Dan Crenshaw: Europeans can boost defense spending or ‘shut up’ on Ukraine negotiations
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said that Europeans complaining about not carrying more weight in negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine need to either step up their defense spending or “shut up.” Crenshaw said in Politico’s “Power Play” podcast on Thursday that Europeans haven’t “earned a seat” at the negotiating table and won’t — unless they step up and place 50,000 troops on the border of Poland to bolster NATO and deter Russia. “Unless you’re willing to put troops on the ground and increase the leverage for the West … unless you’re willing to do that, shut up,” Crenshaw said. “Shut up, and let Trump do the best he can.” The Trump administration is seeking to end the war in Ukraine, and Trump administration officials met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian officials met in Kyiv Feb. 19. TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE Several NATO members have pushed for European involvement in such discussions. For example, The Associated Press reports that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Feb. 13 that Europe “must” be present for negotiations, especially if it is “supposed to play a central or the main role in the peace order.” But Crenshaw dismissed such comments. “You know how many people are scared of the European Union?” Crenshaw said in the podcast. “None. Be scary, be threatening, actually show that you can have some leverage, and then maybe you can have a seat at the table.” Crenshaw, who attended the Munich Security Conference in February, reiterated that European countries that are part of NATO need to beef up defense efforts, aligning with statements from Trump administration officials like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Hegseth told NATO members in Brussels on Feb. 13 that “our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense.” In 2023, the U.S. spent 3.3% of its GDP on defense spending — totaling $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. The institute also found that more than 50% of NATO funding comes from the U.S., while other allies, like the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have contributed between 4% and 8% to NATO funding in recent years. RUSSIA, UKRAINE TAKE ‘SIGNIFICANT FIRST STEP TOWARD PEACE’ AFTER RUBIO-LED NEGOTIATIONS, WHITE HOUSE INSISTS Crenshaw also issued support for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met with President Donald Trump on Thursday. Starmer pledged on Tuesday to boost UK defense spending to 2.5% of its gross domestic value. That is up from the 2.3% the UK currently spends, and it equates to a nearly $17 billion increase. Starmer said he is prepared to send British troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, according to an op-ed published in The Telegraph on Feb. 16. Such efforts are what deters Putin and will prevent the Kremlin from jeopardizing safety on the European continent, according to Crenshaw. “That’s what starts to worry Putin,” Crenshaw said. “And until Putin is actually scared of y’all in Europe, he’s going to keep coming. And that’s what you need to learn.” Crenshaw did not provide additional comment to Fox News Digital. ‘MAKE NATO GREAT AGAIN’: HEGSETH PUSHES EUROPEAN ALLIES TO STEP UP DEFENSE EFFORTS The Trump administration is continuing to advance discussions to end the war in Ukraine, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to visit the White House on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House Monday and called for the U.S. to coordinate with France to secure lasting peace. Still, he advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia. “We want peace,” he said in an interview from Blair House Monday on “Special Report.” “And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful, because we need something substantial for Ukraine.” “I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer,” he said. “And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to re-engage with Russia.”
