DeSantis says he’s taking up Jeffries’ invitation to ‘F around and find out’ on Florida redistricting effort
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ invitations to “F around and find out” on redistricting efforts in Florida, the next possible battleground in a nationwide struggle to gain partisan advantages from congressional district maps. “Please. Be my guest. I will pay for you to come down to Florida to campaign,” DeSantis said. “I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We will take you fishing. “There’s nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries everywhere around this state.” His comments follow remarks from Jeffries on Wednesday morning. DAVID MARCUS: DEMOCRAT NEW ENGLAND IS THE MOST GERRYMANDERED REGION IN AMERICAN HISTORY “Our message to Florida Republicans is F around and find out. If they go down the road of a DeSantis dummy-mander … the electoral tide is turning in Florida,” Jeffries said. The standoff demonstrates both parties’ resolve to double down on gerrymandering as a strategy central to winning control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the upcoming 2026 midterms. Since President Donald Trump urged state lawmakers to expand the GOP’s 217-213 majority by eliminating five Democratic seats in Texas, states including North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, New York and Georgia have followed suit. Most recently, voters in Virginia approved a redistricting effort spearheaded by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, to turn her party’s 6-5 advantage in the Commonwealth into a 10-1 majority by extending Republican-leaning districts into Democratic strongholds. Florida is developing plans to be next. With a Republican trifecta and eight Democratic-held districts to carve up, DeSantis has called a special session this week to explore the Sunshine State’s options. “Today, I announced that I will be convening a special session of the Legislature focused on redistricting to ensure that Florida’s congressional maps accurately reflect the population of our state,” DeSantis said in his January announcement, citing changing demographics in the state. TRUMP HAILS TEXAS REDISTRICTING APPROVAL THAT COULD ADD FIVE GOP CONGRESSIONAL SEATS NATIONWIDE Florida’s state constitution forbids individual districts from being drawn “with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent.” Democrats, who have framed their redistricting efforts as retaliatory, have warned that Republicans are stretching their support too thin in some areas, diluting their advantage and inviting challenges in districts that haven’t been competitive in the past. Jeffries believes that might be the case in Texas, and it could be the case for Florida too. “The Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans who are on the run right now,” Jeffries said. “Under no circumstances are Texas Republicans picking up five seats. They’ll be fortunate if they get two or three, while in California, we are going to get all five. The Republicans are dumbly meandering their way into the minority before a single vote is cast.” BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE Florida legislators have yet to unveil what their potential redistricting effort could look like. Republicans hold 20 of the state’s 28 seats.
Murphy defends ‘Awesome’ post on Iranian ships evading US blockade, says it was ‘sarcastic’
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said he was being sarcastic when he called reports that Iranian ships had slipped by a U.S. blockade “Awesome” in a post to X on Monday, responding to the news that as many as 26 vessels had avoided U.S. detection. Murphy brushed off criticisms that he had celebrated shortcomings in President Donald Trump’s military strategy. “It’s so unbelievably disingenuous. Obviously, all these Republicans know that I was being sarcastic. They just don’t really want to actually have to answer for the fact that this war has gone off the rails,” Murphy said. “Republicans don’t want to talk about that, so they try to create fake outrage over sarcasm.“ Murphy’s defense of his phrasing highlights the tension Democrats have navigated since the U.S. first began hostilities with Tehran: pushing back on parts of the Trump administration’s Iran strategy without inadvertently sounding sympathetic of a geopolitical adversary. GOP REP MASSIE JOINS DEMOCRATS IN OPPOSITION TO US IRAN STRIKES Like many Democrats, Murphy panned Trump’s decision to bomb Iran and, more recently, voiced criticisms of plans to impose a naval blockade on Iran in an attempt to shake Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil shipping. “Let’s talk about Trump’s insane plan to fix Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz: helping them close the Strait,” Murphy said of the administration’s strategy earlier this month. “He is compounding one mistake after another.” LIZ PEEK: IRAN WAR COULD BECOME THE ACHIEVEMENT THAT ENSURES TRUMP’S LEGACY GOP skeptics responding to his post believe Murphy is celebrating the defeat of a strategy he thought was ill-advised to begin with. “A sitting U.S. Senator is actively rooting for Iran. Crazy as hell. TRAITOR,” the Libs of TikTok, a popular conservative account, wrote in a post of its own. Murphy told Fox News Digital those criticisms were overblown, calling them a deflection of the war’s political toll. CRUZ SAYS TRUMP’S MOVE TO STRIKE IRAN ‘MOST CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION’ OF HIS PRESIDENCY “You’re talking about a war that’s cost American taxpayers billions of dollars that’s allowed for Iran to control the Strait,” Murphy said. “Over a dozen Americans have been killed. There doesn’t seem to be any endgame.” Asked to comment on Murphy’s post, at least one other Senator declined to weigh in. “I’m not familiar with that,” Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., told Fox News Digital.
