stop this abuse of power,” Booker wrote on X in January 2022. Booker’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. DEM SENATOR SAYS PARTY BRAND IS ‘REALLY PROBLEMATIC’ AND LED TO THE LOSS OF TRUST OF WORKING-CLASS VOTERS Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who was the lone Democrat to oppose abolishing the filibuster during Biden’s administration, has poked fun at Democrats who criticized her at the time. DEM SENATOR BEHIND SOCIAL MEDIA FAIL RESPONDS TO ELON MUSK’S OFFER “Maybe it isn’t an old Jim Crow relic, after all,” she quipped about Booker’s performance on Tuesday, referencing President Barack Obama’s description of the filibuster. Sinema specifically called out Rep. Pramila Jayapal. D-Wash., who condemned the “Jim Crow filibuster” just last year. Jayapal changed her tune when Republicans were trying to pass a continuing resolution in March, urging Democrats in the Senate, “Don’t betray working families. Don’t give Trump and Elon Musk a blank check. Don’t be complicit in the slashing of government programs. Vote NO on cloture and NO on final passage of Republicans’ bad bill.” WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Cloture is the Senate term for ending a filibuster, causing Sinema to chime in, “Just surprised to see support for the ‘Jim Crow filibuster’ here,” she wrote. Booker himself has flipped on the issue multiple times. He gave a firm defense of the filibuster in 2019 before his call to remove it in 2022. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He said at the time that Democrats “should not be doing anything to mess with the strength of the filibuster.” “I will personally resist efforts to get rid of it,” he said.
Dem AGs take Trump-Kennedy HHS to court over cuts to COVID-era grants
More than 20 Democratic attorneys general are joining forces to take Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to court to halt spending cuts he has authorized within the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department in alignment with President Donald Trump’s goal of cutting waste and downsizing the federal government. “I cannot overstate how reckless and illegal these cuts are,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement Tuesday. The cuts, which were announced last week and began Tuesday, include firing some 10,000 federal health employees across its major agencies – roughly 20% of its workforce – as well as slashing billions of dollars in public health grants. HHS DOWNSIZING BEGINS AMID RFK JR. ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ PUSH: ‘WIN-WIN FOR TAXPAYERS’ Those public health grants, amounting to $12 billion, were earmarked for states during the COVID-19 pandemic for testing and vaccinations. The HHS justified the cuts because the “COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.” HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said in a media statement last week that “HHS is prioritizing funding projects that will deliver on President Trump’s mandate to address our chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again.“ However, Mayes, alongside 23 other Democratic state attorneys general, argue the cuts will impact the health of their states. “By slashing these grants, the Trump administration has launched an all-out attack on Arizona’s public health system—harming the entire state, but hitting rural communities the hardest. These cuts target the very places that rely most on this critical funding,” Mayes said. “Eliminating it would devastate our already precarious system and cost jobs across Arizona, from doctors to tribal health workers. I will fight this every step of the way.” RFK JR BACKS WV PUSH FOR SNAP WAIVERS, WORK MANDATES UNDER ‘MAHA’ The lawsuit, filed in Rhode Island, claims the “unlawful withholding of funds has already caused substantial confusion and will result in immediate and devastating harm” to the residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia. Attorneys general from Rhode Island, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., are listed as plaintiffs. The department has been preparing to make major cuts in recent weeks across its health agencies, especially pertaining to administrative costs and DEI-related spending. HOSPITALS WARNED THEY MUST PROTECT CHILDREN FROM CHEMICAL AND SURGICAL MUTILATION: HHS AGENCY MEMO On Tuesday, federal health employees began receiving notices of termination. The Associated Press also reported there were lines wrapped around the HHS building of employees trying to find out whether they still had a job. According to the HHS, the layoffs “will save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year” and “streamline” functions of the department while ensuring that essential services like Medicare and Medicaid continue without disruption. “We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” the HHS secretary said in a statement. “This Department will do more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Judge blocks Trump admin from firing federal probationary workers
