Trump travel ban 2.0 is built to survive court challenges, experts say
President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban may prove more legally durable than its 2017 predecessor as immigration advocates prepare for a likely court battle they’re not expected to win. Trump’s latest travel ban expands on the policy he imposed during his first term targeting seven Muslim-majority nations, a measure the Supreme Court upheld in a 5-4 ruling. Like its predecessor, the new order relies on the same immigration statutes but may rest on firmer legal ground this time. Attorney Neama Rahmani, a California-based former federal prosecutor who specializes in immigration, told Fox News Digital he anticipated that immigration rights groups would likely sue over Trump’s new order. “But they’ll lose,” he said, because “it’s stronger than the last ban.” TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO ‘BLOCK DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’ Rahmani pointed to allegations that the last ban violated religious liberties because it singled out Muslims. This new one included “all sorts of countries,” Rahmani said. Trump imposed full or partial bans on 19 countries in his new proclamation, including Muslim-majority countries like Afghanistan and Iran but also non-Muslim-majority countries like Haiti, Venezuela, Eritrea and Burundi. “You don’t have Trump saying that he’s imposing a Muslim ban. Those words during the campaign, and even after he was elected, were used against him,” Rahmani said, adding that the Supreme Court is also “slightly different” and a “better audience” for Trump this time around. The 5-4 split in Trump v. Hawaii fell along ideological lines and came before Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, both Trump appointees, were confirmed to the bench. Although the Supreme Court has historically given presidents wide latitude over foreign policy and national security, in 2017 the dissenting justices argued the ban amounted to unjustified religious animus disguised as national security. “The Court’s decision … leaves undisturbed a policy first advertised openly and unequivocally as a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’ because the policy now masquerades behind a façade of national-security concerns,” the dissent read. SUPREME COURT TO DEBATE TRUMP RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP AND ENFORCEMENT OF NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS Democrat lawmakers and immigration rights critics have argued that Trump’s new proclamation is rooted in bigotry. Sarah Mehta, deputy director of policy and government affairs for immigration at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Fox News Digital in a statement that she believed it was designed to “further eviscerate lawful immigration pathways under the false guise of national security.” “We saw the chaos that ensued from the first Trump administration’s Muslim ban, and this executive order will only build on that reign of terror to target people solely based on their nationality or religious beliefs,” Mehta said. Trump said in his proclamation that the restrictions were necessary to prevent terrorist attacks and mitigate other public safety risks because the countries had unreliable screening and vetting processes. Additionally, some had a high occurrence of visa overstays or were uncooperative when it came to accepting their citizens back from the United States, Trump said. Ilya Somin, who is one of the attorneys challenging Trump’s sweeping tariffs in the U.S. Court of International Trade, wrote in an op-ed that it would be “nearly impossible to challenge this new travel ban on the grounds that it is motivated by ethnic or other bigotry” because of the Supreme Court’s prior ruling. Somin floated the possibility of challenging the ban on other grounds, including the nondelegation doctrine, which puts limits on how much power Congress can transfer to the executive branch. He noted as an example that two courts have thus far shunned the president’s attempts to bypass Congress and take tariffs into his own hands. However, Somin conceded that the travel ban presents a higher hurdle than the tariffs case. While the Constitution explicitly gives Congress power over tariffs, Somin said, it “does not clearly” say which branch of government has jurisdiction over immigration restrictions.
