First Amendment group defends anonymous X account as Maryland Dems file election law complaint
FIRST ON FOX: A prominent First Amendment group is crying foul on an election law complaint filed by Maryland Democrats against the anonymous X account and website NoMoore, which regularly ridicules Democratic Gov. Wes Moore. FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told Fox News Digital it has great concern over what it views as attempted regulation of anonymous, free speech that happens to be political in nature. “The First Amendment is at its strongest and most essential when protecting speech about public officials and public affairs,” FIRE’s Aaron Terr said. “Anonymous political speech has been a cornerstone of American democracy since the Federalist Papers, allowing individuals to speak out without fear of government retaliation.” Whoever is behind NoMoore regularly posts memes, charts and editorial content featuring the Old Line State’s governor – and it drew the ire of the state party, which alleged that its activities qualify as campaign activity subject to regulation. MD GOV MOORE SAYS STATE HAS BEEN DOING ‘DOGE’ BEFORE ANYONE ‘KNEW WHAT [IT] WAS’ NoMoore, which has been compared to the anonymous pro-Trump account “Catturd” that rose to nationwide recognition via trolling former President Joe Biden and Democrats, does not identify itself by human name(s). The complaint said the “NoMoore” moniker and efforts that appear to prevent his re-election belie any claims they are issues-based rather than averse to Moore in a campaign-type way. But NoMoore said on Thursday, “Despite what Wes Moore and the MDDEMS think, the First Amendment still exists in Maryland. We will never stop telling the truth.” Some of the postings from NoMoore include a photoshopped image of the governor standing at a presidential podium adorned with a “NOPE” emblem as well as imagery of $100 bills hailing down around Moore superimposed on a Baltimore Sun story about a $1 billion business tax proposal. In recent comments to Semafor, Moore said he has been working to slash Maryland’s $3 billion deficit, which Democrats instead pin on “creative math” from his Republican predecessor, Gov. Larry Hogan Jr. LAWMAKERS FROM STATE WITH MOST FEDERAL WORKERS PER CAPITA WARN AGAINST TRUMP BUYOUT BID “One of the first hires I made was a chief performance officer. We’ve been doing DOGE in Maryland long before anyone knew what that word was,” Moore said over the weekend. In social media commentary, Hogan countered that he warned against profligate spending and said he hoped those now in power in Annapolis looked to his “proven approach” that eschewed tax hikes. NoMoore’s latest post contains a video portraying Moore as the King of Maryland, as a narrator says, “Nothing’s his fault, it’s all just fine.” NoMoore also listed several tax proposals supported by Maryland legislative Democrats – including a Doorstep Delivery Tax and a return of the state’s 1990s-era sugary drink tax, which is currently levied elsewhere in cities like Philadelphia. In comments to Fox Baltimore, Moore was asked about the tax-hike proposals and said he wants to let the legislature run its course and that he has been “very clear” that he wants to see tax cuts and a “release [of the] economic pressure” on Marylanders. A source familiar with the situation warned that First Amendment advocates should be alarmed by the investigation—especially with Democrats pushing for it—pointing out that America’s Founding Fathers used anonymous political speech, via the technology of their time, to advocate for the Constitution itself. Future President James Madison, future inaugural Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton and Supreme Court Justice John Jay collectively wrote under the pseudonym “Publius” in the 1780s – just as “NoMoore” exists today – to garner support for colonial state leaders to ratify the governing document, the source noted. The source also cited the 1995 U.S. Supreme Court decision of McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission, in which Ford-appointed Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that a state statute banning anonymous campaign literature violated the First Amendment. A representative for Moore declined comment and directed Fox News Digital to MDDEMS. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A party official replied that Maryland law is clear: “Any group paying to defeat a candidate’s re-election must disclose its donors.” “This is about transparency. Marylanders deserve to know who’s behind shadow groups spreading disinformation about Governor Moore ahead of the 2026 elections,” said spokesperson Lindsay Reilly. An official at the Maryland Board of Elections confirmed the complaint and the probe: “Our investigation is ongoing,” said candidacy and campaign finance director Allen Norfleet.