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from firing federal probationary workers in 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge James Bredar’s order directs 18 federal agencies to “undo” the “purported terminations” of thousands of probationary federal workers before Tuesday, April 8th, 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. Bredar’s order is only the latest move by federal courts to hamper Trump’s agenda, though it falls short of the nationwide injunctions used in other instances. SCOOP: TOP REPUBLICAN CHUCK GRASSLEY SETS PROMPT HEARING ON JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP 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. GOP SENATOR SAYS DR OZ IGNORED HIS QUESTIONS ON TRANSGENDER ISSUES, ABORTION Some of those who have ordered the Trump administration to halt certain actions are U.S. District Judges James Boasberg, Amir Ali, Loren AliKhan, William Alsup, Deborah Boardman, John Coughenour, Paul A. Engelmayer, Amy Berman Jackson, Angel Kelley, Brendan A. Hurson, Royce Lamberth, Joseph Laplante, John McConnell and Leo Sorokin. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich condemned the wave of injunctions as a “judicial coup d’etat” during testimony before a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday. 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. ‘WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT’: US JUDGE REAMS TRUMP ADMIN FOR DAYS-LATE DEPORTATION INFO “If you look at the recent reports from various polling firms, clearly a majority of Americans believe that no single district judge should be able to issue a nationwide injunction,” Gingrich responded. “Look, my judgment is as a historian. This is clearly a judicial coup d’etat. You don’t have this many different judges issue this many different nationwide injunctions – all of them coming from the same ideological and political background – and just assume it’s all random efforts of justice,” he continued. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “This is a clear effort to stop the scale of change that President Trump represents,” he added. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report
Trump, Senate GOP budget leaders huddle at White House on reconciliation bill
President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Budget Committee Republicans are meeting at the White House on Wednesday morning as discussions on how to extend the 2017 tax cuts continue and a key budget process to advance Trump’s agenda hangs in the balance. Notably, the meeting is taking place ahead of a Trump event in the Rose Garden, during which the president will discuss his new tariffs. The Wednesday White House meeting is meant to be less of a debate on how to proceed and more of a final check-in to make sure all parties are on the same page, a source familiar told Fox News Digital. DISTRICT JUDGES’ ORDERS BLOCKING TRUMP AGENDA FACE HEARING IN TOP SENATE COMMITTEE Trump and Senate Republicans’ discussion is just the latest of several meetings on both the House and Senate sides, hammering out details on how to maneuver a House-passed budget reconciliation bill through the upper chamber. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was spotted leaving at least one of the congressional meetings on Wednesday and has been a fixture on Capitol Hill amid the reconciliation debate. Initially, there was stark disagreement between GOP leaders in the House and Senate over how to organize a reconciliation bill, which is a key tool for the Trump administration and Republican majorities, because it lowers the vote threshold in the Senate, bypassing the legislative filibuster. DEMS MUM ON TRUMP’S COURT FIGHTS DESPITE TRYING TO LIMIT BIDEN-BLOCKING JUDGES Senate Republicans largely preferred splitting the priorities of the Trump administration into two reconciliation bills, the first of which would address the southern border’s urgent needs and a later bill would extend Trump’s hallmark 2017 tax cuts. But House Republicans, who have less space for dissent with their slim majority, made it clear they would only accept one reconciliation bill that included border funding and tax cut extensions. The House and Senate both passed separate resolutions, but Trump has voiced his support for one bill on multiple occasions and Senate Republicans themselves described their resolution as a backup plan to the House’s. FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT Now, the Senate is charged with taking up the House’s bill, including border and tax cuts, in order to complete the budget reconciliation process for Trump. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Fox News he would be at the 11 a.m. meeting. He said he planned to bring up the debt limit, which will need to be extended soon. In particular, he wants to discuss raising the debt limit in the budget reconciliation resolution. WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF TRUMP VETO IF TIM KAINE ‘STUNT’ VOTE TO CANCEL TARIFFS PASSES SENATE According to the Republican, Trump hasn’t been highly communicative to Republicans about his position on the debt limit’s inclusion in this particular bill. But Kennedy believes they should raise the debt limit via reconciliation to ensure Republicans don’t need to negotiate with Democrats to avert default down the line.