‘Structural racism’: Top taxpayer-funded academy rife with DEI programs, hefty executive salaries
FIRST ON FOX: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has raked in hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds in recent years while doling out hefty salaries to its top brass and bankrolling a variety of left-wing initiatives. NASEM, which the New York Times reported in 2023 derives 70% of its budget from federal funds, received $200,616,000 in taxpayer funding from grants and contracts in 2023, according to its own Treasurer’s Report. That budget includes several salaries for top-level positions at NASEM that exceed $1 million per year, according to the organization’s 990 forms reviewed by Fox News Digital. National Academy of Medicine President Victor Dzau receives a salary of $1,026,973 per year, National Academy of Engineering President John Anderson earns $1,027,185 per year, and National Academies President Marcia McNutt earns $1,061,843 each year. NPR REAFFIRMS DEI COMMITMENT AFTER CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT Additionally, NASEM’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Laura Castillo-Page, earned $333,788 in 2023. NASEM has used its federal funding to promote a variety of liberal causes, including putting on events related to climate change, racism and “health equity.” In 2021, NASEM helped put on an event that discussed how “environmental injustice” and “structural racism” exacerbate climate change for “communities of color.” Attendees discussed ways to use “stories” to influence elected officials on climate policy, including “the powerful indigenous voice about the existential threats that humanity faces.” A 2021 NASEM workshop examined how “spatial justice” can exacerbate public health problems among “historically marginalized communities.” NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE SPENDS $218M PER YEAR ON GRANTS FOR ‘UNDERREPRESENTED’ GROUPS: SOURCE NASEM organized an event a year later that examined how “structural racism” and biased “social norms,” including “representation in media and body image,” contribute to obesity. NASEM issued a report in 2023 detailing recommendations for federal policies to improve “racial, ethnic, and tribal health equity” and another report in 2023, titled Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations, recommending ways to address widespread racial discrimination in science, engineering, and mathematics organizations in the U.S. In another report in 2022, NASEM outlined the need to define and incorporate “structural racism” into scientific study and policymaking. A 2021 NASEM workshop examined “anti-Black racism” in “Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.” “A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize a virtual public workshop to explore facets of anti-Black racism in U.S. science, engineering, and medicine (SEM),” NASEM wrote. “The workshop will review the discussions at recent workshops of the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women, identify policies and practices that perpetuate racism in SEM, and lay a foundation of knowledge for others to move more effectively towards anti-racist outcomes.” NASEM also held a workshop in 2022 called “The Roles of Trust and Health Literacy in Achieving Health Equity,” where a speaker blamed non-diverse leadership of healthcare institutions for alienating minority patients. McNutt has also been critical of DOGE chief and X owner Elon Musk on social media and said last year, “This will be my last post on Twitter/X. I can no longer be part of a platform that actively encourages disinformation and amplifies misinformation, especially when its CEO colludes to undermine democracy.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, a NASEM spokesperson said, “Each year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conduct hundreds of studies, workshops, and other activities at the request of federal and state agencies, Congress, foundations, and private-sector sponsors on a variety of critical issues facing the nation.” The spokesperson added that 58% of NASEM’s funding came from the government in 2024. “For decades, our work has advanced the American economy, strengthened our national security, bolstered U.S. global competitiveness, and improved our nation’s health and safety. We have taken measures to ensure that we are in compliance with executive orders, including closing our Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We stand ready, as we always have, to advise the new administration on its priorities.” NASEM’s spending comes under the backdrop of the newly formed DOGE efforts by Musk and the Trump administration to rid the federal government of DEI and wasteful spending. Trump’s January executive order removing DEI from the federal government has already had an affect on NASEM and caused it to close its DEI program and remove DEI from its website, the New York Times reported. It is unclear if DOGE’s efforts will continue to effect the day-to-day operations at NASEM. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump says Ukraine rare earth minerals deal will lead to ‘sustainable’ future between US, Ukraine
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the rare earth minerals deal he’s confident Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will sign during their Friday visit will pave the way for the U.S. to become a partner with Ukraine in developing resources like oil and gas. As part of negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine War, the Trump administration is angling for Zelenskyy to sign an agreement that would allow the U.S. access to Ukraine’s minerals in exchange for support the U.S. has provided the country since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Congress has appropriated $175 billion since 2022 for aid to Ukraine, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Trump described the agreement as a breakthrough deal that would reimburse U.S. taxpayers, and will help Ukraine rebuild in the aftermath of the conflict. As a result, Trump said the minerals agreement would benefit both the U.S. and Ukraine and would serve as the foundation for a more “sustainable” future relationship between the two countries, while allowing the U.S. to access to resources like oil and gas that “we need for our country.” “We’re going to be signing really a very important agreement for both sides, because it’s really going to get us into that country,” Trump told reporters Thursday while meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We’ll have a lot of people working there and so, in that sense, it’s very good.” Trump also told reporters that a peace negotiation was in the final stages but no deal was secured, and hesitated to discuss plans regarding a peacekeeping force in the region until one is signed. “I think we’re very well advanced on a deal,” Trump said. “But we have not made a deal yet. So I don’t like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I like to get things done.” Additionally, Trump said he didn’t expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to breach any agreement to create peace with Ukraine. “I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said. “I don’t think he’ll be back when we make a deal. I think the deal is going to hold now.” Trump also didn’t double down on previous comments calling Zelenskyy a “dictator,” ahead of the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the White House on Friday. “Did I say that?” Trump asked. “I can’t believe I said that. Next question.” The Trump administration has advanced negotiations for a peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine, and U.S. officials met with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18. However, Ukraine’s absence from the talks prompted Zelenskyy to tell reporters that “nobody decides anything behind our back.” TRUMP SAYS MINERALS DEAL HAS BEEN ‘PRETTY MUCH’ NEGOTIATED WITH ZELENSKYY, MEETING SLATED FOR FRIDAY Trump and Zelenskyy proceeded to verbally dish out barbs at one another, with Zelenskyy accusing Trump of advancing Russian “disinformation” and Trump labeling Zelenskyy a “dictator” that has failed his country. “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote in a social media post Feb. 19. “In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do.” Russia has pushed for Ukraine to hold an election as part of a peace deal, nearly a year after Zelenskyy’s five-year term was slated to end. Zelenskyy has remained in his position leading Kyiv because the Ukrainian constitution prohibits holding elections under martial law. Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022. TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY WAR OF WORDS HEATS UP EVEN AS US LOOKS TO WIND DOWN WAR IN UKRAINE Starmer, who announced on Feb. 16 the U.K. is ready to send troops to Ukraine if necessary to ensure peace between Ukraine and Russia, told reporters Thursday that the U.K. wants to coordinate with the U.S. on a peace negotiation “to make sure that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, that it’s a deal that goes down as a historic deal, that nobody breaches.” French President Emmanuel Macron expressed similar sentiments regarding working with the U.S. to secure lasting peace when he visited the White House Monday. However, he also advised the U.S. to exercise caution when dealing with Russia. “We want peace,” he said in an interview from the Blair House Monday on “Special Report.” “And I think the initiative of President Trump is a very positive one. But my message was to say be careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine.” “I think the arrival of President Trump is a game-changer,” Macron said. “And I think he has the deterrence capacity of the U.S. to reengage with Russia.”
SCOTUS tosses challenge to TN law banning drag shows with kids present, state AG hails decision
Tennessee’s ban on drag shows when children are present will remain in effect, as the Supreme Court earlier this week refused to hear a challenge to the law brought on by a drag performance group, a move the state’s Republican attorney general heralded as “another big win for Tennessee.” The state’s Adult Entertainment Act, passed in 2023, does not allow “adult-oriented performances” in public spaces, or anywhere where minors may see them. “Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a post on X. “We will continue to defend TN’s law and children.” GOP AG PREDICTS WHICH SIDE HAS ADVANTAGE IN HISTORIC SCOTUS TRANSGENDER CASE WITH ‘DIVIDED’ JUSTICES A federal judge ruled that the law, which specifically targets drag shows, was “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad,” temporarily halting enforcement. However, in July, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision, asserting that the Memphis-based theater company that filed the lawsuit – Friends of George’s Inc. – lacked standing to challenge the law. Another lawsuit challenging the ban filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is still underway on behalf of Blount County Pride, another LGBTQ+ advocacy group, after then-Attorney General Ryan Desmond threatened to prosecute anyone violating the ban during the 2023 pride festival. Fox News Digital reached out to Friends of George’s Inc. and the ACLU but did not receive a response by publication time. LAWSUIT OVER TENNESSEE LAW THAT PUTS LIMITS ON DRAG SHOWS DISMISSED BY FEDERAL COURT IN WIN FOR REPUBLICANS Violators who do not adhere to the Adult Entertainment Act could be prosecuted for a Class A misdemeanor, while a second or third offense is a Class E felony. Both could result in fines and jail time anywhere from 11 months to six years. “I’m proud that the United States Supreme Court has upheld yet another Tennessee law protecting our children. SB 3 ensures that Tennessee children are not exposed to sexually explicit entertainment,” state’s Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson said in an X post. Johnson was one of the sponsors of the bill in 2023. The Supreme Court already has another case in front of them brought by the ACLU challenging a Tennessee law prohibiting transgender medical treatments and procedures for minors. In that case, the court is weighing whether the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, which guarantees equal treatment under the law for individuals in similar circumstances, prevents states from banning medical providers from offering puberty blockers and hormone treatments to children seeking transgender surgical procedures. Speaking to Fox News Digital last month, Skrmetti expressed cautious optimism of a favorable outcome. “It seems like the momentum has really shifted almost culturally on these issues. And when you see people trying to rewrite laws through creative judging, through creative regulating, that alienates the people from the laws that bind them, and it’s bad for America.” “We’ll know what the Supreme Court does when the Supreme Court does it,” he added. The high court is expected to rule on that case by June.