Biden’s personal doctor summoned as Republicans dig deeper into alleged cognitive decline cover-up
Former President Joe Biden’s personal doctor is being subpoenaed to testify amid allegations of a cover-up of his cognitive decline during his term in the White House. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is compelling Dr. Kevin O’Connor to appear for a deposition on June 27. The subpoena is part of the investigation into the cover-up of Biden’s cognitive decline and potentially unauthorized issuance of sweeping pardons and other executive actions. EXCLUSIVE: COMER HAILS DOJ’S BIDEN PROBE AS HOUSE INVESTIGATION HEATS UP “No autopen was used in the signing of this subpoena,” Comer wrote on X, referring to Biden’s use of an autopen to exercise his presidential responsibilities. Comer recently requested O’Connor to voluntarily appear for a transcribed interview but the doctor refused, according to the subpoena. Previously, the White House blocked the doctor from appearing for a separate interview to discuss Biden’s medical assessments and “involvement in the Biden family’s influence peddling racket, but the Biden White House blocked his testimony,” a committee news release states. “Among other subjects, the Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Biden’s physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President,” the subpoena states. “Given your connections with the Biden family,3 the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people.” LONE BIDEN OFFICIAL BREAKS SILENCE ON COGNITIVE DECLINE AS CABINET STAYS MUTE Biden’s health and mental state were frequent concerns while he was in office, but have been heavily scrutinized following his departure from the White House after his recent prostate cancer diagnoses. He received clean bills of health while serving as president, according to O’Connor’s annual reports on the president’s state of health. O’Connor has overseen Biden’s health since 2009 and built a close relationship with the president and his family, Fox News Digital previously reported. “I have never had a better commander than Joe Biden,” O’Connor said in a profile interview with his alma mater, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, when Biden served as vice president. “All politics aside, he approaches his craft with such honor. He’s 100 percent ‘family first.’ He’s ‘genuinely genuine.’” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He remained out of the spotlight during Biden’s tenure until the spring of 2024, when speculation mounted among both conservatives and Democrats that the president’s mental acuity was slipping, with pundits and the media subsequently demanding to hear directly from O’Connor on the state of Biden’s health.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: A ‘Big, Beautiful’ Feud
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s feud about the “Big, Beautiful Bill” continued on Thursday when the tech billionaire responded to the president’s criticism in a post on X. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude,” Musk wrote in a post responding to Trump’s remarks about him. While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said that he was “very disappointed” by Musk’s vocal criticisms of the bill. The president claimed that Musk knew what was in the bill and “had no problem” with it until the EV incentives had to be cut…READ MORE DOGE REFUND: Federal judge orders Trump to restore funding to Clinton-era agency gutted by DOGE ELON’S EVOLUTION: Elon Musk’s conservative evolution puts him at odds with Trump on key legislation ‘FEEL BAD’: ‘Sick puppy’ Tim Walz should never have been on Dems’ 2024 ticket, Trump says SIGNATURE SCANDAL: Trump says Biden didn’t have ‘much of an idea what was going on’ as former president dismisses autopen probe ‘DEAD AMERICANS’: Expert sounds alarm on CCP’s mission to ‘kill Americans’ after FBI makes shocking arrests ‘CHIEF ADVERSARY’: Chinese bioweapon smuggling case shows US ‘trains our enemies,’ ‘learned nothing’ from COVID TURNABOUT TACTICS: White House highlights Pelosi hypocrisy after Schiff demands Trump admin financial, ethics docs TAX WAR ERUPTS: Blue state Republicans threaten rebellion if Senate changes key provision in Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ ‘BAD ACTORS’: Ricketts, Fetterman team up for crackdown on China’s attempts to purchase US farmland JUDGE FORCES RETURN: Migrant deported to third country returned to US after Trump admin yields to judge’s order ‘SICKENING’: Homeland Security says Boston’s mayor comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is ‘sickening’ RECORD ROUNDUP: ICE breaks arrest record two days in a row under Trump’s new immigration directives 9-0 RULING: Supreme Court rules unanimously in favor of straight Ohio woman who claimed discrimination CHAOTIC SCENES: False rumors of Minneapolis ICE raid spark protest as police decry ‘irresponsible’ info from elected officials Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Mainstream media outlet slammed for ‘disgraceful’ reporting on family of alleged Boulder terrorist
