Trump cautions ‘bad things’ in store if Iran won’t negotiate as Islamic Republic touts ‘Missile City’
President Donald Trump promised that ‘bad things’ would happen to Iran if the regime does not come to the table for nuclear negotiations. “My big preference is that we work it out with Iran, but if we don’t work it out, bad things are gonna happen to Iran,” the president said Friday. Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, just shy of the 90% weapons-grade. Experts say it could have a nuclear weapon within weeks if it were to take the final steps to building one. In response to U.S. sanctions threats, Iran showed off a sprawling underground tunnel system replete with missiles, launchers, engines and other advanced weapons. WALTZ TELLS IRAN TO GIVE UP NUCLEAR PROGRAM OR ‘THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES’ A video released this week by state media shows two Iranian military leaders, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, riding in a vehicle through long, weapons-packed tunnels that Tehran has dubbed “Missile City.” The 85-second clip, which has not been independently verified, is set to menacing music and suggests that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stands ready to respond to threats of an attack from the U.S. and Israel. “Iran’s ballistic missile force remains the largest in the Middle East,” said Behnam Taleblu, fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “This is all part of the regime’s deterrent strategy to cement the idea of any conflict with Tehran being a costly and protracted one.” The move comes as U.S. is bolstering its forces in the Middle East. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently sent a second aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s USS Carl Vinson, to join the USS Harry S. Truman‘s carrier strike group, whose deployment was also extended. The U.S. also recently deployed two B-2 stealth bombers to the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, a warning to Iran and Yemen’s Houthi militia. The planes are capable of carrying 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs and are now situated within range of Iran. Weeks ago, Trump wrote a letter to Iran urging the regime to engage in talks on its nuclear program. Kamal Kharazi, the top foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that the regime would engage in “indirect” talks, according to local news reports. IRAN’S LEADER WARNS US COULD RECEIVE ‘SEVERE SLAPS’ FOLLOWING TRUMP’S THREATS TO HOUTHIS “The Islamic Republic has not closed all the doors and is willing to begin indirect negotiations with the United States.” “Our policy is to not negotiate directly while there is maximum pressure policy and threats of military strikes,” foreign minister Abbas Aragchi explained. “But indirect negotiations can take place as they have in the past.” If talks falter, the U.S. and Israel have floated the possibility of targeted strikes on underground nuclear facilities. In recent weeks, the Trump administration launched a series of offensive attacks on the Houthis in Yemen to send a message to Tehran, which supports them. “Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” he continued. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, “Intelligence.’”
Trump reveals why he pulled Stefanik’s UN ambassador nomination: ‘Cannot take a chance’
Facing a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, President Donald Trump says he pulled GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to serve as United Nations ambassador because he doesn’t “want to take any chances.” The president made his comments Friday as he answered questions at the White House, one day after announcing in a social media post that he was pulling the nomination of Stefanik, a Republican from New York and top Trump ally in the House, due to concerns about passing his agenda through the chamber. “I said, ‘Elise, would you do me a favor? We cannot take a chance. We have a slim margin,’” Trump told reporters. WHAT STEFANIK TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT HER ‘TEAM PLAYER’ DECISION TO STAY IN CONGRESS Trump’s move comes amid concerns by the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill over next week’s special congressional elections in Florida. Voters in two congressional districts in Florida will head to the polls on Tuesday, as Republicans aim to keep control of both solidly red seats and give themselves slightly more breathing room in the House. The elections are in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts, which Trump carried by 37 and 30 points in last year’s presidential election. ‘SHOW OF FORCE’ – TRUMP ALLY KICKING OFF CAMPAIGN IN RACE TO SUCCEED FLORIDA GOV. DESANTIS But the Democratic candidates have vastly outraised the Republican nominees, and polling in recent days suggested that the race in the 6th District was within the margin of error. The GOP currently holds a 218-213 majority in the House, with two vacant seats where Republicans stepped down and two where Democratic lawmakers died in March. “When it comes to Florida, you have two races, and they seem to be good,” Trump said. But pointing to the massive fundraising advantage by the Democrat candidates over the GOP contenders, Trump raised concerns, saying “You never know what happens in a case like that.” Jimmy Patronis, the Florida Chief Financial Officer, is favored over Democrat Gay Valimont in a multi-candidate field in the race to fill the vacant seat in the 1st CD, which is located in the far northwestern corner of Florida in the Panhandle region. Republican Matt Gaetz, who won re-election in the district in last November’s elections, resigned from office weeks later after Trump selected him to be his nominee for attorney general in his second administration. Gaetz later withdrew himself from cabinet consideration amid controversy. But it’s the race in the 6th CD, which is located on Florida’s Atlantic coast from Daytona Beach to just south of Saint Augustine and inland to the outskirts of Ocala, that is really raising concerns among some in the GOP. The race is to succeed Republican Michael Waltz, who stepped down