Blue state sheriff vows to ‘eliminate’ major tax if elected governor: ‘We will work immediately’
A candidate for California governor suggests scrapping the state’s income tax altogether, a move that could send a political earthquake through the Golden State. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, said in a video last week that it could be a strong way to get people and businesses that left in the wake of the pandemic and high costs in the state to return. “What a better way to bring all of my friends back, bring all the businesses back that have left to eliminate California income tax. Other states have done it. There’s nine states that don’t have a state income tax. So why does the greatest state in the country have an income tax?” he asked. BLUE STATE SHERIFF ISSUES STARK WARNING FOR ACTIVISTS WHO DEFY ICE, RIPS MEDIA ‘FEAR MONGERING’ “I believe that our hard workers in California could spend their money far better than our current government,” the sheriff continued. There is a national conversation underway about tax reform, as nationwide cuts are anticipated under the Trump administration and Republican Congress. Additionally, Mississippi just passed a law that will completely eliminate their income tax in the coming years, and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is supporting state legislation to cut taxes in his state further. The California legislature currently has a Democratic supermajority, meaning that Bianco could have an uphill battle with his proposal. COMEDY INFLUENCER RIPS CALIFORNIA LAW DOUBLING HIS AMBULANCE BILL AFTER HE PROVIDED PROOF OF INSURANCE Many California taxpayers also deal with high gas taxes at the pump and high property taxes if they are homeowners. Regarding the gas tax, many have called for a holiday to provide temporary relief for drivers in the Golden State. Tennessee, Florida, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, Washington and Texas do not have an individual income tax. “So, as your governor, we will work immediately on eliminating California income tax for all of Californians,” the sheriff said, adding that he plans to announce more details at a later date on the execution of the proposal. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is not able to run for re-election in 2026, which is fueling speculation about a potential 2028 White House bid. While the state is largely considered deep blue, a recent poll provided some silver linings for Republicans. TRUMP ALLIES MAKE PUSH FOR PERMANENT TAX CUT PLAN IN CONGRESS Forty-eight percent of “likely voters” said they would consider voting red in the governor’s race next year, according to a survey conducted by Columbia University pollster David Wolfson and Republican firm Madison McQueen, the Sacramento Bee reported. On the Democratic side, former Rep. Katie Porter and Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis are among the names in the race, but former Vice President Kamala Harris could also hop in following her presidential bid loss.
Trump-backed bills targeting activist judges, noncitizen voting head for House-wide votes
Two key bills backed by President Donald Trump are expected to get a vote this week as Republican lawmakers continue their first 100-day sprint of trying to enact the White House’s agenda. The No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA Act) by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., would limit district court judges’ ability to issue orders blocking Trump policies nationwide. Additionally, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, is aimed at requiring proof of citizenship in the voting registration process. It signifies Trump’s continued dominance over congressional Republicans’ agenda, at a time when Democrats are struggling to coalesce around a singular message or leader. MIGRANT INFLUENCER MOCKS US TAXPAYERS WHO ‘WORK LIKE SLAVES’ WHILE WAVING CASH IN LATEST VIDEOS The former legislation is a response to Trump’s ongoing standoff with judges paralyzing his agenda, while the latter is a bill that the president and his allies have long pushed for. The bills advanced through the House Rules Committee on Tuesday in an expected party-line vote. An original plan to have the bills voted through the panel on Monday night was upended after House GOP leaders attempted to insert language into the joint “rule” that would have killed an unrelated bid by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., to install remote voting for new parents in the House. It led to a brief hold-up on Tuesday morning before the language blocking Luna was ultimately included in the measure. The Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to legislation before it’s considered House-wide. The next step will be a procedural “rule” vote expected on Tuesday afternoon. If passed, that will set up lawmakers to debate both bills before voting sometime this week. Issa’s bill is coming for a House-wide vote on Wednesday afternoon as Trump is pushing his congressional allies to fight back against what Republicans view as “activist judges” trying to block their agenda. Two people familiar with discussions said earlier this month that Capitol Hill aides were told Trump “likes” the bill. Meanwhile, Roy’s bill has been pushed by both Trump and various conservative groups since before the 2024 election. Democrats have argued that if passed, it would disenfranchise women by making it harder for married women who have changed their last names to vote. Republicans say it is a necessary crackdown to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in federal elections, which is already against the law. The SAVE Act passed the House with five Democrats voting in favor of the bill in July last year, but was never taken up by the Senate, then controlled by now-Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. PROPOSED BILL IN CONGRESS TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SQUATTING WOULD MAKE PRACTICE A DEPORTABLE OFFENSE House GOP leaders called on lawmakers on both sides to support this bill this week, however. It’s expected to come for a House-wide vote on Thursday morning. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “American citizens – and only American citizens – should decide American elections,” House GOP leaders said in a joint statement. “This legislation cements into law President Trump’s executive action to secure our voter registration process and protect the voices of American voters. We urge all our colleagues in the House to join us in doing what the overwhelming majority of people in this country rightfully demand and deserve.”
