Lawmakers weigh moving bingo operations out of Texas Lottery’s purview amid agency’s uncertain future
A possible reassignment of the charitable games comes as 15 bills in the Legislature seek to either alter or abolish the troubled agency.
Trump says he’ll speak with Putin in call to push for truce in Ukraine
President Donald Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about the final points of a deal to end the war in Ukraine. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said many “elements” of the Final Agreement” have been agreed to “but much remains.” “Thousands of young soldiers, and others, are being killed. Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths, from both sides, and it must end NOW,” Trump wrote. “I look very much forward to the call with President Putin.” TRUMP, PUTIN CALL EXPECTED THIS WEEK, AS ADMIN EDGES CLOSER TO RUSSIA-UKRAINE CEASEFIRE DEAL: WITKOFF Some points of discussion could involed territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Trump administration has been working on a deal to end the three-year war. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reportedly said that the Kremlin wants an “ironclad” guarantee that Ukraine will be prohibited from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “we have never been closer to peace,” as the U.S. waits for Russia’s answer on a 30-day ceasefire agreement. Ukraine accepted the deal earlier in the week after a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia, on the condition that Moscow commits to the plan. PUTIN IN NO RUSH TO FOLLOW ‘TRUMP TIME’ CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for tougher sanctions on Russia and accused Putin of trying to drag out the peace talks to prolong the war. “It’s clear to everyone in the world—even to those who refused to acknowledge the truth for the past three years—that it is Putin who continues to drag out this war,” the Ukrainian leader wrote Monday on X. “For a week now, Putin has been unable to squeeze out ‘yes’ to the ceasefire proposal. He’s saying whatever he wants, but not what the whole world wants to hear.” He called for world leaders to pressure Moscow into ending the conflict. “The unconditional ceasefire proposal is essentially about saving lives, allowing diplomats to work on ensuring security and a lasting peace—the proposal that Russia is ignoring,” he said. “Pressure is needed to finally make Moscow accept that their war must be brought to an end.”
Texas lawmakers seek to transfer University of Houston-Victoria to Texas A&M system
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, said Texas A&M is better positioned to grow the Victoria school and serve the region’s petrochemical and agriculture industries.
Political geography: quarrelling NYC neighbors a country mile apart on Trump-era policy
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reside just a few blocks from one another as you traverse from Prospect Heights to Park Slope in Brooklyn. But political observers suspect there’s practically a bridge of political distance spanning between the two Brooklyn Democrats now. Schumer decided to help Republicans break a filibuster and forestall a government shutdown last week. Schumer’s decision triggered howls of derision from House Democrats who were practically unified in their opposition to the GOP spending package. Schumer and nine other Democrats voted to break the filibuster. That sent many Democrats into a fit of apoplexy. Distance and geography helps us understand this perceived chasm between Schumer and Jeffries. It’s a solid 40 miles from the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. After the House voted to approve the emergency spending bill last Tuesday, Democrats high-tailed it to Leesburg for their annual issues retreat. Jeffries and other Democratic leaders held a press conference on the first day. Other Democrats spoke at nine news conference on the succeeding days. TOP HOUSE DEMOCRAT LEAVES SCHUMER IN THE COLD AMID LEFT’S DISARRAY ON SHUTDOWN DRAMA But back on Capitol Hill last Friday, Jeffries and other Democratic leaders would speed back from Leesburg for a news conference just before the vote to break a filibuster on the spending measure. Schumer asserted that sidestepping a government shutdown was the lesser of two evils. He argued that a shutdown would further empower President Trump and Elon Musk to slash the federal workforce and shutter departments. Jeffries wasn’t buying it. And he needed to signal to House Democrats about what side he was on. “House Democrats remain