Blue state’s top court strikes down law allowing noncitizens to vote
The New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, blocked a law on Thursday allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections. A former New York City Council member responded to the ruling by saying it should have been an “open and shut case” and that the law was “embarrassing.” In a court filing by New York City attorneys, the city said non-U.S. citizens make up about a third of the adult population in the city. The near unanimous, 6-1, decision blocks a law passed in 2021 by New York City’s majority Democratic city council that would have made nearly 1 million noncitizens eligible to vote in municipal elections, including for mayor and city council. BLUE SANCTUARY STATE OPERATING AS ‘CONTROL’ CENTER FOR VICIOUS MIGRANT GANG: ACTING DEA CHIEF Those arguing in favor of the law claimed that a provision in the New York Constitution on the qualifications of voters only guaranteed the right of citizens over 18 to vote while not denying that right to noncitizens. Chief Judge Rowan Wilson wrote in the decision that the New York state Constitution clearly articulates that only citizens are eligible to vote. Wilson wrote that under the appellants’ logic, municipalities would be “free to enact legislation that would enable anyone to vote – including… 13-year-old children.” “The New York Constitution as it stands today draws a firm line restricting voting to citizens,” he said. “It is plain from the language and restrictions contained in that ‘citizen’ is not meant as a floor, but as a condition of voter eligibility: the franchise extends only to citizens whose right to vote is established by proper proofs.” ‘SAFER WITHOUT HIM’: COLUMBIA STUDENT CLAIMS CLASSMATE ARRESTED BY ICE ‘HATES AMERICA’ Joe Borelli, one of the plaintiffs in the case and a former New York City councilman who voted against the law, told Fox News Digital that “the state Constitution and statutes are plainly written and in clear language.” “This has always been an open and shut case, and it’s embarrassing that the city council fought so hard to skirt the law, undermine the Constitution, and weaken the votes of citizens,” he said. The ruling upholds an earlier decision by a lower court invalidating the law. Associate Judge Jenny Rivera was the only member of the court to dissent.
Institute that held office standoff against DOGE on ‘right path’ following judge’s order: admin
The Trump administration said the United States Institute of Peace is on the “right path” to enforce the president’s executive actions after a judge ruled in the administration’s favor following the office’s standoff with a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team. “The ruling by a U.S. District Court affirms the President’s clear authority to appoint and remove board members, ensuring that the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) operates in alignment with executive directives,” a Trump administration official told Fox News Digital Thursday following the order. “This decision reinforces the President’s commitment to accountability, transparency, and effective governance.” District Judge Beryl Howell on Wednesday denied a request from the USIP to grant a temporary restraining order that claimed DOGE committed “literal trespass and takeover by force … of the Institute’s headquarters building on Constitution Avenue.” The USIP lawsuit sought “the immediate intervention of this Court to stop Defendants from completing the unlawful dismantling of the Institute and irreparably impairing Plaintiffs’ ability to perform their vital peace promotion and conflict resolution work as tasked by Congress.” TRUMP ADMIN GUTS INSTITUTE OF PEACE OF ‘ROGUE BUREAUCRATS’ AFTER DOGE STANDOFF IN GOVERNMENT OFFICE The Institute of Peace is an independent, national institution funded by Congress that was established in 1984 under the Reagan administration to promote peace and diplomacy on the international stage. The institute hit national headlines recently after the Trump administration fired 11 of its 14 board members after the government-funded office failed to comply with a Trump executive order from February requiring it to reduce its size to the statutory minimum. WHITE HOUSE UNLEASHES ON ‘ROGUE BUREAUCRATS’ AFTER AGENCY HEAD REFUSES DOGE ENTRY TO HEADQUARTERS “President Trump signed an executive order to reduce USIP to its statutory minimum,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “After noncompliance, 11 board members were lawfully removed, and remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president.” The remaining board members include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Defense University President Peter Garvin, who on Friday fired acting president and CEO of the institute, George Moose. THE UNELECTED POWER IS THE ROGUE BUREAUCRACY, STEPHEN MILLER SAYS Moose is a Clinton-era diplomat who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The board replaced Moose with Kenneth Jackson, a State Department official, as acting president. Jackson and a DOGE team attempted to enter the Institute of Peace’s building in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, but were denied access by employees of the institute, an administration official told Fox News Digital. The standoff heightened on Monday, when Jackson and the DOGE team again attempted to gain entry