SCOTUS rulings this term could strengthen religious rights protections, expert says
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday heard the first of three major religious rights cases this spring, with an expert telling Fox News the high court has the opportunity to further clarify the free exercise clause’s scope in protecting religious Americans from government interference. “I think it’s fair to say here that all three cases involve questions that have been lingering in courts for a long time, or that raise issues that are especially pressing right now around the country,” Thomas More Society attorney Michael McHale told Fox News Digital in an interview. “To me, it seems clear these cases, at least potentially, could stand for the principle that as long as someone’s acting out of a sincerely motivated religious beliefs or sincerely held religious beliefs that triggers the First Amendment, and it requires the government to show a really good reason why the government interests should override that belief,” he added. POPE FRANCIS’ DOCTORS CONSIDERED ENDING TREATMENT, SAID ‘THERE WAS A REAL RISK HE MIGHT NOT MAKE IT’: REPORT On Monday, the high court heard a case brought by a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group’s bid for tax relief, which could alter the current eligibility requirements for religious tax exemptions. At issue in that case is whether the Wisconsin branch of Catholic Charities, a social services organization affiliated with Catholic dioceses across the country, can successfully contest the state’s high court determination that it is ineligible for a religious tax exemption because it is not “operated primarily for religious purposes.” “Today’s case involving Catholic Charities in Wisconsin involves questions that we’ve seen a number of times in different contexts,” McHale said. “The question is essentially, can states determine how religious an organization is in order to ultimately determine whether they qualify for a religious exemption that’s already available?” SUPREME COURT APPEARS LIKELY TO SIDE WITH CATHOLIC CHURCH AND TRUMP IN KEY RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION CASE McHale said the issue is similar to the one faced during the Obama administration with the HHS contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act, which required most employers, including religiously affiliated organizations, to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives at no cost to employees. “I think what the Supreme Court says in this case will probably resolve to a great extent, or at least shed a lot of light on how those other issues should be resolved,” he said. The other two cases deal with school choice. One involves a case about whether parents can excuse their children from LGBTQ-themed storybooks on religious grounds, and the other is whether a Catholic online school can become the first religious charter school in the U.S. “Again, we just see these issues arising around the country time and again,” McHale said of the cases. SOTOMAYOR COMPARES TRANS MEDICAL ‘TREATMENTS’ TO ASPIRIN IN QUESTION ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS GOP AG PREDICTS WHICH SIDE HAS ADVANTAGE IN HISTORIC SCOTUS TRANSGENDER CASE WITH ‘DIVIDED’ JUSTICES “The Oklahoma charter school case seems to be a natural development from the religious school choice cases the Supreme Court’s dealt with over the last 10 or so years,” McHale said. Regarding Mahmoud v. Taylor, the Maryland case about excusing children from LGBTQ material, McHale said “while there is an opt-out statute in state law, the school initially abided it,” but “the school decided to yank the opt-out exception, so to speak, and it really triggered the issue of whether the Constitution requires an opt-out in that circumstance.” “For the Fourth Circuit to say there was no religious burden, it really seems radical, and given how pressing that issue of school curriculum on sexual orientation, gender identity is, I think it raises an issue worth the Supreme Court’s attention,” he said. While President Donald Trump signed several gender-related executive orders to stamp out progressive gender ideology from institutions and the federal government earlier this year, McHale said it could likely reduce the infringement on religious rights in situations involving gender ideology, like schools requiring teachers to use students’ preferred pronouns. “The hope is Trump’s executive orders and the shifting political ends ease those burdens outside the courts,” McHale said. “We’ll have to see how it all makes sense.”