Daughter of late Dem congressman launches campaign for father’s seat: ‘Building something powerful’
The daughter of the late Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., will run for her father’s seat in the upcoming special election for the solidly Democrat-leaning district. Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva announced her campaign for Arizona’s Seventh Congressional District on Monday, making good on the promise to make her decision clear after her father’s funeral. She noted in her launch video posted to X that she is the daughter of “a man who spent his life fighting for justice, equity, and dignity for the most vulnerable communities.” DEMOCRATIC REP. RAUL GRIJALVA DEAD AT 77 “From working as a vaquero to serving the people in the halls of Congress in a single generation. That’s the promise of this country, and that’s the legacy that’s helped shape me,” she added. “This is the America that I want to raise my three beautiful children in. But today, that idea of America is under a serious threat,” the Democrat added, saying that President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and a “gang of billionaires” are taking aim at the “most sacred rights” in the country. Grijalva quickly reached the signature threshold necessary to make the Democratic primary ballot within the day. The primary election is on July 15, and the general election is on Sept. 23. TRUMP NOMINATES FORMER ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR US AMBASSADOR TO SERBIA “In less than five hours since launching our campaign, we have collected enough signatures to be on the ballot,” she said in a video shortly following her launch. For Democrats, a minimum of 798 verified signatures is required to make the ballot in the race and a maximum of 31,906 signatures, according to the Secretary of State’s office. The Democratic congressman died last month after a battle with lung cancer. Grijalva will be facing off against former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez, who recently touted over $200,000 in campaign coffers. “WOW!!! We just hit $200,000 raised since we launched on Monday. I’m BLOWN AWAY by the support—and ready to get to work. We’re building something powerful in Arizona. Let’s keep it going!!!!!!!” Hernandez posted last week. BORDER COMMUNITY REVEALS WHAT TRUMP ADMIN STILL NEEDS TO ACCOMPLISH AS CRISIS CALMS DOWN: ‘UNDUE BURDENS’ Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was mulling a bid for the seat, but decided against it and expressed plans to run for re-election instead. “I will continue to defend America as Arizona’s Secretary of State,” Fontes said in a statement on March 26. The district itself spans much of the southern border of the Grand Canyon State.
Reporter’s Notebook: April Fools’ on Capitol Hill
These aren’t April Fools’ pranks. Yes, director Oliver Stone actually testified at a House hearing on the JFK assassination on April Fools’ Day this year. It was the first congressional hearing on President John F. Kennedy’s death since 1992. Stone then held a press availability. BOOKER CONCLUDES RECORD 25-HOUR SPEECH AGAINST TRUMP, MUSK MARKING THE LONGEST EVER ON THE SENATE FLOOR Not on the grassy knoll. But in a corridor outside the hearing room. Surely this next item is an April Fools’ prank. Yes, House Republicans scheduled a hearing on what they believe is overreach by federal judges in their rulings against the Trump administration. And then a small group of Republicans blocked the House from even debating a GOP bill to rein in those judges. The reason? A dispute over whether the House should allow members who are pregnant or are new moms to vote remotely. ANNA PAULINA LUNA FORCES HOUSE LEADERSHIP’S HAND ON PROXY VOTING AS GOP WAR ESCALATES House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., then sent the House home for the week Tuesday afternoon – after less than two days of work. You can’t make this stuff up. Or what about Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., giving a speech to rail against the Trump administration on the Senate floor which began at 7 p.m. ET on March 31 – but didn’t conclude until after 8 p.m. ET on April 1? In the process, Booker broke the Senate record for the longest speech in Senate history: 25 hours and five minutes. Booker bested the old mark of 24 hours and 18 minutes set by the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., in 1957 over a civil rights bill. But the hardest thing to believe about Booker’s marathon speech? A reporter asked the New Jersey Democrat if he wore a catheter or a diaper to get through the 25-hour stretch. April Fool? “I don’t want my doctor to get mad at me, but I spent time dehydrating myself beforehand so I did not have to go to the bathroom,” said Booker. “My strategy was to stop eating. I think I stopped eating on Friday. And then to stop drinking the night before I started on Monday.” Now, the greatest April Fools’ joke of all? Despite Booker’s protracted oratory, one can argue that he wasn’t “filibustering.” “Filibustering” in the Senate is in the eye of the beholder. Or the mouth of the senator. The Senate features unlimited debate. And the act of “filibustering” carries a negative connotation. Opponents may pejoratively deride the other side as “filibustering” their bill or a nomination. But a senator might claim they’re not filibustering. They’re simply using a Senate prerogative. But