Texas Senate majority unveils bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship
All 20 GOP senators signed on to Senate Bill 16, which would apply to currently registered voters, and restrict some to only congressional elections.
Biden’s EPA pushed to ‘de-gender’ agency bathrooms, hire more LGBTQ staff, unearthed memo reveals
Former President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to “de-gender” bathrooms and locker rooms in agency offices as part of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) push, according to an unearthed memo confirmed to Fox News Digital. A Biden-era EPA internal memo, obtained by the watchdog Functional Government Initiative and first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, recommended that the federal environmental agency “increase participation in voluntary self-disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)” and “incorporate LGBTQIA+ prospective employees into hiring and recruiting activities.” The Biden administration also pushed to “de-gender restroom/locker room access” at agency offices, “add gender pronouns in MS 360” and “change style manual requirement for gendered honorifics in Agency Correspondence,” according to the 38-page report, which the EPA confirmed to Fox News Digital. The agency highlighted their efforts toward “increased access to gender-neutral bathrooms,” revealing that a nationwide survey conducted by the Office of Facilities Management found that, at the time, there were 155 gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms for the entire agency. EPA TERMINATES BIDEN ADMIN’S GREEN GRANTS WORTH $20B, ZELDIN SAYS Additionally, according to the memo, only four of their 10 regional offices did not have gender-neutral bathrooms. Another objective of the Biden EPA included ensuring “inclusion of LGBTQIA+ employees in recruitment efforts, career development and training, data collection, analysis, and measurement, DEIA employee engagement, sustainability, accountability, and accessibility.” STACEY ABRAMS SLAMMED AFTER DEFENDING $2 BILLION IN BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDS TO BUY GREEN ENERGY APPLIANCES In accordance with Biden’s order making DEI a priority of his administration, the EPA charged “all agencies with taking steps to ensure that Federal employees have their gender identities accurately reflected and identified in the workplace, including by exploring opportunities to expand access to gender-neutral facilities inside federal workplaces.” “Under the leadership of then-EPA administrator Michael Regan, in 2021, the agency created an employee-led ‘DEIA implementation team’ that was empowered to establish workgroups and take DEI-related actions,” Functional Government Initiative said in a statement that was posted on X and shared with the Free Beacon. “The goal, according to the Biden EPA, was to ‘embed’ DEI agency-wide, create ‘cultural change,’ and establish the agency as a DEI model for the entire federal government.” The report comes as President Donald Trump’s EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reworks the key environmental agency with the termination of hundreds of millions in DEI and environmental grants issued by the previous administration. The EPA has been working closely with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost-cutting department led by Elon Musk, to make the spending cuts. “I am canceling over 400 DEI and Environmental Justice grants across 9 grant programs totaling $1.7 BILLION, bringing @EPA’s total savings to over $2 BILLION!” Zeldin wrote in a post on X on Monday. “This fourth round of EPA/@DOGE cuts was our biggest yet.” Fox News Digital reached out to Biden and the Functional Government Initiative for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
‘We will fight’: Anti-woke beer company fires back at beer giant for ‘intimidation’ amid trademark dispute
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative beer company is pushing back after beer giant Anheuser-Busch filed a trademark claim against it after the company went viral for criticizing Bud Light’s association with a transgender influencer. “Anheuser-Busch has filed a federal trademark opposition before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in an act of corporate revenge against Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right Beer,” the Conservative Dad beer company said in a press release accompanied by a new video this week, explaining that Anheuser-Busch is claiming Ultra Right Beer’s trademark request infringes on the trademark of Michelob Ultra. Anheuser-Busch wrote in its opposition that it “believes that it will be damaged by the registration of the mark ULTRA RIGHT” and pointed out that it has “marketed and sold billions of products in the United States under the arbitrary and inherently distinctive mark ULTRA and variants.” CONSERVATIVE BEER COMPANY EXPANDS PRODUCT LINE WITH ‘PERFECT DRINK’ IN BORDER-THEMED PARODY VIDEO The trademark filing comes roughly two years after Ultra Right Beer’s launch video, which featured founder Seth Weathers smashing a Bud Light can with a baseball bat, went viral in response to Bud Light partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The partnership sparked a social media firestorm causing beer drinkers to boycott Bud Light which appeared to have a significant impact on the brand’s domestic sales. “This isn’t about trademarks – it’s about