Melania Trump to focus on love as a ‘universal language’ at International Women of Courage Awards
EXCLUSIVE: First lady Melania Trump will recognize courageous women from all corners of the world at the State Department Tuesday and is expected to celebrate “the extraordinary strength of women who embody love in action around the globe.” The first lady is returning to the State Department for her fifth year participating in the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Awards. MELANIA TRUMP SPEAKS ON CAPITOL HILL FOR FIRST TIME IN ROUNDTABLE FOCUSED ON PUNISHING REVENGE PORN The event will recognize women from around the globe who have “bravely stood up for many of the values we cherish here in the United States.” The first lady is expected to focus on “love as a source of strength” during her remarks Tuesday and is expected to call love a “universal language.” The first lady is also expected to honor the courageous and “extraordinary” women who will receive the annual awards. “Mrs. Trump will highlight the profound connection between the love and courage shown by this year’s honorees,” first lady spokesman Nick Clemens told Fox News Digital. “She looks forward to celebrating the extraordinary strength of women who embody love in action around the globe.” MELANIA TRUMP ANNOUNCES RETURN OF WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL Recipients include women from Burkina Faso in West Africa, Israel, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Yemen. One of the recipients, Amit Soussana, was taken hostage by Hamas in Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Soussana is an advocate for the hostages that remain under Hamas control. The IWOC Award is in its 19th year and recognizes women from around the world who have demonstrated “exceptional courage, strength, and leadership — often at great personal risk and sacrifice.” The State Department said that since 2007, it has recognized more than 200 women from more than 90 countries with the IWOC Award. U.S. diplomatic missions overseas nominate one woman of courage from their respective host countries, and finalists are selected and approved by senior Department officials.
Trump threatens Iran over nukes as DNI Gabbard claims Tehran is not building bombs
As President Donald Trump edges closer to potentially bombing Tehran, Iran, the intelligence community does not yet believe Iran is moving toward a nuclear weapon. “If they don’t do a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump said Sunday. It was not clear whether that meant Israel or the U.S. would bomb Tehran. “There’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago,” he added. Secondary “tariffs,” or sanctions, would mean slapping financial penalties on any country that does business with Iran. TRUMP CAUTIONS ‘BAD THINGS’ IN STORE IF IRAN WON’T NEGOTIATE AS ISLAMIC REPUBLIC TOUTS ‘MISSILE CITY’ However, Trump’s threat of direct war on Tehran comes just after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard insisted last week Iran is not building a nuclear weapon – at least not yet. “The IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapon program that he suspended in 2003,” Gabbard told a worldwide threat hearing held by the Senate Intelligence Community last week. Experts believe Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, which puts it just below the 90% needed for a nuclear weapon, and have said there is no civilian use for 60% enriched uranium. “The IC continues to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program. In the past year we’ve seen an erosion in the decades-long taboo in Iran of discussing nuclear weapons in public, likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran’s decision making apparatus,” Gabbard said. She added that Iran’s uranium enrichment was “at its highest levels” and is “unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.” The IC’s annual threat assessment, released in conjunction with the hearing, predicted Iran would continue efforts to threaten U.S. citizens and conduct operations inside the U.S. “Tehran will try to leverage its robust missile capability and expanded nuclear program, and its diplomatic outreach to regional states and U.S. rivals to bolster its regional influence and ensure regime survival,” the report said. “However, regional and domestic challenges, most immediately tensions with Israel, are seriously testing Iran’s ambitions and capabilities.” The report detailed the “lethality” of Iran’s missiles and UAV systems but said little else about the threat of Iran’s nuclear program. TRUMP THREATENS TO BOMB IRAN UNLESS THEY END NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM AND BEGIN TALKS ON NEW DEAL It assessed Iran’s capabilities, degraded by Israel, would be able to deter further offensive Israeli actions. “The IC assesses Iran’s prospects for reconstituting force losses and posing a credible deterrent, particularly to Israeli actions, are dim in the near-term,” the report said. JINSA President and CEO Michael Makovsky offered a separate assessment, telling Fox News Digital, “Their enrichment program is about as far as you can get, so that part is done. So the question is the weapons part.