Mainstream media outlet USA Today is being slammed online and by the White House for “disgraceful” reporting lamenting the possible deportation of the family of illegal alien Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the primary suspect in the firebombing terror attack against Jewish Americans in Boulder, Colorado. USA Today ran an article on Wednesday with the headline, “Boulder suspect’s daughter dreamed of studying medicine. Now she faces deportation.” The article’s subheading said Soliman’s teenage daughter, Habiba Soliman, “moved to the U.S. hoping to study medicine” but “then her father, Mohamed Soliman, was charged with a hate crime in an attack aimed at peaceful Jewish demonstrators.” After intense criticism online, the outlet appears to have changed the article’s headline to now read, “Habiba Soliman wanted to be a doctor. Then, her father firebombed Jewish marchers in Boulder.” USA Today said the article was “recast and updated with new information.” Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa after entering the U.S. during the Biden administration, three DHS and ICE sources told Fox News. On Sunday, he allegedly attacked a group of Jewish peaceful demonstrators using Molotov cocktails, seriously injuring more than a dozen people, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. JEWISH HOUSE LAWMAKER URGES DEPORTATION OF BOULDER TERROR SUSPECT’S FAMILY Soliman’s family is in federal custody and their visas have been revoked, sources told Fox News. The family is being processed for expedited removal. In an X statement posted on Tuesday afternoon, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency is investigating his family to identify “to what extent” they knew about the alleged attack. “Mohamed’s despicable actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but we’re also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack,” Noem said in the post. “If they had any knowledge of it or if they provided any support to it.” The USA Today article lamented the suddenly transformed futures of Soliman’s family members, highlighting Habiba’s ambitions to be in the medical profession and her progress in learning English. BOULDER TERROR ATTACK WITNESS DESCRIBES ‘HORRIFIC’ SCENE AT PRO-ISRAEL RALLY The outlet wrote that “prior to the attack, Habiba Soliman had written about her hope of accomplishing great things in the U.S. … Instead, the White House said on X on Tuesday that Mohamed Soliman’s wife and five children ‘could be deported by tonight.’” Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, commented on the piece on X, calling it “a disgraceful article.” “Instead of carrying water for the family of an illegal alien terrorist, USA Today should spend some time and ink talking about the victims of this heinous crime,” said Lummis. “A terrorist sets elderly Jewish Americans on fire and USA Today profiles the terrorist’s daughter—not the victims,” wrote conservative commentator John Hasson. US POLITICIANS, JEWISH GROUPS CONDEMN ‘HORRIFYING’ BOULDER TERROR ATTACK: ‘VILE, ANTISEMITIC ACT OF TERROR’ “There is no bottom for these publications. None,” said Fox News contributor Joe Concha. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also called the article “disgraceful.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Instead of drooling over an illegal terrorist’s family, USA Today should have profiled the innocent victims targeted by this sick individual that was allowed into our country by the Biden Administration,” Jackson wrote. She added that “USA Today should apologize to the victims and their families for this disgraceful piece attempting to garner sympathy for a terrorist’s family.” USA Today did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump administration defends US and Israeli sovereignty with new sanctions against four ICC judges
The Trump administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court over allegations against Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. “These individuals directly engaged in efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without consent from the United States or Israel,” Rubio said. TRUMP UNVEILS SANCTIONS AGAINST INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT FOR NETANYAHU ARREST WARRANT The sanctions against the Hague-based court are related to Trump Feb. 6 executive order. He signed the executive order punishing the ICC in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity amid Israel’s ongoing conflict against Hamas. Rubio said the four ICC judges “actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel.” “The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies,” he said. “This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.” TRUMP SANCTIONS ON ICC PROTECTS US MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, FORMER NSC OFFICIAL SAYS He said the United States will take “whatever actions we deem necessary” to protect its sovereignty, that of Israel, and other U.S. allies from “illegitimate actions by the ICC.” Rubio noted that member states of the court, “many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices” and to push back against the court for its “disgraceful attack” against the U.S. and Israel. Fox News Digital has reached out to the ICC. The ICC only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate. Israel is not a member of the court. Despite the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the court has no police powers to enforce warrants, instead choosing to rely on cooperation from its member states.