High-ranking DHS official sidelined over allegations of ‘sugar daddy’ relationship, luxe gifts and drug use
Fox News has learned a high-ranking Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official is on administrative leave after an investigation was launched into the leader’s alleged “sugar daddy” relationship, lavish spending and drug use, according to a DHS official. The probe unfolded after a formal complaint was filed against Julia Varvaro, 29, the DHS deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism, the Daily Mail first reported. The man at the center of the allegations, described as a divorced father named “Robert,” told the outlet he spent $40,000 on her during a three-month relationship that began on dating app Hinge before discovering she had a profile on a website called Seeking, which markets itself as “a space where love and luxury meet.” He alleged that her Seeking profile was under the name “Alessia” and sought “mutually beneficial” relationships with “masculine men.” Varvaro firmly denied the claims when questioned by the Daily Mail. LIBERAL JOURNALIST CLAIMS ICE ACCEPTED HER RECRUITMENT APPLICATION WITHOUT PROPER VETTING The outlet reported that, prior to the pair’s falling out, Robert took Varvaro on numerous posh getaways to Aruba, Italy and Switzerland, purchasing her a $3,500 Bottega handbag and taking her to the high-end jewelry store, Cartier. He added that, during their travels, Varvaro flexed her government position in TSA security lines and claimed she could get VIP access to the Winter Olympics, allegedly bragging, “ICE works for me.” In his formal complaint to the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which was reviewed by the Daily Mail, Robert said he believes Varvaro is “under financial stress” and that her actions pose a severe national security risk. A DHS OIG spokesperson told Fox News Digital the office has “a longstanding policy neither to confirm nor to deny the existence of any specific investigation,” and could not provide additional details or comment on the matter. CARDI B ISSUES WARNING TO ICE AT CALIFORNIA CONCERT KICKOFF: ‘WE GON’ JUMP THEY A—-‘ He also told the outlet he witnessed her use marijuana on nearly a dozen occasions and take recreational Xanax. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Varvaro described the situation as a “mad ex-boyfriend putting crap together. I didn’t know it was bad to go on vacation with your boyfriend.” The outlet said Varvaro admitted to being expedited through Dulles Airport security but denied using marijuana, seeking VIP Olympic access or having sugar daddies pay for her college, insisting that her request to Robert for a credit card in her name was “kind of a normal thing.” The scandal comes less than a month after photos were released of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon, which appeared to show him cross-dressing in private messages to three different women. Fox News previously reported rumors of an alleged affair between Noem and her top advisor, Corey Lewandowski, contributed to her dismissal from her DHS post. She now serves as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas. The CIA, Hinge and Seeking did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Varvaro could not immediately be reached for comment.