strongly opposed to the partisan Republican spending bill that will hurt families, hurt veterans, hurt seniors, and hurt the American people,” said Jeffries. “It is a false choice that Donald Trump, Elon Musk and House Republicans have been presenting.” Schumer and Jeffries spoke after the top Democrat in the Senate announced he would reluctantly vote to break a filibuster – and bring several Democratic colleagues along with him. Republicans control the Senate. But they only have 53 votes. Sixty votes are necessary to crush a filibuster. That’s where Democrats come in. And Schumer relented. SCHUMER UNDER FIRE FROM DEMOCRATS FOR SUPPORTING REPUBLICAN SPENDING BILL, FUELING LEADERSHIP CONCERNS: REPORT “Is it time for new leadership in the Senate,” asked Chase Williams of Fox Business to Jeffries at the hastily arranged House Democratic leadership news conference on Capitol Hill. “Next question,” replied Jeffries. Another reporter tried a different approach. “Have you lost confidence in him, the fact that you guys see this so differently,” asked the reporter. “Next question,” echoed Jeffries. What’s unsaid is often what speaks the loudest in politics. That’s what was so striking about Jeffries’ identical responses when asked about his fellow Brooklynite. Again, Jeffries seethed about the bill and how Schumer caved to the Republicans. Otherwise, he and other Democratic leaders wouldn’t have hustled back to Capitol Hill from suburban Virginia to blast the legislation. DEMOCRATS BLAST SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER FOR BACKING GOP SPENDING BILL Yours truly wanted to follow up after the press conference, given Jeffries’ direct reticence about Schumer. “Why were you afraid to say anything about Schumer when you were asked?” I questioned Jeffries as he walked out of the House Radio/TV Gallery studio. Jeffries demeanor is usually cooler than a swirled Mister Softee cone under a shade tree in Prospect Park in August. But after my question, Jeffries stopped in his tracks and flashed a hint of anger. “Don’t characterize! No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No,” admonished Jeffries, “But my question was, why are you afraid to say anything?” I interjected. “Do not characterize my remarks. I’m not afraid about anything. Anything!” said Jeffries. “You went to another question,” I noted. “I said I was very clear that we look forward to working with every single one of our Senate Democratic colleagues. Every single one of them who pushed back against the Trump administration. Every single one of them. It’s very clear,” said Jeffries. MSNBC PANEL GRILLS SCHUMER FOR SUPPORTING GOP SPENDING BILL So Jeffries had the fine line to walk. Incinerate the interim spending bill. Show rank-and-file Democrats how unhappy he was with what the Senate was doing. Yet be careful about what he says about Schumer. But as we said, what’s unsaid often speaks the loudest. Jeffries demonstrated his displeasure. But frankly, Jeffries didn’t have to say much. Just returning to the Capitol said everything. And doing so right after getting an earful from House Democrats about Schumer’s maneuver may have scored Jeffries some points. So, back to the questions at the House Democratic leadership press conference… “Is it time for new leadership in the Senate?” And, has Jeffries “lost confidence” in Schumer? The second interrogative is not as important. Democrats nationally – if not Senate Democrats – will determine what they want to do with Schumer. If anything. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., opposed the interim spending bill. Warner was torn because he represents so many federal workers in northern Virginia. DEMOCRATS LASH OUT AT SCHUMER FOR ‘BETRAYAL’ OF SIDING WITH TRUMP “Are you going to issue a statement on Schumer’s leadership?” asked one reporter of Warner after the vote to fund the government. “Is Leader Schumer the right leader in this moment,” asked another. “I have faith in Chuck Schumer,” replied Warner. Scribes asked similar questions of Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., following the vote. “We also need to figure out how to use our leverage,” said Heinrich. In other words, some Democrats believed the interim spending bill was an inflection point. They might not be able to stop President Trump and Congressional Republicans from approving the “big, beautiful bill” to slash spending and cut taxes. But they could have shuttered the government by filibustering the spending plan because it failed to reflect any major Democratic priorities. They needed to stand up.
