Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy to release memoir reflecting on growing up, landmark cases
Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy has a two-volume memoir coming out this fall, tracking his life from growing up in California to his 30 years on the court, when he cast key votes on landmark cases ranging from abortion to gay marriage to campaign finance. Simon & Schuster announced Tuesday that Kennedy’s “Life and Law: The Early Years” and “Life and Law: The Court Years” will be published Oct. 1, as a boxed set and in individual editions, each around 320 pages. Kennedy was widely regarded as a moderate conservative who wrote the majority opinion on such closely divided cases as Obergefell v. Hodges, which found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which allowed corporations and other outside entities to spend unlimited money on election campaigns. “In ‘Life and Law,’ he explains the why’s and how’s of judging,” Simon & Schuster’s announcement reads in part. GOP STATE AGS PRESS SUPREME COURT TO TAKE UP HAWAII CLIMATE CHANGE CASE THEY SAY IS ‘GRAVE THREAT’ “The second volume is filled with moving portraits of Justices O’Connor, Rehnquist, Scalia and Ginsburg that go along with the account of how Kennedy decided his views in the landmark cases. But it is the first volume about his youth in Sacramento and his decade as a practicing lawyer that explains the judicial giant. Readers will see the child who turns into the man, who shaped America as much as any Washington figure in the 21st century.” Kennedy, 87, noted in the preface to the first volume that his memoirs proved more expansive than originally planned. “It was my intent (my right hand is raised to swear it so) to recount my earlier years in a summary way. But something happened on the way to the pencil,” he wrote. “More and more of my recollections turned to how our society and its mindset changed in fascinating ways from the ’40s and ’50s to the ’60s and then again in the ’70s. This seemed relevant to the dynamics that influenced me and our larger society.” “As each day passes, we should strive to learn more about who we are and whom we should strive to become,” he added. “Writing a memoir is a formal way to do this.” Kennedy was an associate justice from 1988-2018 and his arrival and departure proved equally newsworthy. He was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan, but only after the Senate had voted down Reagan’s first choice, Robert Bork, and after the second choice, Douglas Ginsburg, withdrew amid reports he had smoked marijuana. When Kennedy announced in 2018 that he was stepping down, President Donald Trump nominated a former Kennedy law clerk, Brett Kavanaugh, who was narrowly approved by the Senate after contentious confirmation hearings that included allegations Kavanaugh had assaulted a high school acquaintance, Christine Blasey Ford. Kennedy’s book will arrive soon after Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s memoir “Lovely One,” which comes out Sept. 3.
Former Trump official shakes up crucial battleground Senate race with major announcement
EXCLUSIVE: A former Trump official is making waves in one of this year’s crucial battleground Senate races, one that could determine whether Republicans win control of the Senate from Democrats. On Tuesday, Republican Nevada Senate candidate Jeff Gunter, the former U.S. ambassador to Iceland, announced his campaign would be ramping up ahead of the state’s June 11 primary by launching a multi-million dollar ad campaign that will run in all major television markets from Las Vegas to Reno. It will also include radio and digital advertising, as well as texting. The $3.3 million buy, which includes an ad praising Gunter as “110% pro-Trump,” comes as a major challenge to Gunter’s primary opponent, former U.S. Army officer Sam Brown. A number of national Republicans, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee — the group tasked with winning a majority for the GOP — have already backed Brown. INDIANA DAD WHO LOST YOUNGEST SON TO FENTANYL RUNS FOR CONGRESS TO END TRAGEDIES OF BORDER CRISIS In an interview with Fox News Digital ahead of the buy announcement, Gunter touted his belief in “America First policies,” his support for former President Donald Trump, and that he was the only candidate capable of defeating incumbent Democrat Sen. Jacky Rosen in the November general election. “It’s quite simple. If not now, when? And the reality is, if not me, who else?” Gunter, a dermatologist, said as he referenced his decades of experience treating patients in Nevada and his time serving as a diplomat overseas. “We have people pouring over our border. We have kids dying of fentanyl. We have crime in the streets. We have chaos around the world internationally … Can I just sit back at home and do nothing given the depth and breadth of experience and who I am? And the answer is absolutely not,” he said. Gunter detailed how he — prior to