Newsom turns Virginia redistricting victory into warning shot for Trump administration
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared victory for Democrats on Tuesday after Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could reshape the House battlefield ahead of the 2026 midterms, warning the Trump administration that Democrats aim to drive a stake through its power by reclaiming Congress. “We are winning all across the United States and state houses in courthouses and now in the court of public opinion,” said Newsom in a video posted to X. “But what is at stake is putting a stake in the heart of the Trump administration by taking back the House of Representatives and taking it back to the United States Senate.” The ballot measure, passed on Tuesday, grants the Democratic-controlled Virginia legislature temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election, replacing the state’s current bipartisan commission — a shift that could bolster Democrats’ position in the fight for House control ahead of the 2026 midterms and broader national power. SCHWARZENEGGER PUSHING BACK BACK AGAINST NEWSOM REDISTRICTING BID IN CALIFORNIA Newsom has been positioning himself as a leader of the Democratic Party as his national profile builds ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run. “MAGA dare I say they’re losing at their own game. They’re on the defense and they’re scared,” the California governor added. High-profile Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, touted the referendum results as a midterm boost and celebrated on social media. TRUMP, ABBOTT VS. NEWSOM: MAD DASH TO REDO CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IN CALIFORNIA, TEXAS “Donald Trump and Republicans have tried to rig the 2026 midterms,” Kamala Harris wrote in a post on X. “Today in Virginia, voters sent them a clear message: The power is with the people,” she continued. Obama congratulated Virginia after voters approved a redistricting referendum, saying residents of the commonwealth showed what it looks like to “stand up for our democracy” and “fight back.” “Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet,” Obama wrote on X. “Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.” FOX NEWS VOTER POLL: CALIFORNIA VOTERS OK CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING PLAN “Donald Trump wants to stay in power at all costs. And his biggest obstacle is the midterm elections,” wrote possible presidential hopeful Gov. J.B. Pritzker on X. “House Democrats have crushed Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering scheme,” wrote Democrat House leader Hakeem Jeffries on X. “Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.” The referendum could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia’s congressional delegation, up from their current 6-5 edge. Democrats could add four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms as the party looks to reclaim control of the chamber from the GOP’s slim majority. Democrats have long treated redistricting as a strategic power fight, pouring resources into map battles, litigation and organizations like the National Democratic Redistricting Committee in an effort to shape congressional lines and the House battlefield before the Trump era. The Supreme Court of Virginia allowed the referendum to move forward after a lower court struck it down. But legal challenges to the referendum, filed in part by the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the state GOP, remain unresolved and are still before Virginia’s highest court. WITH TEXAS DEMS BACK, TRUMP URGES LEGISLATURE: ‘PASS THIS MAP, ASAP’ Republicans are fighting back with former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin calling on the Supreme Court to weigh in. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II said there will be three challenges to the amendment process itself. Cuccinelli argued that the referendum’s first passage was invalid, that an election must intervene between the first and second passage of the measure, and that insufficient time elapsed between final passage and the vote on Tuesday. Fox News Digital reached out to the Office of Gavin Newsom and the Republican National Committee for comment. Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion, Paul Steinhauser, Jasmine Baehr, and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Soros-backed DA’s lax illegal immigration policies led to ‘preventable’ bus stop stabbing murder: complaint