Critics have meltdown and accuse Trump of imposing renewed ‘Muslim ban’ through ‘disgusting’ travel order
Democrat lawmakers and social media critics are accusing President Donald Trump of rolling out a “bigoted” travel ban they say is riddled with “Islamophobia.” “This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” Democratic Washington state Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in a Wednesday statement posted to her social media accounts. “Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent.” Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday restricting travel to the U.S. from a total of 19 countries. Twelve countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, were deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates. While seven other countries, such as Venezuela, Cuba and Laos, faced partial restrictions under the proclamation. “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,” Trump said in video posted Wednesday to social media. “We don’t want them.” TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO BLOCK ‘DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’ “In the 21st century, we’ve seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world,” he added. “Thanks to Biden’s open-door policies, today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country.” Officials charged terrorist attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman Monday with a hate crime, attempted first-degree murder, crimes against at-risk adults/elderly and other charges after he allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a pro-Israel group, “Run for Their Lives,” in Boulder, Colorado, Sunday. The Egyptian national was living in the United States illegally after entering on a work visa two years ago that has since expired, according to federal officials. TRUMP BANS TRAVEL TO US FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES TO BLOCK ‘DANGEROUS FOREIGN ACTORS’ Trump’s travel restriction announcement sparked widespread backlash among Democratic lawmakers and critics on social media, who slammed Trump for allegedly promoting Islamophobia. “Just now, Trump has re-issued his disgusting, bigoted, and Islamophobic travel ban,” Democratic California Rep. Judy Chu posted to X. “This goes against our core American values while doing nothing to make us safer. We can do better, we must do better.” “The immigration dictatorship just announced a ban on immigration for 12 nationalities with 7 more facing draconian discrimination as well. Horrible policies with no justification,” libertarian think tank Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier posted to X Wednesday. “We’ve seen this horror show before,” Democratic Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari posted Wednesday. “It’s not about security. The travel ban is cruel, racist, and un-American.” TRUMP VISA POLICY ‘FAR MORE RESTRAINED’ THAN BIDEN POLICY TARGETING ISRAELIS THAT FLEW UNDER THE RADAR: EXPERT The U.S.’ largest Muslim civil rights group, the Council on American Islamic Relations, also released a statement denouncing the travel bans. “Automatically banning students, workers, tourists, and other citizens of these targeted nations from coming to the United States will not make our nation safer,” Nihad Awad, the executive director of CAIR, said in a Wednesday statement. “Neither will imposing vague ideological screening tests that the government can easily abuse to ban immigrants based on their religious identity and political activism.” “Make no mistake: Trump’s latest travel ban will NOT make America safer,” Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey posted to X. “We cannot continue to allow the Trump administration to write bigotry and hatred into U.S. immigration policy.” “From his first Muslim Ban, Trump’s travel bans have always betrayed of the ideals and values that inspired America’s Founders,” Democratic Virginia Rep. Don Beyer posted to X. “Trump’s use of prejudice and bigotry to bar people from entering the U.S. does not make us safer, it just divides us and weakens our global leadership.” The CEO of Oxfam America, which is an international group of nongovernmental organizations that work to end hunger and poverty, also issued a blistering response to Trump’s announcement. TRUMP ADMIN MULLS NEW TRAVEL BAN, BUT NO DECISIONS MADE YET “By once again targeting individuals from Muslim-majority countries, countries with predominantly Black and brown populations, and countries in the midst of conflict and political instability, this executive order deepens inequality and perpetuates harmful stereotypes, racist tropes, and religious intolerance,” Oxfam America CEO Abby Maxman said in a statement. “This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States.” The White House defended that the new proclamation is “commonsense” and targeted at countries that “lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information,’ Fox Digital reported Wednesday. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital. Trump came under fire from liberals and activist groups during his first administration when he signed an executive order banning travel and implementing “extreme vetting” for countries such as Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya in January 2017. Critics of the executive order derided it as Trump’s “Muslim ban.” “To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion — this is about terror and keeping our country safe,” he said in a statement in 2017. “There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order.” Trump added at the time. Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr, Brooke Singman and Patrick Ward contributed to
Biden only hand-signed one pardon during final spree, and it was his most controversial one