to the building, while Moose accused them of breaking into the building. The Metropolitan Police Department reported it had received a call from the United States Attorney’s Office at about 4 p.m. that day regarding an ongoing incident at the institute and reported to the scene. “MPD members met with the acting USIP President, and he provided the MPD members with documentation that he was the acting USIP President, with all powers delegated by the USIP Board of Directors to that role,” the police department said in a news release of Monday’s incident. “The acting USIP President advised MPD members that there were unauthorized individuals inside of the building that were refusing to leave and refusing to provide him access to the facility.” TRUMP ORDERS THE DISMANTLING OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED, ‘PROPAGANDA’-PEDDLING MEDIA OUTLET “MPD members went to the USIP building and contacted an individual who allowed MPD members inside of the building,” the release stated. “Once inside of the building, the acting USIP President requested that all the unauthorized individuals inside of the building leave.” Jackson was able to enter the building upon police intervention. Moose left the building without incident and no arrests were made, police said. “With Mr. Jackson lawfully appointed as Acting President, USIP is now on the right path to fully comply with the President’s February 19th Executive Order and uphold its responsibility to the American people,” the administration official told Fox Digital Thursday. MUSK AND DOGE HAVE ANOTHER PERFECT TARGET: MORE TAXPAYER-FUNDED, ANTI-AMERICAN MEDIA White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Wednesday’s news conference that staffers physically barricaded themselves in the building. “There was a concerted effort amongst the rogue bureaucrats at the United States Institute of Peace to actually physically barricade themselves essentially inside of the building to prevent political appointees of this administration who work at the direction of the president of the United States to get into the building,” she said. “They barricaded the doors. They also disabled telephone lines, internet connections and other IT infrastructure within the building. They distributed fliers internally, encouraging each other to basically prevent these individuals from accessing the building,” Leavitt continued. “It’s a resistance from bureaucrats who don’t want to see change in this city. President Trump was elected on an overwhelming mandate to seek change and implement change. And this is unacceptable behavior.” WHITE HOUSE SAYS FEDERALLY FUNDED NEWS SERVICE ‘SPENDS YOUR MONEY TO PROMOTE FOREIGN PROPAGANDA’ A similar standoff recently occurred between DOGE and the U.S. African Development Foundation when bureaucrats barred the acting head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Peter Marocco, and DOGE members from the building. The foundation is an independent government agency established in 1980 by Congress to support “African-owned and African-led enterprises,” according to its website. U.S. African Development Foundation President Ward Brehm, who was fired by the administration in mid-March, subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, asking a district court to bar the administration from removing him from his position. A federal judge denied Brehm’s request. Marocco was named acting chairman of the U.S. African Development Foundation’s board.
Barron Trump, celebrating 19th birthday, praised as ‘smart guy’ by his father
President Donald Trump praised his youngest son, Barron Trump, as a “smart guy” with an affinity for technology ahead of Barron’s 19th birthday on Thursday. The president said his teen son has a knack for technology when asked whether Barron had more of a talent for business or politics during an exclusive interview on “The Ingraham Angle” this week. “Maybe technology,” Trump said. “He can look at a computer. I try I turn it off. As I turn it off I turn off his laptop. I said, oh good. And I go back. Five minutes later, he’s got his laptop. I say, how did you do that? None of your business, dad. No. He’s got an unbelievable aptitude in technology.” “Barron’s a very smart guy,” the president said. BARRON TRUMP SPOTTED ON NYU CAMPUS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE INAUGURATION Barron Trump is a first-year student at New York University (NYU) in the Stern School of Business. During the inaugural parade at Capital One Arena, Barron Trump was acknowledged by his father for his role in the 2024 presidential election results — as he reportedly guided the president on how to target the youth vote through podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan, Theo Von and others. ‘CLASS ACT’: BARRON TRUMP SETS SOCIAL MEDIA ABLAZE FOR SHAKING HANDS WITH BIDEN AT DAD’S INAUGURATION The 2024 presidential race was the first election in which Barron Trump was eligible to vote and his mother, First lady Melania Trump, shared a photo of her son on Election Day while he was casting his ballot at the voting booth. Trump went on to praise all his other four children – Eric, Donald Jr., Tiffany and Ivanka – during the interview, telling Ingraham that they’re “very smart” and were “always good students.” “I’m lucky,” the president said. “Look, you have to be a little bit lucky, too. Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.