Soros-backed Democratic prosecutor Steve Descano has been hit with a formal federal complaint alleging that his lenient policies led to the “preventable” murder of a woman who was stabbed to death by an illegal alien in Virginia’s most populous county. This comes as Descano, Fairfax County’s commonwealth attorney, faces mounting criticism and pressure over his handling of a spate of illegal immigrant crime in the area. Descano rose to power with heavy financial backing from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC. Three of the four murders actively being investigated by authorities in Fairfax County were committed by illegal aliens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The debate mirrors broader national scrutiny of how sanctuary leaders handle migrant crime in their jurisdictions. Victims Rights Reform Council (VRRC), an advocacy group for victims of violent crimes, filed a federal civil rights complaint against Descano this week on behalf of Cheryl Minter. Minter’s 41-year-old daughter, Stephanie Minter, was fatally stabbed at a bus stop earlier this year, allegedly by Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old illegal alien from Sierra Leone. Jalloh is now being held without bond and charged with second-degree murder. In a Tuesday statement, Minter remarked that her daughter “should be alive today,” saying, “She was taken because the system chose to release a violent offender again and again.” HOUSE PANEL SUMMONS SOROS-BACKED FAIRFAX PROSECUTOR OVER RELEASES TIED TO VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CASES This particular killing has caused significant national outrage, as Jalloh entered the country illegally under the Obama administration in 2012 and has had a final deportation order since 2020. He has a lengthy criminal history, including more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, malicious wounding, assault, drug possession, identity theft and other offenses. In 2023, he was convicted of malicious wounding and sentenced to seven years in prison, with five years suspended. He only ended up serving about seven months in prison, according to local outlet WUSA9. Minter asserted that “had I murdered someone, I would be doing life in jail.” She suggested that “it seems that citizens are doing a lot more time and receive a lot more punishment for the same crimes than the illegals are.” VRRC is requesting that the Trump Department of Justice conduct a federal pattern-or-practice investigation into policies and practices it alleges resulted in the “preventable murder” of Minter’s daughter. In its complaint, VRRC alleges that systemic failures in Descano’s office include discriminatory prosecutorial practices, including policies that consider and seek to mitigate immigration consequences in criminal cases. It also alleges that Descano’s office shows deliberate indifference to public safety by “repeatedly releasing a known violent offender despite clear warnings and a broader pattern of leniency toward repeat and violent offenders.” Additionally, it alleges that Descano’s office has “potential outside influence on prosecutorial policy.” Descano’s entry into political office was propelled by a massive $627,653 donation from the Soros family’s Justice and Public Safety PAC, which made up roughly 70% of his 2019 campaign budget. SPANBERGER FACES ‘BAIT-AND-SWITCH’ BACKLASH IN FINAL HOURS BEFORE REDISTRICTING REFERENDUM In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Jennifer Harrison, executive director of VRRC, explained the group is “demanding accountability for a system that failed Stephanie and too many others.” “When known violent offenders are repeatedly released despite clear warnings, and policies yield unequal outcomes, the federal government must act,” she went on. “Equal justice means protecting innocent people — not prioritizing ideology over safety,” In response, Descano’s office shared a statement from the commonwealth attorney who said, “I can’t speak to any individual lawsuit, but I can tell you that the idea that we favor one group over another is completely wrong.” Descano said that the idea his office favors certain groups “has been fed by, in my opinion, purposeful misreporting and people taking things out of context for political gain.” “I can tell you that my job and our office’s job is to keep us safe,” he added. Descano delivered these remarks outside the Fairfax County Courthouse on Tuesday, following the sentencing of 18-year-old illegal immigrant Israel Flores Ortiz to 360 days of incarceration for assault by groping of several teenage girls. Descano said after the press conference that his office is “happy” with the sentence. Flores Ortiz is expected to serve about 135 days of his 360-day sentence. SPANBERGER RECEIVES DHS PLEA TO HOLD ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT REPEAT OFFENDER NOW CHARGED IN ATTEMPTED RAPE Meanwhile, Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, remarked that the DOJ “should heed Cheryl Minter’s warning,” because “Descano’s discriminatory policies are deadly.” “Stephanie Minter would be alive today if Fairfax’s top prosecutor treated everyone equally and obeyed the law,” alleged Kennedy in a statement to Fox News Digital. “DOJ must act now before another parent buries a child because Descano decided to protect an illegal alien instead of the public,” said Kennedy. The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Anthropic’s moral compass architect suggested AI overcorrection could address historical injustices