from the seat on Jan. 20 after Trump named him his national security adviser. DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE Republican state Sen. Randy Fine is facing off against teacher Josh Weil, a Democrat, in a multi-candidate field. Weil grabbed plenty of national attention in recent weeks by topping Fine in the campaign cash battle by roughly a ten-to-one margin. The cash discrepancy in the 6th CD race spurred GOP-aligned outside groups to make last-minute contributions in support of Fine in the closing days of the campaign, with conservative super PACs launching ads spotlighting Trump’s support of Fine. “I would have preferred if our candidate had raised money at a faster rate and gotten on TV quicker,” Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters earlier this week. But Hudson added that Fine is “doing what he needs to do. He’s on TV now.” And he emphasized, “We’re going to win the seat. I’m not concerned at all.” Trump, pointing to Fine, on Friday acknowledged that “our candidate doesn’t have that kind of money.” There’s been criticism of Fine by some fellow Republicans. Former top Trump political adviser and conservative host Steve Bannon warned that Fine “isn’t winning.” And two-term Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters last week that the GOP would underperform in the race, arguing that “it’s a reflection of the candidate running in that race.” But it’s worth pointing out the contentious history between DeSantis and Fine, who was the first Florida Republican to flip his endorsement from DeSantis to Trump during the 2024 Republican presidential nomination battle. In the 1st District, where there is less concern by Republicans about losing the seat, Valimont topped Patronis in fundraising by roughly a five-to-one margin. While the races in the two Republican-dominated districts are far from ideal for the Democrats to try and flip, the elections are the first opportunity for voters and donors to try and make a difference since Trump’s return to power in the White House. And Democrats say the surge in fundraising for their candidates is a sign their party is motivated amid voters’ frustrations with the sweeping and controversial moves made by Trump in his opening weeks back in office. “The American people are not buying what the Republicans are selling,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries told reporters earlier this week. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Jeffries and other Democrats aren’t predicting victory. But Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, highlighted that “these districts are so Republican, there would ordinarily be no reason to believe that the races will be close, but what I can say, almost guaranteed, is that the Democratic candidate in both of these Florida special elections will significantly overperform.” Stefanik represents New York’s 21st Congressional Distirct, a large, mostly rural, district in the northernmost reaches of the state that includes most of the Adirondack Mountains and the Thousand Islands region. She cruised to re-election last November by 24 points. “We don’t want to take any chances. We don’t want to experiment,” Trump said as he pointed to what would have been a special election later this year to fill Stefanik’s seat if she had resigned if confirmed
Ramadan in colour: How Muslims in Africa celebrate the holy month and Eid
Nigeria: Spirituality and horseback parades Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is also home to the continent’s largest number of Muslims. The mainly Muslim northern regions are home to a range of ethnic groups, chief among them the Hausas and Fulanis. In the past decade, the north has become synonymous with instability and violence amid conflict with bandits and armed groups like Boko Haram. But for those who live there, the region is a bastion of colourful cultural practices. During Ramadan, bustling cities in the north slow down as most people stay indoors to avoid the heat and focus on spiritual activities like attending lectures or reading the Quran. And every year, typically to mark Eid, there is a Durbar festival. Durbars are cultural, religious and equestrian events that have been popular among Hausas for centuries. One of the largest taking place today is the Kano City Durbar, which sees hundreds of thousands of people decked out in stylish Eid attire turning up to get a view of the emir – the equivalent of a king – often on horseback. Kano-based photographer Muhammad Sani Sabo has been documenting Durbars since 2014. He also photographs everyday scenes in his city. The 31-year-old says he hopes to paint a more accurate representation of the north, which is more than a poster child for poverty, illiteracy and conflict. “There’s more stories to tell about the north,” Sabo tells Al Jazeera. “I know all the stories, and I believe I can tell it better than anyone coming from Lagos or from abroad.” [Muhammad Sani Sabo/Al Jazeera] In the city of Kano, women and girls attend a Ramadan gathering in 2023. During the holy Muslim month, the city sees lectures and gatherings where people learn from an imam or spiritual guide. Study of the Quran is common across the city. Food or gifts are sometimes shared by companies or individuals to emphasise the spirit of generosity and sharing. [Muhammad Sani Sabo/Al Jazeera] The 15th emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, rides a horse during the 2024 Durbar festival. Hausas are renowned for being warriors with excellent horsemanship skills. Durbar culture stemmed from military parades in ancient days that signalled readiness for war. Today’s Durbar festivals highlight that heritage while also celebrating the end of Ramadan. After the morning prayers, the colourful horseback procession begins, with the emir leading his convoy of warriors, artillerymen and praise singers. [Muhammad Sani Sabo/Al Jazeera] A family in Kano waits to see the Durbar procession outside the emir’s palace in April 2024. Eid – or the Sallah festival in the Hausa language – is not complete without stylish, new traditional attire and, of course, a peek at the emir’s glamorous entourage. Adblock test (Why?)