Dean Phillips calls out ‘great way to lose even more Democrats’ as Tim Walz bashes Elon Musk
Former Rep. Dean Phillps, D-Minn., has suggested that bashing billionaire business magnate Elon Musk will not be a winning political strategy. “Objecting to his initiative is one thing, but calling @ElonMusk, a US citizen who’s built some of the most innovative companies in world history, a ‘South African nepo baby,’ is a great way to lose even more Democrats,” Phillips noted in a Wednesday post on X. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently used that phrase to refer to Musk, who is spearheading an effort to expose government waste and fraud. ELON MUSK CONGRATULATES SPACEX, NASA FOR ‘EXCELLENT WORK’ RESCUING STRANDED ASTRONAUTS “And there’s nothing conservative about an unelected, South African nepo baby firing people at the VA,” he said last week during remarks in Iowa. He also deployed the phrase while speaking in Wisconsin on Tuesday, according to the New York Times, which also reported that he had called Musk a “dips—.” ELON MUSK CALLS JIMMY KIMMEL AN ‘UNFUNNY JERK’ AFTER HE APPEARS TO MAKE LIGHT OF TESLA ATTACKS Walz was Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate when she sought the presidency last year, but the Democratic duo lost to the Republican ticket headed by political juggernaut, now-President Donald Trump. “Regardless of one’s opinion of Musk, this is a great strategy for further alienating center right and center left Americans and losing federal elections,” Phillips opined earlier this month when retweeting a post that featured footage of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., calling Musk a “billionaire con man with a lot of money.” ‘SQUAD’ DEM AYANNA PRESSLEY TRASHES ELON MUSK, CALLING HIM A ‘NAZI NEPO BABY’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., has called Musk a “Nazi nepo baby.” Phillips mounted a Democratic presidential primary bid in 2023 but ultimately dropped out in 2024.
Cuban-born rep alerts DHS to alleged Castro-connected ‘refugees’ living in US under federal program
EXCLUSIVE: A congressman who fled Cuba in the 1960s will send DHS a list of people allegedly tied to the communist regime who are circumventing U.S. Cuban refugee laws. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., will transmit to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a letter including a list of Cubans residing in the U.S. under various humanitarian laws or programs that he and/or pro-Cuban-democracy groups attest are actually tied directly to the communist regime in Havana, Fox News Digital has learned. Gimenez, who also represents the congressional district closest to Cuba – in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties – will tell Noem of the “presence of agents of the murderous Castro regime and the Communist Party of Cuba currently residing in the United States.” In the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, Gimenez continues that “it is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security enforce existing U.S. laws to identify, deport, and repatriate these individuals who pose a direct threat to our national security, the integrity of our immigration system, and the safety of Cuban exiles and American citizens alike.” CUBA-BORN REP RECOUNTS FIRST EMOTIONAL RETURN TO HOMELAND IN 64 YEARS ON CONGRESSIONAL GITMO TRIP Gimenez said the Cuban Adjustment Act – a 1966 law written by Rep. Jacob H. Gilbert, D-N.Y., that laid out how to handle the unique situation of Cuban refugees from the then-new Castro regime – and other laws were designed to help those fleeing communism, not assisting in it. The Miamian – who is also the only Cuban-born member of Congress – wrote of people “with direct ties to the Communist Party of Cuba and the repressive state security apparatus” who have “gamed” the U.S. immigration system and are a direct insult to true Cuban exiles seeking personal freedom. Gimenez then included a list of about 100 people personally denounced by nonprofit organizations and human rights watchdog groups, asking Noem’s office to “thoroughly vet” the list and start deportation proceedings if their malign credentials check out. Of the names, several are labeled as tied to or members of Brigadas de Accion Rapida – or Rapid Response Brigade. That group is made up of designated citizens who essentially patrol for dissidents of dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel and his regime. EXCLUSIVE: VENEZUELAN OPPO LEADER JOINS CUBA-BORN REP TO LAUD TRUMP AFTER BIDEN’S MADURO OIL DEAL CANCELED Others were listed as affiliated with the Cuban Union of Young Communists, high-ranking officers in the country’s military tribunal, Cuban State Department, Cuban Communist Party leadership, police forces, and the equivalent of district attorneys offices. While Miami and surrounding areas continue to see their collective Cuban-American community grow and flourish – particularly along SE 8th Street, the famed