it’s an issue of debate whether Booker was actually “holding something up.” That’s the most defining characteristic of a filibuster. A senator can derail or delay Senate business. On the one hand, the Senate had no votes officially locked in for Tuesday. The Senate voted (ironically) to break a filibuster on the nomination of Matthew Whitaker to serve as ambassador to NATO at 7 p.m. ET Monday. That’s when Booker began his speech. By rule, the Senate can take up to 30 hours after cracking a filibuster before the confirmation vote takes place. It was presumed that the Senate would vote at some point on Tuesday to confirm Whitaker. Whitaker’s nomination wasn’t the most controversial thing before the Senate. But if senators consumed all the time afforded them after vaulting the filibuster, the Senate would automatically vote to confirm Whitaker at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday. That’s 30 hours after clearing the filibuster. So, it can be argued that Booker had a window under which to operate – which might make his address just a really long speech – and not a filibuster. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., hoped to force a vote on a resolution to kneecap President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada on Tuesday. It would end the president’s emergency declaration to justify the tariffs. But that roll call vote wasn’t set either. So that means Booker wasn’t necessarily filibustering. WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF TRUMP VEOT IF TIM KAINE ‘STUNT’ VOTE TO CANCEL TARIFFS PASSES SENATE Hollywood and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” imbued the public consciousness with the idea that a lengthy speech is automatically a filibuster. And often very dramatic. But in the Senate, most filibusters are silent. “Filibustering” is frequently the threat that senators will oppose something. Or, at the very least, oppose something so that the majority leader must jump through procedural hurdles to clear a filibuster. That’s what the Senate executed Monday night with a procedural vote to end the filibuster on the Whitaker nomination. So Booker’s stem-winder may have just been a slight delay. But not a filibuster in the most conventional sense. The Senate confirmed Whitaker Tuesday night after Booker concluded. But it’s also worth noting that Booker did not speak consecutively for 25-plus hours. So, was this truly a record-breaking speech? Yes, but a more accurate way to characterize his feat is that Booker established a new record for holding the Senate floor the longest. During his speech, Booker would periodically “yield for a question” to a colleague while “maintaining” his right to the floor. Booker would speak for a while. And when his voice grew raspy, he’d yield to a host of Democrats: Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. They’d each speak for 10 or 15 minutes. And then punctuate the end of their speech with an interrogative – sending things back over to Booker. This is “legal” in the Senate. Booker still had control of the floor so long as he remained standing. But it gave him a timeout to relax and recharge for a few moments. Kind of like calling in a relief pitcher from the bullpen for an inning or two. In track and field, officials sometimes dot a record-breaking sprint with an asterisk – noting that the mark was “wind
3 takeaways from Florida’s special election
Republicans held control of two House seats in Florida in a special election on Tuesday, though by significantly slimmer margins than their GOP predecessors when President Donald Trump was also on the ballot. The special election, held to fill seats vacated by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, drew national attention, with the Democratic National Committee chair flying in to rally in support for Democrat Josh Weil in the 6th District, and the Trump White House backing Republican Randy Fine online. Fine was ultimately victorious in the 6th District election, succeeding Waltz, who has recently come under scrutiny following an apparent national security breach in a Signal group chat. Meanwhile, Republican Jimmy Patronis defeated Democratic challenger Gay Valimont and secured GOP control of the 1st District seat vacated by Gaetz. Patronis’ win was also by slimmer margins than what Republicans won in November’s contest. Here are three takeaways from the Florida special election that observers consider a bellwether for Republicans ahead of midterms, which typically sees the party that lost the presidency pick up congressional seats. LIBERAL WINS FIRST MAJOR 2025 STATEWIDE BATTLEGROUND ELECTION IN RACE TURNED INTO TRUMP-MUSK REFERENDUM The pair of special election victories in Florida means the Republican Party maintains control of the House of Representatives by a 220-213 margin. Trump was concerned over the slim margin in the House when he pulled the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for the U.S. ambassadorship to the United Nations. Stefanik was the third highest-ranking House Republican and campaigned heavily for Trump during the last election cycle. Stefanik, who previously served as the House Republican Conference chair, recognized the “historically slim House majority” when it stood at 218-213 last week and agreed to step up in Congress to deliver on Trump’s America First agenda. Trump championed the Florida victories in a Truth Social