being nominated by Trump for the ambassador role in 2018 — was a disaffected Democrat, and compared that experience to the late former President Ronald Reagan’s famous line: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.” SWING STATE HOUSE HOPEFUL CHANGES TUNE AFTER SCRUBBING VIOLENT CRIME DEFENSES FROM LAW FIRM WEBSITE “For me, that process started after 9/11. We saw … extreme left-wing progressives were taking over the Democrat Party. It is not a party that someone like John F. Kennedy would be a part of. It’s become a bunch of radical progressives that are leaning and pushing a Marxist agenda, and there is no doubt about that,” Gunter said. “The Democrat Party is no place for me. The Democrat Party is no place for Nevada. The Democrat Party, honestly, is no place for Jacky Rosen. And, that’s why when I’m the next U.S. senator, we’re going to replace her, and we’re going to replace her with strong conservative America First principles and values, and that’s going to create greatness here in Nevada,” he added. Gunter faces a crowded Republican primary field that most notably includes Brown, veteran Air Force pilot Tony Grady, and former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant, among a number of others. To become the party’s nominee in November, Gunter says to look no further than the support he gives his old boss. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN AFTER MOCKING EASTER ONLINE WITH DRAG, ABORTION REFERENCES “If you look at my campaign, I’m 110% supportive of Donald Trump … Look at his policies. Look what he’s done. Look at the 1% inflation and 3.5% unemployment, no endless wars, stability around the world, closing our border, stopping crime, giving us the greatest tax cut ever in American history, and really unifying so many of us around those amazing America First principles. It’s very Reaganesque,” Gunter said. “We have a newfound patriotism with President Trump, and also a newfound common sense. So much of what President Trump says is just plain common sense. And that was really the wisdom that Ronald Reagan imparted to us during the Reagan Revolution. And that’s what we saw also during the Trump years as well,” he added. Should Gunter become the Republican nominee, he will have to face another challenging obstacle in his path to the Senate, one that has escaped Nevada Republicans in recent election cycles: Ousting a Democrat incumbent. The party came close to defeating incumbent Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto with former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt in 2022, but ultimately fell less than 8,000 votes short. Republicans hope Trump’s presence on the ballot — in tandem with President Biden’s unpopularity — will drive more GOP-leaning voters to the polls, something Gunter said would fall heavily in his favor if he was the nominee. DEMOCRATS RIPPED FOR TRYING TO ‘KILL DEMOCRACY’ WITH EFFORT TO PROTECT BIDEN, SILENCE THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES “One of the great advocates that I have for me winning the U.S. Senate is Joe Biden. He’s an absolute complete 100% disaster,” he said before adding that Republicans also needed to “aggressively pursue” ballot harvesting and “beat Democrats at their own game.” “When people look to Jacky Rosen — rubber stamp Rosen, 93% voting supporting Joe Biden … That’s not good for Nevada. It’s not good for America. That voting creates the inflation that we’ve had, creates the instability around the world, creates wars that are just endless, whether it’s in Ukraine or the Middle East,” he said. “Her votes and her support of Joe Biden help me and help all of us put America First policies forward. But we take back not only the White House with Donald Trump, but we take back the Senate with a big red wave coming out of Nevada, and going across the country,” he added. Fox News Digital has reached out to Rosen’s campaign for comment. Elections analysts rate the race as either “lean” or “tilt” Democratic. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
I want my MTV (Motion to Vacate): Speaker Johnson faces potential threat when Congress returns
Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers of The Police all yelled into the camera: “I want my MTV!” Then came Pat Benatar, doing the same thing, followed by Pete Townshend of The Who, all demanding their “MTV.” Finally, The Police show back up on the screen. They warble something which sounds roughly like the tune of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” Then hoist telephone receivers. “Call your cable company… and sing ‘I want my MTV!’” The Police ordered. And to think that lawmakers were mad about TikTok imploring teenagers to phone Congress, urging a no vote on a bill to curb use of the social media app in the U.S. Well, there are a few lawmakers who want their MTV, too. Many actually wish it would go away. When it comes to MTV, we’re not talking about “Music Television.” SPEAKER JOHNSON: