Missouri wins $24B judgment against China in COVID lawsuit
A federal judge on Friday ruled in favor of Missouri in the state’s $24 billion lawsuit against China’s Communist Party that accused it of hoarding protective supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. “This is a landmark victory for Missouri and the United States in the fight to hold China accountable for unleashing COVID-19 on the world,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. “China refused to show up to court, but that doesn’t mean they get away with causing untold suffering and economic devastation. We intend to collect every penny by seizing Chinese-owned assets, including Missouri farmland.” Bailey’s office said the judgment was six times larger than the previous largest judgment in the state’s history. 5 YEARS AFTER COVID, AMERICANS ARE SPLIT OF WHETHER IT’S STILL A THREAT Judge Stephen Limbaugh said in his ruling that the “Court finds that Missouri has provided evidence satisfactory to the Court to establish each Defendant’s liability to Missouri under Count IV of Plaintiff’s Complaint. The Court therefore enters a judgment against Defendants, jointly and severally, in the amount of $24,488,825,457.00, plus postjudgment interest.” The People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party of China, the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the People’s Government of Hubei Province, the People’s Government of Wuhan City, the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences were all named as defendants in the lawsuit. NEW BAT CORONAVIRUS DISCOVERED IN CHINA SPARKS PANDEMIC CONCERNS Bailey also wrote on X Friday, “Hey China, You owe Missouri $24 BILLION. I just won a judgment in court. Pay up — or we start seizing assets and farmland.” The ruling comes five years after former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt sued China for “obstructing the production, purchase, and export of critical medical equipment, including PPE, during the pandemic,” Bailey’s office wrote. A court of appeals ruled in Missouri’s favor in January, overturning a lower court ruling that threw out the lawsuit. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The appeals court ruled, however, that the lawsuit must be limited to accusations of supply hoarding after the lawsuit previously accused China of hiding information about the origins of the pandemic.
South Carolina man faces federal charges for allegedly threatening to assassinate Trump
A 47-year-old South Carolina man faces federal charges after he allegedly threatened to kill President Donald Trump. Travis Keith Lang, 47, of Irmo, South Carolina, was arraigned on federal charges Friday in a Columbia courthouse after being arrested Thursday. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bond. Lang is being held at the Lexington County Detention Center, according to WLTX-TV. NEW BOOK DETAILS SECURITY LAPSES AHEAD OF TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: ‘CLEAR THERE WAS A PROBLEM’ Lang’s indictment, filed Tuesday, said he had threatened to “take the life of, to kidnap, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States.” The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the allegations. Lang is scheduled to next appear in court for a March 14 bond hearing. SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR CURRAN ‘CONFIDENT’ THE AGENCY WILL SOLVE FAILED TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS Last year, Lang filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president as a Republican, but he was not on the Republican primary ballot in South Carolina or anywhere else, and the only donation he received was for $6,000 from himself, according to FEC filings. He could face up to five years in prison, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported, citing the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina. Lang’s Facebook page still says “Travis Lang for President,” and his picture on his social media accounts is a split of his face and Abraham Lincoln. He has also been critical of former President Joe Biden, at one point in 2023 writing on Facebook that Congress should begin articles of impeachment against him. A U.S. attorney this week told a judge that Lang had previously made multiple threats to both Trump and Biden, the newspaper reported, adding that the Secret Service had visited him to tell him to stop making threats. Lang referenced the Secret Service visit on his social media, claiming it was sent there because Biden got “scared” when Lang decided to run for president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The threats come after Trump faced two assassination attempts last year, including when he was grazed in the ear by a bullet while speaking at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Office and the Secret Service for comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bosnia’s top court suspends separatist laws adopted by Bosnian Serbs
Laws passed by the autonomous Republika Srpska region reject the authority of the federal police and judiciary. Bosnia’s Constitutional Court has suspended legislation passed by the autonomous Republika Srpska region which rejects the authority of the federal police and judiciary on its territory. The court said on Friday that it was “temporarily suspending” the laws that Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik pushed through the regional parliament earlier this week. The laws were passed days after a court in Sarajevo sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and banned from office for six years for refusing to comply with decisions made by Christian Schmidt – the international high representative charged with overseeing Bosnia’s peace accords. Since the end of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic conflict in the 1990s, the country has consisted of two autonomous regions – Republika Srpska and a Muslim-Croat federation, which are linked by a weak central government. Bosnian officials say that Dodik’s laws violate the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the country’s 1992-95 war, binding the two entities under joint institutions, including the army, top courts and tax authorities. Advertisement Dodik on Thursday said he would ignore a summons from Bosnian state prosecutors investigating him for allegedly undermining the country’s constitutional order. On Friday, he doubled down on his