… the issue today is less weaponization and more about opportunity.” Behnam Ben Taleblu, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, added a broader critique. “When the IC, reporters or open-source analysts fail to connect the dots between strategy, capability and intention when looking at Iran’s atomic infrastructure … they do a public disservice to the public national debate.” He said that worldwide threat assessments “should but be politicized,” but “intelligence officials must be asked, if Iran isn’t building a weapon, why has it invested so much time, labor and capital into this quest?” Tehran’s moves toward an atomic weapon is not a dash, but a “slow and steady quest to develop the world’s most dangerous weapons as safely as possible,” said Taleblu. The renewed threat comes as the U.S. is bolstering its forces in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently sent a second aircraft carrier, USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, whose deployment was also extended. The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen’s Houthi militia. The planes are capable of carrying 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs and are now situated within range of Iran. In his first term, Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal signed by then-President Barack Obama, deeming it a “bad deal” that did not curb Iran’s nuclear program. He has already ordered his administration to bring “maximum pressure” back to Tehran, choking them financially from every lever of government.
First major swing state election of 2025 turns into referendum on Trump, Musk
MADISON, WI – Voters head to the polls in Wisconsin on Tuesday to decide if conservatives or liberals will control the majority on the key Midwestern battleground state’s supreme court, which is likely to rule on crucial issues including congressional redistricting, voting and labor rights, and abortion. However, with a massive infusion of money from Democrat and Republican-aligned groups from outside Wisconsin – which turned the race into the most expensive judicial election in the nation’s history – the contest has turned into a referendum on President Donald Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves during the opening months of his second tour of duty in the White House. Also, front and center in the electoral showdown is someone else, who, along with Trump, is not on the ballot – the president’s top donor and White House adviser – billionaire Elon Musk. WHY ELON MUSK HANDED OUT MILLION DOLLAR CHECKS IN WISCONSIN Musk, the world’s richest person and chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, has taken a buzzsaw to the federal government workforce as he steers Trump’s recently created Department of Government Efficiency. Through aligned political groups, he has dished out roughly $20 million in the Wisconsin race in support of Trump-backed Brad Schimel, the conservative-leaning candidate in the election and a former state attorney general who currently serves as a state circuit court judge in Waukesha County. BATTLEGROUND STATE SHOWDOWN: DEMOCRATS TARGET ELON MUSK Musk, in a controversial move, handed out $1 million checks at a rally in Green Bay on Sunday evening to two Wisconsin voters who had already cast ballots in the contest and had signed a petition to stop “activist judges.” Wisconsin’s Democratic state attorney general sued to block the payments, but the state Supreme Court refused to weigh in. “It causes the legacy media to, like, kinda lose their minds. And then they’ll run it on every news channel,” Musk reasoned as he told the crowd the motive behind his million-dollar giveaways. “It would cost, like, 10 times more … to get the kind of coverage that it gets.” Calling the election a “super big deal,” Musk emphasized it was critical to the Trump agenda. “I think this will be important for the future of civilization,” he said. “It’s that significant.” TRUMP, OBAMA, WEIGH IN ON HIGH COURT SHOWDOWN IN KEY BATTLEGROUND Musk is not the only mega donor on the right playing in the Wisconsin showdown. Shipping magnates Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, who are among the biggest conservative contributors in the nation, have also dished millions in support of Schimel and the Wisconsin GOP. “If you told me six months ago this was what was going to happen, I would not have believed it. But yeah….some parts of this are way beyond my control anymore,” Schimel said