I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE WITH REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S CONCERNS In this instance, MTV means a “motion to vacate” the chair. That’s the formal parliamentary maneuver to force a speaker of the House out the door. But in congressional shorthand, it’s an “MTV.” When do Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood and Alan Hunter show up? So guess who wants her MTV? MTG – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Video Killed the Radio Star. But a successful MTV could kill the political future of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Greene recently prepped an MTV, telling Johnson to Beat It. This is the same gambit Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., engineered to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last fall. “Speaker Johnson has betrayed our conference and broken our rules,” Greene said after introducing her measure last month to remove the speaker. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE FILES MOTION TO OUST SPEAKER JOHNSON She was incensed that Johnson acceded to an agreement with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown and ignored the House’s internal “72 hour rule” to read legislation before taking a vote. The House passed the bill, 286-134. But only 101 Republicans supported it compared to 112 no’s – despite the GOP running the House. “This bill was basically a dream and a wish list for Democrats and the White House,” Greene said. “I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and throw the House into chaos. But this is basically a warning. It’s time for us to go through the process. Take our time. And find a new speaker of the House that will stand with Republicans and our Republican majority instead of standing with Democrats.” Greene added that “the clock has started.” Clock the Heart? Boy George and Culture Club? Hardly. It’s more like Greene is channeling “With or Without You” by U2 when it comes to Johnson. The speaker might prefer another selection. Perhaps the legendary video Take On Me by the band a-ha. So who exactly would “take on” Johnson? Who would want the job? Could the Republican-controlled House even elect a new speaker? House Republicans churned through three speaker candidates and more than three weeks before they settled on Johnson last fall. Johnson may be left saying “domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,” if Greene forges ahead with her move. It’s important to note that Greene did not trigger her MTV right away. A “motion to vacate the chair” is of high privilege in the House. If Greene insists that the House consider her no confidence vote for Johnson, the House must bring it up on the spot or within two legislative days. The House is out of session until April 8, so nothing will happen right away. But note that Greene’s MTV measure does not belong to her. Now that Greene presented her MTV, any House member could seize it and require the House to consider it. The resolution is not Greene’s “prerogative,” as Bobby Brown might sing. It’s even possible – but not likely – that the House Republican leadership or a Johnson ally could put Greene’s resolution on the floor and force a vote if they thought the speaker would prevail. That move would euthanize Greene’s effort and demonstrate that Johnson has the support he needs to remain speaker. Think of that move as calling Greene’s bluff to show that Johnson would have the votes to defeat an uprising. Greene’s tactic mirrors what former Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., did in the summer of 2015. The future Trump White House chief of staff drafted a very similar resolution to try to oust then-House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. But like Greene, Meadows just filed his motion. He didn’t launch it, requiring the House to consider the plan. No fool, Boehner took a page out of Young MC’s songbook and busted a move out of Congress by autumn. Last October’s surprise removal of McCarthy followed a similar path with the MTV. Gaetz crafted a resolution to demand a confidence vote on the former speaker. “We intend to use it,” said Gaetz, adding that a MTV “is not something that we put on a shelf to admire.” However, for what it’s worth, a copy of Gaetz’s resolution was discovered on a baby changing table in the first floor men’s room of the Capitol. Really. McCarthy was doomed as soon as he put an interim spending bill on the floor and passed it mostly with Democratic votes in late September. Gaetz demanded the House consider his MTV shortly thereafter. The first vote was on the motion to table or set aside the resolution. But McCarthy lacked the support to survive on the motion to table. Had the House voted to table, Gaetz’s gig was up. But the House defeated the motion to table. That prompted an up/down vote on the MTV itself. And the House voted to throw out its speaker for the first time in history. Or as Prince might sing in “1999,” “Life is just a party. And parties weren’t meant to last.” It is generally believed that Johnson might fare better than McCarthy if Greene made her MTV “live.” First of all, members from both