Blue city mayor embraces government efficiency in new memo to city employees
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie directed city employees to return to the office at least four days a week, as laid out in a memo on Tuesday. The liberal city joins local leaders across the country who have asked their employees to retire hybrid schedules since President Donald Trump took office. Lurie, the new mayor committed to shaking up San Francisco, said working in-person “provides critical operational benefits to the City” that will improve government efficiency. “Bringing our workers back to the office will make our services more effective and responsive to our residents. That is what San Franciscans expect and what Mayor Lurie will deliver. We look forward to working with our partners across the departments and in labor over the coming weeks to implement the mayor’s plan,” Charles Lutvak, spokesperson for Lurie, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. In the memo to department heads, Lurie said 70% of San Francisco employees currently work in-person five or more days a week with the remaining 30% working in-office three days a week. Lurie directed employees to return to the office at least four days a week as soon as possible with a “target date of April 28th for full implementation.” DEM MAYOR UNLEASHES TASK FORCE IN ATTEMPT TO RESCUE CRIME-RIDDEN CITY: ‘RESTORE ORDER TO OUR STREETS’ The memo outlines how working in-office benefits performance, communication and collaboration, while making more employees available to deliver for San Franciscans. OHIO GOVERNOR ORDERS GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES TO RETURN TO OFFICE, FOLLOWING TRUMP’S LEAD Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office terminating all remote work in the federal government as part of the Department of Government Efficiency‘s efforts to improve productivity. Governors and mayors across the country have followed suit by directing their employees to return to the office. While San Francisco employees are now expected to return to the office, California state employees can still follow a hybrid schedule. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration ordered state employees to return to the office at least two days a week. The governor’s office did not provide comment on Lurie’s memo by the deadline for this article. Lurie’s return-to-work order coincides with his plans to revitalize San Francisco. He campaigned on cleaning up San Francisco’s streets, enhancing public safety, tackling the city’s drug crisis, creating housing, cutting through corrupt bureaucracy and “breathing life back into our downtown.” Lurie announced on Tuesday an agreement with the Board of Supervisors on legislation to convert empty offices in downtown San Francisco into new housing. The legislation will allow the city to cut through red-tape regulations that make it difficult to launch “office-to-housing conversion projects.” “Transforming vacant offices into housing will help drive our recovery downtown while creating new homes for San Franciscans,” Lurie said. “This is a win-win for our city thanks to the new era of collaboration at City Hall, so we can create a thriving, 24/7 downtown that benefits both residents and business.” The mayor’s office said the new legislation will reduce developmental costs of converting office spaces and extend application deadlines for a program that would make it easier to get zoning and building permits. Earlier this month, Lurie launched the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Hospitality Task Force to increase the police presence in San Francisco’s business and tourist districts and dedicate more resources to high-traffic areas. San Francisco also passed the Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinance this month, which will provide resources “to get drugs off the street and keep San Franciscans safe” by increasing shelter capacities, expanding health initiatives and unlocking funding for expanded treatment options.