in a Fox News Digital interview during a bus tour stop Monday just outside of Green Bay. However, Schimel, who launched his bid 16 months ago, added that “other people can treat this how they want, if they think they want to make it a referendum on the president or Elon Musk, so be it.” “This is a referendum on Wisconsin,” he emphasized. “Can we restore objectivity to the Wisconsin Supreme Court?” Schimel has also leaned in to the endorsement from Trump. A TV ad running in the closing stretch of the race spotlighted that voting for Schimel would protect Trump’s agenda. Additionally, the candidate wore a “Make America Great Again” hat at some campaign stops during the final weekend ahead of the election. BIG-MONEY WI HIGH COURT RACE WILL HAVE NATIONAL EFFECTS, AS REDISTRICTING, UNIONS, TRANS ISSUES AT STAKE Schimel spotlighted his final blitz to reach out to voters. “We are doing 6-8 rallies every single day in cities across the state,” he said. “People are turning out in huge numbers, and we’ve got other surrogates going out around the state where we’re not, doing the exact same thing. It’s absolutely about getting those voters out.” Trump, who narrowly carried Wisconsin in both of his White House victories, spelled out why the contest was so important, because the state supreme court can settle disputes over election outcomes. “Wisconsin’s a big state politically, and the Supreme Court has a lot to do with elections in Wisconsin,” the president said Monday at the White House. “Winning Wisconsin’s a big deal, so therefore the Supreme Court choice … it’s a big race.” Tuesday’s election, the first statewide contest held since Trump returned to the White House, is an opportunity for voters to vent against the president and his policies. The liberal-leaning candidate in the race, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford, has enjoyed a surge in fundraising, thanks in part to an energized base eager to resist Trump and Republicans. “People are really motivated and want to make sure that we protect the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” Crawford said in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the election following a rally in Madison. Crawford argued that voters “don’t want to see some outsider, some billionaire, come in and try to buy a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is what Elon Musk is trying to do.” At her rally, Crawford emphasized that “this election is going to determine all of our fundamental rights and freedoms.” Crawford has also benefited from roughly $2 million infused into the race by left-leaning financier George Soros, long a boogeyman of the right. Billionaire progressive Gov. JB Pritzker of neighboring Illinois has also dished out big bucks in the race in support of Crawford. “I have gotten some generous contributions, and we’ve raised a lot of money in this race,” she acknowledged. “But just to put that in perspective, in the last two months, Elon Musk has spent more than we have raised over the 10 months of this entire campaign, so his spending dwarfs that of any individual in any state supreme court ever and certainly one in Wisconsin.” Crawford and Schimel are battling to succeed liberal-leaning justice Ann Walsh
What to know about Senator Booker’s overnight speech
The Democratic base has howled for weeks at congressional Democrats to “fight” and stand up to President Donald Trump. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., tried to address that with his overnight speech, railing against Trump and Elon Musk. What you are also seeing is a proxy battle for the eventual fight to succeed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Schumer isn’t going to be ousted anytime soon, but moves like this by Booker are ways that senators with high aspirations make a mark and win the support of their colleagues. BOOKER DELIVERING MARATHON SENATE SPEECH AGAINST TRUMP ADMIN, ELON MUSK: ‘INFLICTED SO MUCH HARM’ Late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., gave a similar stemwinder of a speech when he was the whip. That won Reid plaudits from his Democratic colleagues. Booker began speaking around 7 p.m. ET Monday. The question is whether this constitutes a “filibuster” or is just a really long speech. From a parliamentary standpoint, a long speech does not necessarily constitute a filibuster. A filibuster is used to block or delay something on the floor, and it may not require a speech at all. The filibuster is sometimes misconstrued, thanks to Hollywood and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Technically, Booker is not delaying anything. The Senate had no pending debate or vote to get to right away. So, he’s actually not filibustering; he’s just making a long-winded speech. HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO GO TO WAR WITH ‘ROGUE JUDGES’ BLOCKING TRUMP’S AGENDA: HERE’S THEIR PLAN The Senate voted last night to overcome a filibuster on the nomination of Matt Whitaker to become Ambassador to NATO. By rule, opponents have up to 30 hours to burn before the Senate must vote to confirm him. The Senate was expected to confirm Whitaker today, but that vote was not on the books yet. So, technically Booker had until 1 a.m.