Trump revokes Secret Service protection for adult Biden children Hunter and Ashley
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that former President Joe Biden’s adult children will no longer receive U.S. Secret Service protection. In a Truth Social post, Trump remarked that Hunter Biden has received Secret Service protection for an “extended period of time.” “There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous!” Trump wrote. “Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection.” WHO IS SEAN CURRAN? HEAD OF TRUMP’S PERSONAL DETAIL TO BE NOMINATED FOR SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR Ashley Biden, Hunter’s sister, will have her Secret Service protection revoked as well. Trump noted that 13 agents were assigned to her security detail. “We are aware of the President’s decision to terminate protection for Hunter and Ashley Biden,” the Secret Service told Fox News Digital. “The Secret Service will comply and is actively working with the protective details and the White House to ensure compliance as soon as possible.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Hunter Biden’s lawyers. Former presidents and their spouses receive life-long Secret Service protection under federal law, but the protection afforded to their immediate families over the age of 16 ends when they leave office, though both Trump and Biden extended the details for their children for six months before leaving office, the Associated Press reported. Former President Biden allowed Baron Trump to keep his Secret Service protection after his 16th birthday. SECRET SERVICE STRUGGLE TO PROTECT PRESIDENTS WON’T SEE ‘IMMEDIATE’ END EVEN WITH MORE MANPOWER: RETIRED AGENT In his post, Trump said Biden was vacationing in South Africa, which has come under intense pressure from the administration over its land exploration law that allows the government to make land seizures without compensation and its support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and Iran, Trump said the seizures discriminate against White land owners. “Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance,” Trump wrote. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome” in the country. In a Friday webinar, Ebrahim Rasool talked of the Trump administration’s crackdowns on diversity and equity programs and immigration. “The supremacist assault on incumbency, we see it in the domestic politics of the U.S.A., the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement, as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct, but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the U.S.A. in which the voting electorate in the U.S.A. is projected to become 48% white,” the South African ambassador said. Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates Trump. In a post on X, Rubio declared the South African diplomat “persona non grata.”
Trump nominates Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to lead the FAA, appoints new military academy boards
President Donald Trump tapped airline executive Bryan Bedford to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday. Bedford has been the CEO of Indiana-based regional airline Republic Airways since 2007. In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump wrote that he was “pleased” to announce Bedford’s nomination as the FAA’s administrator. “As the former President and CEO of Republic Airways, Mesaba Airlines, and Business Express Airlines, Brian brings over three decades of experience in Aviation and Executive Leadership to this critical position,” Trump’s post read. Bedford will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before he begins work at the FAA. The president also referenced Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, noting that Bedford will work with him. PLANE CRASHES IN RETIREMENT COMMUNITY’S PARKING LOT IN PENNSYLVANIA: OFFICIALS “Bryan will work with our GREAT Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, to strongly reform the Agency, safeguard our exports, and ensure the safety of nearly one billion annual passenger movements,” Trump’s post noted. “Congratulations Bryan!” The recent announcement comes as the Trump administration continues its overhaul of the FAA, which involved laying off hundreds of workers in February. The agency attracted scrutiny after the Jan. 29 Potomac River midair collision at Reagan National Airport near D.C., which killed 67 people. “We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system,” Trump said at the time. “Only the highest aptitude — you have to be the highest intellect — and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers.” Following Trump’s announcement about Bedford, he also named new appointees to serve on military academy boards. PLANE CAUGHT ON CAMERA CRASHING INTO NEW ENGLAND NEIGHBORHOOD, NARROWLY MISSING HOMES “Our Great United States Air Force Academy will soon have an incredible Board of Visitors, composed of Doug Nikolai, Dan Clark, Senator Tommy Tuberville, Charlie Kirk, and Dina Powell. Congratulations,” Trump wrote. “Completing my list of appointments to the United States Naval Academy, I am happy to announce that the full Board will consist of Sean Spicer, Walt Nauta, Congressman ‘Doc Ronnie’ Jackson, Congressman Derek Van Order, Senator Tim Sheehy, and Earl Ehrhart,” the president added. “Congratulations to you all!” Trump also named the new members of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s Board of Visitors. “Major General David Bellavia, Lieutenant General Dan Walrath, General Michael Flynn, Congressman Wesley Hunt, Maureen Bannon, and Meghan Mobbs are hereby appointed to the Board,” Trump said. “They will make our Country proud. Congratulations to all!” In another Monday post, Trump declared that April 2 would be observed as Liberation Day in America, “because we will start taking back some of the vast wealth that has been taken from us due to the many weak, incompetent, and perhaps even dishonest politicians who have represented us in the past!”