WWE mogul and Trump’s Education chief pick advances to final round
The nomination of Linda McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO picked by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Education, will head to a final Senate vote after passing the final procedural hurdle of the confirmation process. The chamber passed a cloture vote on Thursday afternoon that advanced McMahon’s nomination to a final floor vote to decide on her confirmation. The vote passed by a 51 to 47 tally. Trump tapped McMahon to serve as head of the Department of Education, which he has said he wants to close “immediately.” DEM BID TO END TRUMP ENERGY EMERGENCY SQUASHED AFTER FORCED SENATE VOTE Trump has also said he wants McMahon to “put herself out of a job.” REPUBLICANS BARREL TOWARD SHOWDOWN OVER TRUMP TAX CUTS AFTER DRAMATIC HOUSE BUDGET VOTE “It’s a big con job,” the president said the day before McMahon’s confirmation hearing. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department: cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.” McMahon testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in February, focusing her remarks on the idea that “education is the issue that determines our national success and prepares American workers to win the future,” according to an excerpt of her opening remarks, shared first with Fox News Digital. The confirmation hearing was marked by protesters, discussions on the participation of biological men in women’s sports and scrutiny over recent spending cuts proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the newly formed cost-cutting department led by Elon Musk. McMahon co-founded WWE with her husband, Vince McMahon, before serving as administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) until 2019, when she stepped down to “return to the private sector.”
Government data torpedoes Swalwell’s viral claim about plane crashes on Trump’s watch: ‘Habitual liar’
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., claimed earlier this month that “no president” has presided over more plane crashes during his first month in office than President Donald Trump. But data obtained by Fox News Digital shows there were more plane crashes during that same time period under President Joe Biden. “No president has had more planes crash in their first month in office than Donald Trump,” Swalwell posted Feb. 17 on X, a comment viewed over 7 million times on X. Department of Transportation data provided by a senior administration official contradicts that data and shows more plane crashes during the first few weeks of Biden’s term. Swalwell had posted in response to a small plane crash in Georgia that left two dead. GOP REP REVEALS AFTER F-16 RIDE WHY TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP IS ALREADY PAYING OFF FOR MILITARY There were 55 aviation accidents in the U.S. between Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 21, 2021, and Feb. 17, 2021, compared to 35 during the same period for Trump. Worldwide, there were 91 aviation accidents during that same time period for Biden and 50 during Trump’s first few weeks. “Eric Swalwell is a habitual liar and fraud, who continues to beclown himself every single day because he suffers from a debilitating and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted his brain,” White House communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital. GOP GOVERNOR IN TOP ENERGY STATE OUTLINES HOW PRODUCTION ‘HELD BACK’ BY BIDEN WILL ‘OPEN UP’ UNDER TRUMP “As an elected official, he should actually tell the truth for once, but it’s understandable he’s incapable of that since he has Fang Fang on his mind all day.” Swalwell told Fox News Digital in a statement he was referring to commercial airliners, although his initial post stated “planes.” “There have been two U.S. commercial airliner crashes, where people died or were seriously injured in Trump’s first month,” Swalwell said. “Please show me a president who had more in their first month.” Several Democrats have blamed Trump for high-profile plane crashes in recent weeks, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who suggested Trump’s cuts to the FAA were to blame in the Toronto crash, which resulted in serious injuries but no deaths. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back at the time, pointing out that the “crash unfortunately took place in Canadian airspace with Canadian air-traffic controllers overseeing it.” She then disputed the Democratic attack line about Trump firing FAA officials. “And the facts about the FAA are that no air-traffic controllers have been let go by Secretary Duffy or this new administration. In fact, Secretary Duffy has put great emphasis on hiring the best and the brightest air-traffic controllers who want to be part of the FAA,” Leavitt argued. Fox News Digital’s Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