Modi and Trump are on the same page on immigration
In February, the airwaves in India were inundated with images of undocumented Indians shackled in chains on a military deportation flight from the United States. The shocking images made clear the devastating impact President Donald Trump’s draconian crackdown on “illegal immigration” would have on the lives of thousands of vulnerable Indian citizens who had risked everything to make their way to America. Opposition lawmakers, including Indian National Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, wore handcuffs and protested the humiliating treatment of deportees outside the parliament in New Delhi. With all of this happening on the eve of Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House, they demanded that the Indian prime minister take up this matter with the US president. But during his US news conference, Modi responded to questions about the deportations by stating that his Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP-led) government was “fully prepared to bring back illegal migrants”. He added: “The young, vulnerable and poor people of India are fooled into immigration. These are children of very ordinary families who are lured by big dreams and big promises. Many are brought in without knowing why they are being brought in – many brought in through a human-trafficking system.” Advertisement This response was unusually meek and agreeable for the leader of a Hindu nationalist regime known for its muscular jingoism. It would seem Modi was simply trying to avoid a Volodymyr Zelenskyy-style bust-up with Trump, especially with negotiations ongoing regarding reciprocal tariffs. While this could be true, it is also important to remember that when it comes to immigration, Modi and Trump are on the same page. Like his American counterpart, Modi relies on grand visions and claims about the nation. This includes the BJP government’s bombastic declarations about the economic health of India. At the moment, the Indian economy is facing a troubling slowdown, but there also is a longer term, much more entrenched problem: inequality. In the world’s most populous country, the top 1 percent holds 40.1 percent of the national wealth. By the end of 2024, India had 191 billionaires, putting it in third place in the world after the US and China. Meanwhile, it accounted for 70 percent of the global increase in extreme poverty. India is also the country with the largest population (234 million people) living in extreme poverty. Undocumented Indian migrants in the US are manifestations of this dark reality. The estimates regarding their exact number vary. The Pew Research Center estimated that there were 700,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US at the end of 2022, making Indians the third largest national group of undocumented people after Mexicans and Salvadorians. The Department of Homeland Security estimated there are 220,000 undocumented Indian migrants in the country. Advertisement Irrespective of the exact size of the population, this cohort of undocumented people contradicts the rosy image of an economic powerhouse under Hindu nationalist leadership. This is why Modi is so eager to shut down this saga of “illegal immigration” as quickly and calmly as possible. He does not want any skirmish with Trump over the treatment of undocumented migrants to grab headlines and expose the cracks in the aura of a rising India. But in a Hindu nationalist India, a Trump-like anti-immigration discourse is also not an oddity. For a few years, the Indian right has been ritually raising the issue of a supposed scourge of undocumented migration, especially from Bangladesh. In 2016, then-Minister of State of Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju claimed there were about “20 million illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in India”. In 2018, Home Minister Amit Shah said there were more than 40 million undocumented immigrants in the country. In 2023, right-wing politicians have also claimed there are now close to 50 million undocumented migrants in India. There is no real evidence to back up these numbers. Yet for the Hindu nationalists in India, these claims about the presence of an insidious, Muslim undocumented population evoke a powerful image and fit well into an Islamophobic discourse of a Hindu nation facing an existential threat from its neighbours. Unsubstantiated claims about the threat of “illegal immigration” from Bangladesh allow right-wing politicians in India to blame the undocumented “outsider” for the plight of the country’s economically disadvantaged. As Shah once said: “They [Bangladeshi immigrants] are eating the grain that should go to the poor.” Elsewhere, Shah has called undocumented migrants “termites” and “infiltrators” who needed to be uprooted. While on the campaign trail in 2019, Shah also promised that the BJP government would “pick up infiltrators one by one and throw them into the Bay of Bengal”. Advertisement These unsubstantiated claims also allow Hindu nationalists to stoke fears about a demographic challenge to a Hindu nation. For instance, during a TV interview, the leader of the Delhi unit of the BJP, Ashwini Upadhyay, insinuated that the majority status of the Hindu population was under threat. He said that India was established as a “Hindu nation” and this identity was being diluted by “illegals”, “[Muslim] Rohingyas” and “[Muslim] coverts”. Similarly, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar claimed that “illegal migration” was causing a “demographic upheaval”. He noted that this cohort was putting undue stress on the country’s health and education sectors, depriving citizens of employment opportunities, and was undermining democracy by gaining “electoral relevance”. He also warned that if left unchecked, the Hindu ethnic identity would be undermined by such “demographic invasions”. Finally, it is equally commonplace to hear from the right in India that “illegal migration” is synonymous with criminality. In a statement to the lower house of the Indian parliament, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said: “Illegal mobility and migration has many other associated activities, also of an illegal nature.” While Jaishankar here was referring to undocumented Indian migrants in the US, in India, authorities have similarly claimed that there is a “well-oiled” criminal network that helps undocumented migrants gain residency, employment, fake birth certificates and eventually voting rights. This has led to Trump-like police raids and deportation drives targeting Bangladeshis and Rohingya. Advertisement Often
Al Jazeera team captures Myanmar quake moment
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Al Jazeera reporter Tony Cheng and his crew were filming in Myanmar when one of two powerful earthquakes hit.
Judges extend orders against deportation flights, including wartime act on violent Venezuelan gang members
A D.C. federal judge on Friday extended a restraining order against the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law the Trump administration enacted to deport Venezuelan nationals who are Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members in the U.S. illegally. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled the extension will run through April 12. Also on Friday, in a separate ruling, a federal judge in Boston blocked the deportation of migrants to countries where they have no existing relationship without a chance to go into court to contest that move. Last week, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining blocked the president from using the act to deport Venezuelan nationals, stating he needed more time to consider the merits of the case. TRUMP DOJ HAMMERS JUDGE’S ‘DIGRESSIVE MICROMANAGEMENT,’ SEEKS MORE TIME TO ANSWER 5 QUESTIONS In a bench ruling, he ordered all planes carrying Venezuelan nationals or other deportees under the Alien Enemies Act be returned. The administration later filed an emergency request for the U.S. appeals court to intervene. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
Trump doubles down on acquiring Greenland for ‘world peace’ amid Vance visit
President Donald Trump stressed the need to acquire Greenland as part of the U.S. for international security purposes Friday, as Vice President JD Vance conducted a trip there with second lady Usha Vance. Although the Danish territory has said it is seeking independence from Copenhagen and isn’t interested in becoming part of the U.S., Trump has repeatedly offered, dating back to his first administration, a desire to secure Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic. “If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters Friday. “We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States, we’re talking about world peace, we’re talking about international security.” VANCE SOLIDIFIES DOMINANCE DRIVING EUROPEAN FOREIGN POLICY AHEAD OF GREENLAND TRIP The Vances, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, arrived in Greenland on Friday to visit Pituffik Space Base, the Department of Defense’s northernmost military installation. The base is home to the Space Force’s 821st Space Base Group to conduct missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations. Despite the Trump administration’s push to secure Greenland, leaders in Denmark and Greenland remain staunchly against the president’s wishes, even as Greenland’s prime minister has called for independence from Copenhagen. But the Trump administration has pointed out that Denmark has faced backlash for its treatment of indigenous people from Greenland. A group of indigenous women from Greenland sued the Danish government in May 2024 and accused Danish health officials of fitting them with intrauterine devices without their knowledge between the 1960s and 1970s. TRUMP REMAINS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ODDS OF ACQUIRING GREENLAND: ‘I THINK IT’LL HAPPEN’ Both Denmark and Greenland initiated an investigation into the matter in 2022, and the report is expected for release this year. A senior White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital that Denmark’s treatment of the people of Greenland will receive ample attention during Vance’s visit. “Unfortunately, Danish leaders have spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second-class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair. Expect the Vice President to emphasize these points as well,” the official said Thursday. Greenland is rich in natural resources, including oil and natural gas, and both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years.