separatist drive, calling on ethnic Serbs to quit the federal police force and courts and join the government of Republika Srpska. “We have ensured them a job, while preserving their legal status, ranks, and positions. They will receive the same salary, or even a higher salary than they had,” said Dodik. Dodik later added there were no plans for violent escalation but insisted that Republika Srpska had “the ability to defend itself, and we will do that”. On Friday, local media reported that the Bosnian Serb Republic’s police had forced federal agents from the State Information and Protection Agency (SIPA) out of their premises in the city of Banja Luka. But SIPA head Darko Culum later labelled the reports incorrect, insisting that the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was “stable and calm”. The situation in Republika Srpska remained tense on Friday. The Srebrenica Memorial Centre – where most of the 8,000 victims killed by ethnic Serb forces in July 1995 are buried – said it had closed its doors “until further notice”, citing uncertainty triggered by the ongoing political crisis. “This decision has been made due to the inability to ensure adequate security guarantees for our employees, collaborators, guests, and visitors,” said the centre, which is located in the village of Potocari, in an online statement. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
What’s behind the political crisis in Bosnia Herzegovina?
Bosnian Serb leader ignoring conviction, including jail sentence. A deepening political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Republika Srpska, the autonomous Serb region, bans state police and the judiciary after its leader is convicted of undermining the national constitution. Both the US and EU are condemning the move. So what might happen next? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Srdan Mazalica – Member of parliament and president of the parliamentary group of the SNSD, the governing party in Republika Srpska Kurt Bassuener – Co-Founder of Democratization Policy Council, a think tank in Sarajevo Jasmin Mujanovic – Senior son-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute’s Western Balkans Center Adblock test (Why?)
Three Bulgarians found guilty of spying for Russia from UK base
Three Bulgarian nationals based in the United Kingdom have been convicted by a London jury of spying for Russia on what police said was “an industrial scale”. The trio was accused of putting lives in danger as they followed orders on behalf of Russian intelligence to carry out surveillance across Europe on Kremlin opponents, including journalists, diplomats and Ukrainian troops. A jury at London’s Old Bailey court on Friday found Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 43, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, guilty of spying for Russia on what police said was “an industrial scale.” The trio engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations over three years during which one of their ringleaders nicknamed them “the Minions”, a reference to the yellow sidekicks in movie, Despicable Me, who work for supervillain Gru. The defendants – who worked for the Russian intelligence service GRU – face up to 14 years in prison when they are sentenced in May along with three other Bulgarian members of the same spy cell. Advertisement The trio’s leader, Orlin Roussev, 47, his deputy Biser Dzhambazov, 43, and co-conspirator Ivan Stoyanov had all pleaded guilty to spying for Russia shortly before the trial. Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($217,000) to fund the spying activities. The mastermind of the operation was alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, 44, an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard. Marsalek, whose current whereabouts are unknown but is believed to be in Russia, acted as a go-between linking Russian intelligence and the spy ring, instructing them to carry out six serious operations in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro until their arrest in 2023. “This was spying on an almost industrial scale on behalf of Russia, the Russian state and Russian intelligence services,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command. ‘Indiana Jones’ HQ British prosecutors said Marsalek tasked the British-based Bulgarian team with spying on Ukrainian soldiers being trained at a US base in Germany, with a view to tracking their movements on the battlefield after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Another operation involved spying on Christo Grozev, a journalist with investigative website Bellingcat, who led a report on the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, with a view to kidnapping or even killing him. The group also targeted British-based Russian Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, Bergey Ryskaliyev, a former Kazakh politician granted asylum in the UK, and Russian dissident Kiril Kachur. Advertisement They discussed dropping fake pigs’ blood on the Kazakhstan Embassy in London by drone as part of a fake protest intended to win favour with Kazakh spies. Police found a trove of what they called “really sophisticated” spyware in a raid on Roussev’s operations centre in a former guesthouse in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, described in text messages as his “Indiana Jones garage”. It included homemade audiovisual spy devices hidden inside everyday objects including a rock, men’s ties, a Coke bottle and a Minions cuddly toy. “Really sophisticated devices – the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel – were found here, in Great Yarmouth and London,” said Murphy. Love triangle Dzhambazov, who worked for a medical courier company but claimed to be an Interpol police officer, was in a relationship with two other defendants — his laboratory assistant partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova. Gaberova, in turn, had ditched painter-decorator Ivanchev for Dzhambazov, who took her to Michelin-starred restaurants and stayed with her in a five-star hotel. When police moved in to arrest the suspects in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov in bed with Gaberova rather than at home with Ivanova. Both women claimed during the trial that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov. Mr Justice Hilliard KC remanded the defendants into custody until sentencing between May 7 and May 12. Adblock test (Why?)