Bipartisan duo looks to fend off food supply cyber threats as global tensions persist
FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan duo is looking to tag team cyber risks for American food supplies, debuting new legislation to increase analysis and threat detection in critical farm and food infrastructure. Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., teamed up to introduce the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act, designed to boost protection across agriculture and food sectors. “America’s adversaries are seeking to gain any advantage they can against us—including targeting critical industries like agriculture,” Cotton told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Congress must work with the Department of Agriculture to identify and defeat these cybersecurity vulnerabilities,” he said. “This legislation will ensure we are prepared to protect the supply chains our farmers and all Americans rely on.” SCOOP: INSIDE ELON MUSK’S MEETING WITH THE SENATE DOGE CAUCUS “Food security is national security, and the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act is a vital step toward safeguarding Michigan’s agriculture and food sectors,” said Slotkin in her own statement. “Cyber-attacks threaten our food supply constantly, and we must ensure both government and private industries are prepared,” she added. “This bipartisan bill will require the Department of Agriculture to work closely with our national security agencies to ensure that our adversaries, like China, can’t threaten our ability to feed ourselves by ourselves.” TOP INTEL REPUBLICAN TOM COTTON SEEKING RE-ELECTION TO SENATE IN 2026 Specifically, the measure would require the secretaries of agriculture, homeland security and health and human services to coordinate with each other and with the director of national intelligence to go through annual crisis simulations to prepare for any cyber emergencies relating to food infrastructure. TULSI GABBARD GIVES EXCLUSIVE GLIMPSE OF TRUMP’S FIRST CABINET MEETING The secretary of agriculture would also be directed to conduct risk assessments every two years to determine any vulnerabilities in the food and farm sectors, reporting the findings to Congress. DEM SENATOR’S ‘DARK MONEY CORRUPTION’ HYPOCRISY REVEALED IN ETHICS COMPLAINT, EXPERT SAYS Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., are cosponsors of the bill. A companion bill is being introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn. The bill has already gotten the backing of several food industry groups, such as the North American Millers Association, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, USA Rice and the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
Air traffic controllers may get pay hike as Trump admin looks to boost recruitment
Air traffic controllers are set to receive a 30% pay hike as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to boost recruitment Thursday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made the announcement during a press conference at the air traffic controller’s academy in Oklahoma on Thursday. He argued that the pay structure and the technology air traffic controllers are forced to use are outdated. “Currently, students are paid $17.61 an hour. By the way, you might be able to go to Walgreens and make that, right? So we’re going to bump it up to $22.84 an hour,” Duffy said. “And again, I think making sure people have a wage that can allow them to live while they’re going through school. But the real incentive is, again, three years out of this academy, and you’re certified, on average, $160,000 a year. So you can be 24 years old, 23 years old, making a great salary, as an air traffic controller.” FLASHBACK: MUSK USED HIS ‘WHAT DID YOU GET DONE THIS WEEK’ DIRECTIVE BEFORE GUTTING TWITTER Duffy noted that the pay increase plan will require Congress to approve “billions” in additional funding for the DOT. Elon Musk also sent out a request for retired air traffic controllers to return to work. MUSK’S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: ‘MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE’ The announcement comes after a string of air travel disasters in recent weeks, though few of them were blamed on air traffic control. Most recently, a Southwest airliner narrowly avoided a collision with a Flexjet business jet on a runway in Chicago. The Southwest plane was coming in for landing as the Flexjet, allegedly ignoring instructions from air traffic control, crossed the landing strip. Pilots in the Southwest plane were able to take off again quickly enough to avoid a collision. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating Tuesday’s incident. Trump himself called for the Flexjet pilots to have their licenses revoked if the investigation exposes wrongdoing.