One of Anthropic’s artificial intelligence (AI) philosophy architects argued that intentional discrimination could be a way to combat stigmas on topics of race and gender. In a 2023 paper authored alongside a number of other AI researchers, Amanda Askell, a philosopher hired by Anthropic to develop their AI’s moral compass, argued companies might benefit from a kind of overcorrection toward stereotypes. But, the paper explained, that would require human input on how to modify its answers. “Larger models can over-correct, especially as the amount of [human input] training increases. This may be desirable in certain contexts, such as those in which decisions attempt to correct for historical injustices against marginalized groups, if doing so is in accordance with local laws,” Askell wrote. PALANTIR’S SHYAM SANKAR: AMERICANS ARE ‘BEING LIED TO’ ABOUT AI JOB DISPLACEMENT FEARS The comment referred to an experiment on how Anthropic’s models dealt with the race of students. “In the discrimination experiment, the 175B parameter model discriminates against Black versus White students by 3% in the Q condition and discriminates in favor of Black students by 7% in the Q+IF+CoT condition,” the paper notes, referring to one AI trained without human corrections and a second one trained with the help of input. Askell was joined by four other authors: Deep Ganguli, Nicholas Schiefer, Thomas Kiao and Kamilė Lukošiūtė. The paper’s contents have surfaced as AI companies increasingly wrestle with the ethics their models are trained on — the presuppositions and moral determinations that inform its outputs. It also highlights the challenges engineers face in training models on human content while simultaneously trying to leave behind certain human behaviors. The question of ethics has forced Anthropic in particular into the spotlight in recent weeks. The company made headlines earlier this year for clashing with the Department of War over restrictions that prevent its technology from being deployed to conduct lethal operations. HUGH GRANT MOVIE SLAMS AI; DIRECTOR WARNS ‘IT MIGHT KILL US ALL’ It also comes as Anthropic decided to withhold its latest model, Mythos, citing fears that it proved too effective at finding cyber vulnerabilities that could wreak havoc in the hands of hackers. Amid questions of AI application, Anthropic has marketed its flagship AI, Claude, as the “ethical” AI choice. “Our central aim is for Claude to be a good, wise and virtuous agent, exhibiting skill, judgment(sic), nuance and sensitivity in handling real-world decision-making,” Claude’s constitution reads. STANFORD PROF ACCUSED OF USING AI TO FAKE TESTIMONY IN MINNESOTA CASE AGAINST CONSERVATIVE YOUTUBER To get a better sense of what that means in practice, companies like Anthropic have turned to researchers like Askell. On her website, Askell described her role as refining the way an AI thinks. “I’m a philosopher working on finetuning and AI alignment at Anthropic. My team trains models to be more honest and to have good character traits and works on developing new finetuning techniques so that our interventions can scale to more capable models,” Askell wrote. PENTAGON’S AI BATTLE WILL HELP DECIDE WHO CONTROLS OUR MOST POWERFUL MILITARY TECH She previously held a similar position at OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, focusing on AI safety. The 2023 paper, written two years after she joined Anthropic, noted that encountering discrimination in AI models shouldn’t come as a surprise. “In some ways, our findings are unsurprising. Language models are trained on text generated by humans, and this text presumably includes many examples of humans exhibiting harmful stereotypes and discrimination,” the paper reads. But it noted that AIs seem to be able to adjust their outputs even without clarification of what discrimination means. “Our results are surprising in that they show we can steer models to avoid bias and discrimination by requesting an unbiased or non-discriminatory response in natural language.” Askell and Anthropic did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Supreme Court liberals side with Clarence Thomas on Taliban suicide bomber lawsuit, 3 others dissent