We live in time: Daylight Savings and the ‘Time Lords’ of Congress
We live in time. We can both make time. Even double time. And we can also lose time. But it’s Congress and Presidents who control time. Politicians have the power to dictate time. Down to the hour and the minute of what time it is. That’s why we spring forward this weekend. And when you lose your hour of sleep, you know who to blame. No. Not DOGE. But Congress, of course. This dates back more than two centuries. TRUMP CALLS TO ‘ELIMINATE’ DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: ‘VERY COSTLY TO OUR NATION’ Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to “fix the Standard of Weights and Measures.” That’s listed right next to Congressional authority over bankruptcies and punishment for counterfeiters. After all, we lose an hour this weekend like a thief in the night. Congress formally established Daylight Saving Time with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. It also established time zones in the 1880s to help the railroads coordinate. Before that, time hinged on whatever locals said it was. That led to 144 distinct local times in the U.S. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul even went by different clocks, despite only being separated by the Mississippi River. So, lawmakers are kind of like “Time Lords” from Doctor Who. But while they have not waged the Last Great Time War, for some lawmakers, time has expired for the biannual time change. “I haven’t had anybody come to me and say, ‘This is something that benefits our society.’ Why do we have it around anymore? Let’s get rid of the antiquated stuff that hold us back from advancement,” said Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga. CENSURE RESOLUTIONS: WHEN TO DOUBLE DOWN, AND WHEN TO TURN THE PAGE Florida lawmakers push especially hard to codify the time change in law. After all, Florida is the Sunshine State. Much of the state’s economy is based on what you can do outdoors. Sunbathe. Golf. Walk on the beach. Go to amusement parks. “In tourism, it’s huge,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. “Instead of getting dark at 5:39, it gets dark at 6:30. It makes a big difference. A lot of times the weather’s nice (people) like to be outside eating.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., pushed time change legislation when he served as governor of the Sunshine State. He’s authored a bill which he believes will give all states more sunshine – by effectively freezing time. “It will lock the clock. So stop going back and forth between Daylight Savings Time and Standard Time,” said Scott. Former Sen. and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, R-Fla., authored a bill to mandate Daylight Saving Time year-round several years ago. To everyone’s surprise, the Senate approved the bill by unanimous consent in 2022. But the bill then died in the House. Congress approved the Standard Time Act to create the first version of Daylight Saving time in 1918 during World War I. Proponents of the legislation argued that there was “wasted light” at the beginning of the day. Shifting the clocks would reward Americans with “extra” hours of daylight in the evening. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOOK: SORTING IT OUT “I used to think my state legislature had the foolishiest ideas in the world,” said Rep. Robert Thomas, D-Ky., of the measure at the time. “But it never tried to change the sun in its orbit.” Farmers and residents of the west opposed the plan. President Woodrow Wilson wanted to keep the time change. But Congress voted to repeal it. Wilson then vetoed the bill. What comes next is one of the most fascinating aspects of time legislation, Congress and the presidency. There have only been 112 successful overrides of a presidential veto in American history. One of them is on a piece of time legislation. Congress overrode Wilson’s veto and gave back the hour it picked up during World War I. Presidents have tinkered with changing the time via executive order to maximize daylight during times of crisis. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt shifted the clocks during World War II. President Richard Nixon did the same during the OPEC oil shocks of the 1970s. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE SENATE TRYING TO ADVANCE TRUMP’S AGENDA It was thought that President Trump may wade into the time waters. He’s berated the seasonal time changes for years now, dating back to his first term in office. Mr. Trump posted about the time switch on Truth Social as recently as mid-December. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” wrote the president. But President Trump wasn’t inclined to turn back time when pressed about it by colleague Peter Doocy on Thursday. “It’s a 50/50 issue. And if something is a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it. I assume people would like to have more light later. But some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark,” said Mr. Trump. The problem is that most people abhor changing the clocks. But they worry about it getting dark way too early in the winter. Or the sun “rising” at absurd times in the summer. It depends on where you live. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER JEFFRIES DESCRIBES TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS AS ‘MOST DIVISIVE’ IN AMERICAN HISTORY The country may harbor deep political divisions. But at least one lawmaker believes it’s time Americans rally around something. “I’d love for us to not have to switch our clocks if that’s something that actually probably can unite Americans right now,” said Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J. But at least once senior lawmaker hasn’t given the time of day to clock shifting efforts. “You have thoughts on daylight savings?” asked colleague Ryan Schmelz of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Jeffries chuckled. “There’s a lot going on in the United States of America. I haven’t been
Join us May 8 in Dallas or online for a conversation about preparing the power grid for the future economy
We’ll look at what’s needed for a dramatic increase in demand on the grid and the state’s power infrastructure.
Former GOP firebrand governor eyeing run for Congress in key swing district
Former two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine is considering a 2026 run for Congress. A source on Friday confirmed to Fox News the conservative firebrand is mulling a bid in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District. The mostly rural district comprises roughly 80% of the state’s total land area and is the largest congressional district east of the Mississippi River. The seat is held by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, a Marine veteran who served combat tours in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Golden is a moderate Democrat who is often at odds with his party’s leadership. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES 2026 PREDICTION LePage, first elected governor in 2010 and re-elected four years later, was prevented by term limits from seeking a third straight term in 2018. The pugnacious LePage became known both inside Maine and across the country for stirring controversy due to his off-the-cuff remarks. He also often touted that “I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular.” HOUSE DEMOCRATIC RE-ELECTION CHAIR REVEALS MIDTERMS BLUEPRINT He made an unsuccessful comeback in 2022 against his successor, losing the gubernatorial election to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. There’s speculation that Golden, who won re-election in November by a razor-thin margin, is considering a run for governor in 2026, when Mills is term-limited. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON MAINE Maine is one of just two states, along with Nebraska, that divides its electoral votes in the presidential election by congressional district. And Trump won the single electoral vote at stake in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District by carrying the district in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. The GOP, when at full strength, will hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority in the House, which means the Democrats only need a three-seat gain in 2026 to win back the chamber for the first time in four years. And Republicans are also dealing with plenty of political history because the party in power traditionally faces electoral headwinds in the midterms.