Trump says Biden ‘orchestrated’ legal challenges ahead of campaign stops in battleground states
Former President Trump blasted President Biden on Tuesday ahead of campaign stops in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, claiming he has “orchestrated” every lawsuit and indictment against him with the help of the Justice Department. “Please remember, ALL of these Lawsuits, Charges, and Indictments that have been brought against me have been orchestrated and coordinated by Crooked Joe Biden, the White House, and the DOJ, as an ATTACK ON CROOKED’S POLITICAL OPPONENT, ME,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account Tuesday morning. TRUMP POSTS $175M BOND IN NY CIVIL FRAUD CASE, AVERTS ASSET SEIZURE “This has never happened before in our Country. MAGA2024!” he added. The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee echoed his past comments, railing against the legal system in the United States, which he says “has been corrupted & politicized at a level never seen before.” Trump said that during his campaign visits in Michigan and Wisconsin on Tuesday he will have “plenty to talk about.” His comments came just hours after he posted $175 million bond out of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case against him. The judgment was initially set at $454 million, but an appeals court slashed that bond by more than half. The former president is appealing the ruling from New York Judge Arthur Engoron. James is barred from seeking to collect the full judgment through the appeals process. “I had to pay New York State in order to appeal a corrupt decision by a biased, crooked and highly overturned judge,” Trump posted. “It’s supposed to be the other way around – you appeal before you pay.” “Is a crooked New York Judge allowed to make you pay for the ‘privilege’ of appealing a wrongful & corrupt decision???” Trump posted. “NOT IN AMERICA.” NEW YORK JUDGE IMPOSES GAG ORDER ON TRUMP IN BRAGG HUSH MONEY CASE Engoron, in February, ruled that Trump inflated his assets. Trump and his family have denied wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Trump reacted to a separate case in New York – this one, stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation into alleged hush-money payments ahead of the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree last year. The trial is set to begin on April 15 in New York. Upon setting the trial date, Judge Juan Merchan granted Bragg’s request for a gag order to be imposed on Trump. “I just was informed that another corrupt New York Judge, Juan Merchan, GAGGED me so that I can not talk about the corruption and conflicts taking place in his courtroom with respect to a case that everyone, including the D.A., felt should never have been brought,” Trump posted. “They can talk about me, but I can’t talk about them??? That sounds fair, doesn’t it?” Trump said Merchan “should be recused, and the case should be thrown out.” “There has virtually never been a more conflicted judge than this one,” Trump posted. “ELECTION INTERFERENCE at its worst!” Merchan issued the order against Trump last week, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” TRUMP DEMANDS BIDEN ISSUE APOLOGY OVER ‘BLASPHEMOUS’ TRANS VISIBILITY DAY ON EASTER SUNDAY: ‘APPALLING’ Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation, or about counsel in the case – other than Bragg – or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror. The Trump campaign last week blasted the gag order as “unconstitutional,” saying it violates the First Amendment rights of Americans who follow Trump and listen to his speech. In the non-jury civil fraud trial stemming from James’ lawsuit, Engoron also imposed a gag order against Trump. Engoron said Trump violated that order twice, and forced him to pay a penalty. The charges against Trump in the Bragg case are related to alleged hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted not to charge Trump related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021. Meanwhile, the Biden campaign is trolling Trump as he returns to the campaign trail. “It’s been 14 days since Donald Trump had a campaign event at all,” Biden campaign rapid response director Ammar Mousa wrote in an email, with the subject line: “Donald Trump – welcome back to the trail.” Mousa said Trump’s trip to Michigan and Wisconsin “comes on the heels of a month where he’s losing ground, momentum, and money.” “One day away from the Mar A Lago sun deck isn’t going to fix it,” he wrote. The latest Fox News Poll shows Trump with an edge over Biden in a general election match-up. And another Fox News Poll asked voters if they are better off than they were four years ago. Only about 1 in 5 voters today answers yes, according to the latest Fox News national survey.
GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan launches Maryland bus tour as Dem candidates face off
FIRST ON FOX: Popular former Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a bus tour across Maryland as he campaigns for the state’s open Senate seat, while Democrats are divided over two candidates in what promises to be a close primary battle. Hogan’s “Back to Work Bus Tour” will begin its 10-day route on Friday and cover hundreds of miles, according to the campaign. “Our campaign is looking forward to hitting the road again and visiting communities all across the state,” Hogan said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “This 10-day tour will bring us directly to the people as we work together to fight for Maryland and send a message to Washington. Let’s get back to work!” RFK JR. DOUBLES DOWN ON WARNING BIDEN IS ‘MUCH WORSE’ THAN TRUMP: ‘GENUINE THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY’ The tour will be hitting everywhere from cities to some of the most rural areas of Maryland, taking the former governor to Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick and Carroll counties in just the first two days. The campaign’s tour kickoff coincides with the state beginning to send out mail-in ballots to voters for the May 14 primary elections. HILLARY CLINTON TELLS VOTERS DREADING TRUMP-BIDEN REMATCH TO ‘GET OVER YOURSELVES’: IT’S NOT A ‘HARD CHOICE’ One notable stop on the tour will be Hogan’s appearance in Montgomery County, one of the highest Democratic-voting counties in the state. He will be hosting a meet and greet for local business owners while there. Hogan served as Maryland governor from 2015 to 2023 and made history when he became only the second Republican in history to win two terms in the state upon his re-election in 2018. The last Republican to do that was elected in 1954. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, he was careful not to take anything for granted amid a favorable poll being released. “I would not put a lot of stock in polls right now,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to do.” A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll last month showed the former governor defeating both top Democrats in the running, Rep. David Trone, D-Md., and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Hogan beat Trone 49% to 37%, while he bested Alsobrooks 50% to 36%. RFK JR. EDGES AHEAD IN FAVORABILITY AGAINST BIDEN, TRUMP: AMERICANS WANT THE TRUTH Despite the survey, he noted Maryland hasn’t chosen a Republican senator, Charles Mathias, since former President Reagan was elected in 1980. While he is aware of the work necessary, Hogan is also confident that “if we work hard, we have the ability to get people to vote their hearts and vote for the person they think can do the job and not just vote straight party line.” BIDEN CAMPAIGN BELIEVES PRESIDENT CAN FLIP FLORIDA BLUE, CITING TRUMP LEGAL AND FINANCIAL WOES Hogan is widely expected to win the Republican primary for Senate, with one previous leading GOP candidate for the nomination dropping out and endorsing him shortly after his announcement. Retired Air Force Gen. John Teichert said in February, “I’ve come to the conclusion that it is not my time,” adding, “I’ve also come to the conclusion that it is Gov. Larry Hogan’s time.” However, Democrats aren’t as united in their choice of a nominee. The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll revealed that a plurality of registered Democrats weren’t decided on who they would support. Trone amassed 34%, who said they would support him if the election was today, and Alsobrooks boasted 27%. The two candidates have also managed to split federal Democrats, with a number of Congress members voicing support for each of them. But Trone is at an advantage in this area, as he has picked up coveted endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Pete Aguilar, D-Calif. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Hunter Biden attorney slams ‘abnormal way’ Special Counsel Weiss handled case after judge denies dismissal
Hunter Biden’s attorney blasted the decision by a federal judge who refused to dismiss tax charges against the first son, saying they will continue to fight the “abnormal way” Special Counsel David Weiss has handled the case. U.S. District Judge Marc Scarsi of Los Angeles rejected Hunter Biden’s request to dismiss the charges against him, after Weiss accused the first son of a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes. JUDGE REJECTS HUNTER BIDEN REQUEST TO TOSS FEDERAL TAX CHARGES Hunter Biden’s lawyers claimed in their motions to dismiss the charges that federal prosecutors caved to political pressure from Republicans. They also claimed the president’s son had immunity under a previous plea deal that he had negotiated, which later collapsed. “We strongly disagree with the Court’s decision and will continue to vigorously pursue Mr. Biden’s challenges to the abnormal way the Special Counsel handled this investigation and charged this case,” Biden attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement Tuesday. Weiss charged Hunter Biden in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020, while also filing false tax reports. The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Hunter “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” The special counsel alleged that Hunter “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that in 2018, he “stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015.” PROSECUTORS SLAM HUNTER BIDEN ATTORNEYS IN FEDERAL COURT: ‘YOU ATTACK THE FACTS’ Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all charges. Lowell, in court last week, argued that a diversion agreement on the tax charges was still in effect. The diversion agreement was included as part of the original plea deal that collapsed in July. Biden was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, which would have allowed him to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge. That deal fell apart during his last court appearance. The president’s son, in July, was then forced to plead not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge when the deal collapsed in court. Lowell is also seeking to dismiss gun charges Weiss brought against Biden in Delaware. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges in October. The trial in the tax case in California is tentatively scheduled to begin on June 20 with jury selection.