US judge orders Trump lawyers to testify under oath about deportation flights
A federal judge on Monday denied the Trump administration’s request to call off a court hearing involving President Donald Trump’s use of a wartime law to deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals, and whether the White House knowingly violated the court order – an extraordinary effort that came just moments before administration officials were due to testify under oath. The Justice Department’s filing came shortly after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered lawyers to court Monday for a “fact-finding hearing” involving Trump’s use of the 1798 wartime-era Alien Enemies Act, and whether the Trump administration knowingly violated his earlier court order blocking the Trump administration from invoking the law to immediately deport Venezuelan nationals and alleged members of violent gang Tren de Aragua, for 14 days. The law has only been used three times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II. During Monday’s hearing, which lasted about 45 minutes, Judge Boasberg at times appeared frustrated as he pressed government lawyers for more details as to why his Saturday order—which called for the administration to immediately return all planes with expelled migrants, including the Venezuelan nationals and alleged Tren de Aragua gang members—were not brought back to the U.S. “My orders don’t seem to carry much weight,” Jude Boasberg said near the end of the hearing. Both parties are due back in court Friday for a hearing over the Trump administration’s request to vacate the case. WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS? During the hearing, the Trump administration repeatedly declined to provide information to Judge Boasberg about how many flights carrying migrants took off on Saturday, citing national security protections. “Those are operational issues, and I am not at liberty to provide information,” a lawyer for the Trump administration told the court. Judge Boasberg, in response, ordered the Justice Department to provide the court with more information in writing by Tuesday at noon. In granting the emergency order Saturday Boasberg sided with the plaintiffs – Democracy Forward and the ACLU – who had argued that the deportations would likely pose imminent and “irreparable” harm to the migrants under the time proposed. TRUMP POLICY ON BORDER JUMPERS EMPOWERS USE OF ‘MAXIMUM CONSEQUENCES,’ BORDER AGENT TELLS FOX Judge Boasberg also ordered the Trump administration Saturday to immediately halt any planned deportations, and to notify their clients that “any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” he said. But the decision apparently came too late to stop a plane filled with more than 200 migrants who were deported to El Salvador. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in an interview that a plane carrying hundreds of migrants, including more than 130 persons removed under the Alien Enemies Act, had already “left U.S. airspace” by the time the order was handed down. She also suggested the order itself was not “lawful” and noted the Trump administration’s intent to appeal. In response, the ACLU asked the court to order the government to submit declarations, under oath, that the planes had indeed taken off after the court’s order. “Whether or not the planes had cleared U.S. territory, the U.S. retained custody at least until the planes landed and the individuals were turned over to foreign governments,” the ACLU said in their filing. Judge Boasberg, an Obama appointee, at times appeared slightly incredulous that the Trump administration chose to move forward with the deportation of hundreds of migrants to El Salvador, pressing lawyers for the Justice Department over whether they believed there were better options than to comply with the decision he handed down Saturday. “Isn’t then the better course, to return the planes to the United States and figure out what to do, than to say, ‘We don’t care, we’ll do what we want?’” he asked.