post on Tuesday night. “BOTH FLORIDA HOUSE SEATS HAVE BEEN WON, BIG, BY THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE. THE TRUMP ENDORSEMENT, AS ALWAYS, PROVED FAR GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATS FORCES OF EVIL. CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICA!!!” he wrote. Fine won the 6th District special election over Weil by 14 points – a significantly tighter margin than Waltz’s 33-point victory five months ago. According to the Florida Division of Elections, Fine received nearly 57% of the vote, while Weil received nearly 43%. Patronis, meanwhile, received nearly 57% of the vote in the 1st District, while Valimont received nearly 43% of the vote. The 14-point win enjoyed by Patronis comes after Gaetz won re-election in the heavily red district by 32 points last November. FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL DEFEATS DEM FOR MATT GAETZ’S HOUSE SEAT “This is the functional equivalent of Republicans running a competitive race in the district that is represented by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., before Tuesday’s contest, according to the Associated Press. “Kamala Harris won that district by 30 points. Do you think a Republican would even be competitive in that district in New York, currently held by Alex? Of course, not.” Republican voter turnout remains a challenge for the party in races when Trump is not on the ballot – an issue raised by conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk when discussing another significant contest for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. Back in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he expected that any GOP underperformance in the 6th District, which he once represented, would be “a reflection of the candidate,” the Orlando Sentinel reported. Fine, a casino millionaire who served eight years in the state House and then a shorter time in the state Senate, has long garnered controversy in Florida politics. Patronis, meanwhile, served as Florida’s chief financial officer under DeSantis. Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said Democrats “dumped more than $10 million to try and buy” the 6th District seat picked up by Fine, “but voters decisively rejected them.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The American people sent a clear message tonight: they want elected officials who will advance President Trump’s America First agenda, and their votes can’t be bought by national Democrats,” he said in a statement. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
What is Trump’s new Liberation Day and what to expect April 2?
President Donald Trump declared Wednesday will serve as the nation’s “Liberation Day,” as he is anticipated to enact trade policies emphasizing his “America First” mission, which his administration says will help end the U.S.’ reliance on goods made overseas. Trump is expected to roll out his reciprocal tariff plans Wednesday, which will levy additional taxes on nations that export goods to the U.S. “April 2nd, 2025, will go down as one of the most important days in modern American history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. “Our country has been one of the most open economies in the world, and we have the consumer base, hands down — the best consumer base. But too many foreign countries have their markets closed to our exports. This is fundamentally unfair.” “The lack of reciprocity contributes to our large and persistent annual trade deficit that’s gutted our industries and hollowed out key workforces,” she continued. “But those days of America, beginning tomorrow, being ripped off, are over. American workers and businesses will be put first under President Trump, just as he promised on the campaign trail.” TRUMP IS ‘ALWAYS UP FOR A GOOD NEGOTIATION,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS, AS APRIL 2 ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS LOOM The White House has kept a tight lip regarding details surrounding Trump’s planned tariff announcement, only explaining reciprocal tariffs will even the playing field for the U.S. after decades of unfair trading practices. “I think it’s going to be something that’s going to bring a lot of wealth back to our country, tremendous wealth back to our country, actually,” Trump told the media Monday. “And, other countries are understanding, because they’ve been ripping us for 50 years, longer.” Trump and his administration have touted that the tariff plan will encourage business in the U.S. as industries set up shop on American soil to avoid tariffs, opening up job opportunities for U.S. workers. EU THREATENS ‘FIRM COUNTER-MEASURES’ AS TRUMP’S TARIFF DEADLINE LOOMS White House trade advisor Peter Navarro previewed during a “Fox News Sunday” interview over the weekend that the new tariffs will generate $600 billion annually for the U.S. — or $6 trillion during the next decade. While details of the plan remain shrouded in mystery until Trump’s announcement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously singled out 15% of the nations worldwide that have trade imbalances with the U.S., referring to them as the “dirty 15” that will likely be the focus of the tariff announcement. “Going into April 2, some of our worst trading partners in terms of the way they treat us have already come to President Trump offering … substantial decreases in very unfair