Biden, China’s Xi hold phone call on Taiwan, AI, trade
President Biden held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since July 2022 on Tuesday, the White House announced. The White House has yet to offer details about the call, but Biden and Xi were expected to discuss Taiwan, narcotics, artificial intelligence, and China’s support for Russia against Ukraine. The White House described the conversation as merely a “check-in” between the two leaders. Biden was not expected to bring up TikTok or the origins of COVID-19. Biden currently supports legislation in Congress that would ban TikTok unless it is sold to a company that is not beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby is expected to answer questions regarding the call during a press conference later Tuesday. BIDEN MEETS XI, SAYS THERE IS ‘NO SUBSTITUTE’ FOR ‘FACE-TO-FACE DISCUSSION’ ON ISSUES FACING US, CHINA Biden last spoke with Xi in person in November, their first public interaction since Biden took to referring to Xi as a “dictator” in June of last year. Biden used the term after the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy craft on the East Coast after allowing it to traverse the continental U.S. BIDEN ADMIN FAILING TO TRACK CHINESE OWNERSHIP OF US FARMLAND: GOVT WATCHDOG Biden again referred to Xi as a dictator in November last year as conversation around Taiwan heated up. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying issued a blunt warning at the time about America’s friendly relations with Taiwan, referring to the “Taiwan question” as “the most important and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations.” TAIWAN ELECTION: RULING PARTY CANDIDATE WINS TIGHTLY CONTESTED PRESIDENTIAL RACE, UPSETTING CHINA’S AMBITIONS “The U.S. side should take real actions to honor its commitment of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable,” she wrote in a post on X. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Biden has stated repeatedly in the past that the U.S. would intervene if China were to invade Taiwan, but the White House has walked back that statement each time. Fox News’ White House Unit contributed to this report.
McConnell putting ‘main part of my focus’ on opposing Russia in Ukraine: ‘A worldwide problem for democracies’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a local radio interview Monday that he is putting “the main part of my focus in the coming years” on opposing Russia in Ukraine, noting that it is “a worldwide problem for democracies.” Though he will not seek a Senate leadership role again, McConnell told NewsRadio 840 WHAS host Terry Meiners that he would continue to serve in the Senate through his whole term and will continue fighting against the “isolationist movement” in his own party and others, adding that “a symbol of that lately is that, are we going to help Ukraine or not?” “I think it’s extremely important that we do that. I’m not particularly a fan of the Biden administration, particularly the decision to run out of Afghanistan, which is like sending Putin a green light, but we are where we are, and the Europeans have stepped up,” McConnell said. “Most of the money that we are authorizing is being spent in this country, some of it in Kentucky, because we needed to rebuild our industrial base for what lies ahead with Russia, and now China as a national security problem. So I’ve got this sort of on my mind for the next couple of years.” McConnell said global democracy is in a precarious position, and not just as a result of terrorism experienced on 9/11 and beyond or the current Israel-Hamas war. KENTUCKY LAWMAKERS APPROVE BILL TO FILL SENATE VACANCY BY SPECIAL ELECTION RATHER THAN BY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR “In addition to the terrorist threats, we have big power competition. The Russians have become like the old Soviet Union. The Chinese – who are tough commercial competitors – have now become national security problems as well. It’s time for the democratic world to be unified,” McConnell said. “This is a worldwide problem for democracies, and they need our leadership, and we need their partnership, and so that’s where I’m going to put the main part of my focus in the coming years.” McConnell categorized his fellow U.S. senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, also a Republican, as an “isolationist.” MCCONNELL ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT AFTER SUPER TUESDAY RESULTS: ‘HE WILL HAVE MY SUPPORT‘ Paul has argued that the United States has no national security interest in Ukraine, and that it is not the United States’ role to defend Ukraine against its “longtime adversary.” “We’re not losing any of our troops,” McConnell countered during the radio interview. “The Ukrainians are the ones doing the fighting. If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country will be next, and then we will be right in the middle of it. So, I think on the fact basis, this is absolutely what we ought to do, and we just disagree on this.” “I’m going to concentrate, as I’ve said, inside on this isolationist issue, and outside on trying to get us to the majority in the Senate,” McConnell added. “Do you feel like there’s an end in sight for the Ukraine battle?” the host asked the senator. “It’s very, very important. I think this is the most dangerous time for the free world since right after the Berlin Wall fell down,” McConnell said. “People have always been reluctant. My party tends to be isolationist when there’s a Democrat in the White House. You know most Republicans voted against Lend-Lease going into World War II, and Pearl Harbor straightened that out.”