Calle Ocho of Little Havana – Gimenez said he wants to work with DHS to identify, vet, detain and deport anyone living as such “despicable fraudsters in our country.” “Like so many in our community, I was forced from my native homeland of Cuba shortly after the communist revolution and it is absolutely reprehensible how agents of the murderous Castro regime have gamed our immigration laws to infiltrate our country,” Gimenez said. Gimenez said the Trump administration recently caught a Cuban spy in Florida and expects more action against those flagged by Cuban rights groups. DHS declined to publicly share the former intelligence officer’s name, but the Miami Herald reported ICE and the FBI arrested him in West Park, Florida – near the Miami Dolphins stadium – for fraudulently obtaining a green card. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I applaud President Trump and his administration for that swift action,” Gimenez said. Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment on its overall stance toward the Castro/Diaz-Canel regime and calls to democratize Cuba.
Trump rescinds Biden-era policy declaring DEI an ‘integral’ part of scientific process
FIRST ON FOX: As part of the Trump administration’s efforts to peel back Biden-era diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) requirements, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) rescinded the agency’s “Scientific Integrity Policy” implemented under President Joe Biden. A “Final Scientific Integrity Policy” was unveiled by the Biden administration during the last few weeks of its term. The policy posited that DEI was an “integral” part of “the entire scientific process,” and pushed NIH’s chief scientist and top scientific integrity official to “promote agency efforts regarding diversity, equity and inclusion.” It also instituted agency-wide policy directives ordering supervisors at the NIH to “support” scientists and researchers who are “asexual” or “intersex,” while imploring NIH leadership to “confer with relevant offices” when additional DEI expertise is needed. In addition to the amended scientific integrity policy, the Biden administration also took other steps to infuse DEI into the scientific process throughout its term. This included compelling scientists seeking to work with the NIH to submit statements expressing their commitment to DEI, including when seeking certain grant funding for research projects. “The Biden administration weaponized NIH’s scientific integrity policy to inject harmful DEI and gender ideology into research,” said Health and Human Services Department spokesperson, Andrew Nixon. “Rescinding this [scientific integrity] policy will allow NIH to restore science to its golden standard and protect the integrity of science.” HHS EMPLOYEES OFFERED $25K AS ‘INCENTIVE TO VOLUNTARILY SEPARATE’ According to an HHS source, during the Biden administration, a member of NIH’s DEI office was placed on every search committee for scientists and leadership. The source also noted that under Biden, scientists who submitted work to the NIH’s “Board of Scientific Counselors,” which oversees agency research, were also required to include a statement pledging their commitment to DEI. The Biden administration also funded grants related to DEI, such as one for roughly $165,000 that was focused on “queering the curriculum” for family medicine doctors to guide them in their treatment of transgender patients. A similar project sought to use taxpayer funds from NIH to instruct nurses on the standards of care from the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH). MILLIONS SPENT BY BIDEN ON COVID ‘VACCINE HESITANCY’ CAMPAIGN SLASHED BY TRUMP NIH: REPORT WPATH’s standards of care for transgender patients, which support the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-reassignment surgery for minors, have been rebuked globally. One controversial part of WPATH’s guidelines is the inclusion of “enuch” as a valid gender-identity. Several European countries, such as the U.K., Sweden and Finland, have taken steps to steer clear of the treatment modalities suggested by WPATH. TRUMP ADMIN PLANNING TO CONSOLIDATE HIV PROGRAMS, SLASHING ‘OVERHEAD’ AND DEI: OFFICIAL Under Biden, the NIH also brought DEI activist Ibram Kendi to speak with more than 1,200 staff members about “anti-racism.” In a recap of the 2022 speech, the NIH pointed out how Kendi “states unequivocally” that “policies are either racist or antiracist.” The Trump administration’s move to rescind the Biden-era scientific integrity policy follows other actions taken to extinguish DEI programs from the public and private sectors, calling such initiatives a civil rights violation. In addition to slashing DEI programs at the NIH, Trump has also moved to slim down its workforce. Shortly after he took office, the president implemented a funding cap for facilities and administrative fees associated with NIH research to help clear room for additional projects.