Trump announces he will release 80,000 JFK assassination files on Tuesday, going to be ‘very interesting’
President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he would release around 80,000 unredacted files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Tuesday. Trump made the announcement while touring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. “While we’re here, I thought it would be appropriate, we are, tomorrow, announcing and giving all of the Kennedy files. So, people have been waiting for decades for this, and I’ve instructed my people… lots of different people, [director of national intelligence] Tulsi Gabbard, that they must be released tomorrow,” he said. “You got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything. I said, ‘just don’t redact, you can’t redact,’” the president said. DEADLINE LOOMS FOR RELEASE OF JFK ASSASSINATION FILES He noted that the files would be “very interesting.” In January, Trump signed an executive order directing the release of federal government documents related to the assassinations of Kennedy, former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO DECLASSIFY FILES ON JFK, RFK AND MLK ASSASSINATIONS Trump had promised to release the previously classified documents during his 2024 campaign after decades of speculation and conspiracy theories about the killings. “Everything will be revealed,” Trump told reporters at the time. During his first term in office, Trump promised to release all the files related to John F. Kennedy, but an undisclosed amount of material remains under wraps more than six decades after Kennedy was killed Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. The primary suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, was killed two days later by Jack Ruby. After appeals from the CIA and FBI, Trump blocked the release of hundreds of records. Trump said at the time the potential harm to U.S. national security, law enforcement or foreign affairs is “of such gravity that it outweighs the public interest in immediate disclosure.” The JFK assassination has remained a point of interest among the public for decades amid conspiracy theories about the involvement of a second shooter.
Number of injunctions halting Trump policies trounces predecessors by double
Nationwide injunctions ordered against the first Trump administration account for more than half of the total injunctions ordered against the federal government since 1963, data show. Nationwide injunctions are court orders that prevent the federal government from implementing a policy or law that has a cascading effect impacting the entire country, not just the parties involved in the court case. Trump’s first administration faced 64 injunctions out of the total 127 nationwide injunctions issued since 1963. There were 32 injunctions issued against the Bush, Obama and Biden administrations collectively since 2001, meaning the first Trump administration was on the receiving end of double the amount of nationwide injunctions than his two predecessors and successor combined, according to the April 2024 edition of the Harvard Law Review. The Harvard Law Review found there were six injunctions issued against the Bush administration, 12 against the Obama administration and 14 against the Biden administration. TRUMP ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW BAN ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January has brought with it more than 120 lawsuits from activists, government employees and others targeting his executive orders and actions. The lawsuits have resulted in nationwide injunctions in some cases, including 15 in February alone, according to Trump’s acting solicitor general, Sarah Harris. Trump filed an emergency appeal Thursday asking the Supreme Court to narrow three injunctions that were issued to halt Trump’s nullification of birthright citizenship. The emergency appeal requests the injunction only cover individuals directly impacted by the relevant courts. INJUNCTION LIFTED ON TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS SLASHING FEDERAL DEI SUPPORT Harris argued in the emergency appeal that nationwide injunctions have hit “epidemic proportions” under the second Trump administration, noting that the federal government faced 14 universal injunctions in the first three years of the Biden administration compared to 15 leveled against the Trump admin in one month alone. “Years of experience have shown that the Executive Branch cannot properly perform its functions if any judge anywhere can enjoin every presidential action everywhere,” Harris wrote. Officials in the first Trump administration also railed against the flow of injunctions ordered against the 45th president’s policies and laws, including the former chiefs of the Department of Justice. “Courts issued an average of only 1.5 nationwide injunctions per year against the Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush administrations, and 2.5 per year against the Obama administration,” former Assistant Attorney General Beth Williams said in February 2019. “In President Trump’s first year in office, however, judges issued a whopping 20 nationwide injunctions – an eightfold increase. This matches the entire eight-year total of such injunctions issued against President Obama during his two terms. We are now at 30, matching the total number of injunctions issued against the first 42 presidents combined.” FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY STOPS TRUMP ADMIN FROM FIRING 11 INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO DEI PROGRAMS Former Trump administration Attorney General Bill Barr added in remarks later in 2019 that there were “only 27 nationwide injunctions in all of the 20th century” compared to 37, at the time, against