House Republicans eye crackdown on family-sponsored immigration
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans are eyeing a crackdown on certain legal immigration pathways to the United States, citing “exploitation and abuse” of the system. Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill called the “Nuclear Family Priority Act” aimed at limiting who can get family-sponsored immigrant visas. Critics call the abuse of the family-sponsored system “chain migration.” “Unrestricted chain migration has allowed for the inexcusable exploitation and abuse of our immigration system. I’m proud to introduce this bill that will help restore the rule of law, prevent our nation from being overburdened, and bolster our national security,” Crane told Fox News Digital. MASSACHUSETTS CLOSES COMMUNITY CENTER TO PUBLIC TO SHELTER MIGRANTS, PROMPTING BACKLASH “I’m grateful to former Rep. Jody Hice for introducing this bill last Congress and to the cosponsors who have joined me in introducing it this Congress,” Crane said. If passed, the bill would eliminate extended, non-nuclear family visa categories as well as limit eligibility for family-sponsored visas to nuclear family members only – typically consisting of just spouses and their children. It would also reduce the baseline yearly cap for new family-sponsored visas, which is currently 480,000, according to the National Immigration Forum. Special circumstances would be considered for visa applicants aiming to care for their U.S.-based parents. GOP SENATOR FUMES OVER BIDEN ADMIN PROVIDING VETERAN MEDICAL RESOURCES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS The bill is backed by GOP hardliners, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., who is among its cosponsors. Others include Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.; Bill Posey, R-Fla.; Mary Miller, R-Ill.; and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn. According to the State Department, family immigration visas are separated into two main categories: immediate relatives and family preference. Immediate relatives would be spouses, children or parents of the person applying for the visa. The Department’s website states, “The number of immigrants in these categories is not limited each fiscal year.” Crane’s bill would remove parents from that list, according to text obtained by Fox News Digital. SALVADORAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO MARYLAND MURDER OF 2-YEAR-OLD BOY Family preference refers to “specific, more distant, family relationships with a U.S. citizen and some specified relationships with a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR)” including parents, children, siblings, and spouses. Permanent residents are limited to spouses and unmarried children. Immigrant visas in this category are capped, according to the State Department. Critics of the system have argued that people overstaying their visas after coming to the U.S. through a family member are helping fuel the ongoing migrant crisis. There are as many as 16.8 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a conservative-leaning think tank.