retaliation,” Weathers said in a statement. “Anheuser-Busch is furious we helped expose their woke disaster with Bud Light, so now they’re using their billion-dollar legal machine in an attempt to financially bleed us dry. But unlike them, we’re not just a corporation looking to maximize profit – we’re a movement of Americans who have had enough.” “Applicant’s ULTRA RIGHT Mark is likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake or to deceive consumers with consequent injury to Opposer,” the beer giant, who is the opposer, continued, “The likelihood of confusion, mistake or deception that would also arise from concurrent use and registration of Applicant’s ULTRA RIGHT Mark with Anheuser-Busch’s use and registration of its ULTRA Marks is that (a) persons are likely to believe that Applicant’s products have their source in Opposer, or (b) that Applicant and its products are a version of Opposer’s ULTRA Marks or are in some way legitimately connected, associated or affiliated with, sponsored, approved, endorsed or licensed by Opposer when, in fact, they are not.” Ultra Right’s press release explains that Anheuser-Busch is a $100+ billion corporation that has a “long history” of using its resources to “crush opposition.” ‘NEW GOLDEN AGE’: ANTI-WOKE BEER COMPANY TEAMS UP WITH ‘MAGA BABE’ INFLUENCERS TO LAUNCH NEW CALENDAR The release also points to a 2023 Newsweek article citing an expert who expressed the opinion that the beer giant was unlikely to win any potential trademark case. “Now, instead of accepting the consequences of their own marketing disaster, they are weaponizing the legal system to erase a conservative small business that dared to call them out,” the press release says. “For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has been brewing the world’s most beloved and well-known beers, and we will continue to protect and enforce the trademark rights of our iconic brands as we always have,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. Companies are permitted by law to continue selling products while trademark applications and disputes are pending. In response to what Ultra Right calls “corporate intimidation,” the company is launching a GiveSendGo campaign to raise funds to fight for its trademark. The press release also included a hint at the return of Ultra Right Beer’s “signature rebellion,” which is a reference to the viral launch video with the baseball bat that was seen over 100 million times on social media when it launched. Additionally, the company announced a Buy 1, Get 1 Free promotion on Conservative Dad’s Border Wall Tequila, with proceeds supporting the legal fight. “They think they can drag this case out long enough to force us into submission through excessive legal fees,” Weathers said. “I only have one response: We will Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Chinese nationals banned from US student visas under new House GOP proposal
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are pushing legislation to ban Chinese nationals from getting student visas in the U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., has been sounding the alarm for weeks over what he sees as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) exploitation of the American visa program meant for studying in the U.S. He is now expected to introduce the Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the Stop CCP VISAs Act, on Friday. JOHN MOOLENAAR: WE DON’T WANT A COMPANY THAT IS AFFILIATED WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY The bill is still being circulated for co-sponsors, Fox News Digital was told, but people expected to support the bill include Reps. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Brandon Gill, R-Texas. “Every year, we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said. “Just last year, the FBI charged five Chinese nationals here on student visas after they were caught photographing joint US-Taiwan live-fire military exercises. This cannot continue.” FIRST-EVER ‘CHINA WEEK’ TAKES AIM AT AMERICA’S DEPENDENCE ON BEIJING He called on Congress to act on “China’s exploitation of our student visa program.” “It’s time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals,” he said. The incident Moore referenced involved five former University of Michigan students who graduated in May as part of a joint program with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China accused of spying on the U.S. military. They are accused of covering up surveillance efforts on a National Guard facility in Michigan during a training operation with the Taiwanese military. The former students, all Chinese citizens, were confronted by a sergeant major of the Utah National Guard in August 2023, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Oct. 1. Moore’s legislation is likely to be challenged by Asian American and progressive groups, as previously similar attempts have been. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The group Asian Americans Advancing Justice previously criticized Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for calling for a ban on Chinese nationals studying in the U.S. “It is unconscionable to suggest limiting the fields of study or remove visa options for all students from China. This rhetoric follows the racial profiling and racist statements made by public officials such as FBI Director Wray and President Trump,” the group said in 2020.