Former President Joe Biden only signed one pardon by hand during his final weeks in office, and it was his most controversial one. The Justice Department is reviewing the list of people granted pardons by Biden amid new concerns about his use of an autopen to automatically sign documents and concerns about his state of mind and mental acuity in his final months in office. Biden used his final weeks as commander in chief to grant clemency and pardon more than 1,500 people in what his White House described as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. HERE ARE BIDEN’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARDONS, MAINLY SIGNED USING AUTOPEN Biden appears to have signed those final pardons, including preemptive pardons for members of his family, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley and members and staff of the House committee investigating Jan. 6. But the former president signed one by hand for his son. Biden pardoned son Hunter in December 2024 after vowing to the American people for months he would not do so. Hunter Biden was found guilty of three felony gun offenses during special counsel David Weiss’ investigation. The first son was also charged with federal tax crimes over his alleged failure to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes. Before his trial, Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea. Former President Joe Biden in December 2024 announced a blanket pardon that applies to any offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” the former president said. “There has been an effort to break Hunter — who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me — and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough. FLASHBACK: SPECIAL COUNSEL WEISS BLASTS BIDEN IN FINAL HUNTER PROSECUTION REPORT “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a president would come to this decision.” Weiss, who charged Hunter Biden, blasted the former president for pardoning his son, saying his characterizations of the yearslong probe were “wrong” and “unfairly” maligned Justice Department officials. Weiss, in the report, blasted the president’s decision to pardon and the press release to the public that “criticized the prosecution of his son as ‘selective,’ ‘unfair,’ ‘infected’ by ‘raw politics’ and a ‘miscarriage of justice.’” “This statement is gratuitous and wrong,” Weiss wrote in his report. “Other presidents have pardoned family members, but in doing so, none have taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public servants at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.” In another section of the report, Weiss noted that, in light of the presidential pardon, he “cannot make any additional charging decisions,” adding it would be “inappropriate” to discuss “whether additional charges are warranted.” TRUMP ORDERS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE BIDEN’S AUTOPEN USE AMID COGNITIVE DECLINE CONCERNS “Politicians who attack the decisions of career prosecutors as politically motivated when they disagree with the outcome of a case undermine the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote. “The President’s statements unfairly impugn the integrity not only of Department of Justice personnel, but all of the public servants making these difficult decisions in good faith. “The President’s characterizations are incorrect based on the facts in this case, and, on a more fundamental level, they are wrong.” Biden’s use of an autopen for signatures is under investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi. President Donald Trump directed Bondi to investigate whether certain individuals working for Biden conspired to deceive the public about his mental state while also exercising his presidential responsibilities by using an autopen. In a memo Wednesday, Trump said the president of the U.S. has a tremendous amount of power and responsibility through the signature. Not only can the signature turn words into laws of the land, but it also appoints individuals to some of the highest positions in government, creates or eliminates national policies and allows prisoners to go free. “In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote. “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.” He added that Biden has experienced “serious cognitive decline” for years, and the Department of Justice recently concluded Biden should not stand trial despite clear evidence he broke the law, because of his mental state. “Biden’s cognitive issues and apparent mental decline during his presidency were even ‘worse’ in private, and those closest to him ‘tried to hide it’ from the public,” Trump said. “To do so, Biden’s advisors during his years in office severely restricted his news conferences and media appearances, and they scripted his conversations with lawmakers, government officials, and donors, all to cover up his inability to discharge his duties.”
Musk unleashes wild Epstein claim against Trump after being booted from DOGE
Billionaire Elon Musk dropped a serious bomb on social media on Thursday when he made allegations that President Donald Trump was in the Jeffrey Epstein file. “@RealDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk wrote on X on Thursday afternoon. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk followed the post with another, saying, “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.” PRESIDENT TRUMP TEASES ‘LAST DAY, BUT NOT REALLY’ FOR ELON MUSK AT DOGE: OVAL OFFICE PRESSER SET FOR FRIDAY The former First Buddy dropped the allegation in response to a back-and-forth series of social media messages between him and Trump. Trump lambasted Musk on Thursday afternoon, saying he asked the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head to leave. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Elon was ‘wearing thin,’ I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!” Trump said on Truth Social. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
GOP bill takes aim at Congress’ ‘no rules apply’ emergency spending