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a lawsuit brought by a U.S. Army veteran injured in a Taliban suicide bombing to proceed, vacating a lower court ruling that had dismissed it. Winston Tyler Hencely, a former U.S. Army specialist, suffered a fractured skull and brain injuries when a Taliban operative working for a military contractor blew up a suicide vest at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan in 2016. The majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, rejected a broad “battlefield preemption” theory that would have blocked state-law claims tied to combat activities. Thomas — joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson — wrote that military contractors are not automatically shielded from liability when their conduct was not authorized by the military — even in war zones. JUSTICE THOMAS WARNS PROGRESSIVISM IS A THREAT TO AMERICA IN RARE PUBLIC REMARKS “We vacate the judgment of the Fourth Circuit and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion,” Wednesday’s decision says. “In 2016, a Taliban operative working for respondent Fluor Corporation, a military contractor, carried out a suicide-bomb attack at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. After then-Army Specialist Winston T. Hencely confronted him, the bomber detonated his suicide vest,” the opinion explains. “As a result of the injuries he received, Hencely is now permanently disabled.” “In an effort to recover damages for his injuries, Hencely sued Fluor, bringing state-law tort claims for negligently retaining and supervising the attacker. According to Hencely and the United States military, Fluor’s conduct was not authorized by the military and even violated instructions the military had given it as a condition of operating on the base,” the opinion notes. Justice Samuel Alito, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
‘Illegals first’: Senate Republicans blast Schumer’s gambit to force vote on protecting Haitian migrants
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants to extend protections for Haitian migrants, and Republicans say it’s a perfect example of him putting the interests of illegal immigrants over Americans. Schumer fast-tracked a House-passed bill that would extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of Haitian migrants for three years earlier this week onto the Senate schedule. Whether it actually makes it to the floor is ultimately up to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. The top Senate Democrat’s desire to pass the legislation in the Senate comes at an inflection point for both the protected status of Haitian migrants and a funding battle started, in part, over immigration operations in the country. HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP TO SHIELD HAITIANS FROM DEPORTATION Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who led negotiations for Senate Republicans to try to strike a compromise deal to end the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, told Fox News Digital, “I’m so glad that he is prioritizing people who are not American consistently.” “What about the countless Americans that have died at the hands of illegal aliens? I mean, the fact that you’re literally trying to defund the organization that is tasked with keeping our streets safe, our borders secure, keeping Americans — allowing Americans to go home to their families at night,” Britt said. “It’s just totally, his priorities are completely and totally off.” While Schumer is trying to extend the protected status of Haitian migrants, DHS is still shut down over disagreements on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) funding. SENATE TAKES FIRST STEP TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL IN BID TO CUT DEMS OUT OF THE FUNDING PROCESS The legislation made it through the House last week after 10 Republicans bucked President Donald Trump and joined Democrats to shield more than 350,000 Haitian nationals from deportation. The TPS program allows foreign nationals whose home countries face humanitarian crises or dangerous conditions to temporarily live and work in the United States without fear of deportation, but it does not provide a pathway to citizenship. Schumer noted on the Senate floor earlier this week that Haitian migrants became a political flash point during Trump’s campaign, in which he claimed that a community of Haitians in Ohio were eating pets. SENATE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL IMMIGRATION FUNDING PLAN WITH $140 BILLION PRICE TAG AS GOP AIMS TO SPEND LESS “Despite ongoing violence, gang violence, civil instability, terrible medical infrastructure, and poor food access in Haiti,” Schumer said, “Trump directed Kristi Noem to strip Haitian immigrants of their TPS, their Temporary Protected Status, disregarding the process Congress set into law.” Trump tried to revoke the program for Haiti and argued that because conditions have improved in the country, granting Haitians legal protections runs counter to American interests. But his administration’s effort is currently snarled in the courts. And if it were to make it to a vote, Republicans plan to swiftly kill it. When asked whether the bill stood a chance in the upper chamber, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, flashed a zero sign by connecting his index finger and thumb. “Zero point zero,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “Schumer is all illegals first, it’s crazy.”