School choice activists warn parents about blue state’s homeschool bill with jail-time provision
From one blue-state parent to another, activists in California are warning Illinois families about a bill advancing through their state legislature that would create more regulations, and penalties, for homeschooling parents. It’s the latest high-profile battle dealing with school choice, a campaign issue President Donald Trump ran on. “Illinois, California, Colorado, they all compete with each other. They’re coming after homeschooling, just like they’ve been coming after public schools,” California parents rights activist Sonja Shaw said in a video posted to X on Wednesday. “They’re attacking families, stripping parental rights, and pushing their radical agendas while our kids are failing at reading, writing and math.” At issue is HB2827, the Homeschool Act, which would charge parents with a misdemeanor if they fail to register their kids in a “homeschool declaration form” to the nearest public school they would otherwise be attending. Failure to do so would be considered truancy, and parents could face up to 30 days in jail with fines. The bill passed a major hurdle passing out of the Democrat-dominated House education committee in a party-line vote on Wednesday, despite having upward of 50,000 witness slips in opposition and only 1,000 in support, including the Illinois State Board of Education. ILLINOIS PARENTS, LAWMAKERS SOUND ALARM OVER PROPOSED HOMESCHOOLING BILL: ‘DIRECT ASSAULT ON FAMILIES’ California parents opposed a similar bill that failed to make it out of committee in the state legislature in 2018, AB 2756, only after hearing three hours of testimony from parents and homeschoolers. Opponents say the Democrat-led bill would have mandated all homeschooling families in the state to adhere to involuntary home inspections, after the Turpin-family child abuse case. “This is calculated. This is how they do it. They do it in increments, slowly taking control away while people sit back thinking that their kids are safe and it doesn’t affect them,” said Shaw, who is a school board member in Chino and running for state superintendent of public instruction. “Every parent needs to be in this fight. If we don’t stand up now together, there will be nothing left to fight for our kids in their future. Please get involved. Please speak up. Please show up, because our children are worth this fight.” KAROLINE LEAVITT VOWS TRUMP WILL KEEP MALES OUT OF GIRLS LOCKER ROOMS AMID ILLINOIS SCHOOL CONTROVERSY Will Estrada, senior counsel for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, told Fox News on Wednesday that the bill’s language was left “open-ended for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to be able to write different sections of regulations.” “If this bill is passed into law, it’s going to be expanded in future years to put even more restrictions on homeschool and private school families,” Estrada said after testifying at Wednesday’s hearing. “The record of homeschoolers shows that we do well academically, socially, emotionally and so why are we messing with them? That’s the question. This bill is a solution in search of a problem.” HHS’ CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE FINDS MAINE IN VIOLATION OF TITLE IX FOR ALLOWING BIOLOGICAL MALES IN WOMEN’S SPORTS Democrats say the bill – which contains a portion that requires parents to hand over teaching materials if its suspected the child isn’t being educated properly – will strengthen oversight of homeschooling. Democratic state Rep. Terra Costa Howard introduced the bill following an investigative story by Pro Publica, which has a left-leaning bias according to the nonpartisan news rating company AllSides, entitled, “How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk.” The report included cases of abuse that went unnoticed because children were not in school. But opponents of the bill pushed back, saying in the hearing that there’s no correlation between homeschooled students being more at risk of abuse than those in the public school system. “I believe this bill will help protect abused and neglected children and leave in place the freedom of parents to decide how to best meet the educational needs of their children,” Tanner Lovett, an opponent of the bill, said Wednesday. The Illinois homeschool bill will now head to the state House of Representatives for a floor vote. If passed by the House and Senate, it would land on the desk of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat considered a potential 2028 presidential hopeful. The bill passed out of the committee as President Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday dismantling the federal Department of Education.