Two trans inmates ordered back to women’s prisons in Reagan-appointed judge’s injunction
Transgender inmates who were moved from a women’s prison to an all-male facility, after President Donald Trump’s executive order mandating inmates live in facilities corresponding to their biological sex, are now being sent back to the women’s prison after a judge issued a preliminary injunction. “This is the latest example of an activist judge attempting to seize power at the expense of the American people who overwhelmingly voted to elect President Trump,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday. “The Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s executive actions, including the Defending Women Executive Order, and will continue to do so.” U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington issued the injunction last week after the two inmates, identified in court documents as Rachel and Ellen Doe, were added as plaintiffs to a lawsuit against Trump’s executive order with nearly a dozen other inmates. TRANS INMATE IN PRISON FOR KILLING BABY MUST GET GENDER SURGERY AT ‘EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY’: JUDGE “The fact that they have already been transferred and, allegedly, have been abused at their new facilities can only strengthen their claims of irreparable harm,” Lamberth, a Reagan-appointed U.S. district court judge, wrote in the injunction. The court documents also allege that since being transferred to a male prison, “they have been unable to access bras and women’s underwear” while being subjected to “sexual harassment” at the new facilities. The Bureau of Prisons did not respond when reached for comment Friday. FEDERAL JUDGE HALTS PLANNED MOVE OF TRANS INMATES TO FACILITIES FOR THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX The original lawsuit the two new inmates were added to alleged that “the inmates, all of whom are transgender women, “will not be safe” if transferred to men’s facilities, the lawsuit states, and the inmates will be at risk of “sexual harassment, assault, and rape.” This injunction adds to a lengthy list of legal battles the Trump DOJ faces regarding the president’s executive orders. The first lawsuit against Trump’s “two sexes” executive order came from a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments just days after Trump signed the order in January. That inmate, anonymously identified as Maria Moe, is being represented by advocacy groups GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says. TRANS INMATE WHO KILLED BABY AND IDENTIFIES AS MUSLIM WOMAN SUES CHAPLAIN FOR ALLEGEDLY NOT ALLOWING HIJAB At least 15 trans prisoners are now protected by orders blocking or reversing the transfers, the Associated Press reported. Lamberth has not yet ruled on a lawsuit filed this month by three other inmates—a transgender woman in a men’s prison and two transgender men in women’s prisons—who are challenging the executive order’s ban on transgender medical treatments in prisons.
DNA TV Show: How effective AIMPLB’s ‘black arm band’ appeal was? Check state-wise ‘strike rate’ here
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) appealed to the Muslim community to wear black arm bands as a sign of protest against Waqf Amendment Bill while offering namaz on the occasion of Alvida Jumma.
RFK Jr. backs WV push for SNAP waivers, work mandates under ‘MAHA’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., spoke Friday in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, as Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed the first letters of intent seeking waivers to allow the Mountain State to eliminate soda from SNAP benefit eligibility. “We have a public health crisis in this country, and, unfortunately, West Virginia is leading the way,” Kennedy said, surrounded by children and local dignitaries at a Catholic school in Martinsburg. Morrisey also signed landmark legislation banning food dyes in West Virginia in support of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. “I’m very, very grateful to Governor Morrisey for his visionary leadership and getting West Virginia to lead the way in transitioning off of processed foods. When my uncle was president, 3% of Americans had chronic disease, and we spent zero dollars on chronic disease in this country. There were no medications [for it].” Kennedy claimed that, by contrast, the government spends more on Americans’ health issues than the entire defense budget. WV GOV SIGNS RILEY GAINES ACT He said that Congress usually debates how to pay for these increased costs, not how to eliminate the health risks and systemic issues that lead to Americans’ globally-low-ranked collective health. Morrisey praised Kennedy for attending the ceremony, remarking that it proves the “MAHA” movement started “right here in West Virginia.” He signed HB 2354 on Monday, which bans the preservative butylated hydroxyanisole, as well as food dyes, from schools, beginning in August and for general sale, starting in 2028. COAL STILL KEY TO US ENERGY DOMINANCE: WV GOV “We’re cleaning up our foods, promoting exercise, and putting nutrition back into SNAP. I’m committed to Secretary Kennedy’s vision for America and raising health standards here in the Mountain State,” he said Friday from Berkeley County. Morrisey also plans to implement work requirements for most SNAP recipients, stating that able-bodied applicants must work—citing West Virginia’s last-place ranking in workforce participation as justification. State Sen. Jason Barrett, R-Martinsburg, who also helped to spearhead the food dye legislation in Charleston, thanked Kennedy for his leadership on the federal level on the issue of Americans’ deteriorating diets and health. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Our country is in debt to you for doing that.” Barrett said that when he and Del. Evan Worrell, R-Barboursville, began working on the food dye ban and other legislation, they were warned that food and beverage special interests would be coming after them politically. “My response to ‘big food’ and ‘big drink’ is: Big deal – the people of West Virginia are worth it.”