WATCH: Sen Warren unloads on Trump’s Fed nominee Kevin Warsh in explosive hearing showdown
Sparks flew on Capitol Hill as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., accused Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh of being a potential “sock puppet” for President Donald Trump. Warsh, tapped by Trump in January to lead the Federal Reserve, faced a two-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. If confirmed, he would take the helm of the world’s most powerful central bank, shaping interest rates, borrowing costs and the financial outlook for millions of American households for the next four years. WHO IS KEVIN WARSH, TRUMP’S PICK TO SUCCEED JEROME POWELL AS FED CHAIR? In her opening remarks, Warren sharply criticized Warsh’s record and questioned his independence, arguing he is “uniquely ill-suited for the job as Fed chair” and warning he could give Trump influence over the central bank. She accused Warsh of enabling Wall Street during the 2008 financial crisis, which fell during his tenure as a Federal Reserve governor when he served from 2006 to 2011. “In our meeting last week, we discussed the 2008 financial crash, where 8 million people lost their jobs, 10 million people lost their homes and millions more lost their life savings,” Warren said. “Giant banks, however, got hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts… and he said to me that he has no regrets about anything he did.” She added that Warsh “worked tirelessly to arrange multibillion-dollar bailouts” for Wall Street CEOs, with nothing for American families. The hearing grew more tense as Warren pivoted to ethics concerns, pressing Warsh over his undisclosed financial holdings and questioning him over links to business dealings connected to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The two spoke over each other and raised their voices in a heated exchange on Capitol Hill. WARSH’S $226 MILLION FORTUNE UNDER SCRUTINY AS FED NOMINEE FACES SENATE CONFIRMATION Sen. Elizabeth Warren: The Fed has been plagued by deeply disturbing ethics scandals in recent years. It’s critical that the next chair have no financial conflicts — none. You have more than $100 million in investments that you have refused to disclose. So let me ask: do the Juggernaut Fund or THSDFS LLC invest in companies affiliated with President Trump or his family, companies tied to money laundering, Chinese-controlled firms, or financing vehicles linked to Jeffrey Epstein? Kevin Warsh: Senator, I’ve worked closely with the Office of Government Ethics and agreed to divest all of my financial assets. Warren: Could you answer my question, please? You have more than $100 million in undisclosed assets. Are any of those investments tied to the entities I just mentioned? It’s a yes-or-no question. Warsh: I have worked tirelessly with ethics officials and agreed to sell all of my assets before taking the oath of office. Warren: Are you refusing to tell us if you have investments in vehicles linked to Jeffrey Epstein? You just won’t say? Warsh: What I’m telling you is those assets will be sold if I’m confirmed. Warren: Will you disclose how you plan to divest these assets? The public might question your motives if, for example, someone who profits from predicting Fed policy cuts you a $100 million check as you take office. Warsh: I’ve reached a full agreement with the Office of Government Ethics and will divest those assets before taking the oath. Warren: I’m asking a very straightforward question. Will you disclose how you divest those assets? Warsh: As I’ve said, I’ve worked with ethics officials. Warren: I’ll take that as a no. In a separate exchange, Warren invoked Trump’s past statements about the Fed and challenged Warsh to prove his independence in real time. She insisted that Warsh answer whether he believes Trump won the 2020 presidential election and if he would name policies of the president with which he disagrees. The hopeful future Fed chair dodged the question and said he would remain apolitical, if confirmed. THE ONE LINE IN WARSH’S TESTIMONY SIGNALING A BREAK FROM THE FED’S STATUS QUO Warren: Donald Trump has made clear he does not want an independent Fed. He has said, “Anybody that disagrees with me will never be Fed chairman.” He’s also said interest rates will drop “when Kevin gets in.” Let’s check out your independence and your courage. We’ll start easy. Mr. Warsh, did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election? Warsh: Senator, we should keep politics out of the Federal Reserve. Warren: I’m asking a factual question. Warsh: This body certified the election. Warren: That’s not what I asked. Did Donald Trump lose in 2020? Warsh: The Fed should stay out of politics. Warren: In our meeting, you said you’re a “tough guy” who can stand up to President Trump. So name one aspect of his economic agenda you disagree with. Warsh: That’s not something I’m prepared to do. The Fed should stay in its lane. Warren: Just one place where you disagree. Warsh: I do have one disagreement — he said I looked like I was out of central casting. I think I’d look older and grayer. Warren: That’s adorable. But we need a Fed chair who is independent. If you can’t answer these questions, you don’t have the courage or the independence.