-ish Wednesday to speak. By rule, the Senate would automatically vote on confirming Whitaker. That’s why this wasn’t TECHNICALLY a filibuster. The Senate allows for virtually unlimited debate, so Booker is taking advantage of that prerogative. If Booker wants to maintain the floor, he must remain standing at all times. Otherwise, he could lose control of the floor. Note that Booker did not speak the entire time. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., has given Booker a periodic time out. Murphy himself gave an all-night speech about guns in 2016. He is also someone to watch as a potential, eventual successor to Schumer. In order to keep the floor, Booker has occasionally yielded to Murphy “for a question.” Yielding “for a question” allows a senator to keep control of the floor. Murphy has then enjoined Booker by also giving rather lengthy speeches – so long that there is an interrogative at the end. In Senate terms, this is akin to calling in a relief pitcher from the bullpen for a batter or two. Kind of like a double switch. In baseball, a manager occasionally pulls a pitcher, brings someone in from the bullpen and puts the original pitcher in a fielder’s position – then returns them to the mound after a batter. That keeps the original pitcher in the game. Thus, Booker remains “in the game.” Late Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., holds the record for the longest filibuster: 24 hours and 18 minutes on a piece of civil rights legislation in 1957. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP However, Thurmond’s filibuster was “wind assisted.” There was no television or social media. Most reporters didn’t realize he had been on the floor all night until the next day. He left the floor to use the restroom. Get a sandwich. Allowed Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, D-Texas, to pass bills by unanimous consent and swear-in a new senator. But because watchful eyes weren’t on the Senate, no one called Thurmond on it.
Top Dems sue Trump over executive order requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week seeking to overhaul the nation’s elections now faces two legal challenges, one of them by top Democrats. The Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, and Senate and House Democratic leaders filed a complaint of their own after the first lawsuit Monday afternoon was filed by Campaign Legal Center and the State Democracy Defenders Fund. Both lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ask the court to block Trump’s order and declare it illegal. “The Executive Order seeks to impose radical changes on how Americans register to vote, cast a ballot, and participate in our democracy—all of which threaten to disenfranchise lawful voters and none of which is legal,” the Democrats’ lawsuit, filed by the Elias Law Group, alleges. HOUSE DEM TO BLOCK VA NOMINEES TO PROTEST DOGE CUTS The suit takes grievances about mail-in ballot receipt deadlines, the “President’s own design preferences” on “congressionally mandated voter registration forms” and “the President’s unlawful effort to upturn the electoral playing field in his favor and against his political rivals.” Lawyers warned some of Trump’s demands in the order, including a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration and new ballot deadline rules, may violate the U.S. Constitution, according to The Associated Press. TRUMP, EYEING 3RD TERM, KEEPS ATTACKING ELITE INSTITUTIONS – AND MANY ARE CAVING “We believe that this Executive Order is the farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history of the republic to Secure our Elections,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on March 25, the day he signed it, during an ambassador meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House. The order also asserts power that legal experts say the president doesn’t have over an independent agency. That agency, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, sets voluntary voting system guidelines and maintains the federal voter registration form, the AP reports. The DNC’s lawsuit highlights the role of the government’s controversial cost-cutting arm, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). It alleges the order’s data-sharing requirements, including instructing DOGE to cross-reference federal data with state voter lists, violate Democrats’ privacy rights and increase the risk that they will be harassed “based on false suspicions