Dem senator on Schumer future: ‘Important’ to know ‘when it’s time to go’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faces potentially losing the confidence of his caucus after a controversial decision to advance the Republicans’ stopgap spending bill earlier this month and avoid a government shutdown. “Let me just say it’s important for people to know when it’s time to go,” Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., reportedly told constituents during a town hall on Wednesday. “We’re going to have conversations, I’m sure, in the foreseeable future, about all the Democratic leadership.” The senator had been asked if he would call for Schumer to step aside, which he did not commit to. SPEAKER JOHNSON SAYS GOP LOOKING AT ‘ALL AVAILABLE OPTIONS’ TO ADDRESS ‘ACTIVIST JUDGES’ OPPOSING TRUMP “I do think on the leadership question, it’s always better to examine whether folks are in the right place, and we’re certainly going to have that conversation,” he explained, per NPR. The comments come after Schumer faced swift backlash for his shutdown vote, during which he was in the minority of his caucus, most of whom opposed moving the stopgap spending measure forward. Despite claiming his caucus was unified just one day prior, Schumer revealed his decision to vote to advance the bill, to the dismay of many of his colleagues. “I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option,” he explained at the time. DEM SENATOR REFUSES TO ADDRESS RELATIONSHIP WITH FOUNDER OF SOROS-FUNDED ‘PROPAGANDA’ NEWS NETWORK House Democrats, nearly all of whom voted against the measure, slammed the move. Dozens of the lower chamber Democrats even signed last-minute letters to Schumer to urge him not to go forward with his vote, to no avail. In a striking statement, House Democratic leaders came out against Schumer’s decision, without mentioning him by name. During a press conference, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refused to answer a question about whether he was confident in his New York colleague. “Next question,” he responded. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also released a statement during the controversy, urging the Senate to listen to the female appropriators. The prominent Democrats appearing at odds with Schumer publicly only further intensified the scrutiny he faced afterward. Jeffries later clarified his feelings on Schumer, however. “Yes, I do,” he said when asked if he was confident in Schumer during a different press conference. According to the House Democratic leader, “we are all aligned on the fights that are in front of us.” Jeffries and Schumer had a “good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to making sure we all speak with one voice,” he added. What was already considered an identity crisis for Democrats following the 2024 election has appeared to evolve into a crisis of leadership, with senators, such as Bennet, entertaining the idea of discussions about the caucus and its direction. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO PAY ‘UNLAWFULLY’ RESTRICTED USAID FUNDS “I think that Leader Schumer has been very effective in a lot of battles, but we also need to—these are new times, and we need to all come together,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., told reporters directly after the shutdown votes. “And so, you know, second-guessing Leader Schumer out here isn’t going to accomplish the kind of unity that we’re going to need to be able to stand up to the president. So we’ll have that conversation inside caucus.”