Federal judge rips DOJ lawyers, demands written retraction from Hegseth over transgender military policy post
A federal judge tore into lawyers from the Justice Department on Wednesday, homing in on a retweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth about disqualifying transgender troops from service “without an exemption.” U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee who previously stated that the idea of only two sexes is not “biologically correct,” heard arguments on the Pentagon’s attempt to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military as trans rights groups seek a preliminary injunction to halt the policy entirely. During the hearing, Reyes pointed to a post on X in which Hegseth quoted, “Pentagon says transgender troops are disqualified from service without an exemption.” The post in question linked to a Fox News Digital article about an internal Pentagon memo. The memo, revealed in a court filing late last month, says U.S. service members who are transgender or otherwise exhibit gender dysphoria are prohibited from military service unless they obtain an exemption. SHELTERS, JESUS, AND MISS PAC-MAN: US JUDGE GRILLS DOJ OVER TRANS POLICY IN DIZZYING LINE OF QUESTIONING When Reyes questioned government lawyers that Hegseth’s repost made it appear that all transgender troops would be disqualified from service, DOJ lawyer Jason Manion argued that Hegseth was only using “shorthand” for the broader policy. “Look at the words in the policy,” said Manion. “No!” said Reyes. “Do you really think you can do that, say one thing in public and then come here to court and say something else entirely?” Reyes then said that Manion had until Monday to deliver a declaration from Hegseth that he didn’t actually mean all transgender people. “His words are that this covers all transgender people. I’m not going to speculate that he was just being sloppy,” Reyes said of Hegseth. DOJ ISSUES COMPLAINT ABOUT FEDERAL JUDGE’S ‘MISCONDUCT’ WHILE PRESIDING OVER MILITARY TRANS BAN COURT CASE President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that requires the Defense Department to update its guidance regarding “trans-identifying medical standards for military service” and to “rescind guidance inconsistent with military readiness.” Government lawyers have argued that Trump and Hegseth have broad authority to set policies for national defense. As of December, around 4,240 active duty, guard, and reserve service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
Biden’s ‘Woke Green Agenda’ on chopping block as EPA announces ‘most consequential day of deregulation’
FIRST ON FOX: The Environmental Protection Agency announced the “most consequential day of deregulation” in U.S. history Wednesday, as it put the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 — which cracked down on power plants — on the chopping block. “President Trump promised to kill the Clean Power Plan in his first term, and we continue to build on that progress now,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an announcement, first obtained by Fox News Digital. “In reconsidering the Biden-Harris rule that ran afoul of Supreme Court case law, we are seeking to ensure that the agency follows the rule of law while providing all Americans with access to reliable and affordable energy.” The Biden administration finalized its Clean Power Plan 2.0 in April 2024, cracking down on existing and future fossil fuel-fired power plants as part of the previous administration’s sweeping climate agenda. The plan required existing coal-fired power plants and new baseload natural gas-fired power plants to install carbon capture technology by 2032 in an effort to effectively eliminate carbon emissions by 2050. The 2.0 plan was touted in 2024 as one of the Biden administration’s most “aggressive” climate policies, while conservative lawmakers slammed it as one that could have a “catastrophic” impact on the nation’s electric grid. EPA TERMINATES BIDEN ADMIN’S GREEN GRANTS WORTH $20B, ZELDIN SAYS The Clean Power 2.0 plan followed the 2015 Clean Power Plan under the Obama administration, which worked to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants and set national standards for carbon emissions. The Supreme Court in 2022, however, struck down the Clean Power Plan in the case West Virginia v. EPA, curbing the agency’s ability to broadly regulate carbon emissions. “The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the 2015 Clean Power Plan in West Virginia v. EPA, holding that the major questions doctrine barred EPA from misusing the Clean Air Act to manipulate Americans’ energy choices and shift the balance of the nation’s electrical fuel mix,” the EPA noted in its