that they are not qualified to vote.” Top election officials in some Republican states have praised Trump’s order, saying it could inhibit instances of voter fraud and give them access to federal data to better maintain their voter rolls. If the courts determine the order can stand, the changes Trump wants may cause some headaches for election administrators and voters. State election officials, who have already lost some federal cybersecurity assistance, would have to spend time and money to comply with the order, including potentially buying new voting systems and educating voters of the rules. The proof-of-citizenship requirement could also cause confusion or voter disenfranchisement because millions of eligible voting-age Americans do not have the proper documents readily available. In Kansas, which had a proof-of-citizenship requirement for three years before it was overturned, the state’s own expert estimated that almost all the roughly 30,000 people who were prevented from registering to vote during the time it was in effect were U.S. citizens who had been eligible. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vance doubles down after Trump admin admits ‘error’ sending man to Salvadoran prison
Vice President JD Vance responded to comments asking him about the Trump administration admitting to sending a Salvadoran man with protected legal status to the megaprison in El Salvador by mistake. “It’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” Vance wrote on X in response to a question about the error from “Pod Save America” host Jon Favreau. The administration’s attorneys acknowledged in a court filing on Monday that it sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador by mistake, which was first reported by The Atlantic. However, the administration also claimed that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the prison where he is behind bars. Abrego Garcia was removed from Maryland when the administration sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” on March 15 for alleged gang affiliations. FEDERAL JUDGE POSTPONES DHS’S ATTEMPT TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR VENEZUELANS Attorneys for several removed Venezuelan migrants have emphasized that the administration has falsely labeled several of the removed migrants as gang members based on their tattoos, though administration officials have repeatedly stated those sent to the prison are the “worst of the worst.” Certain tattoos flagged as gang-affiliated, which could lead to a migrant’s removal, include art of things like a crown or NBA legend Michael Jordan’s famous “Jumpman” logo rather than only symbols of a notable gang in El Salvador or Venezuela. The administration maintains that those tattoos have gang affiliations. DHS’ KRISTI NOEM SAYS TRUMP ADMIN WILL RESUME CONSTRUCTION OF 7 MILES OF SOUTHERN BORDER While responding to Favreau, who served as an aide to former President Barack Obama, Vance said “you apparently didn’t read he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here” – referencing the court filing. “My further comment is that it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize,” the vice president added. The court filing states that Abrego Garcia was denied bond in 2019 over an informant’s allegation that he was a member of MS-13, but he has not been convicted. Court filings also show Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. in 2011 at the age of 16 after fleeing gang threats in El Salvador, The Atlantic reported. Eight years later, a judge granted him a form of protected status known as “withholding of removal” after finding that he would likely be a target of Salvadoran gangs if deported to his native country. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
First election test for Trump’s term surprisingly close in FL, GOP looks to increase razor-thin House majority
Voters in two congressional districts in Florida head to the polls on Tuesday, as Republicans aim to keep control of both solidly red seats and give themselves slightly more breathing room in the House, where they hold a razor-thin majority. However, the Democratic Party candidates in the two special elections have vastly outraised the Republican nominees – thanks to an energized base eager to resist President Donald Trump and his sweeping and controversial agenda. The races, in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election, are being viewed as early referendums on the opening couple of months of Trump’s second tour of duty in the White House. While the GOP was expected to sweep both races, some public and private polling suggests the 6th District showdown is now a margin-of-error race. WHAT TRUMP SAID ABOUT THE FLORIDA SPECIAL ELECTIONS Additionally, Trump, pointing to the Democratic candidates’ massive fundraising advantage, voiced