Trump assassination attempt suspect legal team battles DOJ over evidence, test-firing gun
Ryan Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump in September 2024, appeared in court as his team battled with the Justice Department over evidence. The defense team and the DOJ lobbed accusations back and forth over alleged withholding of evidence as they prepared for the Sept. 8, 2025, trial. A major point of contention between the defense and the prosecution is the issue of firearm testing. The defense is calling for the firearm, which is in the DOJ’s position, to be tested. The defense’s reason for testing is that they believe the gun was too old to fire the distance the DOJ claims it would have. However, the prosecution maintains that firearm testing is unusual, and it could destroy evidence. “As we told defense counsel, their request to inspect the firearm in this manner was highly unusual in the experience of the FBI, but nonetheless we made it happen,” the prosecution wrote in a court filing. TRUMP SAYS HE’D BE WILLING TO RELEASE REPORTS ON ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS AGAINST HIM The DOJ apparently has 90 gigabytes of bodycam footage from their search of Routh’s home in Hawaii. The search was carried out in September, weeks after the botched alleged assassination attempt. In addition to the footage, the prosecution says it has hundreds of law enforcement reports to sift through but is confident that they will turn it over in the next two weeks. The prosecution says in a court filing it is submitting evidence as it becomes available, but that the defense has not submitted anything. The defense team maintained that they were not under any obligation to provide evidence to the DOJ. While they had ruled out using an insanity defense, Routh’s team refrained from offering any theories, saying that they needed to go over all the prosecution’s discovery. SON OF ACCUSED ATTEMPTED TRUMP ASSASSIN HAS OUTBURST IN COURT AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO SERIOUS CHARGES Now, Routh’s defense team is calling for a full list of evidence and information on where everything is located. The defense claims that when they went to try to see the firearm in question, some items that went with the gun were not in the evidence box. However, in its court filing the prosecution claims that any remaining physical evidence as at the FBI’s facility in Miramar, Fl., or is in transit on its way there. Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley told “America Reports” that Routh’s defense team “has not been forthcoming” in the case. Additionally, Turley says that many of Routh’s actions after being caught negate a possible insanity plea. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Routh is accused of waiting over 12 hours on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where he was hoping to assassinate then-candidate Trump while he was playing golf on Sept. 15, 2025. A Secret Service agent allegedly saw Routh before Trump came into range. Routh then allegedly targeted the agent before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested and indicted by a grand jury. President Trump said he would be willing to release findings on the two assassination attempts made against him during the 2024 campaign. However, there are no firm details at this time.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: ‘Final Moments’ With Iran
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… -New report reveals illegal immigrant population hit new high during Biden-era crisis -House education chair backs Trump move to abolish federal agency –Kamala Harris reveals timetable for making major political decision in deep Blue state President Donald Trump signaled that a nuclear deal with Iran could emerge in the near future, just over a month after his administration reinstated a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. Trump on Friday told reporters that the U.S. is “down to the final moments” negotiating with Iran, and that he hoped military intervention would prove unnecessary. “It’s an interesting time in the history of the world. But we have a situation with Iran that something is going to happen very soon, very, very soon,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “You’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess. Hopefully, we can have a peace deal. I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I’d rather see a peace deal than the other. But the other will solve the problem.”…Read more STEELE THE SHOW: Trump cuts off federal resources for law firm that helped fuel 2016 Russia hoax COULD FOREIGN AID FREEZE SEE A THAW?: U.S. judge orders Trump admin to pay portion of $2B in foreign aid by Monday GRANTS CUT: Trump cuts more than $400 million in grants to Columbia over antisemitism concerns, more to potentially come ‘BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE’: Trump threatens sanctions on Russia, demands peace after major hits in Ukraine ‘MOST INTERESTED’: Zelenskyy confirms Ukraine will attend U.S. peace talks in Saudi Arabia, 1 week after Oval Office clash MONEY TROUBLES?: UN prepping for spending cuts as DOGE roots out waste in US, internal docs show HEALTH BATTLE: Pope Francis still getting oxygen therapy, will not read Sunday prayers ‘MADE US LOOK HEARTLESS’: Rep. Ro Khanna describes interaction with flight attendant following Trump speech THIS LAND IS OUR LAND: Congress exposes China’s potential loophole for Trump tariffs: ‘Drawing a line in the sand’ ‘INVESTIGATE AND ENFORCE’: HHS expands Title IX probe in Maine to include state association governing athletics, embattled high school BRAGG IS BACK: Fort Bragg is back: Army renames N.C. base to honor World War II hero ‘JUST THE BEGINNING’: Trump Organization, Eric Trump sue Capital One for ‘unjustifiable’ 2021 debanking based on ‘woke’ beliefs BREAKING NEWS: Bryan Kohberger case: Idaho court releases surviving housemates’ text messages from night of student murders ‘FALSE AND MISLEADING’: Noem team demands end to ‘fake news’ reports she spent $650K as governor on credit card — it was $2K WASTING MONEY: DOGE says government paying for 11,020 Adobe Acrobat licenses with zero users, plus more ‘idle’ accounts ‘ABSOLUTELY FACTUAL’: Stranded astronaut says he believes Musk’s claims Biden refused to conduct rescue mission COME NORTH: Top Dem governor issues order aiming to help fill ‘critical’ state jobs as DOGE cuts federal bureaucracy ‘DEEPLY UNFAIR’: Newsom calls biological men in women’s sports ‘deeply unfair’ in podcast with conservative activist Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.