press release. “The Biden Administration issued its own rule in 2024 which many critics say is just another attempt to achieve the unlawful fuel-shifting goals of the Clean Power Plan.” The EPA continued in its press release that the Trump administration’s executive orders and actions to “Power the Great American Comeback,” combined with the announcement putting the Biden administration’s “Woke Green Agenda” under reconsideration, marks the “most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history.” BIDEN SENT $2 BILLION TO STACEY ABRAMS-LINKED GROUP IN GREEN ENERGY ‘SCHEME,’ EPA SAYS “These announcements represent the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States,” the press release stated. “While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions.” Zeldin posted a video announcing the EPA is taking 31 actions on Wednesday to “advance President Trump’s Day 1” executive orders to “Power the Great American Comeback.” “I’m pleased to make the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history. The Environmental Protection Agency is initiating 31 historic actions to fulfill President Trump‘s promise to unleash American energy, revitalize our auto industry, restore the rule of law and give power back to the States. EPA will be reconsidering many suffocating rules that restrict nearly every sector of our economy and cost Americans trillions of dollars,” he said in the video, announcing that the Clean Power Plan 2.0 is on the chopping block. Zeldin went on to say that the EPA is reconsidering rules on Mercury and Air Toxic Standards, as well as reconsidering rules on light, medium and heavy, cars and trucks, and “so-called social cost of carbon.” Zeldin has been on a warpath against corruption and mismanagement within the EPA in recent weeks, including making waves Tuesday evening when he announced the agency was terminating $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects. STACEY ABRAMS SLAMMED AFTER DEFENDING $2 BILLION IN BIDEN-ERA EPA FUNDS TO BUY GREEN ENERGY APPLIANCES Eight nonprofits had been awarded the funds, according to Zeldin, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund. These organizations have partnered with various groups, including Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation. “This termination is based on substantial concerns regarding program integrity, objections to the award process, programmatic fraud, waste and abuse and misalignment with the agency’s priorities, which collectively undermine the fundamental goals and statutory objectives of the awards,” Zeldin said in a video announcement Tuesday. “The EPA will once again be an exceptional steward of your tax dollars,” Zeldin said. “I will have it no other way.” Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Landon Mion contributed to this report.
Trump says Schumer ‘has become a Palestinian’: ‘He’s not Jewish anymore’
President Donald Trump said during a meeting with the Irish prime minister in the Oval Office on Wednesday that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “has become a Palestinian.” “Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned. You know, he’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian,” Trump said. Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history. Trump made the remark after a reporter asked him about lowering taxes. CONSERVATIVES FLIP SCRIPT ON SENATE DEMS PUSHING IDENTICAL TALKING POINTS AGAINST TRUMP: ‘LIKE ROBOTS’ “We are planning to lower taxes. Yeah. If the Democrats behave,” Trump said, before condemning outbursts and other disruptive behavior from Democrats during his first address to Congress last week. Trump particularly took issue with Democrats’ behavior when he recognized the mothers of two women murdered by illegal immigrants, as well as when Trump celebrated a boy with cancer becoming an honorary Secret Service agent. DEMS CLAIM TRUMP KILLED IMMIGRATION BILL BUT HIS SUCCESS ON THE BORDER PROVES HE HAD THE RIGHT IDEA: EXPERT “The only thing they liked is when they heard about the death taking place with Ukraine, that they were happy about,” Trump said of Democrats. “Pocahontas was very happy,” Trump said, using his term for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who falsely claimed to be of Native American heritage while considering a Democratic presidential run years ago. “These people are sick. They don’t know what’s happening in the real world. The Democrats have to get their act together, and if they don’t vote, then what?” Trump said. “You’re going to have taxes that are going to go through the roof. You’re going to have a very bad time. You’re going to have some very bad things happen and people are going to blame the Democrats.”