RFK Jr.’s running mate an ‘unknown quantity’ with ‘deep pockets’ as GOP, Dems fear spoiler campaign: experts
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, presents several areas of appeal to key constituencies for both President Biden and former President Trump, as Democrats and Republicans look to stave off Kennedy’s campaign for president. “Shanahan is an unknown quantity,” said Kevin Madden, former senior adviser to Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. “If she can bring a fresh, dynamic approach to the campaign, she has a chance to tap into a very real market of voters who want anything but a 2020 rematch.” Last week, Kennedy announced the 38-year-old attorney, tech entrepreneur and mother as the vice president on his 2024 ticket. The campaign had to announce a running mate to begin gathering signatures to gain ballot access in several states. REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS PANIC TO QUICKLY DEFINE ‘SPOILER’ CANDIDATE RFK JR Lisa Bryant, political science department chairwoman at California State University, Fresno said, “She will likely help draw some attention to the campaign from women voters and possibly first-gen voters and [people of color] as people become more familiar with her.” Who exactly Shanahan will appeal to, and which candidate that in turn hurts, remains unknown. Like Kennedy, his running mate has some qualities that align with those on the left and others that do so on the right. “The only candidate that… I really don’t think any Moms for Liberty members are going to vote for would be Joe Biden,” said Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice in an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday. FORMER RNC CHAIR REINCE PRIEBUS CRITICIZES NBC FOR ‘HUGE FAILURE’ ON RONNA MCDANIEL DEBACLE Kennedy was slated to speak to the conservative group at their Philadelphia summit last summer when he was still running against Biden in the Democratic primary. However, Justice said he backed out at the last minute, which disappointed members who were interested in hearing from him. Now, Kennedy is running as an independent, and Justice explained that there is still a level of interest in his campaign from some members, pointing specifically to mothers whose children may have suffered injuries allegedly from vaccines. Bryant claimed Shanahan’s “vaccine skepticism” could be more attractive to “right-leaning voters,” but added, “she might also appeal to those on the left who still believe vaccines are linked to autism.” David Darmofal, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina, reiterated that Shanahan is not well-known, remarking she “probably doesn’t have the name recognition to currently draw disproportionately from either Democratic- or Republican-leaning voters.” He explained that she could likely “reinforce Kennedy’s anti-system message and provide help for the campaign with donations.” BIDEN IS TRYING TO ‘HAVE IT BOTH WAYS’ WITH RADICALS, MODERATES: SEAN DUFFY Madden wasn’t sure whether Trump or Biden would be more affected by Kennedy and Shanahan’s ticket. But he explained that regardless, Shanahan fits the profile of some of the most important voters in November: suburban women in critical battleground counties. It’s not yet clear what level of impact Shanahan’s involvement could have on this core constituency, he explained. Currently, Trump is at a disadvantage with women, who were credited with delivering Biden the win in 2020. According to a March Quinnipiac poll, Biden is winning with women as a whole and with White women, who previously swung for Trump in 2016. In the survey, 48% of female registered voters said they supported Biden, while 30% chose Trump and 12% opted for Kennedy. Among White women, 46% stuck with Biden, 33% said they would vote for Trump and 13% would choose Kennedy. As 2024 appears poised to be a rematch of 2020, strategists have highlighted women, specifically suburban and in battleground states, as one of the most critical voting groups. Madden, who has experience with running mate decisions, emphasized the importance of chemistry between those on the ticket. At the end of the day, he stressed that they needed to like each other. According to Democratic strategist Eric Koch, Kennedy’s selection had more to do with finances than any kind of voter appeal. She “can help him buy ballot access,” he said, adding that voters won’t be swayed by Kennedy’s “scam.” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Matt Corridoni, who the Biden campaign referred Fox News Digital to when asked for comment, echoed this. “She has money they can use to help buy their way onto the ballot.” TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATE FOR NORTH DAKOTA’S LONE HOUSE SEAT GETS BOOST FROM VIVEK RAMASWAMY But political scientists noted that Shanahan’s money provides an important resource for Kennedy. “She can give unlimited amounts of money to the campaign,” explained Christopher Devine, a University of Dayton assistant professor of political science and co-author of “Do Running Mates Matter?” With her, Kennedy has “a much better chance of getting on state ballots across the country and winning a larger share of the national popular vote,” he said. She “has deep pockets and Silicon Valley connections,” said Bernard Tamas, an associate political science professor at Valdosta State University and author of “The Demise and Rebirth of American Third Parties.” And despite the Kennedy campaign’s lack of “the structure of a typically successful third party,” Shanahan’s money puts them in a better position than many other independent bids, he said. Her value may only be in the short term, however. “As someone who likewise has no political experience, she is a poor choice for Kennedy in the long term,” Devine claimed. “Her effectiveness will largely depend on how voters respond to her as they learn more and see her in action over the course of the campaign,” said Madden. Bryant agreed, noting her presentation on the trail “will be the real test.” In a statement, Kennedy press secretary Stefanie Spear said, “We are neither right nor left, neither liberal nor conservative. The key policy positions that Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Shanahan share defy those categories.” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung felt differently. “RFK Jr. is a radical leftist,” he claimed. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more