Florida Dems stage town halls in GOP districts featuring ‘missing’ posters of their colleagues
Florida Democrats launched statewide town halls as part of a coordinated effort by the Democratic Party to host “People’s Town Halls” in all 50 states. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said the hundreds of bipartisan Floridians who are attending these town halls are frustrated but appreciative that “if Republicans aren’t going to show up – we are.” Fried told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that leadership is critical during this moment of “constitutional crisis.” She urged both Democrat and Republican leaders to show up, listen and fight for their constituents in Washington, D.C. “[There] is a disconnect between what is happening in Washington, D.C., and the frustrations and the fears and the anger of the people on the ground. I’m always going to challenge my Democratic electeds to step up and do more. That is our job,” Fried said. “The people of this nation are expecting their elected officials to stand up right now, whether it is fighting in Washington, D.C., or it is coming home and giving answers to your constituents or finding ways to provide services to your constituents that may be cut by the federal level or even here in the state of Florida.” One by one, at a Clearwater town hall on Saturday, Pinellas County constituents took turns addressing a “missing” poster of Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, R-Fla., expressing discontent with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Conservatives on social media slammed the “missing” posters as “nothing authentic or compelling.” DEM LEADER SWINGS THROUGH GOP-HELD DISTRICTS AFTER ‘CLOWN SHOW PROTESTS’ HALTED TOWN HALLS “I have never seen the national Democratic Party in such chaos and confusion. Whether it’s childish stunts on the floor of Congress or performance art with their fake town halls, there is nothing authentic or compelling about their message, their tactics, or their delivery,” Republican consultant Frank Luntz replied on X to photos from the event. Luntz compared the Democrats’ latest move to holding posters during Trump’s joint address to Congress and the coordinated effort by protest groups to disrupt Republican town halls. Others on social media called it “embarrassing.” Luna’s spokesperson said she has been available at “numerous events” and the Florida representative doesn’t “work for the leftist mob.” HEAR THE DEATH THREATS REPUBLICAN SENATOR RECEIVED ABOUT TRUMP “Congresswoman Luna is not scared of leftist carpetbaggers,” a spokesperson for Luna’s office told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Outside groups have been using robo-callers and non-constituent activists to scream profanities and sexist slurs at her office. Meanwhile, Tim Walz’s vaunted ‘town hall’ was closed to the public.” “The reality is that Congresswoman Luna is hard at work for the people of Florida’s 13th district, tackling issues from beach renourishment to preparations for hurricane season. Additionally, she is actively working with the Trump administration to fix FEMA and waive the 50% rule. She is being awarded a key to the county because of her efforts. Congresswoman Luna has been publicly available at numerous events where constituents can freely talk with her, regardless of who they voted for. She doesn’t work for the leftist mob and doesn’t answer to the fake, billionaire-funded “grassroots” groups that pay people to be their pawns,” the spokesperson added. “Obviously, they’re not missing,” Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power told Fox News Digital. “They’ve been in Washington voting. I felt the one in Miami was particularly tasteless when they put Mario Díaz-Balart on a missing poster. I mean, he buried his brother seven days before that. So I thought it was pretty tasteless that they did it that way.” Rep. Díaz-Balart represents Florida’s 26th Congressional District. He delivered the eulogy for his brother, former Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart, at a Memorial Mass at the Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Saturday, March 8. His photo appeared on a “missing” poster during a town hall in Miami-Dade County the following Saturday. Other “missing” posters included images of Reps. Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar. Florida Democrats have planned about a dozen town halls since the statewide campaign launched last Friday. “While Florida Dems do townhalls, Florida Republicans win elections. Being present on the ground is what matters and that is why the Florida GOP has a historic 1.2 million voter registration advantage, two mind blowing Republican super majorities in the state legislature, and a full Republican cabinet. While Florida Dems talk, Florida Republicans walk the walk. It works for us!” Power told Fox News Digital in a statement. CHAOS ERUPTS AT GOP LAWMAKER’S TOWN HALL AFTER LEFT-WING GROUPS PROMOTE PROTESTS The Florida GOP Chair touted their November success and said Congressional Republicans are “doing their job” while Democrats are hosting “fake town halls.” “They’re not leaving Floridians because they know that these people were elected by wide margins, and they’re doing their job in Congress. Just because they’re not coming to do fake town halls does not mean they’re not doing their jobs,” Power said. Fried shut down the Republican critics who called the town hall “stunts.” “These aren’t stunts,” she said. “These are people with real issues that have real concerns. The fact that the Republican Party of Florida is saying that their voices don’t matter and want to play partisan politics – we invited them too. This is something where the community has to come together, and if the Republicans that are elected into office won’t listen to their constituents and understand the impact that their complacency of these moments are having on their everyday lives, then they don’t deserve to be in office.” Fried told Fox News Digital “shame on” Republicans for not returning home to have the “uncomfortable” conversations. “The fact that they’re not coming back to listen to those individuals and the people that put them into office, shame on them,” Fried said. “Even if it’s going to be uncomfortable, that’s okay. You get through these moments, and you make a better society when you’re able to talk to your constituents and there’s a partnership between the electeds and the people