FIRST ON FOX: A House fiscal hawk wants to create a payment plan for congressional emergency spending to create accountability for the “no rules apply” funding stream. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., is set to introduce the Emergency Spending Accountability Act that would add guardrails to last-minute funding meant for national emergencies, like natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic or other spending meant to fill the gaps in the appropriations process. SENATE WEIGHS TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ AS POLICY GROUP BACKS CBO, PROJECTS $3 TRILLION DEBT INCREASE Stutzman told Fox News Digital that lawmakers will go about the usual budgeting process, passing stopgap spending bills or colossal, omnibus spending packages, but that “somewhere in between” there’s always extra money pushed out the door for emergencies. “Whenever there’s an emergency, Congress always overreacts,” he said. “And I believe they pass these big spending bills under the guise of an emergency, national emergency, and spend money that we don’t take into consideration through our budget process.” WHITE HOUSE INSISTS FEMA IS TAKING HURRICANE SEASON ‘SERIOUSLY,’ BLASTS ‘SLOPPY’ REPORTING He said that when he first came to Washington in 2010, the national debt was $9 trillion. After leaving the House and returning during last year’s election cycle, that number has since ballooned to more than $36 trillion. And since the early 1990s, more than $12 trillion in emergency spending has added to the ever-growing deficit. The lawmaker said that the money dedicated for emergency use was rarely ever paid back, and he argued that the taxpayer dollars were sometimes not used for actual emergencies. ‘HE’S NOT A BIG FACTOR’: TRUMP’S SENATE ALLIES DISMISS ELON MUSK’S CALLS TO ‘KILL THE BILL’ Stutzman’s legislation, which so far has seven House Republican co-sponsors, would require the federal government to pay off the balance of future emergency spending by 20% each year for five years after an emergency following a green-light from lawmakers to open up the cash flow. His bill would also stipulate that any emergency spending would have to comport with the criteria laid out by the Balance Budget and Emergency Control Act of 1985, which laid out a five-point roadmap to justify that emergency spending be necessary, sudden, urgent, unforeseen and not permanent. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He understood that there is always a need for emergency spending, giving the examples of the pandemic and of Hurricane Sandy, which blasted through the East Coast more than a decade ago, but he noted there should be offset cuts to account for the spending and better planning on how the taxpayer dollars would be used. “Most companies and family budgets, they always have a rainy-day fund or an emergency fund that they can tap into if they need it for unexpected costs and expenses, but that’s not the way Washington works,” Stutzman said. “So that’s the idea.”
White House highlights Pelosi hypocrisy after Schiff demands Trump admin financial, ethics docs
Sen. Adam Schiff faced pushback after calling on White House counsel David Warrington to release financial disclosures for senior officials—prompting a Trump aide to suggest he start by requesting the same from longtime Rep. Nancy Pelosi. “The American people remain highly concerned about Nancy Pelosi’s long, documented history of insider trading and eagerly await Adam Schiff refocusing his political stunt on serious issues, like Pelosi’s portfolio,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told ABC News after it inquired about Schiff’s letter. In a letter to Warrington and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Schiff, D-Calif., expressed “continued and growing concern regarding … failure to submit any financial disclosure reports for senior White House officials to the Office of Government Ethics within the statutorily mandated period.” Schiff demanded the White House turn over a list of officials required to file “new entrant” reports, an explanation for “failure to transmit” such reports for certification and any late-filing fees imposed for “delinquent filings.” ‘WATERMELON HEAD’: TRUMP TROLLS DEMOCRATIC SEN. ADAM SCHIFF He noted that he had signed on to a bicameral April letter that included fellow Californian Rep. Mike Levin, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and several other Democrats asking for similar information. In comments to Fox News Digital on Thursday, the White House pushed back again on Schiff, saying that all officials there who are required to file public reports continue to comply with their obligations. “… including the obligation to file periodic transaction reports disclosing the purchase or sale of certain securities,” said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman. “For decades, administrations of both parties, including the first Trump Administration, have fulfilled this obligation, recognizing that public trust in government depends on robust, enforceable transparency standards,” Schiff said in a statement. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’ “However, senior officials in this administration have repeatedly failed to disclose assets and business entanglements, as well as potentially misused their official positions for personal gain.” “Transparency and compliance with ethics laws are essential.” In that regard, Desai’s initial response highlighted ongoing criticisms of Pelosi, whose net worth is reportedly north of $120 million, and who has been accused of wrongful financial transactions over her 38 years in the House. Pelosi, a California Democrat, did not respond to a request for comment, and the Speaker Emerita kept walking when asked on the Hill about the matter last month by a Fox News Digital reporter. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the PELOSI– Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments – Act in 2023, and fellow Missourian Rep. Mark Alford crafted a similar bill in the House, alluding to allegations against her over the years. Trump has said he would support such legislation this term, telling Time he had purportedly “watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be OK with it. If they send that to me, I would do it.” Fox News Digital found no record of Schiff making similar requests to the Biden administration and received no response from the Burbank lawmaker when asked for comment. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Remy Numa contributed to this report.