Here’s why dozens of lawsuits seeking to quash Trump’s early actions as president are failing
The Trump administration’s lawyers have spent significant time in court this month fighting dozens of requests filed by legal groups, labor organizations and a litany of other state and local plaintiffs across the country – and so far, most judges haven’t granted these requests. The courts “are rightfully saying we don’t have jurisdiction over this,” or, in certain cases, that plaintiffs “aren’t proving harm,” Fox News legal editor Kerri Kupec Urbahn, a former spokesperson for Attorney General Bill Barr, said of the numerous legal challenges to Trump’s agenda. The lawsuits, totaling more than 80, are aimed at blocking or reversing some of Trump’s most controversial actions and executive orders. Nearly all plaintiffs are seeking, in addition to the long-term injunctive relief, a temporary restraining order, or TRO, from a federal judge that would block the order or policy from taking force until the merits of the case can be heard. AG BONDI DISMISSES DEI LAWSUITS BROUGHT AGAINST POLICE, FIRE DEPARTMENTS UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION Almost all these requests for emergency relief have been rejected in court, with judges noting that plaintiffs lacked standing, and ordering both parties to return for a later hearing date to consider the merits of the case. Some Trump allies and legal commentators have criticized the many lawsuits as a way for plaintiffs to skip over the traditional administrative appeals process and take their case directly to the courts instead – a pattern they say has prompted the wave of rejections by federal judges. There is an internal review process for agency-specific actions or directives, which can be challenged via appeals to administrative law judges or an agency-specific court. But doing so for executive orders or presidential actions is much more difficult. According to information from the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register, a president’s executive order can be revoked or modified only by the president or via the legislative branch, if the president was acting on authority that had been granted by Congress. TRUMP STRIPS SECURITY CLEARANCES FROM LAW FIRM TIED TO JACK SMITH CASES Since the latter is not immediately applicable to the Trump-era orders many of the lawsuits hinge on, that leaves the courts as one of the limited arbiters for determining whether to let stand the orders or action in question. That means the requests for injunctive relief are considered in a sort of two-part wave of proceedings, since most – if not all – Trump-era complaints include both the request for the TRO and for the preliminary injunction. The TRO requests are the first wave of “mini-arguments” to come before U.S. judges tasked with reviewing the complaints. They are heard immediately and require plaintiffs to prove they will suffer irreparable injury or harm if their request for relief is not granted— a difficult burden to satisfy, especially when the order or policy has not yet come into force. (As one judge remarked earlier this month, the court cannot grant TRO requests based on speculation.) The courts then order both parties to re-appear at a later date to consider the request for preliminary injunction, which allows both sides to present a fuller argument and for the court to take into account the harm or damages incurred. “The bottom line is that courts typically do not grant requests for emergency relief at the start of a lawsuit,” Suzanne Goldberg, a Lawfare contributor and professor at Columbia Law School, wrote in a recent op-ed. “Instead, they wait to decide what remedies a plaintiff deserves, if any, until after each side makes its legal arguments and introduces its evidence, including evidence obtained from the other side through the discovery process.” LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS These near-term court victories have buoyed Trump allies and the Department of Government Efficiency, allowing DOGE, at least for now, to continue carrying out their ambitious early-days agenda and claiming “victory.” “LFG,” Elon Musk cheered on X recently, in response to a court’s rejection of a request from labor unions seeking to block DOGE access to federal agency information. Other accounts have praised the overwhelming court rejections of emergency restraining orders as evidence that the Trump administration, and DOGE, are “winning” – a characterization that legal experts warn is largely premature. In fact, they’ve noted, the slow-moving legal challenges and nature of the court calendar are features, not bugs. This includes efforts to block or curtail DOGE from accessing internal government information or firing agency employees; lawsuits aimed at blocking the Trump administration’s transgender military ban; and complaints seeking to block the release or public identification of FBI personnel involved in Jan. 6 investigations, among many other things. But that’s not because every one of these actions is legitimate. Rather, legal experts say, the near-term “victories” hinge on the limited power a judge has to intervene in proving emergency relief, or granting temporary restraining orders. JUDGE DENIES DEMOCRAT-LED EFFORT TO BLOCK DOGE ACCESS, CITING LACK OF PROVEN HARM Judges, including U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, noted previously that fear and speculation alone are not enough to curtail DOGE access: plaintiffs must prove clearly, and with evidence, that their workings have met the hard-to-satisfy test of permanent or “irreparable” harm. Rule 65 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure states that plaintiffs must be able to show evidence that a rule, action or policy in question will result in “immediate, irreparable harm” to satisfy a TRO request. That’s a difficult burden of proof, and a near impossible one for plaintiffs to satisfy, especially for an action that has not yet taken effect. DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES One exception is the Trump administration’s ban on birthright citizenship. The request for immediate relief, was granted by multiple U.S. district courts judges, who sided with plaintiffs in ruling that hundreds of children born in the U.S. were at risk of real harm. It was also upheld by a U.S. appeals court last week, setting the stage for