With an ailing economy, is China a stable global player?
Chinese leaders have unveiled their plans to revive the economy during the National People’s Congress. Confidence in the economy and projecting China as a stable global player, despite serious economic problems, were the messages delivered by the nation’s top leaders during the National People’s Congress. Beijing is asking consumers to spend more to hit a growth target of 5 percent and telling the US it is no longer relying on exports to power its slowing economy as a trade war with Washington escalates. China’s leaders also aim to transform the nation into a technological superpower to rival the US. The EU wants to spend big on defence. Plus, Trump’s strategic Bitcoin reserve. Adblock test (Why?)
Bank of Canada cuts interest rates, warned country faces ‘new crisis’
BoC also said it would ‘proceed carefully with any further changes’ to rates given inflationary pressures from tariffs. The Bank of Canada has trimmed its key policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent and raised concerns about inflationary pressures and weaker growth stemming from trade uncertainty and President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The bank on Wednesday also said it would “proceed carefully with any further changes” to rates given the need to assess both the upward pressures on inflation from higher costs and the downward pressures from weaker demand. The bank’s stance, which some economists said could be a signal that rates will not fall further, comes after months of inflation sitting at or around its 2 percent target. “We’re focused on weighing those downward pressures and those upward pressures. Our job is to maintain price stability, and that’s what we’re focused on,” Governor Tiff Macklem told a news conference. But he declined to give any forward guidance in terms of where rates might go. The cut marked the seventh consecutive time the central bank has eased monetary policy, shrinking the key rate by a total of 225 basis points in a space of nine months and making it one of the most aggressive central banks globally. Advertisement “We ended 2024 on a solid economic footing. But we’re now facing a new crisis,” he said in opening remarks to a news conference. Trump’s stop-start tariff policies and threats to a wide range of Canadian products have alarmed companies, shaken consumer confidence and hurt business investment. Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminium products on Wednesday and Canada said it will impose 29.8 billion Canadian dollars ($20.68bn) in retaliatory tariffs on the US effective Thursday. The bank said a protracted tariff war would lead to poor GDP growth and high prices, a challenging mix that makes it tough to decide on whether to raise or cut rates. The rate-setting Governing Council will focus on assessing the timing and strength of both the downward pressure on inflation from a weaker economy and the upward pressure from higher costs, Macklem said. The trade conflict would slow first-quarter GDP and could possibly disrupt the recovery in the jobs market, he said, adding that the fear of the impact of tariffs on prices had already pushed up short-term inflation expectations. Inflation is expected to be approximately 2.5 percent in March, up from 1.9 percent in January, as a short-term sales-tax break ends. The Canadian dollar extended gains after the decision and was trading stronger by 0.2 percent to 1.44 to the US dollar. Currency markets are betting that the chances of another rate cut of 25 basis points at the bank’s next announcement on April 16 are near 45 percent. Advertisement “The focus on rising inflation expectations in today’s release is somewhat hawkish,” said Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy for Desjardins Group. Slowdown The US is Canada’s biggest trading partner and takes almost 75 percent of all Canadian exports. A separate special bank survey of businesses and households conducted from late January until the end of February showed that many households were concerned about job security, especially in sectors exposed to US trade. The tariff threat has forced businesses to lower their sales outlook. Some businesses are finding it hard to get credit, and a weaker currency has made imports expensive, the survey pointed out. This means that firms are pulling back their hiring and investment plans, it said. The recent shift in consumer and business intentions is expected to translate into a marked slowing in domestic demand in the first quarter, Macklem said in his remarks. “Monetary policy cannot offset the impacts of a trade war. What it can and must do is ensure that higher prices do not lead to ongoing inflation,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Balochistan train hijacking: situation still “very complex”
Masood Akhtar, a national security analyst from Pakistan, examines the Balochistan train hijacking and its implications. Masood Akhtar, a Pakistan national security analyst, discusses the Balochistan train hijacking – what happened and what’s next. Adblock test (Why?)