the first Trump administration. “Since President Trump took office, federal district courts have issued 37 nationwide injunctions against the Executive Branch. That’s more than one a month. By comparison, during President Obama’s first two years, district courts issued two nationwide injunctions against the Executive Branch, both of which were vacated by the Ninth Circuit. And according to the Department’s best estimates, courts issued only 27 nationwide injunctions in all of the 20th century,” the former AG said in May 2019. TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERY Harvard Law Review found that the judges who issued the injunctions against the first Trump administration were overwhelmingly ordered by judges who were appointed by a Democrat. Democratic-appointed judges ordered 92.2% of the injunctions against the Trump administration, meaning just five of the 64 injunctions were ordered by Republican-appointed judges. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Republican-appointed judges ordered all 14 of the nationwide injunctions against the federal government under the Biden administration. Injunctions under the Bush and Obama eras were much more bipartisan, with 50% of the injunctions in the Bush era issued by Democratic-appointed judges, and Republican-appointed judges ordering 58.3% of the 12 injunctions in the Obama era. Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Trump surrogate Corrin Rankin picked to lead blue state’s GOP: ‘Make California Great Again’
California Republicans, energized by district gains made during the 2024 general election, selected their new party leader, Corrin Rankin, a former surrogate for President Donald Trump, over the weekend at the CAGOP annual convention in Sacramento. She is the first-ever Black woman to hold the position, and she’s pro-MAGA. “It’s time to end the Democrats’ one-party rule and make California great again,” the new CAGOP chair said to delegates after her win on Sunday. In an interview with Fox News Digital on Monday, Rankin said there is “an outcry for commonsense politicians in California” and that the party, which has noticeably been given new life by Trump, is strongly aligned with the president’s national agenda. It’s an uphill battle against the state’s deep-blue Democrat trifecta, but it’s one that Rankin has her eyes set on as she prepares to lead the party under a second Trump term. NEWSOM’S ‘UNFAIR’ REMARK ON GIRLS’ SPORTS BELIES RECORD AS GOVERNOR: ‘ABSOLUTE BULLS—‘ “I’ve worked on every single one of his campaigns for the past 10 years, and I have a great relationship with the Trump administration, and I plan to continue that,” Rankin said. “I want to welcome President Trump. We want to invite him to California. We would like to see him here as many times as we can.” In the 2024 general election, Trump flipped several California counties red that had supported former President Joe Biden in 2020. Those counties include Butte, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin and Stanislaus. “A lot of people are favoring his policies show that through the campaign, a lot of counties flipped from blue to red, and a lot of voters voted for the top of the ticket,” said Rankin, who was the 2016 statewide coalition director for African Americans for Trump. “They voted for President Trump, and that goes across the aisle, people were voting for him.” NEWSOM CALLS BIOLOGICAL MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS ‘DEEPLY UNFAIR’ IN PODCAST WITH CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST Rankin said there’s an “underlying change” occurring in California, as the party is hopeful it can make the state less blue while more voters move to the center. The new GOP chair pointed to the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, Daniel Lurie, who is “a lot more moderate than the former mayor, London Breed,” as an example of that change. “I think that California is moving from the far left and more towards the center, and as the California Republicans, it’s our job to make sure that we are offering solutions, that we’re articulating our policies and our vision and how we want to represent our constituents,” Rankin said. The economy and public safety are going to be two major platform issues for the CAGOP moving forward, Rankin added. California has some of the highest state income and business taxes in the nation, and Republican lawmakers have doubled down in recent years, introducing bills to address affordability and the uptick in crime across the state’s major cities. The Golden State will hold its gubernatorial election in November 2026, with the next governor replacing termed-limited Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom. Rankin said the CAGOP has not favored any candidates yet and is waiting to see the full landscape of candidates who throw their hat in the race. NEWSOM SIGNS $50M ‘TRUMP-PROOFING’ LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE Regarding Trump’s contentious relationship with Newsom, who signed a $50 million package bolstering the state’s legal defense against potential threats from the administration, Rankin said the CAGOP’s role will be contributing to the “ongoing conversation” between state and national politics. “We’re going to make sure that our message is heard and that our message resonates with Californians and [Californians] know and understand the position of California Republicans,” Rankin said. “And I think, at the end of the day, we take a look at Prop. 36 and how it passed overwhelmingly, and that was a Republican-led initiative to make sure that we are fighting back on these Newsom-led soft-on-crime policies; and Californians overwhelmingly voted with us, so we’re going to take that same approach to every single issue.”