Schlossberg unveils plan to crack down on ‘new frontier’ of AI putting the ‘squeeze’ on consumers: ‘Harbinger’
FIRST ON FOX: NEW YORK, N.Y. — As thousands of New York City residents prepare to hit the road to leave town for Memorial Day and summer travel, Democratic House candidate Jack Schlossberg is calling for an investigation into the way rental car companies, and potentially other industries, are using artificial intelligence. Schlossberg, the only grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to look into reports that Hertz began using AI last year to scan cars for rental damages, prompting warnings that consumers could end up being overcharged. “AI is being used in consumer-facing financial products, and Hertz is using AI to scan for microscopic damage on cars, invisible to the human eye, to charge people with fees for damage that they might not even be aware of, they have no opportunity to dispute, and the FTC should act here to investigate whether or not this constitutes an unfair trade practice,” Schlossberg told Fox News Digital outside a midtown Manhattan Hertz location. Schlossberg’s concerns stem in part from a report from The Drive where a Hertz customer at a location using the technology said he was notified minutes after dropping off his car that a 1-inch scuff on the driver’s side rear wheel resulted in a $440 charge that included $250 for the repair, $125 for processing and a $65 administrative fee. FROM CAMELOT TO ‘OUTSIDER’: JFK’S GRANDSON SHAKES UP NYC HOUSE RACE TAKING AIM AT GATEKEEPING DEM ‘MACHINE’ The report claims the situation for the customer got even worse when he tried to dispute the charges, and the company’s chatbot did not offer a way to reach a live representative, instead routing the issue for review at a later time. Hertz has been partnering with Israel-based Uveye to deploy AI-scanning technology at airport locations over the past year and uses cameras and machine learning algorithms to scan returned cars in hopes of improving the “frequency, accuracy, and efficiency” of the process and phase out the need for manual inspections, Car & Driver reported. Schlossberg is calling on the FTC to take four actions, adding that if elected to Congress in New York’s 12th District he would move to enshrine them into federal law: conduct a full investigation into Hertz’s use of AI-driven damage detection, determine whether the practice constitutes an unfair or deceptive act under federal law, establish clear guidelines for the use of AI in consumer-facing financial decisions, and ensure that consumers have a transparent, fair and accessible process to dispute charges. ‘GODFATHER OF AI’ WARNS MACHINES COULD SOON OUTTHINK HUMANS, CALLS FOR ‘MATERNAL INSTINCTS’ TO BE BUILT IN “I think that this is a harbinger of what’s to come,” Schlossberg said. “This is the new frontier of corporate fine print because AI is being used in ways we couldn’t imagine to price gouge, price fix, jack up prices on consumers without their consent, and basically just squeeze every nickel and dime out of consumers that they possibly can. And sometimes this can be unfair.” “We have elected officials in New York City who quietly work for the AI industry — meanwhile, like in the case of Hertz, consumers are being taken for a ride,” Schlossberg’s campaign said in a Wednesday press release first obtained by Fox News Digital, adding that “innovation must not come at the expense of the consumer.” A Hertz spokesperson pushed back on Schlossberg’s concerns in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying, “Digital vehicle inspections bring precision and transparency to a historically manual and inconsistent process while also enhancing the safety, quality, and reliability of our fleet. They protect customers from being charged for damage that didn’t occur during their rental while enabling faster, fairer resolution when it does.” The company added, “Since launching over one year ago, we’ve been listening, learning, and improving based on customer feedback — increasing communication, enhancing awareness at digital inspection locations, and strengthening our support channels. We’re committed to building upon the progress we’ve made to continue providing our customers with a more consistent rental experience and safer fleet.” A company spokesperson also told Fox News Digital that customers are not charged for damages invisible to the human eye and are provided comprehensive reports that include before-and-after photos that can easily be discussed with a customer care team via email, phone or chat. Schlossberg told Fox News Digital that his announcement in mid-April is intended to “get ahead of the peak season booking” as New Yorkers plan their Memorial Day weekend trips and should be aware of the potential pitfalls of renting a car within the landscape of emerging AI technology. The FTC declined to comment. Schlossberg is running as a Democrat in a crowded primary on June 23 to represent New York’s 12th Congressional District in Congress, where the winner is widely believed to be in the driver’s seat to win the general election in one of the most heavily Democratic districts in the country.