tariffs,” Bessent said Tuesday in an exclusive interview on “Mornings with Maria.” “I’m optimistic that, April 2, some of the tariffs may not have to go on because a deal is pre-negotiated,” he added, “or that once countries receive their reciprocal tariff number, that, right after that, they will come to us and want to negotiate it down.” WALL STREET FIRMS SEE RECESSION RISK RISING OVER TARIFFS, TRADE WAR The director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, also previewed that the administration was eyeing 10 countries to 15 countries for the tariff plan, but neither Bessent nor Hassett identified the countries by name. Trump on Sunday, however, pushed back that the tariff plan would affect “all countries,” not just a scope of roughly a dozen. “You’d start with all countries,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “So let’s see what happens. There are many countries.” Trump added from the Oval Office Monday that his administration will be “nice” to the foreign nations in comparison to how they have charged the U.S. TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ WILL HELP CREATE A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR AMERICAN WORKERS “We’re being nicer than they were,” he said while speaking to the media following signing an unrelated executive order Monday. “We have a lot of countries, friend and foe. I always say friend and foe, but the friend in many cases is worse than the foe. They took advantage of us, and we are going to be very nice by comparison to what they were.” “The numbers will be lower than what they’ve been charging us, and in some cases, maybe substantially lower. But we sort of have a world obligation, perhaps,” he continued. “But we’re going to be very nice, relatively speaking, we’re going to be very kind.” The Trump administration is expected to roll out the “External Revenue Service,” which will oversee the tariff collection under the Commerce Department’s leadership. The highly anticipated trade announcement has sparked uncertainty about the cost of goods for Americans, with Leavitt reiterating Tuesday that Trump is focused on “lowering inflation, lowering energy prices, (undertaking) massive deregulatory efforts, while simultaneously effectively implementing tariffs.” US BUSINESS OWNERS PREPARE TO BENEFIT FROM TRUMP TARIFFS, BOOST ‘MADE IN AMERICA’ OPERATIONS Leavitt said Tuesday that the tariffs will be effective immediately upon Trump’s Wednesday announcement. The president is expected to unveil his tariff plan from the Rose Garden and will be joined by his Cabinet, Leavitt told the media Monday. Nations across the world celebrate their own respective Liberation Days to typically mark an end to a war or oppression, similar to the U.S.’ Independence Day, which marks the establishment of the United States and an end to British rule over the 13 original colonies. Many nations in Europe, for example, celebrate various days of liberation to mark the anniversary of their respective victories over Nazi Germany during World War II. TRUMP AND HIS TARIFFS FIND UNLIKELY ALLY IN AUTO UNION BOSS, WHO BLASTED DEMS AND ‘CORPORATE GREED’ Trump previously described Election Day 2024 as “Liberation Day,” as well as on Jan. 20, when he was sworn in as the nation’s 47th president. “For American citizens, January 20th, 2025, is Liberation Day,” Trump said in his inaugural address. “It is my hope that our recent presidential election will be remembered as the greatest and most consequential
Dem senator who ditched Tesla to protest Musk refuses to call violence against cars ‘domestic terrorism’
FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who ditched his Tesla last month, refused to label recent violence at Tesla dealerships in protest of Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts as “domestic terrorism,” a term that has been used by Republicans and the Justice Department. “Certainly vandalism and it’s a crime,” Kelly told Fox News Digital when asked if the violence at Tesla dealerships in response to DOGE amounted to terrorism. “It’s a significant crime, especially if you’re going to firebomb a car or vandalize somebody’s vehicle or even key somebody’s vehicle. They shouldn’t be doing it. And these should be investigated. And if people are caught, they should be prosecuted.” Attorney General Pam Bondi and Elon Musk have both called the violence “domestic terrorism” in recent weeks. TOP FINANCIAL OFFICIALS SOUND ALARM ON ‘UNCONSCIONABLE’ ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DOGE PROTEST VIOLENCE: LETTER When pressed by Fox News Digital on not using the word terrorism, Kelly said, “I think we got to tread lightly on the whole terrorism word.” “We sometimes try to expand this thing, it kind of loses its focus. But when folks are vandalizing people’s vehicles or dealerships, it is wrong and it’s dangerous. Somebody is going to get hurt. And for that reason, we should put, you know, the full force of law enforcement to this problem and prosecute people.” THE LOUDEST SILENCE: TOP DEMOCRATS REMAIN MUM AMID VIOLENT ATTACKS ON TESLA While Kelly went further than most top Democrats in condemning the violence, many in the party have faced criticism from conservatives for refusing to use the phrase “domestic terrorism” to describe violent incidents against Tesla, including shots fired at a building, destroyed dealership windows, charging stations and cars set on fire, and vandalism of Tesla cars. Fox News Digital recently reached out to over a dozen Democrats who previously railed against the dangers of domestic terrorism, asking them if they condemned the Tesla violence. None of the Democrats responded. Kelly made headlines last month when he announced that he was ditching his personal Tesla because it was “a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people.” Kelly added that he believes Musk turned out to be an “a–hole” and later announced that he had switched to a Chevy Tahoe SUV. The violence against Tesla has spurred outrage on the right as many Democrats remain silent. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., on Tuesday introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that slams unnamed members of the Democratic Party, who it says, “have made calls for their supporters to incite and engage in domestic terrorism by attacking Tesla vehicles and facilities to protest Elon Musk.” “The definition of terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. That is exactly what has been going on across the country at Tesla dealerships, and it is what innocent Americans who chose Tesla as their preferred vehicle are facing in the wake of violence from Radical Left-Wing domestic terrorists who hate President Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” Boebert told Fox News Digital. The resolution cites “at least” 80 incidents of arson or vandalism against Tesla vehicles and 10 incidents of vandalism against Tesla dealerships, charging stations and facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Incidents include individuals setting fire to cars and equipment by throwing Molotov cocktails, shooting up buildings and vehicles, and marking private property with words like “Nazi” and “Long Live Ukraine.” Among the incidents cited by the resolution is the March 18 attack in Las Vegas, in which a person dressed in black shot at Tesla cars at a Tesla collision center, ignited several of them with Molotov cocktails, and spray-painted the word “Resist” on the front doors of the shop. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Musk, Soros and millions collide in heated Wisconsin court showdown
Republicans in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation closely watched the heated race for a new jurist on the state’s Supreme Court. The match-up between former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel and circuit court judge Susan Crawford drew national attention, with billionaires on both sides of the aisle pouring millions into the race – despite the lack of political affiliation for both candidates. Crawford ultimately won, but Republicans did score a victory in a referendum on enshrining voter ID laws in the state constitution – something the right has long advocated for. “There’s a lot at stake,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday before polls closed. DOGE DEPUTY, TREASURY SECRETARY DISH ON CRUSADE TO PULL THE IRS OUT OF ITS ‘REALLY BIG HOLE’ One example he pointed to is a Wisconsin state law that’s fiercely opposed by labor unions there, which ended most collective bargaining rights for government employees when passed in 2011. Fitzgerald helped usher it through as state Senate majority leader at the time. “They clearly have their sights set on that,” Fitzgerald said. “I think they’re going to try and come up with some crazy dreamed-up angle on redistricting, and look for a suit that they can weigh in on to try and change the maps before the next election.” Republicans who backed Schimel included Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, while Crawford was supported by prominent liberals like George Soros and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Musk has been heckled by Democrats for his last-minute rally in Wisconsin for the race – where he also offered $1 million each to two attendees. Pritzker raised particular ire among Republicans, who view him as an out-of-state progressive trying to impose his beliefs on a neighboring state. “We don’t want him determining Wisconsin,” Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital before polls closed. “Wisconsin right now has photo ID to make sure our elections are fair. We have a woman running for that position who is the type of person to say that’s racist, and we cannot have that type of extremism on the Supreme Court,” Grothman continued. Wisconsin voters opted to enshrine voter ID measures into state law, however. Crawford has made no public statements about her beliefs on the issues cited by Grothman as a judge. She did, however, represent groups fighting for abortion rights and against voter ID laws as an attorney, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., chairman of the House Committee on Administration, told Fox News Digital of the race before polls closed, “In Wisconsin, we are focused on safeguarding school choice, upholding parental rights, and preserving voter ID.” ELON MUSK, DOGE TEAM OFFER UNPRECEDENTED PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF TRUMP’S COST-CUTTING DEPARTMENT “That’s why it’s crucial that everyone gets out to vote for Brad Schimel,” Steil said ahead of the vote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the two Democrats in the state congressional delegation, Reps. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Mark Pocan, D-Wis., but did not hear back by press time.