growing concerns by Republicans as he told reporters on Friday that “you never know what happens in a case like that.” Jimmy Patronis, the Florida chief financial officer, is favored over Democrat Gay Valimont in a multi-candidate field in the race to fill the vacant seat in the 1st CD, which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida in the Panhandle region. However, Valimont topped Patronis in fundraising by roughly a five-to-one margin. WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR THE HOUSE GOP MAJORITY IF REPUBLICANS LOST ONE OF TUESDAY’S ELECTIONS: ‘IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT’ Republican Matt Gaetz, who won re-election in the district in last November’s elections, resigned from office weeks later after Trump selected him to be his nominee for attorney general in his second administration. Gaetz later withdrew himself from Cabinet consideration amid controversy. However, it is the race in the 6th CD, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, that is really raising concerns among some in the GOP. The race is to succeed Republican Michael Waltz, who stepped down from the seat on Jan. 20 after Trump named him his national security adviser. Republican state Sen. Randy Fine is facing off against teacher Josh Weil, a Democrat, in a multi-candidate field. WHAT AMERICANS THINK OF THE JOB TRUMP’S DOING TWO MONTHS INTO HIS SECOND TERM IN THE WHITE HOUSE Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by topping Fine in the campaign cash battle by roughly a 10-to-1 margin. The cash discrepancy in the 6th CD race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine, with conservative super PACs dishing out big bucks to launch ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine and to take aim at Weil. “Liberal Josh Weil wants to roadblock the Trump agenda,” the announcer in a spot from the Conservative Fighter PAC charges. America PAC – which is bankrolled by billionaire Elon Musk, Trump’s top donor last year – made infusions as well during the closing days ahead of the election. DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE “I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told reporters last week. However, Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now,” and he emphasized, “We’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.” Neither the NRCC nor the Congressional Leadership Fund, the top super PAC backing House Republicans, put any resources into the race. However, Trump headlined tele-town halls for both Fine and Patronis late last week, and he also took to social media on Saturday to praise both candidates, in efforts to turn out Republican voters. “Randy has been a tremendous Voice for MAGA,” Trump wrote about Fine. “In Congress, Randy will be an incredible fighter.” While Trump was optimistic about sweeping both Florida elections – saying “they seem to be good” – concerns about holding the seat in Florida’s 6th CD may have contributed to the president’s pulling last week of his nomination for GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as United Nations ambassador. Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional District, a large, mostly rural district in the northernmost reaches of the state that includes most of the Adirondack Mountains and the Thousand Islands region. She cruised to re-election last November by 24 points. “We don’t want to take any chances. We don’t want to experiment,” Trump said as he pointed to what would have been a special election later this year to fill Stefanik’s seat if she had resigned if confirmed as U.N. ambassador. “She’s very popular. She’s going to win. And somebody else will probably win, too, because we did very well there. I did very well there. But the word ‘probably’ is no good,” the president added as he once again emphasized he did not “want to take any chances.” Trump was not the only Republican expressing some concerns about the race in Florida’s 6th District. Former top Trump political adviser and conservative host Steve Bannon warned last week that Fine “isn’t winning.” Additionally, two-term Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week that the GOP would underperform in the special election, arguing that “it’s a reflection of the candidate running in that race.” However, it is worth pointing out the contentious history between DeSantis and Fine, who was the first Florida Republican to flip his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential nomination battle. On the eve of the election, a Florida Republican official told Fox News the party is not panicked about the race, but rather “concerned.” However, the official, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said a win is still likely by about 7-10 points. The GOP currently holds a 218-213 majority in the House – with the